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.

 

Moroccan Cuisine Flavor And Fire

 Morocco is a fascinating country, best known from the classic movie "Casablanca." Yet it's so much more than that. It has tagines, and spices along with flavorful desserts and drinks.

Morocco is a mix of different cultures and people, The same can be said for it's cuisine.There is influence from m the southernmost Spanish province along with Berber, the indgenous culture of North africa. Arab and Mediterrenean influences are also there.It has the most in common with Middle Eastern cuisine than any other North African country. It's history is ancient , with dishes first coming about doring the Seventh Century CE. The Moroccans usually cook with beef, mutton goat and  and lamb along with chicken and seafood. Dishes are usually served with rice or flabread to scoop up meats and gravies. lemon picled or preserved lemons along with fermented butter or smen flavor foods. Of course there are the rich and fragrant spices.Dishes  are rich with cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger and paprika to name a few. There is also  saffron, mace , fenugreek,cayenne, black pepper, anise and fenel. Sesame seeds also figure into recipes too. The Moroccans also love using mint,verbena, sage, bay laurel, parsley and peppermint.

Any home chef can easily replicate Moroccan cooking. Tagine, is cooking in a special clay pot which you can get on Amazon for $29.95 . etsy, williams and Soniomoa along with Milk Street also sell them at higher prices ranging from $35 on etsy to $71.25 on Milk Street. Tagine is a sweet and savory blend of spices that can also be cooked in an open skillet. Apopular one is made with chicken , honey, olives,lemon zest and fresh lemon juice. Chopped onions and minced garlic are also added along with a mix of spices, namely, paprika, cumon, coriander, and ginger. This can be served with couscous or even a flat bread like pita to sop up the sauce. The breakfast dish  of the moment shakshuka is also big in such cities as Fez and Rabat. This is a breakfast dish tat can easily be cooked for any brunch. It's poached eggs cooked in a tomato sauce with peppers, garlic  onions and spices such as paparika, coriander, cumin and cayenne. A sweet and savory pastry called briouat is also popular. They can be filled with lamb beef or chicken for a quick snack or sweet filled with almond paste and cinnamon and coated in warm honey and orange flower water.

Try  Moroccan cuisinetoday. Enjoy the fragrant blend of spices as they grace both sweet and savory recipes. The recipes are a wonderful escape to the exotic.

 You can contact the International Red Cross  if you want to donate or help those affected by the Moroccan earthquake.

Easy Cooking From The Sunday Times.

Many think cooking a chore. It involves too much time and effort to create a delicious dish.Then there's the endless clean up afterwards. Yet imagine having recipes that are not only flavorful but also relatively easy to cook up. You can. The Sunday New York Times put out a keeper issue One/Pot/Pan /Skillet yesterday of simple dishes.

This is a compilation of all the Wednesday Food section writer's recipes.There are twenty-four recipes that can make for an easy supper, lunch or even brunch.Best of all they're made in either a single skillet, pot or pan.There are meat recipes along with vegetarian options too. Best of all you won't find yourself tied to the kitchen sink for thirty minutes to an hour. These free you up.Another plus is that there are little tips at the bottom of every recipe. The feature everything from pro tips to fun facts and substitutions along with additions and slow cooker instructions. I really like this extra and plan on making many of the recipes. They're the perfect winter ones too. I definitely want to try the shakshuka with feta one. This North African egg dish is a one skillet blend of spicy tomato- red pepper blend and eggs.Cumin and paprika add fire while  crumbled feta on top keeps the dish cool.Another must cook is Kay Chun's baked barley risotto with mushrooms and carrots. This is a mix of different mushrooms, from white button cremini and shitakes cooked in a Dutch oven with carrots and pearl barley.it's first cooked on top of the stove and then popped into the oven for thirty minutes.

There are some delicious meat recipes here too. They can easy be made meatless thanks to vegan beef crumbles and Beyond Meat sausages. There is a cheesy baked pasta with sausage and ricotta by Melissa Clark. It's chock full of ricotta and crushed tomatoes all cooked and baked in one skillet.Another  hearty , rib sticking dish comes from Sam Sifton and is based on Los Angeles chef Roy Choi's mother's recipe. It's Korean braised short rib stew or galbijjim. This tasty stew can also be cooked in a slow cooker or even an outdoor cooker. They're marinated in a mix of fresh orange juice, mirin,a type of rice wine along with apple juice and garlic cloves. A variety of mushrooms are added to it as well. Sheet pan lovers will appreciate Ali Slagle's sausage and Brussels sprouts with honey mustard.The name says everything. It's these ingredients plus Yukon gold or red potatoes drizzled with a homemade honey mustard sauce. It's zinged up with mustard seeds. Another sheet pan recipe is roasted fish with roasted peppers. Again this is another Melissa Clark recipe that has hake fillets cooked with sweet red peppers and black or green olives.

One Pot/Pan/Skillet is a must keep. It's chock full of easy , unfussy recipes that you can make any time. Try any of them today and be free from all the clean up afterwards.