Easy meals with nothing?

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 7:36 pm

amother Blush wrote:

Tuna or salmon patties
If you do decide to use eggs, this is a really easy quiche crust recipe: https://www.google.com/amp/s/w.....amp=1
Pancakes, French toast
Lentil soup
Mujadara(sp?) (rice and lentil dish)
Peanut/sesame noodles with tofu/cabbage
Black bean burgers

Thanks! That crust recipe looks very doable! Maybe I need a pie pan after all Smile

I haven't found pancakes to be filling enough to be worth all the time standing and frying, but maybe I'm doing them wrong.

What's a good easy lentil soup recipe? I used to make split pea soup once upon a time but haven't done it in ages.

Also open for a kid-friendly mujadara recipe, bonus points if it's easy! (I cook my rice in the oven so not worried about that part.)

Peanut/sesame noodles - any recipes? Might be worth considering.

Black bean burgers sound interesting, do your kids eat them plain? Or is it only worth making if I have buns?

amother

Sand

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 7:40 pm

I think Mission brand wraps in walmart are pas Yisrael, maybe check them out?

Some ideas:
Blended veggie soup with roasted chickpeas sprinkled on top
Buy canned sliced potatoes, canned corn, beans, add ketchup and hot sauce (and cheese if you have)
Do you have access to any pas Yisrael bread/rolls? Garlic bread is easy to make
Egg drop soup - it uses some egg but not that much
Can u do homemade pizza crust with fun toppings so no/little cheese needed? I’m thinking sauté zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms
Tortilla chips with a bean chili

You mentioned split pea soup - Amazon sells easy manichevitz mixes for $11 for 4 sleeves I think. We happen to love them and they are filling.

amother

Blush

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 7:52 pm

I like Alton Brown's lentil soup for brown lentils, and this one is really fast and good for red lentils:
https://www.thekitchn.com/reci.....12392
I don't know if I've made this exact recipe (I usually Google based on what I have in the house, sub things like ground ginger for raw, etc), but something like this but you could use cabbage and whatever noodles you have.
https://www.budgetbytes.com/pe.....owls/
We liked this mujadara a lot but it definitely has a bigger rice ratio than lentils.
https://toriavey.com/mujadara/
I usually serve pancakes with eggs but I also try to make ones that are more filling like with oats. https://www.ambitiouskitchen.c.....akes/

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:03 pm

amother Periwinkle wrote:

I make chumus without techina and it’s really good!
I use canned chickpeas, but you can use home cooked, too. Blend with a bit of olive oil, some lemon juice, salt, garlic (powder, frozen or fresh-I like to use roasted and use the oil from them instead of the olive oil) and cumin. Make it as chunky or as smooth as you like. If I have avocado I’ll add that, too (then I call it guacamus).

You can make bread or pita (pita is actually pretty easy).

Thanks! Will definitely try that.

How do you make pita easily? (I make challah pretty much every week, but I won't call it super easy!)

amother

Foxglove

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:08 pm

You can make overnight oats for breakfast. Rice pudding may also work if necessary.

I have been seeing lots of posts about depression era food that look really good and use basic ingredients. These may be useful for you:

Peanut butter bread-- Ingredients 2 c. all purpose flour 1/4 c. sugar 4 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 1/3 c. milk 1/2 c. peanut butter (you can add more peanut butter if you like)

Method: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together dry ingredients. Mix in the milk, then the peanut butter. Scrape into greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.

Cabbage Noodle soup-- https://lifewithdee.com/halusk.....cipe/

Water Pie-- https://parade.com/1042184/net.....cipe/

This site lists a lot of depression era recipes that you can go through to see if anything interests you--- https://www.thefrugalnavywife......ipes/

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:11 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Hard corn taco shells. Warm black beans seasoned with taco seasoning. Cubed avocado, tomato and scallions. Served with fresh rice.

Shakshuka with something to scoop it up with. Maybe make some fresh onion rolls.

Sesame noodles: to a box of cooked (drained) spaghetti add 1/3 cup each soy sauce, sugar, oil, sesame seeds and a few shakes of toasted sesame oil.

Never thought of seasoning black beans with taco seasoning, but sounds like a good thing to try!

What's a good dummy-proof shakshuka recipe? (The easier and simpler / least chopping the better!)
Where can I find a good recipe for onion rolls?

Sesame noodles are a Shabbos salad here but yes very yummy!

AlwaysGrateful

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:16 pm

My cheapest and easiest dinner is bumblebee stew! https://nateandrachael.com/j-g.....stew/ Literally all canned foods -- beans and tomatoes and corn, with some spices and honey. I serve it over rice.

You can also make a stir-fry with a bunch of vegetables and some tofu if you can get it. Serve again over rice.

You sound so positive about a very sticky situation. I wish I could help more.

