5 min meals

Hi eKa CIRCLE

So I thought I might drop a few tips on how to throw together a super fast meal. I am fairly practised at it; yet it is a skill that anyone can learn. So you do your weekly shop at a market and most likely you only use some of the produce that you buy and the rest ends up spoiling right? Sometimes it is because you go out; or you get sick of eating the same vegetables when you bought a whole bag of something . Other times you run out of time to cook or prepare something because of time restraints. The recipe below is a quick throw together I made for my husbands lunch today. It is some fresh mint from the garden, capsicum, cucumber, tomato topped with a left-over boiled egg from the night before and some tofu. I served with with my pickled onions and a version of my corn chutney this time made with cauliflower. Because the chutney and pickles have a big flavour punch you save time as a dressing isn’t required. Sprinkle with some seeds for extra protein punch and crunch and it is done. I am vegetarian so hubby is happy to eat what I prepare but this would be just as simple adding any protein of your choice. The key is fast assembly.

Yesterday I made a 5 minute curry using a can of chickpeas and an eggplant from the garden. Served it with rice, some crisp sliced cucumbers in yoghurt and some of my tomato chutney. I forgot to take a photograph so I will have to make that one again as it was delicious.

• Tip 1: For starters prep is key- this is why I make all manner of pickles, chutneys, pestos, sauerkraut, kimchee and sauces. I stew fruit and stack my fridge and pantry. This makes things super fast to add a punch of flavour, some variety and a few different ingredients to a meal to change things up through the week.

• Tip 2: Prep things the night before, be opportunistic. For example husband got home late from a class and decided he wanted a boiled egg as a snack so I threw on 3 extra to add to lunch. This way you save time, power and effort for meal prep.

• Tip 3: Keep it simple. Good flavour does not have to be complex. Some of the best cuisines in the world make simple food using a few ingredients. The key is freshness- try to shop at markets that grow garden fresh produce. You wont regret it. Plant some things at home. You will be surprised what you can grow even in a few pots. A handful of fresh herbs makes the simplest of foods taste divine.

• Tip 4: Be clever using leftovers. Turn leftover rice into fritters or a salad, steamed vegetables into a soup, add pesto to a dressing- be creative so that you don’t get bored eating the same thing every day.

• Tip 5: Slice things differently. They taste different to me believe it or not. Tomato with onion chopped finely with some lime on a curry seems surprisingly different to a chunky greek salad with some olive oil. Variety is the spice of life.

• Tip 6: Choose things that cook quickly. Eg macaroni or egg noodles cook faster than other shapes of pasta. Slice steaks, chicken or vegetables like eggplant thinly and cook quickly on the sandwich grill (it cooks both sides at once), throw leftover rice in the freezer and you have a fast fried rice without waiting 20 minutes for the rice to cook.

Here is another 5 minute lunch made using a sliced tomato from the garden, a handful of salad leaves. capsicum, mint from the garden topped with my pickled onions. Some crisp halloumi fried in my preserved garlic olive oil with some fresh oregano. I found a pomegranate on my walk it had fallen onto the footpath so I scattered the salad with the seeds and drizzled with pomegranate dressing and a sprinkle of geranium petals. Delicious. My husband is fasting from carbs at the moment but some crisp pita bread with this would be lovely.

Same week another salad- same ingredients different flavours. This time mint, with chunky tomatoes, celery and capsicum. Topped with diced halloumi cooked in chilli flakes and squeezed with lots of lemon.

Choose any protein you like some ideas are bbq chicken, smoked trout, cottage cheese, canned chickpeas or beans, some pan fried tempe or a quick two egg omelette. These aren’t meant to be recipes just ideas to get you rolling.

I hope this has given you some inspo for quick and healthy eating. Most people I speak to or coach about health find they don’t choose the best choices because they think it is time consuming to prepare. These are all much faster than a takeaway. Your body & mind will thank you. Practise makes perfect- I believe you can do it.

love & light

M + E