Easy Meal Concepts

Breakfast/Snack Platter

serving up a fresh plate

1. Sliced baguettes, persian cucumbers, avocado, bananas
2. Top bread as desired

Egg Scramble

eggs loaded with vegetables, in a scramble or omelette

1. Sauté diced vegetables (bell pepper, mushroom, spinach, onion, broccoli…)
2. Add eggs and mix until combined and cooked
3. Top with avocado

Quiche

french breakfast of veggies and egg in a tart

1. Make crust – use pastry cutter to mix in 6 Tbsp butter into 1 cup flour until crumbly, then add 1 Tbsp of water at a time until dough comes together, chill in fridge for 1 hour
2. Sauté diced vegetables (bell pepper, mushroom, spinach, onion, broccoli…), traditional quiche lorraine is a mix of bacon pieces and cheese
3. Whisk 3 eggs with 1-1/2 cup of milk (heavy cream or other dairy alternative) and cheese, as desired
4. Roll out dough to fit a tart pan, blind bake for 10 min and cool (makes better crust, but not necessary)
5. Add vegetable and egg mixture to the tart and bake for 30 min at 350ºF

Pan Fried Buns

bread with savory filling

1. Make the dough for buns: combine boiling water and flour in a 1 cup : 2 cup ratio, knead and let rest for 15 min
2. Stir fry vegetables and protein (such as daikon, carrots, tofu, zucchini…) and season with soy sauce
3. Divide dough, stretch it out, and wrap up the filling
4. Pan fry on medium heat with seam side down until brown, flip over, add a few tablespoons of water water, cover and cook till water evaporates

Recipe from Food 52

Tacos

tortilla with an assortment filling

1. Cook the ground meat/other protein and drain the fat
2. Add taco seasoning, or simply season with salt and pepper
3. Toast taco shells on a dry pan till warm to touch
4. Build taco with toppings that suite your fancy (i.e. rice, avocado, diced tomatoes, guacamole, cilantro, cheese, salsa, sour cream)

Potato Purée Soup

french-inspired soup where you purée potatoes with a green, leafy vegetable

1. Boil about 2-3 cups of potatoes with garlic in 3 cups of water till soft
2. Add 1 cup chopped leek or watercress and 1 cup chicken stock and bring to a boil
3. Add salt and herbs (like bay leaf or thyme) to taste
4. Use immersion blender (or normal blender) to purée soup, add more water or stock to reach the desired consistency
5. Top with sautéed vegetables (such as carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, brussel sprouts…), as desired

Shrimp Scampi

easy pasta with shrimp tossed in a creamy garlic sauce

1. Cook spaghetti
2. Sauté garlic with shrimp, remove from heat
3. In the same pan, simmer 1/4 cup white wine and 1/4 cup chicken broth until liquid reduces by half
4. Toss spaghetti with the garlic sauce, shrimp and add parsley to garnish

Salmon Bowl

salmon-pasta bowl

1. Marinate salmon in 1 Tbsp miso, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 Tbsp mirin,1 tsp minced ginger, garlic, 1 Tbsp maple syrup, 1 tsp cornstarch (ideally overnight)
2. Bake in 350ºF oven, or pan fry on stove until cooked
3. Glaze with salmon honey for the last 5 min
4. Serve with noodles tossed with sesame oil (here it’s served with sautéed mushroom and kale)

Recipe from Well Seasoned Studio

Carbonara

creamy, dairy-free pasta

1. Cook pasta, drain and reserve 1 cup water and cool slightly
2. Whisk 1 egg with the reserved water
3. Separately, cook vegetables and meat (here it’s broccoli and green beans with sausage)
4. Combine the egg mixture and pasta with the vegetable until everything is well coated

Mazemen

soupless asian noodles

1. Cook ramen noodles
2. For the sauce, combine 1 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp mirin, 2 tsp rice wine vinegar, 1tsp sugar as sauce
3. Toss ramen with sauce, serve with bacon, soft boiled eggs, vegetables

Recipe from Serious Eats

Pad See Ew

classic Thai stir fry noodles

1. Soak rice noodles in hot water for 1 hour
2. Combine 3 tbsp soy sauce (light and dark), 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 garlic clove minced
3. Sauté broccoli (chinese broccoli or other green)
4. Add noodles and sauce to pan and let simmer until noodles soak up sauce and caramelize
5. Scramble 1-2 eggs on noodles

Miso Soup Noodles

like instant ramen but more fresh

1. Cook noodles, drain and reserve 1 cup of water
2. Return water to boil, add miso paste, vegetables (shanghai bok choy) and meat (pre-cooked bacon)
3. Serve with furikake (seaweed and sesame)

