this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2024
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Go-To Foods? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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Hi all - what are some of your go-to foods? I've been doing a lot of the microwaveable processed stuff for convenience's sake, but I'd like to do a bit more cooking if possible. I don't meal prep at present but am interested to hear what y'all find easy and tasty and actually make regularly.

Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Hi! Here are my meal prep or time-efficient go-tos that I could think of, some of which have already-prepared parts to them (highlighted):

  • Pesto (storebought and I grate in some extra garlic in) pasta with white navy beans (pecans or walnuts too)
  • Chili (storebought; tofu and/or bean based) with rice
  • Mujadara - Lebanese/Middle Eastern rice and lentil with fried onions dish
  • Veggie burger (storebought)
  • Vegetables and tofu stir-fry with rice (or fried rice)
  • Soup (storebought, pea or lentil based usually)
  • Indian curry (lentil or chickpea) with rice

I like rice and pasta, but I prefer more rice in my meal prep diet. I've found a simple 1-switch rice cooker to be a great investment (as someone with a very modest amount kitchen equipment). It's pretty foolproof, which is great for me :). The only time I cook rice outside of it is in the case of mujadara.

I often have a side, like a salad (I store pre-washed and -chopped lettuce in the fridge), oven-roasted veggies, potatoes (baked, roasted, or storebought oven fries), or steamed corn or other veggies.

Last night I made a jacket potato with baked beans (storebought) and caramelized onions. It was good comfort food. But 1 was great and 2 was too much sweet in what I fancy for supper.

I gotta learn how to make soup next! Happy exploring to you!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

do you have a good mujadara recipe that you like? i've made it before but it was incredibly bland despite caramelizing the onions for what felt like 100 years.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (2 children)

My recipe's good but not great. It is kind of a bland dish. I no longer love it as a main, but as a co-main or side it's great. And it keeps in the fridge and reheats so nicely. I usually make tahini sauce in two batches, first when I make the mujadara and then again several days later. ... If you're spending longer than you'd like caramelizing onions, try cooking them at a higher temperature. ... I make mujadara with one pot. Cook the caramelized onions first and then the lentils and rice second. For caramelizing the onions, I cook on the highest setting, and it only takes maybe 12 min, but I'm stirring it frequently to constantly. The things I do to make it less bland (tl;dr) are the one-pot method, onions in the lentils and rice directly, extra spices, and tahini sauce. Unfortunately I've forgotten and can't re-find by searching up the recipe I learned it from. But here's the basics (for ~6-8 servings -- it's very inexpensive :):

  • 1 cup rice
  • 1 cup green/brown lentils
  • 2 large onions (1.75 sliced, 0.25 diced)
  • 1 clove garlic (diced)
  • 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil
  • Water (I only know the amount of water by eye but it's probably somewhere in the range of 1.5 - 2 cups)
  • Spices: salt and cumin are standard I think. I also add cinnamon and zaatar

~

  1. Caramelize the sliced onions in a large pot, then set the onions aside and continue using the pot (with the leftover oil)
  2. Saute garlic and the diced onion until golden brown.
  3. Stir in lentils, then add spices and stir around
  4. Add water and cook the lentils until they're soft on the outside (can depress the outside with your fingernail)
  5. Stir in rice, put the lid on the pot, reduce to low-medium, and cook for 10+ minutes
[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I, too, wondered what the spices should be and found two potential answers.

This recipe is very like yours but instead of zaatar, the author lists "seven spices" plus extra cumin.

This cook insists Mujadara, should be plain/unspiced, but recognizes variations may use 'seven spices', and has a 7-spices recipe if you don't have a store that sells it pre-made. Note that I have not tried any recipe on this site, but it IS Vegan. I am a bit suspicious because its hummus recipes use CANNED chickpeas. That seems extremely wrong and inauthentic. On one of the the text-walls they do say that boiling dried beans is better, but then don't list that as a recipe version. It makes me wonder what else they are leaving out and not explaining.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

Thanks for the tip about (Lebanese) seven spices! Those spices sound like the flavour I'm trying to emulate. I'll have to get/make some. I loved your analysis about the trustworthiness 🧐 of that site :P

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

thank you! my wife and i take turns cooking and it's my night tonight, i think i will give this a shot!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

That sounds like a nice arrangement! Let me know how it goes if you try it :D

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

i'm recovering from COVID (ugh, it's terrible) and we have both been too wiped out to cook lately, so i did not get to it. it's on my list for either Thursday night or this weekend, though. i'll post a reply and maybe some photos if it goes okay.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

Sounds good but no pressure and I hope you feel better soon :)!