Oxygen Australia Issue 93 SeptemberOctober 2017

oxygenmagAU Sep/Oct 2017 77

5 TIPS TO HELP

YOU COOK FASTER

Home-cooked meals are more

nutritious, more appropriately por-

tioned and safer than eating meals

at restaurants. Plus, people who eat

at home tend to consume less alco-

hol and bond more as a family. Use

these tips to make your homemade

meal prep a little more streamlined.

1. Read and think. Before you start,
   take a minute or two to read com-
   pletely through the recipe. Or if
   you’re winging it without a recipe,
   mentally walk through the steps
   so you can visualise the timing of
   the steps and where there will be
   opportunities to prep an ingredient
   while other ingredients are cooking.


2. Boil and preheat. If one of the
   recipe steps calls for boiling water or
   preheating the oven, always do this
   first. Don’t forget to put a lid on your
   pot of water. Water boils faster and
   foods cook faster with a lid on top.


3. Gather the ingredients.
   Instead of running back and forth
   between your cupboards, refrig-
   erator and pantry, make one trip
   through your kitchen and load up
   a single baking dish or pan with
   everything you’ll need.


4. Cut food into pieces. The thinner
   and smaller you cut vegetables and
   proteins, the faster they will cook,
   whereas thick pieces of meat and
   large vegetables will take longer to
   cook and often cook unevenly.


5. Use wide pans. Using wide,
   shallow pans increases the cooking
   surface, which means more food
   can directly touch the heat at one
   time. Liquids and sauces also will
   boil and thicken faster in wide pans.

LOADED SESAME
QUINOA BOWLS
MAKES 4 SERVINGS
Serving size: about 2 cups
Total time: 35 minutes
Hands-on time: 15 minutes

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 2 tablespoons sesame oil


• 2 cups packed fresh baby
  spinach leaves


• ½ cup shredded carrot


• ¼ cup red wine vinegar


• 4 eggs


• 1 avocado, peeled and diced


• 1 (425g) can black beans, drained
  and rinsed


• capsicum flakes

1. In medium saucepan, bring 2 cups
   water to a boil; add quinoa. Reduce heat
   to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes or
   until almost all water is absorbed, stirring

This grain bowl features protein-rich quinoa, but you can substitute any

whole grain you have at home, such as brown rice, oats or barley. Not only

are whole grains rich in fibre, B vitamins, iron and manganese, but your body

also burns twice as many calories, breaking down whole grains versus highly

processed foods.

Many people — especially active women — are low on iron, which can

affect your fat-burning ability. Being deficient in one or more nutrients causes

your metabolism to slow because your body isn’t getting what it needs to work

efficiently. The beans and spinach in the recipe are great sources of iron.

Eggs are a fat-burning food that contains the nutrient trifecta of protein,

vitamin B12 and the amino acid leucine, all three of which are essential to

helping the body retain lean tissue while breaking down fat.

loaded sesame quinoa bowls

occasionally. Remove from heat, and

season with salt and sesame oil; fluff

with fork. Add spinach to quinoa and

stir together; cover pan and set aside to

allow spinach to wilt slightly.

2. While quinoa is cooking, place
   shredded carrots in small bowl. Pour
   vinegar over carrots; toss with fork and
   set aside.


3. While quinoa and spinach are
   steaming, cook four eggs in desired style
   to desired doneness, such as over easy,
   poached or scrambled.


4. To assemble, divide quinoa-spinach
   mixture among four bowls. Divide beans
   and avocado among bowls, placing
   piles atop quinoa. Drain vinegar off
   carrots and divide carrots among bowls.
   Top each bowl with cooked eggs and
   sprinkle of capsicum flakes. }

Nutrition Facts (per serving): calories

436, total fat 20g, carbs 47g, fibre 13g,

sugar 4g, protein 20g, sodium 824mg

GOAL:

LOSE FAT

MEALS