Your “Go To” Weekday Recipes
Decatur Metro | July 16, 2012I’ve discovered some great recipes as the result of previous posts in the past (mixed drinks, soup), so I’m going to put out another call.
What are your favorite go-to weekday recipes? Basically looking for anything that you prepare regularly that takes around 30-40 minutes or less from fridge to table.
Looking to shake things up a bit. Thanks in advance!
A very simple summer treat: watermelon balls or cubes, feta cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Basil is a nice addition to it.
Yum. And I think I have it all in my fridge right now!
I made this last Friday! My version included fresh mint and Kalamata olives, and I piled it on top of some arugula. So very tasty. I got the idea from Mark Bittman’s 101 Summer Salads, which I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I printed out to keep in my purse for grocery store inspiration: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22mlist.html
Diced Garden Tomatoes
Cubed Fresh Mozzarella
Chiffonaded Basil
Drizzled Olive Oil
Pinched Salt
Dashed Pepper
Cooked and Drained Pasta
Tossed and Plated or Bowled
This is so good. Have made it a couple of times already this summer. A great staple!
+2!
I make this same dish but also add capers.
I also add capers, and a jar of roasted red peppers. You can also simmer a few heads of garlic in some olive oil, then store that for a dressing for this salad, and it’s very yummy.
I got a tip from Cooks Illustrated: stick the cut up mozzarella in the freezer for 10 minutes. It keeps it from melting and getting stringy in the pasta. Also, I like to add some lemon juice or vinegar for some extra acidity.
Nigella Lawson’s Lemon Rosemary Chicken. Recipe calls for a butterflied chicken, but any pieces will do just fine. I use lemon olive oil whenever I’ve got it. http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?t=44090
Put it in the fridge the night before or in the morning (10 minutes, tops) and all you have to do is roast it in the evening.
Honey lime chicken enchiladas!
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound chicken, cooked and shredded
8-10 flour tortillas, (I use the soft taco tortillas because they fit perfectly in the pan)
1 pound monterey jack cheese, shredded
2 cups green enchilada sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the honey (their tip: spray your measuring spoon with cooking spray before measuring out the honey), lime juice, chili powder and garlic powder together and toss with the shredded chicken. Let it marinate for at least 1/2 hour (or toss together in a Ziploc bag and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours).
Spray a 9X13 pan and a 9X9 pan with cooking spray. Pour enough enchilada sauce on the bottom of each baking pan to create a thin layer on the bottom. Fill flour tortillas with chicken and a generous amount of shredded cheese, saving about 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top of enchiladas.
Mix the remaining enchilada sauce with the cream and leftover chicken marinade (you might not need to use all of the enchilada sauce depending on how saucy you like yours). Pour sauce on top of the enchiladas and top with reserved cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until brown and crispy on top. I served mine with sour cream, pico de gallo, cilantro lime rice and black beans.
Buy raw dough ball from Fellini’s. Top with whatever you want. Bake. VOILA.
You can buy raw dough from them?! You just made my day!
+1
Publix sells pizza dough balls in their bakery section as well. Very good.
Here is a good pizza recipe (a tribute to the late Rocky’s Brick Oven Pizzeria) A pizza stone makes this authentic…
INGREDIENTS
1 ball Pizza Dough
4 oz. Pesto
4 oz. shredded Mozzarella
4 oz. Gorgonzola crumbles
1 Medium Red Onion sliced
5 oz. roasted chicken (like Perdue Quick Cuts Italian seasoned)
Preheat oven (with stone or use a pizza pan) to 500 degrees
Stretch/roll out crust (12 inches) and spread pesto all over
Top with red onion slices and chicken
Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over top
If using stone, slide pizza onto stone with peel or inverted pizza pan
Bake at 500 degrees for approx. 8 minutes
Enjoy!
Great info. I’ve actually become pretty adept at making my own dough. It is quite easy – and forgiving! – once you get the hang of it. That said, I noticed just yesterday that a sign outside Sapori di Napoli was saying they also sell dough and fresh bread daily. Who knew? Not me.
