Tag: Healthy Lunches

Double Pea Fried Quinoa

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Hey there! I just wanted to start off by saying that on Sunday it was my three year blogging anniversary and I didn’t even realize it! I can’t believe it’s been three years already and want to thank you guys for all your support:) I’ve come a long way from just book reviews to lots of food stuff- if you’d like to check out my very first post I’ll put the link here.

So yeah, today we’ve got some Double Pea Fried Quinoa! Olivia is my name and frozen veggies are my GAME. Sorry that was a bit cringy but I just had to assert somehow that I really like using frozen veggies. This dish makes a great side, or base for a bowl or salad. It includes both green peas and chickpeas- hence the double peas. It’s also super speedy and has lots of flavour. Plus the bright greens from the peas and parsley will lift your spirits during the winter months.

I started by frying A LOT of garlic and some onions- you know how I love that garlic. Then I added in the green peas, chickpeas, cooked quinoa, and some parsley, salt and peppered it up, and bang it was done! It’s full of bright, fresh deliciousness and also some protein. And, like most of my recipes, it’s great for meal prep which is a bonus. Today I had this Double Pea Fried Quinoa with some tuna mixed with avocado, sprouts, and hummus for a very tasty and nutritious lunch. Yum:)

I don’t really know what else to say, except that you should probably go and make this right now. Go on!

Double Pea Fried Quinoa

Serves: 4

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small white onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 cups of frozen green peas
  • 2 cups of cooked quinoa
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. And in the onions and garlic and cook for 4 minutes, making sure that the garlic doesn’t burn.
  2. Add the frozen peas to a pan and stir until they’re defrosted, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the quinoa and cook for an additional 4 minutes, stirring every once in a while to get even cooking.
  4. Mix in the parsley, season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and enjoy!!

Simple as that! I hope you enjoy:) I’ll see you on Friday with my December Bullet Journal Set-Up! It’s a good one:))

Yours Truly,

Olivia

Quick Cauliflower Curry

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Nothing is more comforting than a big ol’ bowl of curry. Am I right, or am I right? I love the delicious blend of spices and tomato and coconut milk. It’s just so warm and so tasty! Today I have a super quick and easy version for you that packs in some veg as well.

Super flavourful, healthy and awesome food doesn’t have to be really complex or take forever! From start to finish, I estimate that this recipe should take you around 35-40 minutes tops. Not many people are busy right now, but if you are, this is a quick recipe that you can hit up any day of the week. Even if you’re just at home, you won’t have to labour over the stove to get a great meal:)

Curries like this are great for freezing as well! After you have a couple bowls of this cozied up by the fire, you can throw the rest into a few plastic bags or containers and freeze for later enjoyment. I love serving this with brown rice or quinoa, and you can mix these grains right in there before freezing for convenience. That’s a big brain move right there.

When I’m about to heat up my oil and get ready to cook, I make sure that I have all of my ingredients ready to go so that I can just add everything in when I need it. This helps speed up the production time, and makes sure that I don’t burn anything while I’m chopping up veg or getting the spices ready! After sauteeing your onions, garlic and cauliflower in coconut oil, you add in your spices, and then some tomatoes and coconut milk. Then you’re pretty much done; just stir, season, and let simmer until the cauliflower is soft. Super fast. Super healthy. SUPER GOOD!

Enjoy this delicious curry recipe!

Quick Cauliflower Curry

Serves: 4-6 (served with grains)

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 cups of cauliflower florets
  • 1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground cayenne
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 can of light coconut milk
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a large pot.
  2. Add in the onions, garlic, and cauliflower. Sautee for about 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
  3. Add in all of the spices, and stir to coat the veggies in them. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, to brown up the spices.
  4. Dump the beans, tomatoes, and coconut milk into the pot, and stir to combine, making sure you get all of the brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper, then bring to a low simmer, cover, and let cook for about 25-30 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft, but not mushy.
  5. Remove the pot from the heat, and serve the curry warm over brown or white rice, or with quinoa.
  6. Enjoy!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend cozying up with this recipe, and I’ll see you on Monday with another great one:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

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I’m SUPER excited about this recipe it turned out really great:) I’m part Polish, so I grew up eating cabbage rolls a lot, and they’re pretty delicious. I had a couple of heads of cabbage in my fridge and thought I’d try and make a lighter, vegetarian version, and they’re AWESOME. In the filling I used mushrooms for some meatiness, as well as lots of onion, parsley, black beans, and oregano. All of this amazingness is wrapped up in some softened cabbage leaves, then baked in the simplest sauce you will ever make. These rolls are a win for meal prep, a vegetarian side dish, or main course.

Making these rolls is also really fun, because you get to stuff and roll them up. To soften the cabbage leaves, I boiled the whole head for around 5 minutes, then removed the outer leaves and continued the process until all of the usable cabbage was soft. Then you simply scoop some filling in the middle, fold in the sides, and then roll like you would a burrito. Once you get into your cabbage roll groove, you’ll be pumping out rolls like nobody’s business.

