Easy Dinners For Busy Nights

Sad to say summer is over (even though season wise it's really not) .That means crammed school schedules and five day work weeks again. Gome are those lazy dinners where ingredients are either thrown together or grilled for a simple yet tasty meal. Not to worry Easy cooking can still be done.

The New York Times Wednesday Food section brought back Weeknight 100, the annual list of easy dishes to make in the year ahead.The emphasis is on effective yet excellent cooking. These dishes are not only delicious but won;t take too much time. Most can be made and served in under an hour. The list was also made with kids in mind. Picky eaters will like them. Picky adults even more. The recipes can even be modified to suit tastes and allergies too. One is the yummy flavored chicken and pesto rice with peas. This is skinless chicken breasts cooked in a Dutch oven with a chopped white onion and garlic.  Homemade or store bought pesto is added a long with chicken broth. Towards the end of the cooking , frozen peas are added as the peas cook with the rice and chicken;s heat.  Ground chicken makes an appearance in a comforting spinach rich curry too>it is flavored with garam masala and both Kashmiro and Thai Chili's.Plum tomatoes are also added for more color and a tangy sweetness. Tomatoes and spinach also make an appearance  with farro and pesto.Mozzarella is added for creaminess.Kids will  love these za'atar laced turkey meatballs with a tahini dip

Shakshuka is usually reserved for a hearty breakfast but it can also be made for dinner. This is an easy one with the addition of white beans for more protein with the eggs and store bought marinara sauce.This can be served with toasted bread for white rice, For another exotic bite try making crispy coconut salmon with a chive Chile sauce.  The batter has honey in it to accentuate the coconut while the sauce is a blend of  scallions, chili and lime juice for zing. Honey and olive oil are blended in for smoothness. For the cooler lights try the Moroccan inspired ras El hangout chickpea and spinach stew.There are also tomatoes in this and the surprise ingredient of soy sauce. Chickpeas and spinach leaves are cooked into this  along with veggie stock for a truly vegetarian dinner. Dollops of Greek yogurt can be added to it for creaminess of wanted.Everyone will love peanut noodles with spicy tofu. The peanut sauce will be prepared first with it being added to brown sugar and vinegar. Soy sauce along with garlic to create a thick paste. The tofu crumbles are fried in oil  until brown in a large skillet.Also cook spaghetti as the base and then added the peanut sauce. Top with the tfu crumbles and chopped cilantro.

These dishes are tasty and quick to make. They're the perfect dinner for those busy days.Try them for a tasty and simply satisfying meal.