That said, I’m always looking for new topping suggestions. Will have to try this one out! In fact, I just bought some pesto this weekend…
stretch dough out as normal, brush on some olive oil and throw it on the grill (without toppings); grill until brown on each side; put toppings on; grill just long enough to melt cheese
so good, so easy, doesn’t heat up the kitchen, easy cleanup
Oh man, I know a 2-year old that wouldn’t have any qualms with that recipe!
Learned about the bread at Sapori di Napoli last week. Great stuff.
Don’t tell ANYONE.
+1
Sapori uses 00 flour which requires extremely high heat to get decent results. Unless you have a wood fired oven in your backyard, you are probably better off making your own dough from all purpose flour.
The Sapori bread is quite tasty, lets try to keep it our secret.
Sapori is closed for two weeks for remodeling.
I’m game.
Pasta Pomodoro
Makes 6 servings
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
1-pound penne pasta
1/2-cup virgin olive oil
1/4-cup chopped garlic
4 cups fresh-diced tomatoes
1-1/2 cups tomato basil sauce (homemade or store-bought)
1/4-cup chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 cups fresh whole mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
Cook pasta according to package directions until just done. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Add garlic, tomatoes, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato sauce and basil and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
Add cooked penne and return to a simmer. Add the fresh mozzarella and toss with pasta until the cheese begins to melt. Season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.
Note: If there is a desire for meat, sauté a salami of choice in the pan with the garlic and tomato. Or bacon – you can never have too much bacon!
You can also finish the plates with freshly grated Parm. or Romano – the real stuff, NOT KRAFT!
– Enjoy
Turkey Tacos with a Twist (originally from a cooking light cookbook)
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 1.25 oz package 40% less salt taco seasoning mix or homemade seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup green onions sliced (about 3 onions)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 flour tortillas soft taco sized
4 teaspoons fresh cilantro chopped
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup lettuce thinly sliced
Directions
Cook turkey in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 7 to 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.
Stir in taco seasoning and next 5 ingredients, cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 2 minutes.
Uncover and simmer 5 minutes or until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally.
Spoon turkey mixture evenly down centers of tortillas. Top each with 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro, 1 Tablespoon sour cream, and 2 tablespoons lettuce.
Roll up and serve immediately. Great with home-made sweet potato fries.
Sounds delicious! I would also suggest that if you add the sweet potato fries, mix up some easy chipotle ketchup. Equal parts of tomato ketchup and honey barbecue sauce with chipotle powder added in to taste. A great complement to the fries. In fact, Harbor Bar’s sweet potato fries are very good but they lack a dipping sauce like this to finish the deal. Next time I go there I plan to bring my own.
Beef w Oyster Sauce
Slice beef thin as you can (I freeze for about an hr before I slice)
Marinate in 1 T Xiao Xing wine (sherry if you dont want to go the oriental market), 1 T soy sauce, 1 t sesame oil and 2 t corn starch for about 15-20 mins
Cook in a super hot wok. Drain into colander, wipe out wok, add 4 T good oyster sauce and let it bubble for 15 secs or so. Add beef back into sauce and throw in 1 or two thinly sliced green onions. Serve over your favorite rice.
Our weekly go to dinner when time is not on our side.
Step one: Microwave sweet potato after you stab it a couple of times. (8-12 minutes depending on the size, flip 1/2 way) Let it sit and steam on its self until time to eat. While this cooks go to step two.
Step two: Broil fish in toaster oven for 20 minutes after spraying it with olive oil and sprinkling spices on it. (Toaster oven temps and fish thickness my vary, cook until it flakes.) While fish and potato cook go to step three.
Step three: cut up fresh veggies and serve with hummus
I usually prepare enough for three days in a row so all I have to do is reheat it and we can have dinner in 5 minutes.
