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What are your easiest, tastiest meals - quick to prepare when you can't think of anything!!
Hi guys
I have a few 'standard' easy meals that I always have the ingredients handy, in case I seriously can't be bothered cooking a 'fancy' meal ....... feel free to add your own 'Favs'! ;)
Last night, we had our winter favourite 'comfort food' - Lamb Shanks!! I cheat, and buy the Aldi FROZEN Lamb Shanks (2 for $12 already cooked - they usually cost that 'RAW'!!) - that way you can always have a couple in the freezer. I often take them with me when I am camping too - SO easy to just cook in the microwave with some sweet potato 'on the trot'!
Take them out of the box and they are even easier to store in the Freezer. If you decide to cook them up later in the day - just pop them in the sink (or big container) with cold/lukewarm water & they'll thaw out pretty quickly. Change the water if you want them to defrost quicker. They come in 'individual Vac Pacs' - and because they are already Pre Cooked - when you open them, the 'cooked fat' is already 'in solid form' and you just pull it out - so they are healthier for you too!!
There are 2 flavours - one with Mint in the gravy & the other one based on a red wine gravy. Both are LOVELY! This is how I prepare them for 2 people .......
In a BIG casserole pot, add 1 tin of diced tomato & 1 drained tin of Chickpeas. Add 1 x Cubed Potato, 1 x cubed small Sweet Potato, 1 x chopped/cubed Carrot. Mix them into the tomato/chickpeas sauce. Remove any 'solid fat' from both of the Shanks and add them to the casserole pot along with all the gravy in each pack. Mix the gravy well with the tomato mix. Cover the pot & cook at 180 degrees Celsius oven for 2-3hrs ..... stir every hour. The meat will just fall off the bone and I bet you enjoy them!
BONUS: After serving up with the gravy and veggies (and cabbage or your choice of greens...) whilst the remaining gravy & veg are still hot - use a Bamix (or similar) to pulverise it all ..... this will make a wonderful soup for the next day or so! I usually water it down a bit as it can be quite thick. Lovely with some toast for lunch.
One of my other favs is the 'Vac Pac'd' 'FLAT CHICKEN' .... once again, Aldi do a lovely one - with yoghurt & garlic with NO BONES - so you just cut up the chicken in slices when cooked. Just do a BIG ROAST - I do it in 2 dishes - the chicken in one (with alfoil under the chicken on a cake rack to reduce the cleaning!) and all the potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot & onion in another tray, all into the oven at the same time as the chicken - and it takes a bit less than 1hr to cook at 170 degrees Celsius. Turn the chicken & veg around after 1/2 hr. Cook greens in the microwave 5 mins before serving time. This gives us 2 full sized meals for 2 for 2 nights. Once again - keep one of the chickens in the freezer - as they are 'flat' they store really easily & don't take long to defrost in the sink in cold/lukewarm water - great for when unexpected guests turn up, too.
When my Grandmother first went into secure living (with her own kitchen) I suggested that she cut up a whole chicken (for numerous meals) and put it into a casserole dish with a packet of Chicken Noodle Soup & the required amount of liquid, as well as a chopped onion & sliced red capsicum ..... cook it for about an hour - and it was YUMMY - and gives lots of meals too - served with salad. (Whole frozen chickens are VERY reasonably priced ......)
Here's the 'after pic' of my lamb shanks last night ....... just as well we don't have a dog .... nothing much left! ;)
I have a few 'standard' easy meals that I always have the ingredients handy, in case I seriously can't be bothered cooking a 'fancy' meal ....... feel free to add your own 'Favs'! ;)
Last night, we had our winter favourite 'comfort food' - Lamb Shanks!! I cheat, and buy the Aldi FROZEN Lamb Shanks (2 for $12 already cooked - they usually cost that 'RAW'!!) - that way you can always have a couple in the freezer. I often take them with me when I am camping too - SO easy to just cook in the microwave with some sweet potato 'on the trot'!
Take them out of the box and they are even easier to store in the Freezer. If you decide to cook them up later in the day - just pop them in the sink (or big container) with cold/lukewarm water & they'll thaw out pretty quickly. Change the water if you want them to defrost quicker. They come in 'individual Vac Pacs' - and because they are already Pre Cooked - when you open them, the 'cooked fat' is already 'in solid form' and you just pull it out - so they are healthier for you too!!
There are 2 flavours - one with Mint in the gravy & the other one based on a red wine gravy. Both are LOVELY! This is how I prepare them for 2 people .......
In a BIG casserole pot, add 1 tin of diced tomato & 1 drained tin of Chickpeas. Add 1 x Cubed Potato, 1 x cubed small Sweet Potato, 1 x chopped/cubed Carrot. Mix them into the tomato/chickpeas sauce. Remove any 'solid fat' from both of the Shanks and add them to the casserole pot along with all the gravy in each pack. Mix the gravy well with the tomato mix. Cover the pot & cook at 180 degrees Celsius oven for 2-3hrs ..... stir every hour. The meat will just fall off the bone and I bet you enjoy them!
