Grain bowl
Green Curry
Flatbread with chickpea tomato pistachio – NYT
Stir fry
Food can be fun, tasty, nutritious and easy to make! I love to cook elaborate meals when I have time, but often the simple and quick recipes end up being my favorite. Whether it is a recovery day or a 5 hour training day, eating a well-balanced meal is important for staying strong, healthy, and happy! When I can, I try to cook foods that are grown locally and in season, because I know where they come from and are rich with fresh nutrients. Foods in season also taste much better too! Here have been my summer go-to meals that are quick, easy, and always a crowd-pleaser.
Grain bowl – ie. choose your own adventure
What I love about a grain bowl is that you can really substitute any part of it with what you have in your fridge and pantry. There are 4 parts to the bowl: grain, protein, veggie, sauce (+ cheese and herbs as toppings)! Technically, this isn’t a set recipe, but this is my most frequent go-to dinner. Here are a few of my favorite combinations.
Combo 1:
Grain: Brown rice
Protein: Tofu, almonds
Veggies: Leafy greens, tomatoes,
Sauce: Lemon tahini dressing
Toppings: Feta, mint
Combo 2:
Grain: White rice
Protein: Ground chicken, peanuts
Veggies: Broccoli, arugula, bell peppers
Sauce: Thai chili sauce
Toppings: Pineapple, cilantro
Combo 3:
Grain: Farro
Protein: Egg, chickpeas
Veggies: Cucumber, tomatoes, shredded cabbage, eggplant
Sauce: Lemon tahini dressing
Toppings: Feta, parsley
* Lemon tahini sauce
Blend ⅓ cup tahini, ⅓ olive oil, ⅓ cup water, 3 tbs lemon juice, garlic, 1 tsp soy sauce
*Thai chili sauce
¼ cup Thai chili sauce, ⅓ cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice, garlic, ginger
Green curry
On those colder or rainy days, it is nice to have a warm meal. I like curry because you can always substitute veggies for what you have in the fridge and it is full of flavor.
What you need:
- Rice (or other grain)
- Tofu or chicken
- 2 cups of veggies
- 1 can of coconut milk
- Thai green curry paste
- 1 lime
Cook a pot of rice or other grain of your choice while you make the curry sauce.
While the rice is cooking, mix 1 can of coconut milk with 4 tbs of Thai green curry paste in a medium-sized bowl. In a large, well-seasoned pan (I like to use coconut oil for this recipe), place either your tofu or chicken in the pan and pour 3 tbs of the curry mixture over and cook your protein until it is fully cooked. If there is not enough oil, add coconut oil to the pan as the protein cooks. Once your protein is cooked, set it aside in a bowl while you cook the vegetables.
Add 2 cups of vegetables of your choice into the pan. I used kale and snap peas in this iteration, sticking with the green theme! Cook the veggies for about 4 minutes before pouring in the rest of the curry mixture. Let this mixture cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce starts to thicken and the veggies are cooked.
When it is done, top the curry with lime juice, add the tofu back in, and season to taste. Assemble the curry in a bowl with rice, topping with some fresh herbs like basil and cilantro, and cashews.
Flatbread Dipped in Cucumber Yogurt
I loved this recipe for hot days this summer because it had a refreshing cool zingy taste to it, and required little oven and frying heat. I also really like this recipe because you can make it ahead of time and it is ready to go when you come home.
What you need:
- Flatbread (or other dipping bread)
- 1-2 cups Greek yogurt
- 1 big cucumber or 3 mini ones
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 lemon
- 1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
- ⅓ cup herbs (I like basil and/or mint)
- ¼ cup nuts for toppings (pistachios)
To make the yogurt dip, mix together the yogurt, cucumbers, hebs, zest of a half of lemon, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized bowl and then keep it in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Save the remaining half a lemon as wedges to serve on the side.
In a pan, heat oil on medium and add in the tomatoes, cooking them for 5 minutes. Once they start to burst, add in the chickpeas, curry powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer this for about 4 minutes and then let it cool in a bowl until you are ready to serve. I usually make these 2 steps ahead of time and keep both bowls in the fridge until I come home and I am ready to eat.
When I am ready to assemble the dish, I spread the yogurt mixture in a deep bowl or wide platter. I top it with the tomato chickpea mixture and sprinkle the herbs and nuts on top. You can either squeeze the lemon wedges over the mixture or serve them on the side as additional fresh citrus as topping. Using whatever flatbread you have (whether homemade or store-bought), I try to warm them up briefly in the microwave and then enjoy the dish by dipping into the mixture with the flatbread!
Stir Fry
Who doesn’t love a good stir fry? At the end of the week, I often have leftover veggies in the fridge, and it is the perfect way to use them up in a quick and delicious way! This recipe below is a twist to the classic rice, soy sauce stir fry so I hope it adds a different variation to the classic stir recipe.
What you need:
- Soba noodles (or other noodles or rice)
- 2-3 cups veggies (broccolini, snap peas, edamame, carrots)
- Tempeh (or other protein)
- ⅓ cup herbs (cilantro or basil)
- ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Sesame oil
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tsp ginger
- Chili sauce or other hot sauce
Chop all of the veggies into you preferred shape (I like to make thin strips). Heat a skillet with olive oil and sautee the veggies and ginger for 5-7 minutes until they start to soften up and slightly golden. Add the tempeh in after a few minutes.
In the mean time, heat 2 pots of water. In one pot of water, add the frozen edamame and cook them for about 5 minutes until they are warm all the way through. In the other pot, cook the noodles to your desired to you liking.
In a bowl, mix together the tamari, seame oil, honey, and hot sauce. Toss all of the noodles and the edamame into the veggie skillet and add the sauce. Let it summer for 2 minutes and then serve hot. Top with herbs and nuts if you like!
