Joël Legendre immediately admits that he grew up with a lunch box that consisted of a white bread sandwich with Paris Pâté or Kam (a canned cooked ham), a Joe Louis and an FBI orange juice. “There was nothing good for your health, but times have changed, we have since realized the importance of eating well and preparing balanced lunches,” he says. And that’s what he likes to do for his three children.
The vegetarian recipes he offers are very varied, some are very original and above all, there is something for everyone: “pennines-poutine” with peas, where he replaces fries with pasta, a mac & cheese sandwich where he puts macaroni and cheese between two slices of bread and a leaf of lettuce, a fiesta burrito with red beans, a sunny lentil salad, Moroccan couscous, or even an apple grilled cheese. A nice place is given to the soups that we love, like the tofu ramen that he cooked for us. We also find joyful snacks and desserts, jujube cookies, energy fruit bars, cherry meringues, smoothies and the “Kid Kat”, made with wafers.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
Joël Legendre is well aware that for many, lunches are a chore!
All the recipes were approved by my three children! During the pandemic, there was homeschooling, the days were a little dull, so I started to design fun, healthy, colorful meals to brighten up the lunch time we all spent together. I tested 80 recipes without knowing it would become a book!
Joel Legendre
He’s been experimenting with all sorts of things in recent years, including veggie meat, veggie chicken and veggie bacon – the recipe for which can be found in the next tab. “I’ve been looking for a way to get the taste and texture of bacon for a long time. The crispy veggie bacon taste is really great, so I’m glad I managed to create this perfect recipe with rice paper sheets,” he says.
Bread is part of his childhood memories, and he devotes a chapter to ideas for delicious sandwiches. “The smell of hot bread coming out of the oven is a real pleasure. There is nothing better than a baguette or a loaf of fresh bread. Sandwiches, in a lunch, are essential and we love them.”
Soups, salads and brunches are also part of his recipes. “My maternal grandmother made a lot of soups, and she is the one who passed this heritage on to me; soup is comforting. Don’t hesitate to make a large quantity, because you can freeze it,” says Joël Legendre. As for salads that are not always very popular with children, he adds color: beets, green apples, tomatoes, green beans!
Rediscover the pleasure of lunch
He doesn’t forget the desserts and snacks that he enjoys, just like his children. Why deny himself pleasure? “I didn’t want to demonize desserts, on the contrary, because I love chocolate and sugar, and so do the children, so I experimented with things. Cookies, muffins, when they’re homemade, they’re healthier and more economical.” He offers, among other things, a choco-tofu mousse, a maple pudding, cereal and caramel bars, crunchy chocolate and marshmallow muffins, and fruit compotes.
Joël Legendre is aware that for many people, lunches are a chore. Between leftovers from dinner, 1001 sandwiches, pastas and salads, we don’t know what to invent anymore. And above all, we don’t have time, because the morning is not the ideal time to start a big elaborate recipe.
“I am well aware of this, because in our house, in the morning, it’s chaos! My recipes have been designed so that in the morning, there is almost nothing left to do. You just have to plan to prepare them the night before, and my recipes are ready in two or three steps… And don’t worry, there are also leftovers from dinner!” he says, laughing.
He also knows that there is sometimes a competitive spirit that reigns. “When my son Lambert, 21, started school, there was a certain competition between parents to see who had the most colorful, the most original, the healthiest or even the most ecological lunch box, because we are judged on that too! And with my two 10-year-old daughters, I have the impression that the level has increased! But the important thing is to have fun preparing them… and eating them.”
Lunches for all – 100 vegetarian recipes to reinvent your dinners
The Man’s Editions
224 pages