Now more than ever, you have to get creative with what to eat at home. Take out every night isn't feasible and eating the same cycle of meals every week isn't enjoyable. Most importantly, you need to incorporate healthy, varietal meals into your week so your children say YES to veggies, vegan, or cultured foods! The California Beach Co. presents to you three healthy meals even your kids will love!
Vegan Coconut Curry
(serves four)
Your kids will totally be on board with this curry — just don’t tell them it’s vegan! This dish is chocked full of vegetables, only takes 20 minutes, and (most importantly) tastes delicious.
What You Need:
- Two teaspoons of oil, preferably avocado or canola
- One cup of onion, chopped
- One cup of bell pepper, diced
- One medium zucchini, halved and sliced
- One can of drained chickpeas (15-ounce size)
- One-and-a-half cups of coconut curry simmer sauce
- A half cup of vegetable broth
- Four cups of baby spinach
- Two cups of precooked rice, either brown or white
What You Do:
First, warm up your oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Next, stir in your veggies! All vegetables besides the spinach can go in. Stir them continually until they start to brown — this should only take about five minutes.
Once the veggies have a little color, it’s time to add the chickpeas, coconut curry sauce, and vegetable broth. While you do this, reduce the heat to a medium-low setting so that the mixture can simmer. Let everything simmer for about six minutes, or until the veggies are slightly soft.
Right before serving, stir in the spinach. Serve this vegan coconut curry over rice for a healthy and well-balanced lunch or dinner. This dish also makes great leftovers!
Salmon Tacos
This healthy spin on taco night will be a hit in your household! Tacos are also a great way to use veggies that may be reaching their expiration date. This is a great base recipe — feel free to add in more ingredients!
What You Need:
Seasoning:
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Salt and pepper
Salsa:
- Oranges
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice
Tortillas (corn or flour)
Salmon filets
*no specific measurements here: with tacos, you can easily estimate how much you’ll need!
What You Do:
While your oven is heating up to 450 degrees, mix together the seasoning in a small, dry bowl. Once that’s done, you can prepare the salmon filets by patting them dry and placing them on a foiled baking sheet. Brush the filets lightly with oil, and then evenly sprinkle the seasoning blend over top. Bake until the internal temperature is 145 degrees (roughly 15 minutes.)
While the salmon is baking, you can make your salsa and heat your tortillas! Finely chop the salsa ingredients and mix them in a separate bowl. In the meantime, let your tortillas heat on a skillet at medium temperature.
Once the salmon is done, you can assemble and eat! That’s all there is to it!
Zucchini Noodles
(serves four)
This isn’t necessarily a dinner recipe, but a suggestion worth noting. Next time you’re thinking of making a pasta dish, try using zucchini noodles instead! This veggie alternative can be just as yummy, and way more healthy.
What You Need:
- Six medium-sized zucchinis
- Two teaspoons of salt
- Three tablespoons of butter
- One clove of garlic
- Salt and pepper
What You Do:
- Cut the zucchini into thin strips, toss in salt, and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Cook the zucchini in boiling water for one minute, shock with cold water, and then drain.
- Cook zucchini, butter, and garlic together on medium-high heat for five minutes.
- Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese.
