Any recipes that will be good for 2-3 meals / days?

[Flaxbee]

I'm cooking for a picky eater (my husband) and would like to be able to cook up a fair amount of food a few times a week, to put away some staples / refrigerate or freeze items that I can easily turn into meals.

Anyone have any favorite recipes that might fit the bill? I don't want every meal to be pre-made, but just some easy dishes for long days when cooking is not my first, second, or even third fourth fifth or sixth priority. And I am not a naturally creative cook, so any and all input is greatly welcomed.

We're trying to cut down on eating out to be healthier, too. One-two meals out a week, but I'd like most meals to originate at home.


So - what I'm working with:

No pork, beef, eggs, mayonnaise.

Very minimal pasta, rice, and bread.

Very minimal chicken / turkey.

Mostly fish, if animal protein is involved. Tuna is good, he also likes crab and shrimp.

Lots and lots and lots of veggies.

He loves nuts, likes tofu a lot.

Salads are of course great, but obviously best fresh. Any good quick but tasty salad recipes?


Thanks in advance for any help! :hi:

[grasswire]

1. you could cook fish/shellfish a couple days ahead for meals

Perhaps have shrimp & veggie skewers one night and cook extras for a shrimp salad the next night? Roast a piece of salmon to have with spinach and a barley salad one night, and then make salmon cakes the next?

I should ask what cooking methods are easiest for you and whether budget is also a consideration.

[Flaxbee]

2. thanks - all of that sounds do-able and good

budget is somewhat a consideration - but it isn't super-tight. It's just the two of us, and 6 cats who really love tuna nights :)

[Warpy]

3. You can get tofu mayo

and use just enough to moisten the salad ingredients. That will make it acceptable to him and palatable for you. Shrimp, crab (or Krab), and chicken are all great salad proteins, especially mixed with nuts and lots of celery and red onion.

Grilled fish fillets are the easiest thing I know, just pre make a rice pilaf for everybody else and grill string beans, sweet corn, or asparagus along with the fish. You can even grill fruits like peaches for dessert.

You can pre make bean salads and dress at the last minute with vinaigrette for alternative protein. You can do eggless egg salad with tofu, sweet pickle relish, celery, and tofu mayo. Add a little turmeric to color it if you must.

Pan fried tofu "steaks" are good, too. Just press, slice, and dust with cornstarch just before you slide them into the oil. You can serve with all sorts of sauces.

Cooking for people with dietary restrictions is a pain in the ass. That's why I do my own cooking, I've got 'em too.

[Flaxbee]

4. thanks, Warpy.

Lots of good tofu suggestions. Don't have a grill (yet) - but I do *love* good fish. I just am so wary of grocery store fish - you have to be very careful about fish farms, and then there has been so much overfishing -- I am aware of the list of 'safe' / not overfished species, but they're not always easy to find.

I am lucky enough that I can eat almost anything I want - I choose not to eat any meat but fish - but I don't have issues with carbs or anything like that. So finding recipes that we both find satisfying can be a challenge.

[Warpy]

5. You can get a one season charcoal grill dirt cheap

at supermarkets and dollar stores. I've found that they actually last several seasons if you don't do all that much grilling, something that is likely for non meat eaters. Heavy foil in the bottom will also prolong its life.

Stovetop grills are also nice. I have a Le Creuset but you really don't need to spend that kind of money. Cast iron is best for even heating and heat retention.

[Flaxbee]

9. hmm - when I get to a place where I can feather the nest a bit more,

I'll look into buying a Le Creuset stovetop grill -- I'd love to be able to easily grill fish & veggies. In the meantime, I'll look for a one-season grill. Didn't even know such a thing existed. :)

[Warpy]

13. The official name isn't that

but that's how long they last when avid grillers buy them. The bottom usually rots out by Labor Day or shortly after.

[grasswire]

6. how's his cholesterol?

just a note -- shrimp are very high in cholesterol.

And may I suggest that a magazine that might be inspiring is one called "Eating Well" that has very healthy food ideas and delicious recipes. Take a look at it on the magazine stand.

[Flaxbee]

10. cholesterol is good ..

we don't go for too much shrimp at any one time, so an indulgence every once in a while doesn't worry me.

Will check out that magazine right now - looks like they have a good website: http://www.eatingwell.com/

Thanks!

[Flaxbee]

15. hey grasswire -- just skimmed thru the Eating Well site - looks great. thanks for the rec!

nt

[wildflower]

7. How about veggie lasagna?

You can cut down on the lasagna noodles by using long flat zucchini strips in their place; you can use reduced-fat cheese or even tofu instead of cheese. Lots of versatility there.

[Flaxbee]

11. hmm. Thanks! Hadn't thought of substituting pasta noodles with zucchini

Sounds really good, actually!

