The pressure of another growing season will soon be here so it is a good time to develop a file of easy meals and time-saving techniques. During my work life most family meals have been the “meals in minutes” type, either pulled from the freezer after a weekend of big batch cooking or by using a basic recipe like a standard spaghetti sauce or stew base that can be converted to several different meals.
But there are many other ways to go about saving time in preparing the fresh whole foods that keep your family well nourished.
Read Also
Claims filed in Alberta hailstorm aftermath
The numbers are still coming in for the cost of the damage caused by a huge hail storm that hit various areas of Alberta Aug. 20.
- Stock up with work saving ingredients such as low-fat cream cheeses, grated cheese, poultry parts, herb and spice blends, bread crumbs, crushed graham wafers, frozen tart or pie shells.
- Skip a step in preparation by making cookie sheet cakes instead of individual cookies, fruit loaves instead of muffins.
- Eliminate kneading, rolling and cutting by making drop biscuits or scones.
- Reduce cooking time by making no-bake cookies or top of the stove macaroni and cheese.
- Turn bottled or canned commercial spaghetti sauces into main dishes by adding cooked ground beef or pork.
- Toss cooked pasta with melted margarine or butter seasoned with basil or minced garlic for a meat dish accompaniment.
- Make one-dish meals to save on dish washing.
- Shape ground meat into the same size of meatballs either by using an ice cream scoop or by patting the meat mixture into a 2.5-centimetre (one-inch) thick square, then cutting the mixture into 2.5 cm squares and rolling it into a ball.
- Save time and mess by baking meatballs in the oven rather than frying them. Bake meatballs on a rack in a shallow pan 375 F (190 C) about 20 minutes or until no pink remains.
- Freeze cooked rice for later desserts and main dish accompaniments. Reheat in the microwave. For a two-cup (500 millilitres) portion add two tablespoons (25 mL) water to a microwave-proof bowl, cover with waxed paper and cook on full power about four minutes, stirring once.
- Use your microwave as a handy cooking tool to melt chocolate, make sauces (be sure to use a large Pyrex cup to prevent boil-overs), cook vegetables and reheat planned leftovers.
There is one caution as you try these meals-in-minutes recipes. They require ingredients you may not keep on hand regularly so plan your shopping list. It’s no fun to discover you are short one key ingredient when you are miles from the nearest store. Ask me!
Chicken salsa melt
An easy lunch solution.
1 cup cooked chicken, diced 250 mL
1 cup mushroom slices 250 mL
1Ú3 cup salsa 75 mL
1Ú3 cup low-calorie Thousand 75 mL
Island dressing
green onions, sliced 2
1Ú2 red pepper, finely 1Ú2
chopped
4 English muffins, 4
toasted, or toast or biscuits
4 cheese slices 4
Heat oven to 350 F (180 C). Combine chicken, mushrooms, salsa, dressing, onions and red pepper and mix lightly. Top muffin halves or toast with chicken mixture. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Top with cheese slices. Continue baking until cheese melts. Makes four servings.
Raspberry-vinegar chicken
This recipe is from Six O’clock Solutions, by Eva Johnson. I use my own raspberry vinegar for this, but it’s also available at the supermarket.
2 whole chicken breasts, 2
skinned and halved
salt
1 tablespoon butter 15 mL
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 15 mL
1 tablespoon sugar 15 mL
1Ú4 cup raspberry vinegar 50 mL
Lightly sprinkle chicken breasts with salt. In large heavy frypan, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute five minutes. Turn chicken and add onion, saute five minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Transfer to serving platter and keep warm.
Meanwhile stir sugar into raspberry vinegar and add to frypan. Bring to boil and boil for one minute or until slightly reduced, stirring and scraping brown bits from bottom of frypan. Pour over chicken. Makes four servings.
One-pot goulash
This saves a pot, but for all the time it takes to cook the noodles in another pot, it’s worth it for the presentation. Slice the meat on the bias across the grain while partially frozen. Be sure it is thinly sliced.
