26 September 2013

Roasted Veggies


In terms of cooking, these days I have similar sentiments to that of Noonie (as can be seen here), also you might have gathered as much via some of my previous posts.

The past few months I've been learning to cook at home again, and been figuring out how to do so whereas not to take up too much of my free time.
One of the best ways for me to save time and eat healthy throughout the week is to roast veggies and have a grain, rice, quinoa etc. While roasting veggies can take upwards of 1 hour, they will last in your fridge for 3-5 days, and be readily available to pack in your lunches.

What I do is cook a pot of a grain: rice, quinoa, farro, spelt, wheat berries, you name it. I cook these simply in water with a little salt, let them cool down, transfer into tupperware, and store in the fridge. At the same time I will roast some veggies; just grab something that is in season, cut them up, throw them in a pan with some olive oil, salt, and pepper and place in the oven for 30-60 minutes (depending on the veggie). The good part about cooking both of these is they are easy, you can start the process and walk away for 30-60 minutes. I often prepare these while also doing homework, and I get up and check when the timer goes off. This way it doesn't take away too much of my 'me time.'
Once finished I do the same: let them cool, transfer to tupperware, and store in the fridge.

Now, for the easy part.
Each morning as I prepare for the day, I grab a to go container (tupperware or my favorite: recycled glass jars), I grab a spoon, and I put some of the grain into it and top it off with the veggie, occasionally i'll throw a bit more olive oil on top if I feel it is necessary. This will last you most of the day, or at least through your commute. Its easy to assemble each morning (it takes 2 minutes or less) and it tastes good re-heated or eaten cold.