I don't mind using higher-fat cheeses because of flavor; I just use less. But my main goal is the near-elimination of pasta and (sadly) breads... I have been using brown rice a lot instead.

[Tesha]

8. He's Picky? You are an angel!

I'd find it daunting to cook for someone like that.

Let's see, it's summer so how about...

Gazpacho
Bean Salads
Veggie Burgers

If you do get the grill, grill extra zucchini and other veg.
I made a salad with fresh tomatoes and cold grilled zuc the other night that was heaven!

How about Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Eggplant Parm
Stuffed Tomatoes or Peppers
Minestrone or Fish Chowder

Or go Chinese and do a wonderful stir fry.
Try shrimp or scallops or whatever with straw mushrooms and snow peas or...

actually, this could be fun!

[Flaxbee]

12. that all sounds great! I get in a rut and just am

not too creative when it comes to cooking... I appreciate all the ideas. Thanks!

[12AngryBorneoWildmen]

14. Fried rice

Tuna fried rice sounds good. Low meat ratio, lots of good stuff-garlic, ginger, veggies, eggs fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce.

[hippywife]

16. This one is a favorite here.

Mushroom Tofu Stroganoff

1 lb. extra-firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
1/2 c. vinagarette (their recipe or your favorite)
Marinate the tofu in the vinagarette for 30 minutes.

3 TBS. olive oil
1/2 lg. onion, chopped
1/2 c. burgundy wine
1 lb. white button mushrooms, sliced 1/4" thick
2 lg. portabellos, diced
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
3/4 c. oat or soy milk
1 tsp. pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 TBS fresh

Preheat oven to 450. Remove tofu from marinade and place in a
baking dish. Roast tofu for 20 mins, until lightly brown, and
remove from oven.

Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in a large saute pan. Add
the onion and cook slowly until nicely browned, 20 -25 mins.
Deglaze pan with the wine as the onion cooks to prevent the
onion burning or getting too brown. Add the button and
portabello mushrooms and saute 1 to 2 mins, until they are
limp. Ad the milk, tamari, pepper, bay leaves and thyme.
Simmer about 10 mins, allowing mixture to thicken slightly.
Add the tofu and heat the stroganoff through. Remove bay
leaves and serve.


That original recipe came from one of the Whole Foods cookbooks
and is vegan but I did some minor modifications in that I only used 8 oz.
of white button mushrooms (along with the portobellos), sliced them and then
cut the slices in half,instead of 3/4 c. of soy milk I used 1/2 c. sour cream
and 1/4 c. soy milk, and I added a dash of worchestershire sauce (oops! anchovies!.)
Also when I put the mushrooms in the skillet, I added a 1 1/2 TBS. butter.
It wasn't thickening up the way I thought it should so I mixed up a little
cornstarch and added it. I also cut the tofu into squares not cubes and
roasted for 1/2 an hour instead of just 20 minutes. Came out
perfect! It rivals any beef stroganoff I've ever eaten. Since
tofu absorbs flavors and doesn't add flavor to anything, I
reused the vinegarette (olive oil, wine vinegar, basil,
garlic, salt, pepper) that I marinated the tofu in as the
dressing on a green salad so no waste.

[Flaxbee]

19. Wow - sounds great. I have everything but the burgundy.

what could be a good substitute?

[hippywife]

21. If I can't get to a wine shop

I just use the burgundy cooking wine you can get in the grocery store for the flavor.

It really is an excellent recipe. Takes some work but it's worth it.

:hi:

[GoCubsGo]

22. That sounds yummy! I usually use Linda McCartney's recipe

Her's calls for veggie burgers (or you can use "crumbles"), rather than tofu:

http://www.food.com/recipe/linda-mccartneys-beefless-stroganoff-269403

I sometimes replace the white wine with beer, but I'll have to give the red wine a shot next time. You can make the recipe vegan by using a tofu sour cream.

[grasswire]

17. I, too, was thinking that Asian seems to be a natural path.

I make a big fat stir fry with cashews as the protein, and it's just delicious. You could make egg fu yung patties with shrimp or fish. You could do a sweet and sour tofu.

And do you know about those Japanese noodles that are made out of yam? I've forgotten the name of them, but someone here knows what they are.

[htuttle]

18. Soba noodles, but they often have a fair amount of buckwheat in them, too

For meatless recipes that keep well, I'd look at the zillions of Indian vegetable and bean dishes. Most of them are simmered and lend themselves fairly well to freezing and microwaving. Plus there are a lot of different types of dough/flour used that aren't made from wheat, such as rice flour, bean flour, etc... You can always do without the chapati bread and rice, too.

[Flaxbee]

20. I'll check out a few recipes, and grab some cashews.

thanks very much for the ideas; I just need some inspiration!