What can I cook?

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SuffolkSally
SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My only cooking facility for a few days is going to be one oven! Thehob's been erratic for a while, now it's died altogether and I can't get it replaced till Tuesday.

The last time it packed up for a bit was a nightmare - I ended up eating ready meals which I hate. I generally eat pretty well.

I'm feeling I don't want to be eating roast chicken with roasted vegetables for the next four days! Any imaginatve ideas for healthy stuff I can cook in the circumstances?
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  • Denjo060
    Denjo060 Posts: 1,008
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    You can do pita pizzas or bagelpizzas or how about egg fratatas I can give yourecipes for these if you want Or you can also do baked haddock I have a recipe for that too Its all healthy stuff
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Season up a pork or beef tenderloin (about the same fat content as skinless chicken breasts) and put it in a baking pan with root vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, etc.) cut into chunks and a little water or stock. Bake until the root vegetables are softened and the meat is browned and to a safe temp.

    Baked fish and roasted vegetables. Just about any fish and any non-leafy vegetable will work.

    Mix instant brown rice with chopped vegetables and canned beans or meat and stock (according to rice pkg directions) and seasonings of your choice for a one dish caserole.

    Slice zucchini thinly and use in place of noodles in a lasagna.

    Bake up some yummy hot open face sandwiches.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Hmm I have eggs... what's that recipe?
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    I'm just so sick of one pot casseroles!

    For anyone who likes to eat well, it's such a drag not getting the leafy greens... and the casseroles really aren't that good when you can't saute an onion or anything for a bit of flavour...

    I'm looking forward to the egg recipe.

    The spinach in my garden is ready for it's first harvest, so I think tomorrow I'll get some haddock try to do a version of haddock mornay.

    I'm generally trying to eat minimum processed food, minimum red meat, and otherwise high fibre with a lot of veg. I'm not overly obsessional about it, it's just frustrating when I'm actually motivated and can't eat how I'd like to!
  • robinskv
    robinskv Posts: 107 Member
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    Have you thought about a black bean enchilada? There are a lot of good tortillas out there, or you can make your own. Making your own saucy is easy too with tomoatoes and spices.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    There was a recipe the other day for black bean burgers which I think you could oven bake....

    Living in the rural UK, these ingredients are quite exotic, we have access to good quality local seasonal stuff but other things involve an online order or a trip to a city.

    It is asparagus season, on the good side, and I can eat freshly cut asparagus all day every day, and roasting is as good a method as any.

    Think I'll cut myself some slack and treat myself to a pizza tinight - one can't be virtuous all the time, I have relatively healthy ones in the freezer and I can load it with good stuff as well.

    Then it's just the weekend to figure out - but the suggestions are rolling in, keep em coming!
  • AprilOneFourFour
    AprilOneFourFour Posts: 226 Member
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    Roast the asparagus with french-fry-cut courgettes - about 15-20 mins with one toss to make them a bit caramelised and delicious. Towards the end, add in some peas and serve this tossed with a little grated parmesan and the oil they were cooked in. Make enough to have cold the next day, it's nice both ways. You can also mix it with rocket or baby spinach (or mint, or basil) for that extra greeny taste you're after. At the same time this is cooking you could bake some fish fllets in oil. This salad is good with salmon.

    That spinach would be good in an indian saag gohst, made with a bit of lean lamb, yogurt, onion and spices...good tomorrow night instead of a takeaway. Microwaveable rice or some naan, poppadoms, raita....Hm, better go and make dinner.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Hmm I have eggs... what's that recipe?

    Quiche
  • peggymenard
    peggymenard Posts: 246 Member
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    scalloped potatoes w/cheese.
  • peggymenard
    peggymenard Posts: 246 Member
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    Chicken breasts or thighs in foil pouch. Place meat on a 12 x 12 piece of foil. Surround with carrots, celery, mushrooms or any veggie you want. Add a tsp of white wine, season with rosemary and garlic and a little salt. Add a patty of butter. Seal the foil with
    fold overs and bake for 45mins to 1 hr.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Roast the asparagus with french-fry-cut courgettes - about 15-20 mins with one toss to make them a bit caramelised and delicious. Towards the end, add in some peas and serve this tossed with a little grated parmesan and the oil they were cooked in. Make enough to have cold the next day, it's nice both ways. You can also mix it with rocket or baby spinach (or mint, or basil) for that extra greeny taste you're after. At the same time this is cooking you could bake some fish fllets in oil. This salad is good with salmon.

