Simple recipes for the best home cooking
October 27, 2022 10:44 AM Subscribe
Inspired by Easy Bake Battle, I'd like to become a better cook again. Difficulty level: clingy toddler (I'll try to work around this)/needs to be lower in sodium/needs to avoid some ingredients due to allergies. Is it even possible? I don't know.
Requirements:
* Hoping for so something relatively simple but still wows with flavour 😅
* lowish in sodium
* Cannot rely on cheese. My son is allergic to dairy but ghee is fine. Milk, cream, sour cream, yoghurt are easy enough to replace. But if the recipe relies on any form of cheese, it won't work for us.
* Any other nuts in the recipe must be able to be subbed for almond
* Cannot rely on sesame, pea, lentil or chickpea as we need to avoid these
* Preference for chicken, but any meat goes really. I am just trying to eat less red meat.
Apart from needing to avoid a few foods due to allergies, we eat everything.
Oh and we have most methods of cooking available to us (oven, stove, instant pot, microwave).
Thank you
Requirements:
* Hoping for so something relatively simple but still wows with flavour 😅
* lowish in sodium
* Cannot rely on cheese. My son is allergic to dairy but ghee is fine. Milk, cream, sour cream, yoghurt are easy enough to replace. But if the recipe relies on any form of cheese, it won't work for us.
* Any other nuts in the recipe must be able to be subbed for almond
* Cannot rely on sesame, pea, lentil or chickpea as we need to avoid these
* Preference for chicken, but any meat goes really. I am just trying to eat less red meat.
Apart from needing to avoid a few foods due to allergies, we eat everything.
Oh and we have most methods of cooking available to us (oven, stove, instant pot, microwave).
Thank you
Best one pot recipe I know is Morrocan Lamb Tagine. It is easy yet very impressive. I make it for dinner parties and people rave about it. Very popular with kids as well.
The best way to become a better cook (other than practicing, of course) is to learn about methods and ingredients. I suggest buying a copy of Joy of Cooking and reading all the little informative sections. It has really well done illustrations.
posted by ananci at 11:35 AM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
The best way to become a better cook (other than practicing, of course) is to learn about methods and ingredients. I suggest buying a copy of Joy of Cooking and reading all the little informative sections. It has really well done illustrations.
posted by ananci at 11:35 AM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Marinated chicken breast is one of my go-to meals. It's super easy to prepare, and there are infinite varieties of marinade. You might have to make your own marinades because of the sodium, but that's not hard. Best on the grill, but you can just throw it in the oven for a half hour as well. If you do that, roast some veggies as well (toss them in the ghee - cool deeper flavor than oil), and serve it all with rice. Easy, healthy, tasty meal.
I really like sauteed chicken with a pan sauce. After you've cooked the chicken, throw some garlic or shallots in the pan to soften, then deglaze with a thin liquid (wine, broth, I like lemon juice) and then mix in a thicker liquid. My preference is for cream, but there are plenty of non-dairy options as well. I've used tomato paste to good effect before, and one of my favorites is a HelloFresh recipe that uses mustard. You generally get a pretty rich sauce, and it's good for dipping veggies in. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just buy a steamer bag of broccoli, microwave that, and then drizzle some pan sauce over it to jazz it up. I generally find the Binging with Babish Youtube channel a little cloying, but he has a good video about pan sauces and how to combine ingredients.
posted by kevinbelt at 11:43 AM on October 27, 2022
I really like sauteed chicken with a pan sauce. After you've cooked the chicken, throw some garlic or shallots in the pan to soften, then deglaze with a thin liquid (wine, broth, I like lemon juice) and then mix in a thicker liquid. My preference is for cream, but there are plenty of non-dairy options as well. I've used tomato paste to good effect before, and one of my favorites is a HelloFresh recipe that uses mustard. You generally get a pretty rich sauce, and it's good for dipping veggies in. If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just buy a steamer bag of broccoli, microwave that, and then drizzle some pan sauce over it to jazz it up. I generally find the Binging with Babish Youtube channel a little cloying, but he has a good video about pan sauces and how to combine ingredients.
posted by kevinbelt at 11:43 AM on October 27, 2022
You can make any of the typical veal scallopini dishes using pounded chicken breast cutlets. Parm, marsala, picatta, saltimboca, cordonbleu, etc.
The recipes on Hello Fresh's site might work for you -- they're meant to be very approachable. Don't be tempted into ordering from them though, the food cost is insane for what you get.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:59 AM on October 27, 2022
The recipes on Hello Fresh's site might work for you -- they're meant to be very approachable. Don't be tempted into ordering from them though, the food cost is insane for what you get.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:59 AM on October 27, 2022
I make a vegetarian chili that my family loves, is dead easy to make, and is very cheap. It takes time to cook but very little of it is active time so you can make it while doing other things:
2-3 tbsp oil
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables/mirepoix (onions, celery, carrot)
1tbsp taco seasoning to taste
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans beans, whatever kind you want or even cans of mixed beans. I don't drain the cans.
