What can I make with these ingredients?

March 24, 2015 9:31 AM

I need to make a big meal of something to eat for lunch over the next few days (will be fridged and microwaved). I have a lot of ingredients that don't make a lot of sense together (to me, at least) that I'd like to use up as much of as possible.

I have:
a bag of baby kale/baby spinach
mixed sliced mushrooms
kabocha squash
onions (sweet and yellow)
shallots
avocados
tomatoes
fresh basil
boneless/skinless chicken breasts (these need to be used)

requirements:
no dairy
no grains

I have a good assortment of spices and things to work with. I'm open to picking up a thing or 2 thing if I'm just off of something spectacular. I've been making things like ratatouille and stir fries, but I was less prepared with my ingredients this week.

Also open to like 2 separate things I could make, and just split that up between the days, but I don't wanna spend lots of time on this.

posted by disaster77 to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Are you familiar with supercook? You load in the ingredients you have and it spits out recipes that use those things.
posted by phunniemee at 9:35 AM on March 24, 2015 [4 favorites]

For the kabocha squash, cut it open, seed it and cut into wedges. Toss in olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and thyme , toss again. Arrange on a baking sheet, bake at 350F turning every 20 minutes or so, about an hour or until golden brown and tender.
posted by plinth at 9:36 AM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Salad with spinach, mushrooms, and avocadoes.

Chicken sauteed with shallots & tomatoes, topped with fresh basil.

Kabocha squash steam/baked, onions sauteed, make a soup. That will probably freeze really well.
posted by suelac at 9:37 AM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

Roast the kabocha, musrooms, and onions. Serve on top of the kale/spinach with diced avocado (a little weird, but should still be good.) Then go in an italian direction with the chicken, tomatoes, basil, and shallots (you could sautee everything?). Done!
posted by chocotaco at 9:44 AM on March 24, 2015

Soup with chicken, basil, tomatoes, onions, and greens.
Roasted (and/or mashed) squash with shallots.

And the avocado is just a snack, squish them up and add lemon juice and eat with a spoon.
posted by epanalepsis at 9:57 AM on March 24, 2015

Can or two of coconut milk, a jar of Thai red curry, and make a soup-stew thing. From a previous thread:

- A can or two of coconut milk - the good stuff (not the sweetened kind, mind you!)
- an onion or two, chopped
- some garlic, chopped
- a serrano pepper or more if you like it spicier, chopped into rounds, with or without seeds
- par-roasted sweet potatoes or butternut squash, cut into chunks, and/or roasted cauliflower
- big bundle of greens (kale or collards hold up best), chiffonaded into manageable pieces
- cooked shredded chicken or
- firm white fish, raw (it will cook in the soup/stew)
- salt and pepper to taste


Saute the onions and garlic and pepper(s); add the coconut milk, let simmer

Then add the greens; simmer until the greens are nearing your level of doneness

Add the chunks or sweet potato/squash/cauliflower, then your fish/chicken if you're adding those, and heat everything gently

Add a squeeze of lime when you serve. It holds up well in tupperware and heats readily in a microwave, and is still tasty after three days (which is as long as it lasts around here).
posted by rtha at 10:08 AM on March 24, 2015 [5 favorites]

Since I get tired of eating the same dish over multiple days, I like to prepare a few things that can then be combined in different ways. I am a big fan of roasting stuff, so you'll note a theme.
I would tackle your list like this (it ends up being a bunch of small pans in the oven at once):

Roast mushrooms with shallots (and a dash of white wine, a few thyme twigs if you have them)
Slice and roast the squash
Chicken breasts also go in the oven
Are the tomatoes good enough to eat raw? Then save them for a salad. If not, they get cut up and roasted as well. Maybe with some onion. And basil.

Depending on the amount of greens you have, I'd eat lunches with assorted combinations of the above. Greens with chicken breast, avocado, mushrooms and a squeeze of lemon. Greens with basil, tomatoes, chicken breast. Greens with squash, chicken, mushrooms.

You get the idea.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:15 AM on March 24, 2015 [1 favorite]

You could make a stew with Mexican flavors and use pretty much all of these ingredients. I would throw the squash in the oven for a little while to soften it, then cut it into chunks. Saute the onions slowly with some salt. Add cumin, dried oregano, and a bit of cayenne. Then throw in the mushrooms and chicken and cook till the chicken is not pink on the outside. Add tomatoes, squash chunks, and a bit of water or stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and let it all cook on low for a while. Stir in the spinach in the last five or ten minutes and let it wilt. Season to taste with lime, salt, and cayenne. You could use basil or avocado for garnish.
posted by yarntheory at 11:19 AM on March 24, 2015

I should add: if you have a hot water tap at work, blanch your fresh greens on the spot. So tasty!
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:21 AM on March 24, 2015

I'd do:

Meal (1): Hearty Spinach salad: kale/spinach+mushrooms+sweet onion+bacon+balsamic vinegrette+some of the chicken breasts

Meal (2): roasted squash (sprinkled with your preferred spice combo and a little olive oil) + caramalized onions + sauteed chicken breasts + avacado salsa (shallots, tomatos, basil, avocado, a little olive oil and some kind of acid --- lemon juice, sherry vinegar, whatever's to hand).
posted by maggiepolitt at 9:18 PM on March 25, 2015