Weeknight Quickies

Meals prepared in 30 minutes or less are all the rage right now. Entire cooking shows and cookbooks are dedicated and catered to the cook on the go. But, its true, regardless of your age or occupation, quick and easy meals are valued during the week. As much as I love to cook, I would rather save my culinary gusto for a weekend evening when time seems less of an essence.
Reflecting back on my week of quick eats, I thought I would share some quick and easy, but also healthy, weeknight meals. Of course quick and easy meals are somewhat dependent upon the season (a fresh salad is always wonderful on a summer evening), but for the warm winter we are experiencing, here are a few easy dishes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less!

Earlier this week I made chili. There is nothing fancy schmancy about my chili. It is a basic recipe that calls for ground beef, chopped onions, chopped garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, about a half of a cup of water, and a packet of chili seasoning. The longest part of this meal’s preparation is dicing the onions and waiting for the meat to brown. I let my chili cook for about 15-20 minutes and serve. I find that chili, on its own is a bit boring. It needs a pairing of some sort.

To make my chili more interesting, while my chili is cooking I grade some Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (buying pre-graded cheese also works and saves time), chopping a bit more onion, slicing an avocado and warming some flour tortillas in the oven. I serve my chili with these garnishes and make chili burritos with my chili. I enjoy a little chili stuffed in a warm tortilla with a little graded cheese, avocado and sour cream. It takes chili to another level - and it is all prepared in under 30 minutes.

Another idea for a weeknight quickie is a stir fry. A stir fry is one of those dishes that can be very minimal or very complex, depending upon your energy level. My stir fries are never prepared in the same manner. This week, I began my stir fry by browning some sliced pork. Although I used pork for this meal, chicken and beef can also be used. I added some onions, garlic, carrots, broccoli and snow peas. I flavor my stir fry with a little teriyaki sauce and hoisin sauce, as well as adding some freshly graded ginger. This meal could also be prepared even more quickly by using prepackaged frozen vegetables. While my stir fry is cooking, I have some rice cooking and with a little luck, both the rice and stir fry are done at the same time. It is a very quick, easy and healthy meal.

Another weeknight quickie is a simple pasta dish with a fresh tomato sauce. A fresh tomato sauce does not have to be slow cooked or labored over. It can simply be some onions, garlic, chopped fresh tomatoes, a bit of white or red wine and some basil, salt and pepper. This entire meal can also be prepared in under 30 minutes.

Hopefully these quick and easy meal ideas will be inspirations for routine weeknight cooking. I also feel better about myself when I can prepare a meal that is quick and easy, rather than relying on my old take-out stand-byes.

Until next time...