Prepare your weekly ‘batch cooking’ in 90 minutes

Today I explain how to do in about 90 minutes the dishes of a week. They are very simple and start from a common base: roasted vegetables.

All the dishes have some oven roasted vegetableand the time it takes to roast the vegetables is the one that I invest to prepare the rest of the ingredients, so that when they are done I only have to mix and store in the fridge or freezer (if I prepare all this a Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday dishes go to the freezer).

Eye, it’s a menu example so you can see how organize meals, it is not a dietary guideline far from it. Adjust the dishes according to your needs and preferences.

1. Roasted vegetables

As a base for this example menu we are going to do a lot of Baked Vegetables. We will take advantage of the largest tray that fits and fill it with all the vegetables and vegetables that we want.

It is convenient to include something that we like stuffed, such as sweet potatoes or potatoesbecause that way we will only have to make a cut and put the filling that we want inside to have a meal ready.

If your oven is small you can do it in two batches. In any case roast the vegetablesAlthough it takes time, it is effortless and while they are being made we will prepare the rest of the base ingredients for the week.

2. Legumes

The day before we will have left them soak to soften them. Drain them and cook them in the express pot separately (once chickpeas, another time beans, another lentils, etc).

If you don’t have time and/or space for this, you can always use canned legumes, which are already made. Just take them out and drain them. You can make many recipes with legumes. Here I suggest you make hummus while the vegetables are cooking. You can innovate and add other ingredients to your liking or create several hummus with red pepperwith avocado…

3. Pasta and rice

For the example menu I have used couscous and Integral rice, for convenience, but you can make quinoa, spaghetti, spirals (whole wheat or lentils). While the vegetables are roasting, make the pasta and rice in separate pans, making sure they are dry and loose.

4. Other Ingredients: Tofu, Textured Soybeans, or Tempeh

He tofu does not need preparation but you can also brown it in the pan for a few minutes adding a dash of soy sauce at the end of cooking. You will have tofu ready for any dish. you can also use smoked tofuwhich has much more flavor.

He tempeh it can be cut and added directly to dishes, but if you prefer, brown a few slices in the pan to give it more flavor and crunchy texture.

The textured soybeans requires of hydration and cooking. You can make it in a frying pan or put the textured soybeans, together with water and spices, in a container and in the fridge, to sauté or heat at the moment.

5. Fresh vegetables, nuts, sauces and dressings

We can improve all these dishes by adding fresh vegetables (as is or in the form of a salad) such as arugula, lamb’s lettuce, spinach, sprouts and sprouts, etc.

The nuts They do not require any special preparation either and are kept in the pantry. Use them in your dishes. Add handfuls of walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, etc. The same with the flax seeds (mash them a little first), the gomasio or tahini.

Spices will help you create complex dishes effortlessly. For example, for the curry use a blend of curry spices or a garam masala. For the couscous, a ras-el-hanout or at least paprika, cumin and pepper. To sauté use thyme and parsley.

A weekly menu for batch cooking

This menu can serve as an example.

1. Food

Monday: Hummus bowl with roasted vegetablesTuesday: Buddha bowl of whole wheat couscous with sautéed chickpeas, hummus, roasted vegetables and cherry tomatoesWednesday: Lentil curry with rice and vegetablesThursday: Brown rice stir-fried with chickpeas and vegetablesFriday: Whole wheat couscous with roasted vegetables

2. Dinner

Monday: Tofu wraps with saladTuesday: Sweet potato stuffed with rice and tofuWednesday: Vegetable pitas with chickpeas and tahiniThursday: Sautéed beans with vegetablesFriday: Chickpea salad with spinach, onion and tahini

3. Preparation

Hummus bowl with roasted vegetables: Put a few tablespoons of hummus in a bowl, add a pinch of paprika and chopped roasted vegetables on top. You can add seeds and nuts to complete it.

Tofu wraps with salad: use wheat or corn tortillas. Put the tofu and a good handful of roasted vegetables and raw (for example roasted pepper, lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, sprouts, etc.). Add some sauce if you like.

Buddha bowl of couscous: put the couscous in a bowl. On top, some chickpeas sautéed with spices, a couple of tablespoons of hummus, some roasted vegetables (zucchini, aubergine, broccoli…) and some fresh cherry tomatoes. You can add nuts, seeds and fruits (for example avocado) and as a sauce, a dressing to taste or tahini.

Stuffed sweet potato: cut the sweet potato in half lengthwise and fill it with cooked brown rice, tofu in cubes or strips and any vegetables you like (cauliflower, onion, etc).

Lentil curry with rice: In a pan put all the ingredients together, add the curry and enough water to cover it lightly. Let it boil and reduce for a few minutes. If you prefer, do it alone with the lentils and serve the rice separately or on the side so that it does not soften too much.

Vegetable pitas: open your pita bread and put cooked chickpeas (as is or stir-fried) and vegetables. As a sauce use tahini. You can add more ingredients, such as onion, sweet corn, arugula, chopped endives.

Stir-fried rice with chickpeas and vegetables: You just have to sauté all the ingredients together. Vegetables best cut into medium pieces. Add spices like thyme, black pepper, and parsley.

Sautéed beans with vegetables: First sauté only the beans with olive oil and the spices you want (for example Provencal herbs). Then add the roasted vegetables you have chosen. If you want it to be creamy instead of loose you can add crushed tomato.

Whole wheat couscous with roasted vegetables: Just mix the ingredients and you’re done. You can also make it salad-like by adding chopped fresh vegetables such as cucumber, tomato and onion.

Chickpea salad with spinach: Instead of your typical spinach chickpea stew, pan-toast the chickpeas and serve with raw spinach, onion (raw or grilled), and tahini. You can also add cherry tomatoes, fresh parsley, broccoli, etc.