(Chasing the Sweet Smell of) Easy Recipes

[OrderInChaos]

I'm wondering what you've all found to be the easiest "healthful/higher micro-nutrient/whole food" recipes to make on a regular basis. I just documented out the meals I've cooked for the last couple months that weren't "date night fancy" from The Food Lab, and I have a rotation of maybe 7-8 dishes that are easy but good (less than an hour or so of active prep-cooking, satiating, tasty, not despicable nutrient-wise). And one of those is "make stovetop lentils, add chill powder and cumin and a can of pureed san marzanos, add leftover meat and serve over rice"... so not exactly elaborate.

Trying to eat strictly home-prepared food without getting bored or getting way to involved is an interesting balancing act. Appreciate any suggestions you offer here!

[neandrewthal]

Maybe this is cheating cause they are not complete meals but IMO the most important part and I just add whatever vegetables and carbs I want.

This has to be the best inexpensive meal I've ever made for the ridiculously low amount of active time:

https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/201 ... ecipe.html

I use boneless loin roasts and don't bother with the vegetables/olive tapenade.

Next on my list is something I just threw together one day and has become a standby when I need supper in a pinch:

Grind about 1/4-1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 cloves and 8-12 allspice berries. Mix with a tbsp of hot honey and drizzle on salted bone in skin on chicken legs, thighs or drumsticks and bake. If you want to spread out the topping then let the thighs warm up first or you will just wipe it off.

I even have some variations for when I get bored. Use 1/4 the allspice, brown sugar instead of honey and add a star anise. And the "mexican" version: 1/4 the allspice, lime juice instead of honey and add ancho and garlic powder.

Still on dark meat chicken (I am really cheap), this one is a bit more involved and requires more forethought (but still meets your criteria) but the results are delicious and it's more macro friendly since you use skinless chicken:

http://myindiantaste.com/tandoori-chick ... -marinade/

That actually makes more than enough marinade for a kilo of chicken and I put way less chili powder cause the stuff I use if just pure ground habaneros, a tablespoon would be insane.

[omaniphil]

Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine

Throw a few chicken breasts cut into pieces, a quartered preserved lemon, a few garlic cloves, 1-2 cups of chicken broth, a few handfuls of olives, and then a TBSP each of coriander and cumin, and then a tsp of turmeric and ginger into an instant pot, cook it at pressure for 20 minutes and then let the pressure decrease slowly without releasing the valve. If you want to make it pretty, throw in an entire bunch's worth of chopped coriander at the end. 2-5 minutes of prep, 30-40 minutes cooking time, and it makes a delicious low fat, high protein meal. Serve over rice or couscous.

[OrderInChaos]

...
Grind about 1/4-1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 2 cloves and 8-12 allspice berries...
...

I appreciate this, man. I have at least 6oz of unused cumin seeds, a bunch of cloves, and some other left-field spices thanks to an Arab market in town. Great variety, bulk quantity, no ridiculous Whole Foods/Trader Joe's prices.

Chicken and Preserved Lemon Tagine

Throw a few chicken breasts cut into pieces, a quartered preserved lemon, a few garlic cloves, 1-2 cups of chicken broth, a few handfuls of olives, and then a TBSP each of coriander and cumin, and then a tsp of turmeric and ginger into an instant pot, cook it at pressure for 20 minutes and then let the pressure decrease slowly without releasing the valve. If you want to make it pretty, throw in an entire bunch's worth of chopped coriander at the end. 2-5 minutes of prep, 30-40 minutes cooking time, and it makes a delicious low fat, high protein meal. Serve over rice or couscous.

Quick questions: I've never cooked Maghrebi style outside of a rip-off shakshouka; do you prefer leaving the preserved lemon whole in jar, or do you slice when you pack it in with salt? And whenever coriander's listed in Maghrebi stuff, would you use dry/freeze dried, or whole cilantro/coriander bunch from the produce section?

Bigger one: Is the instant pot worth having in general? I try not to buy one-trick kitchen appliances, but it seems like you could cover a lot of turf and do a lot of one-pot meals with a stovetop pot of rice or other carb this way. I've had less than stellar experiences with rice cookers and slow cookers though, so I'm a bit skeptical. Are there major advantages of the instant pot vs a stovetop pressure cooker?

[omaniphil]

Quick questions: I've never cooked Maghrebi style outside of a rip-off shakshouka; do you prefer leaving the preserved lemon whole in jar, or do you slice when you pack it in with salt? And whenever coriander's listed in Maghrebi stuff, would you use dry/freeze dried, or whole cilantro/coriander bunch from the produce section?

Shakshuka is great too, and is in my biweekly or so rotation. I took a cooking class in Marrakech last year, and they said to make the preserved lemons by cutting them into quarters, but not all the way through, like a flower, and then putting the salt on the inside and then stuff them into the jars. I was using a smaller jar though that couldn't fit a whole lemon in at once, so I just quartered them completely, and stuffed the quarters in one by one and dosed it with salt once I pushed it into the jar. Worked out ok. After a month, they were workable. Great tasting after 2 months.

