Keep It Simple

Ellyn

Ellyn

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Joined
27 Apr 2014
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3:49 PM
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373
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Between a frying pan and a fire
Tonight I just had brown rice and mung bean sprouts since I felt like something light for dinner. I haven't eaten rice in a while, and forgot how much it expands. One cup gave me three helpings, but was light enough that I could finish it off with a bit of salt and vinegar, or oyster sauce and pepper. It was like a rice salad but made me feel just snug and comfortable in my belly.

Muses for elaborate recipes have been bugging me again this week, so it's a good reminder how simple dishes can be just as satisfying.

What simple dishes do you favor?
 
My favorite simple dish is a tomato rice I make. I make the rice in a combination of water and chicken broth. I use the broth to add a little flavor to it. After the rice is finished I fluff it and mix in some very small pieces of tomato. I serve it sprinkled with a little salt, pepper and parmesan. I promise it is better than it sounds because it gets a little creamy but doesn't leave you with a too full feeling.
 
My simplest dish is probably just garlic chicken kievs, some creamy mashed potatoes, and some sort of vegetables. I usually just buy some frozen mixed vegetables, because I'm lazy like that, and I have a habit of not remembering that I have the fresh vegetables until it's too late!
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
one of my simpliest is rice & cashew nuts boiled together - nothing else.
Another is chickpea flour (besan flour) with a touch of olive oil mixed with water and cooked as a pancake.
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Is rice and cashew nuts not kind of flavourless though?
 
Garlic brown rice mixed with mixed veggies with a fried egg on top. Tis one of my favorite meals, easy to make, and filling. I make it on nights I don't want to cook or nights that I need something fairly quick. It has also been known as my "There is nothing left in the house meal." :)
 
I never underestimate the perfection of an egg and toast for dinner. When I'm home alone, this is my go-to meal. I'm not sure what it is, but a simple fried egg, or the more elaborate scrambled with cheese, and a piece of buttered toast, is always good to me.

I'd be curious to try to the chickpea flour pancake idea. I'm always looking for ways to make breakfast slightly more hearty but as simple as popping a bagel in the toaster. I feel like I too often send my kids to school with very little protein to start their day and I have to wonder if they spend the entire morning thinking about lunch.
 
I love to try and pair recipes down to 5 ingredients or less. There was a show on Food Network that did this, and it was one of my favorites to watch. Fried rice is a favorite, since I just use some rice steamed in broth, along with an egg, scallion and some soy sauce. I don't count the oil since that's more of a pantry ingredient/ staple ingredient. Today as a matter of fact, I had an extra pork chop in my fridge so I made a simple pork fried rice with it. One cup of uncooked rice does really go a long way!

Another favorite is poaching eggs in tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes that have been seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and fresh parsley. Then I serve them over toast with a bit of the sauce and a generous amount of parmesan cheese. I could certainly eat this for dinner too because the sauce and bread has a pizza vibe to it.

Yet another favorite is to simply slow roast a boneless pork ribeye roast with just some salt, pepper, and fresh parsley. I don't even include the garlic, because sometimes it takes on a foul flavor when roasting for that long of a time. I will cook mine in a covered pan in the oven for about 6-7 hours at 225 degrees. There are so many things you can do with the meat once it's done and shredded. I love it on a hard roll with some iceberg lettuce shredded and simply dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
 
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