Oh man, how I never, ever cook. HOWEVER, I did make these tacos, and they were ZOMG AMAZING:



Hahaha, go to the store, buy crap on your list and then some Batman Battle Fruit-Roll-Ups. WIN.

they're basically guac tacos.

She's all "I use olive juice" and I was thinking "normal people use salt" but I'm willing to try it the next time I make guac to see what happens.

jhent - I'll send you some easy recipes later, when I'm at home :)

Yes but then there's a part 2 where she adds beans and cheese and stuff and then it becomes incredible. BELIEVE ME ON THIS.

the h in my username comes AFTER the e. this is like the third time in a row you've done that. lol.

picky picky!

:D

hmm. will check that out sometime.

... uh. Do instant noodles count?

hahha, instant noodles are what I'm trying to not eat so much anymore. XD

I will give you a delish recipe from Serves One (http://tinyurl.com/6hvp6u) (which I wish I had rec'd instead of Going Solo; it has a smaller collection of simpler recipes & I think it would be a better match for you!).

Chicken & Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry

4-5 ounce boneless skinless chicken (thigh or breat) slice into strips
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp grated ginger (if you are lazy like me you can buy a tube of ginger paste - lovely to have on hand!)
1 tbsp Chinese oyster sauce (uh, I know I don't have any of this, I must either leave this out or substitute fish sauce or something)
1/4 cup water or chicken sauce
2 tsp veg oil
1+1/2 cup chopped baby bok choy

optional: chopped scallion, peanuts, cashews

Place chicken in small bowl, mix in garlic & ginger. In measuring cup, combine water & oyster sauce

Heat oil in wok or skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken & stir fry until it loses the raw look, about 2 minutes.

Add oyster sauce mixture & continue to stir fry until chicken is cooked through. Add bok choy and cook a minute or two until just tender.

If you make some rice to go with, this makes a good dinner with enough left for lunch. It is super quick and easy and DELICIOUS.

I love her recipes because they are really easy to tweak - if you don't have something on hand you can usually skip or substitute whatever's handy.

I must also (always) plug Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food (http://tinyurl.com/565nmm). It does have tons of recipes but it's much better organized than Going Solo. Are you in the mood for eggs? Here are 2 pages of egg recipes. Sandwich? 3 pages of sandwiches. He's also very keen on simple stuff from what you're likely to have on hand, so no special shopping.

(Just flipped through the doerfer & can recommend the Hungarian stew & crunchy chicken - those are the 2 I make most often from her).

Learn to roast a chicken! Easy, delicious, useful, even for one person! You can do a million easy things with leftover chicken meat.*

Get a good roasting chicken (if there are any bits in the middle chuck 'em out. Real cooks do all kinds of stuff with them but not this girl.)
Rinse it and dry with paper towel.
Rub with butter, sprinkle with coarse sea salt (you should have this!), and sprinkle with lemon
Stick half the lemon in the chicken, put the other half in the pan, throw a head of garlic in the pan.

Cook at 425 degrees for 20 minutes per pound of chicken, plus 30 minutes.

You are supposed to then let it rest for 10 minutes, but I tell you without shame that I usually start picking at it as soon as I can touch it without burning myself.

*Here's one: little bit of chicken breast, shredded, little bit of spinach, some butter, little salt, maybe a little lemon. Throw in skillet and heat through. Serve on toasted english muffin. Feel smug about your amazing domestic skills.

This is on the list of things to learn how to do, but I'm waiting until my parents come back from whatever strange gadding-around-the-world trip they're currently on so I can have some Real Supervision from people who've, like, roasted chickens before, so I don't mess it up terribly. I am foiled by even the simplest things in the kitchen -- the other day I had to abort making a hot pocket for breakfast because the instructions said to put it on a paper plate before putting it in the microwave and I didn't have any paper plates and was concerned that a normal plate might not be right because it probably heats up differently than a paper one. *headdesk* COOKING IS CLEARLY NOT MY STRONG SUIT.

oh fercrissakes. I'm not going to attempt to clear up all the typos in that first comment but just so you don't go wandering around the super market desperately searching for chicken sause, I meant 1/4 cup water or chicken BROTH.

Serves One and Real Fast Food were actually on the list to get next. I just had to start somewhere and went for the one with the prettiest cover, lol. And then the one about cookies and cakes because, umm, COOKIES AND CAKES, right. I actually like Going Solo because it tells me what to do with the leftovers to make them kind of different, and that's EXCELLENT because I hate eating the same meal over again. Unless it is a soup or salad, in which case I will gladly eat the same thing every day.

