All of my social engagements revolve around eating, and I can find pretty much any excuse to stop for coffee and cake. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing, but it does mean that my weekends can become somewhat ridiculously overloaded with all the aforementioned cake, indulgent brunches and carb-heavy dinners. Come Monday, I’m usually craving vegetables and something a little lighter (I also feel the need to do some actual exercise).
There are a couple of favourite recipes that I turn to regularly. They’re healthy, tasty and don’t make me feel like I’m depriving myself. Just to clarify: for me, healthy usually means vegetable-heavy and light on carbs. I’m not a carb-hater by any means, but I do find that protein fills me up without making me want to binge to the point of sickness (pasta however, is another story…).
The first is Turkish eggs – eggs poached in a rich stew of peppers and tomatoes. This recipe only takes 15 minutes to make, so it’s great for a quick after-work meal, and although it doesn’t look like much, it’s surprisingly filling (maybe that’s because I make the whole recipe for two people…). The next is these bean burgers (which I eat without the buns). The Mexican flavours make the whole meal incredibly tasty, despite the fact that it’s super healthy! Finally, this recipe for blackened salmon with salsa is another regular – in fact, I could eat a bowl of the black bean and avocado salsa all by itself.
However, my favourite quick and healthy recipe is this simple chorizo, chickpea and kale stew. There are hardly any ingredients, but the chorizo gives it loads of flavour. I usually serve it as is, sometimes with a spoon of yoghurt on top, and I find it really fills me up. If you’re not convinced it will, add some crusty bread too.
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 75g chorizo, chopped into small pieces
- 1 can chickpeas
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 2 big handfuls kale, tough stalks removed, finely sliced
- Greek yoghurt, to serve
- Heat a little oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion and chorizo over a low heat for 5 minutes until the onions are softened and the chorizo has released some oil.
- Add the chickpeas and chopped tomatoes, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly.
- Stir in the kale, cover with a lid and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the kale is tender.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve with a spoonful of yoghurt on top.
P.S. Healthy pancakes, how to eat healthily at work and five fab recipes from Pinterest.
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