7 Simple, Healthy First Courses That Will Fill You Up

The mixture of nuts, seasonal vegetables and fruits and cereals allows us to prepare delicious and nutritious first courses. If the first course is nutritious and fills you up, it can help you reduce the amounts without starving yourself. We show you 7 rich and different options.

Simple first course recipes that combine nuts, vegetables, fruits, and grains are nutritious, filling, and healthy. Before presenting you with the recipes for simple first courses that meet these characteristics and we have selected for you.

7 EASY AND FILLING STARTERS

When preparing a menu, finding the balance between dishes is essential. A good starter, if it provides the necessary nutrients, allows us to be satiated without falling into excesses.

Here are 7 delicious starter suggestions that will help you feel full.

VEGAN CHEESE SPINACH ROLLS

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 225 g vegan puff pastry
• 250 g vegan ricotta cheese
• 500 g spinach
• 1 tablespoon raisins
• 1 tablespoon pine nuts or almonds
• half a teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon chopped dill
• olive oil, pepper and salt

Preparation (40′ + 34′ cooking):

1. Wash the spinach, cut it into strips and sauté lightly. In another frying pan, sauté raisins and nuts with oil, and set aside on paper towels.
2. Mix the spinach with the cheese and garnish with the dill and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper, add the raisins and pine nuts, and stir gently.
3. Roll out the puff pastry and cut it into rectangles. Spread out the filling and roll them up. To close it, brush the end with a little water. Place the rolls on a greased tray and bake for 30 minutes at 180°C.

Variant:

You can make the rolls with phyllo pastry, with a crunchier finish, or season with curry. Ricotta is ideal for this recipe, but other vegan cheeses can be used.

BUCKWHEAT GNOCCHI WITH AROMATIC TOMATO

Ingredients (for 6 servings)

• 800 g buckwheat
• 80 g wheat flour
• 1 kg crushed tomato
• Oregano and nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, pepper and salt
• 100 g smoked vegan cheese

Preparation (25’+30′ buckwheat cooking+5′ pasta cooking+120′ for sauce)

1. For the sauce, cook the tomato over low heat with the oil, oregano, nutmeg, salt and pepper until reduced by half. If desired, correct it with a little sugar.
2. For gnocchi, boil the buckwheat by passing it for about 30 minutes, so that later, when crushed, it forms a puree. Add the flour to this puree and knead it vigorously. The better you need them, the fluffier they will be.
3. The dough is made into thick strips, 1.5 cm in diameter. Cut them into portions of the same size and cook them in batches in boiling salted water. When they surface, they are ready.
4. Well drained, transfer them to a platter and alternate layers of gnocchi, tomato sauce and grated vegan cheese.

Variant

With a fresh basil pesto, arugula or sun-dried tomatoes the recipe is simpler and faster, and just as appetizing.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 616
• Carbohydrates: 95 g
• Protein: 24 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 12 mg

PUMPKIN AND MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 250 g round grain rice
• 400 g diced pumpkin
• 250 g mushrooms or boletus mushrooms
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 650 ml vegetable stock
• 20 g vegetable butter
• 30 g grated cheese (can be vegetable cheese)
• 20 g pine nuts
• 30 ml virgin olive oil
• parsley and basil to taste

Preparation (15’+20′ cooking)

1. Clean the mushrooms and cut them in two if they are small and in slices if they are large; The logs are left for the broth.
2. Bring the broth with the mushroom remains to a boil and set aside.
3. Sauté the onion in the oil, over a low heat; Then add the pine nuts and rice, and stir well until the rice is translucent. Then add the pumpkin, stir and cover with the boiling broth. Cooking is strong at first and mild after 6 or 7 minutes. It should be stirred frequently to achieve the texture of risotto.
4. The mushrooms are sautéed separately with a little oil and parsley, and added before finishing cooking. Finally, add the butter and cheese, and serve the risotto with a touch of basil.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 500
• Carbohydrates: 70 g
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 18 g
• Cholesterol: 19 mg

TURMERIC RICE WITH MUSHROOMS

p>Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 400 g Calasparra brown rice
• 1 litre of broth or water
• 450 g white mushrooms
• 75 g cherry tomatoes
• 150 g black beans, cooked
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tablespoon parsley, <> teaspoon turmeric, and <> bay leaf
• olive oil, white pepper and salt
• 4 medium red bell peppers

For the sauce:

• 120 ml olive oil, apple cider vinegar and salt

Preparation (40′ + 85′ cooking + 10′ resting):

1. In a saucepan, put the rice over high heat, covered, with the broth, bay leaf, turmeric and salt. When it comes to a boil, lower the flame and cook until it absorbs the water. Remove and let stand, covered, 10 minutes.
2. Cut and sauté the mushrooms in oil with the garlic. At the last moment, add the tomatoes and chopped parsley, and fry for a few more minutes.
3. Roast the peppers, peel them and mash with the oil, vinegar and salt.
4. Sauté the beans, toss with the rice and serve with the mushrooms on top and the pepper sauce.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 501
• Carbohydrates: 37 g
• Protein: 11 g
• Fat: 34 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

BROTHY NOODLES WITH ARTICHOKES

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 275 g thick spelt noodles
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 slice of spelt bread
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 8 fresh artichokes, cleaned
• 5 tablespoons virgin olive oil
• 1 piece of natural saffron paper
• 2 bay leaves, parsley and salt

Preparation (25′ + 30′ cooking):

1. Cook the leaves of the artichokes to obtain a broth.
2. Sauté the onion, garlic, pepper, tomato and bay leaf for about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, but remove it after five minutes and mash it with the bread, parsley and artichoke broth.
3. Add the saffron, chopped artichokes and noodles to the stir-fry. Sauté for five minutes and add the broth with the crushed garlic. Salt and bring to a boil until the noodle is cooked, adding more water if necessary to make it soupy.