In a large pot (I use a cast iron dutch oven) heat the oil and frozen vegetables at medium high for 5-10 minutes. You'll have to stir it a couple of times during this period but you don't need to be over the stove the whole time.
If you wanted to add some ground meat this would be the time to do it.
After the veggies are cooked enough add in the taco seasoning and let it cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in the canned tomatoes and beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes.
Bring the heat down to medium and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to make sure nothing gets burned on the bottom of the pot.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:07 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
2-3 tbsp oil
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables/mirepoix (onions, celery, carrot)
1tbsp taco seasoning to taste
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans beans, whatever kind you want or even cans of mixed beans. I don't drain the cans.
In a large pot (I use a cast iron dutch oven) heat the oil and frozen vegetables at medium high for 5-10 minutes. You'll have to stir it a couple of times during this period but you don't need to be over the stove the whole time.
If you wanted to add some ground meat this would be the time to do it.
After the veggies are cooked enough add in the taco seasoning and let it cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in the canned tomatoes and beans and cook for another 10 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes.
Bring the heat down to medium and cook for another 30 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes to make sure nothing gets burned on the bottom of the pot.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:07 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Reading about your requirements, it occurred to me that you might get a lot out of Teaching Table's Gourmet My Garbage service and other offerings. I learned *so much* from a few sessions with Laura, cannot recommend her workshops highly enough.
but also here are some great instant pot recipes from Metafilter
posted by wowenthusiast at 12:27 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
but also here are some great instant pot recipes from Metafilter
posted by wowenthusiast at 12:27 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Chicken Adobo With a Toddler
Can be done almost entirely with shelf-stable pantry ingredients, needs very little attention, can involve the toddler being semi-helpful depending on the phase of the moon :)
1. If you have a rice cooker, get your jasmine rice started first. If you don’t and are planning on using your Instant Pot instead, skip to step 2, you’ll start the rice later.
2. Pop a skillet onto the stove big enough to fit 6-8 chicken thighs, and start bringing 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1/2 cup vinegar to a boil. Cane vinegar if you can find it at your local Asian grocery, but I used apple cider vinegar for many years in New England.
3. Set your toddler up with a big metal or plastic bowl so they can hit their target, a jar of dehydrated minced garlic, either a pepper grinder that toddler hands can handle or a jar of pre-ground black pepper, and a bag of bay leaves from the freezer. They are going to measure out 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon-ish of black pepper, and then top off their ingredient bowl with one or two bay leaves from the big bag. If you don't have bay leaves, feel free to skip, but the garlic and pepper are core requirements.
4. Dump the ingredients from the toddler bowl into your liquid. If it’s boiling hard, turn it down just a hair.
5. Add the chicken thighs in, skin side down, straight from the package is fine. Lower to a simmer, cover, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
6. Instant Pot jasmine rice time! Take the inner pot out and put it where your toddler can access it. If you’ve got one of those learning tower things, put it in front of your (empty) sink and put the pot into the sink. They can then scoop one cup of rice out of the container, and then get one cup of water from the faucet. Then you can put the inner pot back in the IP and get the rice cooking.
7. Once the 20 minute chicken timer’s gone off, flip the chicken so it’s skin side up, cover it back up, and set a timer for 10 minutes.
8. Once the 10 minute chicken timer’s gone off, flip the chicken to skin side down again and turn the heat up. 5-7 minutes should finish off the meat; you can take the chicken out after that and reduce the sauce another 3-5 minutes if you like, but this is optional.
9. The rice should be ready at just about the same time. Serve!
posted by Pandora Kouti at 12:58 PM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Can be done almost entirely with shelf-stable pantry ingredients, needs very little attention, can involve the toddler being semi-helpful depending on the phase of the moon :)
1. If you have a rice cooker, get your jasmine rice started first. If you don’t and are planning on using your Instant Pot instead, skip to step 2, you’ll start the rice later.
2. Pop a skillet onto the stove big enough to fit 6-8 chicken thighs, and start bringing 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1/2 cup vinegar to a boil. Cane vinegar if you can find it at your local Asian grocery, but I used apple cider vinegar for many years in New England.
3. Set your toddler up with a big metal or plastic bowl so they can hit their target, a jar of dehydrated minced garlic, either a pepper grinder that toddler hands can handle or a jar of pre-ground black pepper, and a bag of bay leaves from the freezer. They are going to measure out 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon-ish of black pepper, and then top off their ingredient bowl with one or two bay leaves from the big bag. If you don't have bay leaves, feel free to skip, but the garlic and pepper are core requirements.
