I've developed an odd fascination with Rachael Ray lately. I'm not sure if it's the oppressive perkiness -- no adult woman should ever giggle that much -- or if it's envy. How can someone with such limited culinary skills be such a huge success? I've heard her describe her path to the top and it sounds as though she was one of the lucky ones. One of those people who just happen to be in the right place at the right time, unlike me who tends to be in the right place just after the right time has passed.
One of the things I find fascinating about Ms. Ray is the whole 30 minutes deal. From what I've heard from other people and from what I've read, no one can complete her recipes in 30 minutes. I've watched her closely and it's pretty obvious she cheats. She puts food in the oven to "cook" but often is seen touching the rack with her bare hands, which means it's getting cooked off-camera separately. During her breaks she tends to accomplish about 20 minutes worth of work, including frying up whole batches of pepper-sauce-flavored pancake batter-coated chicken(ewwwwww), when she only had three coated and half fried before the break, for example.
That's all well and good I suppose, although it would be better if she were a little more honest and would show in real time how long it really takes for the water to boil or meats to cook. I find her recipes to be fairly competent when she sticks with Italian food -- she's spent a lot of time studying it and was even married in Italy. But others, such as the afore-mentioned "Buffalo chicken chunks," the pancake batter fried scallion cakes she served, the revolting chicken pot pie without the crust (Um that would be chicken stew ...) seem to come from someone who really doesn't stop and taste her creations with an objective eye. Often she sacrifices taste for haste and the results aren't pretty or palatable.
I've been working on some recipes that really, truly don't take a lot of time. And these are pretty nutritious and inexpensive to make. During the holiday season when you're trying to stretch the monetary and time budget as far as you can, fast, good and cheap is especially welcome.
The first recipe is for spaghetti. One of the things I've learned to do, and everyone else should be doing, is reading the labels of the prepared food I buy. Spaghetti sauce in a jar is one of those things that seems like a good idea, but when you look at the sugar, sodium and preservatives that are listed in these sauces, making your own -- which is super easy -- is an attractive option. And when you taste this dish, you'll be glad you skipped the jar because this tastes fresh and delicious. This recipe is a repeat from an earlier post, but it's worth it.
Spaghetti with tomato/sausage sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 40-ounce cans Progresso crushed tomatoes with puree (Do not get the flavored varieties, just plain old tomatoes are what you want)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
3 bay leaves
1 cup red wine (a Merlot or Cabernet is good here)
1 1/2 pounds cooked spaghetti
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in medium-hot Dutch oven and add sausages with the casings removed. Break up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add peppers and onions when the sausage is starting to brown. You may have to drain the grease if your sausages are fatty. If so, do it now. Cook until veggies are translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Do not brown the garlic. Add tomatoes. Stir thoroughly. Add oregano, salt and bay leaves and stir. Add wine and stir. Bring sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. Cook about a pound and a half of spaghetti (or whatever pasta you desire), until it is al dente in a larger stockpot. Drain. Put the pasta back in the stock pot and add the sauce and cheese and stir it all up over low heat. Serve with garlic bread and salad.
I also use Dreamfields pasta, which only has 5 digestable carbs per serving. It tastes just like regular pasta, but the wheat carbs are rendered ineffective by some kind of process. It really seems to work and it's really good.
I make my garlic bread by buying one of the large French bread loaves available fresh at most supermarkets. I slice the loaves into 1 inch slices, almost through the bread. I butter each slice on both sides and sprinkle with a generous amount of garlic powder (not salt). I wrap the bread in aluminum foil and put in in a 350 oven for 30 minutes.
The follwing recipe is super, duper simple and is about as healthy as food gets. Stick with Trader Joe's for the stir fry veggies and the frozen, precooked rice for almost instant food.
Pork Stir Fry
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 to 1 1/2 pounds pork -- buy whatever cut is least expensive, such as the "country ribs," and cut it into 1/2 inch strips.
garlic powder
Trader Joe's fresh stir fry vegetables (there are usually two varieties available)
Stir fry sauce (Check out the Asian food section of your grocery and get the one you like best. Keep an eye out for labels and try to stick with the lowest sugar added)
Soy sauce
Frozen Jasmine rice, cooked in the microwave according to directions
Heat the oil in a wok. Add the pork and season with the garlic powder. Cook over high heat until the meat starts to brown, about five minutes. Add vegetables and add about 3 tablespoons of the stir fry sauce and about 2 to 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce. Stir fry for just a couple of minutes or until all the veggies are just barely cooked. Serve with the rice.
You can make this recipe with beef or chicken. If you don't want to go to Trader Joe's, get some bok choy or Napa cabbage and cut into 1/3 inch strips. Add sliced oyster or any other variety of mushrooms. You can add mung bean sprouts if you like or some edamame. Chop some broccoli or some carrots. Whatever you like.
The following recipe is another almost-instant. It almost beats the drive-thru window. Heck, I made it during the COMMERCIAL of Rachel Ray's 30-minute cooking show. And it's really quite yummy. Once again, this is a really healthy meal. I always make this the day after we have roast chicken because we have leftovers, but you could use a rotisserie chicken.
Chicken and vegetable tacos
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cooked chicken shredded
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (not garlic salt)
1 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
1 small bag of frozen Southwestern style vegetables. These tend to have black beans peppers and corn
1/4 cup water
Taco shells
shredded cheddar cheese
shredded lettuce (you can chop the lettuce in a salad mix, if you like)
salsa
hot sauce, if desired
sour cream
If you're feeling really lazy, you can skip using the spices and use a taco seasoning mix, but I like the control over the salt and other ingredients, including preservatives. Heat the oil in a skillet and add the chicken and the seasonings and stir. Add the frozen vegetables and water. Heat until vegetables are cooked through, just a minute or two. Heat taco shells in a microwave for about 20 seconds. The box says to heat them longer, but they burn quickly. Have everyone assemble the tacos putting the chicken mixture in first and then adding toppings.
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