a food wonk.

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recipes

easiest chili ever

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

Chili is my go-to dinner. It’s easy to make in bulk for the week and requires just one pot. You can use canned beans, which makes it inexpensive, easy, and full of protein and fiber. Canned beans, grains, vegetable stock, and canned tomatoes are all things you can keep on hand because they have a long shelf life. This makes chili easy to throw together any time. Also, using beans as a source of protein rather than turkey or chicken saves you time and money. Canned beans cost less than one dollar and dry beans cost even less. Chili can be made in less than one hour and can easily be tailored to whatever vegetables, beans, grains, or proteins you like and have. I like to use a variety of beans and add quinoa for more protein and substance. You can leave this out or substitute brown rice. For this chili, I added the spices at the beginning rather than throwing them in at the end and I think it helps bring out the flavors more without adding any cooking time. Taking an hour of time to throw a pot of chili together is so worth it. You have a satisfying and healthy meal ready when you come home after a long day of class. You can easily make chili freestyle, but this recipe can serve as a base for whatever kind of chili you like.

photo by Lea Kriesberg

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Serving: 5-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 bell peppers
  • 4 carrots
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper

supplies:

  • large pot
  • cutting board
  • knife
  • large spoon
  • measuring cups and spoons
  • peeler
  • can opener

Instructions:

  1. Prepare all of your vegetables. Chop the carrots, onions, and peppers into small pieces. Open all of the cans.
  2. Heat your oil in the large pot over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot (check by flicking some water into the pot) add the onion. Stir the onion occasionally and if you see any browning turn the heat down. After four or five minutes when the onions are softened add the garlic powder and cumin. Let the onions cook with the garlic and cumin for a few more minutes until they are softer and slightly translucent.
  3. Add the rest of the spices to the pot and cook the spices with the onion for two to three minutes.
  4. Add your canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, beans, vegetables, and quinoa. Turn the heat on high and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low to bring it to a simmer (you should see small bubbles). If you want your chili to be less thick, add more water or vegetable stock. Set a timer for 20-30 minutes and let everything simmer with the lid slightly cracked. After the 20-30 minutes is up the vegetables and quinoa will be cooked.

photo by Lea Kriesberg

recipe by Lea Kriesberg

easy “shroomami” bowl

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

One of my favorite restaurants in DC is Sweetgreen. They make the most delicious salads and grain bowls using simple and seasonal ingredients. Even the carnivores out there are pleasantly surprised by how good Sweetgreen is. They make salads filling, satisfying, and full of flavor. My favorite bowl is the shroomami bowl which has brown rice, kale, mushrooms, beets, sunflower seeds, and tofu. While I do love Sweetgreen, I don’t love dropping $9 every time I want my shroomami bowl. I decided to make mine at home, which worked out well because every component is easy to make and can be saved throughout the week. Roasting the mushrooms and tofu makes this recipe hands-off and simple. I also tried marinating the tofu before roasting, giving it extra flavor. The same can be done for whatever protein source you like such as chicken or fish.

I also made my own miso dressing with just three ingredients. A good dressing is key for making a salad that actually tastes good. It’s easy to make dressing yourself, which saves you money. Preparing all of the components of the bowl for the week leaves you with a balanced and filling meal that comes together just by throwing all the ingredients in a bowl.

Cook: 40 mins

Active: 20 mins

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

  • kale
  • 4 beets
  • 5 portabello mushrooms or 1 package mushrooms
  • 2 packages extra firm tofu
  • 1 cup brown rice
  • sunflower seeds
  • avocado
  • miso paste
  • sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil or nonstick spray

for the dressing

  • miso paste
  • sesame oil
  • water

supplies:

  • baking sheet
  • small pot
  • chopping board and knife

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F
  2. Bring 2 cups of water to boil for the rice. When the water is boiled, add your rice and let it cook while you prepare everything else
  3. Cut tofu into bite-size pieces
  4. Add tofu to a large ziplock bag or bowl with 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of miso paste, and minced garlic. Let it marinate while you prepare the other parts.
  5. Chop and wash kale, beets, and mushrooms
  6. Put the mushrooms and tofu onto greased baking sheets. Drizzle the mushrooms with olive oil or spray and drizzle with sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Toss them around to make sure they are all evenly coated.
  7. Put the mushrooms and tofu into the oven for around 20 minutes. The mushrooms will take longer than the tofu. When you take out the mushrooms, flip the tofu around so that all sides get browned and let them roast for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
  8. For the dressing, mix equal parts miso paste and sesame oil in a small bowl and add water a tablespoon at a time until you get a taste and consistency you like
  9. Add toppings to your bowl (avocado, sunflower seeds, etc.)

photo by Lea Kriesberg

recipe by Lea Kriesberg

five minute miso soup

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

I made this soup when I was struggling through the day with a cold. No one, including me, likes to deal with cooking and food when they’re sick and tired. This recipe barely feels like cooking, but the product is delicious, comforting, and healthy. You can make simple miso soup in just a few minutes using one pot and ingredients you probably have lying around. I used spinach, bean sprouts, and cabbage because it was left over from my buddha bowl that I made earlier in the week. This took me just five minutes because the only part that needs to cook are the rice noodles. If you throw in your vegetables with the noodles as they cook, the hot water will cook the vegetables at the same time without any effort on your part.

photo by Lea Kriesberg

Cook: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

  • brown rice noodles
  • 1 tablespoon miso paste
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 1/2 cup purple cabbage
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • water

supplies:

  • small pot
  • spoon

Instructions:

  1. Bring water to a boil in a small pot and cook the brown rice noodles according to the instructions
  2. As you add the noodles, add your vegetables
  3. When the noodles and vegetables are cooked, turn off the heat and add the miso paste and black pepper (you aren’t supposed to boil miso paste)

 

recipe by Lea Kriesberg

easy beet smoothie

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

I had leftover beets and kale from my homemade shroomami bowl. I didn’t want them to go to waste so I threw them in a smoothie. Using beets as a base worked out well because it lowered the sugar content of the smoothie without compromising flavor. Add a little frozen banana and some vanilla protein powder and you have an easy, satisfying, and healthy smoothie that won’t leave you with a sugar crash. As always, add or substitute for whatever you have in your refrigerator. Don’t be afraid to use vegetables as a base for your smoothie. Leave out the protein powder to make more of a snack; add protein powder to make it more of a meal.