Cold sesame noodles:
1 8-oz. pkg of whatever noodles you like (we prefer soba)
1 clove garlic, minced fine
3 green onions w/ stalks, chopped, w/ stalks reserved
1 & 1/2 Tbsp sunbutter
1 & 1/2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (natural works best– no sugar in it)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp peanut oil
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
3 Tbsp of toasted sesame seeds
Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente; drain & rinse under very cold water immediately, set aside (in fridge, if you’re in a hurry). Heat sesame & peanut oils together in a large skillet, toss in garlic & white parts of green onions, cook just till beginning to brown. Toss in sesame seeds, chili flakes, and nut butters, then stir briskly over heat till butters are liquid, & all ingredients are fully mixed. Pour sauce over cold noodles, toss in salt, & mix well. They’re very good at room temperature, but if you prefer them colder, refrigerate for an hour, then garnish with the green parts of the onions & serve alone or with your protein of choice. (Really– this goes well with just about everything– especially shrimp!)
Tuscan Pork Kebabs:
1-1/2 lb pork tenderloin cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
zest of one lemon
1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
glug of olive oil
red, yellow, or orange pepper (or all three), cut into largish pieces
Put all ingredients (except peppers) in bowl or gallon plastic bag, tossing to coat evenly. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Alternate pork chunks with peppers on skewers, and grill until done. The taste is delicate, savory and all Tuscany. Serve with wilted spinach dressed with fresh lemon juice.
All of these things can be prepared and enjoyed in under 30 minutes:
Las Brasas
Fellini’s
Figo
Publix sandwich bar (boar’s head only, obv)
Willy’s
Mediterranean Grill
Community Q
I don’t know. The Community Q line can get pretty long.
Call ahead. They’ll have your order waiting for you when you arrive.
You pay the extra for the Boar’s Head? Damn, P.T. Barnum may have had a point after all!
Also, you forgot McDonald’s, at least when the McRib is available…
Chicken Chili
A package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 jars of green chile salsa
tortilla chips
sour cream
crumbly queso fresco
chopped onions
Put chicken and salsa in crock pot, cook all day. Come home, shred chicken with two forks. Crumble a few handfuls of tortilla chips into chicken, cook for about an hour more. Serve with cheese, sour cream, onions, any combo of those. I know it’s not a 20 minute recipe, but I use my crock pot all the time as a working mom. This is so easy, and my whole family loves it.
Dirty Rice
Onion(s), chopped
Garlic, chopped (or garlic powder. We’re starving, right?)
Olive oil
Ground beef (or turkey or leftover chicken or pork, chopped)
Worcestershire sauce
Tomatoes, mushrooms, red or green peppers, parsley, fennel or whatever you’ve got hanging around in the refrigerator.
Rice
Start cooking rice. Brown onion and garlic in olive oil, add meat and season with salt, pepper, Worchestershire. Once cooked (or heated through if you’re using leftovers), add the rest of the whatever and cook until it smells good and looks done. Add the rice to the whatever or if your skillet is too small, add the whatever to the rice. Mix and eat. Don’t drain the meat unless you use something really fatty, like ground chuck. The grease makes it good.
One of my favorites:
Simmer 1 cup of rinsed quinoa in water or chicken/veggie broth for 10-15 minutes, until it’s cooked and you can see the little “quinoa rings” separating from the grains. When it’s done, add half a can of drained black beans (I use Trader Joe’s Cuban Style black beans, which include some chili peppers and seasoning…) and half a can of drained tomatoes (the “fire roasted” kind are great!).
Fry an egg. I like ‘em over-easy, but do as you prefer.
Scoop out a bowl of the quinoa. Lay the egg on top. Add a spoonful of your favorite salsa, and maybe some chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and/or crumbled queso fresco if you’ve got any of those. It’s sort of like huevos rancheros, but with quinoa.
All the main ingredients are stashed in my pantry/fridge at all times, so it’s a great, tasty dinner of last resort, and I can have it ready in under 20 minutes.
I only came up with this a few weeks ago, but it has joined my list of go-to recipes. It’s cheap, easy, and no one else in the family wants to eat it (except the dog, and he gets a lot from the leavings), so it’s a win-win for me.
