Okay, given the restrictions in the OP, I think the following recipe might work. My mom used to make this frequently when she was short on time:
Plate tacos
You’ll need your microwave, your burner, and a little bit of counter space for chopping stuff.
The recipe calls for white rice, chili (from a can is fine; you can use turkey chili or vegetarian chili if you don’t want red meat), onions (scallions work very well, but any sort of onion will do), cheddar cheese, lettuce, corn chips, and tomatoes (if you want to worship Satan’s Testicles as you eat; that’s your call).
Cook the rice on the burner according to the directions on the package. (Minute Rice works fine for this recipe.) Heat the chili in the microwave, using a microwave-safe container.
While those two ingredients are cooking, chop some lettuce (or just buy the pre-chopped variety), chop the onions, and grate the cheese (or just buy the pre-grated kind). When the rice is done, make a pile of it on your plate. When the chili is heated, pour the chili over the rice. Top with the corn chips, cheese, lettuce and onions. If you absolutely must pollute your body with tomatoes, you can dice one and put it on top, as well. Season to taste.
The whole thing will take about 10-20 minutes to make, depending on how long it takes the rice to cook. If you buy the pre-grated cheese and pre-chopped lettuce, you’ll need minimal counter space to prepare the other ingredients (basically only enough room to chop onions and tomatoes).
If you can make instant noodles, you can make real pasta.
Quick tomato sauce: Fry up some garlic and chopped onion in olive oil, add a can (14oz) of drained chopped tomatoes, add salt, pepper, basil, oregano, pinch of sugar, then heat through and cook a couple of minutes. Transfer to a microwaveable bowl (to reheat as needed), then use the burner for boiling pasta.
Egg dishes are great and usually only require one pan. Toss in whatever you want, veggies, meat, cheese, it’s all good.
Another easy, tasty, meal is french bread, cheese and fruit, throw in a couple glasses of red wine, and you’re all set. No cooking at all.
I’ll second allrecipes.com. Most of my best recipes have come from there.
First, get garlic & herb seasoning that McCormicks makes. Next get a bottle of wok oil. You can find that in the ethnic isle of any grocery store. Put the seasoning on some chicken breast and fry it in the wok oil till the juices run clear. Add some minute rice and you’ve got an easy meal. You can also follow Campbells Skillet Chicken recipe on their website (i believe its campbells.com, but google it to be sure) You can use the garlic seasoning in it or add a bunch of curry powder to it. Nice and simple for one skillet.
Thanks you guys! Keep 'em coming! I’m sure I’m not the only person benefiting from this.
One thing I did forget to explain in my OP (at least the one that got posted – the original version was longer but got eaten by the hamsters) was that I am living and working overseas. So some kinds of foods, seasonings, and cooking equipment that may be readily available in the US would be difficult/impossible for me to obtain. But I think for many recipes I can either eliminate certain ingredients or come up with some sort of substitution.
Cook and drain some instant noodles (one packet per person). Do not use the soup packet.
Get some assorted veggies, chop them and cook them however you want for as long as you want (at least until soft).
Get a can of tomato sauce and any sauce packet you want (you’ll need the sodium) and combine, add veggies to sauce. Add drained noodles to pot and stir to combine and until ramen is reheated.
I’m not sure if this is called “Bolognese,” but that’s what I call it!
You guys have inspired me and given me new resolve to cook!
I went out several times this week and stocked up on pasta (spaghetti, macaroni, and the wheel-shaped kind). I also managed to find some canned tomato sauce, canned tuna, frozen veggies, and a pre-sliced container of green onions. I also invested in a colander and vegetable peeler.
I can cook pasta on my burner, then put the colander in the sink and dump the pasta into it to drain. I leave the pasta there while I cook up the sauce in my pot. I can peel carrot shavings right into the pot with the vegetable peeler. Then I throw in some of the onion, add some of whatever other seasoning I have around that seems like it might be tasty, and put the pasta back in the pot. I did this twice this week, and it only took about 20 minutes each time and it didn’t matter that I didn’t have any counter space.
I’m going to save all the recipes posted here and keep experimenting!
