What are your favorite low number ingredients or less recipes?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Yesterday, I was at Costco and they had some pork shoulder bone-in steaks reduced to $1.50 a lb. So, I bought a pack, separated them into 4 freezer baggies, added ingredients below, froze 3 bags and put 1 in the fridge for last night’s dinner.</p>

<p>Into each bag I poured in…</p>

<p>Soy Sauce (probably a couple of tablespoons per bag)</p>

<p>onion flakes- probably about 1/2 tsp per bag (could have used fresh chopped)</p>

<p>granulated garlic - a couple of shakes in each bag (could have used fresh)</p>

<p>dehydrated vegetable flakes - about 1 tsp per bag (I have a lot of these bottles, but I could have used celery flakes, a bit of red pepper flakes, etc)</p>

<p>black pepper…a few grinds per bag. (didn’t add salt because of soy sauce!!)</p>

<p>closed each bag and kind of squeezed/shook up the contents to mix and spread around the meat.</p>

<p>Since the bag that was going into the fridge to marinate was going to be cooked that night, I turned the bag at least once during the day to marinate each side.</p>

<p>Sprayed a pan with Canola Pam and heated to med-high heat. Sprinkled a little bit of olive oil to the pan.</p>

<p>Very lightly floured each side of the pork steaks. (I use the Wondra flour can for this…so much easier to just very lightly “powder” the steaks)</p>

<p>Pan fried…time on each side will depend on thickness.</p>

<p>BTW…the “left-over bits” in the pan would have made a nice gravy if I had been serving potatoes. Or I guess I could have made the gravy and served over the rice…??)</p>

<p>I served with rice from my rice cooker and a salad.</p>

<p>anyway…the pork steaks were a big hit…but not to the wallet! ;)</p>

<p>(low number of ingredients does not include: Water, Salt, Pepper or Pam spray)</p>

<p>these are the vegetable flakes that I use…I love these flakes!!! but right now, Amazon doesn’t have them in stock.
[Spice</a> Classics Vegetable Flakes - 12 Pack: Amazon.com: Grocery & Gourmet Food](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Spice-Classics-Vegetable-Flakes-Pack/dp/B0029JZAB4]Spice”>http://www.amazon.com/Spice-Classics-Vegetable-Flakes-Pack/dp/B0029JZAB4)</p>

2

<p>oops…mods, can you move to Parent Cafe…</p>

<p>And please remove the “or less” from the title…I changed the title from 5 ingredients or less, and forgot to take out the “or less”.</p>

<p>Thanks a bunch!!</p>

3

<p>Mark Bittman has a great cookbook with minimalist recipes.
[My</a> 25 Favorite Minimalist Recipes - Mark Bittman](<a href=“http://markbittman.com/my-25-favorite-minimalist-recipes]My”>http://markbittman.com/my-25-favorite-minimalist-recipes)</p>

<p>One of my favorites is whitefish with shallots, portabella mushrooms & scrumpy ( hard cider)</p>

<p>I’ve also made the same thing with chicken & white wine.</p>

4

<p>Mmmm…that sounds yummy! I am afraid of cooking pork ever since my mother told me about trichinosis when I was little. So no pork sushi for me, I’m afraid.

Can you give me a ballpark? 7 minutes each side? Longer? How should it look when it’s done – pink?</p>

<p>This is my go to quick and easy low ingredient recipe:</p>

<p>[Marinated</a> Chicken Breasts Recipe : Food Network Kitchens : Recipes : Food Network](<a href=“http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/marinated-chicken-breasts-recipe/index.html?k=1]Marinated”>http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/marinated-chicken-breasts-recipe/index.html?k=1)</p>

5

<p>Pork chops with apples and onions
Sauteed pork chops in a large frying pan, add sliced apples and onions saute a bit more the add a little more liquid (cider, white wine, vermouth) cover and serve when vegetables and fruit are soft.</p>

<p>Roast Chicken
My favorite which I guess has more than five if you count more than one herb, but still seems super easy to me. Take one roast chicken. Put it in roasting pan. Melt some butter in microwave (2-4 TB) and pour it over the chicken, salt and pepper to taste inside and out. Stick some fresh herbs in the cavity (I grow thyme, parsley and rosemary, sage is good too.) Stick it in the oven at 400 -450 degrees. While it’s cooking peel 5-6 garlic cloves, and 5-6 shallots (or onions if you are out of shallots) throw them in the roasting pan along with 1/2 cup or so of something liquid. I usually use vermouth because it’s cheap, but you can use stock, juice, wine or even water. If you use fruit juice keep an eye on things because the sugars like to burn. Every 20 minutes baste the chicken add water or wine if the liquid cooks away. A 4 pound chicken takes about an hour. If it’s getting too brown you can turn down the heat.</p>

