The health crisis has favored teleworking, that’s a fact. But what recipe should you prepare when you have little time to spare?
Cooking while working from home
Between those who cope perfectly well with teleworking, and those who endure it, there is also the group for whom cooking is a chore that you have to go through, not without difficulty… If you are in this situation – know that you do not You’re not alone – and we’ve all felt more or less tired of cooking for ourselves at home, especially if we’re alone. Although the delivery option is more than tempting – put down that unseen smartphone – cooking is not the hard work you imagine. All it takes is a little imagination, the right ingredients, and knowing the main principles.
How to compose the ideal dish?
For a quick and easy dish while working from home, you especially need to think ef-fi-ca-ci-té! Do you barely have time to prepare a meal between two meetings? In this case, pasta or quickly cooked rice are an effective base, which can also be replaced by seeds such as bulgur, quinoa, or legumes, like red lentils, ready in record time.
To complete, we think of vitamins. Either we use canned vegetables that have already been cooked – beans, artichoke or palm hearts – or frozen ones to fry for ten minutes while the cereals are cooking. You can also look at raw vegetables: grated carrots; sliced endives or button mushrooms; baby spinach; radish; small fresh salads; etc. Without forgetting to garnish everything with fresh herbs which only require a quick cut of scissors to be served!
For proteins, several quick options are possible. Oily fish like tuna, mackerel, or canned sardines for omega 3; eggs to serve fried, scrambled, or in an omelette when you are in a hurry; flattened chicken breast to cook over high heat for minute cooking; or even fresh fish to cut into ceviche or tartare. Of course, vegetables are not left out with tofu and seeded steaks that go into the pan.
Never forget the right amount of oil in your dish. Far from being harmful – no, oil is not your enemy – incorporating oil – either in the form of cooking oil, in a salad dressing, or through the presence of oilseeds – is necessary in our diet . In addition, when working remotely or in the office, we are focused on a task and our brain more than needs to be nourished through different inputs.
Whether hot or cold, a dish must above all be well composed to cover all the ingredients. As such, even a sandwich is possible, as long as you don’t forget to put vegetables and vitamins inside! So don’t worry, if one or another contribution is missing in your dish, the balance is at stake throughout the meal. Thus, the lack of dietary fiber in a dish can be compensated for by fresh fruit for dessert, etc.
Quick on cooking, not on tasting
Be careful, quick and easy recipes don’t mean quickly devoured, we see you coming. First, turn off your computer when you eat and give yourself a real break. No question of having three bites between two emails. You have to be focused on your plate. In the same way, we take the time to chew well, so as not to finish the matter in five minutes, and to release histamine, the neurotransmitter of the satiety message. Thus, you must be aware that there is an incompressible duration of approximately 20 minutes (when you chew well) between the moment when the food is swallowed, and when the stomach sends the message of satiety to indicate to the brain that he is full. During this time, if you act like Speedy Gonzalez and don’t stop eating, you will quickly find yourself bloated. Cooking quickly for X or Y reason, yes, but not taking the time to eat is no. And in the end, it would always be counterproductive: bloating, cramps, fatigue, mood disorders, weight gain…
To inspire you and vary your meals as often as possible, here are 26 recipes for quick dishes to make while working from home.
Honolulu Poke
© Carrie Solomon
- 2 persons
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Honolulu poke
Cod curry with sweet and savory coconut milk
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Cod curry with sweet and savory coconut milk
Chakchouka gratinated with eggs and red beans
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Chakchouka gratinated with eggs and red beans
Croque monsieur with truffled gouda
© Nathalie Carnet
- 6 persons
- Level: Easy
- 20 minutes of preparation
- Pretty expensive
- See the recipe: Croque-monsieur with truffled gouda
Soba noodles with shrimp
© Photography and styling: Lieke Heijn / Pim Janswaard – Cameron studio
- 2 persons
- Level: Easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Soba noodles with shrimp
Express soup with rice noodles, chicken, and coconut milk
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Express rice noodle soup, chicken, and coconut milk
Chicken salad with mimolette
© Akiko Ida
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Chicken salad with mimolette
Sweet potato toast
© Carrie Solomon
- 2 persons
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Sweet potato toast
Beef banh mi sandwiches
© Loïs Moreno and Eve
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 20 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Beef banh mi sandwiches
Pasta salad, artichokes, raw ham, mozzarella
© Claire Payen
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Pasta salad, artichokes, raw ham, mozzarella
Potato and radish salad
© Christophe Roué
- 5 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Potato and radish salad
Brocciu-spinach omelette
© Akiko Ida
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Brocciu-spinach omelette
Poke bowl salmon, vegetables, sesame sauce
© Jérôme Bilic
- 6 persons
- Level: Easy
- 30 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Poke bowl salmon, vegetables, sesame sauce
Vegetarian Tortizza
© Marjolaine Daguerre
- 1 people
- Level: Very easy
- 5 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Vegetarian Tortizza
Spaghetti with sautéed endives
© Akiko Ida
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Spaghetti with sautéed endives
Spinach salad with petit-suisse, pumpkin seeds and soft-boiled eggs
© Nathalie Carnet
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Spinach salad with petit-suisse, pumpkin seeds and soft-boiled eggs
Roasted chicken breasts with fennel and chickpeas
© Jean-Claude Amiel
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 20 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Roasted chicken breasts with fennel and chickpeas
Goat cheese toast and eggplant cream
© David Japy
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Goat cheese toast and eggplant cream
Carrot, date and pistachio salad
© Brigitte Baudesson
- 6 persons
- Level: Very easy
- 20 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Carrot, date and pistachio salad
Club sandwich lamb’s lettuce, chicken
© Akiko Ida
- 2 persons
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Club sandwich lamb’s lettuce, chicken
Quinoa, avocado and egg salad
© Jérôme Bilic
- 6 persons
- Level: Very easy
- 20 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Quinoa, avocado and egg salad
Japanese omelette, miso, gruyere and sesame
© Akiko Ida
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Japanese omelette, miso, gruyere and sesame
Linguine alla mollica
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Linguine alla mollica
Potato Salad with Salmon
© Quitoque
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Pretty expensive
- See the recipe: Potato and salmon salad
Parisian salad with gruyere and croutons
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 15 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Parisian salad with gruyere and croutons
Tagliatelle with smoked salmon, thick cream and mustard
© Valéry Guedes
- 4 people
- Level: Very easy
- 10 minutes of preparation
- Cheap
- See the recipe: Tagliatelle with smoked salmon, thick cream and mustard