Not glamorous, but a tasty and filling lunch can be made from leftover rice, pan-grilled tofu, and frozen broccoli. Frozen broccoli isn't my favorite, but sometimes it's just what I need. There are days when even cutting up broccoli seems like too much effort. The tofu is Wildwood organic super-firm sprouted tofu — the firm texture is very easy to work with, and satisfyingly chewy. 'Chewy' is a food group, you know.
Roasting chickpeas or cooking them in a skillet or wok, for a snack or part of a meal, is so easy and delicious. Click here for a basic recipe, but you can season the chickpeas with any of your favorite herbs and spices. I like smoked paprika and a grind of pink salt and pepper, but only you know what taste you are craving.
If you have leftover chickpeas, roast some carrots, cook quinoa or rice, steam kale, make a tahini sauce and enjoy a wonderful bowl. Click here for a link to a tahini umeboshi dressing. If umeboshi is too exotic, you can make tahini sauce with a couple tablespoons of tahini, a tablespoon of lemon juice, a little garlic, salt and pepper, and enough water to make a drizzleable sauce. Mix all together with a fork until smooth and creamy. Adjust the ingredients to your taste.
On our last trip to Costco, we bought our usual large box of mushrooms, and an unplanned two-pound bag of organic green beans. I started eating green beans for practically every meal so as not to be faced with the shame of having them spoil before they were all used. A stir-fry with mushrooms, green beans and tender, fried tofu is simple and good! I seasoned it with liquid aminos, bee-free honey. fresh ground pepper and five-spice powder. The tofu is fried tofu from one of the local tofu shops — a rare treat bought at an Asian market. (And if by chance it becomes obvious that the green beans might not get used up — if you can't personally eat any more — you can always hand over the leftovers to a willing relative. That's what I did.)
This is tempeh, obviously, but that's all I remember. My husband prepared it, and I don't remember what he used to flavor it.
Last but not least, there's nothing like a giant plateful of beautiful, orange, sweet potato oven fries to perk up a meal. Cut them into 1/2 thick fingers and mix them with 2 to 3 finely minced cloves of garlic. (about 1 tablespoon) Spread them in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, spray them with olive oil (or toss with a tablespoon of oil before spreading on the sheet). Bake in a pre-heated 475˚ oven for about 40 minutes or until soft but slightly crisp. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. And eat.
These all look like my kind of meals! I love filling, hearty, and fast dishes that are low fuss but still taste great.
ReplyDeleteMe too. It's fun to occasionally make something fancy, but most days it's real food cooked simply and well, around here.
DeleteI just love simple meals made well! Sometimes dinner here is just a giant bowl of various cook vegetables, and it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI love big bowls of vegetable with a few beans thrown in. And maybe a tasty sauce drizzled on top.
DeleteIf my husband made me tempeh for dinner, I'd memorize every detail because he is spoilt!!
ReplyDeletexo
kittee
Hahaha! My husband cooks a lot. If you look at the fries, they are all different sizes because he cut them. They tasted good, though, so I don't mind.
DeleteThree cheers for REAL food! It doesn't need to be "glamorous" to be blog-worthy. I would snap up any one of these plates in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Hannah! There's a time for fancy food and a time for good old 'real' food. We need both to keep life interesting — and nourishing.
DeleteLove your blog. So down to earth, so real, no fuzz. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Tereza. You made my day!
DeleteI'm always tempted to buy that tofu- I swear all the Thai places buy it in bulk instead of preparing it themselves.
ReplyDeleteWe finally gave way to the temptation and bought one of the giant packages. It's about as long as four small packs. For times when you want firm tofu, it works nicely.
DeleteThat's a good looking bunch of food - I'd be really happy to eat any of those meals. I'm a sucker for anything broccoli though, so I think meal one is just winning out there!
ReplyDeleteI sometimes get cravings for broccoli. We have a recipe from Celene Steen called broccoli bowl that we make whenever we can't think of what to cook, or if we're too tired to cook. It's one of my favorites.
DeleteYour everyday meals may be easy and simple but they all look super delicious! :-)
ReplyDeleteSometimes the simplest food tastes the best.
DeleteThese foods are so healthy and nutritious. It just delicious and simple to prepare! Love these so much. THanks
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tina.
DeleteI do adore roasted chickpeas, but I've only made them in the oven, never in a skillet or wok. What a great idea! That will come in handy especially over the summer when it's really unappealing to heat up the whole kitchen just for a batch of crunchy beans. ;)
ReplyDeleteThe wok is what I use if I'm pressed for time or if the oven is already full!
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