QUICK AND EASY RECIPES
These meals should require a minimum of preparation, cook up quickly, enable the "chef" to be seated in front of the stove the majority of the time, and provide a culinary delight while conserving precious energy.
Carla & Beaux
Cheese Tortellini Soup
submitted by Carla Sims, aka Twistermama
INGREDIENTS:
ONE 2LB. BOX LOW-SODIUM CHICKEN BROTH (OR 5 CANS) BE SURE TO USE LOW SODIUM.
ONE PACKAGE FROZEN, OR FRESH, CHEESE TORTELLINI.
FRESH PARSLEY, CHOPPED FINE (DO NOT USE DRIED)
FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER TO TASTE
DIRECTIONS:
BRING BROTH TO A BOIL. POUR CHEESE TORTELLINI INTO THE BROTH. ADD FRESH PARSLEY AND BLACK PEPPER. BOIL TORTELLINI ACCORDING TO PACKAGE
INSTRUCTIONS.
SERVE WITH PARMESAN CHEESE CRISPS AND SALAD.
A Lazy Guy's Etouffée
an original recipe -- created in the kitchen of Tom Cagle
This meal requires only one pot to prepare
Servings: 2
1/4 cup bell peppers, diced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4-6 ounces kielbasa, cubed
1 six ounce can baby shrimp, drained (optional)
1 fourteen ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup long grain rice
FilŽ powder, or your favorite cajun spice mix
Brown kielbasa, drain fat. Wilt bell peppers and diced onion in the same pan. Add the remaining ingredients, except the canned shrimp, season to your taste. Cover and simmer on stove top for fifteen minutes. Add the drained, canned shrimp during the last few minutes. Serve.
It ain't quite southern cooking, but needs a minimum of fiddling with. Tastes better the second day, as leftovers.
BUDGET BUSTERS: add 1/2 cup of shrimp to get it a bit closer to it's southern roots.
Substitution: Brown rice can be used for the high fiber fans, but needs to be cooked longer and on a
lower heat.
Kathy's Taquitos Supreme
(an original recipe -- created in the kitchen of Kathy Alberts)
This is a super easy one-dish, Mexican meal that will have your family shouting "Ole!"
Servings: 4
20 frozen beef taquitos
1 10 ounce can enchilada sauce
1 2 1/4 ounce can sliced, ripe olives
1 4 ounce can diced, green chilies
Shredded cheddar cheese...as much as you would like
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9" x 13" oblong baking pan with non-fat cooking spray. Place the frozen beef taquitos in a SINGLE layer on the bottom of the pan. Pour the enchilada sauce on top, being sure to cover all of the taquitos. (You may need to scoop some of the sauce up, with a small spoon, from around the edges of the pan, in order to have EVERY taquito well covered.)
Next, sprinkle the ripe olives and green chilies evenly over the enchilada sauce. Top with as little, or as much, shredded cheddar cheese as you would like.
Cover the oblong pan with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.
NOTE: If you are expecting more than four people for dinner, plan on preparing five beef taquitos per person. That is a very generous serving.
Easy Chili Con Carne
(an original recipe
created in the kitchen of Kathy Alberts)
a hearty, hot, one-pan meal for a cold evening
Servings: 3 generous
1 pound of super lean ground beef
1 16 ounce can of red kidney beans
1 small can of tomato paste
1 16 ounce can of stewed, Mexican tomatoes
1 package of your favorite chili seasoning mix
NOTE: Because I purchase low fat/super lean ground beef, I do not brown it first. However, if you use a less lean grade of ground beef, you may wish to brown it first and drain off the fat.
Put ALL ingredients in a large pan, at the same time. Mix well and simmer, very slowly, on top of the stove for approximately 45 minutes.
Serve with crackers or French bread.
Smothered Steak
from the kitchen of Palma, aka, bpdurf
Here is a recipe that I fix for my husband, when not up to cooking
1 top sirloin steak
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 soup can of milk
1 onion, sliced
Cut steak into serving pieces and place in a casserole dish, coated with a non-fat cooking spray. Stir the milk into the soup and pour over the meat. Place sliced onions on top. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 2 to 3 hours.
Your meat and gravy come out, of the oven, together ready to be served with potatoes and a vegetable. NO FUSS! It is very easy. Enjoy!
Lemon Bars--quick and easy
from the kitchen of Gloria, aka Glo
***this dessert could be low in fat,
depending on the topping***
1 box one-step angel food cake mix
1 can lemon pie filling
Mix the box of cake mix (left dry) into the can of lemon pie filling. Spread in jelly roll pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Top with cream cheese frosting or sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Glo's Crock Pot BBQ'd Beef Roast
from the kitchen of Gloria, a/k/a Glo
Note from Editor : Even though this recipe takes 8-10 hours to cook, IN A CROCK POT, it has been placed in this, the Quick & Easy Recipes chapter because of the quick and carefree ease of preparation.
***It isn't even necessary to pre-brown the roast. Just put in the crock pot and pour the sauce over it...and do something else, while dinner cooks.
