Thursday, October 10, 2024

Cooking For One or One Plus One: Four Easy Recipes


*After almost four years of stepping away, I'm putting up a post! Hosting a cooking class for members of Assistance League® of Indianapolis was such a fun time, that I'm sharing the notes and recipes here.


It's so tempting not to cook if you leave alone or are empty nesters!

So why go to the trouble to cook?

·      Preparing healthy meals at home can support your immune system and reduce the risk of illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

·      Cooking at home can sharpen your mind, fight cognitive decline, and decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s

·      Preparing even simple meals at home can be creatively fulfilling.

Make it easy!

·      Cook a protein such as a beef roast or chicken and freeze individual portions of the meat to pull out to use in interchangeable recipes.

·      Change it up with spices of your choice: Italian, Mexican, Mediterranean, Asian, Indian.

·      Vinegar and oil make everything tasty

·      Pick out a base: lettuce greens, flat bread, tortilla, rice, pasta, grain, etc.

·      Add vegetables

·      Don’t forget presentation – remember to garnish! 

·      You are worth it!


Recipes for Spice Mixes

Simple Mix: ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Tex Mex: 1 teaspoon chili powder, I teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Simple Italian: 1 teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Indian: 1 heaping teaspoon curry powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder


Asian: 1 teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic, ¼ teaspoon pepper


Greek: ½ teaspoon dried rosemary, ½ teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon pepper. (If you know what it is, Green Z'atar is nice to sub in for thyme)




Mediterranean Bowls

Meat

Greek spice mix 

Zucchini

Yellow squash

Cherry tomatoes

Couscous or rice

Red wine vinegar

Olive oil

Salad greens or mix

Nice with Pita bread or pita chips, hummus, tzatziki

 

While cooking couscous or rice according to package directions, slice up zucchini and squash and cut into quarters. Halve cherry tomatoes. 

Put a generous 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan, add half a tablespoon of red wine vinegar plus spice mix. Give it a stir and throw in meat, zucchini, squash and tomatoes.

Place pan on heat and warm throughout.

Build your bowl: put couscous or rice on bottom, throw on some greens, add meat and veggie mixture. Serve with pita bread or pita chips and hummus and tzatziki.




Asian Lettuce Wraps

Meat

Lettuce for wrapping

Rice

¼ cucumber

¼ cup shredded carrots

 ¼ red onion

Asian spice mix

Simple spice mix

Rice wine vinegar

Olive or vegetable oil

Nice with a store-bought Asian style sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce

 

While making rice according to package directions, slice cucumber and cut each slice in half. Slice red onion.

In a bowl, stir together an ample ½ cup of rice wine vinegar with a teaspoon of simple spice mix. Add the cucumber, shredded carrot and red onion slices. Give it a good stir. Set aside.

Wash butter or leaf lettuce.

Put a scant tablespoon of oil in pan, add meat and teaspoon of Asian spice mix. Place on stove and warm it up.

Build your Asian wraps: in a lettuce leaf add rice, seasoned meat, and veggies. 

Serve with sauce of your choice.




Tex Mex Wraps

Meat

Tex Mex spice mix

Italian spice mix

½ red, yellow bell pepper or combo of both

½ white onion

Regular white vinegar

Vegetable or olive oil

Can of tomato sauce

Shredded Cheese and shredded lettuce

Rice

Can of black beans

Tortillas – corn or flour

Store bought salsa, guacamole and taco chips

 

While rice is cooking according to package directions, slice the bell peppers into strips. Slice the onion.

In a bowl mix together ½ tablespoon oil, ½ tablespoon plain vinegar and ½ tablespoon Italian spice mix. Add the sliced onions and peppers.

Place bowl in microwave and nuke peppers for about 2 minutes or until cooked but not mush.

Drain and rinse the can of black beans. Measure out a half cup worth, put the rest in a Ziplock bag and freeze for next time.

In the pan add half the can of tomato sauce. Put the rest in a Ziplock bag, label and freeze for another time.

To the pan with the tomato sauce add 1 teaspoon of Tex Mex spice mix, meat and black beans. Place on stove and warm it up.

Wrap tortilla in paper towel and nuke 10 seconds or less to warm it up.

Build tortillas by adding rice, pepper mixture and meat mixture. Top with cheese, shredded lettuce, salsa and guac.




