Five. That’s how many servings of fruits and vegetables you’re supposed to eat in a day to live longer and healthier. Sure, that may have been possible when you lived at home, with your parents chasing you to eat right. But now that you’re living on your own, balancing your work and social life, and managing all your meals by yourself, you tend to rely on whatever veggies come in your takeaway options. (McDonald’s fries count as eating a vegetable, right?) After all, even the best hostel in Delhi isn’t spending a whole lot of time and money to furnish their dinings halls with veggie-rich meals.
So, how do you get yourself on a healthier eating plan? You don’t want to give up everything delicious and go the salad route. And you definitely don’t want to be cooking and eating roti-sabzi everyday. Well, luckily, we’ve got a way to trick yourself into eating healthier. That’s right, you can sneak vegetables into these delicious classic dishes and give a boost to your health and taste buds at the same time. Let’s take a look at how you can pack more produce into your diet.
Cheese Pasta
Okay, putting cheese on anything probably ups the likelihood of you eating it, but this is more than your basic mac and cheese recipe. Because swapping part of your cheese sauce for a vegetable puree is an easy and delicious way to make your fuss-free dinner a lot healthier. Saute and puree cauliflower or pumpkin and add to your cheese sauce before coating the pasta for the best results. You’ll be giving the nutritional quotient of your meal a huge level up as these vegetables are high in vitamins, magnesium and fiber.
Meatballs/Kofta
We’re all familiar with vegetable koftas, that are one of the easiest ways to sneak vegetables into your diet. It’s easy to switch up the vegetables and as long as you grate them small enough, you can probably sneak in some of your less favorite options – so you can maximize health without compromising on taste. And if you’re a non-vegetarian, there’s no reason you can’t use the same principle to make meatballs. Finely chopped mushrooms, grated carrots, and leafy greens of all kinds make great additions to your regular meatballs and can actually amp up their flavors. Trust us, once you’ve tried this out, you may never go back to making meatballs the usual way.
Hummus
This has got to be one of our favorites on this list. Because not only can you sneak vegetables into your hummus, but use them as vehicles for the hummus too. We love double whammies. Simply puree the vegetable of your choice with the chickpeas and season accordingly. You can switch up the flavor profile a little according to the vegetable you choose. Some of our favorite combinations include carrots and chili powder – the sweetness of the carrots goes really well with the spices and the creamy hummus, as well as spinach and dill hummus. You could also try beetroot and garlic hummus for a more middle eastern flavor.
Muffins/Breads
You probably already tried at least one banana bread recipe during lockdown. But bananas aren’t all you can sneak into your baking. Why not try branching out into carrot cake muffins for a healthier breakfast? Or try a lemon and zucchini loaf to break into at teatime. There are a whole bunch of vegetables like beets, yellow zucchini and even pumpkin that you can shred and add to your muffin or bread batters for a colorful and delicious twist.
Rice and Noodles
The whole point of cooking for yourself instead of subscribing to tiffin services in Delhi is so that you’re not stuck eating the same thing every day. And that applies to your choice in starches too. Why not switch your plain rice for cauliflower ‘rice’ once in a while? You could even buy a spiralizer and make your own noodles from carrots or zucchini. Some grocery stores even have options for pasta that’s made out of vegetables that you could try instead of plain old spaghetti.
With these smart swaps, you don’t need to make huge changes to your diet or give up eating the things you love. Instead, you can just modify some of your favourite dishes into a healthier avatar. Who knows, you might even start loving vegetables once you try these out. So, get cooking and give these dishes a try.
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