Author of the blog I Love Being Healthy
⏰ READING TIME: 5 minutes
Welcome back to this blog!
Today I’d like to ask you… For you, how hard is planning the week’s meals?
Do you decide everything in advance (on Saturday or Sunday), in order to have a precise idea of what you will eat on the following days? Or do you proceed more randomly, according to the ingredients available at home and the time you have for grocery shopping?
I cannot define a precise weekly plan (I admire so much those who succeed in this… it is probably necessary, especially with kids!), and buying in advance the food for the entire week kind of frightens me (I tried, but it was too complicated for me!) Since there is a supermarket basically downstairs, I usually go there after work, especially to buy fresh fruit and vegetables. I look at the shelves for inspiration!
My only rule, if I can call it that, is to vary as much as possible: if I eat fish on one evening, I will probably have chicken on the following one, eggs on the one after that, and a vegan or vegetarian dish on the next one.
With this article, I want to propose some recipes that you could try when lacking inspiration or wanting to have something different from your “pieces of resistance”, the ones you tend to do more frequently (everyone has them!).
PLEASE NOTE: these recipes comply with the general guidelines of an anti-inflammatory diet, which is recommended (combined with specific dietary supplements such as Endoplus) in the case of endometriosis [1].
They are generally valid but remember this: despite sharing the same condition, each one of us is different and has specific nutritional needs, which depend (among the other things) on the stage and location of endometriosis, other associated diseases and food intolerances.
This means that some of the ingredients used in the following recipes might not be tolerated by everyone. My advice, thus, is to always find an expert (doctor or nutritionist) that can help you in your daily decisions and to calibrate the diet according to your needs.
Ready? Let’s begin!!
1. SALMON WITH KALE PESTO, QUINOA AND CHIA SEEDS
This is an example of a “complete” dish: it has proteins from the fish, vegetables, a pseudocereal and good fats. And the pesto differs from the usual!
The kale PESTO is prepared by simply boiling the kale leaves for 10 minutes and blending them with a handful of walnuts (or almonds), extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and, if you can find it, a teaspoon of tahini (a cream of sesame seeds that I use quite often to prepare hummus and vegetable creams; however, if you don’t have it, there is no problem, it is not essential for this recipe!). Prepare it in excess: you can store it in the fridge in a well-sealed glass jar and use it to dress some pasta and to spread on toasted bread!
As for the fish, use frozen fillets of WILD SALMON. Let them defrost in the fridge in the morning and, then, cook them in a pan with a knob of clarified butter (or extra-virgin olive oil). A few minutes before turning off the flame, wet the salmon with an emulsion of honey, lemon juice and salt, and let it slightly caramelize.
Complete the dish with a spoon of quinoa (as an alternative, you can use basmati, black, red or whole grain rice!), chia seeds and some leaves of cornsalad (or your favourite salad).
2. CHICKPEA FALAFELS WITH PUMPKIN HUMMUS
Do you already know falafels? They are spiced chickpea balls that are typical of Middle Eastern cuisine. They are usually fried, but I propose here a roasted version, which is lighter.
FOR ABOUT 20 FALAFELS, you will need:
200 g of dried chickpeas
2 garlic cloves
Half white onion
A small bunch of fresh parsley
Half a teaspoon of soda bicarbonate
2 spoons of chickpea flour (to compact the mixture, if necessary)
Salt, pepper and cumin
Extra-virgin olive oil
Leave the dried chickpeas to soak in cold water overnight or, even better, for 25 hours.
Then, wash and put them in the blender with the other ingredients. Do not use too much cumin if you are not sure you like it!
As an alternative, you can use paprika or another spice you prefer (it doesn’t matter if it’s not exactly as the “original” recipe, as long as you like it!).
Once everything is well blended, you will have a soft, almost sandy but workable dough mixture.
Let it sit for an hour before forming balls (I flatten them a bit, this is how I like them!); to simplify the process, grease your hands with some oil. Then, put the falafels on a tray covered with parchment paper and cook them for about 20 minutes at 180–200 °C.
I flip them after half of the cooking time and use the grill mode for the last minutes because I love the crust!
AS FOR THE PUMPKIN HUMMUS
Simply blend slices of pumpkin previously cooked in the oven (without dressing), along with oil, a bit of lemon juice, salt, pepper, 2 teaspoons of tahini (there it is again, I told you I use it a lot! In this case, you could replace it with sesame, sunflower or pumpkin seeds!), sweet paprika and rosemary (no need for precise doses, adjust the amount of spices based on your taste!).