4. Dump the ingredients from the toddler bowl into your liquid. If it’s boiling hard, turn it down just a hair.
5. Add the chicken thighs in, skin side down, straight from the package is fine. Lower to a simmer, cover, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
6. Instant Pot jasmine rice time! Take the inner pot out and put it where your toddler can access it. If you’ve got one of those learning tower things, put it in front of your (empty) sink and put the pot into the sink. They can then scoop one cup of rice out of the container, and then get one cup of water from the faucet. Then you can put the inner pot back in the IP and get the rice cooking.
7. Once the 20 minute chicken timer’s gone off, flip the chicken so it’s skin side up, cover it back up, and set a timer for 10 minutes.
8. Once the 10 minute chicken timer’s gone off, flip the chicken to skin side down again and turn the heat up. 5-7 minutes should finish off the meat; you can take the chicken out after that and reduce the sauce another 3-5 minutes if you like, but this is optional.
9. The rice should be ready at just about the same time. Serve!
posted by Pandora Kouti at 12:58 PM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Chicken Adobo With Depression
1. Buy (or defrost) package of chicken thighs and a small can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. (I like Herdez brand, and keep a few cans on hand.) Maybe another can of ranchera or verde salsa and sour cream to top it with later, also fresh cilantro, and a couple limes for wedges if you like those.
2. Put chicken thighs in large mixing bowl (ideally pyrex so you can see), add a little vegetable oil, a couple teaspoons of salt, and any other dry spices you want (though the canned adobo is usually plenty spicy). Mix with hands or a wood spoon to coat. Add the can of chiles and adobo and mix again until coated, mashing up the chiles a little. Cover and refrigerate (for a few hours or up to overnight, though you can skip this in a pinch). You can also use a large ziploc for this (and freeze it at this step).
3. Put foil on a cookie sheet , spray with pam, space the chicken out on the sheet skin up and cover the tops with the contents of the bowl (or use a rack to lift them slightly if you want them crispier and/or less greasy).
4. Cook in the oven (or toaster oven) at around 375 deg F for about 45 minutes or until cooked to preference.
5. If you want sides, while the chicken is cooking make couscous in a small saucepan following the directions on the box. Use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor. You can also add onion and cilantro and a little tomato paste to it before covering it to cook. And/or heat up a can of black, pinto or refried beans, on the stove or in the microwave.
6. Take the chicken out when done, let it stand for a minute or two, top it with cilantro sprigs if you like that, serve with the sides and extra salsa, sour cream, lime wedges.
It's less than ten minutes of actually doing stuff.
It's spicy, use less or none of the actual chilis in the can if you want to tone it down.
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:31 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
1. Buy (or defrost) package of chicken thighs and a small can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. (I like Herdez brand, and keep a few cans on hand.) Maybe another can of ranchera or verde salsa and sour cream to top it with later, also fresh cilantro, and a couple limes for wedges if you like those.
2. Put chicken thighs in large mixing bowl (ideally pyrex so you can see), add a little vegetable oil, a couple teaspoons of salt, and any other dry spices you want (though the canned adobo is usually plenty spicy). Mix with hands or a wood spoon to coat. Add the can of chiles and adobo and mix again until coated, mashing up the chiles a little. Cover and refrigerate (for a few hours or up to overnight, though you can skip this in a pinch). You can also use a large ziploc for this (and freeze it at this step).
3. Put foil on a cookie sheet , spray with pam, space the chicken out on the sheet skin up and cover the tops with the contents of the bowl (or use a rack to lift them slightly if you want them crispier and/or less greasy).
4. Cook in the oven (or toaster oven) at around 375 deg F for about 45 minutes or until cooked to preference.
5. If you want sides, while the chicken is cooking make couscous in a small saucepan following the directions on the box. Use chicken broth instead of water for more flavor. You can also add onion and cilantro and a little tomato paste to it before covering it to cook. And/or heat up a can of black, pinto or refried beans, on the stove or in the microwave.
6. Take the chicken out when done, let it stand for a minute or two, top it with cilantro sprigs if you like that, serve with the sides and extra salsa, sour cream, lime wedges.
It's less than ten minutes of actually doing stuff.
It's spicy, use less or none of the actual chilis in the can if you want to tone it down.
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:31 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
I post this at least once a year on AskMeFi.
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
One onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 yam or 1 sweet potato (because the yams are sweeter)
1 can black beans
Saute onion. Add cumin. Boil or bake yam/sweet potato. Throw those things plus the beans into a blender/food processor use use immersion blender to mix.
Serve with tortillas. That's it. It's a hit with kids unless they are very picky. Tasty enough not to need cheese although it can certainly be added.
posted by kitcat at 1:32 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
One onion
1 tsp cumin
1/2 yam or 1 sweet potato (because the yams are sweeter)
1 can black beans
Saute onion. Add cumin. Boil or bake yam/sweet potato. Throw those things plus the beans into a blender/food processor use use immersion blender to mix.