Time: 2 min

Servings: 1

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup raw beets
  • 1/2 cup kale
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1 cup water or almond milk

Instructions:

  1. Put everything in the blender and blend until smooth

photo by Lea Kriesberg

 

recipe by Lea Kriesberg

simple sweet potato bowl

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

Everybody deserves to know that you can cook a sweet potato in the microwave. This “recipe” requires a little bit of preparation and just 5 minutes. Cook a big pot of any grain (whole grain pasta, brown rice, quinoa) at the beginning of the week, add a can of beans, and cook your sweet potato in the microwave. If you wanted to pay a little more you can also find frozen brown rice which can also be microwaved. Keep the rice and beans in the fridge for the week and you’re set with a filling and healthy meal. Beans are a great source of protein and the brown rice and sweet potato are both sources of healthy, slow-releasing carbs that will keep you full and satisfied for longer. It’s also so easy to get in some greens by letting them steam with the rice. You can throw in any vegetable you want such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or spinach.

If you want to take this simple meal to the next level, spread some nut butter on the sweet potato (trust me on this one), add avocado, or throw in some spices with the rice (I like cumin, smoked paprika, and chili powder).

Prep: 20 mins

Ready in: 5 mins

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

  • brown rice (2 cups)
  • water (1 cup)
  • can of black beans, rinsed
  • sweet potato
  • broccoli

Supplies:

  • fork
  • small pot
  • can opener
  1. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot.
  2. Add one cup of brown rice and bring the heat down to low to simmer the rice (you should see lots of small bubbles) for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.* In the last 10 minutes of cooking, put the broccoli in the pot and keep the lid closed so the steam can cook it.
  3. Poke holes all around the sweet potato and microwave it for 5 minutes.
  4. When the rice is cooked, mix in the can of black beans after rinsing the beans.
  5. Slice open the potato and add the rice and beans to a bowl. Save the leftovers for the week.

Notes: Cooking time will depend on what kind of rice you use. Regular brown rice can take around 40 minutes to cook, but I used instant brown rice which takes less time.

 

recipe by Lea Kriesberg

easy and healthy buddha bowl

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photo by Lea Kriesberg

This is probably my favorite thing to make at school. It’s so easy to make any cooked components ahead of time, it keeps well throughout the week, requires no cooking or even reheating when you’re ready to eat, and most importantly, it tastes good. Recipes like this let you prepare dinner for the week in just an hour. People call this type of meal a “buddha bowl” because make you can serve it in a big round bowl and all of the different parts make for a perfectly balanced meal (protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and micronutrients). Buddha bowls are great because the ingredients do the work for you. The different flavors from roasting the vegetables and the simple dressing come together to make it delicious without any effort. If you’re feeling adventurous you can throw any spices you like on the vegetables before your roast them; even just some salt and pepper does wonders. Try adding avocado, lemon, sesame seeds, or a fried egg for even more fun.

You can modify this to use any vegetables, grain, or protein you like. Roast or chop a pan of vegetables, cook a big pot of brown rice or quinoa, and prepare a source of protein (beans, hardboiled egg, chicken) and store it in the fridge to assemble your bowl whenever you want it.

It’s also great to have your own salad dressing. Premade dressings can have lots of sugar and chemicals. It’s easy to make dressing yourself in minutes with just a few ingredients. This tahini-miso dressing is flavorful and creamy, which makes the bowl even more satisfying (and only requires three ingredients). The “recipe” below is just one example of how to make a buddha bowl.

Prep time: 20 mins

Ready in: 40 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

  • sweet potato
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • kale
  • quinoa*
  • water
  • purple cabbage
  • spices (salt, pepper, curry powder, cumin)
  • olive oil

for the dressing

  • miso
  • tahini
  • water

supplies

  • sheet pan
  • knife
  • small pot
  • cutting board
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Bring two cups of water to a boil.
  3. Wash, peel, and chop the sweet potatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower.
  4. Place the chopped vegetables on the pan.
  5. Generously toss and coat the vegetables with olive oil.
  6. Add salt, pepper, curry powder, and cumin to vegetables.
  7. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes. Keep checking on them and flipping them as necessary, as some vegetables take long than others. Once they get a little browned on all sides, take them out. The sweet potatoes need more time than the broccoli and cauliflower.
  8. Add one cup of quinoa to the boiling water and turn the heat to low to bring the quinoa to a simmer (you should see lots of little bubbles). Loosely cover the pot and simmer the quinoa for around 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed, stirring occasionally.
  9. Wash and chop cabbage.
  10. Wash and chop kale.
  11. For the dressing, mix equal parts miso and tahini and add around a tablespoon of water at a time until it gets to the consistency you like.
  12. When everything is ready, throw everything in a bowl. Store leftovers in the fridge for the week.
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Notes: One cup of dry quinoa is usually enough for me for 5-7 days of bowls. The ratio I use is always 2 cups of water for 1 cup of quinoa.

 

recipe by Lea Kriesberg