Week 2, Day 3: Red Lentil Curry - YUMMY! EASY!

Red Lentil Curry

This was BY FAR my favorite dinner on my mission so far, and a veggie meal! 

A few notes, to simplify the process, chop up all of your veggies before you start.  I didn't do this, and I was frantically throwing things in my Ninja to get them chopped up. 

I had trouble finding the naan.  As you can see, I never found it (after 4 different grocery stores), and I used pita bread-- which worked out just fine.  However, I think Trader Joe's carries naan, which sadly is the only store I didn't try.

I would also recommend using your biggest deepest skillet. Mine worked out okay, but I left a bit of a mess on my stove top. 

Week 2, Day 1: Roasted Salmon, Broccoli and Potatoes with Miso Sauce

Roasted Salmon, Broccoli and Potatoes with Miso Sauce

I'm not a huge fish person, but surprisingly the miso sauce added a sweetness that I really liked.  The recipe was easy to follow, and since I'm super familiar with cooking fish, I was pleased to see I didn't screw it up.

This meal was very quick and easy, however, my potatoes came out a bit under cooked.  I think either smaller pieces or longer roasting would have been helpful.

Week 1 Day 4: Tuna, Fennel and Bean Salad

Tuna, Fennel, and Bean Salad

I was shocked at how easy this was, and though I missed a step, but I didn't! Basically you just throw all of the ingredients in a bowl and it's ready.  I have never had fennel or radicchio before so it was a bit of a new experience for me.  I liked it!  I did have some issue with the radicchio -- I've had it for 5 days now, and it started rotting.  I pulled off most of the outside leaves, and used only the fresher ones on the inside.  I would recommend getting the radicchio the day of, or day before to make sure it's fresh. I also had trouble finding these specific beans, so I bought northern beans instead (smaller version), and they seemed to work just fine.

 6/10 on taste; 10/10 on easy.

Week 1, Day 3: Roasted Chicken with Collard Greens

Roasted Chicken with Collard Greens

This has been my favorite recipe so far, but it was also the messiest, which isn't saying much because it still wasn't very messy.  This is a super simple recipe that doens't take hardly any preparation.  It does take a bit longer since the chicken is in the oven for around 45 minutes.  The greens are done in about 10 minutes, so there's plenty of time to let the chicken go before you need to get the greens going.

I definitely enjoyed this meal.  I give it a 7/10 for taste, and a 9/10 for easy making.

Food: Spinach Quiche

This was a great, quick and easy recipe for Sunday morning breakfast.  I had a slice with turkey bacon and it was great.  Nothing fancy here, and a fast clean up as well.  I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com.  You could mix other items as desired, I'm sure.  Next time, I'll probably throw some peppers in the mix.

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 5 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups shredded Muenster cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Food: Prosciutto and asparagus pasta

THIS WAS SO GOOD.  And easy to make.

I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine (March 2012).  I didn't include the mushrooms, and it still turned out great.  Despite the fact the prosciutto is the most expensive meat at the deli, I'll definitely be making this one again.





Ingredients: 

• 8oz. angel hair pasta
• 1 tbsp. oil oil
• 1/2 large onion, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms
• 4 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in to strips
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chile flakes

Step 2

1.  Cook pasta according to package, drain and return to pot.
2.  While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large frying pan on medium-high heat.  Cook onion, mushroom and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Add prosciutto and asparagus and cook until aspragus is bright green for about 2 minutes.  Add cream, 1/4 cup cheesse, pepper and chile flakes.  Reduce heat and simmer.  Cook until sauce has thickened - about 4 minutes.
3.  Pour sauce and veggies over pasta and toss.  Serve with parm to top.
4. ENJOY!

Food: Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

2 words: YUMMM MMMMY

Actual self-made stuffed peppers cell phone pic

I am a very, very amateur house cook, and this may have been my most adventurous meal to date. It was not hard, by any means, but I have trouble coordinating when each item should be complete in order to move on to the next step.  Example:  prep time 10 minutes?  No fucking way.  It took me 10 minutes just to organize how any measuring cups I needed.  Like I said though, I am a beginning.
Despite doubling the prep time, and not having any clue how to cook rice (thanks google!), my stuffed peppers turned out fan-freaking-tastic and I will definitely be making these again.
My only tips would be a) make sure you know how to cook rice, b) eat at least 3.
We ate left overs the next night, and they were fine.  Makes 8 pepper halves.
The recipe can be found at Real Simple

Food: Chili-Pasta Skillet

A quick & easy dinner, which doesn't require using too many tools and dishes, since most of the ingredients are canned. It was super delicious, and I will definitely make it again!  Serves 3 to 4.
Here is the recipe, from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook:

I ate some before I remembered to take a picture

Ingredients:

• 1lb ground beef
• 3/4 Chopped onion
• 15 1/2 oz can kidney or black beans, rinsed and drained (I used black)
• 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup dried elbow macaroni
• 4 oz can diced green chile peppers, drained
• 2 to 3 tsp chili powder
  
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (I used Mexican mix)
• I also served mine with sour cream

Directions:
In a large skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.  Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, uncooked macaroni, chile peppers, chili powder and garlic salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender. Remove skillet from heat; sprinkle mixture with cheese. Cover and let stand about 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.