quick and easy "fresh" recipes??

Nadyasmom
Nadyasmom Posts: 281
edited September 20 in Recipes
Hi!

I live in India, so I don't have access to canned, frozen, pre-cooked ANYTHING (well, some things are available but for extreme import prices). So everything I cook is from scratch and made from fresh ingredients. Sounds heavenly right? Wrong--here's my problem: I need to be able to cook healthy food for myself that is fast and easy to make alongside of my family's regular dinner. If i buy chicken here, I can't just get the breast--I have to buy the entire chicken-then they kill it for me (yeah--kinda creepy)--then I get the whole thing--bones and all. So there is no time for me ot have to scrape it a a part to get just the breast, or leg etc. IT's all chopped up into chunks. (and that's just the deal with chicken--but gives you an idea of how much work is involved with dinner prep).

So my question is this: what are some quick and easy recipes using fresh ingredients that are filling and healthy--a.) my entire family including my toddler would like and b.) that I can quickly cook throughout the day for myself

Any ideas? I'm getting really fed up of salad. ;)

Replies

  • spritie
    spritie Posts: 167
    they have lots of legumes over there don't they? could you make a dhal or something, just make it fat free, could what you make for your family be modified so you can have the same meal? like stew or some thing you have it as a thick soup and they have it with a grain of some kind??
  • DeannaK
    DeannaK Posts: 178 Member
    Because I have no idea what it's like living in India - do you preserve fruits or vegetables? I have a few recipes, but ones that seem simple to me still require some canned ingredients.. (tomatoes, etc..).

    One thing we like to do at my house is cut up potatoes, onions, peppers, zucchini.. could probably be done with most root vegetables (carrots, rutabaga, turnips..), drizzle olive oil and salt/pepper (to taste) and roast them in the oven or bbq. this would be great with some chopped up chicken :) most chicken parts are fine, especially if they are baked and you remove the skin (after cooking, so it stays moist).

    What other kinds of meat are you able to get? Do you eat fish?

    Here's a recipe I thought of while writing this.. got it from allrecipes.com - you could probably substitute pork for any other meat/seafood. If you are able to find fresh oregano, you could substitute the fresh for the dried. Skewers are a fun way to mix dinner up a little :)

    PORK SOUVLAKI
    Souvlaki is a Greek specialty made with tender cuts of meat. In this pork recipe, the meat is marinated in a lemony olive oil mixture. Serve with rice pilaf and a Greek salad.

    1/2 lemon, juiced
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    1-1/2 cloves garlic, crushed
    2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch cubes
    1 medium yellow onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
    1 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
    skewers



    In a large glass bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano, and garlic; add pork, onions, and green peppers, and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
    Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread pork, peppers, and onions onto skewers.
    Lightly oil grate. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or to desired doneness, turning skewers frequently for even cooking.


    PREP TIME 30 Min
    COOK TIME 15 Min
    READY IN 2 Hrs 45 Min

    6 servings

    Calories 213
    Calories from Fat 90

    % Daily Value *
    Total Fat 10g 15 %
    Saturated Fat 2.5g 13 %
    Cholesterol 71mg 24 %
    Sodium 355mg 14 %
    ** Potassium 480mg 13 %
    Total Carbohydrates 4.6g 1 %
    Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5 %
    Protein 25.8g
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Roasted veggies like Deanna suggested are a great way to cook up a heap of vegetables with minimal effort. Also, eating other parts of the chicken isn't that bad if you bake it and just don't eat the skin--at least you know that the chicken is really fresh and probably not stuffed full of antibiotics like a lot of the ones here in the States!
  • DeannaK
    DeannaK Posts: 178 Member
    Here's another one of my fav's.. Clean Eating Magazine has some great recipes. There are many that have been posted online if you "Google," them. Clean Eating is well known for using fresh, whole ingredients. Anyway.. here's the other one:

    Light Ensalada Rusa w/ Marinated Tomatoes

    2 yukon gold potatoes
    2 large carrots
    1/2 large sweet potato (I used yam, it's what I had)
    2 eggs
    6 oz tuna packed in water without salt (I used chopped grilled chicken, it's what I had. other times i've skipped this entirely)
    1/2 cup diced yellow onion
    1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
    1 cup peas

    dressing:
    1/4 cup plain low fat yogurt
    1/2 cup low fat sour cream
    zest of 1 lemon
    1 tbsp dijon mustard
    1 tbsp lemon juice (juice from 1/2 a lemon)
    fresh cracked pepper to taste.

    chop potatoes, (yam), & carrots, cover in water in med. pot with eggs & boil 10-15 mins until just soft. If frozen, add peas for last 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.

    in large bowl combine potatoes etc., chopped peppers, diced onion & tuna (or chicken).

    In separate bowl, whisk together ingredients for dressing. Pour over veggies, toss to coat.

    Serve marinated tomatoes over salad.

    Marinated tomatoes:

    chop 2 roma tomatoes and mix with 3 tbsp wine vinegar, cracked pepper and sea salt to taste. Chill 20 mins before topping salad.

    serves 8 (3/4 cup servings). cals: 127 fats: 1.5g carbs: 19g fibre: 3.5g protein: 10g sugars: 5g sodium: 158mg cholesterol: 10mg
  • DrKloctopussy
    DrKloctopussy Posts: 17
    You can make pretty much everything from fresh food? The only veggies I buy canned are tomatoes, and that's to save the work of peeling them. A basic meal can be roasted chicken, steamed veggies, rice--you've got to have rice? There's about a zillion ways to spin it: Stirfry, Italian style with pasta instead of rice, on kebabs, as wraps in flatbread instead of rice, curries, etc. Serve the dark meat to other members of the family if you want to avoid it, but it's not bad to eat it yourself :) Use the chicken bones to make stock & you can make large batches of homemade soup to freeze in individual portions, if you are making something for your family that doesn't fit your diet, then you can just reheat a bowl of soup.

    You can change out the chicken for other lean protein you have access to, and get even more variety. I guess these aren't "recipes" exactly, but you don't need a fancy recipe for everyday cooking! Just put some salt, pepper, and herbs on the chicken and cook it!
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