Easy Meals for Time Poor People

Caesar Salad

1/2 a head of an average sized iceberg lettuce, chopped

2 handfuls of shaved parmesan cheese, roughly crumbled

2 tablespoons of bacon bits (I use Hormel Real Bacon Pieces)

OR

100 - 150 grams cooked diced bacon pieces (from the deli at your local supermarket)

1/4 of a cup of caesar dressing (I use Paul Newman's Own Creamy Caesar)

A couple of handfuls of caesar salad croutons (available at your local supermarket)

Optional: 2 x hard boiled eggs, quartered

Mix the lettuce, parmesan cheese, bacon bits and caesar sauce together roughly

Add the eggs if using and mix through gently

Serve and top with croutons

Cauliflower & Broccoli Cheese

This recipe is a Jamie Oliver one that I have adapted to make it easier for me.
The original recipe is freely available on his website. It does take a little time so I tend to do it on weekends and serve it as a side dish with perhaps a roast lamb or a steak with baked veges.
Lefotvers get frozen and are great for dinners or lunches during the week just on their own.
 

You will need a food processor.

1 teaspoon of crushed garlic

25 grams of margarine

25 grams of plain flour

250 mls of low fat milk

250 grams of frozen broccoli

Approximately 150 grams of grated cheese (I use the packet stuff)

500 grams of frozen cauliflower

2 slices of stale bread

1 tablespoon of dried thyme

25 grams of flaked almonds

Approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Put the crushed garlic into a medium sized saucepan with the margarine and heat on a medium heat

until the margarine has melted

Stir in the flour for a minute or so to make a paste then gradually add the milk,

whisking as you go until smooth

Add the broccoli, cover and simmer for around 20 minutes

or until the broccoli is cooked through and starts to fall apart

While that's cooking make the breadcrumb topping:

Put the bread into the food processor and make breadcrumbs out of it

Add the dried thyme and almonds and process until mixed through

Add the olive oil with salt and pepper to taste and gently process through

When the broccoli is cooked mash the sauce mixture thoroughly or blend with a stick blender

- add extra milk if the mixture is really thick

Add about half of the cheese (more if desired according to taste) and a bit of salt and pepper to taste

- stir through thoroughly

Put the cauliflower in a single layer in a good sized casserole dish

Pour the broccoli sauce over the top and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly across

(add more cheese if desired)

Scatter the breadcrumb topping evenly over the top and bake in a moderate oven

for approximately an hour

- check that the cauliflower is cooked through and if not then cook for a further 10 - 15 minutes

Chicken & Ham Scrolls

4 chicken breast fillets

4 slices of ham

4 tablespoons of spreadable cream cheese

Chopped shallots to taste

Sesame seeds

1 tablespoon of margarine

Place the chicken fillets between two pieces of plastic wrap and

lightly beat with a meat mallet until flattened

Put the ham slices on the fillets

Combine the shallots and cream cheese, spread across the ham

Roll the chicken fillets up and secure with 2 toothpicks or tie with string

Cover the secured scrolls with sesame seeds

Melt the margarine in a frypan and brown the chicken scrolls all over

Place the chicken scrolls in a baking tray and bake in a moderate oven

for approximately 20 minutes

Slice the cooked scrolls as desired, serve sprinkled with chopped shallots

Chicken Marinated in Red Wine & Garlic Sauce with Coconut Rice & Mixed Salad

The coconut rice is great to serve with many other things,

and leftovers can be portioned and frozen for use later!

Marinated chicken:
2 x chicken breast fillets, trimmed of all fat
1 bottle of Masterfoods Red Wine and Garlic marinade

Put the defrosted chicken breast fillets in the marinade in the morning before you go to work

so they'll be ready to cook that night
Reserve some of the marinade to drizzle over the cooked chicken as a sauce for serving
Either cook them on a BBQ or in a non-stick frypan on a medium heat (they do make a bit of a mess) until done (around 25 minutes for thick fillets)
When cooked, slice into pieces and plate up

Coconut rice:
1 slightly heaped cup of jasmine rice
200mls of water
300ml of good quality coconut cream
2 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
Shake of salt
About 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Rub the oil around a large saucepan so it covers the bottom and halfway up the sides
Add all other ingredients in no particular order

(although I tend to do the rice, then the coconut & salt, then the liquids)
Set on medium to high heat

Stir occasionally to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot
Once it's begun to bubble stop stirring, reduce heat to very low and cover tightly with a lid

Let simmer away for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. If the liquid hasn't been fully absorbed, stir quickly and gently then leave on the heat for another five minutes (covered), then turn off the heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.

