I love exploring food in restaurants, but this is punctuation to my experience, not the source of my daily sustenance. It takes a little planning and a bit more effort, but nourishing yourself from your own kitchen is such a lovely way to honor yourself. It’s also nice to not have to leave your home to get nourished and have some leftovers (that you use within 24hrs) as fuel for your next day’s meal.

Sometimes it’s hard to get motivated cooking for one, after a workday, when it’s dark at 6p, and when all I want to do is lay around with a blanket. It’s precisely for these moments that I rely on quick, nutritious recipes to nourish myself without a fuss.

The only rate-limiting step for these recipes is having the ingredients, so grocery shop for them ahead of time. Quick can be fresh, balanced, and healthy. However quick should not mean the microwave, as it zaps the prana (life-promoting quality) out of food, and then it’s just empty calories.

These recipes also serve well for a Candida Cleanse or detox diet and happily don’t feel like deprivation.

Greens and Lentil Pasta (serves 1)

  • Boil pasta water with some salt (and oil if you like)
  • Chop greens 4 handfuls (kale is my favorite, but collards work too)
  • Rinse greens a couple times in a bowl of water
  • Add lentil pasta 2-3 oz to water, cook till al dente, and strain (careful not to overcook gluten-free pasta – it get’s gummy fast)
  • Melt about 1T of good butter in the warm pasta pot over medium heat, add in greens which will wilt slightly after a couple minutes
  • Stir in pasta and sprinkle with rock salt and pepper.

This is so simple, satisfying, quick, and delicious.

 

Broccoli and Broiled Tofu (serves 4)

  • Turn on the broiler and set the rack up high
  • Whisk ¼ cup of Bragg’s amino acids, 2T of oil, 2tsp of toasted sesame oil, 2 cloves of grated garlic (It’s All Good, by Gwyneth Paltrow)
  • Drain and cube 14 oz package of sprouted organic tofu.
  • Coat tofu in the bowl of dressing
  • Chop and rinse broccoli heads (2 per person) Place in a steamer and steam till bright green.
  • Broil tofu for about about 10 minutes, stirring once.
  • Salt and toss broccoli in toasted sesame oil and top with broiled tofu

 

Savory Chickpea Pancakes (serves 1-2)

  • Chop about 1 cup of shallots, sprinkle with salt and 1/8- ¼ tsp of red pepper, and set aside in a bowl.
  • Rinse and chop 2 handfuls of cilantro and add to the shallots
  • Place a skillet and coconut oil over just below medium heat.
  • Mix 1 cup of chickpea flour, with about ½ tsp of salt (black salt is so yummy here, but not necessary), and about one cup of water. (batter should be thin)
  • Mix in the shallots and cilantro to the batter.
  • Use about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. Take the pan off the heat if the oil starts to smoke, but it should be hot enough to get a slightly browned crispy crust.
  • Serve with a yummy coconut cilantro chutney as a snack or alongside a brothy vegetable soup as a meal.

 

Brothy Veggie Soup

  • Boil a pot of water
  • Chop your favorite veggies (celery, cabbage, carrots), rinse, and add to the pot
  • Add about a ½ of veggie bouillon cube, salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil at the end.

A light meal, as a mini-fast, alongside chickpea pancakes or steamed, salted, buttered Japanese sweet potato.

You can add some rinsed red lentils to this broth for protein and a more filling soup.

 

Quinoa Kale Hash with a Fried Egg on top (serves 2)

  • Rinse ½ cup of quinoa 3 times in a strainer set in a bowl.
  • Bring to a boil with a little less than 1 cup of water and ¼ tsp of salt
  • Once boiling, cover, set heat to low, and cook for about 12-15min till the quinoa forms spirals.
  • Meanwhile chop and rinse 4-6 handfuls of kale. Grate 2 cloves of garlic.
  • Take quinoa off the heat and place a paper towel under the lid.
  • Heat 2T of olive oil and garlic over medium heat in a frypan for about a minute till the garlic softens.
  • Stir in the kale till it wilts, then stir in the quinoa, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and transfer to dinner plates.
  • In the same fry pan, heat 1T of olive oil or ghee on medium-high heat.
  • Crack 2 eggs into the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn heat down to low, and cover (for a few minutes and flip depending how you like your eggs.)
  • Lay eggs on top of quinoa, and your delicious healthy meal is ready.

(It’s All Good, by Gwyneth Paltrow)

 

And of course, another favorite in the rotation is lentils/rice with sliced, salted avocado and cucumber!

Enjoy!

Love,
Nisha