Meal Prep: Mediterranean Bowls

Chris and I are having a moment with our meal prep life. We are so proud, feeling so nourished and loving the math: we’re down to less than $7 per meal (!!!!). Our trick is to pick a theme (Mexican, root veg, Asian, etc) and make a few key items that can be mixed and matched throughout the week to make bowls, salads, quesadillas, wraps, etc. The most useful key ingredients are a protein, a grain and one other specialty item. From there you can add fresh veg (bonus points if you pre-cut these too!), dressing, etc. This week we’re focused on Mediterranean flavours: lemon quinoa, spiced cauliflower, hummus, olives, tofu feta, pickled onions (try my recipe!) and fresh veg like cucumber, tomato, avocado, spinach.

Below is what we lazily created on Sunday to set us up for a week of good lunches and dinners. You can speed through this, but I like to spend my day lazily cooking in the kitchen while Chris watches football—both with coffee in hand.

LEMON QUINOA

1 yellow onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbl olive oil

1 cup quinoa (I used tri-coloured - more dense and nutty)

juice from two lemons

zest from 1 lemon

1 3/4 cup veg broth

1 tsp salt

1 handful parsley, rough chopped (1/2 cup)

1 tsp dried dill

Heat oil on medium low heat, add the onions and stir until for 3 min. Add garlic and stir for one min. Stir in dry quinoa and cook for 1 min. Pour in lemon juice, salt and broth, stir and bring to a low boil. Cover with lid and reduce heat to low. Cook for approx 25 min or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat, stir and let sit for 5 min. Fold in lemon zest, dill and fresh parsley. Ready to eat! Adjust salt if needed.

**You should be able to substitute the quinoa for rice if you want :)

CREAMY HUMMUS

2 cans chickpeas (approx. 400ml each)

3 garlic clove, minced

Juice from 3 lemons

1 cup tahini

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin powder

3 tbl olive oil

4-6 tbl cold water

Drain and rinse chickpeas and add to a medium pot with baking soda and enough water to cover the chickpeas plus 1 to 2 inches. Heat over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Stirring often, simmer for 20 minutes. Rinse with cold water and set aside.

Add lemon juice, garlic and salt to the food processor and pulse until combined and garlic is chopped up. Let sit for 10 min (this helps break down the harsh garlic flavour). Add tahini and blend until completely smooth and combined (2 min). Gradually add cold water while blending until it’s creamy and smooth. Add cumin and blend. Add drained chickpeas from above and blend until smooth (2 min). Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blending. Add more water to reach desired creaminess. Adjust salt if needed! Enjoy!

HERBY MARINATED TOFU

1 package firm tofu, cubed

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbl nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

juice from 1 lemon

1/2 tsp dijon/spicy mustard

2 tbl dried oregano (or a mix of dried thyme, oregano, basil, parsley, etc)

1/2 tsp chilli/red pepper flakes

1 tbl apple cider vin

Add all ingredients expect for tofu into container and mix well. Add tofu cubes, put lid on container and gently swirl to coat all tofu with marinade. If you need to add more olive oil to get the marinade moving to coat all tofu, add it! Taste marinade and adjust seasoning. Pop in fridge and let the flavours combine! Eat raw and add to bowls!