Seasonal, nutritious & delicious: recipes we have on rotation for busy weeknights
Let this serve as next week’s meal inspo – these dishes will be sure to please without ripping your wallet. We aim to use fresh seasonal produce, healthy fats and carbs to upgrade our weeknight meals. On your table in no time and hoovered with minimal dishes – we’ve got one for each day of the night! We’ve doubled up on many ingredients to lower your grocery bill and minimise wastage.
Monday: Satay Chicken Super Salad
Mondays are usually when your produce is the freshest – so we are putting it to good use by creating a salad loaded with hearty superfoods. No one will be complaining about having a salad for dinner with this one.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
Zest and juice of one lime
2 tbsp of sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup quinoa
500g chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
2 cups chopped lettuce
1/2 red onion finely sliced
1/4 cucumber sliced into half discs
1 cup frozen edamame, defrosted
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, defrosted
1 carrot peeled
Handful of coriander, chopped
Toasted almond slithers (or whole almonds, chopped)
Method:
- Place oven on fan-bake at 200 degrees Celsius.
- Place quinoa in a pot and wash by adding water and mixing around with your hand, then drain the water. Add 2 cups of water – bring to a boil. Place a lid on the top as soon as it starts boiling, turn it low, and set your timer for 15 minutes. (Once the timer has gone off, take off the element and leave with the lid on)
- Mix satay sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Place chicken on a lined baking tray and lather the satay sauce on top. Put in oven and cook for 10 minutes.
- While cooking chicken and quinoa – add all vegetables and herbs to a big salad bowl.
- Once the chicken and quinoa is cooked, add to the salad – making sure to add all the satay sauce from the chicken as this is the salad dressing.
- Top with crunchy almonds, and enjoy!
Tuesday: Turmeric Pepper Chicken Stirfry
This stirfry balances a peppery bite with sweetness – feel free to use any odds and ends in your vegetable drawer; just cut them up to similar sizes so they cook similarly.
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and high in protein!
There are two secrets to a good stirfry.
- Prepare your sauce and chop the veg so that when your pan is hot, it can come together quickly.
- Cook your veg in the correct order – capsicums cook much quicker than broccoli, and if they go into the pan simultaneously, the capsicum will be soft. Rule of thumb: add hard vegetables (onion, broccoli, beans and carrot) together and softer ones (zucchini, courgette and cabbage) last.
Ingredients:
Sauce:
3 tbsp honey
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cornflour
Sprinkle of salt
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Splash of hot water
3/4 cup white jasmine rice
500g diced chicken thigh (boneless, skinless)
2 tbsp rice flour
1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1 brown onion sliced into 2cm pieces
1/2 head of broccoli in small florets
1/2 red capsicum, thinly sliced
(it would also be lovely with any other veg like carrots, beans, asparagus or zucchini)
Handful of coriander
1 lime cut into wedges
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Method:
- Place rice in a pot and wash it by adding water. Mix rice around with your hand until the water goes murky, and then drain the water and repeat until it runs clear. Add 1 1/4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Place a lid on the top as soon as it starts boiling, turn it low, and set your timer for 10 minutes. (Once the timer has gone off, take off the element and leave with the lid on)
- Mix sauce ingredients in a small bowl and leave aside.
- Chop all vegetables and leave on a chopping board ready to use.
- Mix rice flour and turmeric with a pinch of salt. Then add the diced chicken until evenly coated.
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan on high heat, and when it is hot, add your chicken and sesame seeds.
- Stirfry chicken, then leave it unmoved for a period to develop a nice sear and fragrance.
- Add broccoli and onion and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add capsicum and cook for 1 minute.
- Add sauce mixture and cook while stirring until it is evenly coated and the sauce has thickened into a nice gloss – approx 1 minute.
- Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper. Top with a wedge of lime.
- Remove the lid from the rice, fluff up the rice with a fork and serve with the chicken.
Wednesday: Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Guacamole
This vegetarian recipe makes use of the cans tucked away in your pantry. It is filling, nutritious and full of protein and fibre. Feel free to add more or less chilli, according to your preference.
Ingredients:
6 small flour taco wraps
1 tin of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 cup of grated cheese of your choice
1 avocado
Handful of coriander
Juice and zest of one lime
Sour cream and hot sauce for serving (optional)
Method:
- Mix and mash black beans, cumin, paprika, chilli powder and tinned tomatoes—season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the black bean mixture on half the taco, sprinkle with cheese, and fold the taco in half.
- Continue doing this until you’ve used up the mix.
- Heat an oiled pan and lay tacos down, flipping once browned and crispy. You will need to do this in batches.
- While the tacos are cooking, mash together avocado, chopped coriander, lime juice and lime zest—season with salt and pepper.
- Serve tacos with guacamole, sour cream and hot sauce (if using).
Thursday: Cauliflower Nasi Goreng
A favourite takeaway spot used to make a moreish cauliflower nasi goreng – admittedly, it would be dinner once a week. Knowing I could make this myself, I created my own version. You can buy pre-blitzed cauliflower, but it’s easy (and cheaper) to pulse it in your blender and make your own. This recipe is vegetarian, but it would also be excellent with pan-fried tofu, prawns or chicken.
Ingredients:
3 cups of cauliflower rice (approx one head of cauliflower)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 small onion, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 tablespoon of oil
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of sambal oelek (sub with sriracha or chilli paste) – optional
2 eggs, beaten
Chopped spring onions, mung beans and coriander for garnish
1 lime wedge
Chilli crisp (chilli oil sauce) – optional
Method:
- If using whole cauliflower, chop it into chunks and pulse it in your blender until it resembles rice. Be careful not to grind it too fine.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ground turmeric – sauté until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Add garlic, red bell pepper, and carrot, and cook until tender.
- Add the cauliflower rice and stir fry for 3-5 minutes until it softens.
- Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sambal oelek, and stirfry for another 2-3 minutes until well combined.
- Push the cauliflower rice to one side of the pan and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Scramble the eggs until cooked through, then break up the scramble and mix them in with the cauliflower rice.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then garnish with spring onions, mung beans, coriander and a lime wedge. If you want a kick, drizzle chilli crisp on top.
Friday: Sushi Tuna Bowls
Once you start making this, it’ll be on a tight rotation – it’s crunchy yet fresh and healthy. You could use precooked 90-second rice here, but I promise you it is so easy (and tastier) to cook your own! Use good quality, sustainable tinned tuna if possible. Every family member can add their toppings as a fun way to get kids involved with dinner.
You could also sub-out tuna with tofu, chicken or salmon.
You can find shelled edamame in the freezer section of your grocery store – defrost in boiled water, and they’re good to eat.
Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
1 tsp sesame oil
2 cans of tuna, oil drained
1/2 cucumber diced
1 cup shelled edamame
Handful chopped coriander
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
Kewpie mayo, chilli crisp, seaweed or nori sheets and crushed wasabi peas.
Method:
- Place rice in a pot and wash it by adding water. Mix rice around with your hand until the water goes murky, and then drain the water and repeat until it runs clear. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and sesame oil – bring to a boil. Place a lid on the top as soon as it starts boiling, turn it low, and set your timer for 10 minutes. (Once the timer has gone off, take off the element and leave with the lid on)
- Meanwhile, dice the cucumber, chop the coriander, shred the nori and toast the sesame seeds.
- Place rice into a bowl and top with tuna, cucumber, edamame and sesame seeds.
- Let everyone add their own kewpie mayo, chilli, nori sheets and crushed wasabi peas!
Do you want more simple, nutritious recipes? We have plenty more on our Pro You blog – we promise every single one is delicious and will fuel you and your family the best way.
