Author: Ninelle M.

The 10 best quick meals for long-term health and fitness!

These days, when it comes to cooking, there are three important benchmarks:

1. It has to be quick.
2. It has to be healthy.
3. It has to taste good.

Here are 10 recipes for dishes that more than satisfy all three of these criteria. Each recipe serves 2 people and takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make.

1. Russian Borscht Stew with Buckwheat

• 1 medium-sized head white cabbage
• 1 fresh red beet
• 1 large carrot
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 thick slice celery root
• ½ a leek
• 2-3 large mushrooms or 1 handful chanterelle mushrooms
• 150 grams buckwheat grains
• 2 tablespoons vegetable broth powder
• Olive oil
• Parsley

Slice the vegetables and the mushrooms. Boil 1 liter of water and add the vegetable broth powder to dissolve. Add the sliced vegetables, mushrooms, and buckwheat grains. Cook for 10 minutes at low heat. Finish with a generous dash of olive oil and a handful of chopped parsley.

Serve with a spoonful of hummus and/or sour cream.

2. Fish fillet (for example, smoked mackerel, as shown here) with Fried Pimientos and Blue Cheese Porridge

• 1 smoked mackerel
  • Alternative: use salmon or any other fish you prefer, season with salt, pepper, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a few drops of balsamic vinegar, then bake in foil for 20 minutes at 185 °
• 1 bag of green pimientos (a.k.a. pimientos de padron)
• 2 or 3 potatoes
• 50 grams of blue cheese
• 100 milliliters milk
• Salt, pepper, and olive or rapeseed oil for sautéing
• Fresh tomato slices for garnish

 

Remove the skin and bones from the mackerel. Fry the pimientos in oil with salt and pepper. Boil the potatoes in salted water, drain ¾ of the water, add the blue cheese and milk, and mash together with a fork or a potato masher.

Serve with a few slices of fresh tomato.

3. Vegetable Pancakes with Herb Quark, Hummus, and Mixed Green Salad

Vegetable pancakes (or potato pancakes), hummus, and herb quark from the deli counter at your favorite supermarket

• Salad ingredients: organic mâche greens (a.k.a. lamb’s lettuce), ½ cucumber, 2 tomatoes, green onion
• 2 tablespoons olive, sunflower, or MCT oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

 

Warm the vegetable pancakes in the oven at 180°C for 15 minutes. Combine the greens with the chopped cucumber, tomato, green onion, salt, pepper, oil, and vinegar.

Remove the vegetable pancakes from the oven, place on large plate, top with herb quark and hummus, and serve with salad on the side.

4. The Classic: Fried Potatoes with Eggs Sunny-Side-Up and Fresh Sauerkraut

• 2 or 3 new potatoes
• Organic eggs
• 150 grams fresh sauerkraut per person (barrel-cured is best)
• 1 or 2 green onions, chopped
• Seasoned salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• Caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoon flaxseed or sunflower oil
• Rapeseed or olive oil for frying

 

Peel potatoes and slice them as you prefer. Place potatoes in a skillet with olive or rapeseed oil and chopped green onion and brown for 7-10 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, combine the maple syrup, a pinch of caraway seeds, and flaxseed oil with the sauerkraut. Place the fried potatoes on a large plate with the sauerkraut on the side. Cook the eggs in the same skillet you used to fry the potatoes, sprinkling them with seasoned salt. Lay the eggs atop the fried potatoes and serve.

5. Red Lentil-Vegetable Soup

• 500 milliliters organic vegetable broth
• 200 grams red lentils
• 50 grams fresh ginger
• 100 grams chanterelle or porcini mushrooms
• 200 grams broccoli, green asparagus, or another favorite vegetable
• 1 bunch of “soup vegetables” (1 rib celery or 1 piece of celery root, 1 leek, 1 handful curly parsley, and 1 carrot, as needed)
• 2 tablespoons olive or MCT oil
• Parsley

 

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Rinse the lentils and add them to the broth. Grate the ginger directly into the broth. Wash and chop the mushrooms and vegetables, and add them to the pot. Cook for 10 minutes. Finish with oil and a handful of parsley.