BONUS: After serving up with the gravy and veggies (and cabbage or your choice of greens...) whilst the remaining gravy & veg are still hot - use a Bamix (or similar) to pulverise it all ..... this will make a wonderful soup for the next day or so! I usually water it down a bit as it can be quite thick. Lovely with some toast for lunch.
One of my other favs is the 'Vac Pac'd' 'FLAT CHICKEN' .... once again, Aldi do a lovely one - with yoghurt & garlic with NO BONES - so you just cut up the chicken in slices when cooked. Just do a BIG ROAST - I do it in 2 dishes - the chicken in one (with alfoil under the chicken on a cake rack to reduce the cleaning!) and all the potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrot & onion in another tray, all into the oven at the same time as the chicken - and it takes a bit less than 1hr to cook at 170 degrees Celsius. Turn the chicken & veg around after 1/2 hr. Cook greens in the microwave 5 mins before serving time. This gives us 2 full sized meals for 2 for 2 nights. Once again - keep one of the chickens in the freezer - as they are 'flat' they store really easily & don't take long to defrost in the sink in cold/lukewarm water - great for when unexpected guests turn up, too.
When my Grandmother first went into secure living (with her own kitchen) I suggested that she cut up a whole chicken (for numerous meals) and put it into a casserole dish with a packet of Chicken Noodle Soup & the required amount of liquid, as well as a chopped onion & sliced red capsicum ..... cook it for about an hour - and it was YUMMY - and gives lots of meals too - served with salad. (Whole frozen chickens are VERY reasonably priced ......)
Here's the 'after pic' of my lamb shanks last night ....... just as well we don't have a dog .... nothing much left! ;)
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- @Romla My husband doesn't like them (his mother boiled them to death) so when he came home from work I got him to taste it without telling him what it was. It needs a bit more salt he said. He liked it and then I told him what it was and he was surprised!
I'm serving it at my parents' 53rd wedding anniversary lunch tomorrow. - PS Well done you !!! xo
- @kmakm can your family guess the key vegetable ?
- @FYONA1 The recipe is on the previous page of this discussion.
- And for a REALLY EASY pizza - just use a Lebanese Bread as the base! ;) So it then just takes minutes to prepare them! Pretty well, whatever you have vege wise can be sliced thinly & put on (except actual fresh tomato - which makes them go soggy. Dried Tomato is ok, so long as covered with cheese or it can go like a bullet.)
You can also get the family to 'make their own' in case some are particular about what vege goes on their pizza!! One Lebanese Bread Pizza would easily feed MOST people ...... and would need LESS time in the oven, as the base doesn't need 'cooking' as such - just the topping! It would still be close to 10 mins on 200+ tho, I reckon for the vege to cook & the cheese melt.
I use a 'Mandolin' for slicing my veges (This one is made by Borner) and they are VERY SHARP .... so promise me to use the 'Food Guard' (it holds the veg in place as you slice it.) Otherwise you may find a bit of your finger in the mix! :( (Been there, done that!) They come with slicers & dicers! The Mandolin just makes it SO MUCH QUICKER to do the slicing! Now, when making vege soup or putting vege into casseroles - I just put the Mandolin over the big saucepan & do them straight into the pot! ;) PERFECT for coleslaws etc. (Doesn't work on mushrooms tho! :( )
Some make a Scone dough (without the sugar) ..... so maybe using soda water instead of lemonade? Could be worth a try?
Of course, you can buy 'pre made' pizza bases - and just freeze them til you need them! ;) Some even have the 'pizza sauce' already on them, so you can then just add the veges & Cheese.
Just don't OVER FILL the pizza or it WILL go soggy. A thin layer of 'all bits' & spread them out evenly - make sure you put the ingredients right up to the edge too - (along with the pizza sauce & eventually the cheese) - or you end up with a mouthful of dry, chewy base
I ALWAYS add a small jar of anchovies to my pizzas as well just before adding the cheese (add more if you REALLY like it!) And after putting the cheese on - I drizzle the left over 'anchovy oil' all over the cheese too, before putting it into a hot oven (200-220) for about 10-15 mins.
RE: choosing what to put on your pizza ....
A really good trick is to grab a couple of Pizza Shop 'Menus' and keep them with your other recipes (Domino's, Pizza Hut etc) ..... they list EVERY ingredient on the pizza ..... so you can use the same, or leave out the bits you don't like & replace with others. - Hi @Romla and @kmakm
thats looks delicious can one of you plz pm me the recipe
and I also private messaged you @kmakm - Ta daaaa! I just made @Romla's brussel sprout soup! It's delicious, and so pretty!
- Reading this thread is making me hungry! In 2 hours I'll have our Saturday treat breakfast - fried egg and mushrooms on toast.
- Brussel sprouts are good. I like them almost any way but here are two options.
Slice them in about 4 slices each, more if they are very large, and sauté them in margerine or butter with a little bacon.
Havng forgotten to buy cabbage for coleslaw, I improvised with finely shredded Brussel sprouts. Delicious. - I love them too - usually...all I can taste of my greens now is bitter.
