Microwave-only meals? Microwave tips?

whatsallthisthen

Hello guys and gals,

I'm living with only a microwave(and mini-fridge/freezer) for the summer and it's been rough.
Namely, all the food I generally love to cook(pan-seared chicken breast or fish, stir frys, hard boiled eggs) are all no-go's with the microwave only.
Before you ask, no I can't have a hot-plate or slowcooker, and I have only a 1x1 foot area for food 'prep'.
So far its been steam-in-bag veggies, frozen meat, and frozen meals, salads, along with soups, oatmeal, and a rare protein bar thrown in.

Anyone have any suggestions for microwave centric or no-heat foods -or alternative cooking methods?
For your assistance, I give you the saddest book in the world(related):

whatsallthisthen

Anyone ever use those 'steam bags' that are made just for microwaving fresh fruit/veg/meat in?

12pillows

You can have cous cous as that only needs hot water from the kettle! Just pour hot water on it and leave it for 5 mins. mix it with some salad and houmous and feta. Yum.

RodaRose

You can cook fish in a microwave.
Test for doneness a few times because microwave ovens vary.
Here is a recipe for salmon:

http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/02/how-to-microwave-salmon/
Ingredients
1 – single portion salmon filet
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons sriracha sauce
2-3 fresh cut lemon slices
1 tablespoon parsley

Instructions
Rinse salmon filet with cold water and pat dry. Place the salmon skin side down in a microwave save container. Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and sriracha sauce. Generously spread the mayonnaise mixture on top of the fillet. Add lemon slices and parsley. Cover the dish tightly with microwave safe plastic wrap. Microwave the fish for 3.5 minutes. Check the center of the filet for doneness with a fork. If there is any uncooked fish, microwave for another 30-45 seconds. Garnish with additional parsley and lemon wedges.

TheKSop

Basic but it works -

"Fried" Egg in the Micro (fried only due to non-stick something coating your dish):

Use cooking spray or your favorite fat to coat the inside of a small dish (a ramekin, a mug, whatever).

Insert egg, scramble it a bit with a fork, and sprinkle a little water in there. Pop it in the micro for :45-1:00, and viola, a cooked egg! I used to use this method to cook eggs for bare-bones egg & english muffin sandwiches for breakfast.

It just is a little annoying to clean up.

lagrangefp

I cook 90% of my food in the microwave, 8% in a slow cooker, 2% in a countertop oven. Amazon sells a fantastic fish (I've also used it for chicken)/veggie steamer from Prepworks that I use several times a week.

http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-International-GMMC-450-Microwavable/dp/B00FOI42RK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420085923&sr=8-1&keywords=microwave+fish+steamer

You can cook a 'good as restaurant' salmon fillet (thawed) in 3 minutes and I cooked tilapia tonight in 1 1/2 minutes. I use a microwave rice steamer that I bought from Amazon and love it too. Ditto their pasta steamer.

I mix egg whites and veggies in a plastic microwave bowl in the morning to make tasty scrambled eggs in under 2 minutes. My bowl comes with a vented lid but a paper towel would do just fine to cover the bowl.

I use a Vidalia Chop Wizard (works on firm tomatoes 'but not carrots' however, it does great with onions/mushrooms/bell peppers, etc. - I use the large holed option) once a week and pop each minced veggie into a Rubbermaid containers and refrigerate or freeze. That way instead of having to spend time chopping things when I want to fix a meal I just sprinkle them on from the container.

Oh, and the Nordic Microwave Egg Boiler does a good job hard boiling eggs.

http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Microwave-Egg-Boiler/dp/B0007M2BN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420086773&sr=8-1&keywords=microwave+hard+boiled+egg+cooker

For dessert I mix angel food cake mix with a can of minced pineapple (no eggs/no water), pour it into 2 loaf pans and cook in my countertop oven for 30 minutes. After they cool on their sides I remove from loaf pans and put in separate gallon zip lock bags. I freeze one and eat the other with a teaspoon of fat free Cool-Whip.

I really don't like to spend time cooking so I looked for the easiest way to fix things when I decided to start counting calories and get serious about losing weight.

Hopes this helps even though summer is over. I just joined MFP.

Chandler330

Would a rice cooker be okay? I got quite resourceful cooking with mine while living in China. Everything from scrambled eggs , cakes, soups, burritos, grilled cheese , curries , et cetera.