Ideas for an express batch cooking: life is easier and you eat healthier

Batch cooking is, without a doubt, one of the best tools to eat healthy, maintain weight and take care of our pocket. This planning technique It generally consists of cooking in one day for the following days. The most common thing is to dedicate from an hour and a half to three hours a week, normally on Sunday, to prepare our dishes or their bases for the following days.

It’s a wonderful technique, but the truth is that You don’t always feel like spending so much time cooking. Especially during the summer months or at other times of the year if we are on vacation, spending the afternoon cooking at home feels even less appealing. The same when the holidays are over and the routines and the tuppers to take to work return; It is a stressful time in which we still go at a different pace and we normally have little desire to cook, but it is convenient for us to return to normality a bit, after whole days enjoying on the beach or in the mountains, tapas with friends and sandwiches of the excursions.

When organizing mealswhether we are in summer mode wanting to be outdoors, on vacation, or we are back in the routine, instead of preparing a complete batch cooking menu for the whole week we can prepare only a few ingredients in ten minutes and then use them in different preparations and as bases for quick dishes.

In our express batch cooking we don’t have to do complicated things. Enough with make one preparation at a time and then use it in several recipes followed. This preparation can be cooking a pot of legumes, cereals or potatoes, cooking some vegetable protein or baking two trays of vegetables, for example.

Even if we only have one thing ready, With a little practice and imagination we can prepare different and healthy dishes in a short time. Here you have four examples of batch cooking preparation in 10 minutes and then several recipes to use that preparation:

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Preparation 1 of batch cooking: Scrambled tofu

It is about preparing a scrambled tofu in a large skillet. For each person, calculate 120 g of tofu per preparation.

like scrambled it lasts well about 4-5 daysYes, you can use the scrambled eggs in 3 different preparations without getting bored.

Ingredients:

120 g of tofu per person1 teaspoon of nutritional yeasthalf a teaspoon of spices (cumin, smoked paprika, curry, garlic powder, onion powder…)vegetables to taste such as mushrooms, spinach, zucchinioilsalt

Preparation:

to make the scrambleopen the package of tofu, dry it well and crumble with the help of your hands.If you are going to add some vegetablescut them and fry them in the pan with a little oil and salt until they are done and remove from the pan.In a frying pan heat the oil, add the tofu, salt, spices and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, about 5-7 minutes.Put back the vegetables and mix well.Let it cool and save in a tupperware.

Recipes with scrambled tofu

You already have your tofu scrambled eggs made and stored in a tupperware. Now you can take advantage of it during the following days in these simple recipes with tofu, so different from each other that it will not give you the feeling of repeating yourself.

1. Burritos with tofu and vegetables

To make the burritos, prepare a simple guacamole sauce by mashing half an avocado with 1 tablespoon each of fresh cilantro, garlic, salt, japaleño, and lime juice. Then:

Cut half a tomato into slices.Grate carrots.Wash lettuce leaves.Fill some wraps with corn or another whole wheat flour with the vegetables, the tofu scrambled eggs and the fresh vegetables.You can add cooked black beans.

2. Tofu and sweet potato bowl

A great option is to include scrambled tofu in a buddha bowl. To do it,:

Cut a sweet potato into small cubes, season with salt and oil and cook at 220 degrees for about 20 minutes. When it’s done, prepare a simple tahini and lemon sauce. For each person, mix 1 tablespoon of tahini with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, a little garlic powder, and water. Prepare the bowls by filling a quarter of the plate with sweet potatoes, another quarter with the scrambled eggs, the rest with any vegetable such as arugula, lettuce or tomatoes, and serve with the sauce.

3. Spaghetti with tomato sauce and tofu

Make a quick tomato sauce, mix it with the tofu scramble and you have a great combination to make a nutritious pasta dish.

In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 2 garlic cloves and fry for about 30 seconds. Add a can of tomato, salt, onion powder, Provencal herbs and a pinch of stevia or half a teaspoon of whole cane sugar .Cook 5 minutes, add tofu and cook 5 more minutes.Meanwhile, cook pasta according to manufacturer’s directions (about 80 grams per person) or make tagliatelle with a small zucchini (or zoodles of zucchini) and cook about 2- 3 minutes in the pan with a little salt oil.

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Batch cooking preparation 2: Baked cherry tomatoes

Baking vegetables is one of the best ways to make vegetables during batch cooking. Try these baked cherry tomatoes, which are very juicy and have a lot of use in the kitchen.

Ingredients (1 tray, 4 servings):

800 g of cherry tomatoes2 tablespoons of olive oilhalf a teaspoon of Italian herbs2 cloves of garlicsalt

Preparation:

Preheat the oven at 200 degrees.Wash tomatoes and cut in half.peel and chop the garlic. Throw the tomatoes on the tray, season with salt and pepper, and add the garlic and herbs. Mix well. Bake some 25 minutes.Let it cool and save with its juices.