Serve with tortillas. That's it. It's a hit with kids unless they are very picky. Tasty enough not to need cheese although it can certainly be added.
posted by kitcat at 1:32 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I made Mit Kat's recipe a few days ago, with marinated chuck steak. I ended up with a thick sauce from the yams and this delectable stew, akin to Brunswick stew, it was very good.
posted by Oyéah at 1:41 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 1:41 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I cut up a few sweet potatoes (I peel them, you don't have to) and toss in olive oil and salt and bake them on a sheet pan at 385 until they are done. After they are going for a while, I put a few bone in chicken thighs on a different sheet pan, rub the skin with a little olive oil, add salt and some seasoning (paprika, cumin, or some mix) and then add those to the oven until they are done. While the chicken and sweet potatoes are cooking I steam or blanch broccoli or green beans, when that is done, I toss with a little butter and lemon and salt. Adjust all salt according to your low sodium needs but salting food that is not otherwise processed is probably not going to be too much salt. If you don't like sweet potatoes, use regular potatoes but parboil them first and then roast. You can roast the root veg and chicken in the same pan but my family doesn't like it this way, but I find myself at loose ends if one is ready before the other.
posted by vunder at 2:09 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by vunder at 2:09 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Instant Pot Stew
1 lb beef, cut bite size
One can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
1 or 2 onions, sliced
3 carrots, cut in chunks
1 top salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 rsp worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 bay leaves
Stir all together in Instant Pot, press "stew."
We had this 2x,per month when my kids were little and I had a pressure cooker. Now in the IP.
Can serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes to,stretch.
posted by Enid Lareg at 2:46 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
1 lb beef, cut bite size
One can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef broth
1 or 2 onions, sliced
3 carrots, cut in chunks
1 top salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp thyme
2 rsp worcestershire sauce
2 or 3 bay leaves
Stir all together in Instant Pot, press "stew."
We had this 2x,per month when my kids were little and I had a pressure cooker. Now in the IP.
Can serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes to,stretch.
posted by Enid Lareg at 2:46 PM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]
Oven Chicken Dinner
4-6 chicken thighs, bone-in
20 mini potatoes, or potatoes cut small
2Tb oil
2 tsp thyme or tarragon -optional
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tsp basil
PREHEAT oven to 400F
Put tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with oil and basil
Sprinkle chicken with thyme and a little salt
Put chicken in a shallow roasting pan in a single layer
Toss potatoes and tomatoes all around
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Line the pan with foil or parchment paper to reduce cleanup
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:02 PM on October 27, 2022
4-6 chicken thighs, bone-in
20 mini potatoes, or potatoes cut small
2Tb oil
2 tsp thyme or tarragon -optional
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tsp basil
PREHEAT oven to 400F
Put tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with oil and basil
Sprinkle chicken with thyme and a little salt
Put chicken in a shallow roasting pan in a single layer
Toss potatoes and tomatoes all around
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Line the pan with foil or parchment paper to reduce cleanup
posted by Enid Lareg at 3:02 PM on October 27, 2022
I saved this the other day because it was funny, and now I have it in the oven right now (with modifications based on the comments thread)
Chicken Old Ladies On A Bus
1/3 C orange marmalade
1/3 C hot barbecue sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 lbs chicken pieces (we're assuming bone-in - I'm using b/s thighs instead)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Combine marmalade, barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice, mixing well. Place chicken skin side up in a 9x13 inch pan lined with foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour sauce over chicken.
Original instruction says "Bake 1 hour, basting occasionally. Increase heat to 400 and bake for 15 minute longer." I put most of the sauce (which I doubled, and then with chicken juices you get about quadruple to finish) in the pan, tossed my boneless/skinless thighs in the sauce until coated, and then cooked "good side" down for 30m (where they temped at 150 in the thickest part), flipped them, and they are in right now at 400 for a final 15 minutes to caramelize the sauce some. You just want to make sure it hits 165.
The best part of the recipe is the final note: "Recipe was developed from a conversation overheard between two old ladies on a bus."
This is extremely modifiable. I don't have marmalade but I had a jar of cheap strawberry jam so I used that, and I didn't have hot BBQ sauce so I used regular. You're basically making something like an American-style sweet-and-sour sauce. My mother has a very similar old cookbook favorite that uses Heinz "chili sauce" (kind of a slightly-spicy cocktail sauce) and grape jelly, which you put in a crock pot with meatballs. You can absolutely make this with meatballs instead.
I plan to serve this with roasted brussels sprouts because they love a sweet sauce.
