Bag Lunch: Healthy Meals on the Go

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Roasted Mushroom and Goat Cheese Wraps

Vegetable Stock

Carrot-Ginger Soup

Soup is great for lunch in a Thermos, and the blend of Asian flavors and citrus is pleasantly refreshing. Some tips: Ginger can be peeled easily with a spoon. Just scrape the skin away. It's much faster than cutting, and you'll have a lot less waste. And if you're making fresh vegetable stock (see the recipe online), do a double or triple batch. Use what you need, and freeze the rest in ice cube trays, then freeze the stock cubes in zip-lock freezer bags for next time.

Eight servings

• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/2 cup leeks, cut into in 1/4-inch slices
• 1 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 quart vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups carrots, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced
• 1 tbsp. orange juice

1. 1. Sauté ginger and leeks in oil until tender.
2. 2. Add stock, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer for ten minutes.
3. 3. Add carrots and celery and cook for twenty minutes. Remove from heat and puree with a hand blender or in a standard blender.
4. 4. Add orange juice, check seasoning, and serve.

Roasted Mushroom and Goat Cheese Wraps

I prefer wraps to traditional between-the-bread sandwiches -- and wraps, filled with all kinds of delicacies, won't fall apart. Many variations are possible with this one; try it with olives, tapenade, grilled zucchini, eggplant, or summer squash.

Eight servings

• 8 tortillas
• 1 oz. olive oil
• 1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 lb. oyster mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 lb. portabello mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 lb. onions, sliced
• 1 oz. Italian parsley, chopped
• 12 oz. goat cheese
• 1/2 lb. arugula
• salt and pepper to taste

1. 1. Toss mushrooms with oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast at 350 degrees for about fifteen or twenty minutes.
2. 2. Let cool to room temperature.
3. 3. Toss parsley in with mushrooms.
4. 4. Warm tortillas and fill with some mushrooms, cheese, and greens

Vegetable Stock

1 gallon

• 1 lb. Spanish onion
• 1 lb. leeks
• 1/2 lb. celery
• 1/2 lb. carrots
• 1/2 lb. tomatoes
• 2 oz. parsley
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 gal. water

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 2. Wash and large dice all the vegetables.
3. 3. Roast the vegetables and peppercorns at 350 degrees for thirty minutes.
4. 4. Put all ingredients into a stockpot and bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for about two to four hours, until the stock is reduced by one half.
5. 5. Strain, and chill until ready to use.

Credit: Getty Images

Ann Cooper, as director of nutrition services for the Berkeley Unified School District, in Berkeley, California, works to transform cafeterias into culinary classrooms for students. Her latest book, cowritten with Lisa M. Holmes, is Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children. Visit her Web site, Lunch Lessons, at www.lunchlessons.org.