Now I would not say I’m a whiz in the kitchen; in fact, I’m a bit of a mess. If I’m being honest, it takes way too much effort to get myself to eat anything other than eggs and bread. The only thing that saves me in the fruit department is eating bowls of frozen fruit because I’m too lazy to mix the fruit into a smoothie. For vegetables, though, it’s a little more difficult, because as you can probably believe, it’s not quite as satisfying to chow down on a bowl of frozen vegetables. What I am trying to say is if I want to get vegetables into my diet ,I have to put it into my meals, and as I am not a big fan of raw vegetables, sautéing is my best friend. Conveniently, sautéing is the main cooking method for these three recipes (see what I did there?). The best thing about these recipes is they all pretty much use the same ingredients. So if you make one and have leftover ingredients, you can make another meal. Also, it’s important to note that I add Sriracha to all these meals when I’m eating them, but this is not needed. I just have a problem.
P.S. I am sorry for not being exact with my measurements and for saying “a couple” a lot. For me, that means 2-4. Use your discretion. But to be fair, I am not Martha Stewart – do what speaks to you. Go with the flow, my friend.
P.P.S. A turning point in my life was when my housemate bought a slap chop. Am I sad to say the infomercials got to me? Yes, I am. But does it work, is it quicker than chopping, and does it get out all my pent-up aggression? Yes, yes, and mostly.
(Ryan Reynolds knows what’s up)
How To Sauté
Because this is a no-judgment zone, I’m going to teach you the basics first. For those who don’t know, sautéing can be done in either a pot or pan, and involves pouring a thin layer of oil (my oil of choice is vegetable) onto the bottom of the pan or pot. Let the oil heat up then toss in your vegetables of choice. If needed, pour a little bit more oil on top of the vegetables. On medium heat, continually move the vegetables around, making sure to flip sides until they are tender. If you’re feeling fancy, do one of those pot shimmying things.
(You know, THAT thing)
Lentil Curry
Ingredients
- 1 diced onion
- 1-3 cloves of garlic
- 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1- 3 or 4 potatoes
- 1-2 cups of red lentils
- a couple of carrots
- a couple of peppers (pick your favorite color or mix it up and use them all)
- 1 head of cauliflower
- a pack of curry paste (I use the Kitchens of India brand in the butter chicken flavor)
Cooking Instructions
Sauté the onions for about 3 minutes before adding in finely chopped garlic (courtesy of the slap chop), sliced pepper, chopped carrots and cauliflower. Let the vegetables sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes and then add however much water the curry pack calls for (or if you want a richer taste, replace water with chicken or vegetable broth). Pour in lentils, adding more liquid if they are not fully covered. Add cut up potatoes to mixture. Lastly, add contents of curry pack and stir well.
Turn the stove onto high heat until the mixture begins to boil. Once it has reached a boil, turn the stove down to low or until the mixture is just simmering. Cover and let sit for 15-30 minutes or until lentils are tender. If you’re feeling extra fancy or want to thicken up the curry, add a tablespoon of whipping cream. Serve while hot or freeze for later. Be warned, this recipe makes a lot, so either half it, or be prepared to be eating curry for a while.
Everything-but-the-Kitchen-Sink Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 or 2 peppers, sliced
- finely diced carrots (courtesy of slap chop)
- 1 onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1/2 to 1 cup of whipping cream
- 1 can of tuna
- whatever other vegetables you want (broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini)
- your favorite type of noodle (I like a mixture of whole wheat spaghetti noodles and white fusilli)
- a little bit of cheap jarred tomato sauce
Cooking Instructions
Sauté diced onions until tender. Add in garlic and the rest of vegetables (except for the carrots). Sauté entire mixture for around 5 minutes, and then pour in the can of diced tomatoes. Let the mixture boil until most of the liquid has evaporated away from the tomatoes. Next, add around ½ to a full cup of heavy cream. Then, depending on the texture of sauce, I like to add in a little bit of jarred sauce to make the sauce a little thicker. Keeping the sauce on the heat, add in the diced carrots and stir. Finally, drain the tuna and add to the sauce. If you’re not a fan of tuna, you can go without, or substitute with bacon, chicken, or ground beef.
Boil pasta and serve immediately, or save the sauce for later use. A pro tip here is to save your leftover jars from store bought spaghetti sauce, or old yogurt containers, and put your leftovers in them. If you’re a fan of spice, add some sriracha or any other hot sauce to taste.
Fried Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 cup of quinoa
- chopped carrots
- 1-3 sliced peppers
- cauliflower or broccoli (or both!)
- 2 eggs
- cheddar cheese
- olive oil or butter
Cooking Instructions
Cook quinoa according to the instructions on the package. At the same time, sauté onions, garlic, and vegetables. In order to get carrots extra tender, simply begin sautéing carrots before adding everything else in. Once vegetables are tender, push them to the side. Then crack 2 eggs into the same pan and scramble them. Once cooked, mix the eggs and vegetables together.
Pour the quinoa into a large serving bowl and add vegetable oil or butter to taste. Then pour in vegetable and egg mixture. Serve hot and immediately grate cheese on top so that it melts into the mixture. Add salt or hot sauce to taste.
I was searching up quinoa GIFs, and this one popped up. It’s oddly satisfying, so you’re welcome. That is all. Happy eating!