Since returning home from our Italian escape (and yes I need to report back on that amazing foodie adventure) we have been thrown back into the hectic life we lead. My husband is back training and studying, while I have taken on a little more work in the sports nutrition world and have decided to run a little event we call the marathon. The thought of the marathon isn’t making me crazy just yet (or maybe I am crazy for contemplating it)?… I like to run for my daily exercise and running with my group on Tuesday and Thursday nights has become a nice habit and time to relax…
Again we need to make sure we are prepared. This has been working well, however the other Thursday night we were both home late and I didn’t have anything pre-prepared. I knew however that I could whip up something quick and healthy with some ingredients that I had in the house.
Now I believe these meals are often the best, and in this case we both thoroughly enjoyed what I came up with.
This meal can be served as a breakfast, lunch or dinner option and the quinoa could be replaced with any grain of choice (or leave that part out if you haven’t had an active day). This meal is gluten free for those requiring a gluten free diet, provides carbohydrate for refuelling and sustained energy and provides the benefits of the nutrient dense ingredients – sweet potato, kale, quinoa and olive oil (you will notice that I don’t use this sparingly).
Because I had just been running I wanted to ensure that I had enough protein for recovery. Two eggs gives you about 50% of your protein needs after training so I had a glass of milk after the meal to make up for the rest.
Here it is…
Ingredients (serves two)
1/3 cup (60g) quinoa - or other grain of preference
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small-medium (300g) sweet potato, cut into 1cm x 1 cm cubes
1 handful kale roughly chopped into strips
¼ cup water or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or more if you like it hot)!
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
¼ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumim
½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
2 tablespoons fresh coriander or parsley
4 fresh eggs (the freshest you can find for perfect poaching)
Method
1. Start cooking quinoa (or grain of choice) and set to the side when ready.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan over a medium-high heat.
3. Add sweet potato and sauté for about 3 minutes then add the chilli and garlic and sauté for a further 2 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently.
4. Add paprika, cumin and ground coriander and stir through sweet potato for a couple of minutes.
5. Add kale and water (or stock) and continue to stir frequently on low-medium heat for ~5 minutes or until the kale starts to shrink.
6. Once the kale is tender add the quinoa to the pan, stir through and turn off the heat.
Poaching the eggs
1. Fill a small saucepan with about 2-3 inches of water from the kettle and add a pinch of salt.
2. Bring water to the boil then reduce to a gentle simmer.
3. Crack an egg into a cup and gently pour it into the water. Do this for each egg.
4. They should be ready in about 4 minutes for soft yolks or 5 minutes for firm yolks. When they are cooked to your liking, remove the eggs from the water and set on paper towel to soak up excess water.
To serve, divide the quinoa, sweet potato and kale mix between two bowls, top with the eggs, a little salt, cracked pepper and the fresh coriander or parsley.
Nutrition information (per serve): Kilojoules: 1978kJ (470cal) Protein: 22g Carbohydrate: 48g Fat: 20g Saturated fat: 5g Fibre:7g Sodium: 178mg