Khao Soi

thai coconut curry noodle soup

1. Gather a dried chili, 2 shallots, 4 garlic cloves, 1 lemongrass stalk, 1 tsp lime zest, 1 tsp turmeric, 2 slices ginger, 1/4 cup cilantro, 1 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cardamon into a cheesecloth, unless you don’t mind spices floating in the soup. Alternatively food process/blend the ingredients into a paste
2. Boil 2 cups coconut milk and 1 cup chicken stock with the herbs
3. Add chicken or other protein and cook for 30 minutes, season with fish sauce and/or salt
4. Cook egg noodles, fry some to top the soup, as desired

Recipe from Serious Eats

Bibimbap

rice bowl with veggie toppings

1. Cook rice (short grain works best)
2. Cook toppings – here I used shredded carrots, sautéed spinach, fried egg, cucumber, sliced mushrooms, sliced avocado
3. Add soy sauce (a good non-spicy version is 2 Tbsp soy sauce + 1 tsp sugar + 1 tsp sesame oil) or gochujang

Lu Run Fan

taiwanese braised pork rice bowl

1. Blanch pork (briefly boil in water and drain)
2. Sauté shitake mushrooms with garlic and onion
3. Add pork, 1/4 cup rice cooking wine (or other white wine), 1/4 cup soy sauce (use mix of light and dark if you have it), 2 tsp 5-spice powder, 2 cups water
4. Simmer till soft, 1.5 hrs
5. Serve with hard boiled egg, rice, and optional veggies (here is bell pepper and celery)

Recipe from the Woks of Life

Fried Rice

easy go-to rice dish

1. Cook rice
2. Stir fry diced meat and vegetables (i.e. baby corn, mushroom, spinach, carrot, etc…) with a little garlic and onion
3. Add more oil to pan and brown the rice (need enough oil to coat the rice so it’s less sticky)
4. Crack 1-2 eggs to the fried rice and stir till cooked
5. Season with soy sauce

Lemongrass Pork Chops

iconic Vietnamese recipe demystified

1. For marinade: use a food processor to create a paste with 1 tsp white pepper, 2 stalks lemongrass sliced (tender sections only), 1 shallot chopped,2 garlic cloves chopped, 1/4 cup palm sugar (or brown sugar), 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1 Tbsp oil
2. To tenderize pork chops: strike the meat with the dull end of a knife in cross hashes until the meat looks like doubled in size, make cuts in the fatty edge to allow meat to cook flat and not curl
3. Marinade pork chops for at least 2 hours
4. Pan-fry or grill pork chops about 10 minutes total, flipping half way through
5. Serve with rice and sliced vegetables (i.e. cucumber, carrots)

Recipe from Serious Eats

Short Ribs and Potatoes

slow cooked meat with mashed potatoes

1. Sear all sides of seasoned short ribs
2. Add 1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 cup red wine, 2 cup beef/chicken broth, 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, zest/peel of 1 orange
3. Simmer for 3 hours, reduce liquid
4. Boil 3 cups potatoes with 3 cloves garlic till soft, mash, add 1/3 cup milk and 2 Tbsp butter until desired consistency is reached, season with salt

Recipe from Serious Eats

Braised Lamb

wine-reduction slow cooked lamb chops with dried fruit

1. Sear all sides of lamb chops with garlic
2. Add 1/4 cup  red wine and 2 cups beef/chicken broth
3. Add herbs (thyme/rosemary/sage) and 1/2 cup dried fruit (apricots, cherries, what-have-you)
4. Cover and cook till liquid is reduced, 3 hours
5. Serve with couscous (I cooked it with herbs and added cucumber and pine nuts)
6. Serve with more vegetables (here, I used sautéed kale and rainbow carrots)

Recipe from Food & Wine 

Chicken Marengo

tomato-based chicken stew

1. Brown all sides of chicken pieces (thighs and thicker pieces work best), drain the fat
2. Add 1 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup onion and 2 garlic cloves and cook till wilted
3. Add herbs (bay leaf/thyme), 1/2 cup white wine, 1 can tomato paste, 2 cubed/crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken broth and boil for 10 min
4. Add other vegetables as desired

Recipe from NYT Cooking

Braised Beef Noodle Soup

hearty taiwanese noodle soup with soft braised beef

1. Sear all sides of beef with minced garlic and sliced whites of green onion
2. Add 3 Tbsp 5 spice powder, 1 dried orange peel (or 1 Tbsp fresh zest), 1 tsp white pepper, 1/4 cup Shaoxing wine (or other white/rice wine), 1/4 cup soy sauce (use light and dark), 4 cup chicken stock and bring to boil, simmer for 90 minutes
3. Serve with noodles and vegetables (like boy choy)

Recipe from the Woks of Life