EACH WEEK, WE ask a home cook about the dishes they’ve been whipping up of late – from simple suppers to lavish lunches.
This week, Cork personal trainer Aisling Daly shared five simple, quick and healthy meals that see her through the week.
“My style of cooking has no doubt been influenced by my mother,” says Aisling.
“My earliest memories of food involve decorative and delicious homemade birthday cakes, bubbling lasagnas and casseroles and lots of simple but tasty stir fries.”
“I try my best to cook from scratch using as many single ingredient food items as possible, but convenient and quick is also always on my agenda, except maybe for weekends.”
From an energy-boosting smoothie to craving-busting peanut butter cups, Aisling shared five recipes that she turns to time and time again…
1. Mean green breakfast smoothie: This is my go to breakfast most mornings. I wake up excited for this smoothie! I pack my blender with loads of frozen leafy green veggies like kale, broccoli and spinach, a chopped apple and a handful of frozen pineapple, oats, chia seeds, cacao powder and flaxseed. It sets me up well for the day with a steady release of energy. This smoothie is a super way to get vegetables in early in the day.
2. Overnight bircher muesli: I prepare my bircher museli night before in an airtight jar, pop it in the fridge and take it with me in the morning. I add the following ingredients to a mixing bowl and divide between two jars: 50g oats, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 250 ml milk, 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, 2 grated apples,1 tbsp of chia seeds and a handful of raspberries. Easy and delicious!
3. Smoky paprika chickpea salad: The sweetness of the caramelised nuts and the smoky paprika flavour in this dish work really well together. To prepare the caramelised nuts I empty a bag of mixed nuts into a non stick wok or pan over a medium heat, add a drizzle of honey, and leave on the heat for eight minutes, tossing regularly. I assemble a salad of mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, and pomegranate seeds and add the smoky chickpeas and caramelised nuts to finish.
4. Beef bolognese with loads of kale: I created this entire dish a bunch of kale I was excited to use up. To make this dish, I browned off lean minced beef, a chopped red onion and a crushed garlic clove in a large saucepan. I added a tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, a chopped green pepper and finely chopped celery and cooked it over medium heat for a 15 minutes. I then added fresh basil and a bunch of fresh kale, along with chilli powder. I cooked it for a further 10 minutes and served it on a bed of spaghetti with some fresh basil leaves on top.
5. Homemade peanut butter cups: These peanut butter cups are a great alternative to a high sugar chocolate snack. They don’t give me the blood sugar spike that a regular bar of chocolate with a high sugar content might, but they certainly give me a chocolate hit. They are simple and quick to make and should be stored in the fridge as they melt quickly.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say