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Quick n dirty recipes
One of my LJ friends was asking for quick-n-dirty recipes. My response got a bit long, so I'm posting it over here. If you've got any very quick-n-dirty recipes, feel free to add them in comments!
These are pretty much the simple basics that Mom fed me and Dad (she fed us more elaborate, nutritious, foods also!), or ones that I've come up with on my own, and are quick because they mostly involve opening bags, cans, or jars and throwing stuff together. :) To increase our vegetable intake, Mom tended to feed us a green salad with everything, usually made of chopped-up iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and some chopped green onion. If you want more actual nutrition, use something other than iceberg lettuce, but I find dark green lettuces to be too bitter to eat. Bag salad will do just as well -- slightly more expensive, but if you find yourself leaving the vegetables to rot because you can't be bothered to chop them, worth it.
Stocking your freezer with frozen vegetables gives you quick-n-dirty side dishes. They even have some that come in steam packages to go into the microwave, or you can buy plastic bags in which to steam them.
Funny spaghetti
This is the same one that everyone does, with pasta and a jar of red sauce, occasionally with sauteed ground beef thrown in. And French bread, if you remembered to get it from the store. But you said you're sick of pasta in the comments on your post, so oh well. XD We called it funny spaghetti because it was made with whatever pasta shapes Mom bought that week.
Bean and cheese chalupas
1 box tostada shells
1 can refried beans (fat-free if you want to be slightly healthier)
1 bag shredded cheese (or grate it yourself if you want cheaper)
Chopped-up lettuce and tomatoes
Jar of salsa (optional)
Cumin (optional)
Lime juice (optional)
The amounts above will probably feed you three two meals. Preheat oven to 350°. If you want to spice up the beans, open the can and put them in a bowl, then sprinkle cumin and lime juice to taste into them and mix them up (may be slightly easier if you nuke them for a few second first). If you can't be bothered, no biggie. Spread the beans onto the tostada shells (1 can will do 12 tostada shells nicely), placing them on a cookie sheet. Top with shredded cheese to taste. Throw in oven for 8-12 minutes - you want the cheese nicely melted, but not hardened and browned. Unless you like it that way. While they're heating up, set the table and chop the lettuce and tomatoes, and mix them together in a bowl. Serve, allowing people to top with salsa and salad as desired.
Can be made with tortilla chips instead of tostada shells, in which case they're nachos. But take a bit more work.
Chicken and rice soup
Chicken stock/broth/bouillon
Precooked roast chicken (or leftover cooked chicken)
Leftover cooked rice
Green onion (optional)
Tomato, chopped small (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
I tend to make this with chicken stock I made from scratch, but that is NOT NECESSARY. You can use boxed or canned soup, or even bouillon cubes to make it if you want. (Recipe at the bottom in case you want to try, though :D) So. Get one of those precooked roast chickens from the grocery store, or use leftover cooked chicken from a previous meal or stockmaking. Shred the meat up. Put it in a pot with stock. How much stock and meat you use depends on how thick you like it. I encountered it first in a restaurant where it was mostly stock, with a little bit of chicken and rice, but I also make it very thick, depending on how I feel. Throw in some of the cooked rice (same thing applies - you can make it very thick or very thin, depending on how hearty you want it and how much leftover rice you've got to get rid of). Bring it to a simmer. While heating, chop up your onion and tomato and cilantro, if you want them, and slice your avocado, if you're using it. When heated through, ladle into bowls. Float the veggies on top, in whatever amount you want.
Alternately, you can poach raw chicken pieces in the stock, but using leftover chicken is easier. :)
Tacos
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 can chopped tomatoes (optional)
1 box taco shells
Toppings (all optional)
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sour cream
Salsa
Will probably also make 2 meals for you three. Sautee ground meat, drain if necessary (lean beef doesn't need it). If using tomatoes, open can and drain liquid into a measuring cup. Add taco seasoning mix and tomatoes, and use tomato water in place of the water asked for on the mix packet (add more water if encessary). Cook as indicated on the mix packet. Read directions on taco shell box and heat as directed. Shred lettuce and chop tomatoes, mix together.
Spoon meat mix into shells. Top with whatever you want.
Alternate: chalupas Make chalupas, as above, minus cheese. Top beans after they're heated with taco meat, cheese, other toppings as desired.
Alternate: Taco Salad/Frito Pie
If you don't want to mess with holding taco shells, either heat them up and crumble them into bowls, or put tortilla chips into bowls. Top with meat, desired toppings. If you substitute Fritos for the taco chips, you get Frito Pie. If you decide to add refried beans, you'll need to heat them up a bit over the stove or in the microwave, as they don't get a really creamy consistency until they're heated.
Alternate: Chili Dogs
Heat up hot dogs. Put them in buns. Spoon taco meat over them, top with cheese. Or you can even just open and heat up a can of chili, but I like taco meat on them. :)
Mac and cheese served with tomatoes
Exactly what it sounds like: mac and cheese on one side of the plate, tomatoes on the other. Or whatever vegetables you like. My mom made this when my dad was out of town, because he hated mac and cheese, so it's a comfort meal for me. XD
Quick-n-dirty mashed potatoes
Nuke potatoes until soft. Scoop innards out. Mix with butter and milk. Add whatever else floats your boat: onions, garlic, chives, bacon, cheese, sour cream, etc.
Breaded chicken thighs
1 package boneless chicken thighs (4-6 thighs)
1/2 box panko bread crumbs (or regular, but panko is crispier)
Dijon mustard
Optional:
salt
pepper
dried thyme
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix salt, pepper, and thyme into panko crumbs if desired, put them on a plate. Lightly grease a pan - not a cookie sheet, as the chicken fat and juices will tend to run off and you want them contained, so sides of at least an inch are good. Squirt Dijon mustard into a bowl. For the messy part, take each thigh, slather it in Dijon mustard, then roll it in panko crumbs. Place in pan. After all the chicken is coated, go ahead and pat the leftover crumbs into the tops.
Bake, uncovered, in oven for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Reheats better in oven than microwave, as crumbs get soft and wimpy when nuked.
Simple Meatloaf
1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Dried herbs: thyme, parsley, oregano, cumin, whatever you like
optional:
leftover vegetables - peas, carrots, corn, etc.
Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup
Bacon
Preheat oven to 325°. Mix meat, egg, breadcrumbs, herbs, veg, Worcestershire sauce in bowl with hands, not squeezing too tightly. Place on cookie sheet, in mounded loaf shape. Optionally, brush with ketchup, cover with bacon. Place in oven, cook for 30-45 minutes (shorter if smaller or thinner, longer if thicker). If you've got a meat thermomoeter, cook to 155° internally.
Scales up well, just adjust cooking times. You can mix types of meat also - a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork tastes good. The egg helps bind it all together, and the crumbs stretch it. Check out Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe for ideas for ingredients and glaze (beware of his serving sizes - we easily got 12 servings out of that recipe!).
Alternate: Bento Version
If you've got some time, make the meat into small loaves, or put into muffin tins. Bake about 20 minutes. Freeze. They reheat by nuking quite well.
Easy - but long - double chicken stock
Loosely based on a recipe from The China Moon Cookbook, a cookbook by a woman running a Chinese bistro in San Francisco. Easy to make, but takes a long time. Plan to devote a day to it, although you don't have to do much work as it simmers by itself most of the time.
Chicken bones (leftover from precooked roast chicken, stored in the freezer)
Whole chicken (optional - the meat adds flavor, and you can use the meat in the soup above or chicken salad. Try to get an older bird if you can - a roaster or a stewing/baking hen, or even an old, tough rooster if you can find it. The older birds have more flavor in the meat, and require ong, moist cooking.)
Water or low-sodium chicken stock (making stock using stock makes it double stock)
Any or all of the below:
Fresh ginger, roughly sliced in rounds. OK to leave skin on
Lemongrass (in big chunks, as you will fish it out later)
Red Thai chilis or japalenos
Garlic cloves
Cloves
Carrots, roughly chopped
Celery, roughly chopped
Onion, roughly chopped
Any vegetable trimmings you've got (asparagus ends, mushroom stems, whatever)
2 or 3 bay leaves
Parsley
Whatever other herbs or vegetable sound good to you
First, put the bones (or whole chicken) into a big stockpot. Add water or stock to cover. Bring just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 30 or so minutes, skimming off the scum that rises to the top.
If you want extra flavor, while that's going on, sautee your vegetables in butter, oil, or olive oil. But not necessary. Add your vegetables (minus the peppers!) to the chicken stock or water, make sure it stays at a simmer, then go do something else for several hours. Check back occasionally to see if the water level's dropped a lot, if so add more stock or water (you can add water even if you started with stock).
Chili peppers/jalapenos: These are a bit special, obviously. If you like a LOT of heat, add them early and keep them in there. If you only like a LITTLE heat, add them for a short time and pull them out. If you like NO heat, don't add them at all. I like it JUUUST barely hot enough to make my lips tingle, so I tend to take 4 or 5 red Thai chilis and plop them in, whole, for about 15-20 minutes, then take them out: taste-testing evry 5 minutes, until it hits the heat level I want. I also do it near the end of cooking.
If you're using a whole chicken, poke it with a fork every so often. When the meat starts coming off easily, which may be after 2 or 3 hours of gentle simmering, dig off as much as you can. It's OK to leave some in there - it'll keep adding flavor. You can leave it all in there and let it impart all its flavor to the stock, but you'll end up with tasteless hunks of chicken at the end.
The point at which to stop making the stock is the point at which the whole house smells so good you can't stand it any longer. Alton Brown recommends leaving it in until all the collagen's cooked out of the bones and they're soft, which will give you a full-bodied, smooth stock and takes 10-12 hours, but I never make it that long and stop after 4-6 hours.
The tricky part is pouring the stock out. It's easiest to first scoop out as much of the debris as you can. Then pour the stock into another container through a colander to sieve out most of the smaller pieces. Then line the colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and strain the stock again. Repeat that for a while until you're satisfied with the results.
Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. Freezes well. If you want a less fatty version, put the container in the fridge overnight and chip off the fat layer that's risen to the top. The more collagen leached out of the bones and into the stock, the more like meat-flavored Jell-O it will look when cold. :) You can also freeze it in ice trays and use a cube or two in sauces.
If you are a snooty chef, you never want the stock to boil, and you want to strain it to hell and gone in order to keep in clear. I am not a snooty chef and don't give a damn, because to my unrefined palate, cloudy stock tastes just as good as clear stock and is a heckuva lot easier to make.
These are pretty much the simple basics that Mom fed me and Dad (she fed us more elaborate, nutritious, foods also!), or ones that I've come up with on my own, and are quick because they mostly involve opening bags, cans, or jars and throwing stuff together. :) To increase our vegetable intake, Mom tended to feed us a green salad with everything, usually made of chopped-up iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and some chopped green onion. If you want more actual nutrition, use something other than iceberg lettuce, but I find dark green lettuces to be too bitter to eat. Bag salad will do just as well -- slightly more expensive, but if you find yourself leaving the vegetables to rot because you can't be bothered to chop them, worth it.
Stocking your freezer with frozen vegetables gives you quick-n-dirty side dishes. They even have some that come in steam packages to go into the microwave, or you can buy plastic bags in which to steam them.
Funny spaghetti
This is the same one that everyone does, with pasta and a jar of red sauce, occasionally with sauteed ground beef thrown in. And French bread, if you remembered to get it from the store. But you said you're sick of pasta in the comments on your post, so oh well. XD We called it funny spaghetti because it was made with whatever pasta shapes Mom bought that week.
Bean and cheese chalupas
1 box tostada shells
1 can refried beans (fat-free if you want to be slightly healthier)
1 bag shredded cheese (or grate it yourself if you want cheaper)
Chopped-up lettuce and tomatoes
Jar of salsa (optional)
Cumin (optional)
Lime juice (optional)
The amounts above will probably feed you three two meals. Preheat oven to 350°. If you want to spice up the beans, open the can and put them in a bowl, then sprinkle cumin and lime juice to taste into them and mix them up (may be slightly easier if you nuke them for a few second first). If you can't be bothered, no biggie. Spread the beans onto the tostada shells (1 can will do 12 tostada shells nicely), placing them on a cookie sheet. Top with shredded cheese to taste. Throw in oven for 8-12 minutes - you want the cheese nicely melted, but not hardened and browned. Unless you like it that way. While they're heating up, set the table and chop the lettuce and tomatoes, and mix them together in a bowl. Serve, allowing people to top with salsa and salad as desired.
Can be made with tortilla chips instead of tostada shells, in which case they're nachos. But take a bit more work.
Chicken and rice soup
Chicken stock/broth/bouillon
Precooked roast chicken (or leftover cooked chicken)
Leftover cooked rice
Green onion (optional)
Tomato, chopped small (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Cilantro (optional)
I tend to make this with chicken stock I made from scratch, but that is NOT NECESSARY. You can use boxed or canned soup, or even bouillon cubes to make it if you want. (Recipe at the bottom in case you want to try, though :D) So. Get one of those precooked roast chickens from the grocery store, or use leftover cooked chicken from a previous meal or stockmaking. Shred the meat up. Put it in a pot with stock. How much stock and meat you use depends on how thick you like it. I encountered it first in a restaurant where it was mostly stock, with a little bit of chicken and rice, but I also make it very thick, depending on how I feel. Throw in some of the cooked rice (same thing applies - you can make it very thick or very thin, depending on how hearty you want it and how much leftover rice you've got to get rid of). Bring it to a simmer. While heating, chop up your onion and tomato and cilantro, if you want them, and slice your avocado, if you're using it. When heated through, ladle into bowls. Float the veggies on top, in whatever amount you want.
Alternately, you can poach raw chicken pieces in the stock, but using leftover chicken is easier. :)
Tacos
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 can chopped tomatoes (optional)
1 box taco shells
Toppings (all optional)
Shredded cheese
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Sour cream
Salsa
Will probably also make 2 meals for you three. Sautee ground meat, drain if necessary (lean beef doesn't need it). If using tomatoes, open can and drain liquid into a measuring cup. Add taco seasoning mix and tomatoes, and use tomato water in place of the water asked for on the mix packet (add more water if encessary). Cook as indicated on the mix packet. Read directions on taco shell box and heat as directed. Shred lettuce and chop tomatoes, mix together.
Spoon meat mix into shells. Top with whatever you want.
Alternate: chalupas Make chalupas, as above, minus cheese. Top beans after they're heated with taco meat, cheese, other toppings as desired.
Alternate: Taco Salad/Frito Pie
If you don't want to mess with holding taco shells, either heat them up and crumble them into bowls, or put tortilla chips into bowls. Top with meat, desired toppings. If you substitute Fritos for the taco chips, you get Frito Pie. If you decide to add refried beans, you'll need to heat them up a bit over the stove or in the microwave, as they don't get a really creamy consistency until they're heated.
Alternate: Chili Dogs
Heat up hot dogs. Put them in buns. Spoon taco meat over them, top with cheese. Or you can even just open and heat up a can of chili, but I like taco meat on them. :)
Mac and cheese served with tomatoes
Exactly what it sounds like: mac and cheese on one side of the plate, tomatoes on the other. Or whatever vegetables you like. My mom made this when my dad was out of town, because he hated mac and cheese, so it's a comfort meal for me. XD
Quick-n-dirty mashed potatoes
Nuke potatoes until soft. Scoop innards out. Mix with butter and milk. Add whatever else floats your boat: onions, garlic, chives, bacon, cheese, sour cream, etc.
Breaded chicken thighs
1 package boneless chicken thighs (4-6 thighs)
1/2 box panko bread crumbs (or regular, but panko is crispier)
Dijon mustard
Optional:
salt
pepper
dried thyme
Preheat oven to 350°. Mix salt, pepper, and thyme into panko crumbs if desired, put them on a plate. Lightly grease a pan - not a cookie sheet, as the chicken fat and juices will tend to run off and you want them contained, so sides of at least an inch are good. Squirt Dijon mustard into a bowl. For the messy part, take each thigh, slather it in Dijon mustard, then roll it in panko crumbs. Place in pan. After all the chicken is coated, go ahead and pat the leftover crumbs into the tops.
Bake, uncovered, in oven for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Reheats better in oven than microwave, as crumbs get soft and wimpy when nuked.
Simple Meatloaf
1 pound ground meat (beef, pork, turkey, chicken)
1 egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Dried herbs: thyme, parsley, oregano, cumin, whatever you like
optional:
leftover vegetables - peas, carrots, corn, etc.
Worcestershire sauce
Ketchup
Bacon
Preheat oven to 325°. Mix meat, egg, breadcrumbs, herbs, veg, Worcestershire sauce in bowl with hands, not squeezing too tightly. Place on cookie sheet, in mounded loaf shape. Optionally, brush with ketchup, cover with bacon. Place in oven, cook for 30-45 minutes (shorter if smaller or thinner, longer if thicker). If you've got a meat thermomoeter, cook to 155° internally.
Scales up well, just adjust cooking times. You can mix types of meat also - a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground pork tastes good. The egg helps bind it all together, and the crumbs stretch it. Check out Alton Brown's meatloaf recipe for ideas for ingredients and glaze (beware of his serving sizes - we easily got 12 servings out of that recipe!).
Alternate: Bento Version
If you've got some time, make the meat into small loaves, or put into muffin tins. Bake about 20 minutes. Freeze. They reheat by nuking quite well.
Easy - but long - double chicken stock
Loosely based on a recipe from The China Moon Cookbook, a cookbook by a woman running a Chinese bistro in San Francisco. Easy to make, but takes a long time. Plan to devote a day to it, although you don't have to do much work as it simmers by itself most of the time.
Chicken bones (leftover from precooked roast chicken, stored in the freezer)
Whole chicken (optional - the meat adds flavor, and you can use the meat in the soup above or chicken salad. Try to get an older bird if you can - a roaster or a stewing/baking hen, or even an old, tough rooster if you can find it. The older birds have more flavor in the meat, and require ong, moist cooking.)
Water or low-sodium chicken stock (making stock using stock makes it double stock)
Any or all of the below:
Fresh ginger, roughly sliced in rounds. OK to leave skin on
Lemongrass (in big chunks, as you will fish it out later)
Red Thai chilis or japalenos
Garlic cloves
Cloves
Carrots, roughly chopped
Celery, roughly chopped
Onion, roughly chopped
Any vegetable trimmings you've got (asparagus ends, mushroom stems, whatever)
2 or 3 bay leaves
Parsley
Whatever other herbs or vegetable sound good to you
First, put the bones (or whole chicken) into a big stockpot. Add water or stock to cover. Bring just to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 30 or so minutes, skimming off the scum that rises to the top.
If you want extra flavor, while that's going on, sautee your vegetables in butter, oil, or olive oil. But not necessary. Add your vegetables (minus the peppers!) to the chicken stock or water, make sure it stays at a simmer, then go do something else for several hours. Check back occasionally to see if the water level's dropped a lot, if so add more stock or water (you can add water even if you started with stock).
Chili peppers/jalapenos: These are a bit special, obviously. If you like a LOT of heat, add them early and keep them in there. If you only like a LITTLE heat, add them for a short time and pull them out. If you like NO heat, don't add them at all. I like it JUUUST barely hot enough to make my lips tingle, so I tend to take 4 or 5 red Thai chilis and plop them in, whole, for about 15-20 minutes, then take them out: taste-testing evry 5 minutes, until it hits the heat level I want. I also do it near the end of cooking.
If you're using a whole chicken, poke it with a fork every so often. When the meat starts coming off easily, which may be after 2 or 3 hours of gentle simmering, dig off as much as you can. It's OK to leave some in there - it'll keep adding flavor. You can leave it all in there and let it impart all its flavor to the stock, but you'll end up with tasteless hunks of chicken at the end.
The point at which to stop making the stock is the point at which the whole house smells so good you can't stand it any longer. Alton Brown recommends leaving it in until all the collagen's cooked out of the bones and they're soft, which will give you a full-bodied, smooth stock and takes 10-12 hours, but I never make it that long and stop after 4-6 hours.
The tricky part is pouring the stock out. It's easiest to first scoop out as much of the debris as you can. Then pour the stock into another container through a colander to sieve out most of the smaller pieces. Then line the colander with a few layers of cheesecloth and strain the stock again. Repeat that for a while until you're satisfied with the results.
Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 3 or 4 days. Freezes well. If you want a less fatty version, put the container in the fridge overnight and chip off the fat layer that's risen to the top. The more collagen leached out of the bones and into the stock, the more like meat-flavored Jell-O it will look when cold. :) You can also freeze it in ice trays and use a cube or two in sauces.
If you are a snooty chef, you never want the stock to boil, and you want to strain it to hell and gone in order to keep in clear. I am not a snooty chef and don't give a damn, because to my unrefined palate, cloudy stock tastes just as good as clear stock and is a heckuva lot easier to make.
no subject
1/2 c. French dressing (I used fat free and it tasted fine)
half envelope Onion Soup mix
3/4 c. pineapple apricot jam (I used just apricot jam)
1 t. dry mustard
Pour over about 1-2 lb. chicken in baking dish, bake at 350 for 1 hour.
Tastes a lot like sweet and sour chicken, to me anyway.
no subject
____________
1 box Mac N Cheese, preferably shells
1/2 bag frozen peas
About two minutes before the pasta is done cooking, add the peas and stir. Cook until peas are shiny green.
Mac N Cheese and Tomatoes, VM style
_____
1 box Mac N Cheese
1 can stewed tomatoes
Leftover ground beef, optional
When you make the sauce, instead of adding milk, add the can of stewed tomatoes instead. It is a lot like hamburger helper, but much much cheaper.
Simplest Asian Chicken Ever
______
Some chicken thighs, bone in
1 part white cooking wine or sherry
1/2 part soy sauce
Some roughly chopped garlic and ginger slices
In a small baking dish, put the chicken, sprinkle with garlic and ginger. Pour soy sauce and wine on it until about halfway up the chicken. Loosely cover and bake. Turn chicken a couple times through cooking, and about five to ten minutes before it is done, remove lid to reduce sauce.
Great with rice.
Baby Ruebens
_______
1 can sauerkraut, drained well
1 bag shredded swiss
Some thousand island dressing
Party rye slices
In a bowl, mix the sauerkraut with the cheese and about a cup of the dressing. Spread this mix on party rye and toast in a hot oven until bubbly. You can also cook on a skillet on the stove.
no subject
2 salmon fillets
some Dijon mustard (we like to use Jack Daniels honey dijon)
2 tablespoons parsley (dried is OK; chopped-up fresh Italian is better)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Spread the mustard over the fish. You want enough to make the topping stick without making you go OMG MUSTARD. Mix up the rest of the ingredients and spread on top of the mustard. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.
Bonus: if you dump some fresh green beans into a steamer pot when you put the fish in the oven, they should be done at the same time... and since neither of those will require your intervention, you're free to nuke yourself some mashed potatoes or something.
I get most of my stuff from Cooking Light and Real Simple. Both have a regular series on fast dinners, with at least one 20-minute meal per issue. Cooking Light has a huge Quick & Easy / 20-minute dinners (http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-easy/) section. Real Simple's recipes (http://browse.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/index.html) are usually simple and tasty. Their chicken teriyaki meatball dish (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/chicken-teriyaki-meatballs-edamame-snow-peas-00000000006815/index.html) is amazingly tasty (and works with ground turkey too). This corn salad (http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/corn-salad-feta-walnuts-00000000014319/) is fantastic with barbecue.
no subject
1/2 bag of prewashed spinach
1/4 pound of meat (sausage and ham are particularly good)
1/4 cup water or broth
Soy sauce, chopped garlic & fresh ginger to taste
Chop or slice meat into easy-to-eat pieces. Finely chop or thinly-slice ginger. Saute meat in large pan with butter/oil, garlic and ginger until meat is almost fully cooked, add spinach, water/broth and soy sauce. Cook until spinach is wilted, serve over rice, couscous or noodles.
You can make a whole lot of variations on this - I sometimes add a can of mushrooms & the juice instead of broth, for example, and/or onions. You could probably also substitute bok choy or cabbage for the spinach, although I haven't tried that.
If I make this with couscous, I can have a full meal in less than 20 minutes including prep time.
no subject
Link sausage (the precooked kind, like from Hillshire Farms or Ekrich)
Nuked potatoes, mashed or eaten from the jackets
Green salad or frozen veg as side (or when I'm even lazier, nothing XD)
Just reheat the sausage by putting it in a skillet with water and simmering it until heated through. If you poke or slash the sides, some of the fat will run out into the water and you won't eat it. When warm, slice and serve. :)
no subject
(Note: Don't serve to cranky Texans, or if you do call it "spicy bean soup," because this is not the "meat goo" that my Texan friends call "chili." Ha ha. *ducks wrath of other commenters*)
All amounts are variable depending on your personal preferences.
- Onion, diced (out of a bag is fine) (optional)
- Garlic, minced (optional)
---- If you don't want to muck with the above, then use dried onion and dried garlic: freeze-dried roasted is best, freeze-dried in chunks-flakes is second-best, powdered will do ---
- Sausage (links--I've enjoyed kielbasa, mango chicken, and various other kinds--or chorizo, crumbled--or soyrizo)
- 1-3 cans of black beans, spiced or not, drained and rinsed if not spiced
- 1-3 cans of pinto beans, spiced or not, drained and rinsed if not spiced
- 1 can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can of white kidney or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can refried pinto or black beans, optional, if you like it thick
- 1 large can of diced tomatoes OR 2 regular cans of Ro-Tel OR (best) 2 cans of fire-roasted tomatoes (with or without garlic), drained
- Tomato paste (concentrated in a tube is handy) if needed for thickening
- Canned chipotles in adobo (if you like it smoky and spicy)
- Cumin (not optional)
- Dried red pepper flakes, cayenne, etc. if not using chipotles
- Cheese (optional, but good for protein if you skip the sausage)
Slice the sausage into coins if you're using it and cook it until browned on each side. Remove the sausage when it's done and cover it. You'll add the sausage just before serving the chili. Chorizo, just cook till it's done and add it with the onions and garlic, and go easy on the other spices since it's spicy itself.
Cook the onions in the same pan. If you don't use the sausage, use a little extra virgin olive oil to cook down the onions until brown and delicious-smelling, adding the garlic when the onions are almost done. Set aside for just a minute.
Everything up to this point is optional; you can just start here and have a good bean soup...chili...whatever.
Throw the beans and tomatoes into a pot and give it a good stir. Put it over low to medium heat. You want it to bubble occasionally but not start sticking on the bottom.
Add the onions and garlic if you cooked them, or dried onions and garlic if you didn't.
Mince one to two chipotles depending on how much chile you're making and how spicy you like it (and how big the chipotles are), and add them. If you're not using the chipotles, add some red pepper flakes and cayenne. Start small--you can always add more, but you can't really take it OUT.
Add cumin. Cumin is what makes it taste like chili. Taste frequently. Keep stirring.
Add tomato paste or a can of refried beans if it's too soupy.
When you're happy, add the sausage coins if you're using it, stir, and serve with cheese.
(NOTE: There is no salt called for in this recipe because beans, canned tomatoes, chipotle, and sausage are all full of salt already. If you skip the chipotle and sausage and use sodium-free beans and tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, you will need to add salt.)
OMELET <3 (quick and dirty version)
- Eggs
- Milk or not
- Cream cheese
- About 1 pound of asparagus
Put asparagus in a microwave-safe dish with 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook on high for 5-7 minutes. Carefully take out spears and put them on paper towels.
Cut some strips of cream cheese--enough to accompany the asparagus.
Make omelet however you usually do, and lay strips of cream cheese and asparagus inside the omelet before you fold it.
(Argh, LJ's comment length cutoff is annoying)
no subject
(pretty filling if it's hot out and you don't want to eat much; can be tweaked with olives and herbs and other things)
- 1 pound bag or box of orzo or other very small pasta
- Grape or cherry tomatoes
- One tub of feta chunks, not in oil
- One or two cans of marinated beans/bean salad (the Trader Joe's brand is the only kind I don't despise)
Prepare orzo ahead of time according to directions. Drain and put in fridge to cool. (If it doesn't cool almost completely, it'll melt the feta, which does not work well with this recipe.)
If you have cherry tomatoes, wash them and cut all or some in half, but if they're grape, you can just wash them and leave them whole if you like. NOTE: If you are not bringing this to a party, or if there are fewer than 4 people in your house and there will be leftovers, it's better to not cut up the tomatoes. (They don't keep well.)
Drain the beans, but don't rinse them.
Break up any huge pieces of feta.
Once the orzo is cool, break up any clumps, and then mix EVERYTHING together.
Makes a lot.
NOTE: I have a feeling it would be good to add the beans before you put the orzo in the fridge to cool--might help keep it from clumping, but I haven't tried that yet.
"GREEK" TUNA SANDWICH
(My Greek neighbor taught me this variation)
To a normal tuna salad recipe, mix it up this way:
- Replace some proportion of the mayo with plain, high-quality yogurt. (The more you replace, the healthier it is, and I think it tastes great.)