As far as general advice: make sheet pan meals. I am an accomplished cook but I have embraced sheet pan meals for weeknights. Sometimes I take the sheet pan components and cook them all in an air fryer instead, but it's basically the same thing. It's also honestly easier for me most of the time to do the proteins on one sheet and veg on another, so don't feel you've failed if you can't cram it all on one sheet - just swap them top shelf for bottom halfway through cooking. And you can absolutely give the toddler a sheet pan and a pile of cherry tomatoes and zucchini chunks or similar to assemble sitting at a table - they could even have their own quarter-sheet pan if you're going to be using adultier seasonings on your own pan.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:16 PM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
Chicken Old Ladies On A Bus
1/3 C orange marmalade
1/3 C hot barbecue sauce
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T lemon juice
2 lbs chicken pieces (we're assuming bone-in - I'm using b/s thighs instead)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Combine marmalade, barbecue sauce, worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice, mixing well. Place chicken skin side up in a 9x13 inch pan lined with foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour sauce over chicken.
Original instruction says "Bake 1 hour, basting occasionally. Increase heat to 400 and bake for 15 minute longer." I put most of the sauce (which I doubled, and then with chicken juices you get about quadruple to finish) in the pan, tossed my boneless/skinless thighs in the sauce until coated, and then cooked "good side" down for 30m (where they temped at 150 in the thickest part), flipped them, and they are in right now at 400 for a final 15 minutes to caramelize the sauce some. You just want to make sure it hits 165.
The best part of the recipe is the final note: "Recipe was developed from a conversation overheard between two old ladies on a bus."
This is extremely modifiable. I don't have marmalade but I had a jar of cheap strawberry jam so I used that, and I didn't have hot BBQ sauce so I used regular. You're basically making something like an American-style sweet-and-sour sauce. My mother has a very similar old cookbook favorite that uses Heinz "chili sauce" (kind of a slightly-spicy cocktail sauce) and grape jelly, which you put in a crock pot with meatballs. You can absolutely make this with meatballs instead.
I plan to serve this with roasted brussels sprouts because they love a sweet sauce.
As far as general advice: make sheet pan meals. I am an accomplished cook but I have embraced sheet pan meals for weeknights. Sometimes I take the sheet pan components and cook them all in an air fryer instead, but it's basically the same thing. It's also honestly easier for me most of the time to do the proteins on one sheet and veg on another, so don't feel you've failed if you can't cram it all on one sheet - just swap them top shelf for bottom halfway through cooking. And you can absolutely give the toddler a sheet pan and a pile of cherry tomatoes and zucchini chunks or similar to assemble sitting at a table - they could even have their own quarter-sheet pan if you're going to be using adultier seasonings on your own pan.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:16 PM on October 27, 2022 [3 favorites]
You wrote that you want to become a better cook again. So I imagine your challenge is more how to cook with all the stress of having a clingy toddler and the worries about health and all that, than it is learning the basic skills. You don't loose skills you have learnt, though sometimes it can take a while to get back to them, if you feel stressed.
When you are the parent of a toddler, the most important thing is to have a rotation of dishes that are easy to make and you end up being really at ease with, and where the toddler can at least participate in some of the preparation and eating. Or at least be entertained while you are cooking. Usually, I put out a few bowls with cucumber sticks, tiny tomatoes, maybe cabbage pieces and some form of dip, and toddlers would sit at the kitchen table nibbling those while the cooking went on. If they didn't like the main course, I'd know they had some form of vegetable and the dip might be vegetable too: you can't do hummus based on chickpeas and tahini, but could you do a more Italian style bean paste with blended butter beans, olive oil and soft-cooked garlic? Otherwise a kid-friendly (not too spicy) guacamole was always a hit with mine. My kids also liked toasted bread rubbed with garlic and tomato and drizzled with olive oil. And my eldest who was perhaps a weird child loved olive tapenade on toast or crackers. Whilst they were sitting there, they could cut cucumber or eggs for our salad with a safe knife. Or zucchini or mushrooms for a stew or curry.
The foods that do well as frozen played a huge part in our diet when the kids were small: peas, green beans, spinach, shrimp. I can see you can't use peas, but if you can use the others, they give a lot of nutritional value and taste with close to zero effort. Steamed green beans with a mustardy vinaigrette go well with a plate of lamb chops and small potatoes, and are very nutritious. Toddler might get their beans sans vinaigrette. Tins are good too: tomatoes, different fish, sweet corn and again beans, if you can have them.
Our rotation was: penne all'arrabbiata, and a similar pasta sauce with tuna from a tin in it. Rice and a Thai inspired curry similar to this (we freestyled with no recipe, but the principles were like this, and maybe it's good to start with a recipe and then discover for yourself what you can change). We always cooked a lot more rice than needed, so we could make fried rice the next day.
Almost every week had a roast chicken using Mark Bittmanns simplest roast chicken recipe, chicken pot pie made from the leftovers of that roast chicken, and a simple stew made with big chunks of whatever vegetables were in season and whatever meat we could afford all put together in the pot at the same time, no searing, with a tin of tomatoes and some water, salt, pepper, thyme and bayleaf. Cook at pressure in the instant pot for 30 minutes. Serve with couscous. Mix some of the liquid with harissa paste for a side sauce for those who like it hotter. It doesn't have to have meat in it.
