Not a lot of people believe me when I say creating a healthy meal in 10 minutes or less is possible. So I decided to put together these three recipes to show just how easy it can be.
In the same amount of time it would take you to sit through a drive-thru line, you can whip up these nutrient-dense, flavor-packed meals.
Stuffed sweet potatoes with a pea and avocado smash
Servings: 1-2
Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes
For the pea and avocado smash:
1 cup green peas
1 avocado
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
~ 1 tbsp. olive oil
sea salt, black pepper, and chili flakes to taste
For the spiced chickpeas:
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped 1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne
a pinch of chili flakes and salt to taste
For the maple tahini dressing:
4 tbsp. tahini
1 1/2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
Directions
Poke holes in your sweet potatoes and cook in the microwave for around 4-7 minutes, until tender.
For the chickpeas: In a small pot over medium heat, add your avocado oil, garlic, onion, and spices and cook for around 1-3 minutes. Next, add your chickpeas and cook for 5-10 minutes until you’re ready to serve.
For the pea and avocado smash: In a blender or food processor, add all your ingredients and blend/pulse until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
For the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Cut open your cooked sweet potatoes, stuff with the pea and avocado smash and chickpeas, and then drizzle with the maple tahini dressing. Serve with any other vegetables if desired.
Basil cashew pesto pasta
Servings: 2
Ingredients
8 oz. box of pasta (I used Eat Banza chickpea pasta which cooks in 8-10 minutes)
2 cups fresh basil
1/4 cup raw cashews
2-3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/4 cup + 3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 tbsp. sea salt
1/2 tbsp. black pepper
Directions
Add your box of pasta to salted boiling water and cook until al dente.
Using a blender or food processor, add in garlic, 3 tbsp. olive oil, cashews, and black pepper. Blend until smooth.
Add the nutritional yeast and salt to the blender. Pulse until combined.
Add the basil and the rest of the olive oil and blend again until everything is incorporated.
Pulse in the lemon juice.
Drain and rinse your cooked pasta, add back to the pot, and mix with your cashew pesto until everything is coated. You might have extra pesto (but that’s not a bad thing).
Easy spiced lentils
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Servings: about 4
Ingredients
15 oz. can cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
3 garlic cloves
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt and more to taste, if desired
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ginger, finely grated
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tbsp. lemon juice
3/4 cup fresh cilantro
Directions
In a blender or food processor, add in garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, maple syrup, sea salt, spices, ginger, and lemon juice. Blend thoroughly, then taste to see if you need to add anything.
To a large pan or pot over medium-low heat, add your drained lentils, fresh cilantro, and sauce. Stir until well-combined and heated all the way through.
Serve with rice, noodles, or vegetables.
If you try them out, let me know what you think on Instagram. I love seeing your creations and I hope I can start to make eating healthier a little less intimidating and stressful.