Archive for the ‘Quick and Easy Meals’ Category
Quickest Vegetable Soup Recipe
April 16th, 2011 | 
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This is the quickest vegetable soup recipe that I know. It is delicious and low in fat, yet very fast and easy to make. Most soups take a lot of time to make and usually you wind up making enough to feed a small army. You can make a half-batch of this recipe if you like (all the photos I shot were a half-batch).
So with this recipe you can make it fast plus you can make it in small batches. Those are two big plus points … and another plus is that it is healthy! We try to use all organic ingredients – organic broth, organic basil and oregano, organic carrots, green beans and cabbage.
The secret to this recipe is that you start with vegetable broth and beef broth. They come in handy 32-oz containers. That’s what saves the time. We only use organic broths because we want to make sure they are healthy to begin with. You simply add in fresh vegetables. It only takes a few minutes to chop them. Using fresh vegetables always ensures you’re getting good food. That’s important. ... Read More
Homemade Tikka Masala Sauce
Tikka masala is a mild curry sauce that you can use for simmering meat like chicken or turkey. Making chicken or turkey tikka masala is easy and convenient when you buy the tikka masala simmer sauce in a jar, because all you have to do is sear the meat, then add the simmer sauce and cook for about 7 or 8 minutes.
Tikka masala sauce in a jar usually contains heavy cream. With this recipe you can make your own homemade sauce and you can still use heavy cream or plain yogurt as a substitute. You can also use a cooking fat like butter or coconut oil to properly sauté the onions and to get the right flavor of the curry. ... Read More
Posted in Curry Recipes, Heart Healthy Recipes, Indian Cooking, Quick and Easy Meals | 
Tags: Tikka Masala | 
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Wakame Salad
This is a quick and easy recipe for wakame salad that is very healthy. You will need some dried wakame flakes, raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar with the “Mother” and raw honey – all available from a health food store. Two brands of apple cider vinegar I have tried are Braggs and Solana Gold. Raw honey is available in many brands. I was able to buy all the ingredients from Whole Foods Market here in Southern California.
It takes about 30 minutes to make wakame salad. Start by placing the contents of a 30-gram packet of dried wakame flakes in a bowl. Add water to rehydrate the wakame and then set aside. Next, slice a cucumber and spread the slices on a cutting board and salt them. Allow the salted cucumber slices to set for 20 minutes. Mix the honey and the apple cider vinegar in a small bowl. Stir to completely dissolve the honey. ... Read More
Posted in Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Quick and Easy Meals, Salads |
Tags: Wakame Salad |
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Quick and Easy Broiled Salmon
This is a quick and easy recipe that you can make in about 10-15 minutes. I like Alaskan Wild Salmon because it isn’t farm-raised. We are able to get ours from Trader Joe’s here in Southern California.
Typically, a 1 to 1 1/2 lb package will make about 3-4 servings. We like to serve it with brown rice and sliced vegetables or with a green salad. This meal is made from good, whole, natural foods.
Ingredients:
- 1 – 1 1/2 lbs Wild Alaskan Salmon
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Lemon slice
Cut salmon into small slices and place in a shallow foil-lined pan. Cutting salmon into small slices will make slightly crispy edges and good texture. Sprinkle with parika and garlic powder. Broil on high for about 10 minutes. When salmon is cooked, remove from broiler and fold the foil over to enclose the cooked salmon and allow it to steam for about 5 minutes to make it tender and juicy. Cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. Garnish with lemon slice.
Shown below is a photo of the package of salmon on a cutting board. This is just over 1 lb. We like Wild Alaskan Salmon.
Cut the salmon into small slices for slightly crispy edges and a nice texture.
Place in a foil-lined pan and sprinkle with paprika and garlic powder.
Broil on high for about 10 minutes … cooking time will vary according to the thickness of the salmon. Folding the foil over to completely enclose the salmon and allowing to steam for about 5 minutes will help make it more tender and juicy.
Serve with green salad or sliced vegetables or brown rice. Shown below with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes with a little brown rice.
Posted in Core Foods, Healthy Meals, Heart Healthy Recipes, Quick and Easy Meals |
Tags: Broiled Salmon |
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Portobello Mushrooms with White Wine
Portobello mushrooms are very popular and readily available in most local grocery stores and supermarkets. They are high in niacin, potassium and selenium. This is a delicious recipe that you can make very quickly and easily. It is cooked with white wine. You can make a non-alcoholic version simply by substituting the juice from 1/2 lime plus about 1 tablespoon of water instead of the white wine. The wine I used in this particular recipe was very inexpensive (Charles Shaw – also known as "Two Buck Chuck").
This is a good side dish and goes well with fish or meat as the main dish. They will make an excellent meal when served with steak, lamb or fish along with a tossed green salad or sliced tomatoes.
Ingredients:
- 4 Portobello mushrooms
- 1 lg onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt
Cut Portobello mushrooms into 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cubes. Chop the onion. Chop garlic cloves and place in frying pan. Sauté over a medium heat until garlic begins to look toasty. Add olive oil and turn heat down. Continue to sauté until garlic is soft and light brown in color, then add chopped vegetables to the pan. Salt to taste, then add white wine. Vegetables will be done when soft and brown.
Alternately: Use juice from 1/2 lime plus about 1 tbsp of water in place of the white wine.