6

<p>Here’s the fish recipe.
[Sparkling</a> Cider-Poached Fish | recipe | eveningedge.com | ajc.com](<a href=“http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/sparkling-cider-poached-fish/]Sparkling”>http://projects.eveningedge.com/recipes/sparkling-cider-poached-fish/)
I don’t buy pork very much either, but I used to make pork chops on top of the stove with Granny Smith apples & garlic, & serve it with egg noodles & peas - tarragon for seasoning and color in the noodles.</p>

<p>I also like to roast a whole chicken with Dijon mustard. Just rub the mustard all over it, and roast at whatever temp works best for your oven( I usually do 375)
It turns a nice brown( although I toss the skin after)
I also sometimes rub a cut lemon on the inside of the cavity. I usually brine chicken for moistness & flavor but with the mustard you really don’t have to.</p>

7

<p>Baked salmon - butter, dill weed, lemon/pepper, and parsley. 400 degrees - how long depends on how thick the piece is. I like this seasoning better than anything in a restaurant. </p>

<p>Pot roast - 2-3 lbs bottom roast, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 packet onion soup mix. You can put this in the slow cooker, but I think it comes out better when you just put it in the oven. Use a casserole dish, add whatever veggies you want (I use the small round canned potatoes and baby carrots.) Put the mushroom/onion mixture over meat and veggies and add a few spoonfuls of water. Cover loosely with aluminum foil. 300 degrees for @ 3 hours. I know real cooks shudder at the canned soup, etc., but it tastes WONDERFUL.</p>

8

<p>SansSerif,How funny. I just made that pot roast on Monday. I did use a crockpot though and didn’t add any water and it came out fine. Used a 3 lb. chuck roast. Cooked on low for 8 hours. I put vegetables in for the last 6 hours so they wouldn’t get mushy-red potatoes and carrots. Just wanted to add crockpot info in case somebody likes to use a crockpot. Had the leftovers last night and it was still really good. Just had a craving for pot roast since the weather is getting chillier.Hadn’t made it in years.</p>

9

<p>Isn 't it funny - I was going to say Roast Chicken too. I read that it is the very first recipe taught at Cordon Bleu school, because it is so great to experiment with! I do it like this -

  1. Roll a lemon hard on the counter (to break up the membranes) punch it with a fork eight or so times, and stick it in the cavity.
  2. Lately we have been lifting the skin and putting fresh sage or basil in beteween the skin and the chicken, but only because it feels fancy. Not convinced simply sticking it inside the cavity isn’t just as good - still testing.<br>
  3. Rub the compressed jar garlic all over it (maybe 1 - 2 teaspoons) and salt and pepper.<br>
  4. Sometimes I put canola oil on it to crisp up the skin - depends on mood.
  5. Bake at 350 for an hour - longer for a bigger chicken. </p>

<p>My go to recipe for bringing to sick friends, cooking in a rental home, or anywhere I want to make my family happy. Both my daughters can make this with their eyes closed and no recipe. MARGARITA CHICKEN

  1. Crush half a family sized bag of tortilla chips in a zip lock bag. Put on a plate.
  2. Dump equal parts honey, canola oil, and lemon on a plate - perhaps 1/3 cup each. Stir with a fork.
  3. Take a value sized bag of chicken tenderloins or boneless chicken breasts. You can use frozen, but the topping doesn’t stick as well. Roll the chicken first in the oils, then the chips.<br>
  4. Bake about half an hour in a 9 x 12 pan. I have never made one batch, so usually it is two pans.<br>
  5. Pull out of the oven, and make a “ribbon” of salsa across the chicken and sprinkle mexican or mozzerella cheese on top. Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.
  6. Can be frozen and reheated, and will make anyone not eating it jealous. Very forgiving time wise - I seldom burn it even if I am distracted. Eat with a beer or margarita, a green salad… and relax.</p>
10

<p>Very simple, healthy dish–</p>

<p>Cut some boneless, skinless chicken breasts into cubes.</p>

<p>Heat some olive oil and garlic in a dutch oven; saute the chicken cubes until they are white on all sides.</p>

<p>Add some high quality marinara sauce, and whatever vegetables you like (we like fresh mushrooms, onions and peas) and simmer on low for 25-30 minutes.</p>

<p>Serve with pasta or rice and a salad.</p>

11

<p>Mmmm…that sounds yummy! I am afraid of cooking pork ever since my mother told me about trichinosis when I was little. So no pork sushi for me, I’m afraid.
Quote:
Pan fried…time on each side will depend on thickness.
Can you give me a ballpark? 7 minutes each side? Longer? How should it look when it’s done – pink?</p>

