How to cook healthy and cheap: our tips

Eating delicious while limiting costs is playable by following the advice of Candice Kother.

© Adobe Stock

The power of vegetables

We too often forget that eating well, or even eating right, is not very difficult. These days of crisis could help us “rediscover” the foods we know, the ones we grew up with. Those who lined the plates with a more basic and paradoxically more nutritious food plan. These foods need to be updated. These difficult month-ends should push us to dare to renew our thinking about the dishes we serve and eat on a daily basis, in order to introduce a handful of good things that will be good for everyone, and in particular for our wallets. At the vegetable aisles of the supermarket, try to opt only for the cheapest. The vegetables that do not exceed 1 euro per kilo are carrots and leeks. Carrots, even organic, are infinitely cheaper than other vegetables. Carrots are a miracle vegetable. It has unfortunately been decried by nutritionists, along with peas and beetroot, because it is one of the “highest calorie” vegetables, without taking into account the nutrients and fibers that count in the energy calculation. These vegetables do not even exceed the bar of 50 calories per 100 grams. A heresy not to consume them.

Carrots owe their health benefits to their richness in carotenoids, vitamin A and fiber. They have antioxidant properties, capable of neutralizing free radicals, which cause premature aging (skin, cataracts, etc.), certain cancers (studies have shown that the risk of developing lung cancer drops by 40% in people who eat two to four servings of carrots per week) and cardiovascular disease. The essential characteristic of the carrot is its great richness in provitamin A (carotene): the consumption of 100 g of carrots covers more than half of the daily need for vitamin A. The carrot also helps to fight against overwork and decalcification. It has a favorable action on blood cholesterol levels. According to an American study, enriching the diet with 200 g of raw carrots each day can lower cholesterol levels by 11%.

Leeks are rarely eaten because they are not sexy. We don’t know what to do with it except for soup, which is often tasteless, or an indigestible quiche, and no one really dares to bury it under bechamel and cheese because it loses its slimming properties. In short, we are in a knot. The key is to relate it, in spirit, to chicory if it is cooked and to onion if it is raw. In fact, you can use inexpensive and very nutritious leeks in all chicory preparations: braised and caramelized as an accompaniment, in tarte tatin mode, in pasta with curry and scampi, in Shepherd’s pie, etc. Raw version, it has a taste reminiscent of its cousin the spring onion, so chop the leek before putting it in your meatloaf or meatballs, in a fresh salad with salmon and a yogurt vinaigrette, in spring rolls, to decorate a wok before serving (chopped into thin strips), mixed to decorate a pesto, etc. Have some on hand and develop the leek reflex, your body will thank you. 100 g of raw leeks contain mainly water, but also 1.5 g of protein and 2.7 g of fibre. In particular, leeks are a source of prebiotic fiber, which promotes good gut bacteria and contributes to a healthy digestive system. The consumption of prebiotic dietary fiber promotes the quality of sleep, so leek has a relaxing effect. In addition to being rich in calcium, magnesium and potassium which promote bone health, and vitamins A, C and B6, leeks also contain allicin, an organo-sulphur compound also present in good quantities in garlic. and onion, which has antimicrobial properties (antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic and antiviral). Leek is an ally!

Plain, full-fat white yogurt

Few people buy yogurt in this form. Either you have children and you favor fruity yoghurts, which lose their health benefits (sugar, dyes for some, gelatin for the majority) and economic benefits. Either you want a low-calorie snack and opt for a fruity or a 0% natural, which is also much more expensive. Either we want to use it in the kitchen and we think of Greek yogurt, which is more trendy, or cream, which is more obvious. Plain yogurt, not enriched with anything, whole or left as it is, unprocessed, is a mine of health for health and is certainly low cost. It is rich in calcium and mineral salts, in vitamins A and E (excellent for the skin), in vitamins B, C and D. But above all, and we do not know it, like many fermented foods, natural yoghurt whole is a major intestinal disinfectant. Yogurt cleans up good and bad bacteria. However, serotonin, a hormone of well-being, well known as a cerebral neurotransmitter, is 90% produced in the digestive tract. Yogurt is suitable for those who have too rich a diet, suffer from colitis, stomach ulcers, insomnia, have delicate intestines or are being treated with antibiotics. It is recommended in the prevention of osteoporosis, because its calcium is very well assimilated. A natural yoghurt is only 44 calories per 100 g.