I used ground coriander, and then the fresh cilantro for the garnish. I also buy as many spices as I can at the local Arabic store for the sake of freshness and cheapness. I literally can't understand why people are willing to pay $6-10 for tiny McCormick's jar or equivalent of a spice, when you can go to your local ethnic store and buy a 1/2 lb bag of cumin, coriander, curry, turmeric etc, for $2-3.

Bigger one: Is the instant pot worth having in general? I try not to buy one-trick kitchen appliances, but it seems like you could cover a lot of turf and do a lot of one-pot meals with a stovetop pot of rice or other carb this way. I've had less than stellar experiences with rice cookers and slow cookers though, so I'm a bit skeptical. Are there major advantages of the instant pot vs a stovetop pressure cooker?

I use mine all the time. Tagines are super easy with it. Great for steel cut oats, cooking red skin potatoes, short ribs, and all sorts of other things. I've completely failed at making rice with it though. I might try yogurt sometime soon. I had a pressure cooker and a slow cooker, and I was able to get rid of both of them. I still have my rice cooker though.

[ch]

Made Chicken Vesuvio last week. Nice and easy one-pan meal. Only missing veggies.

I can’t get the instant pot rice down, either, and with the time it takes to come to pressure, you’re not saving much time vs. the stove.

[OrderInChaos]

Man, stovetop rice (and lentils; but not beans, too much soak time) is so easy, especially white varieties. Brown takes a while to hydrate well. Can't believe my parents never showed me. The Rice Cooker Brand Industry is oversaturated and needs to move their dumb aluminium+heating element contraptions, so a whole generation doesn't even think to use a traditional saucepan on the stove. (I used the hell out of an Aroma in my barracks sans stove and it was a godsend, just being a complainant jackass).

I feel like an instant pot could be really useful for <<Aromatics+Legumes+Meat>> while stove handles the rice and some blanched (or microwave steamed) veg. I just have to talk up my wife on dropping $80-120 right now, haha.

[omaniphil]

Man, stovetop rice (and lentils; but not beans, too much soak time) is so easy, especially white varieties. Brown takes a while to hydrate well. Can't believe my parents never showed me. The Rice Cooker Brand Industry is oversaturated and needs to move their dumb aluminium+heating element contraptions, so a whole generation doesn't even think to use a traditional saucepan on the stove. (I used the hell out of an Aroma in my barracks sans stove and it was a godsend, just being a complainant jackass).

I feel like an instant pot could be really useful for <<Aromatics+Legumes+Meat>> while stove handles the rice and some blanched (or microwave steamed) veg. I just have to talk up my wife on dropping $80-120 right now, haha.

You ever make mujadara? So delicious. Also, I tend to make my rice on the stove top too, even though I have a rice cooker. You asked earlier what the benefits of the instant pot are over a traditional pressure cooker, and I don't think there are many, save the ability to preset how long you want to pressure cook something. I can set something to cook at pressure for 15 minutes, leave the house for an hour, and come back and it will be fine. Thats nice. That's about it though. Oh, well, it can also double as a slow cooker/crockpot and so I can make chili in it, and it will stay warm all day (e.g., at a potluck). It was nice to save room, but there's nothing it does that can't be done with other devices. If you starting out new, and need to save room, it does what several other devices can also do.

[OrderInChaos]

You ever make mujadara?

That looks amazing! Can't wait to burn up some onions for that.

... save the ability to preset how long you want to pressure cook something. I can set something to cook at pressure for 15 minutes, leave the house for an hour, and come back and it will be fine. Thats nice.

Doing overnight and/or intra-shopping stops cooking is for sure convenient. Worth considering, though a good stockpot on low heat can accomplish the following here:

...as a slow cooker/crockpot and so I can make chili in it, and it will stay warm all day (e.g., at a potluck). It was nice to save room, but there's nothing it does that can't be done with other devices.

Separately, I'm not a huge fan of the "low and slow" slow cooker approach except for beans or maybe pulled bork/BBQ Chicken type foods. Seems like the Instant might split the difference, high pressure and heat, but with a keep warm function and some of the "Throw it all in and forget" value. And is a good excuse to buy and use short ribs without having to invoke the dutch oven, ha!

[bugbomb]

I'm looking over my shoulder to make sure @fishwife doesn't see this and shun me, but if I'm making basmati rice, I use a microwave rice cooker from Pampered Chef. Had it for years, it makes great rice with zero hassle. Sushi rice in the Instant Pot is super reliable though.

[bugbomb]

Separately, I'm not a huge fan of the "low and slow" slow cooker approach except for beans or maybe pulled bork/BBQ Chicken type foods. Seems like the Instant might split the difference, high pressure and heat, but with a keep warm function and some of the "Throw it all in and forget" value. And is a good excuse to buy and use short ribs without having to invoke the dutch oven, ha!

I am a huge fan of the Instant Pot, but I absolutely cannot replicate dutch oven short ribs in there. Just doesn't seem to happen. They're *fine*, but in a dutch oven they are significantly better than fine.