I won't say I never cooked anything else: we had home-made burger days, where I would cook the burgers and put everything else out on a board so people could assemble their own favorite. Huge favorite, but not really better home cooking. We had lasagne days on weekends, because that is project food, but with not too much actual doing stuff, more waiting. My kids still prefer a sauce where I replace the beef with eggplant, otherwise do everything as usual. We have done it completely vegan using oat milk and vegan butter for a bechamel sauce, and it was delicious (I never use a lot of cheese in my lasagne, so I didn't even bother to replace that).
Then there were toddler pizza days, where I made a simple dough and rolled it out, and the toddlers could shape their own and put on tomato sauce right from the jar, and decorate with toppings I put out. I personally had anchovies instead of salumi, and I love a potato pizza, even more a potato and anchovy one. I don't know that the taste was *great*, but the feeling those days was amazing, and I'm sure they are a life-long positive memory for all kids involved (not always only mine).
For US elections we had grilled sandwich days, and for Danish elections we had fried pork belly days. I "fry" the slices of pork belly in the oven, and make a white sauce with tons of parsley and then boiled potatoes. Special Election Day food was our way of telling the kids that elections are important. They came along to vote, too.
A very delicious type of grilled sandwich is with lettuce, grilled marinated eggplant and tomato. Here, grilled eggplants from a jar are actually very good. Adults might like some marinated red onions in that, and a bit of lemon juice. Tuna salad sandwiches are amazing, too.
I know this may look really banal, but simple food made with great ingredients is the best base. As the toddler grows and you have more mental and physical space, you can extend your repetoire, with a few dishes each year. Take it easy. For us, the next dishes were risotto, lentil stews of every sort and a vegetarian shepherd's pie based on lentil stew, duck in many variations. I learnt to make those pasta dishes that look simple but are hard to get right, like spaghetti with clams. Moules marinieres are actually really easy to make. Some of the more ambitious recipes I made before having kids reappeared when the kids were older, and some became better from the experience I'd had.
All of the above is mainly European food, which is weird, since when the oldest was three, I made all of our food in a wok, which is so easy and fast and delicious. But that was because I then lived in a place where we had access to the relevant ingredients, and then when no. 2 arrived there was a different situation where Asian products were harder to find, though I still made that stir-fry. I strongly recommend Kenji Lopez-Alt's wok cookbook, if you are interested and can get the products.
And at the end of the day, it's not so much about the specific dishes that we coincidentally chose, as the concept of choosing a handful that work together (leftovers become useful the next day, like our roast chicken that became a pot pie, the rice with the Thai dish became fried rice, the pasta dishes might reappear as lunch), and getting really secure about those. Home cooks are not line cooks.
posted by mumimor at 3:25 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
When you are the parent of a toddler, the most important thing is to have a rotation of dishes that are easy to make and you end up being really at ease with, and where the toddler can at least participate in some of the preparation and eating. Or at least be entertained while you are cooking. Usually, I put out a few bowls with cucumber sticks, tiny tomatoes, maybe cabbage pieces and some form of dip, and toddlers would sit at the kitchen table nibbling those while the cooking went on. If they didn't like the main course, I'd know they had some form of vegetable and the dip might be vegetable too: you can't do hummus based on chickpeas and tahini, but could you do a more Italian style bean paste with blended butter beans, olive oil and soft-cooked garlic? Otherwise a kid-friendly (not too spicy) guacamole was always a hit with mine. My kids also liked toasted bread rubbed with garlic and tomato and drizzled with olive oil. And my eldest who was perhaps a weird child loved olive tapenade on toast or crackers. Whilst they were sitting there, they could cut cucumber or eggs for our salad with a safe knife. Or zucchini or mushrooms for a stew or curry.
The foods that do well as frozen played a huge part in our diet when the kids were small: peas, green beans, spinach, shrimp. I can see you can't use peas, but if you can use the others, they give a lot of nutritional value and taste with close to zero effort. Steamed green beans with a mustardy vinaigrette go well with a plate of lamb chops and small potatoes, and are very nutritious. Toddler might get their beans sans vinaigrette. Tins are good too: tomatoes, different fish, sweet corn and again beans, if you can have them.
Our rotation was: penne all'arrabbiata, and a similar pasta sauce with tuna from a tin in it. Rice and a Thai inspired curry similar to this (we freestyled with no recipe, but the principles were like this, and maybe it's good to start with a recipe and then discover for yourself what you can change). We always cooked a lot more rice than needed, so we could make fried rice the next day.