On taco night, I make my usual bunch of toppings (fresh tomato salsa, onion salsa, guacamole, fresh vegetables, chipotle beef…), and MY topping:
Ingredients:
A bunch of cut marrow bones
Salt
Pepper
Put the bones on a piece of parchment paper in a pyrex backing dish. Salt and pepper the tops. Put under the broiler for 6-10 minutes.
I use a lobster fork to scoop out the marrow. On a taco with fresh cilantro & lime juice, it’s meatbloodlicious. After clearing the table, I rinse the grease off the bones and put them in the freezer. When I want to see the dog get so happy that his entire butt wags with excitement, I’ll give him one of these.
My dogs want to know where you live.
So many great recipes! Thanks everyone. There are a ton here that I want to try!
This takes about 10 minutes from start to finish and costs about $6.50 from the little Kroger.
Buy a package of fresh Bertolli beef & sausage or mushroom raviolo and one can of Del Monte Italian style stewed tomatoes.
1. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil (I used herbs de provence infused) in a stainless steel pan. Open the can of tomatoes and drain off excess liquid.
2. Lightly fry the ravioli until they’re a light golden brown.
3. Remove the ravioli and place them on a warm plate or bowl
4. Drain excess oil if necessary and add the can of tomatoes (there will be spitage)
5. Add 1/2 tsp or so of herbs de provence (you can get it a YDFM) and saute the tomatoes for several minutes
6. Top the ravioli with the tomatoes, and shred some Parmesan cheese on top
I’ve made this about once a week for the last year or so.
Two current favorites…
Chicken Burgers with Tzatziki
This was dinner tonight. It doesn’t look fast but from opening the package of chicken to eating was 24 minutes total.
• 1 package ground chicken (about 1 pound; breast only or white and dark meat – your choice)
• 1-2 handfuls spinach leaves (if large, roughly chop the spinach)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 lemon (Optional)
• Salt
• Black pepper
Put the ground chicken in a bowl. Throw the spinach in. Grate 1 clove of garlic into the bowl. Squeeze the juice of about 1/2 of a lemon if you want. Salt and Pepper too if desired. Mix all together and form patties. It will be easier if you coat your hands with a little olive oil – keeps the chicken from sticking. Grill (brush the grill with a little oil too). Serve with or without buns and with Tzatziki sauce.
Tzatziki
• 2/3 Cup plain greek yogurt (I use Fage 2%)
• 1/3 Cup sour cream (I used the reduced fat)
• 1 small cucumber, grated or finely chopped (peel and seed if you are inclined)
• Garlic, minced to taste
• Dill (2 tbsp fresh) chopped
• Lemon juice (about /2 lemon squeezed)
• Salt and pepper to taste.
Mix and serve with burgers
Chicken and Fig Skewers
These do require a little prep to marinate but do in the AM, go to work, pull out of the fridge and eat in 15 minutes.
Chicken (breast, thigh, whatever you prefer)
Figs (black or golden)
Equal parts Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil
Garlic, grated or minced
Measurements vary but this is very forgiving. I’ll cook 4 boneless thighs and 2 boneless breasts, using 1/2 C each balsamic and olive oil and 1 clove garlic to give you an idea.
- Use kitchen sheers and cut the chicken into 1-2 inch pieces
- If figs are large, chop into bite size pieces
- Place the chicken, figs, vinegar, olive oil and garlic into a Ziploc bag.
- Marinate in refrigerator at least 1 hour, up to 8-10 hours.
- Remove from marinade, skewer and grill until chicken is cooked through.
- This is great over rice or over a salad.
This whole thread has to be pinned somewhere on this blog where 1) commenters can add recipes indefinitely and 2) I can easily retrieve it when I either have no time to spare in the kitchen or I’m in the grocery store with my smartphone and have to quickly find ingredients for that night’s dinner!
My only problem with this thread is that I keep getting hungry.