The unique dishes are a true lifesaver with which we can fill our stomachs and nourish ourselves easily and without great culinary displays. If we put a sufficient quantity of vegetables or fruit, legumes and other quality proteins and a tasty dressing, we can manage to fit complete and satisfying meals in a single dish (if we are missing something, we can always dress four tomatoes in some down time of the preparation and serve them in the center as a salad to share). Today we propose seven that you can prepare even if you do not have a master’s degree in Le Cordon Bleu, they fit in the pattern of a healthy diet -we have made an exception for the refined noodles of the fideuà, because the integral version is rare- and they contain seasonal ingredients. All recipes are for four people.
Country salad with hard-boiled egg and tuna
To prepare this summer classic, which can be served as a single dish if you add an egg and/or some canned fish such as tuna, tuna, melva or sardines, you have to cook six potatoes with their skins for about 20 minutes, or until they are soft enough to go through them with a skewer or a lace. Also cook four eggs for nine minutes in boiling water over low heat, cool them well under running water to stop the cooking and peel them. Prepare a vinaigrette by mixing vinegar, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste (it is highly recommended to be generous with everything, especially with the oil). Cut a red pepper, a green pepper and a spring onion or sweet onion into small cubes or strips and mix with the vinaigrette about 20 minutes before assembling the salad. When the potatoes are warm, peel them and cut into cubes or slices, as preferred. Dress with the vinaigrette and its vegetables, half of the chopped eggs, two cans of tuna (optional), three diced ripe tomatoes and a handful of olives and take about twenty minutes or half an hour to the fridge to cool down a bit. little and the flavors blend. After this time, stir, put the remaining eggs on top and serve, if desired, with a splash of oil to finish off.
Wholemeal pasta, beans, peas, red tomato pesto and olives
Prepare a pesto by mashing 12 dried tomatoes in oil or hydrated in warm water for half an hour, a handful of pitted green olives, a good splash of oil, a splash of lemon juice, a clove of garlic and 80 grams of cured cheese (the that we have on hand). Bring salted water to a boil and add 500 g of green beans; after two minutes put also 500 g of peas and drain and cool everything after three more minutes. Cook the pasta one minute less than what the manufacturer indicates and reserve a few tablespoons of the cooking water, drain, return to the pot and butter with the reserved water, the pesto and the vegetables. Plate, if you want with a little more grated cheese on top and freshly ground pepper.
Couscous salad with stone fruit, fresh cheese and parsley and pistachio vinaigrette
Moisturize 250 g of whole grain couscous with a little more than its volume of hot salted water and a splash of oil. Peel and cut a tender onion into feathers, season with apple cider vinegar and salt and leave to stand for half an hour to lose strength. Pit and cut two peaches, three or four apricots and two or three plums (depending on size). Prepare a vinaigrette with oil, salt, pepper, a handful of parsley leaves and two tablespoons of crushed or -very little- chopped pistachios (if vinegar is added, keep in mind that the onion already has it). Mix everything and top with 300 g of fresh cheese to taste: I personally prefer goat or sheep cheese, they are tastier than cow cheese.
Lentils, grilled lettuce hearts and spicy marinated tofu
Tofu is a fairly tasteless food that we can turn into a flavor bomb if we give it the right treatment; In the case of hard tofu, the best system I have found is to freeze it, thaw it and press well to remove all the water it releases. This same water will have created small holes that turn this tofu into a sponge that will quickly absorb any marinade we add to it. To prepare this dish, freeze 400 g of chopped hard tofu a couple of days beforehand, defrost, drain and press to ensure that all the liquid is removed. Prepare a marinade/vinaigrette with six tablespoons of soy sauce, two of sesame oil, a splash of vinegar and chili or hot sauce to taste. Use half to marinate the tofu and reserve the rest. Wash 600 g of cooked lentils well, drain and put in a salad bowl. Cut eight buds in half lengthwise and score on a griddle or pan. When they are, put on the lentils and dress with the rest of the marinade. In the same pan or griddle, brown the tofu, serve it on top of the lettuce hearts and top with green onions or spring onion stems and toasted sesame.
Chickpea and beetroot spread with pickled mussels, crudités and toasted wholemeal bread
Although we normally take it as a snack or appetizer, a spread well accompanied by vegetables and a good toasted wholemeal bread can serve as a single dish. Pickled mussels and chickpeas go great in any format -we already prepare them together in a salad, and they are also great with mussels crowning a widowed stew of any legume-, and here they will also bring the joy of vinegar and paprika. Put in a robot or a deep bowl 600 g of cooked chickpeas, a clove of garlic -or to taste-, two cooked beets, spicy to taste and a large or two small cans of pickled mussels (with the pickle included). Crush everything until we get the texture that we like, try and rectify vinegar or salt. Put in the fridge for at least an hour to mix the flavors and serve with a cucumber, a pepper and four carrots in sticks, 200 g of cherry tomatoes and four slices of toasted wholemeal bread (I like it with a powerful flavor like rye).
Brown rice sautéed with zucchini, onion and sardines
Cook 200 g of brown rice following the manufacturer’s instructions (if you don’t have them, here are some tips on how to do it). Cool to stop cooking. Put three medium-sized courgettes, an onion and a splash of oil in a large frying pan and sauté until the courgette and onion begin to brown. Add the rice, aromatic to taste, season with salt and pepper and stir for a couple of minutes. Serve with three or four grilled sardines per portion -for a quick and odorless version: canned sardines- and a wedge of lemon to add a splash before eating.
Carrot, broccoli, pepper and chicken thigh fideuà
Brown six boneless and chopped chicken thighs in a paella pan or large frying pan with a little oil, salt and pepper. Add a small broccoli, two carrots and two green peppers -all in pieces of approximately one centimeter-, and turn until they take on some color. Add three tablespoons of tomato sauce or one of concentrated tomato and give a few more turns. Add 250 g of angel hair noodles and brown them well (add a little more oil if necessary). Put the same volume in boiling water or broth and cook between three and four minutes (one or two more if we want socarrat). Let stand two more minutes and serve.
#unique #cheap #seasonal #dishes