(You can also ask about whether you can get a heter for some things that you usually hold by, since you're in such a tough situation. I know that my husband and I took on keeping cholov yisroel when we got married, at our rav's suggestion. We were told to do it bli neder, since if we were ever in a situation where it was needed, we should remember that it's not assur, just something extra we're taking on because it's relatively easy here. I remember wondering when we would "need" to have cholov stam, and my husband said that if we ever move somewhere where it's not easily available, we would ask a shayla...that we wouldn't necessarily be told to go for long periods of time without dairy, even though that's theoretically possible...I'm sure you've thought about this, but just wanted to put it out there.)

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:18 pm

amother Foxglove wrote:

Love the PB bread idea! I think we'll have to try that.

My kids didn't like cabbage noodles so I'll skip that soup for now. But thanks for the links, will check for more ideas!

ra_mom

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:20 pm

amother OP wrote:

https://www.imamother.com/foru.....40398

https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka/
Or you can just use any combination of tomatoes, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, 1 tsp of cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Drop eggs into wells of the bubbling sauce and cook until just set but still runny.

challahchallah

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:35 pm

amother OP wrote:

Black bean burgers sound interesting, do your kids eat them plain? Or is it only worth making if I have buns?

Here is a super easy and fast recipe for buns that are very tasty. There are lots of breads that are not very much work to make. If there are specific ones you’re looking for, post and we can help you find good recipes. You can also consider making a big batch of dough, and using it over the course of a couple weeks for various purposes.

https://www.girlversusdough.co.....buns/

amother

Foxglove

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:38 pm

amother OP wrote:

Love the PB bread idea! I think we'll have to try that.

You can add banana (or make a separate banana bread) and even chocolate chips for different variations. And it looks like people have made it with non-dairy milk so you can make it parve as well (check the comment section on this video for different ways that people have made this bread-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qL0aVIyyws ) and he (Glen And Friends Cooking) has other videos with different recipes that you can check out as well.

amother

Tue, Aug 16 2022, 8:45 pm

Thanks all for the ideas! So far I have:

Black Bean Tacos:
Simmer black beans, salt, garlic cloves, and oil.
Cook rice with turmeric, paprika, onion powder, salt and oil.
Wrap in soft corn tortilla, drizzle with taco sauce

Quiche:
In pie pan, mix 1.5 cups + 3 tbsp flour with 1/2 tsp salt and 1.5 tsp sugar.
Add 1/2 cup oil and 3 tbsp pareve milk, mix with fork.
Press into sides and then bottom of pan.
Put in vegetables of some sort.
In bowl, mix 6 eggs, some pareve milk, and spices.
Pour into quiche pan, bake.
(https://www.thekitchn.com/another-ten-minute-ten-dollar-dinner-pat-in-the-pan-crust-quiche-194632)

Chumus:
Blend drained can chickpeas with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, cumin.

Mujaddara:
Check 2/3 cups brown rice and 1/3 cup green lentils. (or other lentils? can't find green)
Pour into square pan.
Add about 1/4 cup oil, salt, pepper, onion powder/
Boil 2.5 cups water, pour over rice and mix.
Bake.
(https://thevoiceoflakewood.com/current-issue/)

Split Pea Soup

Shakshuka
Saute an onion, plus optionally a pepper, in olive oil.
Add garlic, 1 tsp cumin, salt and pepper.
Pour large can of crushed tomatoes into pan.
When sauce bubbles, drop eggs into wells in sauce, cook until just set.

PB Bread
Mix 2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.
Add 1 1/3 cup milk, then 1/2 cup peanut butter.
Bake in loaf pan for about an hour

Onion Rolls
Combine 1 large onion, diced, with about 1/4 cup oil.
Mix 2 cups warm water with 1.5 tbsp yeast, 1/3 cup oil, 2 tsp salt, a little under 1/2 cup sugar, 6 cups flour to make dough.
Make about 24 balls, flatten, put in 1 tbsp onion, wrap in dough.
Put seam side down in pan or muffin pan.
Bake 35 minutes.
(Also considering trying this with Rhodes rolls, which are delicious but not very filling.)

Really appreciate all of the effort of those that posted! Hopefully will find some dummy proof new family favorites.

(I usually hate making bread during the week, it's a lot of effort and it's gone in 5 minutes, but kids gotta eat... I make challah with 5lb of flour and it lasts Shabbos and maybe one more meal.

Also will have to get over my aversion to spending over $3 per dozen eggs when making hard boiled eggs that will disappear in a flash, this may be the new normal and I'd better get used to it!

We are blessed to earn too much for food stamps but not enough for tuition, and to live too far from a city with kosher food distribution.

But my main problem was drawing a blank when it comes to meal planning, so this has all been very helpful!)