<p>I cooked it about 3 minutes per side…but these weren’t THICK. They were maybe 3/4 in thick. Oh, and for about the last minute, I put a lid on the pan.</p>

<p>Actually, many of the concerns about pork have been lifted. Recently the recommended interior meat temp for pork safety has been lowered.</p>

<p>*The Other Pink Meat …That could be pork’s new slogan after the United States Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said it was lowering its safe cooking temperature to 145 degrees, from the longtime standard of 160. The new recommendation is in line with what many cookbook authors and chefs have been saying for years.</p>

<p>*
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/dining/porks-safe-cooking-temperature-is-lowered.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/25/dining/porks-safe-cooking-temperature-is-lowered.html&lt;/a&gt;
New York Times…</p>

12

<p>Make peanut butter cookies for desert:</p>

<p>1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg</p>

<p>3 ingredients.</p>

13

<p>*Make peanut butter cookies for desert:</p>

<p>1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg</p>

<p>3 ingredients.*</p>

<p>then, cook them???</p>

<p>Gonna try that Margarita Chix…very easy…my boys can learn this!!</p>

14

<p>Here’s another great crockpot recipe using a chuck roast. It takes a little bit of prep first, but it’s worth it.</p>

<p>First, pour a can of low sodium beef broth into a saucepan and boil until it reduces to around 1/2 cup.</p>

<p>Next, rub some steak seasoning onto the outside of a 3 lb. boneless chuck roast. Remove as much fat as possible first (it’s okay to cut the roast into a few pieces in order to cut away large chunks of fat). Brown it on all sides in a little olive oil in a heavy skillet, then remove and place in crockpot.</p>

<p>Pour the reduced beef broth into the empty skillet, using a spatula to scrape the browned bits off the bottom. Stir in a cup of your favorite salsa, then pour the mixture over the chuck roast in the crockpot.</p>

<p>Cook on high for one hour, then turn to low and cook 3-4 more hours, or until meat is very tender when pierced with a fork. You could also just cook it for a longer time on the low setting (6-7 hours is good).</p>

<p>Remove meat from crockpot and pour sauce into a small saucepan. Use a fat separator or spoon off excess fat if there’s a lot of fat on top of the sauce. Put the meat back into the crockpot to keep it warm, then add about 1/4 cup more salsa to the sauce and simmer till reduced to about 1 cup.</p>

<p>You can shred the meat with two forks or just slice it up (although it will be falling apart by this time). Serve it over rice or even on a bun, with sauce spooned over the top. You could also use the meat as a taco or burrito filling.</p>

15

<p>Temperature,time for cookies?</p>

16

<p>Key Lime Pie</p>

<p>(adapted from an Epicurious recipe)</p>

<p>prepared graham cracker crust
1 can sweetened condensed milk
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons of Nellie and Joe’s key lime juice</p>

<p>Preheat oven to 350 degrees</p>

<p>Prebake crust per package instructions</p>

<p>Beat condensed milk and egg yolks until blended. Add key lime juice and blend.</p>

<p>Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Cool completely and then chill. Serve chilled with whip cream.</p>

17

<p>Here’s another super easy one. </p>

<p>Italian beef for sandwiches</p>

<p>1 beef roast (I’ve used all kinds and all sizes so get whatever your family likes or what is on sale)
1 package Good Seasons zesty Italian dressing mix
1 12 oz jar of pepperoncini (exact size is not important)
12 oz bottle of beer or water</p>

<p>Mix seasoning packet, pepperoncini with liquid and beer in the crockpot. Add beef and cook until fork tender. Serve on toasted bakery rolls. Also good with a slice of melted provolone.</p>

<p>Don’t serve the pepperoncini stems.</p>

18

<p>Sansserif’s (post #7) recipe for salmon is great with trout too. I use whole trout and put slices of lemon and fresh dill and butter in the cavity and bake till done. 400 degrees I think.</p>

19

<p>"Baked salmon - butter, dill weed, lemon/pepper, and parsley. 400 degrees - how long depends on how thick the piece is. I like this seasoning better than anything in a restaurant. "
-Much shorter list in our house. Baked salmon - bake with nothing on 375 for 20 min. Eat with wasabi. Yummmmm! Eat both hot and cold, so few days later it is still very good straight from fridge. We love smell of fish, I do not want to ruin it with any ingredients. We never order salmon in restaurants, they tend to overcook it. Instead, we go for salmon sushi, 8 peices is my dinner.</p>

20

<p>guacamole! Smashed avocados, a couple of pressed garlic cloves, lemon juice and salt. Mix with a fork and resist eating by the spoonful.</p>