The FastDay Forum

There's a lot of discussion on this forum about food (well, we are a fasting forum! ) and there are obviously a lot of very good cooks and dedicated foodies here. While I love my food and am lost in admiration for those who take a lot of trouble over food preparation, I'm at best a reluctant cook. Simply can't be doing with elaborate procedures and faffing for hours in the kitchen (but very happy to eat what you produce after faffing for hours in the kitchen!).

There must be others like me, so I thought it might be useful to exchange quick and simple tips and shortcuts to producing healthy, tasty, nutritious meals - both for fast and feast days. Sort of like a Cheat's Corner. Enthusiastic cooks, please do contribute ideas!

I feel I ought to start this thread off with a few good ideas of my own, but I have now completely dried up. I'll come back later when something occurs to me!

[Moogie]

Great idea I do enjoy cooking but I can't be bothered with spending hours preparing a meal if it's just for me & hubby when I know it'll be wolfed down in 15 minutes. I'll only go to all that trouble if we have friends over, which is sadly not often.

I love quick easy meals, especially if they can be prepared all in just one or two pans. Looking forward to hearing others' suggestions

There's a lot of discussion on this forum about food (well, we are a fasting forum! ) and there are obviously a lot of very good cooks and dedicated foodies here. While I love my food and am lost in admiration for those who take a lot of trouble over food preparation, I'm at best a reluctant cook. Simply can't be doing with elaborate procedures and faffing for hours in the kitchen (but very happy to eat what you produce after faffing for hours in the kitchen!).

There must be others like me, so I thought it might be useful to exchange quick and simple tips and shortcuts to producing healthy, tasty, nutritious meals - both for fast and feast days. Sort of like a Cheat's Corner. Enthusiastic cooks, please do contribute ideas!

I feel I ought to start this thread off with a few good ideas of my own, but I have now completely dried up. I'll come back later when something occurs to me!

Buy a non-stick griddle pan (the ones with the ridges on them). Heat until really hot. Put meat of your choice on it and cook (don't bother with oil). Like having a BBQ every night. Chicken works really well if seasoned before you throw it on, whether with salt or one of those ready to go spice blends. All you have to do now is to find a veg you like to work with it. Your evening supper is ready in 15 mins.

That's one of the reasons I began using my slow cooker, it does the work for me. I am not necesseraly a good cook, just someone who likes to taste things and have a bit of imagination. Also I love watching cooking show to take some ideas (right now there is the gordon ramsay's home cooking on channel 4 every night). Most of all, I don't have a planned menu, I go with the flow and what I have. To give you an exemple, I have fresh bread sardines and some creamw cheese (like Phil@delphi@) and I'll mae tonight some brushettas with home made sardines rillettes. A salad or a soup with that and hop I have my meal !

I love reading cooking blogss as well, I can give you links, one of my favourite have all the recipes on videos. Watching them makes you realise it's not as complicated as it sounds....

I thought of another one whilst I was hoiking round finished gro-bags in the garden this afternoon.

You need a large tortilla and some passata or tinned tomatoes. Few spoons of passata on to the tortilla and then add cooked meat/fish/cheese and veg of choice. Fast day pizza....

Buy a recipe book for 'one pot meals'. Then use the recipes from that in your slow cooker.

Or, Get all the ingredients for this one prepped just before cooking. In a hot, heavy frying pan place one tortilla, then throw on some cheese and other ingredients (cheese is the basic ingredient) I usually add sliced ham, sliced red pepper, onion rings etc. Top with a second tortilla. Cook until the bottom tortilla is starting to crisp. Put a plat on top of the tortilla sandwich, invert the pan holding onto the plat, then slide the now upside down sandwich back into the pan and cook the other side. When starting to crisp, slide the whole tortilla onto a chopping board and slice into 1/4 or 1/6 th. Serve with side salad or other veg. The cheese should have melted and become the bonding ingredient with the other ingredients.

One pot cooking works for me. Here's one I do.

The base is rice and lentils. I have brown rice which takes longer to cook, so I usually cook it first in a rice cooker. If you're using white rice, you can add it with the other ingredients and bung in some extra water.

Heat oil, brown onions, add ginger. I chuck in some Marigold stock powder, some chilli oil - flavouring is really up to you. Add vegetables (usually whatever needs using up in the fridge), meat or fish (chicken pieces, tin of sardines, mackerel or pilchards, or anything else you fancy). Add rice, lentils (I often use tinned lentils), salt to taste and cook till done.

And this is why I'm not a recipe writing person!

Seriously though, scrappy though the recipe may be, the end result is quick, tasty, healthy, nutritious and makes several portions. What's not to like?!

Do keep the ideas coming!