This looks pretty good. I'm a sucker for anything calling itself stir-fry, lol. Will put this on the list of things to try too. Thanks!

I like this one--got it off the Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/farfalle-with-turkey-sausage-peas-and-mushrooms-recipe/index.html). Also makes plenty of leftovers. ;)

Below is my way of doing it, which is a bit less picky than the official recipe.

1 lb/package of sausage (your choice, I like to use a brand of organic chicken sausage that comes in some neat flavors like sun-dried tomato and apple-chardonnay)
1 8oz. package of mushrooms (she calls for Baby Bellas (creminis), but white ones work just fine)
1 package of frozen peas
1 lb./box of farfalle pasta
olive oil
1/2 c. Parmesan or Romano cheese (preferably a block that you can grate fresh, but pre-grated--not powdered--should work fine)

Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta, then get out a large skillet/frying pan. Before starting the cooking, I cut up the sausage into thin slices. The sausage I use is pre-cooked so I've never done the "pull the casing off and use like ground meat" as per her official instructions. I also cut up the mushrooms--quarter each mushroom or slice them, whatever you like.

Next, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in the skillet and cook your sausage. Since the stuff I use is already cooked, I just heat it up a little and then toss in the mushrooms along with some more oil. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes or so. This is all over medium/medium-high heat depending on your stove. Then toss in the peas and cook for a few more minutes until the peas are heated up and not frozen anymore.

Whenever your pasta water comes to a boil, toss in the pasta with a little salt and cook that until it's the tenderness you like (8-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot you boiled it in. Then toss the stuff from the skillet along with the grated cheese into the pot too and mix it up. The recipe also calls for adding more olive oil to coat everything, but how much is really up to you. I like it with lots of oil, so I keep adding it until I think it looks good.

It's got a very simple flavor, but the sausage you use can change that pretty easily. You could also add other things like garlic or onions or some other veggie if you wanted.

mmm, I love sausage dishes, so I will put this on the list to try out. Thank you!

There are a few things I do with the lo mein noodles they have at regular grocery stores (or the bulk flat noodles they sell at Chinese grocery stores).

One is a SUPER simple sauce that's like the one used on cold sesame noodles in restaurants. Mix a couple tablespoons of rice vinegar, a couple tablespoons of sesame oil, and maybe three or four tablespoons of soy sauce with a couple teaspoons of sugar (as you can see, this is a very precise recipe). If I have any sesame seeds on hand, I sprinkle some on. It's good hot or cold! It's not a whole meal exactly: I usually toss in some fried tofu cubes or seitan or serve with stir fried veggies or something.

Another is a peanut butter sauce that's mostly improvised and also really easy. Sautee some green onions, fresh ginger if you have any, and garlic if you feel like it. When they're sauteed, toss in any veggies you have on hand (I usually end up using carrots, mushrooms, and bok choy if I have it, which I don't up here because it is terrifying and yellow and gross at my closest grocery store), then a bunch of peanut butter. Thin with soy sauce for sure, coconut milk if you have any, and/or veggie (or, I guess, meat) broth. Many times I've made this, I didn't have any coconut milk, veggie broth, or even soy milk (which probably would have been kinda gross anyway) and ended up thinning with just water and soy sauce. There were enough veggies and enough peanut butter that it was okay--it doesn't taste "watery" or anything, it's just thin. Like my sesame thing, it's good filled out with tofu or another form of protein. I mean, peanut butter is full of protein, and actually this sauce is way more filling than you will expect, but, like, it's good with tofu is what I'm saying.

Which, by the way, if you want any tofu recipes I can help you out! Tofu is easy, but not intuitive. Like, you have to pour out the water and press it and shit before you cook it and all that. And I love sharing my tofu scramble recipes with people!

The book these recipes are from is a neat book I bought at Green Living a while ago called Quick and Easy Vegetarian Cooking. It's not lying about the quick and easy, but it calls for a lot of really inconvenient ingredients that kind of defeat the Green Living purpose by requiring you to drive to Richardson and buy ingredients you've never heard of that are flown in from Malaysia. So there are a lot of parentheticals here.

