Even if you’re really not….
Studying abroad in Paris for the year has made me super aware of the food that I eat. I am living with a host family, so they hook it up with dinners 4 days a week, but in order to save money I started making my own lunches in bulk for the week. As someone who grew up with a mother who called our ovens “reheating ovens,” being culinary is not really in my genes. But it turns out that there are some delicious recipes that are super cheap and easy to make. Plus, now that spring is peaking its head out, you may as well make some delicious and colorful meals to get into the spring spirit!
1. Yellow Curry
Curry always used to intimidate me! Something so flavorful probably needs a ton of spices with names that are DEFINITELY not English. However, I faced my fear, jumped onto Pinterest and found the easiest yellow curry recipe and it was DELIGHTFUL! This was the recipe I used for a weeks worth of lunches, so be warned, it makes a ton of curry.
Here it is:
Any veggies you want! I used:
1 Can of Chickpeas (this is where us vegetarians get our protein)
2 big handfuls of fresh spinach (you can always use frozen if its cheaper)
1 cup of mushrooms
1 white onion
Sautée all these lovely things in a pan or pot if you want to do a 1-pot deal…
Then add
2 14oz cans of coconut milk (or whatever size looks good enough for the amount of curry youre trying to make)
1 cup of water with a veggie bouillon cube, or a cup of veggie stock, whatever you have on hand.
Curry powder to taste
Veggie Quinoa Stir Fry
You know what saves lives? This recipe. It’s the easiest vegetarian meal to make, probably ever, and can be chock-full of protein if you’re into that kind of thing.
What you need:
VEGETABLES! All of ‘em! Carrots, onions, snap peas, peppers, sweet potato, whatever your’e feelin, whatever you have on hand, throw that shiz in a pan and cook ’em until they’re nice and cooked. Add tofu or meat or egg if you want for extra protein!
Quinoa! I always add 2x the water to 1 serving of quinoa. So if I put 1 cup of quinoa in a pot, I will add two cups of water. That way the quinoa soaks up all the water and you don’t have to drain those suckers. Bring your water to a boil and then reduce the heat and let it simmmmmma. Once your quinoa is nice and fluffy, add it to your veggies and stir it all around.
Add soy sauce, sesame seeds or nothing at all and enjoy that good-good.
1 Pan Roasted Salmon and Veggies
This one goes out to all those pescetarians out there. I was going to be a full vegetarian, but realized that I could not physically give up salmon, so this recipe gives me life. It’s also a little more work and time than the others but you’re barely dirtying your kitchen so I’d say it’s worth it.
What you’ll need:
Salmon filets, however many you want to eat
6-7 Small red Potatoes
Olive Oil/salt and pepper/ lemon juice/ 1 whole lemon per 2 filets of salmon
A bunch of asparagus
Cut those potatoes in half and sprinkle them with olive oil, salt and pepper and a lil bit of lemon juice. Bake those at 400 degrees for 25 mins, or until crispy looking.
Add the salmon to the pan, sprinkle with salt/pepper/lemon juice and top with lemon slices. Add asparagus to the pan and season it like all the rest. Put it back in the oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. ENJOY
Spaghetti and Veggie Meatballs
So this recipe gives your inevitable pasta dinner a little more pizazz than just pasta and store bought marinara. It can be made with zucchini or eggplant, so get crazy.
What you’ll need:
1 eggplant
1 ½ cups of Italian breadcrumbs
1 large egg
As much parmesan cheese as your little heart desires, the recipe I followed calls for 2 ounces
1 Jar of Marinara sauce of your choosing
2 cloves of garlic or 1 tsp of minced garlic
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
In a skillet, put in some olive oil and your eggplant chopped up as small as possible. Cook until tender and then try and chop your eggplant even smaller if you can. Transfer the eggplant into a bowl with the bread crumbs, the egg, the cheese, and if you wanna get a little fancy you can add some basil.
Stir mixture and make into balls. Bake until firm, 20-25 minutes.
Transfer your “meat”balls into the first skillet, add in the jar of marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Put those delightful little balls on your pasta and enjoy!
Burrito Bowls
Chipotle’s got nothing on you with this burrito bowl recipe, and guac won’t be extra!
What you’ll need:
1 Can of black beans
1 can of corn
1 Cup or white or brown rice or quinoa
1 Cup of chopped lettuce
½ Cup of chopped tomatoes
whatever else you wish could go in a burrito bowl, this is a rule-free zone, do whatever you want!
For the guac:
1 avacado
½ cup red onions
some lemon juice
garlic salt
Add all of this to a bowl and mix it up until it’s the consistency of your choosing.
Cook your rice or quinoa until its nice and fluffy. This is your base. Wash and drain the black beans and the corn and add those on top of your base. Load it on up with the lettuce, tomatoes and whatever else you want to add. Top it off with salsa, sour cream, and guac and take it to the FACE!