Suggest An Easy Meal Idea

[geeza]

bread and water

 

[yer_averagejoe]

student recipe for spag bol:

spaghetti..
chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
garlic
onion
mince
loads of basil

in a bit more detail:

spag bol for 3 - 4 people:

fry about 500g mince in a wok (add oxo cube if you have one) throw in a chopped onion and a couple of chopped garlic cloves. (i use 3 big cloves). 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and a couple of spoons of tomato puree. and seriously a lot of basil.. like a table spoon of it. love the stuff. leave that to reduce down and thicken up while you cook the spaghetti.

its super quick, cheap and easy.. all in all that meal would cost you about... £2.50. And split between three people its not bad at all.

 

[alexakasloth]

For two:

1 chicken breast
1 little gem lettuce
8-10 cherry tomatoes
150g feta cheese
small handfull of pine nuts
(optional) rosemary olive oil (bash up some rosemary and leave it in olive oil - great for salads).

Preheat oven to 200c
Slice the chicken breasts about 1/2 cm - 1cm thick.
Chop toms in half, put in colander/sieve and sprinkle salt over.
Season chicken and put in oven for 15 mins
Tear up gem lettuce and put on a plate, crumble the feta and sprinkle over.
About 2-3 mins before chicken is done place toms and pine nuts of the tray with the chicken.
Take out when the chicken is done (of when the pine nuts have browned, you've got to keep and eye on them).
Place chicken, toms and nuts of plate and drizzle olive oil over.

Having that for dinner tonight.

 

[Megahurtz400]

Get some decent meat for a start, never buy meat from a supermarket, a local butchers is the only option

Especially for chicken and steak, lovely stuff

 

[ThriceNightly]

Get some decent meat for a start, never buy meat from a supermarket, a local butchers is the only option

yep a pork or lamp chop with vegetables is an easy and wholesome meal. my butcher does the cuts in various marinades i.e.

lemon pepper pork chops, minted lamb

yummy

the main thing i notice in quality using my butcher is that the size of the meat going under the grill is the same size coming out after it's cooked i.e. not half the size with a puddle of goo in the tray.

 

[Tomsk]

Breakfast : Spam and eggs

Lunch : Spam sandwich

Dinner : Fried Spam and chips

 

[JodieO]

Add red wine for a good colour to spag bol and tomato puree, let it reduce down on a low heat for an hour or more and it better than cooking it for a shorter time. I cook spag bol quite often and it's always well received

 

[JodieO]

Oh and don't miss breakfast, it's best to eat a low gi breakfast according to an article I read in the New Scientist recently, I'll try to find a link on their website.

 

[Cybermyk]

A tin of sardines mashed onto buttered toast and heated under a grill is a quick and easy lunch.

Try using pitta breads, fill with chicken, mixed salad, sliced onion and tomato.
Add some mayo and chilli relish and you have a basic healthy kebab.

You could use chopped cooked sausages or slices of grilled lamb for the meat.

Salmon fried in a drop of olive oil and butter with salt and pepper is a good alternative to meat. Have it with a cheesy mash and something green like baby spinach leaves.

These all take minutes to cook/prepare (apart from maybe the mash).

BTW I always add a drop of balsamic vinegar to a bolognese sauce.

 

[Haircut]

Get yourself a decent wok, it's probably one the most versatile pieces of cooking equipment you can own.

Agreed.
Another thing I use very regularly is a pan like this:
http://www.circulon.com/cs/Satellit...lon/1165433960476/mProduct/CookwareDetail.htm

You don't have to get one as expensive as this, though the Circulon stuff I have is excellent quality.

You can use it as a frying pan, it takes a lot of liquid so you can use it like a casserole as well.

For lunch today I used it to do a quick balti madras.

Cook some chicken pieces in a bit of oil with a chopped onion.
Make a sauce with:
half a tin of chopped tomatoes.
1 garlic clove
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp lemon juice
pinch of fenugreek powder and a few fennel seeds (Can leave these out if you don't have them, but they really add to the flavour)
Add water to thin the sauce down a bit and pour over the chicken.
Add salt to taste and serve once the chicken is cooked.