Shown below is a photo of the ingredients: One large yellow onion, four portobello mushrooms and six cloves of garlic.
First, chop the garlic … not too fine and definitely not minced.
Slice each mushroom into 3/4 inch slices.
Cutting crosswise, make additional 3/4 inch slices to make 3/4 inch cubes.
Then chop the onions.
Add the chopped garlic to the pan and sauté the garlic over a medium flame.
Add a tablespoon of olive oil and continue to sauté the garlic until it is soft and light brown in color.
Next, add the cubed mushrooms.
Then add the chopped onions, followed by the white wine.
Continue cooking for about 8 to 10 minutes.
Continue cooking until all the vegetables are soft and brown.
Serve immediately.
Instant Brown Rice Curry
If you like brown rice and if you like curry dishes, then you can spice up a bowl of plain brown rice with a little curry powder and a dash of salt. It’s just a simple thing you can do to add a little variety.
Instant Brown Rice Curry
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1/4 tsp curry powder
- Dash salt
Add 1 cup cooked brown rice to bowl, then mix 1/4 tsp. curry powder and a dash of salt. Serve while hot.
Add a cup of fresh, cooked brown rice to a bowl and mix in 1/4 tsp of curry powder and a dash of salt. This is very quick and easy. If you like curry dishes, you should like this.
Quick and Easy Veggie Soup
This is a quick and easy recipe for veggie soup that is also inexpensive and very healthy. This recipe makes enough to feed a small army or a large family (10 to 12 hefty servings). You can serve it "as-is" or you can add 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup cooked, diced turkey or chicken to the finished bowl.
It takes an hour and 20 minutes to cook, and total preparation time is about 15 to 20 to minutes. You can set a timer and go off and do something else while it is cooking. This is a very delicious soup and is sure to be a hit with family and company.
Veggie Soup Ingredients:
- 1 lb carrots
- 1/2 lb celery
- 1 large onion
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 10 cups water
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- *1 1/2 tsp salt (if using low sodium boillon)
Directions:
Add water to a 1 gallon pot and place on stove and turn up flame to get water boiling. In the meantime, chop the carrots, celery and onion. When the water starts to boil, add the bouillon cubes. The directions for bouillon cubes usually state 1 cube per cup of water but for this recipe we want a little less than half the concentration because the vegetables supply a lot of the flavor.
Allow water to boil until bouillon is completely dissolved. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the bouillon cubes, if necessary. Then add chopped vegetables, salt and pepper.
*Note: Be careful not to use too much salt. The amount of salt depends on whether you are using low sodium or regular bouillon cubes. Regular bouillon cubes are very salty. Taste first before adding any salt. In this example, I am using low sodium bouillon cubes. Adding 1-1/2 tsp of salt in this case will make it slightly under-salted, but not too bland.
Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce flame, cover and simmer for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot. Add cooked, diced chicken or turkey into the bowl to add protein and make more filling.
Shown below is a shot of all the ingredients. Very basic: carrots, celery and onion, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper.
Add water to a pot, then turn on the flame to bring water to a boil. While the water is heating, chop the veggies. I usually start with the celery, then the carrots and finally I chop the onion. Below is a shot of all the chopped vegetables, ready to go. By this time the water is starting to boil…
Add the bouillon cubes to the boiling water. Use a wooden spoon if necessary to help break them up. When the bouillon is completely dissolved, add the chopped veggies, salt and pepper (see note above regarding salt).
Bring the mixture back to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Cover and cook for about 1 hour and 20 minutes. You can set a timer and go off and do something else. Stir occasionally. If some of the water is lost during cooking, you can add it back at the end of the cooking time.
Use a soup ladle and serve hot. Optionally, add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup cooked, diced chicken or turkey to the bowl for a more filling meal. Store excess in 2 qt Mason jars in the refrigerator for later.
Ground Beef with Mushrooms and Onions
This is a very simple recipe with a lot of possibilities. It can be prepared fairly quickly and easily (about 10 – 15 minutes). This dish can given a completely different character by using the various seasoning options.
I like the basic garlic and oregano version, but the other two seasoning options are equally good. One of the unusual ways to season this dish is to use toasted onions. Toasted onions used to be available in most stores in the spice section, but lately I haven’t seen them. You will have to find them either at a store that offers imported foods or you will have to obtain them online. You can add them dry after cooking or you can add them during cooking. I prefer to add them during cooking.
The third seasoning option is to use a little toasted sesame oil during cooking. Toasted sesame oil is available at most health food stores.
Ground Beef with Mushrooms and Onions
- 1 lb Ground beef
- 10 oz Sliced mushrooms
- 1 Medium onion
- Seasoning
Divide the ground beef into 4 parts and make 4 patties. Grill the patties until done. Chop the onion and add to a frying pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes over a medium flame. Add seasoning while cooking. Top each patty with a portion of the cooked mushrooms and onions.
Seasoning Options (choose one from the following):
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder (or granulated garlic) and oregano
- Salt plus toasted onions (chopped/minced)
- Salt, pepper and toasted sesame oil
First, divide the pound of ground beef into 4 patties, then grill them.
While the meat is cooking, chop the onion and add the chopped onions to a frying pan. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 10 minutes or until done. Season the vegetables while they are cooking using one of the seasoning options.
Top each beef patty with the cooked and seasoned vegetables. Serve hot.
