Do you get to the middle of the week & severely lack motivation to cook dinner? You’ve been at work all day, you’re tired and the last thing you feel like doing is being a master chef, so you opt for take away or Jatz and cheese.
Did you know making even ONE extra meal base early in the week could completely avoid the above situation and instead increase your chances of having a home cooked, nutritious meal?
Every Sunday/Monday I make this basic bean curry. It’s a go to throughout the week when I feel time poor, uninspired and just plain I can’t be bothered. To say it makes a huge difference to have something so simple to make a balanced meal out of that tastes delicious is an understatement & and an absolute blessing when I open the fridge at the end of a long day.
If you were to only do 1 thing to food prep and make this recipe not only will your consumption of home cooked meals increase and quality of life due to the added nutrients supporting body functions, you can save your pennies to have take out in a more fancy, soul nourishing way e.g. lazy Thursday night Domino’s pizza order becomes bean meal (that’s already prepped) and because you have extra funds and feel properly fuelled you take the family out, that special someone or your mates to dinner Saturday night to an authentic Italian pizzeria where the quality of food is better, the atmosphere is inviting and feel good memories are made. Yes this is the impact a little food prep can make.
Now, without further ado here is the recipe
Basic bean curry
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive/coconut/macadamia nut/avocado oil, for frying
1 large bunch fresh coriander, roots & leaves, chopped
3 large stalks of celery, chopped
1 large onion, diced
2 medium sized carrots (skin on, washed well), chopped
1 small red capsicum, chopped
1 tsp each cumin & paprika
3 tsp good quality curry powder*
1 tin of canned tomato’s
1 tablespoon 100% tomato paste
2 cans organic red kidney beans
Salt and pepper
Method
In a large pot over medium heat add oil, coriander roots and all vegetables. Mixing every now and then, fry off until vegetables are slightly tender (about 10 minutes).
While this is cooking empty tinned beans into a sieve and wash well under running water until no froth appears and water runs clear. Set aside.
Add all spices to the pot and give the vegetables a good mix to ensure good coverage of flavour. Fry off for 1 minute. Add in tinned tomato and tomato paste. Mix until well combined.
Add in the rinsed beans and stirring every couple of minutes allow curry to simmer for 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Take the pot off the heat and allow to cool. Once it’s not burning hot and just warm, add in the coriander leaves and give it a final mix. Pour into a container or keep it in the pot to store in the fridge for up to 5 days and make meals out of it as suggested below. Note: If you live on the North side of Brisbane, I highly recommend getting your curry powder from Mr. Spice at the Caboolture Markets or the spice man at Redcliffe markets. If not, good old Keens curry powder from the grocery store works too.
Balanced (protein/fat/carb) meal ideas using basic bean curry
1 cup with ½ cup brown or basmati rice, topped with 2 tablespoons raw, unsalted pistachio’s
1 cup with a serve of quality corn chips or check out these high protein, fibre rich, gluten free bean chips by Beanfield. Top with full fat self-grated cheese (if dairy tolerant) and grill in oven to make nachos. Dairy free option use a blend of ground cashew and nutritional yeast, sprinkle on top as per cheese
Heat up 1 cup of bean curry in large fry pan, make 2 openings and crack 2 eggs in the holes. Cover with a lid and cook eggs to your liking. Serve with 1 cup sautéed spinach
Heat 1 cup of bean curry with 1 cup of homemade broth/stock (could also use store bought, just make sure it has no artificial preservatives/colours/flavour enhancers or sugar), add in ½ cup cooked quinoa/buckwheat/brown rice. Pour into a soup bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. A hearty soup in a matter of minutes!
2 pieces of toast smothered with pure butter/ghee, topped with bean curry mixture and scrambled eggs – NOTE this meal is NOT dairy and gluten free
Mix 1 cup of bean curry with a small tin of tuna in spring water. Toss in 2 cups of salad greens.
2 thick slices of good quality grilled haloumi, topped with warmed curried beans and baby spinach. NOT dairy free.
See how 1 lot of food prep provides nearly a whole week’s worth of lazy dinners! Imagine if you prepped 2 things, you might even have lunches as well. I guess the saying is true – a little bit, goes a long way.
For more recipes: Jess Cheney: http://www.embracelife.net.au/