With all this time on our hands, many of us are cooking more (and more interesting meals). I’ve got a few yummy recipes that you might be able to prepare with things already in your pantry.
This one is super-tasty. It’s easier than it looks, by the way. Add more seasonings if you like, adapt it so it works for you. I love the taste and the crunch.
Crunchy Ginger Honey Chicken
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts , sliced into 5-6 slices each or the equivalent in chicken tenders
- 2 cups flour (seemed too much, I’d say. use 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- garlic to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder if you have it
- 1 teaspoon paprika if you like it, I don’t
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 eggs
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 tablespoon oil
- oil for frying; I use avocado
- onions chopped fine if you like
Sauce Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 large garlic cloves , crushed; I use 4 frozen cubes
- 1 tablespoon finely diced ginger; I use frozen cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes if you like
- 1/3 cup water
Make the sauce
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 12-15 minutes. It’s done!
Prepare the chicken
- Combine flour, Panko bread crumbs, and seasonings in bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, 3 tablespoon water and 1 1/2 tablespoons oil.
- Dip each piece of chicken in the egg mixture and then the flour. Repeat, to double coat it. Gently press the flour into the chicken so it’s coated. Shake off excess. Place on a wire rack and continue until all chicken is coated.
- Fry chicken in small batches until crispy and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
- Place cooked chicken in a large bowl, pour warm sauce over and toss well to coat.
- Top with finely chopped onions if desired and serve immediately.
Frying in avocado oil is healthier and since it has a higher smoke point than olive oil, less toxins emitted. I learned this from a nutritionist friend.
I like to serve this over broccoli, cauliflower or whole wheat couscous–in the photo I show the three distinct components that include couscous. You can use rice, soba noodles or whatever you enjoy. Even a baked potato. Cook the starch in ginger-miso broth if you have any, for an extra special flavor. Make it a one-dish meal by adding more vegetables. Edamame is a nice addition, since the flavors are Asian. Get creative! and you can back off on the honey for the sauce, as it’s pretty sweet.
Easy Moroccan Chicken or Moroccan Vegetable Main Dish
Right now I crave flavors, the kind found in Moroccan food. Strong and fragrant flavors. Take any Moroccan chicken recipe you like and simply skip the chicken if you are vegetarian. Here’s one I’ve adapted. Add any kind of veg you like, these are just suggestions. I often pre-steam my vegetables, as I do not like them al dente.
- A lb. of boneless, skinless breasts (or skip this if you are vegetarian)
- 6 oz dried apricots
- handful of golden raisins
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 cloves chopped garlic or 2 frozen squares
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger or 3 frozen squares
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- I add a little coriander and nutmeg, too
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1.5 Cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
- 1 Cup canned chickpeas (I skip this, don’t like them)
- 1 sliced zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower or whatever veg you like. I usually pre-steam the veg
- Salt chicken and brown on medium until almost cooked. Set aside.
- Saute onion, garlic, carrots in same pan. When tender, stir in spices, apricot and golden raisins; stir fry for about 1 minute, then mix in broth and tomatoes. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10-12 minutes.
- Add chickpeas if you use them and zucchini to pan and bring to simmer again; cover, cook for about 15 minutes so zucchini is cooked through and tender. If you precooked veg just simmer about 5-10 minutes depending on how tender you like them. Stir in lemon juice and serve.
I love golden raisins and apricots in Moroccan chicken. You can serve this dish over steamed vegetables, couscous, rice, soba noodles–whatever you like.
Hearty, Easy Pasta
If you don’t like to make your own tomato sauce or want a quick and easy dish, use any bottled sauce you like. This dish takes a hearty pasta–like rigatoni or penne. I used trottole. If you are vegan, skip the cheeses.
Ingredients
- 1 chopped onion
- 1 chopped bell pepper, any color.
- 4 sliced carrots, i used rainbow
- 1 head of broccoli
- Also could add zucchini, cauliflower
- 2 cloves chopped garlic or 2 squares of frozen
- black pepper to taste
- small container of ricotta cheese (optional)
- 1 package hearty pasta
- Grated or shaved romano, parmesan, mozzarella cheese
Prepare pasta sauce:
- Saute chopped onion and/or bell pepper.
- Steam vegetables to desired doneness. Add all to pot with red sauce, pepper, garlic. Thicken sauce with a couple big spoonfuls or ricotta cheese and heat through. The ricotta lightens the sauce (see photos)
- Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.
Spoon out pasta, cover with a good amount of vegetable sauce. Sprinkle with grated or shredded cheese and dig in!
This next one is hearty enough that it needs no accompanying sandwich. Unless you are feeding teens, of course. And then again, teens and veg? This might change their minds, it’s that good.
Vegetable Soup
What’s in your fridge? Our grocery stores in the Bay area (California) are low on fresh produce so I try to pick up whatever I can find. You can make this with almost any vegetables. It’s really flavorful and good for you. Add chicken if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 chopped onion
- Zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, sliced/cut up
- 4 sliced carrots
- shredded cabbage
- 4 chopped garlic cloves or 4 squares
- salt and pepper to taste. I like seasoned pepper.
- bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning and any other seasoning you like
- 32 oz or more of vegetable broth
- optional: dash of tabasco
Put everything in a big stock pot and bring to a boil. Simmer uncovered, just under a boil till veg are tender. More than a hour, times will vary. Taste along the way and adjust seasoning. Some people throw in a bit of tabasco. Broth will evaporate so add water along the way to get to desired amount of soup. I like to make a lot and freeze it for ready-made, delicious meals any time..
Quick and Easy Egg & Avocado Muffin
We used whole wheat English m muffins but you can use any bread or roll you have on hand.
Avocados are plentiful in our grocery stores, because they are $2.50 each. But one avocado can go a long way for us.
Toast up your bread. Take a slice or two of avocado out and refrigerate the rest in a zip lock bag.
Cook eggs over easy, scrambled, sunnyside up or even boiled and sliced. Put cooked (and seasoned to taste) eggs on the toasted bread. Top with some avocado and then put the other half of the bread on top (if you like).
Add ham, bacon or Canadian bacon if you choose. This is just an easy way to get a filling, nutritious meal. Very simple!
.So that’s it! Let me know how they turn out. And…. If you’ve got easy recipes that taste great, feel free to share in comments.
