When you are in college or live on your own and are juggling your life between work, studies, and social life, cooking and being healthy can be though. Believe me, I know. Even though I am aware of what I should eat in order to benefit from food and how to use it as fuel for my body, laziness, tiredness, not enough time and living on a budget often get in the way. And cooking and buy groceries and eat healthy is just TOO MUCH WORK.
So, here is one of my favourite recipes you can make in order to eat healthy(-ish):
Quinoa (or bulgur) with veggies
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 2 carrots (medium-large)
- 1 large potato
- 1 vegetable bouillion cube
- 2 cups of quinoa or bulgur
- A Pinch of salt
- Clarified butter (makes cooking easier and the dish sweeter)
- Spices: turmeric or curry or paprika, to your liking.
Preparation: clean the vegetables, chop and dice them. In a pan on low heat, put a generous amount of clarified butter, wait 30 seconds and pour the veggies, potatoes and carrots first and after 5 minutes the zucchini (put the food when the oil or butter are already at the right temperature, otherwise the food will absorb the oil, become greasy and take more time to cook).
Add the spices of your liking.
After 5 minutes if the veggies are attaching to the pan, pour some water (this way the water will boil and cook the veggies without adding more fats), and add the bouillon cube. Let simmer, stirring often, for about 30 minutes ( it depends on the size of your chopped veggies), adding water when needed.
Following the instructions on the back of the box, cook the quinoa or bulgur. Once is cooked (after about 20 minutes) let it sit and with a fork make sure the texture is not grainy.
Once everything is cooked, pour the quinoa or bulgur in the pan with the veggies, and let it warm and mix well together at low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, adjusting the salt and spices.
Let it cool for 5 minutes and then serve!
Et voilà!
I love this recipe because quinoa, being a cereal, is packed with fiber and good carbs that you NEED in your diet, but beware of gluten (only if you have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease), and it’s full of protein so if you are vegetarian or vegan it’s great for you! Veggies are a MUST for everyone, we should eat them at least 3 times a day, so that’s a great way to incorporate them in your meal. Veggies are rich in water, mineral salts, fiber, vitamins and everything nice.
Try to use veggies with different colors, so you’ll get different benefits (red veggies are rich in vitamin C, orange veggies contain retinol great for the eyes and skin, green veggies are packed with fibers and iron). And don’t even get me started on spices. I’m just gonna point this out: spices add flavour. So, by using them, you get flavour without that much salt. This means less thirst, less risk of cardiovascular diseases and less CELLULITE. I mean, come on!
I hope you liked it! If there are any European recipes you are curious about, or if you have suggestions, let me know!
Featured image via Ella Olsson on Unsplash
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