Your rice will stay warm this way for up to an hour

Mixed Salad:

1/3 of a head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 a punnet of cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 a red onion, finely diced

1/2 a large lebanese cucumber, diced

French salad dressing

Put all ingredients together and toss, then serve

Chicken Mince, Brown Rice & Vegetables for Dogs

For those of you who are dog owners and like to cook their pet's food, this is what I do for my dogs. It's a much healthier alternative to processed food and it's very easy to do!

You can cook a large batch and freeze in suitable meal sized portions for your  pooch

**Please note - dogs can't have onions or anything from the onion family.

Nor can they have garlic or any pork product**

1/2 kg chicken mince
1/2 cup of brown rice
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
OR
Chopped fresh vegetables suitable for dogs i.e. broccoli, carrot, pumpkin, zucchini, cauliflower, beans

Cook the rice according to packet directions, drain
Put the chicken mince in a saucepan with a little water, mix through, cover and bring to boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for approximately 10 minutes then drain
Cook vegetables (either frozen or fresh) until soft, drain
Put everything together in a suitable container and refrigerate when cooled down

**This lasts my two small dogs for 3 - 4 days for an evening meal each**

Chicken Pie

600 grams diced chicken (approximately)
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock (1 1/2 teaspoons chicken stock powder mixed with boiling water)
2 medium sized brown onions, diced
2 cups frozen diced mixed vegetables (carrot, peas & corn)
1 heaped teaspoon crushed garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
2 sheets of frozen puff pastry, defrosted
3 tablespoons of plain flour, mixed with a little water to form a thick paste
1/4 cup (approximately) of full cream
1 egg, beaten
Extra water

In a large saucepan, fry the onion and garlic in the oil until the onion is soft
Add the diced chook, stir around until there's no more pink in the meat
Add the chicken stock, frozen vegetables, nutmeg, a good shake of salt and pepper and mix through
Bring to the boil and reduce until just simmering - cover and let simmer for around 10 minutes
Remove from heat and add the flour and water paste, stir through until the mixture is thickened,

add cream and stir through again
Put the resulting pie guts into a pie dish - any leftovers can be saved for later

(toasted sandwiches, small pies etc)
Wait until cooled - in the meantime line the top edges of the pie dish with slices of puff pastry approximately 3 - 4cm wide, overlapping where necessary and folding into the dish and across the top edge of the dish to the outside (rub a little water on the dish edges to ensure the pastry sticks)
Rub a little more water on the surface of the pastry slices that are sitting on the dish, cut the corners off another piece of puff pastry and place that extra piece on top to make a lid
Fold the slices sitting on the outside lip of the dish across the lid,

folding in "corners" where necessary and forming the entire top
Press all around the edges with a fork to seal, cut 4 x 2cm slices evenly in the lid to allow for venting and then use a pastry brush to brush the beaten egg over the entire surface
Cook in a moderately hot oven for approximately 35 - 40 minutes or until pastry is golden and cooked

Chilli Con Carne

This is the easiest chilli con carne recipe I've found, it takes very little time to prepare and cook - and it tastes great! Serves three adults with good appetites.

1/2 kg premium beef mince
2 teaspoons of canola oil
1 finely chopped brown onion
1 heaped teaspoon crushed garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 400g tin diced Italian tomatoes (including juice)
1 400g tin red kidney beans, drained
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder - or to taste (but be warned, you'll need a little sour cream if you use too much chilli powder!)
1 tablespoon dried parsley

Heat the oil on high in a deep frypan / wok,  fry the onion and garlic for a couple of minutes, add the mince and stir constantly until all browned - no pink!

Stir in the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil then reduce to a low heat until just simmering

Cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally

Choc Chip & Nut Cookies

125 grams of butter / margarine

1/2 a cup of castor sugar
1/3 a cup of brown rice, loosely packed
1 egg
1 3/4 cups of self raising flour, sifted
2/3 a cup of chopped unsalted nuts
1/2 a cup of milk choc chips (the type specifically for cooking)
 

Beat the butter / margarine, sugars and egg in a small bowl with an electric mixer until light & fluffy

Stir in the sifted flour roughly, then add the chopped nuts and choc bits and stir through thoroughly

Roll the mixture into small balls (about a heaped teaspoonful per ball)
and place onto a tray covered with baking paper

**Make sure you leave a couple of centimetres between each ball of dough
to allow the biscuits to spread as they cook**

Cook in a moderately hot oven (180 - 190 degrees C fan forced)

for approximately 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden
 

Makes between 40 - 50 cookies

Classic Creamy Coleslaw

This goes really well with steak and home made chips and any leftovers

will keep for a day or two in the fridge so they're good for lunches.

You will need a food processor for this recipe.