Italian Bowls

Meat

Italian spice mix

Zucchini

Yellow squash

½ red, yellow bell pepper or combo of both

Regular white vinegar

Vegetable or olive oil

½ cup store bought pasta sauce 

Parmesan  cheese

Pasta

Spinach or other greens

 

While pasta is cooking according to package directions, slice the bell peppers into strips, and slice the zucchini and squash.

In a bowl mix together ½ tablespoon oil, ½ tablespoon plain vinegar and ½ tablespoon Italian spice mix. Add the sliced peppers, zucchini and squash.

Place bowl in microwave and nuke for about 2 minutes or until cooked but not mush.

Put chicken in pan with pasta sauce and warm up.

Build bowl placing pasta on the base, top with spinach or greens, then adding meat mixture, veggies and finishing off with a shake or two of parmesan cheese.

 

*If you are out of pasta sauce: 1 (15oz.) can of tomato sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon oregano1/4 teaspoon pepper1/4 teaspoon garlic powder1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)(1 tablespoon sugar if you prefer a sweeter sauce

Put all ingredients in a saucepan, mix them together, and heat it up!


Bonus Recipes

If you want homemade…

Ingredients for 2 cups salsa:

3 tomatoes, chopped

3 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

1 tablespoon diced jalapeno or Serrano pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Combine the salsa ingredients together

 

Ingredients for 2 cups guacamole:

2 ripe avocados

2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno or Serrano pepper

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

2 tablespoons finely diced onion

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tomato, chopped

Put all the ingredients but the chopped tomato into a bowl.  Use the bottom of a glass to smash and combine everything together.  After it is well blended, stir in the chopped tomato.

 

Basic Soup

1.     Dice an onion, place it in pan with 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté over med/low heat until tender – maybe 7-5 minutes. (Diced celery or carrot is nice to add but not necessary.)


2.     Nice if you have it - Add garlic, minced or put through press, and sauté 30 seconds.


3.     Add liquid – a can of broth and/or a can of tomato sauce, diced tomato, even coconut milk for Indian or Asian vibe.


4.     Add a spice mix


5.     Add vegetables


6.     Add meat


7.     Bring to boil, then turn down heat to med/low and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.




Enjoy!

Sunday, November 8, 2020

P.S. How to Make Easy Fried Rice


 What to do if there is extra rice? Make Easy Fried Rice!


The Secret to Avoid Soggy Rice? Keep the eggs separate until the very end...



Put a little oil in a skillet, and put it over medium high heat.


Put the left over rice on one side.


Add additional veggies or protein, if desired.


Crack 2 or 3 eggs in a bowl, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water and whisk it up.


Pour the eggs in the other side of the pan.


Keeping the rice and eggs separate, heat up the rice and scramble the eggs.


When the eggs are scrambled, mix the eggs and rice together.


Top with some hot sauce and dig in!





Salmon with Lemony Rice

The other day I Googled, "How has COVID changed grocery shopping?".  I looked at few suggested sites and they basically all said the same thing. It seems that people aren't going shopping as often, but when they do, they stock up. Apparently, frozen food is popular. But not stuff like T.V. dinners or burritos in wrappers! Even though some cooking fatigue is setting in, people are buying frozen ingredients to cook with. In the recipe posted here, the salmon and peas came from the freezer section. I followed the package directions by soaking the still vacuum sealed fish until it was thawed, and I ended up throwing the frozen peas directly into the cooking rice.  It all turned out better than fine - it was yummy! Plus, it was something different!

Ingredients and Directions


Lemony Rice - Yields Four 3/4 Cup Servings


4 garlic cloves, minced or put through a press
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 cup rice
1 (14.5 oz.) can chicken broth
1/3 cup water
1 carrot, peeled and chopped in small pieces
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas

Place oil in pan over medium low heat. When oil is warmed, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.


Add rice and stir well. Pour in broth and water and scrape up any bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Add carrots, pepper and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Turn heat down to low and cover. 


Follow the cooking time on the rice package, and stir in peas during the last five minutes of cooking. 

 

Grilled or Baked Salmon



For each piece of salmon:


1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1 lemon slice
1 teaspoon olive oil


Sprinkle each piece of salmon with the garlic salt, lemon pepper and dried dill. Place a lemon slice on each. Pour the olive oil over the too. Flip the lemon slice over so the seasoning shows.

Grill over medium high heat or grill at 375 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily and doesn’t look translucent and raw inside. The time needed depends on the thickness of the pieces.
 

To serve, spoon 3/4 cup lemony rice on each plate. Place a cooked piece of salmon on top.