Recipes with baked cherry tomatoes from batch cooking

You already have your cherry tomatoes roasted and saved. Now comes the time to take advantage of it in several quick recipes in a row for which you will already have your preparation done.

1. White beans with cherry tomatoes with pesto

This very simple salad is delicious and very quick to make:

Mix 120 g of cooked white beans per person, a tablespoon of black olives and two tablespoons of chopped parsley or basil.Prepare a simple vinaigrette with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, a tablespoon of Modena or apple vinegar, salt and black pepper.you can sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable parmesan prepared with almonds roasted and crushed with nutritional yeast or parmesan shavings.

Accompany with some avocado toast and you will have a light lunch or dinner.

2. Quinoa salad, cherry tomatoes and feta

With the cherry tomatoes from the batch cooking you can also prepare a Caprese-style salad in no time.

Mix half a cup of cooked quinoa with baked cherry tomatoes.Add mozzarella cheesea handful of green leaves and a couple of tablespoons of green pesto.

3. Cream of roasted tomatoes

You can make an original light dinner by preparing a vegetable cream with baked tomatoes.

In a frying pan heat a tablespoon of oil and add half a spring onion and two cloves of garlic.fry until translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in one cup of baked tomatoes per personsalt, pepper, Italian herbs, cumin, and 1/4 to 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth (can also be coconut milk for a creamier version).Kitchen a couple of minutes to warm up.Incorporates half a tablespoon of nutritional yeast and 1 tablespoon of raw cashews and blend until creamy. Add more liquid if you prefer.

Serve with some crunchy chickpeas and a couple of basil leaves.

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Batch cooking preparation 3: Buckwheat

This highly nutritious pseudocereal has many uses in the kitchen. It cooks easily in 10-12 minutes and is a great base for healthy recipes.

Ingredients (4 servings):

1 cup of whole grain buckwheat

Preparation:

Put a cup of buckwheat in a strainer and have a good time for hot water.In a pot together add the buckwheat along with 1.5 cups of water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil and cook until the water evaporates, about 10-12 minutes.Let it cool and save.

To make the grain more digestible and nutritious, you can leave it soaking overnight with a little apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. Then rinse well and combine with 1 cup of water for every cup of grain. If you do this soak, then you should cook it only 5-7 minutes.

Recipes with buckwheat from batch cooking

With your buckwheat base, I suggest you prepare a risotto one day, a Thai salad another day and finally a cream that can be a great breakfast.

1. Buckwheat and mushroom risotto

Make a simple risotto with buckwheat instead of rice:

peel and chop half an onion.In a frying pan heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the onion for about 10 minutes.Add 200 g of mushrooms or mushrooms per person, thyme, salt and cumin and cook until the mushrooms are ready. Save a couple of tablespoons to decorate the dish.Add half a cup of cooked buckwheat and a couple of tablespoons of vegetable cream, mix well and cook another couple of minutes.It serves with the saved mushrooms, fresh parsley and black pepper.

2. Thai buckwheat salad with peanut sauce

You can prepare a very complete buckwheat salad. To make a serving:

Heats up 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a pan. Add one minced garlic and half a cup of frozen edamame and cook for about 3 minutes.Add soy saucemix and cook 1 more minute.In a bowl Combine 1/2 cup of the cooked buckwheat, the edamame, 1 grated carrot, a small piece of chopped red cabbage, diced red bell pepper, diced cucumber, and fresh cilantro.prepare a sauce with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, garlic and ginger powder or fresh, a teaspoon of chili sauce and a little sweetener. Add water as needed.Mix with the salad, sprinkle with toasted peanuts and serve.

3. Cream of buckwheat with cinnamon

Try this cream for breakfast. It’s very easy to do:

Combine in a pot 4-5 tablespoons of cooked buckwheat per person with vegetable milk and cinnamon.cook for a couple of minutes until you get a cream.

Serve with banana, apple compote, berry jam, fresh fruit, nut creams, chocolate…

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Preparation 4 of batch cooking: Chickpeas

This batch cooking preparation is as simple as cooking a pot of chickpeas. Then you can take advantage of them in any chickpea recipe, such as the ones that I will propose here.

Put the chickpeas in a bowl, cover in water and soakat room temperature, for about 12 hours. After that time, throw away the water soak.In a pot (or pressure cooker), Pour the chickpeas with a small piece of kombu seaweed to avoid heavy digestion and cook until they are tender.at the end of cooking add salt.

Store in glass jars with your water.

Recipes with batch cooking chickpeas

Using your cooked chickpeas couldn’t be easier:

1. Chickpea falafels

Prepare some falafels in the oven to use in your sandwiches and bowls.

In a food processor Combine 1.5 chickpeas, salt, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons fresh coriander, 4-6 tablespoons oatmeal, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cumin and…