    That spinach would be good in an indian saag gohst, made with a bit of lean lamb, yogurt, onion and spices...good tomorrow night instead of a takeaway. Microwaveable rice or some naan, poppadoms, raita....Hm, better go and make dinner.

    Mmm yum!

    I also have pak choi ready to harvest, which I'd usually stirfry with a bit of sesame oil, soy sauce, chilli, garlic and ginger (or I might steam it) - but I could try that in a foil pouch too couldn't I, or use it as wraps for small pieces of fish - I've got scallops, prawns, and salmon in the freezer.

    No microwave, and I've found rice/pasta etc impossible to cook in an oven - the water boils but the timing doesn't work and the result gets fed to the dog or the compost heap!
  • AprilOneFourFour
    AprilOneFourFour Posts: 226 Member
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    You can cook rice in the oven, I only do so in the following recipe, but this could be adapted to seasonal produce and different flavourings.
    Vegetable Biriyani: In a pot that can hold all the ingredients, roast some veg for 15 mins at about 180c (courgette coins, chunky chopped red onion, a cubed potato, green beans is a nice combo). Then stir in 6oz basmati and about 450ml hot stock with a few tbsp of a Patak's paste (i use the coriander and cumin one - don't normally use processed foods, but this has an excellent flavour) put back in the oven uncovered and continue to cook, giving it a stir every now and then and adding a little more hot water if needed. It takes another 20-30 mins. Sprinkle some chopped coriander over and serve it with raita. It's a staple in my house.
    Pasta is tricky, but if you can find Orzo, a rice shaped pasta, that will cook in a similar way to above and you'll find a fantastic Greek recipe for cooking it with lamb in a tomato sauce in the oven.
  • pixelish
    pixelish Posts: 54
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    Last night for dinner, I marinated a butterflied chicken in a mix of olive oil, juice and zest from two limes, minced garlic, cilantro, parsely, mint, salt and pepper. I roasted that in a cast iron skillet @ 425 degrees (F) until done. Simultaneously, I roasted diced potatoes in olive oil, salt and pepper, and dill on a sheet pan. Paired that with steamed green beans (done in microwave), but those could easily been tossed in with the potatoes.
  • pixelish
    pixelish Posts: 54
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    You can also cook rice in a crock pot: http://www.ehow.com/how_2062594_use-crockpot-cook-rice.html
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
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    Oven "fried" chicken

    Chicken breast
    corn flakes or special k cereal
    honey dijon dressing
    spices to your liking, I use cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, lemon pepper

    Number of Chicken breasts is based on number of people, so is the rest. For four servings, I use about 1 cup of cereal.

    Spray and 8x8 (or larger if you have a larger family) pan. Place cereal flakes in a zipper bag and seal the bag without air. Pound the flakes with a mallet until they are fine (like bread crumbs). Open bag and add spices to taste and shake. Place dressing in a shallow bowl and dredge the breasts in it. Then shake in the spice bag. Please in the baking pan and bake at 350 until done.

    Baked Lemon Chicken and Mushrooms

    Chicken breasts
    Button or baby bella mushrooms
    lemon juice
    lemon pepper

    Spray the pan. If you have a lemon flavored spray, use that. If not, use a regular one. Decap the mushrooms, placing the caps upside down like a bed on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle lemon juice over the mushrooms. Place chicken breasts over mushrooms. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and then with lemon juice. Bake at 350 until cooked through.

    I've also seen recipes for zucchini lasagna (zucchini in place of noodles) and such. Poke around and you'll find some great recipes!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I do a lot do baked pastas with a big salad on the side.
  • CatchMom11
    CatchMom11 Posts: 462 Member
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    If you have an oven, then baked chicken with whatever seasoning you like and steamed vegetables.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    This is all good stuff!

    I'm going to try the baking in a foil pouch idea tonight - can't believe I didn't think of that myself! I've got wild salmon steak, asparagus, pak ckoi and peas, and I think I'll do it with Chinese spices.

    Lots of the lamb ideas sound great - I don't eat much red meat but that's for health reasons not because I don't like it. Once in a while won't hurt. I have orzo pasta, spinach, and no end of herbs and spices, so I'll do something on a Greek theme tomorrow...

    Keep em rolling, all most helpful!
  • OccupyFitness
    OccupyFitness Posts: 147
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    Another vote for foil packets. You can really use any kind of meat and any kind of veggies.

    Sounds like a push for some low carb eating!

    Hope you find some new meals to love.
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    Another vote for foil packets. You can really use any kind of meat and any kind of veggies.

    Sounds like a push for some low carb eating!

    Hope you find some new meals to love.

    Or preferably and not too far away a new damn hob!

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