It sounds like my kitchen is very similar to yours so I know how you feel. One of my standard things to do is get some vegetable and lightly sautee them without any seasoning so they’ll go with anything later (don’t cook too long or they’ll be overdone after you reheat them). I do as much as I can fit in the pan. I put meal sized portions into plastic containers and stack them in my fridge. Then I can add them to pasta sauce from a jar or stir fry them with chicken or tofu or whatever without going through all the prep each time. If you like rice a rice maker is a big help- you can put veggies right in there with the rice and not even dirty a pot. I’m not sure where overseas you are but try asking about how to prepare local food- you might get some good ideas we haven’t thought of and the ingredients will be easy to find.
Lamia, ahhh, you are bringing back fond memories of my 6 years in Japan; tiny little kitchens and shopping everyday. I do have a couple of ideas for you,
First of all, you have probably already noticed that if you want to eat like you did back home (US?), it is very expensive. Since you are living there, I suggest trying to eat like the Japanese (you are, I’m sure, very familiar with the phrase “When in Rome…”). It is much cheaper, and better suited for the equipment you have.
Where in West Japan are you? Close enough to make a trip into Tokyo? If so, hie yourself to Kinokuniya (Shinjuku South Exit, if my memory serves) and get yourself a Japanese cookbook. I also second the idea of getting a rice cooker. This is gross, but you might want to check out gomi piles, especially on “Sodai Gomi” days (big garbage). We used to call this gaijin christmas, because of all the wonderful, fully functional electronic goods that were thrown away by people who had just received their bonus and bought the newest model.
So, a couple of things that I remember making (and were really tasty) were:
Yakisoba. You can buy the noodles with seasoning at your local market, then add meat/tofu and vegies. It’s pretty much a one pot dish. The directions are in Japanese on the label, but pretty much go: Fry meat and vegies, add noodles. Add seasoning. Simple!
Curry Rice. This is a Japanese staple! You can buy the curry roux in the store, maybe look up the kanji for mild and hot before you go so you know what you are getting yourself into (though, IMHO, the spicy curry was not) Again, you add your vegies (onion, carrot, potato), meat/tofu, and serve it with rice. Gets better the second and third day.
Your Japanese friends and neighbors will think you are so quaint for cooking and eating Japanese style.
I have a little hot pot that I can plug into the wall. With it I can boil water to make pasta, boiled eggs, tea, etc. There are a lot of recipes that call for boiling/steaming stuff and if you only have one burner, a hot pot can double the recipes you can make – and they are cheap, too!
cowgirl mentioned sauces, which are a good idea, and I second that. I can also recommend some Campbell’s Cream of *** soups. You have NO idea how many things you can make with a can of cream of mushroom soup. Campbell’s website used to list recipes using cream of *** soups. I don’t know if they still do, but you can check them out.
I would also suggest looking at spices. I have bought tons of spices. Storage might be a problem, but you can buy a spice rack that fits nicely on the wall to keep it out of the way.
Also, to double your space, think about installing shelves. And mini refrigerators have come down in price too.
Here’s another one-pan breakfast. It works better with a broiler, but I’ve done it just on a burner. Use a non-stick pan:
Frittata
Olive oil
1 or 2 small-medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2" chunks
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
garlic, minced (or garlic powder to taste)
Cooked ham or chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces (optional)
4 eggs, beaten with about 1 tablespoon of water, salt & pepper
Chedder cheese, shredded
Saute the potatoes in oil until they are browned and nearly done. Add the veggies and saute until tender, but not mushy; about 5 minutes. Add the cooked meat, if desired. Pour in the eggs and cook on about medium heat. As the eggs begin to set, lift the edges of the frittata and allow liquid egg to flow underneath to cook. Continue this process until the egg is all cooked. Cover the top with shredded cheese and cover to melt. Cut in wedges to serve.
If you ever have an oven, placing this under the broiler for a couple of minutes browns the top nicely and makes for a lighter dish. But the above will serve you well.
Find someone there who cooks for a large family and has similar space issues to you. She will be very familiar with space limitations and will have had substantially more opportunity than you have had, at this point, to learn the space-saving tricks.
And, since you’re already there, may as well learn to make sushi - all it takes is a pot of rice and a cutting board, as near as I can tell, and gives you many, many options.
