4 healthy and tasty recipes to freeze

Have the freezer full of healthy food It can save our lives in many moments, such as unforeseen events, illnesses or very intense moments in which we know that we will have little time, such as the arrival of a new baby in the family, exam times, returning from vacation… But also, it can simply be nice to have a wild card for the days when we don’t feel like cooking and want to do something else.

To create a freezer bottomwe can freeze the leftovers to avoid wasting food or consider it and make larger quantities of our preparations.

The most practical ingredients and dishes to have in the freezer

There is many ingredients that we can freeze. It is very useful to freeze cooked ingredients and use them for other preparations, such as:

Legumes to make hummus or to add to salads and stews.cooked cereals such as brown rice or quinoa that we have left over to add to salads, accompany dishes or make hamburgers.Vegetables cut and steamed how broccoli, kale, spinach to add directly to stews and curries…

Also we can freeze ready-made dishes, so that you only need to heat them. The logical thing is that, since we are cooking, we prepare twice the amount and freeze half. They can be frozen, for example:

all kinds of sauces for Bolognese-type pasta, tomato sauce…stews and legume stews. Curries.stir fry of vegetables and vegetable proteins.purees of vegetablesHamburgers, meatballs, croquettes, burritos…Quiches and lasagna.

to eat the plate Let it thaw in the fridge and warm it up.. The difference is the dishes that are prepared in the oven, such as lasagna, which are frozen without making. At lunchtime we put it directly in the oven and add 15 minutes of cooking.

If water separates in dishes such as purees or sauces, we can beat them again.

Also we can have a good background for freezing breakfasts, snacks and snacks: homemade breads, muffins, biscuits, cookies, energy bars, oatmeal pancakes, waffles… All these preparations freeze and thaw very well and save our lives at times when we fancy something sweet to snack on or need a snack for the little ones very fast.

Tips for freezing food:

Following some tips will help you so that the food freezes well and preserves perfectly:

It is important, for any type of preparation that we are going to freeze, that we leave it before cool completely after cooking. Store the food in a container that closes well: we can use different types of packagingsuch as recycled glass jars, BPA-free plastic containers, plastic freezer bags or reusable silicone bags.Snacks, breakfasts and snacks should be frozen in individual portions. Before freezing, we cut the bread and the cake into slices, and cut the bars. Then the wrap in parchment paper and we freeze. This way we can always take out of the freezer only the portions that we need. Most of the preparations last well for about 3 months, but it is advisable label the food with the freezing date so that it does not take too long before consuming it.

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4 great recipes to freeze

Having a couple of ready-to-eat dishes in the freezer can come in handy at any time. Here you will find a chili stew, some burritos, a practical cookie in the shape of a bar to cut and some tasty vegetable burgers.

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1. Bean and vegetable chili

Stews are ideal for freezing. This recipe can be made in large quantities and thus we will have several servings. In fact, we can prepare a large pot and eat half a day and freeze the rest For the days when we are in a hurry.

The recipe is very flexible. We can add other vegetables we have on hand such as pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato, spinach…

the chili It can be served with many different accompaniments: brown rice, quinoa or another cereal, nachos, baked sweet potatoes, pasta or couscous, cauliflower rice, avocado toast….

Ingredients (4-6 servings):

800 g cooked pinto or black beans 600 g crushed tomato 1 small red bell pepper 1 green bell pepper 1 carrot 1 celery stalk 8 mushrooms 1 onion 3 garlic cloves 200 ml water or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon sweetener such as coconut sugar, maple syrup, or a dash of estiva (optional) )1 bay leaf70 g sweet corn2 teaspoons ground cumin2 teaspoons smoked paprika1 teaspoon chili1 teaspoon dried oregano2 tablespoons olive oilSalt

Preparation:

Chop the onion and garlic. Cut the peppers, carrots and mushrooms into small pieces. Pour the oil into a pot and put it over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables and a pinch of salt and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the spices and give it a couple of turns in the pan. Add the beans, the tomato, salt, the broth, the sweetener, the bay leaf and cook over low heat for half an hour. To thicken the sauce, take a hand blender, add it into the pot and pulse a couple of times. Check the taste. Add the corn and mix well.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes

To freeze, let it cool completely and freeze in reused glass jars, silicone bags or containers for up to 3 months.

