Easy tips to make a plain meal good

hipsgalore

Please share tips to make your meals taste really good. Here's mine: I'm not really a fan of salads. yesterday I made a salad with chicken in it and I added a jalepeno pepper that I cut up in small bits. This made a world of difference with my boring salad and I was highly pleased. Very easy change made a big difference.
Please share your easy tips for making a bland meal better!

pigwidgeon82

I add onions to EVERYTHING. Onions make everything better.

I also cook green beans in chicken broth. It really kicks them up a notch.

Pebble321

Great topic - there are so many things that can make a ho-hum dinner much tastier. Here's my suggestions:
- chopped up apple in a salad - you don't need much but it adds extra sweetness and crunch.
- mustard stirred into pasta sauce or casserole - a teaspoon of mustard adds practically no calories to a whole dish and it does make a difference.
- fresh herbs - parsley, mint, garlic chives, basil, coriander etc are ridiculously easy to grow and and add so much flavour and freshness to just about anything.
- lemon or lime juice squeezed on top of almost anything makes it better.
- add a few flavours to plain low fat mayo for a seriously good dressing (lemon juice, mustard, a tiny bit of red wine vinegar spring to mind) plus a dash of water to thin it down a little - makes it go further and you don't lose the taste with the extra flavours.
- smoked paprika adds real depth of flavour to roast chicken, casseroles, etc.
- five spice powder is magic sprinkled over chicken breasts or thighs before you grill them.

All these thiings are pretty cheap if you just buy them one at a time - so they are especially good if you are cooking on a budget and looking for different flavours with the same staples.

Edited to add: I forgot to say that bacon makes everything taste better, but we probably all know that already!

OSC_ESD

You can create a spectacular feast just by adding the following to salads, salmon, wheat pasta or just about anything !

* Fresh fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, raisins, apples, pears, grapes ... whatever you fancy !
* Nuts ! A handful of nuts to a salad not only adds flavor ... but reaps protein ! Crush some pecans or walnuts and add to the top of a fish before baking with a splash of Olive Oil.
* Veggies ! The more colorful ... the better ! Chop up those tri-color peppers, carrots, broccoli ... throw in some edamame for an extra boost of protein !
* Cheese ... In moderation gives a flavor like no other ! Gorgonzola, Crumbled Blue Cheese and my personal favorite ... Goat !
* Bonus items : Hard bolied egg, sunflower seeds or any healthy seed mix.
* Grilled Chicken, Salmon, Shrimp, Crab, Tofu, lean cold cuts ... ( 3 oz of any one of these is a good choice )
* Mrs Dash's line of seasonings is always a good choice ... as well as cayenne pepper <---- Revs the metabolism !


All that is needed to make a plain meal transform into an awesome feast is simple and healthy ! Sometimes we search for something more ... when all along everything we needed was right in our kitchen ! ( I hope )

appleseeds

Avocado!

erinkeely4

Buy Alive & Radiant Quite Cheezy Kale Krunch. Then take those kale chips and crunch them up into bits with your hands and sprinkle them on your salad. You will thank me later