HAZELNUT VELOUTÉ WITH RAISINS AND THYME

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 150 g onion
• 400 g turnips
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 100g toasted and peeled hazelnuts, plus a few for garnish
• 1 handful of red grapes
• 1 handful of raisins
• The juice of half an orange
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 plant-based yoghurt
• 2 tbsp oil
• pepper and salt

Preparation (15’+30′ cooking):

1. Clean the onions and turnips, peel, chop and sauté in a saucepan with the oil. When they start to soften, add some thyme and hazelnuts. Stir it, pour in the broth and cook for 15 minutes.
2. After this time, remove the thyme, add the yogurt and grind everything as finely as possible.
3. It is served with sliced grapes, raisins soaked in orange juice, and the rest of the hazelnuts and thyme.

Variant:

You can use other seasonal vegetables or replace the grapes with apples, radishes or onions, whose freshness will contrast with the cream.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 351
• Carbohydrates: 25 g
• Protein: 7 g
• Fat: 24 g
• Cholesterol: 3 mg

OATMEAL AND CAULIFLOWER CREAM WITH SPICED PERSIMMON

Ingredients (for 4 servings):

• 600 g chopped cauliflower
• 100 g rolled oats
• 1 litre vegetable stock or water
• 1 leek
• 2 firm persimmons
• 10 arugula leaves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
• nutmeg, cinnamon, ground coriander, black pepper and salt

Preparation (20’+30′ cooking):

1. Boil the cauliflower with the oats and a little salt in the broth for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the leek is cut in two lengthwise and each half in diagonal strips. Persimmons are peeled and diced.
2. Brown the leek strips in a frying pan with the oil and set aside on absorbent paper. The frying pan is emptied of the oil and without cleaning it is heated again. Sauté the persimmon over high heat until lightly browned and, once off the heat, season with the spices. Once warm, add the arugula.
3. Mash the cauliflower together with the oats and gradually add the cooking broth to obtain the desired texture. Serve hot with the spiced persimmon on top and top with the fried leek threads.

Nutritional Information:

• Calories: 297
• Carbohydrates: 49 g
• Protein: 11 g
• Fat: 6 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Here are the healthy keys to these recipes:

1. ADDBUCKWHEAT

• It stands out for its content of quality proteins and amino acids that favor its use: more than 9 real grams per 100 grams. In addition, these proteins are not accompanied by a large amount of fats, and these have a healthy profile.
• Buckwheat is not only suitable for celiacs, but its soluble fibre content helps to reduce and slow down the absorption of fats and glucose, which is interesting in diabetes, and has beneficial effects on the prevention of colon cancer or cholesterol. By maintaining the feeling of satiety, it also helps not to snack between meals.
• Its concentration of minerals such as magnesium and vitamins, especially B vitamins, is added to its contribution of flavonoids: a very powerful cocktail at the service of health, with which we have prepared simple and grateful gnocchi. They can also be made with the traditional mixture of potato and flour plus buckwheat.

2. INCLUDE NUTS

• The heart-healthy Mediterranean diet usually has nuts, low in cholesterol but high in fat. Hazelnut is no exception: it contains up to 62% monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which gives hazelnut a beneficial cardioprotective effect. In addition, hazelnut provides good doses of protein (13%) and fiber (7.5%).
• The contribution of minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium, essential for growth, makes hazelnuts highly recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, as well as for children who are in the growing season. On the other hand, they provide small amounts of folic acid (a serving of 30 grams of hazelnuts provides 5% of the recommended daily amount).
• With these palates in mind, we propose a soft hazelnut velouté, to which we can give more personality with raisins and thyme.

3. ADD SEASONAL FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

• The pumpkin resembles a Cinderella: beneath its simple and poor appearance hides a rich vegetable with a mild and sweet flavor, brimming with vitality and adaptable to both sweet and savory recipes. You just have to discover it. Rice, pasta, couscous, bulgur and spelt can be used to make delicious recipes with pumpkin, as well as legumes, particularly chickpeas and azuki beans.
• Small specimens can be filled with these ingredients, as well as seitan, meat, or seafood. Onions, leeks, garlic, potatoes, courgettes, mushrooms, peppers, turnips, cabbage, green beans… They are also combined with pumpkin in stir-fries and stews. We have chosen the flavor of mushrooms to mix with pumpkin in a delicious and simple risotto.
• As for persimmons, this delicious autumn fruit, capable of arousing passions with its sweet and soft pulp, helps to strengthen health thanks to its fiber and antioxidant power, protecting the body from free radicals and reducing oxidative stress in diabetes.
• Persimmons, in addition to delighting with their sweetness, provide valuable nutrients; mostly carbohydrates, with 15% (mainly glucose and sucrose). In addition to relieving constipation, thanks to the slightly diuretic effect of potassium, persimmons remove cholesterol and other harmful substances, helping to keep the last stretches of the large intestine clean.
• One persimmon (150 g) covers more than 40% of the daily requirement of beta-carotene, the pigment that gives it its orange color and that the body transforms into vitamin A, essential for bones, tissues, the immune system and the eyes; and 11% of manganese. This mineral is important in newborn growth, blood clotting ability, and insulin functions.
• With this fruit we can offer an interesting counterpoint to the most classic dishes, such as cauliflower cream. In the recipe below, we have added oats to increase their satiating and nutritious power.