Bathc cooking: 17 vegetable recipes to prepare in one day and complete a weekly menu

Batch cooking consists of cook in one day for the whole week or cook larger quantities at any time to be able to save meals for another day.

Batch cooking requires some organization and keeping in mind nutritional criteria. The dietitian-nutritionist Lucía Martínez explains them to you in this article: Batch cooking: healthy cooking for the whole week in a few hours.

Prepare the basic ingredients of your batch cooking

Let’s start by preparing the main ingredients and then we will explain the recipes that you can make with them:

Legumes

Cook only one type. If you only have a pressure cooker, it can take a long time to cook several types of beans separately. To make it easier, cook only one legume and the rest that are canned, already cooked. For this weekly menu, I recommend making the black beans and buying the rest.How to prepare them. For black beans (or other similar legumes), look on the package for the cooking time in the pressure cooker. Put half a kilo of black beans to soak, with a good amount of water, the night before. If you live in a hard water area, add a teaspoon of baking soda to the soaking water. The next day, drain them, put them in the pressure cooker and add enough water to cover them well. Close it and put it on high heat. When it starts to beep or steam, put it on a low heat. From this moment the minutes count.Refrigerate and freeze. Once the legumes are cooked, to refrigerate them, if you prefer them with broth, put the legumes with their liquid in containers to refrigerate. If not, drain them well and transfer them to the containers. To freeze them, drain them very well, add a pinch of olive oil and stir carefully. Put them in individual containers to freeze.

Integral rice

Soak two cups of brown rice for at least two hours. Drain it, put it in a saucepan with just enough water to cover it (about two cups), cover it and put it on high heat. When it boils, reduce the heat to a minimum and let it come to a boil. cook until no water remains. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Stir the rice to fluff it up. Refrigerate and freeze. Let it temper before putting it in containers to refrigerate. To freeze, rinse under cold running water to cool and drain well, then transfer to individual containers. Try not to crush it.

Quinoa

Put two cups of quinoa in a colander and wash it under the tap. Transfer the drained quinoa to a saucepan with 2.5 cups of water, cover it and put it on high heat. When it starts to boil, put it on low heat. On 8-10 minutes it will have run out of water. Turn off, remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes. When it is warm, you can put it in containers to refrigerate. To freeze, rinse the quinoa under the tap to cool completely, or allow it to cool to room temperature. Add a dash of olive oil (1-2 teaspoons) while stirring very well, then transfer to individual containers and freeze. There is no problem in crushing and compacting the quinoa a little.

Vegetables and vegetables

Use roasted greens and vegetables for a quick ratatouille, or use fresh peppers, onions, zucchini and tomatoes. Roast vegetables in abundance to include in various dishes. Then store them in refrigerated containers.

Depending on the size of your oven, the vegetables can be done in two or three different batches. Place on large baking trays:

3 medium aubergines, pricked with a fork 1 large leek, cut into medium pieces 8-10 small potatoes or new potatoes with skin, washed under the tap with a brush 2 medium or large sweet potatoes, with skin, well washed, pricked a little with a knife 3 large peppers, washed , or 4 medium 2 onions, peeled and halved ½ peanut butternut squash, peeled and cut into medium pieces 2 parsnips, tops removed and peeled before putting in 4 large carrots, tops removed and peeled 2 zucchini with skin, washed well 10-12 mushrooms, footless and well washed. If they are large, cut them in half½ cauliflower, washed and in florets

If you don’t have any of these vegetables or can’t find them, you can use others (or you can add more), for example turnips, romanesco, beets, artichokes, celeriac, other types of pumpkin, moon zucchini, tomatoes…

Preparation:

Start by preheating the oven to 200 ºC with heat above and below. Then spray the vegetables, once they are on the tray, with a little olive oil. Use an oil spray or spray to make it easier. Grill the vegetables for 45 minutes or until they are all done and soft. When you take out a tray, put the next one in, so you can make a lot of batches.

To keep them:

Peel the peppers: while they are still hot, put them in a just-sized container, in a bag or wrap them, and let them warm up or cool completely. Take them out and remove the skin, it will be much easier because almost all of it will have come off.To store in the fridge: let them cool down before putting the vegetables in containers to refrigerate. You can save them as is or cut them if necessary (if they are very large pieces or if they are whole).To freeze: let them cool completely. Cut them into the pieces that you are going to use and store them in containers by servings (a little of each, mixed) or by type (potatoes in one container, sweet potatoes in another…).Prepare babaganoush: Put the meat of the roasted aubergines in the blender and beat it together with lemon juice, salt, tahini and olive oil. You can add these ingredients to taste or in the same proportions as for a hummus, for example. Store this cream in a closed container in the fridge and use it to eat with raw carrot sticks, whole grain breads… You can also serve it as a snack, as an afternoon snack or as a filling for sandwiches.

