Any easy recipes for simple recent college grad? (cooking)
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I just recently graduated and I do like to cook, but I only need to cook for myself and just dinner because I get breakfast and lunch for free at work. The problem with that is that I don't usually have a lot of fresh ingredients because I only need to cook dinner and they usually go bad before I get to use them all.
I am very simple because of the lack of fresh ingredients. I don't mind making more dishes so long as I can reuse ingredients. I have a decent set of dried spices in my kitchen and I usually always stock up on chicken/steaks with frozen steamed veggies. This is my life!
Does anyone have any simple recipes that would include ingredients that I could reuse again and again? (I hate the one time purchase of ingredients that go to waste).
My usual menu:
1) Grilled steak or chicken on the George Forman w/ some steamed veggies and side of whole wheat toast w/ butter or side of white/brown rice (i have rice cooker-its easy!)
-Usually don't have time to tenderize and marinate meat, so I just dab some spices on it right before it hits the grill, I usually end up ruining it, but again, I'm simple...
2) Tuna sandwich!
3) Grilled chicken salad
4) Boiled dumplings (frozen) - easy and quick
5) I'll buy sushi every now and then from the local supermarket (its not the greatest, but its cheap and gets the job done)
6) Maybe some soup every now and then;
7) *Chicken adobo (Philippine dish) - chicken legs/thighs on bone marinated with onions, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, some olive oil, salt n pepper, supposed to be boiled but I bake it instead. Serve it with some white rice and soy sauce and you're set! Very delicious, but time consuming.
8) Chicken franches - got a recipe from a cooking website, very simple to make and tasty!
Help a young fellow out!
Check out the frugal food thread...good recipes in there for little cash or time! .
These are all TnT ... and I usually freeze any leftovers in individual servings
Honey-Pecan Pork Cutlets
Serving Size: 4
1 pound boneless pork cutlets -- about 1/4" thick
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter -- divided
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Dredge cutlets in flour, shake off excess. Melt one tablespoon butter in skillet. Add cutlets and brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes. Stir together remaining tablespoons butter, honey, and pecans, add to skillet, stir gently. Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Have not tried with chicken.
Source: "Swift & Company"
Chili Crusted Cutlets with Enchilada Sauce
Serving Size: 7 (or however many cutlets you have)
1 12-ounce package boneless turkey breast cutlets ** see note
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons chili powder (2 to 3 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon oil
10 ounces enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
1/2 cup fine shredded taco cheese, or your favorite kind
Combine cornmeal and chili powder; dip cutlets to coat both sides. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat until hot; brown cutlets 1 minute on each side. Pour enchilada sauce over cutlets. Cover and heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Top with cheese; serve.
** note - Or large pieces of left over turkey. Have used for chicken, and pork too.
Source: "The Butterball Turkey Company"
I thought of another way to address your concern about fresh ingredients that go bad before you can finish them. In both cases my husband thought they were nothing but late night tv gimmicks. And in both cases, they've saved us tons of money by keeping food fresher, longer.
1. Debbie Meyer's Green Bags. I admit, this one I was skeptical about, too. But fresh fruit and produce really does stay fresh longer when we put it in these bags.
2. A Foodsaver food sealing machine. We love ours. Love it, love it, love it. We buy things in bulk, separate them into serving portions, seal them with the machine and store them for weeks or months in the fridge or freezer. We even re-seal many things right in their own bags, like frozen veggies, crackers, pre-mixed salads, and so on. It really is a brilliant gadget.
My parents have a box of these bags, maybe I should ask for one or two to try out. As for the foodsaver, it seems great, but a bit out of my budget right now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gandalara
These are all TnT ... and I usually freeze any leftovers in individual servings
Honey-Pecan Pork Cutlets
Serving Size: 4
1 pound boneless pork cutlets -- about 1/4" thick
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons butter -- divided
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Dredge cutlets in flour, shake off excess. Melt one tablespoon butter in skillet. Add cutlets and brown on both sides, about 5-6 minutes. Stir together remaining tablespoons butter, honey, and pecans, add to skillet, stir gently. Cover and simmer for 7-8 minutes. Have not tried with chicken.
