The last month of the year always comes with revelry, good food and drinks. With Christmas and New Year’s Eve falling within days of one another, it’s only natural to feast on rich cakes, puddings, grills and roasts with family and friends. However, as a new year dawns, it might be a good idea to reflect on one’s fitness goals once again and chalk out a healthy meal plan. Nutritionists suggest recovering from the festive binge with a balanced diet, packed with micro nutrients. Dr Priyanka Marakini, a nutritionist and a yoga physician, with experience in lifestyle and eating behaviour management, suggests starting with a tempeh donburi bowl. “It’s got gut-friendly protein with tempeh, carbs from noodles, and more. The rest of the ingredients such as bean sprouts offer your body healthy fats and micronutrients,” she explains.
Such recipes are a must for a post-holiday conditioning for both the mind and the body. When you eat healthy, balanced meals, the body’s metabolic rate automatically increases, making it easier for the body to simply burn calories. The recipe is extremely versatile and can be varied to suit your taste. Just use the vegetables and hand, and pair them with rice, quinoa or any other source of carbohydrates. “I recommend using tempeh as it’s one of the best sources of veg protein. You can always try marinated tempeh cubes to shake things up a bit and also make it easier to cook,” adds Marakini. You may replace regular noodles with zucchini ones. Feel free to use a choice of sauces, but make sure they are fresh and not bottled or ready-to-use sauces, which may contain preservatives and excessive sodium.
Also read: Khao suey, liquid smoke and a journey into the new year
The other recipe, which combines taste with nutrition is the besan cheela stuffed with tempeh. It offers gut-friendly protein, rich fibre. And the best part is that it is low in saturated fats. “Protein is the most compromised macronutrient during the new year binge, especially for vegetarians. So, it’s good to load up on high quality protein,” elaborates Marakini. She advises making this dish as salad in the morning or as an on-the-go snack. It will keep you full for a very long time and help you avoid unnecessary snacking in between meals. This cheela can also act as a stuffing for your whole grain bread sandwich.
You could also try using tempeh as a stuffing for tacos, making for a fun dish. “You can try different types of marinated tempeh—go ahead and chop or mince them for a juicer texture. The hard shell can be replaced with corn tortillas, whole wheat tortillas or lettuce. There are plenty of options to play around with,” adds Marakini.
Tempeh donburi bowl
Ingredients
200 gm Hello Tempayy cubes
1 tsp corn flour
3 tsp black pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Salsa of two tomatoes
1 green chilli
30 gm green, red and yellow peppers
2 asparagus
Salt to taste
Chopped garlic
Chopped ginger
¼ tsp white vinegar
¼ tsp sugar
2 chopped spring onions
1 cup boiled noodles
10 gm button mushrooms
3 tsp bean sprouts
Also read: Make banana bread cookies with your kids as a warm winter treat
Method:
Marinate the tempeh cubes with salt and black pepper. Sauté in a pan and keep aside. Make a slurry out of corn flour and water and keep aside. Cube the peppers and finely chop the spring onions. Slice button mushrooms. Boil noodles and drain the extra water
Heat oil in a pan. Stir in the chopped ginger and garlic, sauté for 3 minutes. Add the pepper cubes, sprinkle some black pepper, salt and cook for 4-5 minutes. Now splash in some vinegar, spring onions and sugar, toss in the sauteed tempeh and the corn flour slurry. Cook for 2 minutes and keep hot.
In a pan, add hot oil and sauté ginger garlic for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and beans sprouts, sauté for another three minutes. Stir in the noodles and add salt to taste. Sauté for 5 minutes. Serve noodles along with marinated tempeh and a dash of lemon.
Also read: A recipe for cloud-like meringues
Besan cheela stuffed with tempeh
Ingredients
1 cup besan
100 gm tempeh
¼ cup sliced onions
¼ cup chopped onions
1 tsp ajwain
1.5 tsp green chilli
½ cup fenugreek leaves
5 tsp oil
1 cup curd
1 cup water
1 tsp chilli powder
¼ cup grated carrots
¼ cup chopped capsicum
½ tbsp ginger paste
20 gm coriander
Salt to taste
Method:
Crumble tempeh cubes by hand or finely chop them with a knife and keep aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Stir in chopped onion, ginger paste and 1 tsp chopped green chillies, and sauté until the aroma of ginger fades. Add grated tempeh, capsicum and salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add chopped coriander, mix well and keep aside to cool down.
In a bowl, add besan, salt, onion, chilli powder, ajwain, green chilli, methi leaves, turmeric powder and curd. Gradually add water to form a thick mixture. Leave to rest for 6-7 minutes. Heat oil in a frying pan and grease well. Stir the batter in the bowl and pour a ladle full on the centre of the pan. Spread it evenly starting from the centre in a circular manner. Cook until the edges turn golden brown. Drizzle some oil on the cheela and flip it over. Cook for half a minute and flip it again. Reduce the flame and place tempeh stuffing on one side and fold the cheela. Transfer to a plate and serve with green chutney.
Also read: 2 recipes for nourishing winter soups