To defrost, leave overnight in the refrigerator. Heat and serve with avocado and fresh cilantro.

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2. Chickpea burgers

Veggie burgers may take longer to prepare, but the good news is that can be easily frozen. So once we get to work on the burgers, we can make more and freeze them for days in a hurry.

Ingredients:

200 g chickpeas 50 g fine rolled oats 1 carrot 1/2 spring onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 1 tablespoon ground flax 2 tablespoons parsley 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon dried coriander Salt

Preparation:

In a bowl mix the ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water and let stand. Peel the onion and garlic. Peel the carrot.In a food processor Chop the onion, garlic, carrot and parsley (if you don’t have a processor, chop with a knife).Add the rolled oats and sunflower seeds. and render a few times. Check the chickpeas in a bowl and mash them with the help of a fork. Add salt, spices, the mixture of vegetables and oats, the flax egg and mix well. Check the taste and add more salt if necessary.Leave 30 minutes in the fridge so that the mixture absorbs moisture and then forms patties.

Preparation: 20 minutes
Rest: 30 minutes

To freeze the burgers, put them uncooked on a tray lined with parchment paper. Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen paper and freeze for an hour. Once frozen, put the burgers in a freezer bag with parchment paper between the layers and freeze up to 3 months.

To defrost, leave the burgers in the fridge and then cook as usual.

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3. Burritos with scrambled tofu and vegetables

Having a couple of ready-to-eat dishes in the freezer can come in handy at any time. These burritos are nutritious, delicious, very complete, easy to make and can serve as a full breakfast, lunch to take to work or light dinner.

Ingredients (4 burritos):

250g firm tofu1 tablespoon nutritional yeast1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika1/2 teaspoon cumin1/2 teaspoon turmericBlack pepperSalt3 tablespoons olive oil2 cloves garlic1/2 small red pepper6 portobello mushrooms1 tablespoon tamari1 handful spinach4 whole wheat tortillas

Preparation:

Prepare the tofu. Open the package, wrap the tofu in kitchen paper and dry well in water. If you have time, you can put a weight on top and let it dry for half an hour. If not, nothing happens. In a bowl Crumble the tofu with the help of a fork or your hands and mix with salt, a little olive oil, nutritional yeast and spices.Prepare the vegetable. Wash the spinach and peel the garlic. Cut the red pepper into small cubes and the mushrooms into slices.In a frying pan heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, crushed garlic and tamari and cook for 6-8 minutes. until the vegetables are tender. Add the spinach and give the whole thing a couple of turns in the pan. Remove the vegetables and reserve on a plate.In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and, when hot, throw in the tofu. Cook for about 5 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the cooked vegetables and mix well. Let cool completely.Heat the tortillas a little so they don’t break. and are easier to manipulate. Divide the scrambled among the tortillas, close tightly, and wrap each one in parchment paper, then in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 1 month.

At mealtime, there is no need to defrost them in advance. Remove the parchment paper and heat the oven heated to 180 degrees for 15 minutes or, if you use a microwave, 2 minutes.

Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes

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4. Chocolate cookie bars

If you have a busy week at work, you can double the amount of these bars and freeze one half. So you can take out a unit every morning and take it to work or add it to the kids’ snack.

Ingredients (12 cookies):

120 g whole wheat flour 120 g rolled oats 2 teaspoons baking yeast 110 g coconut oil 120 g coconut sugar 1 tablespoon ground flax A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder 100 g chocolate chips or bar chopped chocolate

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.In a small bowl mix the ground flax with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit for about 5 minutes until gel forms.In another bowl, mix the coconut sugar. with the oil. Add the flax egg and mix well. On the other hand, Mix all the dry ingredients: flour, oat flakes, salt and vanilla. Add the mixture to the previous butter and mix well. Finally add the chocolate chips and mix.Line a mold with parchment paper or spread with a little oil. Pour the dough into the mold and flatten with wet hands. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges begin to brown.

to freeze it, let cool completely, cut into bars, wrap in parchment paper in individual portions and freeze in silicone bags, freezer bags or a container. If you don’t wrap the bars in paper, freeze them in a bag or container in one layer only, so they don’t stick together. They can be frozen up to 3 months.

To defrost, Leave the bars on the kitchen counter for about 4 hours.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes