I need some ideas for dinner dishes that are fairly easy to prepare. By fairly easy I mean: not a million ingredients, not a million herbs and spices; doesn't require specialty equipment or skill; doesn't require a trip to a store other than HEB, Kroger or Randalls. (I envy those that live near central market) I'm 35, married, 2 kids and a full time lawyer. We just had our 2nd, so we're stretched thin on time. I've been doing most of the cooking for some time, but it's getting tough. On really good days, I get home before 6, have 3 seconds to change out of my slacks, sportscoat and shirt, and get to cooking. My goal is to have dinner on within 30 minutes, so that we can get to the business of getting the kids bathed and then to bed. I'm totally beat by 8:30. (and I'm fully aware that a lot of people have it much, much worse than I do.) More and more, we just throw money at the problem and pick up some take out or go to Lubys. But that's getting old, particularly now that I live in sugarland and there's not much to choose, at least not many original restaurants, from compared to the galleria area. I've been doing some lasagna and beef stew type stuff, where you can make a bunch and have several dinners out of one cooking session. that is good efficiency but the quality of the dinner suffers later in the week. Everyone gets tired of "leftovers", even the good knd. I'll start this going by offering up my own recipe. Cashew chicken (or pork or beef): You only need a few things: Chicken, Cashews, Veggies of your choice (mushrooms, broccoli, celery, bell peppers, baby corn, maybe onions), garlic or shallot, cooking oil, soy or oyster sauce, cornstarch. Slice 2 halves of chicken breast against the grain. Do thin slices, about 1/4 inch wide. Dump into decent sized bowl. Add 1.5 tablespoon of cornstarch. Key ingredient. Do not skip or substitute. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add 1.5 tablespoons of soy sauce or oyster sauce, or better yet, a combo of both. Or you can use Maggi (a soy type sauce that is called Maggi). Both can be purchased at any kroger or randalls, probably Maggi too at the asian foods section. Get your fingers into the bowl and mix that stuff up. The important thing is that the combination should create a bit of a brownish paste around the chicken slices because of the cornstarch. If you see that, you're doing it right. Mince a clove or two of garlic, or half a shallot. Up to you. Do more or less of either, depending on personal taste (I'm starting off pretty neutral. People can kick it up a notch from there. Heat up a flat skillet on max heat with 3 tablespoons or so of cooking oil. (I'd put in a tiny bit of sesame oil if you have it.) When the oil is so hot it's almost smoking, put in the garlic/shallot, and 10 seconds later, the chicken. If your stove is able to get pretty hot, then it won't take long to cook the chicken. The key is when you initially put in the chicken, don't start stirring right away. Give it a good minute or two to cook before you touch it. What happens is that the cornstarch will fry up nicely and seal in the tenderness and juices. I'd cook the chicken 3-4 minutes, depending on how hot your stove gets. The cornstarch will make the chicken clump, so make sure to de clump the chicken strips when stirring. When it's almost cooked through, dump it out on a plate. do not cook the chicken all the way, not yet. =========== There should be veggies to balance out the chicken. Traditional chinese cooking is about 1/3 meat, 2/3 veggie, but half and half ratio works too. I frequently use broccoli, green peppers, celery, and mushrooms. Canned baby corn is good too. Can get that at krogers/randalls, heb at the asian food section. If you use broccoli, you just need to boil or steam the broccoli before doing the chicken until the broccoli is al dente. I'm guessing about 3 to 4 mins of boiling. Don't cover the pot, makes the broccoli less green, more brown. if you use green peppers, mushrooms, or celery you just need to slice them up as you see fit before cooking the chicken. Once you get through the chicken stage above, you've dumped out the chicken. You should put in 2 tablespoon of cooking oil into the pan (but don't clean out the pan, you want that chickenness in there). Let it get hot again, not smoking hot, but pretty hot. then dump in some garlic/shallot, and then the veggies of choice. After a minute or two, dump in the almost complete chicken and let all of it cook together for about 2 minutes. Do you want the dish saucy or dry? If dry, skip this next step. If saucy, get some white or rice wine, about 1/8th a cup. dump it in while after the chicken and veggies have cooked for 2 mins. That should "deglaze the pan" and combine with the cornstarch on teh chicken to make a sauce. If it's too light a sauce, you can add some soy or oyster sauce. If you got no wine, just get about 1/8th to 1/4th of a cup of cold water and add a teaspoon of cornstarch, and stir it up in the cup. That makes a cloudy mixture and dump it into the cooking pan. (If you have chicken broth, I'd go 1/2 broth and 1/2 water). It will then simmer and thicken into the sauce you want. Add soy or oyestersauce to taste. Simmer, don't burn. Lower the heat, otherwise, you'll wind up with glue instead of sauce. Dump everyting out into your serving plate. don't clean the pan, not yet. Put it back on the stove at medium heat. Get your cashews from teh pantry. Dump however much you want into the pan and swirl it around. Let it pick up that chicken/veggie/soy sauce taste. give it 2 minutes or so, it will get toasty and yummy. Dump out the cashews on top of the chicken and veggies. I like to add black pepper or use the orange/reddish Siracha sauce (often seen in vietnamese restaurants, and now available at normal grocery stores) To each his own. You're done. total prep and cook time should be about 15 minutes. Most of that is prep. The cooking goes quick. You can easily substitute pork or beef. If you use pork, buy a good cut, it's cheap anyway. Some marbling on the pork doesn't hurt. If you use beef, more important to use a decent cut, like ribeye. But that costs. the key to this dish is cornstarch. (sorry for the rambling instructions and semi imprecise directions. I just cook by dashes and pinches and never measure or time. I'll do so with new recipies, until I get comfortable enough to just wing it.)
A really simple dish I've been making for years is something I call "Greek Chicken." Cube the chicken. Heat up some Olive Oil and mix with Cavendar's Greek Seasoning. Toss in the chicken and stir fry. Kids love it and it's very simple. Do a fruit salad with a yogurt-honey dressing and vegetables of choice.
Chicken breasts are always easy...and delicious if you marinade them right. Buy some boneless, skinless breasts, poke a bunch of holes in them with a fork. Get a large ziplock bag, put the breasts inside and dump a bunch of Italian dressing in it. Next, dump about 6 spoonfuls of brown sugar in the bag. Close the bag then shake it a lot and let the chicken set in the marinade overnight. Then throw them on the grill. If you have no grill, you can always bake in the oven. You can also buy some pork chops and get some "shake and bake" to put on them. Get the chops wet, put them in the bag and dump in the shake/bake. Shake it up then put in the oven and cook. Serving time is on the box. Much better than it sounds.
Thanks. Good ideas. I shake n bake periodically. Cmon Clutchfans. I know there are some cooks around here.
I traditionally eat a lot of rice, and leftover rice makes GREAT fried rice. However, fried rice tend to be really unhealthy, so I make some changes to the recipe. As Riley said, traditionally, Chinese cooking involves 1/2 to 2/3 veggies compared to meat. A combination I like is beef and mustard greens. Ingredients: ========= 1 lb of beef 6-8 servings of cold rice (freshly cooked rice breaks down too easily) 3 Eggs Soy Sauce Garlic (3-5 cloves) Corn Starch Baking Soda 1 batch of Mustard Greens (or brocolli or other frozen veggies) Canola Oil Sugar Salt/Pepper Optional Ingredients: ================ Oyster Sauce Sesame Oil Sesame Prep Work: ======== Meat needs to be marinated and veggies need to washed. If you have maybe 6-8 servings of rice left over, then I would probably use a pound of beef. The cut of beef isn't so important, and you can use flank cut, london broil or some of the other cheaper cuts. Slice the beef into relatively thin slices and put them in a bowl. Pour 1/2 cup of Soy Sauce and 1/4 cup of water into the bowl. Mix 2 tablespoon of corn starch and 1/2 tablespoon of baking soda into the bowl. Season the mixture with a tablespoon of sugar and a little bit of salt and pepper. Place a teaspoon of sesame oil into the mixture if you have some. After you have mixed the meat and the marinade, let it sit for 30 minutes. At the mean time, you can wash the whole batch of mustard greens. After washing, chop it into small pieces (about the length of your thumb). You can now put it aside. Finely chop maybe 2-3 cloves of garlic and put it aside. In a separate bowl, pour 3 eggs into it and mix it well (as you would for an omelet). Cooking: ====== Heat up a wok, and place a couple of tablespoon of cooking oil (I use Canola) into it. Be weary that the marinade mixture will stick to the wok if you don't have enough oil. After the wok is nice and hot, toss in the finely chopped garlic. After half a minute, toss in the meat and marinade. There should be plenty of liquid in the mixture, if not add a little bit of water. Let it cook for 30 seconds before stir frying it. After about 2 minutes of cooking, toss in the mustard green. When the mustard green's leaves are starting to shrink, then it is time to add the rice. Stir around the rice and break the rice apart as the rice is being cooked by the sauce. After all of the rice is covered by the sauce, toss in the egg mixture. Stir it around so that most of the rice is coated by the eggs. Let it cook until the egg is mostly cooked. Place it on a serving dish and wait 3 minutes before serving. Analysis: ======= The dish offers many different kinds of textures from the moist rice, tender meat and the crunchy mustard green. The baking soda in the marinade breaks down the beef so that it is nice and tender. The spicy (not hot) nature and the crunchiness of the mustard green gives a nice contrast to the rest of the dish. The moistness and flavor of the rice is enhanced by having it coated with eggs. I generally like to sprinkle sesames on the dish, and you can mix in oyster sauce to the finished dish you want to add more flavor. Give this recipe a try, it's easy to make and it's delicious. Also, it's A LOT healthier than the fried rice you'd find at local Chinese restaurants.
Get yourself one of these stovetop grills Link You can throw some rub on a steak and grill it up quick....throw a marinated chicken breast on it....grill some veggies and make a nice sandwich, throw on some burgers.....You can us the griddle side like a hibachi grill....I cook everyday, so I am pretty competent in the kitchen....Just get yourself a nice spice selection, and invent away....Just made some chicken tikka masala sushi rolls with a wasabi masala sauce.....Used the girll!! My recipe Marinate 2 or 3 chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes in: 2 cups yogurt 1 inch piece of shredded ginger (or buy ginger paste and keep it in the freezer) 2 teaspoons garam masala (indian store or central market type store) 2 teaspoons cumin 2 teaspoons coriander juice of a lime 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons red chili powder (or to taste) 2 cloves garlic minced 1 teaspoon black pepper Stick all of this in a ziploc bag, mix it up, stick in the chicken pieces....fridge it overnight next day, soak some skewers for 15 min or so, thread the chicken and stick it on the grill until done....serve with chopped up onions mixed with red chilli powder and lemon juice and some rice.....if you want a sauce to put the chicken in (the masala part) then: melt some butter in a pot, throw in 2 minced garlic cloves 1 green chili minced and 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 ts coriander and 1 ts cumin....cook until brown then add 1 can tomato sauce (8oz) and let simmer....then add 1 cup yogurt or to taste....simmer but stir a lot or the yogurt will split apart.....add the chicken then serve with rice and somelemon..... griling the chicken takes 10 min, making the sauce takes 15 min.... My fusion sushi creation is pretty damn good too!!!!!!! Happy eats.... All the spices above can be used with anything else as well....they have nice flavors and if you like food with spices other than just salt and pepper then adding these to your kitchen will do wonders!
This is a great idea for a thread! Recently I made this fish for my boyfriend, because he wanted to start eating a little healthier. Trust me when I tell you it is the easiest thing I have ever made and probably the best tasting fish I've ever had (very mild, not fishy tasting) and I got it all from HEB, too. 15 minutes tops. from allrecipes.com Broiled Tilapia Parmesan * 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese * 1/4 cup butter, softened * 3 tablespoons mayonnaise * 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice * 1/4 teaspoon dried basil * 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper * 1/8 teaspoon onion powder * 1/8 teaspoon celery salt * 2 pounds tilapia fillets 1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil. 2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside. 3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.
We used to have the cf.net recipe threads. I've used a few recipes from there and they were great. Would a contributing member be kind enough and get us links to those threads?
Here's a really simple pasta dish you can make with vegetables and use it for either a pasta salad or a warm dish. Boil a package of rotini or fusili pasta until tender. Take frozen mixed vegetables (broccali, cauliflower and carrots work best), thaw in the microwave and then sautee on the stove in a skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season them with salt, pepper, parsley and an all-purpose seasoning like Mrs. Dash or something of that nature. I use Penzey's Fox Point mix, but I know you want someplace close and Penzey's is in the Heights. Sautee the vegetables until they are cooked through but still crisp. After straining the pasta, mix the vegetables in a bowl with the pasta and serve covered in fresh parmesean cheese. If you want to go with a salad, boil the vegetables and after straining them, dump them immediately into a bowl of ice water for 30 seconds. Strain again and set aside. Do the same to the pasta. After allowing them both to sit and cool for a few minutes, season the veggies as above, then mix them in a large bowl with the pasta. Coat it all with olive oil - just enough so that they have a sheen but not so much that there is excess. Mix in a cup of parmesean cheese and put in the fridge for a pasta salad.
I am a master of the crock pot. Pork chops + BBQ Sauce + A few vegetables + Crock Pot = Crazy Delicious
I'm a big fan of boiling chicken breasts, shredding them or cutting them into pretty small bites, cooking some Velveeta macaroni and cheese and mixing them together with a can of corn. Simple, but damn good.
(click) Just kidding... ... although my kids love noodles+Tuna+Mayo (to taste), and it goes great on regular bread. Stop at Randall's or Wal-Mart or Kroger. Buy about a pound of some of those chicken tenders (temperature hot, might be spicy if you want), and a bag of that ready-mixed salad you might like. Buy whatever dressing you want. Chop the chicken tenders and spread over the salad. You got a quick, non-fattening dinner (except for the fried stuff on the chicken).
Well, for quick, buy a roasted chicken on the way home at the grocery. Get home, open the package, and rip all the meat off the bones. Discard package and bones. Discard skin for health. Cut sections to serving size for plates. Retain remainder for leftovers. Serve with bag salad. Make your own balsamic vinagrette dressing, with olive oil and some basil flakes, and add crumbled blue cheese. Presto. Blue cheese Roasted chicken salad. You can also buy asparagus or green beans and carrots in a bag, washed and ready to cook. Either cooks in about 3 minutes, boiled or roast it on the grill or in the oven with olive oil. Super fast healthy meal. Sams has enormous roasted chickens, too. Worth a trip if you can get in and out.
Good shiznit, paso. Wanna Tango now? Went back to this thread and noticed you said you thought we had some good cooks: Those pasta packages in the "soups" aisle are quick recipes waiting to happen. There is mashed potatoes in many varieties (I like the chicken & herb mashed potatoes, the penne pasta with garlic, etc.), canned soup, or rice in a minute. Throw a flavored rotisserie chicken like PASO DOBLE (pasox2) said, serve with corn or green beans or chopped or steamed celery or broccoli on the side and you've got variety.
Easy Quick Clam Pasta (Made this last night) Take four cans minced clams and drain and save the juice. Chop a couple of onions and 4 or 5 cloves of garlic. Saute clams, onions, and garlic in olive oil for awhile. Add two big cans of crushed tomatoes italian style. Pour in clam juice. Cook for 15-30 minutes (Until whenever it looks good to you) Salt to taste during this process. Serve over pasta with parmesan cheese. Awesome!
crap I posted in the wrong thread. Here is a link to the recipe threads: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/search.php?searchid=42311 Maybe one day I will actually make a pdf out of them, like the original idea...