Almost every week had a roast chicken using Mark Bittmanns simplest roast chicken recipe, chicken pot pie made from the leftovers of that roast chicken, and a simple stew made with big chunks of whatever vegetables were in season and whatever meat we could afford all put together in the pot at the same time, no searing, with a tin of tomatoes and some water, salt, pepper, thyme and bayleaf. Cook at pressure in the instant pot for 30 minutes. Serve with couscous. Mix some of the liquid with harissa paste for a side sauce for those who like it hotter. It doesn't have to have meat in it.
I won't say I never cooked anything else: we had home-made burger days, where I would cook the burgers and put everything else out on a board so people could assemble their own favorite. Huge favorite, but not really better home cooking. We had lasagne days on weekends, because that is project food, but with not too much actual doing stuff, more waiting. My kids still prefer a sauce where I replace the beef with eggplant, otherwise do everything as usual. We have done it completely vegan using oat milk and vegan butter for a bechamel sauce, and it was delicious (I never use a lot of cheese in my lasagne, so I didn't even bother to replace that).
Then there were toddler pizza days, where I made a simple dough and rolled it out, and the toddlers could shape their own and put on tomato sauce right from the jar, and decorate with toppings I put out. I personally had anchovies instead of salumi, and I love a potato pizza, even more a potato and anchovy one. I don't know that the taste was *great*, but the feeling those days was amazing, and I'm sure they are a life-long positive memory for all kids involved (not always only mine).
For US elections we had grilled sandwich days, and for Danish elections we had fried pork belly days. I "fry" the slices of pork belly in the oven, and make a white sauce with tons of parsley and then boiled potatoes. Special Election Day food was our way of telling the kids that elections are important. They came along to vote, too.
A very delicious type of grilled sandwich is with lettuce, grilled marinated eggplant and tomato. Here, grilled eggplants from a jar are actually very good. Adults might like some marinated red onions in that, and a bit of lemon juice. Tuna salad sandwiches are amazing, too.
I know this may look really banal, but simple food made with great ingredients is the best base. As the toddler grows and you have more mental and physical space, you can extend your repetoire, with a few dishes each year. Take it easy. For us, the next dishes were risotto, lentil stews of every sort and a vegetarian shepherd's pie based on lentil stew, duck in many variations. I learnt to make those pasta dishes that look simple but are hard to get right, like spaghetti with clams. Moules marinieres are actually really easy to make. Some of the more ambitious recipes I made before having kids reappeared when the kids were older, and some became better from the experience I'd had.
All of the above is mainly European food, which is weird, since when the oldest was three, I made all of our food in a wok, which is so easy and fast and delicious. But that was because I then lived in a place where we had access to the relevant ingredients, and then when no. 2 arrived there was a different situation where Asian products were harder to find, though I still made that stir-fry. I strongly recommend Kenji Lopez-Alt's wok cookbook, if you are interested and can get the products.
And at the end of the day, it's not so much about the specific dishes that we coincidentally chose, as the concept of choosing a handful that work together (leftovers become useful the next day, like our roast chicken that became a pot pie, the rice with the Thai dish became fried rice, the pasta dishes might reappear as lunch), and getting really secure about those. Home cooks are not line cooks.
posted by mumimor at 3:25 PM on October 27, 2022 [2 favorites]
I forgot to note that both the chicken pot-pie and the parsley sauce mentioned above are IMO very good in non-dairy versions.
posted by mumimor at 3:30 PM on October 27, 2022
posted by mumimor at 3:30 PM on October 27, 2022
These Enchiladas Verdes from Homesick Texan are very easy to make. They do call for cheese, but you can definitely leave it out without a problem! They also call for shredded pork, but you can easily sub for shredded chicken (or jackfruit, or sautéed veggies, or whatever else you’d want). It’s really just a great sauce, and you can even forgo the rolling of the enchiladas and turn it into a layered casserole. Serve with rice and beans and avocado and enjoy!
posted by Champagne Supernova at 4:21 PM on October 27, 2022
posted by Champagne Supernova at 4:21 PM on October 27, 2022
Cooking requires ingredients and time. I see your problem as not having enough time. It's a problem. There is a lot of cooking advice that pushes toward spending more time starting with fewer prepared ingredients. Most of those prepared ingredients in the grocery store are there for the busy parent.
When you look at a recipe, figure out how much you-time it's going to take. A stir fry may only take a minute or two in the wok, but 15 minutes chopping veggies and cutting meat into bite-site pieces. On the other hand, Chef John's pulled chicken requires putting the ingredients in a pot, and letting it simmer unattended for an hour and a half.
Sometimes, time can be displaced. A casserole or meatloaf can be prepared in advanced and refrigerated, then put in the oven while you and your son play the popular game of "let's put all your toys back in the toy box."
Many things often cooked on the stove top can be cooked in the oven, either baked, or braised, or roasted. Potatoes, squash, etc.
