3 Chinese Food Meals for Healthy Lunch and Dinner

Who doesn’t like heart, delicious Chinese meals? Chinese food is famous for its rich flavors and ingredients. The options are perfect for a healthy lifestyle because eating feels like rewards. Many recipes are easy to make, ideal for people with a busy lifestyle. You can whip up some healthy ingredients for quick lunch and dinner.

Staple Ingredients for Chinese Food

Planning a menu for a week is useful to have consistent healthy meals. You should have staple ingredients for Chinese food recipes. Tofu, skinless chicken, shrimps, eggs, and lean meat are popular protein sources. The vegetables should be colorful, so stock bell peppers, Chinese cabbage, carrots, eggplants, and cucumbers.

Aside from the usual salt, stock soy sauce, oyster sauce, chili paste, soybean paste, sesame oil, and rice vinegar. You may add spices such as cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, white pepper, and whole chili peppers.

 

Recipe: Easy Chicken Wrap

A wrap is a popular easy meal recipe, especially for lunch. You can get creative with the ingredients and enjoy a fulfilling meal at the office. This recipe uses chicken, vegetables, and bottled Hoisin sauce.

Ingredients:

4 whole-grain tortilla wraps

1 skinless chicken breast

1 carrot (peeled)

½ cucumber (peeled)

2 green onions (halved and chopped)

Sesame oil for light rubbing

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Directions:

1. Shave cucumber and carrot with a peeler. Place in a bowl. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and sugar. Mix evenly.
2. Rub both sides of the chicken breast with sesame oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
3. Place the chicken breast on a heated skillet. Grill for 4 minutes or until the meat cooked. Do the same for the other side.
4. Let the chicken sits outside the skillet for 5 minutes. Cut thinly.
5. Share the chicken strips and vegetables on individual tortilla wraps.
6. Sprinkle with Hoisin sauce.

Alternatively, keep the ingredients in separate small containers. When lunchtime arrives, microwave the chicken in the pantry, and arrange the wrap.

 

Recipe: Shrimp and Veggie Fried Rice

Fried rice is an easy Chinese food you can make quickly. Shrimp and vegetables become healthy additions for simple egg fried rice.

Ingredients:

25 grams of brown rice

1 egg

½ cup of peeled shrimps

½ cup of chopped green onions

1 cup of fresh spinach

1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Sesame oil

Salt

Directions:

1. Cook the rice in the rice cooker or microwave until it gets slightly sticky consistency (but not mushy). Set it aside.
2. Cut the tofu into small pieces.
3. Heat a little sesame oil on a skillet. Fry the shrimps lightly until cooked but still moist. Set aside.
4. Add more oil. Stir the green onions for a while. Add spinach and let it sits on the skillet until wilted.
5. Beat the egg lightly. Pour it into the skillet.
6. Pour the cold rice immediately into the skillet. Add the soy sauce. Stir everything until mixed and cooked perfectly.

You can replace shrimps with other protein sources for more flavor, such as ham cuts or tofu.

 

Recipe: Grilled Eggplant and Tofu

This healthy dinner recipe uses eggplants, tofu, and simple hoisin glaze. The result is a light but flavorful modern dish.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized eggplant

1 large block of firm tofu (or 2 small ones)

30 ml of ketchup

20 ml of hoisin sauce

10 ml of soy sauce (low sodium)

10 ml of rice vinegar

10 ml of minced garlic

10 ml of peanut oil

10 grams of chopped green onions

1 medium-sized red chili pepper (chopped)

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of minced ginger

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

Salt

Directions:

1. Slice eggplant and tofu into your usual serving size.
2. Pour ketchup, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, and chili pepper into a small pan to make a glaze. Bring to boil.
3. Reduce the heat under the glaze pan to medium. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes with occasional stirring until it is reduced into a cup.
4. Brush eggplant and tofu slices with oil. Sprinkle with salt.
5. Grill eggplant for 2 minutes on each side. Brush the slices with the glaze on each side. Cook again for another 3 minutes.
6. Grill the tofu slices with the same method.
7. Transfer into a plate. Sprinkle with green onions. Serve with the extra sauce.

You can experiment with other ingredients, like mushrooms, bell peppers, and chicken.

 

Tips to Plan Healthy Menu

Cook your Chinese food recipe for lunch and dinner without a problem! Plan your menu for at least five workdays. Repeat one menu for the next day before changing (rotate in the next week for variation). Buy ingredients based on how much you need them. Prepare them in advance before putting them in the fridge containers.

 

Conclusion

Chinese dishes are great for healthy eating. They are quick and easy to modify. You can replace the ingredients with healthier versions, like brown rice, whole-wheat noodles, or rice noodles. Forget fatty, greasy takeaway for quick meals. Make your healthy version of Chinese food with easy, fresh, and nutritious ingredients.

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