After carefully placing the rolls in a glass baking dish, you’ll cover them in sauce (which has only THREE ingredients), and bake them up until they’re a leetle bit crispy. You gotta love those slightly burned edges. And voila. You’re set with delicious food for the next while! These rolls are so healthy and hearty; they’ll keep you going all day long. I hope you get around to making these, because this is definitely one of my new favourite recipes. Happy rolling!:)

Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Serves: 4-5 (Makes 20-24 rolls)

Total Time: 105 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Rolls:

  • 2 heads of green cabbage, about 1-2 pounds each
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 2 cups of diced mushrooms
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup of brown rice
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1/2 cup of packed parsley
  • 1 egg
  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp of soy sauce
  • 2 tsp of dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 tsp of dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring the water and brown rice to boil in a pot, then lower to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes. You want to rice to be slightly under cooked, as it will cook more in the oven later. Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add in the onions, garlic, and mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to caramelize; about 10-15 minutes. At this point, stir in the soy sauce and season with salt and pepper, continuing to cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and dump into a big bowl.
  3. Add the brown rice, parsley, oregano, black beans, egg, and some more salt and pepper to the onion and mushroom mixture. Stir until combined and set aside.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Use tongs to transfer a head of cabbage into it, and boil for five minutes. Remove the cabbage with the tongs and carefully remove the outer layer of leaves, placing them on a cutting board or wherever you plan to roll your rolls. Continue this process until all of the usable cabbage leaves are soft and ready to go.
  5. Take a leaf of cabbage and cut out any outstanding stem pieces at the base of the leaf that will make it harder to roll. Place a tablespoon of filling inside, and form it into a sort of log shape with your hands. Fold the two sides into the centre and then roll the cabbage away from you, forming a tight, burrito like roll. Place in a glass baking dish.
  6. Continue to fill and roll the cabbage until all of the leaves have been used up. If you have some extra filling and stem pieces, fry them up for a quick snack later:)
  7. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
  8. Mix together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl, and spoon the sauce evenly on top of the cabbage rolls.
  9. Bake the rolls uncovered for 40-45 minutes in the oven. Remove and enjoy!!

I can’t wait to make these delicious rolls again! Let me know if you try them out. See you Friday!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)))

BBLT Sandwich

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I was just thinking the other day how I need more sandwiches in my life. They’re awesome! They’re fast, versatile, delicious, and contain BREAD:) Definitely great for school, or whenever you need something tasty. Today I’m serving up the recipe for this BBLT sandwich- that’s black bean, lettuce, and tomato people. It may not sound like much, but trust me, it’s pretty darn good.

I’ve made some sandwiches in the past, like my EPIC Veggie Sandwich, that require a little more time and effort. This BBLT is as simple as it gets though; it’s specially designed for busy people (aka me). That doesn’t mean we’re compromising on taste. The base of the sandwich is black beans mixed with some avo, soy sauce, garlic powder and chilli powder for some added savoury deliciousness. I would eat that in a sandwich by itself, but the fresh tomato and crisp lettuce really bring it home. Stuff it all between my favourite sprouted grain bread, and it’s a no brainer.

All the ingredients in this sandwich are super common and nutritious, making for an easy, protein-filled lunch. I know you’ve got a can of black beans in your pantry with your name on it, so grab it and get in the kitchen! Enjoy:))

BBLT Sandwich

Serves: 1

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 a ripe avocado
  • 3/4 cup cooked black beans
  • 1/2 tsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp chilli powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 a tomato, sliced
  • a leaf of lettuce
  • 2 slices of sprouted grain bread, toasted

Directions:

  1. In a small bowl, mash the avocado and mix in the soy sauce, chilli powder, and garlic powder. Add in the black beans and stir to combine, mashing them slightly.
  2. Scoop the black bean avocado mixture onto a piece of toasted sprouted grain bread. Top with the sliced tomato and lettuce, then press on the other piece of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!!

So quick! I’ll be making this a lot during the school year:))

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce

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I’m back! I went on a little vacation and wasn’t super active on my blog or social media, but I’m coming back with a BANG, aka these Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce. Portable lunches are going to have to start becoming a thing again soon, so these beauties are going to help you get one step ahead. Simply roast, wrap, press, and then boom, you’ve got yourself an amazing, nutritious lunch.

The cauliflower, red onions, and red peppers all get roasted up on the same pan, then the peppers are tossed in the blender with garlic, oil, and lots of cilantro to make a bea-u-tiful sauce. I spread it on a wrap, then added the cauliflower, onions, some avocado, and some spinach. YUM. After rolling, my wrap got the VIP treatment in my panini press. Once you start pressing your wraps and getting those perfect grill marks on there, you’re not going back. It also helps the wrap stay together- perfect for lunchbags.

These would be great prepared the night before, or if you prep all of the ingredients and then just roll and press as needed. This recipe makes 1 wrap but lots of extra sauce, which is awesome in bowls, more wraps, salads, more wraps, for dipping things in, and in more wraps. I hope you enjoy this recipe and keep an eye out for more meal prep ideas coming soon!!

Roasted Cauliflower Wraps with Red Pepper Sauce

Serves: 1 (with extra sauce)

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Red Pepper Sauce:

  • 2 small red bell peppers, chopped
  • 2 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, loosely packed
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Wraps:

  • 1 Whole Wheat Wrap
  • 1/2 cup cauliflower florets, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 of a red onion, sliced
  • 1/2 an avocado, thinly sliced
  • a small handful of spinach leaves
  • 1 tbsp Red Pepper Sauce
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Place the cauliflower, red peppers, and red onion on a parchment lined baking sheet. Toss each with 1 tsp of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes, until soft and slightly charred.
  3. Remove the pan from the oven and add the red peppers, along with the rest of the Red Pepper Sauce ingredients, into a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  4. Preheat a panini press and begin assembling your wrap. Spread 1 tbs of sauce onto a whole wheat wrap, then add the cauliflower, onions, spinach, and avocado, and fold tightly, tucking the two vertical edges in, then rolling away from you.
  5. Place the wrap on the press and bring the lid down on it. Let gravity do its work and leave your wrap in the press for about a minute.
  6. Carefully remove your wrap from the press and enjoy!!

Happy munching and I’ll see you Wednesday!:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))