As for meat, maybe pork tenderloin. These days it comes pre-marinated in a variety of flavors, and the cooking program is plop it in a pan, and put it in the oven for 20 minutes or so.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:28 AM on October 28, 2022
When you look at a recipe, figure out how much you-time it's going to take. A stir fry may only take a minute or two in the wok, but 15 minutes chopping veggies and cutting meat into bite-site pieces. On the other hand, Chef John's pulled chicken requires putting the ingredients in a pot, and letting it simmer unattended for an hour and a half.
Sometimes, time can be displaced. A casserole or meatloaf can be prepared in advanced and refrigerated, then put in the oven while you and your son play the popular game of "let's put all your toys back in the toy box."
Many things often cooked on the stove top can be cooked in the oven, either baked, or braised, or roasted. Potatoes, squash, etc.
As for meat, maybe pork tenderloin. These days it comes pre-marinated in a variety of flavors, and the cooking program is plop it in a pan, and put it in the oven for 20 minutes or so.
posted by SemiSalt at 7:28 AM on October 28, 2022
Cucina Rustica is the cookbook I relied upon most when I first started cooking for myself, and I still use it all the time. It's simple food in a rustic Italian style (from when Viana LaPlace and Evan Kleiman — now of the Good Food radio show — were cooking together at Angeli). Most of the prep is easy and could provide things for the toddler to help with. You might need to reduce the salt a bit, but there should be lots in there that ticks the boxes.
Other random cookbooks on my shelves that make me want to borrow my nephews include The Commonsense Kitchen from Deep Springs College (where cooking is done communally) and the River Cottage Family Cookbook.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:21 AM on October 28, 2022
Other random cookbooks on my shelves that make me want to borrow my nephews include The Commonsense Kitchen from Deep Springs College (where cooking is done communally) and the River Cottage Family Cookbook.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:21 AM on October 28, 2022
One of my favorite things to do is chicken thighs and veggies in a pan. This was a recipe handed down from a busy mom with kids who have several allergies, and it works well for them:
Prep: Mince a bunch of garlic (you can absolutely use pre-minced) and slice an onion. Cut up a bunch of "hard" veggies so they are roughly the same (bite) size (I like zucchini and brussels). Slice a lemon. Take four chicken thighs, pat them dry and season (I usually do salt and pepper, but you could do any dry seasoning you want).
Start some rice in the rice cooker or in a pot.
Cook: Heat some oil in an oven-safe pan on medium, pre-heat the oven to 400. Cook the thighs skin-down, until they are browned (3-6 minutes depending). Remove them to a plate and sautee your onions. Get them a little carmelized, then add the garlic and your veggies. Add the chicken back, skin side up, on top of the veggies, as well as the juices from the plate, and the lemon slices. Put in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, usually about a half hour. Serve over the rice.
posted by lunasol at 11:18 AM on October 28, 2022
Prep: Mince a bunch of garlic (you can absolutely use pre-minced) and slice an onion. Cut up a bunch of "hard" veggies so they are roughly the same (bite) size (I like zucchini and brussels). Slice a lemon. Take four chicken thighs, pat them dry and season (I usually do salt and pepper, but you could do any dry seasoning you want).
Start some rice in the rice cooker or in a pot.
Cook: Heat some oil in an oven-safe pan on medium, pre-heat the oven to 400. Cook the thighs skin-down, until they are browned (3-6 minutes depending). Remove them to a plate and sautee your onions. Get them a little carmelized, then add the garlic and your veggies. Add the chicken back, skin side up, on top of the veggies, as well as the juices from the plate, and the lemon slices. Put in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, usually about a half hour. Serve over the rice.
posted by lunasol at 11:18 AM on October 28, 2022
Response by poster: Thank you everyone. Lots of things to try!
posted by kinddieserzeit at 6:15 PM on October 28, 2022
posted by kinddieserzeit at 6:15 PM on October 28, 2022
pork tenderloin
These do very well sous vide, if you have a setup. Plus they usually come two to a pack, so you can season and seal both, and freeze the second one so it can go straight in next time.
And sliced up leftover tenderloin is good as a cold cut, especially if you're tired of the usual packaged deli meats.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:04 AM on November 12, 2022
These do very well sous vide, if you have a setup. Plus they usually come two to a pack, so you can season and seal both, and freeze the second one so it can go straight in next time.
And sliced up leftover tenderloin is good as a cold cut, especially if you're tired of the usual packaged deli meats.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:04 AM on November 12, 2022
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Honey-Glazed Chicken
4 bone-in, skin-on thighs (or equivalent in other parts of the chicken)
salt
pepper
garlic powder
3/8 cup honey
1/8 cup Dijon mustard
1 T lemon juice
Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Combine honey, mustard, and lemon juice; pour over the chicken. Bake about 50-60 minutes at 325F, basting every 10 minutes or so.
posted by DrGail at 11:01 AM on October 27, 2022 [1 favorite]