- Shake in some dried onions.
- Give it a squeeze of lemon juice.
- I think there might have been a little powdered garlic in there, but I'm not sure anymore. :p
Dark Chocolate Pudding
Very, VERY easy, and very tasty, and not nearly as bad for you as a candy bar.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (more or less to taste)
4.5 tbs cornstarch
3 cups milk
3 tsp vanilla
Whisk together sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch in a
large, microwave-proof bowl.
Add milk, *a little at a time* (add milk, whisk; add
milk, whisk again), until everything is mixed.
Microwave on high for 3 minutes. Stir well, heat on
high again for 1 or 2 minutes at a time, alternating
heating and stirring, until it thickens.
Remove from the microwave and **stir in the vanilla**.
Serve warm.
Makes about 4 bowls.
no subject
1 egg
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons vegetable/canola/light olive oil
2 cups bread flour
2/3 cup sugar (1 cup if you prefer sweeter muffins, but these are only a lightly sweet muffin anyway, not those cupcake-like sugar disasters most Americans are used to)
2 teaspons baking powder
1/2 to 1 cup walnut pieces
Preheat oven to 425F. Beat the egg until smooth. Add other ingredients and mix until blended. Fill muffin cups half full. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes.
Makes about 12 muffins.
PESTO GNOCCHI
(This would probably work well with ravioli, too)
- 1 package gnocchi (whole-wheat for more protein)
- 1 package cherry or grape tomatoes (even ones that are going a little soft or wrinkly, but aren't actually rotting, are OK for this)
- 1 jar Classico or other preferred brand of pesto (I haven't done this in a while and I can't remember if we use the whole thing--stop if it looks like too much!)
- Shredded Parmesan cheese or similar
- Slotted spoon (important) or something else you can use to remove the gnocchi as they become ready
Wash the tomatoes and pat them dry. Put a little extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet and heat it to medium. Put in the tomatoes and kind of roll them around until they are bright and red and some have developed a golden spot on the side, or if that fails, just till they're hot. Turn the heat down to low.
- Cook the gnocchi according to directions. As they float up and become done, fish them out with a slotted spoon or something, shake them off, and toss them in with the gnocchi.
- Once all your gnocchi are in there, pour on the desired amount of pesto and stir gently.
- Serve with cheese.
I find that pesto is too heavy by itself, but with the cherry tomatoes in, it's just right :)
FAKE FEIJOADA
This may look like the chili above, but trust me, it tastes totally different.
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15.75-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1 pound turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, thyme, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add the beans, chiles, and kielbasa. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle each serving with parsley.
(Via Cooking Light. I leave out the parsley most of the time. I suggest serving it over brown rice and also adding a splash of orange juice along with the broth.)
no subject
shells & cheese box
ground turkey
chopped onion
hot sauce (optional)
YES.
no subject
I suppose this would NOT be a good time to bring up Microwave Mud Pies....
Quick n Dirty Breakfast
Spread mayo lightly on surface
Add slices of lunch meat (I use ham for preference but leftover steak or chicken is good too)
Microwave two eggs and place along the centre of the tortilla
Sprinkle cheese on if you like
Roll up and nom.
Ugly Stovetop
Brown a pound of extra lean burger in a skillet
Cook two boxes of Kraft macaroni and cheese, cheese and all
Add the burger to the mac n cheese
Add a tin of Heinz beans in tomato sauce
Add a tin of mushroom soup
Add a cup of frozen peas
Mix well and heat through
Nom.
I used to melt a tablespoon of Cheeze Whiz into my bowl of stovetop for extra cheesy goodness.
Quick 'n' Dirty Scrambled Cheesy Eggs with optional Rooster Sauce
Place bowl in microwave. Cook scrambled eggs stopping occasionally to stir
until just about cooked evenly through.
Stop and put two slices of American Process Cheese on top of scrambled eggs
Close microwave door and heat however long it takes to melt the process cheese.
Remove bowl from microwave and if desired a bit of a spicy kick, spritz some Huy Fong Foods "Sri Racha" (hot garlic chile paste) hot sauce over the cheesy eggs.
Enjoy
Re: Quick 'n' Dirty Scrambled Cheesy Eggs with optional Rooster Sauce