Just now, in a dish I put 4 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp olive ouil, mixed it up with salt pepper and herbs,I add chicken breast, covered them and put that in the fridgre until lunch when I'll come back from cycling. At that time I'll put a very hot (important) non stick pan, cook it and done ! Lemon juice put on chicken helps it to brown and get tasty without the fat. I never put butter or oil on my chicken anymore

With that I made a macaroni/cheese/cauliflower. I cooked the cauliflower with short pastas (I took pasta shells). After I made a bechamel but you can cheat by putting a can of soup (mushrooms is excellent for that), I put cheddar in the sauce, put all of that in a dish, topped with cheddar and breadcrumbs and it's ready to go in the oven later. No fuss, simple comfort food. OK not good for fast days

To save time, money and effort. I've always got an eye open for the cheapest pieces of meat (they actually have the most taste) at the store and keeps it in the freezer. When I have some time over I make giant batches of stews or soups in my pressure cooker. Just throw in some meat, vegetables and spices and see what happens. Without a pressure cooker you'll have to spend hours and your home will smell like soup for a day or two. Of course it's usually better to throw in the vegetables when the meat is done, it depends on how fragile they are and either way works.

Freeze in flattened out plastic bags and takes out and heats it in the microwave when needed at ordinary weekdays. On weekends I prefer to make something more fancy, but it's very practical to always have a healthy meal ready in 5 minutes for yourself or if someone comes visiting. Also good for taking to work.

Things you need to have at home to get decent full flavours: things with lots of umami like fish sauce (instead of stock cubes), tomato puree, bacon, good quality stock, garlic, various spices, good quality salt, some wine.

Buy a non-stick griddle pan (the ones with the ridges on them). Heat until really hot. Put meat of your choice on it and cook (don't bother with oil). Like having a BBQ every night. Chicken works really well if seasoned before you throw it on, whether with salt or one of those ready to go spice blends. All you have to do now is to find a veg you like to work with it. Your evening supper is ready in 15 mins.

Hmm.., I have serious doubts about griddle pans, http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/ask-the-food-lab-do-grill-pans-actually-mimic-grilling.html

I guess it can make the food very decorative, but it can only mimick grilling without getting even close to the heat radiation from charcoal. It's also wasting those meat juices, burnt down on the hot surface.

You get a quicker and better result with some butter in an ordinary really hot frying pan, where you get more of this brown surface with the lovely taste, and can make a sauce from the juices.

Buy an M&S FullerLonger ready meal. I think you may have to pierce the film and then pop in the microwave for 3-4 mins ( or, heaven's above this is crazy but you may have to cook for 20mins). Enjoy without any stress or strain!!

[Betsysgr8]

I would not be without my microwave for all sorts of things, but a big favourite is my vegetable pots. I got the idea from the expensive ones you can buy in supermarkets with the veggies cut up small and arranged in layer. It means each one of us can have their own preferred veg.
Last night my pot had shredded leeks, sugar snap peas, sliced mushroom, baby corn and asparagus tips, all cut up quite small, and seasoned with salt and pepper with a drizzle of olive oil over the top. 2min 40 sec on medium and it was done, OH had his own pot with some broccoli on top and Son had one with just Leeks and carrots.
The vegetables steam in their own juices and you can get a lovely selection on your plate without using lots of pans and taking up space on the hob.

Great idea - I'm going to try that. It would be a good addition to the Reluctant Cooks thread but I have no idea how to get it there!

Here you go @shachat just clicked quote, then right clicked and select all, right click and copy then pasted here.

Thanks, @Betsygr8 (this was an attempt to show off my own technical skills by tagging you but I'm not sure I pulled it off !)

Buy an M&S FullerLonger ready meal. I think you may have to pierce the film and then pop in the microwave for 3-4 mins ( or, heaven's above this is crazy but you may have to cook for 20mins). Enjoy without any stress or strain!!

Yes, Nursebean, that would take it to the other extreme, wouldn't it?!

Seriously though, just to clarify, I'm trying to walk in that grey area between not actually buying ready meals (too often!) and not spending a lot of time preparing healthy tasty meals.

Lots of great ideas already!

Just had a look at work at a copy of Nigel Slater's new book 'Eat'. It looks right up your street @shachat - it has his usual recipes, but only on the right hand page. On the left it has sections headed ’a few thoughts' - these are simple and quick recipes. The one that caught my eye was cannellini beans and sardines ... Drain a can of said beans, heat gently with butter and a bit of olive oil, then drain a can of good quality sardines from their oil, break up roughly and add to pan, add a bit of red wine vinegar and black pepper and warm through. Nigel added that this was good if you were tired and a bit ragged around the edges ... sums up why I like his recipes

That sounds just right, I'll have a look. Thanks @Silverdarling.

Usually I find recipe books claiming "30 minute meals" (was that one Nigel or Jamie?) are anything but - they take much longer. Or at least they do me!