Mushroom and tofu stew (serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
1/4 pound tofu, diced
1 cup vegetable stock (I've also used just water and soy sauce when I didn't have any broth on hand)
2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce or dark soy sauce (uh, I've never used mushroom soy sauce, but I'm sure it rocks and I bet you could find it in Richardson if you so desired)
1 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in a little cold water (I recommend equal parts water and cornstarch, since this is just a Chinese-style thickener that is exactly the same as the egg substitute I use when baking)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sweet red chili sauce or 1 teaspoon mild red chili, de-seeded and thinly sliced (yeah, never had this on hand either, you can get these delicious little cans of Szechuan sauce at most grocery stores, or black bean sauce at Chinese grocery stores, that are really good not just on this but also just on rice or noodles or sauteed tofu or whatever)
1-2 scallions or spring onions, finely chopped
white pepper
oil

Instructions:
1. mix the stock with soy sauce and sugar
2. pour some oil into a wok (okay, I don't have a wok, I just use a frying pan, whatever) and on a high heat stir-fry the mushrooms for a minute. drain of kitchen paper (what the hell is kitchen paper? drain however you feel like it.)
3. add a little more oil and on a hgih heat fry the tofu pieces for a minute
4. return the mushrooms to the wok, add one of the scallions/onions then pour in the mixed stock, soy sauce, and sugar. bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. add the cornstarch liquid and stir quickly.
3. transfer to a warm serving dish and sprinkle on the sesame oil, chili sauce or chili and the other scallion/onion before serving.

Noodles with basil (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1/2 pound flat rice noodles
3 tablespoons sweet basil, chopped (sweet basil is a special Thai basil that I can never find, I just use regular basil)
1-4 birds' eye chilis, halved and de-seeded (once again, a special chili: sometimes the grocery store has chilis that say "Thai chilis" and I grab those, or just "spicy chilis" and those all work fine, you just kind of have to fudge the amount, which you're doing anyway since people have different spiciness thresholds)
mixed together 1 teaspoon yellow bean soy sauce (or, you know, regular soy sauce), 1-2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, a little water
oil

instructions:
1. heat oil in a wok and fry the chilis for a bit
2. add the noodles and fry for a while. add the sesame oil and then the basil. (what they don't tell you is that if you buy regular lo mein noodles from a regular grocery store, or even the big flat Chinese noodles at Chinese grocery stores, you have to cook them first. It's better and easier to fry noodles that have been chilled for a while, so this is to do if you made one of the above recipes but have leftover, un-sauced noodles)
3. combine well and then add the sauce mixture and fry some more, until it looks done. remove and keep warm.

Puri (Indian fried bread) should be eaten hot and must be cooked just a few minutes before eating. makes 10-12 little puffed fried bread things.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour, or Indian wholewheat flour (atta) if you can find any
8 tablespoons water
oil
salt

1. nead together the flour, salt, and two tablespoons or oil with water to make a stiff but pliable dough. keep aside for 5-10 minutes, wrapped in or covered by a damp cloth.
2. when ready, roll out walnut-sized balls of the dough into very flat, even circles of about 3 inches
3. heat the oil in a pan and fry the puris, on at a time for 1-2 minutes until they puff up and are lightly brown. the best results are achieved by pushing the puri down in the hot oil with a long-handled metal spoon until it starts to fluff up and then releasing it. remember to turn them once in the oil so both sides cook evenly.
4. drain on kitchen paper (is this some British thing?) and serve hot to accompany snacks or main dishes

I usually make these to go with steamed rice (which tastes more "Indian" if you toss a couple cardamom pods into the pot when you're making it) curried potatoes, and the mint chutney they sell at Whole Foods. Or the rice dish that follows.

Savory rice with nuts and dried fruit
Ingredients:
1/4 pound rice
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup almonds
1 stick cinnamon or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 cloves (I never have cloves, they're cool but not that crucial and what else will I use them for? I guess sangria, they're awesome in sangria)
4 green cardamoms
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 teaspoon sugar + pinch of salt

Instructions:
1. put the rice into a pan and pour over enough boiling water to cover. boil for 10-15 minutes or according to packet instructions, until the rice is just cooked and most of the water is absorbed. drain if necessary.
2. meanwhile, put the raisins and nuts into a small bowl and cover with water. soak for 5 minutes and then drain.
3. heat the margarine and saute the cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms for a minute or so before adding the raisins and nuts. stir and cook for 2 minutes.
4. tip the spices and raisin/nut mixture into the rice and combine well. add sugar and/or salt to taste. heat through gently before serving, stirring so that the rice doesn't catch.

this is also good with pistachios, walnuts or brazil nuts.