Category Archives: Quick

Brunch Bacon

Breakfast, Meat, Quick Leave a comment

Prep Time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Serves: A Ton of Folks

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
  • 1 pound bacon

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Mix flour, sugar and pecans. Sprinkle over bacon. Place on broiler pan.
  3. Bake for 25 minutes.

Notes: We’ve made this since 2007. It is fast and delicious. Why anyone would make that bland instant oatmeal from a packet when you could make this in a jiffy is beyond me.

Cranberry Oatmeal

Breakfast, Healthy, KIDS, Quick Leave a comment

Prep Time: 2 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 2 minutes | Serves: A Ton of Folks

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 cups water (or can do 3/4 cup water and 3/4 cup apple cider)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup diced pear or apple
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds
  • 1/4 cup milk

Directions:

  1. Bring liquids to boil.
  2. Stir in oats and salt. Reduce and cook 3 minutes.
  3. Add pear, cranberries, cinnamon and vanilla. Cook 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in nuts and milk.

Notes: We’ve made this since 2007. It is fast and delicious. Why anyone would make that bland instant oatmeal from a packet when you could make this in a jiffy is beyond me.

Voula’s Chicken Pita with Tzatziki

Chicken, Healthy, Quick Leave a comment

Servings: 4 | Time: 20 minutes, even quicker if your chicken is already cooked

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8)
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  •  salt and pepper
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and grated (about 1 1/4 cups) (use food processor if you want)
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
  • 4 flat breads or pitas, warmed
  • 1 small romaine heart, leaves torn
  • 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
  2. Season chicken with cayenne, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cook 6-7 minutes on each side. Cut into bite sized pieces.
  3. Mix together yogurt, cucumber, mint, garlic, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper in medium bowl.
  4. Top flat breads/ pitas with romaine, chicken, tomatoes and tzatziki.

Notes:

Recipe Origin: Real Simple recipe originally but modified by our Greek friend Voula.

Smoothie Love

Beverages, Breakfast, Healthy, Quick Leave a comment

Greenie Smoothie

Our kids have been loving smoothies lately.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 bananas
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • 1/2 cup frozen peaches
  • few handfuls of spinach
  • coconut water or water

Directions:

  1. Add enough coconut water to blend. That’s it.
  • General ratio: 1-2 bananas + 1 cup frozen fruit + 2 handfuls greens + water
  • For greens can use: spinach, kale, romain, arugula, swiss chard, etc.
  • For a pretty green smoothie, use pineapple, green grapes, green apples, kiwi, pears, etc.

Greenie Monster

Ingredients:

  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 2 handfuls spinach
  • 2 large spoons of Greek or regular yogurt
  • 1.5 cups fresh or frozen mango

Can sub mango for strawberries and kiwi. This was good too.

Cod with Beans and Corn

Fish & Seafood, Healthy, Quick Leave a comment

Notes: The whole family loved this! Quick and so tasty. I got the cod from Whole Foods.

Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 3 minutes | Total Time: Less than 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 4-ounce pieces cod fillet
  • salt and black pepper
  • 1/2 pound green beans, cut in half crosswise (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • 1 leek (white and light green parts only), sliced into half-moons
  • 2 ears corn, kernels cut off the cob (about 1 cup)
  • 2 tablespoons store-bought pesto, plus more for serving

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Season the cod on both sides with ½ teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook until the undersides are golden, 3 to 5 minutes.
  3. Gently flip the cod and scatter the green beans and leek around it.
  4. Add ¼ cup water, cover, and cook until the vegetables are just tender and the fish is opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the cod to plates.
  5. Stir the corn into the beans, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the pesto. Serve with the cod and additional pesto, if desired.

Recipe Origin:  Adapted from this recipe.

Bucatini all’amatriciana

Other, Pasta, Quick Leave a comment

Prep Time: ? minutes | Total Time: ? minutes | Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb bucatini pasta
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 6 oz. pancetta or bacon, diced
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced, or 1 tsp minced garlic in jar
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1 – 14oz can crushed tomatoes (I like the fire roasted kind)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, or Parm if you don’t have Pecorino

Directions:

  1. In a large, heavy skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add pancetta/bacon and cook, stirring until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside on paper towel.
  2. Add onion to skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and cooked pancetta/bacon.
  3. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Cook pasta. Drain and combine with sauce.

Notes:

Recipe Origin:  Back of the pasta box recipe. I was surprised at how good it is.

Roasted Shrimp with Garlic and Lemon

Fish & Seafood, Pasta, Quick, Shrimp Leave a comment

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Yield: 3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon, zested then half cut into thin slices and other half into wedges
  • 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves removed
  • sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
  • pasta, couscous or rice for serving
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp (21 to 30 per lb, tails off)
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In an 8×8 glass baking pan combine olive oil, lemon zest and thyme. Olive oil should liberally cover the bottom of the pan, if it doesn’t drizzle in a little more. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in oven for 10-12 minutes, checking every few minutes, if it looks like it is getting too brown remove and proceed to next step.
  3. Meanwhile cook pasta, drain and toss with a pat of butter or olive oil.
  4. Remove pan from oven, add butter and move it around a little to melt, add shrimp, garlic and the thin sliced lemons (don’t squeeze them), toss to coat with oil mixture. Bake for 8-10 more minutes or until shrimp turn pink and just start to curl, check often.
  5. Serve over pasta, couscous or rice tossed with additional extra-virgin olive oil and fresh-squeezed lemon with additional lemon wedges for serving.

Notes:

Recipe Origin:  This blog. I haven’t made this yet, but when I do I’ll come back and add my notes.