3. CHICKEN/FISH CURRY WITH VEGETABLES
Curry is not just a mixture of spices but also a typical technique of Southeast Asian cuisine.
In the version proposed here, I use chicken, but you can easily replace it with fish fillets or even legumes, such as chickpeas or lentils.
For this recipe, the essential ingredients are:
– GINGER (preferably the fresh root, but powdered ginger is also fine);
– CURRY PASTE (it has a compact texture, like butter, and comes into glass jars; if you can’t find it, you can use curry powder);
– COCONUT MILK (which is now easily available in the Asian section of supermarkets).
I usually used canned coconut milk, which is quite dense (and with a coconut content of 60%). However, when visiting Thailand, I learned that curry recipes commonly utilizes its lighter version; thus, I now use carton coconut milk, always from the Asian section, which contains 14% coconut, with the rest being water. As an alternative, you can simply dilute the one you can find (if it’s too dense) with a bit of water before use.
In a pot, brown a dash of oil, 2 smashed garlic cloves, half white onion (finely minced) and a little piece of fresh ginger root (cut into small cubes).
After a few minutes, add 2 teaspoons of red curry paste (you can adjust this quantity based on how much spiced you want it!) and, then, pour the coconut milk.
As soon as it starts simmering, add the top of a small broccoli, yellow pepper strips and a couple of carrots (with a potato peeler, you can obtain strips similar to tagliatelle, very cute!).
After 5-10 minutes, add 2 organic chicken breasts (cut into cubes). Cook on low-medium heat with the lid slightly lifted (it will take about 20 minutes), stirring from time to time.
Adjust the salt to taste. Your curry is ready!
My advice is to always prepare a couple of extra portions, it is great also as an office lunch, combined with basmati rice. You can use your favourite vegetables (it is good also with cauliflower+bell pepper or mushrooms+peas) and substitute the chicken with codfish, salmon or legumes.
4. VEGAN AUBERGINE AND COURGETTE PARMIGIANA
I know, this is not the real parmigiana! And I am Apulian!
However, I assure you that this recipe is super tasty, perfect also for kids and guests!
Cut a couple of aubergines and a couple of courgettes into thin slices. In a bowl, mix half a litre of tomato puree with extra-virgin olive oil, salt and fresh basil.
To prepare the CASHEW CREAM, you will need:
160 g of cashews (boiled for 10 minutes or soaked for at least 4 hours)
1 garlic clove (or more, if you want)
1 spoon of starch (potato, tapioca or corn starch)
2 spoons of extra-virgin olive oil
150 g of plant milk free of added sugars
2 spoons of lemon juice
1 spoon of apple vinegar
salt (as required)
Blend the softened cashews along with all the other ingredients, until reaching a creamy texture. Adjust the salt to taste. Here it is, now you just need to assemble the parmigiana!
Take an oven pan, grease it with a bit of tomato puree and form a first layer of aubergine, salt and pepper. Add a bit of cashew cream and some more tomato puree. Above it, make a layer of courgette, salt, pepper, cashew cream and tomato puree. Go on until all the ingredients are used up. Complete with the white sauce and a sprinkle of almond flour (or well-aged Parmigiano, if you prefer, but it won’t be vegan in this case!).
Cover the oven pan with aluminium foil and roast the parmigiana at 200 °C for about 1 hour. Then, remove the aluminium foil and cook the parmigiana for other 10 minutes with the grill function. I assure you that it’s delicious!
VARIATION: if you are using grilled vegetables (instead of uncooked ones), the oven cooking should be reduced down to half an hour and you won’t need to cover the pan with aluminium foil.
5. FISH AND CHIPS (healthy version!)
I conclude this list with an anti-inflammatory version of fish & chips!
Roll the anchovies in breadcrumbs (I use a gluten-free version based on wholegrain rice flour, without additional ingredients), almond flour (or simply finely minced almonds), parsley and salt; before this, grease the anchovies with a dash of oil, to facilitate the adhesion.
Place the fish on a tray covered with parchment paper and put it in the oven at 180 °C, until golden brown.
As for the chips, I suggest American sweet potatoes. Cut them into strips to dress with olive oil, sweet paprika, salt and dried thyme. Roast them in the oven for about 20 minutes and, then, assemble the dish.
PS: Leave a comment to let me know which topics you would like to read on the next articles of this blog and whether you like this recipe proposal format! Thanks in advance for your help.
Follow me on Instagram: @ilovebeinghealthy_88