1 three to five pound beef roast (depending on the size of your crock pot)
1 1/2 cups catsup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3 Tablespoons vinegar
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
Put the roast in your crock pot. Mix rest of ingredients and pour over the roast. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on **LOW**, until meat can easily be pulled apart with a fork. ***I DID turn my crock pot up on high for an hour around noon, to get it cooking good. But, I don't think that would be necessary, if you are certain to allow the FULL 8 to 10 hours of cooking time*** Yummy...TASTES LIKE TEXAS BBQ. Works well, served with a baked potato, low fat or non-fat sour cream and a lettuce salad.
TIPS FOR USING LEFTOVER BBQ'D
BEEF ROAST
I shred the leftovers, put in a container and dump the sauce into a different container. The next day, all the fat has solidified on the top of the leftover sauce and it can just be scraped off. Then, pour the de-fatted sauce over the leftover, shredded beef and freeze, or serve on buns for the following evening. This tastes like an entirely different meal.
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Beer Batter Onion Rings
submitted by Keesha Turner, aka daswunderkind
You can also use the same recipe for fish.
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
1 c. cold beer of choice
3 eggs
Slightly beat the eggs in medium mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Blend well with electric mixer. Use immediately to batter fish or onion rings for frying.
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Sloppy Joes
from the kitchen of Gloria, aka Glo
This is a quick and easy Sloppy Joe mix. For this recipe, you MUST use the BOLD variety and DO NOT follow the directions on the can, as it calls for only ONE pound of ground beef. This is a good recipe for a covered dish function, where everyone brings something for the meal.
Servings: 6
2 pounds lean ground beef
1 15.5 ounce can of Manwich "BOLD" Sloppy Joe sauce
Brown ground beef and drain. Add can of Sloppy Joe sauce and mix well. Add a small amount of water and simmer awhile, before serving.
Crockpot Hamburger Soup
from Julie, aka jayjay
Recipe Source: "Crockpot Cookery", by Mable Hoffman
You can put this hearty soup together in your crockpot in the morning, and it will be ready, when everyone comes home for dinner.
Servings: 5 or 6
1 pound lean ground beef
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
3 cups BOILING water
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 cup celery, sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Crumble raw ground beef into a slow cooker. Add seasonings and dry onion soup mix. Add boiling water, tomato sauce and soy sauce, while stirring. Add sliced celery and carrots, stirring once more. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Add cooked elbow macaroni and grated parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on HIGH for 10 to 15 minutes.
Just before serving, sprinkle with the fresh, chopped parsley. Serve hot with rolls.
Cheeseburger Pie
from Kathy Alberts
Recipe Source: Better Homes & Gardens
"50 Recipes to Beat High Food Prices"
Servings: 6
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped onions
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon of crushed, dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound lean ground beef
1 unbaked 8-inch pastry/pie shell
4 ounces shredded American cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
In mixing bowl, combine evaporated milk, catsup, bread crumbs, onion, salt, oregano and pepper. Add ground beef and mix well. Spread evenly in unbaked pie shell. Bake in 350°F oven 35-40 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss together shredded cheese and Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle the mixture ontop of Cheeseburger Pie and bake 10 minutes longer.
Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with dill pickle slices, if desired.
SUPER EASY One Dish Meal
from Kathy Alberts
(obtained via e-mail, in the "public domain")
1 pound lean ground beef
1 8 ounce package of noodles
1 package dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup chopped OR dehydrated onions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 16 ounce can mixed peas and carrots, UNDRAINED
1 16 ounce can mixed vegetables, UNDRAINED
5 shakes of celery salt
Slices of your favorite cheese
Mix the UNCOOKED ground beef and noodles, together, in a 9" x 13" pan. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over the meat and noodle mixture.
Bake at 350°F 50 minutes.
Place cheese slices on top, to cover, and bake 10 minutes longer.
Chocolate Drop Fudge
from the kitchen of Sandy Sherlock, aka Countrymama
This is a very easy fudge recipe and it's not as rich or sugary as most homemade fudge.
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white corn syrup
3 heaping tablespoons of cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix all ingredients together. Cook on stove top at medium high heat until mixture reaches 235°F (about 5 minutes). Pour hot mixture from the pan into a mixing bowl.
Beat for 10 minutes or longer, or until the mixture forms a patty with a small top curl, when you drop it onto waxed paper.
Let cool...and enjoy.
Burger Soup
from the kitchen of Allen, aka ajk1
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lg. can V-8 juice
1 lg. can stewed tomatoes (or 1 qt. homecanned stewed tomatoes)
2 Teaspoons oregano
2 Teaspoons basil
1 Teaspoon garlic powder
1 Teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 Tablespoons onion flakes
Bay Leaf
Vegetables: carrots, mushrooms (fresh or canned), green beans (canned), and celery
Peel 2-3 carrots and 2-3 stalks celery. Chop into bite size pieces.
Cook ground beef; drain off fat. Add remaining ingredients, adding more vegetables, if you desire. Simmer for 2 hours.
This is an easy dish to make, and is a good hearty one for this time of year. It also freezes very well.
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