Dinner is a great opportunity to relax and enjoy a satisfying, healthy meal. But by dinnertime, we’ve spent the day working, chasing after children and getting things done.
Spending hours in the kitchen creating a complex meal with lots of chopping is not practical most weeknights.
Fortunately you only need 15 minutes from kitchen to table to make fresh tasty meals if you know what you’re doing.
Try these meal ideas with maximum health and taste, and minimum fuss.
The barbecue
If the idea of cleaning the hotplate puts you off using the
BBQ, here’s a solution. Line a 40-50cm length of foil with baking paper. You can cook lots of things this way.
Try a whole snapper with shallots and ginger. Seal up the package to make an airtight bag and place on the barbecue to cook.
This method means you barbecue and steam, which is nice and gentle and means you won’t risk overcooking lovely pieces of fish. And there’s nothing to clean! Just throw the bag away.
Or try this spaghetti dish: Par-cook some spaghetti and place it in a foil package with clams, cherry tomatoes and a little white wine. Seal and cook on the barbecue for about 10 minutes.
Versatile soup
What happens when a glance in the crisper drawer reveals a bag of carrots, an onion and some wilted parsley?
Make carrot soup.
Soups are perfect for using up leftovers. If you don’t have enough carrots, just throw in whatever’s there. Potato, sweet potato and pumpkin all work well.
- Sauté 1 chopped onion in a large saucepan until soft. Add 1kg peeled and chopped carrots and cook for 5 minutes or until softening
- Add 1L of chicken or vegetable stock and simmer for 10 minutes
- Puree the soup and serve with a dollop of natural yoghurt and chopped parsley
Handy shortcuts
Some pre-prepared foods are handy too, like brown rice pockets that heat in 90 seconds in the microwave. You can do a quick paella and mix the rice with a homemade tomato sauce or bottled passata and cooked prawns.
It also makes good fried rice. Just stir-fry the rice with garlic, vegies, prawns or chicken. Play around with the flavours based on what you have to hand.
Bought stock is another standby. Simmer it with some aromatics. Try a cinnamon stick, star anise and fresh ginger. Then throw in rice noodles, whatever vegies you have and thinly sliced beef, chicken or fresh prawns.
Use up leftovers
Leftover, cooked potatoes are really versatile.
- Combine leftover mash with an egg, grated cheddar and breadcrumbs. Shape into fritters and pan-fry until brown and crisp on the outside. Serve with low-fat sausages and peas
- Combine leftover mash with canned salmon, dill and chopped shallot and shape into patties. Pan-fry until browned on the outside and serve with salad
- Slice and grill whole cooked potatoes and serve with barbecued chicken and salad
- Slice cooked potatoes and layer with onion and low-fat sour cream and sprinkle with low-fat cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and potato is heated through
Don’t cook!
Miso paste is a staple of Japanese cuisine and perfect for a no-fuss, nourishing soup.
Combine miso paste with boiling water and add soaked, drained fresh soba noodles, shredded vegetables (such as cabbage, carrot, shallot and enoki mushrooms) and some cubed tofu.
Couscous is no-fuss too. Just let it soak in boiling water for 5 minutes, or some stock for extra flavour. Then make a tabouli with couscous, fresh parsley, cucumber, chopped bought barbecued chicken or tinned tuna and a simple yoghurt dressing.
Stir-fries
Once you’ve stocked your pantry with Asian essentials, wok-cooked recipes are super-quick to whip up.
Stir-fry essentials
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Oyster sauce
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh garlic
One pot wonders
Cook some spiral pasta, drain and return to the pan. Add peeled cooked prawns, rocket leaves, steamed green beans and toss with bought basil pesto.
Curries are surprisingly quick too. Braise leftover sausages or beef with onion, garlic, tomato, zucchini and chilli. Add some curry powder and tinned tomatoes and a little stock and cook until the sauce has reduced and the vegies are cooked. If you want to be more fancy, add spices. I like cumin, coriander, turmeric and garam masala.
Eggs: perfect protein
Think omelette, frittata, quiche, baked eggs, scrambled eggs and Spanish tortilla.
Or try a salad with soft boiled eggs, grilled tomato, rocket and grilled mushrooms with low-fat cottage cheese and fresh lemon squeezed over the top.