Source: "Swift & Company"
Chili Crusted Cutlets with Enchilada Sauce
Serving Size: 7 (or however many cutlets you have)
1 12-ounce package boneless turkey breast cutlets ** see note
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons chili powder (2 to 3 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon oil
10 ounces enchilada sauce (I used Las Palmas)
1/2 cup fine shredded taco cheese, or your favorite kind
Combine cornmeal and chili powder; dip cutlets to coat both sides. Heat olive oil in large skillet over high heat until hot; brown cutlets 1 minute on each side. Pour enchilada sauce over cutlets. Cover and heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Top with cheese; serve.
** note - Or large pieces of left over turkey. Have used for chicken, and pork too.
Source: "The Butterball Turkey Company"
Can anyone share any healthy recipes with me? (don't think I'm not going to try the recipes listed above, cause I am! Just trying to be health conscious)
Can anyone share any healthy recipes with me? (don't think I'm not going to try the recipes listed above, cause I am! Just trying to be health conscious)
My roommate and I are both fans of pasta salads. She makes one where she tosses pasta with shrimp (small, pre-cooked from a frozen bag), asparagus, sundried tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and olive oil. The heat from the pasta and asparagus cooks the shrimp.
I'll sautee pine nuts, sundried tomatoes (keep a jar in the fridge), and pieces of chicken in a pan, dump it in a pot of warm cooked pasta with pesto (from a jar), cherry tomatoes, and chopped asparagus (frozen). Mix it up, cover it, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes while you clean up. The heat from the chicken and pasta cooks the asparagus and helps the flavors meld a little. I like it warm or room-temperature, but it's good either way. The only fresh stuff are the cherry tomatoes and feta, as the rest is jarred or frozen, but you can use the entire package if you'd want. At one point I calculated out the calories, and it didn't come out to much per serving.
I've also mixed bowtie pasta, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, grilled chicken (pre-cooked and frozen from a bag), fresh basil (can be skipped, or use the whole package), and an orange bell pepper with olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was pretty good too, especially in the summer. All of these make at least several servings, so it's good for a few days or a week or so of food.
You can also buy frozen fish fillets and bake them with some lemon pepper. Add some vegetables or a salad on the side. I'll usually buy enough salad stuff for a week, which forces myself to eat it since it'll go bad if I don't.
My parents have a box of these bags, maybe I should ask for one or two to try out. As for the foodsaver, it seems great, but a bit out of my budget right now.
This looks good, all the above so far looks good. Thanks so far!
I think there's a gift-giving holiday coming up. . .
In a large pot heat some spinach with some chicken broth until it boils then reduce the heat to low and add the tortellini. Let it all simmer for about 15 - 20 minutes. If you want you can add some diced carrots and alittle onion,salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken Parmesan:
Coat boneless skinless chicken breast in italian breadcrumbs
Bake for approx 40 minutes at 350
Take out of oven, top with Ragu sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or top with a slice of swiss cheese
Bake for approx 10 more minutes
Serve with a side of spaghetti and green beens
Here's my two main "go-to" recipes when I don't have much time or want something simple:
Tomatoes and pasta:
-Boil and drain 0.5 lbs of your pasta of choice (penne, fettucine, anything)
-Add to sauce pan
-Add 1 can of stewed tomatoes (they make italian flavor already even, add 2 if you want more sauce)
-If desired, add chopped chicken or ground beef (cooked)
-Add italian seasonings as wanted
That is my simplest, easiest dish I make, and it tastes pretty good. I usually eat it with some toast on the side with a little butter and garlic powder
Easy Chicken and Dumplings:
-Boil 2-3 chicken breasts till cooked using just enough water to cover. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
-to the chicken water, add 1 can each of cream of chicken, celery, and cream of mushroom soup mix (3 cans total). Add 2-3 cans of water, as needed, to create a thick broth that is the consistency of chowder. Stir well to break up the cream base and mix with the water, keep the burner on since the heat helps mix the broth together.
-Add Salt and Pepper to taste
-Take 1 container of refrigerated biscuits (the kind that 'pop' as you peel it open), then pinch each biscuit into 2-3 pieces and add to the broth.
-Chop chicken into bite size pieces and add to broth as well.
-Bring broth to a boil, then reduce to simmer until biscuit/dumplings are cooked through (about 20 minutes, but taste to check)
This one is pretty easy, and you can add different combinations of the cream soups if you like one flavor more than another. If you use a lot of water to poach the chicken, then you don't need to add as many cans of water after adding the soup; you basically just want a thick broth. Everything is cooked in one pot, you measure with the cans and toss in recycling when done, so clean-up is super easy. The thick soup is great for a winter meal and will warm you up quickly. The whole meal can be cooked in 30-35 minutes.
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