30 min dinner: 36g protein & 7g fiber

I always need dinner inspiration that’s easy, delicious, and balanced with protein and fiber. This is one of those classic meals you can make every week and never tire of it! The best part is that it all comes together in the time that your rice is cooking.

I have seen this viral dinner recipe making the rounds on social media and I figured I could put my spin on it and make it high-protein AND high-fiber.

It’s a good reminder that, while adding veggies to your meal is always a good idea, a side of cucumber is only contributing about 1 gram of fiber to your plate. I remember I used to think a giant salad with lettuce and cucumber was boosting my fiber intake, but it was barely adding like 2 grams.

This post will give you a step-by-step recipe for a staple weeknight dinner and also show you a few ways that I sneak fiber into my meals so you can start to make any recipe a bit more gut healthy!

If you’re curious about the benefits of eating more fiber, read this post:

Yield: 6 servings

Produce

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 3 persian cucumbers

• ½ tbsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1 ½ cups chopped daikon radish

• Fermented kimchi

• 2-3 limes

Proteins

• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef

• 2 cups bone broth (bone broth tutorial here)

Pantry staples

• Sea salt

• ½ cup white rice

• ½ cup quinoa

• ½ tbsp butter

• Fish sauce

• Organic tamari or coconut aminos

• Toasted sesame oil

• 1 ½ cups cooked green/brown lentils

• 1-2 tbsp red curry paste (depending on spice preference)

• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (I like this brand)

This is the first place that we are sneaking a bit of extra fiber. One of my favorite hacks to boost the nutrients and diversify the plant foods on my plate: swap 1/2 of your rice for another nutrient-rich grain, like quinoa or buckwheat. You can also stir in some other fiber-rich ingredients, like edamame or peas, or polyphenol-packed herbs!

Ingredients

• ½ cup white rice

• ½ cup quinoa

• 1 ¾ cup filtered water or bone broth

• Pinch sea salt

• ½ tbsp butter

Directions

1. In a pot combine the white rice and quinoa. Rinse 3-4 times until the water runs clear.

2. Add the water or bone broth, pinch of sea salt and butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat then reduce to a simmer and cover.

3. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the grains are tender. Fluff with a fork and let rest for 5 minutes. Stir in any additions you’d like, like steamed shelled edamame.

While the rice cooks we’re going to prepare the ground beef with lentils! Stirring legumes into ground meats is another favorite hack of mine. It adds significant fiber to the meal and bulks up the dish, meaning more servings aka affordable meals!

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef

• ½-1 tsp fish sauce

• 1 ½ tbsp organic tamari or coconut aminos

• 1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 1 ½ cups cooked green/brown lentils

• 2 green onions, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef to the pan and spread into an even layer. Let cook undisturbed for 4-5 minutes to create a nice crust.

2. Use a wooden spoon to crumble the beef and cook for another 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally until fully cooked and browned.

3. Add in the fish sauce, tamari, sesame oil, and cooked lentils and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions. Taste and add more tamari and sesame oil if needed.

Ingredients

• 2 cups bone broth (bone broth tutorial here)

• ½ tbsp grated fresh ginger

• 1 clove garlic, grated

• 1-2 tbsp red curry paste (depending on spice preference)

• ¼ tsp sea salt, or more to taste

• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk (I like this brand)

Directions

1. Add the bone broth, ginger, garlic, curry paste, and sea salt to a saucepan and heat it over medium low heat, stirring to dissolve the curry paste. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes.

2. Stir in the coconut milk and remove from the heat.

To assemble: In a shallow bowl, serve your rice, top it with the ground beef, and pour over about 1 cup of the curry broth, and add a good squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Now comes the fun part - decorate your dish with any toppings you have in your fridge. These serve as decoration, fiber additions, plant diversity and texture!

Here is what I would add to each plate to hit that 7g of fiber:

• ½ persian cucumber, chopped

• ¼ cup sliced radish

• 2 tbsp fermented kimchi (buy ‘live’ ferments from the refrigerated section or make your own with this recipe!)

• ¼ cup shelled edamame (adds 2g fiber!)

Other topping ideas:

• shredded carrot (1 carrot adds 2g fiber)

• sesame seeds

• radish kimchi (recipe here)

Are there any other great topping ideas you have that I missed??

Leave a comment

Now you have an idea for a new dinner staple to add to your roster and a skill for building more fiber into everyday meals! Let me know if this was helpful and I will send out more 30 minute meals that bring protein and fiber to the plate.