Now you have the ingredients, you can get to work with the recipes.

1. Black bean burgers

Ingredients (for 8 burgers):

2.5 cups cooked and drained black beans ½ cup rolled oats 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour 2 tablespoons soy sauce ¼ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon parsley ¼ teaspoon garlic powder ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika pinch of salt

Preparation:

Mash the black beans in a bowl with the spices and the soy sauce. Add the oats and flour and mix well. If necessary, add a pinch of water. Divide the dough into 8 parts and form the patties. Wrap them individually with biodegradable film or baking paper and freeze them. Fry them in a pan with a little olive oil over medium heat until golden brown. on both sides (it will be about 4 minutes on each side, and add 1 more minute if they are frozen). If you are celiac or sensitive to gluten, change the rolled oats for cooked brown rice and the wheat flour for rice flour. If necessary, add a little water to the dough to make it cohesive. Choose a wheat-free soy sauce. There are some shoyu and tamari that do not contain it.

2. Seitan

Take advantage of the fact that you are going to use the oven to make a fluffy seitan that will spread a lot.

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat gluten powder ½ cup rolled oats 4 tablespoons soy sauce ½ teaspoon dry baker’s yeast 2 ¼ cups warm water

Elaboration:

Mix the gluten with the oats and yeast in a bowl. Add the soy sauce and the water and knead it for a couple of minutes, until it begins to be compact, without breaking. Line a long and tall mold with baking paper, put the dough, flattening it so that it reaches the walls well from the mold, and cover it. Let it rest in a warm place for half an hour (approx). It is not necessary for it to double in size. Uncover it and put it in the oven at medium height, at 180ºC, for about 25 minutes. Just enough for it to grow, cook on the inside, and brown the surface a little. Take it out and let it cool. To freeze: cut it into pieces or slices and store it in tightly closed freezer containers. If you use it in stews, stews and preparations with broths in which it will be cooking for a while, it is not necessary to defrost it before using it, you can add it directly to cooking. If you are celiac or sensitive to gluten, you can skip this recipe and use tofu or tempeh in recipes that feature seitan.

3. Ratatouille with roasted vegetables

Ingredients:

2 roasted peppers1 roasted onion1 roasted zucchini3 roasted tomatoes4 tablespoons olive oil½ teaspoon salt

Elaboration:

Finely chop the vegetables. Grate or mash the tomatoes.In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. •Put all the vegetables except the tomatoes and sprinkle with the salt. Sauté all together for 4-5 minutes, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and mix very well. Let it all poach together for a couple of minutes. If you want it to have a little more broth, add half a cup of water and mix it well. Remove it from the heat and let it cool down before putting it in containers to refrigerate or freeze.

4. Vegetable skewers

Use the same vegetables that we have already roasted. If you want, also add some fresh vegetables that require little cooking time. Intersperse the vegetables with chunks of hard tofu, preferably smoked (for more flavor) or marinated with spices and soy sauce.

5. Chickpeas with roasted vegetables and peanut sauce

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked and drained chickpeas 3 cups chopped roasted vegetables (as many as you like) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 bay leaves ½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons peanut butter

Elaboration:

In a large skillet, sauté the chickpeas with the oil over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, salt, and a bay leaf. In a separate bowl, melt the peanut butter in 2 cups of water (you can use a blender). Add the peanut butter mixture to skillet and mix well. Let cook together 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Serve it hot.

6. Zucchini cream

Ingredients:

1 roasted zucchini ½ roasted onion 2 small roasted potatoes ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup soy drink (unsweetened and unflavored)

Elaboration:

Put the peeled zucchini, onion, peeled potatoes, salt and just enough water to cover everything in a saucepan. And then put it on high heat. When it boils, remove it from the heat, add the olive oil and the soy drink and beat it all together until it is a smooth cream. Finally, rectify salt if necessary.

7. Ratatouille with textured soy

Ingredients:

3 cups ready-made ratatouille 1 cup textured soybeans ¼ teaspoon thyme ¼ teaspoon parsley ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Elaboration:

If the ratatouille is frozen place it in a large skillet, covered, over low heat to thaw. If refrigerated, put it directly in the pan. Add the olive oil, textured soybeans, spices and soy sauce and mix well. Add medium cup water, stir and bring to a boil. Let simmer until the textured soybeans are tender and have absorbed most of the water (3-4 minutes). Serve it hot.

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