Have that with some rice and it's an easy, tasty meal.

 

[pitchfork]

Trust me pepperoni and black olive homous paninis!
I invented them today, lovely.

 

[scousey]

Those bags of ready cooked rice for putting in the microwave stirfry really well. (Uncle Ben's basmati is just right)

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the wok, crack a couple of eggs in a cup and whisk a little. pour into the wok and scramble. Once the egg is firming up drop in the rice and stir well ... a small amount of soy sauce wiill add flavour and colour. Stirfry for about 3 mins...drop a few frozen peas on top, just before you serve, and you have a great egg fried rice in about 7 minutes.

Mmme

 

[Jambo]

That kind of comment makes me really think i dont want to help. I honestly cant stand picky eaters. There are so, so many varieties of vegetables - to say that you 'dont like vegetables' is daft. Go here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetables and go through the list or something. There are so many different flavours, textures, colours, smells to try.

Well that's your prerogative but it's not a conscious choice I'm afraid. I wish I did like vegetables. For obvious health reason but also because it can be embarrassing when someone has made you a meal and you have to shift all the veg to the side, sometimes a mammoth task. Just because you like something doesn't mean everyone should. I can eat potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, carrots and mushrooms but I wouldn't say I like them and it is a fairly limited range. Obviously there might be the odd few that I can eat but in general I don't like the majority of 'mainstream' vegetables.

You are right that it shouldn't stop me cooking but it does limit things hugely.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

 

[JodieO]

Well that's your prerogative but it's not a conscious choice I'm afraid. I wish I did like vegetables. For obvious health reason but also because it can be embarrassing when someone has made you a meal and you have to shift all the veg to the side, sometimes a mammoth task. Just because you like something doesn't mean everyone should. I can eat potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, carrots and mushrooms but I wouldn't say I like them and it is a fairly limited range. Obviously there might be the odd few that I can eat but in general I don't like the majority of 'mainstream' vegetables.

You are right that it shouldn't stop me cooking but it does limit things hugely.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

Do you steam the vegetables? They taste hugely different that way and far nicer imo.

 

[Jambo]

Do you steam the vegetables? They taste hugely different that way and far nicer imo.

I've had some steamed vegetables before and I think they were a bit more edible. I should maybe try getting 'steaming' again.

My least favourite vegetable is onion and it is such a damn common one.

 

[Tefal]

EDIT:Exactly. If you're just cooking for yourself you really cant go wrong. The only time you feel a bit of pressure is when you're cooking for family/friends/girlfriend etc.. so if it's just you on your own - go for it!

Thats true while trying to get steak right, i got a few very think ones in an under did them a few times (Very undercooked), it's quite odd how the taste of raw meat grows on you.

 

[JodieO]

I've had some steamed vegetables before and I think they were a bit more edible. I should maybe try getting 'steaming' again.

My least favourite vegetable is onion and it is such a damn common one.

I don't like big onions in meals so I cut them small as they do add to the overall flavour.

I would really recommend a steamer as you might find you like more vegetables than you thought and remember that your tastes will change over time so keep trying them I'm used to not eat many vegetables but I eat a lot more these days. I have a great recipe for pasta with garlic and brocolli (it's also with meat but I omit that) that tastes really nice.

 

[Tefal]

I can eat potatoes, cucumber, lettuce, carrots and mushrooms but I wouldn't say I like them and it is a fairly limited range. Obviously there might be the odd few that I can eat but in general I don't like the majority of 'mainstream' vegetables.

You are right that it shouldn't stop me cooking but it does limit things hugely.

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice.

Do you like tomatoes in sauce?

I have a great recipe for pasta with garlic and brocolli (it's also with meat but I omit that) that tastes really nice.

Post it up

*with meat though please

 

[semi-pro waster]

My least favourite vegetable is onion and it is such a damn common one.

That is rather unfortunate, it is such a versatile vegetable and goes well with so much.

I'd probably suggest picking up some sort of book aimed at cooking for students, the receipes are designed to be simple and usually quick to make.

 

[Jambo]

Do you like tomatoes in sauce?

Afraid not. Tomato paste on a pizza is my limit. Or ketchup.