How to turn one tray of roasted vegetables into three different dishes - meal prep
I LOVE every one of these easy recipes and they are all so different! This is the perfect option for your 'meal prep' day and it couldn't really get much easier in terms of cooking ability and time efficiency. If you want to add some steamed fish or chicken to these dishes it will make the perfect accompaniment.
Usually on one of my weekend days I'll do my meal prep and it will usually entail making recipes such as these and cooking quinoa, freekeh, roasted vegetables, making nut milk (SO easy), hummus, kale pesto, prepping raw vegetables and salad leaves and I'll take a bit longer if I want to prep some dishes that can be portioned up to go straight into the freezer (think curries, stews, soup, sweet potato mash, hummus, fresh fruit and so on).
In the beginning I just thought it would take too long but I soon realised that I was saving so much time in the week (and money!!) and still nourishing my body with fresh, organic, preservative free food :)
I would recommend writing a meal plan and shopping list for your meal prep and realistically I will prep fresh food for three days (minus things which will go off - avocado, prawns, tomatoes - I will chop/cook these fresh) and have a good stock of fresh freezer food for the following few days OR I'll do a quick prep again for the 4th and 5th days. NO I don't enjoy eating 5 day old food either!
If you are struggling with meal planning and/or lacking inspiration I will be providing meal plans and shopping lists in the future to take the stress out of your healthy food organising. If this is something you are desperate to get hold of or if you have any requests PLEASE let me know in the comments below x x
So...on the menu today we have:
Zoodles (Courgetti) with kale pesto, roasted tomatoes and olives
Roasted spiced cauliflower with freekeh and pomegranate topped with a spiced mint yoghurt
Sweet potato, roasted beetroot and goats cheese salad with my ACV dressing
For the roasted vegetables:
200g Cherry tomatoes, whole
2 cups of peeled and diced sweet potato
1/2 cauliflower, broken into florets
1-2 fresh beetroots
chilli flakes, sprinkle
fresh or ground turmeric, sprinkle
cumin, sprinkle
serves 2-3
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160-180 degrees C.
Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Place the cherry tomatoes, cauliflower and sweet potato inside.
de-stalk the beetroots and wrap in tin foil. Place into the dish or on another dish in the oven.
Sprinkle the cauliflower with the cumin, turmeric and chilli
Drizzle the vegetables with olive/coconut oil
Place into the oven for around 30 minutes or until golden. Turning/shaking occasionally.
The beetroot may need another 10-15 minutes. Check with a fork and if it goes straight through quite easily it is cooked.
Leave the beetroot to cool ever so slightly and then peel (I like to use gloves to save the staining!)
Separate your vegetables into different dishes ready for the recipes below
Enjoy x x
Zoodles (Courgetti) with kale pesto, roasted tomatoes and olives
You will need:
200g of roasted cherry tomatoes (see above)
2 x zucchini
4tbsp kale pesto (see below)
1/4 cup of pitted kalamata olives
Kale Pesto: (makes 4-6 servings)
2-3 cups of kale (I usually remove the stalks)
1 x cup of fresh basil
juice of 2 lemons
1/2 cup of raw cashews
1/2 cup of olive oil
rind of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
serves 1-2
Method:
Place all of the ingredients for the kale pesto into a high speed blender, season to taste. Blend and leave to one side.
Spiralise (or julienne) your zucchini/courgette and please in a colander. Add some salt and leave to one side
Add your noodles, pesto tomatoes and olives and stir to combine
Enjoy x x
Notes:
If you can't get hold of a spiraliser you can julienne your zucchini with a julienne peeler.
Your kale pesto, tomato and olives will keep in the fridge for a few days. If you want to have a 'fresh' dish just spiralise/julienne your zucchini on the day and add the remaining ingredients from the fridge.
You can warm this dish ever so slightly to take the chill off.
Kale pesto is so fresh and zingy. Enjoy a tbsp with crudités or on top of a salad or soup.
If you are really pressed for time feel free to buy a ready made pesto. However, try and find a vegan pesto containing no cheese and preferably one that is made fresh to keep preservatives at bay.
Roasted spiced cauliflower with freekeh and pomegranate topped with a spiced mint yoghurt
You will need:
1 cup of Freekeh
2 cups of roasted, spiced cauliflower florets (see above for roasting guidelines)
1/2 cup of fresh shredded kale
1/2 a pomegranate - de seeded
1/4 cup of pepitas
1/4 lemon
olive oil
Mint yoghurt dressing:
1/4 cup of mint leaves
3-4 tbsp of coconut yoghurt
1 tsp sumac
sprinkling of chilli flakes, ground coriander and ground cumin
salt and pepper
serves 2-3
Method:
Wash your Freekeh thoroughly. Place into a medium saucepan with 4 cups of water and a dash of Apple Cider Vinegar. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer until cooked. Around 20 - 25 minutes. Drain any excess water and leave to one side in a large bowl. Dress with a dash of olive oil and the juice of a quarter of lemon.
De-seed you pomegranate and prepare your kale and mint.
For the dressing add half of the mint leaves and the remainder of the ingredients to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Season to taste.
Add the rest of the mint to the freekeh, add the cauliflower, kale, pomegranate and pepitas, mix thoroughly.
Top with the yoghurt dressing,
Enjoy
Notes:
If you want to enjoy this dish warm I would be inclined to leave the pomegranate out and sprinkle on top afterwards.
If you are eating a day or two later feel free to prepare your kale and herbs on the day and add to the dish and the yoghurt then.
If the coconut yoghurt gets to hard, warm for 10-20 seconds.
This would be a great side dish with steamed or grilled fish such as Salmon.
Sweet potato, roasted beetroot and goats cheese salad with my ACV dressing
2 cups of roasted sweet potato
1-2 roasted beetroot, chopped into chunks
1/2 an avocado, sliced
50g of soft goats cheese, broken into pieces
1/4 red onion, sliced
4 cups of fresh english spinach leaves
ACV dressing:
2 tsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp olive oil
zest of 1/2 lemon
4 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
serves 2-3
Method:
First make the dressing. Add all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend. Leave to one side.
Add the salad ingredients into a big bowl and cover with dressing when you are ready to eat it.
Enjoy x x x
Notes:
If you are eating in 2 or more days time leave your dressing to one side until you are ready to eat.
Also if you are eating in 2 or more days time keep your ingredients separate to ensure that your spinach is still nice and crunchy.....the sweet potato will be slightly oily from roasting and will wilt the spinach.
Prepare the avocado fresh on the day.
Enjoy x x
Please let me know if you have any feedback or questions about this post as I LOVE hearing from you! Just leave me a comment below x x x x