1 pound boneless beef round, 500 g
thinly sliced in bite-size strips
1 tablespoon cooking oil 45 mL
1Ú2 cup onion, chopped 125 mL
1 garlic clove, minced 1
1 can (28 oz.) tomatoes, cut up 875 mL
1 cup water 250 mL
1 tablespoon paprika 15 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon thyme 2 mL
1Ú4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
1Ú4 teaspoon pepper 1 mL
3 1Ú2 cups medium noodles 875 mL
2 tablespoons flour 25 mL
1 cup dairy sour cream 250 mL
In a large saucepan cook half the meat in hot oil until browned. Remove from saucepan. Cook remaining meat, onion and garlic until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain off fat. Return all meat to saucepan. Stir in undrained tomatoes, water, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and add noodles a few at a time, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered about 15 minutes or until meat and noodles are tender. Stir flour into sour cream, stir into meat mixture. Cook and stir until thickened. Stir and cook one minute more. Makes four servings.
Jiffy burritos
The ultimate time saver is getting someone else to do it! The kids will enjoy whipping this up.
1 can (14 oz.) refried beans 398 mL
1Ú3 cup salsa 75 mL
4 9-inch (23-cm) whole 4
wheat flour tortillas
1 medium tomato, chopped 1
4 green onions, chopped 4
1 can canned chilies, diced 184 mL
(optional)
1 cup shredded mozzarella 250 mL
cheese
shredded lettuce
light sour cream or low fat yogurt
salsa or taco sauce
Combine beans and salsa and mix well. Spread thinly about 1Ú3 cup (75 mL) bean mixture over each tortilla leaving one inch (2.5 cm) border. Sprinkle tomato, green onions, canned chilies and half the cheese over tortillas. Roll up and place tortillas seam side down in lightly greased baking dish. Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake about five minutes or until heated through and cheese has melted. Serve on a bed of lettuce. Pass yogurt or sour cream and salsa or taco sauce. Makes four servings.
Sloppy Giuseppe
This is from Canadian Living’s Winning Tastes of Beef by Elizabeth Baird. It’s the Italian cousin to the Mexican sloppy joe. Serve with coleslaw and carrot sticks and you’ll have a colorful nutritious meal.
1 pound lean ground beef 500 g
1 medium onion, chopped 1
1Ú2 green pepper, chopped 1Ú2
1 cup mushrooms, sliced 250 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon oregano, dried 2 mL
pinch each, salt and pepper
11Ú2 cups pasta or tomato sauce 375 mL
6 kaiser rolls 6
In a heavy or non-stick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat, breaking up clusters with back of spoon for five minutes or until no longer pink. Add onion, green pepper, mushrooms, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring often for about five minutes or until onion is softened. Stir in pasta sauce, simmer for five minutes. Meanwhile split rolls and toast cut side up under broiler. Spoon beef mixture evenly over buns. Makes six servings.
Pork chops with sweet and sour cabbage
This and the raspberry vinegar chicken recipe are both from Six O’Clock Solutions, Eve Johnson’s cookbook published by the Vancouver Sun. It’s designed for people on the run who have about half an hour to prepare dinner. The trick is to plan your meals ahead so you include the ingredients you need on the grocery shopping list.
3 tablespoons cider vinegar 45 mL
3 tablespoons apple juice 45 mL
2 teaspoons liquid honey 10 mL
1 tablespoon butter 15 mL
1 tablespoon oil 15 mL
1 pound fast-fry pork chops, 500 g
boneless
1 small onion, chopped 1
4 cups green cabbage, shredded 1 L
1Ú2 cup chicken stock 125 mL
2Ú3 teaspoon dried thyme or 3 mL
2 teaspoons (10 mL) fresh, chopped
salt and pepper
In a small bowl, combine vinegar, apple juice and honey and set aside. In a large heavy frypan, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add pork chops and saute for about 31Ú2 minutes or until cooked, turning once. Remove chops and keep warm. Drain off all fat from frypan except about one tablespoon (15 mL). Add onion and saute for three minutes or until just tender. Add cabbage and stock, reduce heat and cook covered for five minutes. Remove cabbage. Add vinegar mixture and thyme to frypan. Bring to boil, stirring and scraping browned bits from bottom of pan. Return cabbage to pan and heat through, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with pork chops. Makes four servings.
