Actally i am trying to simplify my life in many ways and I would like to simplify my eating habits right along with that change in my life. I get tired of recipes with many steps to follow. I would like to know of simple 3 and 4 step recipes that taste good and are healthy. Any suggestions.
Hi, George. Looking back at the last several posts you've made, it seems like you have a lot of herbs and spices in your cabinets that you're not using, and you're not sure how to use them to make your food more flavorful while being pretty quick and easy to prepare. Am I right?
Here's one idea: Look through your herb/spice cabinet and, if you don't already have these seasoning mixes, use your own seasonings to mix them up and put them in glass jars. While you're at it, think about foods you like that are made with those ingredients and note them down. You can add notes to your labels if you want. Here's a list:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/collect...easoning-plus-12-more-must-know-spice-blends/
Remember that these seasoning mix recipes are just one person's idea of what they should be. If you don't like a certain ingredient, leave it out. You can leave the mix like that, or add more of what you do like. If you're not sure, put some of the seasoning on a piece of bread and butter, taste and see what you think.
I've found over the years that there are not very many seasonings that really *don't* taste good with a given food. Chicken and rice is a good example. Every culture in the world has a recipe for chicken and rice. The only differences are in seasonings (including cooking fat - that makes a huge difference in the flavor) and cooking methods.
So, to make this easy, let's talk about some ways to make chicken and rice with vegetables and a sauce. I tend to like stovetop recipes because it's easy to taste and add as I go if I want to. So here's a basic procedure.
Start with the rice. Bring 1 cup of water or vegetable stock or chicken stock to a boil. If it's plain water, add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir in the rice, bring back to a boil, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked through (set a timer). You can add seasonings and other ingredients if you want - 1 tsp of Italian seasoning or Cajun seasoning or 1/2 tsp each of sage and thyme. Add nuts, seeds or dried fruit.
While the rice is cooking, season boneless skinless chicken thighs with something that will go with the rice flavor - more Italian seasoning, etc.
Heat some cooking oil in a skillet. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, and transfer to a plate. Add a half cup of liquid to the pan (water, wine, stock, etc.) and scrape up the stuck-on stuff from the bottom of the pan. That stuff, called fond, is full of flavor.
Let the liquid cook down for a couple minutes, then add two or three cups of cut-up vegetables (can be a frozen mix, or veggies you cut up yourself, and can include a can of diced tomatoes or chickpeas or artichokes, etc.), the chicken, and a cup of stock. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook till the rice is done. Check the temperature of the chicken. If it's not at least 160F, let it cook a little longer. Leave the rice in its pan - it will be fine.
When everything is cooked, serve it up. You can add garnishes like fresh herbs, chopped pickles, peanuts, sesame seeds, chutney or a relish.
This might seem like a lot of steps, but with this basic procedure, you can vary the seasonings, vegetables, beans, and garnishes to make something that tastes different every night. It should take around an hour and you can make extra servings to put in the freezer or to reheat later in the week.
What do you think? Do you have any questions?
