Tired of cooking (and cleaning up) during the lockdown? An exotic, yummy, instagrammable dish is therapeutic for both the taste buds and the social media soul! But the everyday breakfast-lunch-dinner-cooking and the need to ensure the family gets all the nutrition, can be stressful!
Nutrition Experts at Curo Wellness have penned down some make-ahead recipes – that you can cook and store. Some of these are bases (like batters or pre mixes), some of them are ready-to-cook stuffings and some are fully cooked storable snacks – basically ways to make daily cooking a little easier!
1. Natural Fruit Spread
Ingredients: Mixed Fruits (like mango, grapes, green/red apple, berries – washed & chopped), Honey, Lemon juice, Chia seeds.
To Prepare: Heat chopped fruits in a saucepan with honey over medium flame until soft & tender (roughly 30 minutes). Allow it to cool. Stir in lemon juice & chia seeds. Cover and chill.
To Store & Serve: Stores in the fridge for 15 days. Works great as a spread on pancakes or wholewheat breads or as toppings on yoghurt (how’s that for a dessert).
Curo Nutri Quotient: Fruits add Fibre, Antioxidants & Vitamins. Chia seeds add good quality Protein, Omega 3 fats. Low calorie but nutrient packed, this has No sugar or preservatives (sweetness imparted by fructose – natural sugar in fruits). Side note – add honey as per individual preference.
2. Roasted Oats Upma Pre-Mix
Ingredients: Oats (coarsely ground), cashew nuts, urad dal, oil, curry leaves, green chillies, whole red chillies, Cumin/ Mustard Seeds.
To Prepare: Heat oil. Add cashew nuts, urad dal, cumin seeds and roast on slow flame till brown. Add curry leaves, green & red chillies, add coarsely ground oats and roast till light brown. Let it cool and store in an airtight container.
To Store & Serve: This pre-mix stores for roughly a week. To use it: add a pot of boiling water, salt, lime juice and coriander leaves to the stored pre-mix for a quick & healthy Upma!
Curo Nutri Quotient: Oats give you Protein, Fibre and Antioxidants.
3. Gluten-free Batter
Ingredients: Moong Dal, Buckwheat flour (kuttu flour), Ginger Garlic Chilli paste, Seed mix (flaxseeds, cumin seeds, sesame seeds), Spices (salt, chilli powder, garam masala).
To Prepare: Wash & soak Moong Daal. Grind together: Moong daal, Buckwheat flour with all the spices, seed mix and ginger garlic chilli paste. This batter can be used for an easy quick fix meal.
To Store & Serve: Batter can be stored in the fridge for 7-10 days. Can make Crepes, Pancakes or dosas (add grated veggies/ green leaves to the batter and can top it with grated cottage cheese). Can also make idli, dhokla, appe (by adding a little fruit salt before steaming).
Curo Nutri Quotient: The batter is packed with Protein, Fibre & Antioxidants. The Seed Mix, apart from adding flavour, is rich in fibre, omega 3 fats & micronutrients.
4. Walnut Cottage-cheese Dip
Ingredients: Walnut pieces, Cottage Cheese/ Goat Cheese (soft), Onions (chopped), Pepper powder, Green Chillies, Dried herbs (Oregano, Thyme, Basil), Water
To Prepare: Blend walnut pieces, water, onions and pepper powder into a smooth paste. Add cottage cheese or soft goat cheese and process until well blended.
To Store & Serve: Stores in the fridge for 4-5 days and serves well with crudités.
Curo Nutri Quotient: A healthy dip with a combination of Good Fats & Protein. Walnuts improve gut health & add Antioxidants.
5. Instant Granola
Ingredients: Rolled Oats, Honey, Cinnamon Powder, Nuts (almonds, walnuts – chopped), Sunflower seeds, Dates, Black raisins, Cranberries, Olive Oil.
To Prepare: Mix all the ingredients well in a pan. Roast this mix in the oven (placed in a tray lined with butter paper) for 10-12 mins on medium temperature (100-120 F) till golden brown. (Stir occasionally if needed). Remove from the oven and let it cool.
To Store & Serve: Store in an airtight container (stores well for upto 2 weeks). Makes for a great breakfast with milk or yoghurt or can be topped on fresh fruits to make a healthy dessert.
Curo Nutri Quotient: Oats are rich in Protein, Fibre & Antioxidants. Nuts & Seeds add Omega 3 fats & minerals (iron, potassium). Cinnamon powder adds antioxidants. All the ingredients are heart healthy & diabetic friendly (except honey which can be skipped for diabetics).
6. Enriched Tomato Onion Gravy
Ingredients: Tomatoes & Onions (both finely chopped or pureed separately), Sesame Seeds, Red Bell Pepper or Pumpkin (both optional), Oil.
To Prepare: Heat oil, saute onions till brown/pinkish. Add in sesame seeds & all the spices normally used for gravy. Lastly, add in all the tomatoes, saute and cook till it leaves oil on the sides of the pan. For extra flavour & nutrition, add Red bell pepper (for a slightly spicier gravy) or Pumpkin (for a slightly sweeter gravy). Cool & store in an airtight container.
To Store & Serve: Store gravy in batches – in the fridge for about 15 days/ in a freezer for about a month). Can be used as base gravy for various pulses, vegetables and meats.
Curo Nutri Quotient: Tomatoes, Onions, Bell Peppers are all rich in antioxidants that help build our immunity. Sesame seeds add-in that extra punch of Calcium and Micronutrients. Pumpkin, if added, provides Beta carotene to your diet.
7. Protein Energy Ball
Ingredients: Oats, Nuts (Almonds, Walnuts, Cashew – roughly chopped), Chia seeds, Peanut butter, Honey.
To Prepare: This is probably the easiest recipe on our list today! Simply tip in everything and mix well. Make into roundels and store in an airtight container.
To Store & Serve: Stores in the fridge for up to a month.
Curo Nutri Quotient: High Protein, Nutrient-packed snack that comes in handy for your hunger pangs. Nuts & Seeds add good quality Protein & Omega 3 fats. Oats are a great source of soluble fibre and add to your protein intake as well. Peanut butter is rich in Antioxidants and Protein. A great protein-packed option for vegetarians & gluten-sensitive.
8. Falafel Pre-mix
Ingredients: Chickpeas (boiled), flour, Fresh Herbs (coriander & mint leaves), Onion, Ginger Garlic Chilli paste, Spices (salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, garam masala, dry mango powder or lemon juice).
To Prepare: Cook Chickpeas (Soak, Boil & well drain). Add in the flour, herbs, ginger garlic chilli paste & spices. Mash & mix well. Shape them into roundels or patties.
To Store & Serve Store in an airtight container or zip lock bag (in the fridge for about a month & in the freezer for upto 3 months). Falafels can be baked or pan-fried – make for a great snack (with a yoghurt dip), in pita wraps or in salads. (Cooked falafels can be stored in the fridge for 5-7 days).
Curo Nutri Quotient: Chickpeas are an excellent source of Protein and Fibre.
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