Serve the soup with a spoonful of sour cream.

6. Tortellini with Jumbo Shrimp

• 1 package fresh tortellini pasta
• 400 grams jumbo shrimp
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 4-5 marinated sun-dried tomatoes
• 100 grams whole green olives
• 1 chili pepper
• 1 tablespoon organic vegetable broth powder
• 30 grams of Parmesan cheese
• Olive or rapeseed oil for sautéing

Add shrimp, vegetable broth powder, chopped green onions, olives, and chili to a wok and sauté in olive oil. Meanwhile, chop the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh tomatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt, and add tortellini, cooking for about 4 minutes. Drain the pasta. When the shrimp are red and cooked through, add the rest of the chopped vegetables to the wok, and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. Add the drained tortellini to the wok and stir to combine.

Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with freshly grated Parmesan.

7. Mixed Green Salad with Seaweed and Tofu

• 250 grams mâche greens (a.k.a. lamb’s lettuce)
• 2 or 3 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 green onion
• Seaweed salad from the deli counter
• Your favorite salad dressing
• 200 grams firm tofu
• 50 milliliters soy sauce
• Rapeseed oil for sautéing

 

Cut tofu in to large pieces and marinate for 10 minutes in soy sauce. Chop the salad ingredients and combine with the dressing. Serve on two large plates, spooning the seaweed salad over the top. Heat oil in a wok and cook the soy sauce-marinated tofu until well browned.

Arrange the browned tofu pieces over the salad and serve.

8. Kefir-Spelt Pancakes with Cottage Cheese

• 250 milliliters kefir
• 2 eggs
• 4 heaping tablespoons spelt flour
• Cottage cheese
• 1 container fresh raspberries
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Flaxseeds (about 1 tablespoon)
• A pinch of salt
• Butter, plus oil for cooking

 

Preheat oven to approximately 70°C. Combine the kefir, eggs, and spelt flour, and add a pinch of salt. In a small pan, fry the pancakes in a little oil, brush them with butter, and place them in the preheated oven on a plate to keep warm. In a bowl, smash the raspberries and combine them with honey and flaxseeds.

Serve the pancakes with cottage cheese and garnish with spoonfuls of the raspberry mixture.

9. Pasta with Stir-fried Zucchini and Mozzarella

• 2 small zucchini
• 1 green onion
• ½ red bell pepper
• 100 grams of your favorite mushroom
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon organic vegetable broth powder
• 2 large balls of fresh mozzarella
• 30 grams Parmesan cheese
• Oil for sautéing
• Freshly ground pepper
• Tagliatelle noodles for two

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain. Chop the vegetables, mushrooms, tomato, and garlic and sauté in a large skillet with oil, vegetable broth powder, and ground pepper. Add the cooked, drained pasta to the skillet and stir well to combine.

Divide into two pasta bowls, top each with a ball of mozzarella, and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan.

10. Sautéed Vegetables with Chicken Strips

300 grams boneless, skinless chicken breast

300 grams green asparagus (or another favorite vegetable)

Green onion

1 yellow bell pepper

1 rib celery

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Balsamic vinegar, approximately 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon organic vegetable broth powder

1 medium-sized tomato

Marinate chicken breast in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste for 1 hour. After marinating, cut chicken breast into strips.

Chop the asparagus (or other vegetable), green onion, yellow bell pepper, celery, and garlic and sauté in olive oil for 5-7 minutes. Divide the vegetables between two plates. While the pan is still hot, brown the chicken strips for 3-4 minutes over high heat. Place the browned chicken strips on top of the vegetables. Garnish with slices of fresh tomato.

Voilà.

Bon Appétit!