1/2 a small green cabbage, very roughly chopped

2 medium carrots, peeled

1 small red onion, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 medium length celery sticks

2 teaspoons of horseradish cream

1/2 a cup of whole egg mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of lemon juice (bottled is fine)
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1/4 of a cup of full cream
Salt and ground black pepper

Put the cabbage, red onion and celery in the food processor

and with the chopping blade pulse until chopped finely enough for your taste
Change to the grating blade and grate the carrots into the mixture
Combine the horseradish cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice,
dijon mustard and cream in a bowl
Stir through the cabbage mixture and season with salt and pepper

Coconut Rice

1 slightly heaped cup of jasmine rice
200mls of water
300ml of good quality coconut cream
2 heaped tablespoons desiccated coconut
Shake of salt
About 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil

Rub the oil around a large saucepan so it covers the bottom and halfway up the sides
Add all other ingredients in no particular order

(although I tend to do the rice, then the coconut & salt, then the liquids)
Set on medium to high heat

Stir occasionally to stop the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot
Once it's begun to bubble stop stirring, reduce heat to very low and cover tightly with a lid

Let simmer away for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. If the liquid hasn't been fully absorbed, stir quickly and gently then leave on the heat for another five minutes (covered), then turn off the heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.

Your rice will stay warm this way for up to an hour

Corn & Bacon Stuffed Tomatoes

***This one, although easy, is somewhat time consuming so not recommended

for a quick "after work" meal. Best saved for a yummy weekend treat***

4 large, round tomatoes
30 gms butter or margarine
2 shallots, chopped
1 heaped teaspoon crushed garlic
2 middle bacon rashers with rind and most of the outer fat trimmed off, finely chopped
130gm can of corn kernels, drained
1/3 cup of breadcrumbs (fresh is best but processed will do)
1/4 cup (heaped) grated cheese (pre grated packet cheese is fine)

Slice off about 2cm from the top of each tomato & scoop out the inside carefully (I slice around the inner edge with a small, sharp knife then gently use a teaspoon to get the pulp out, including juice and seeds), chop all the tomato guts up finely

Fry the chopped bacon until crisp then drain off any excess fat then add the butter/margarine, chopped shallots and crushed garlic, cook for about a minute then add

the drained corn, breadcrumbs, cheese and tomato guts

Spoon the filling into the hollowed out tomato "cups" and stand them in an ovenproof dish -

bake in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes.

There's often some filling left over and it's great heated up and served with

pieces of buttered, warmed crusty french loaf

If using as an entree, try serving with jasmine rice and a dressing of your choice over the rice

Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta

A delicious one saucepan meal so less cleaning up afterwards. Leftovers freeze well for use later.

350gms dried penne pasta
450ml light thickened cream
1/2 cup basil pesto (or a little more if that's to your taste)
3 shallot stalks, chopped relatively finely

(don't use the white bit at the end though) - reserve a few for garnish at the end
About 100 - 150 gms shredded BBQ chicken
1 jar of sun dried tomato slices, drained
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese (heaped)

Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender then drain -

but reserve about 1/3 cup of the liquid

Return pasta to the saucepan and mix in reserved liquid, cream, pesto, shallots, chicken

and sun dried tomato - add a little extra cream if desired

Stir over a medium - low heat for a couple of minutes to combine and heat all ingredients

Serve garnished with chopped shallots and a little parmy cheese if you like, plus crusty bread

Creamy Gnocchi with Bacon, Chicken & Pesto

1 tspn olive oil, 2 tspns crushed garlic, 1 large brown onion finely chopped, 6 rashers bacon with rind removed and chopped (or 250gms diced bacon from Coles/Woolies), a packet of gnocchi from the supermarket, a large handful of shredded BBQ chook, 2 heaped tspns each of sundried tomato pesto and basil pesto, small jar of sundried tomato strips (drained), approx 450ml light thickened cream, 2 heaped tblspns light sour cream, 1/2 heaped cup grated parmesan cheese,

a few fresh basil leaves - torn into bits.

Be careful with the basil as it can be quite overpowering. I recommend about 10 - 12 average sized leaves torn into small bits. You can use baby spinach leaves instead if the basil isn't to your taste.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat

Add the garlic, onion and bacon, cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is nice and soft and the bacon is a light golden colour, remove from the heat and set aside

Cook gnocchi according to directions, drain and return to saucepan

Add bacon / onion mix, chicken, sundried tomato & basil pestos, sundried tomato strips,

cream, sour cream and parmesan to gnocchi

Stir over low heat, then add torn basil leaves and salt & pepper to taste

Add extra cream if desired to make it nice and saucy -

make sure to stir through and heat thoroughly without boiling

Serve with a crusty bread and / or a light salad