Quinoa, to consume absolutely

In the register of starches, the central point when it comes to health is the glycemic index. It is a classification criterion for foods containing carbohydrates (slow sugars), based on their effects on blood sugar levels during the two hours following their ingestion. What is criticized for starchy foods is that they have a high index and that they cause a peak in blood sugar when we consume them, which has the particular consequence of making us store the fats ingested in parallel. A simple example: eating boiled potatoes (starchy/high GI slow sugar) with a steak in sauce will cause the fat storage of this sauce to increase exponentially compared to the same steak served with another vegetable. Stupid and unfortunate. All starchy foods are affected except one: quinoa. It’s the only one. Because it is a pseudo-cereal (like spinach and beets), it has a very low glycemic index (below 35). So, we forget about pasta and brown rice and their fibers which give a good conscience, we forget bulgur and semolina if we want to play it more exotic and we opt for quinoa. Inexpensive, 12 minutes of cooking in boiling water like basic pasta, no soaking, rich in quality and assimilable vegetable proteins, gluten-free, available in supermarkets, simple, effective. Party. Quinoa seed is rich in vitamin B, iron, copper, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, fiber, and is a wonderful source of omega-3. To discover.

Pulses, buy in bulk

Pulses are part of the culinary tradition of many countries around the world, including India, Pakistan, the Mediterranean region and the Near East. In many cases, their nutritional value can serve as an alternative to meat. Legumes such as lentils, dried beans, peas and chickpeas have been the staple foods of many civilizations. However, today, their nutritional benefits are often greatly underestimated. They are sometimes perceived, in certain cultures, as the “food of the poor” and are under-consumed compared to meat. However, they are rich in antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber for better general health and healthy weight control, they promote good bacteria and above all, they fix toxins and cholesterol in the intestine so that these dangers are evacuated. naturally by the body before they are assimilated. No other food does the same. In industrialized countries, their consumption has dropped to reach today 3 to 15 g per capita per day. Westerners eat ten times less than a century ago! Why are these foods still marginalized? Their cooking time is much longer than that of vegetables. We do not really know their respective cooking times, some require soaking and others do not – difficult to navigate – and they are not always easy to digest. Many of us have tried the package of dried pulses with a desire for health and good food for a ridiculous price in mind, only to end up in the back of the cupboard without ever having been opened. To embark on the adventure of the legume, you must opt ​​for the one that has only advantages: no soaking, short cooking, increased digestibility, nutrients galore, ease of use (accompaniment or crushed to make a meatball or a gourmet burger). The solution: the coral lens. Coral lentils are red lentils that have been skinned, so they cook very quickly and puree themselves as they cook. They require no soaking and can be cooked for 10 minutes in boiling water like pasta, 15 minutes if you want them to break down (in a soup, this can be greedy).

Emblematic of Indian cuisine, coral lentils are the staple food of hundreds of millions of Indians. They make it possible to make marvelous dahl, these legume purees with intense flavors. Consider pairing legumes with seeds on the same plate. Pulse protein is high in lysine and low in sulfur amino acids. As for the seed protein, it is low in lysine and rich in sulfur amino acids. Their association brings a better quality of proteins. This means that the body needs less protein to meet its needs, which greatly and easily improves nutrition.

Red lentil and quinoa burgers with feta and caramelized carrots, fresh yogurt

For 6 people – Preparation: 15 min – Cooking: 15 min

150 g dried coral lentils I 75 g quinoa I 50 g crumbled feta cheese I 2 carrots, diced I 1 shallot, minced I 60 g oat bran I 1 egg, lightly beaten I 1 tbsp. at s. chopped fresh thyme I 1 tbsp. at s. sesame seeds I 1 tbsp. at s. level of cane sugar I olive oil I salt and ground pepper

  • Cook the lentils and quinoa together for 10 minutes in boiling water.
  • Meanwhile, place the carrots and the shallot in an oiled frying pan and brown everything for a few minutes before sprinkling with cane sugar. Continue cooking for a good minute to caramelize.
  • Place the vegetables in a bowl and coarsely blend with an immersion blender.
  • Add oat bran, stir to cool. Add the thyme, sesame seeds and egg, mix. Do the same with the feta. Season.
  • Drain the lentils and quinoa and add them to the mixture. Mix and shape 6 burgers and brown them for 5 minutes in a pan in a little olive oil without stirring them too much.
  • Serve with salty, peppery natural yoghurt and an apple salad with a dash of balsamic.

We would love to give thanks to the writer of this article for this remarkable web content

How to cook healthy and cheap: our tips