Disclaimer: We go ga-ga for food porn and love fancy schmancy foodie trends like the rest of ’em.
But sometimes, in the midst of our hectic lives, you just have to be efficient… and realistic.
Which is why we are currently loving us some easy-to-throw-together, delicious and family friendly dinners that all require no more than four ingredients to make.
(Note: Assuming you already have olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper to start with!)
Are you ready for some savvy, scrumptious dinner inspo? Bon appétit!
1. Chicken and Pesto Stuffed Sweet Peppers
These are so tasty, perfect for those days when there is just no time for complicated dinners.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast, cooked and shredded*
- 1 jar of pesto
- 2 pounds sweet peppers, sliced and seeds removed
- 1½ cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to180 Celcius
- Wash and remove tops from the peppers. Slice and remove any seeds. Lay pepper halves on a large greased baking sheet.
- In a medium size mixing bowl combine the shredded chicken with the pesto and toss to coat.
- Add a heaping spoonful of chicken to each pepper and top with cheese.
- Bake for 15 minutes
(Recipe via Maebells.com)
2. Teriyaki Chicken
So tasty, there is no need to call for a take-out!
Ingredients
12 oz skinless and boneless chicken thighs
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon Japanese cooking sake (rice wine)
1 1/2 tablespoon oil
White sesame, for garnishing
Method
Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, sugar, and cooking sake for 20 minutes.
Heat up a skillet with the oil on low heat. When the oil is heated, transfer the chicken and the marinade sauce into the skillet and let cook slowly. Turn the chicken over after 5 minutes and continue to cook on low heat, for another 5 minutes.
Dish out and garnish with some sesame seeds. Serve immediately with steamed rice.
(Recipe via Rasamalaysia.com)
3. Chickpea Crêpes
These are officially our new obsession.
Ingredients
160 gm chickpea flour
100 ml olive oil
1/3 cup (loosely packed) rosemary
(optional) To serve: lemon wedges
Method
Place chickpea flour in a bowl, season to taste, then gradually whisk in 500ml water to form a smooth batter. Whisk in 1 tbsp oil and refrigerate overnight to rest.
Preheat oven to 200 C. Whisk batter well to combine, heat a 19cm-diameter cast-iron pan over high heat, add ½ tsp oil and heat until smoking to season the pan.
Add 1½ tbsp of batter, tip pan quickly so batter covers base, scatter with a little rosemary and cook until the base starts to crisp (2-3 minutes). Transfer to oven and cook until crêpe curls up at the edge (1-2 minutes). Repeat with remaining oil, batter and rosemary.
Season crêpes generously with sea salt flakes and serve hot with lemon wedges.
(Recipe via Gourmettraveller.com.au)
4. Orange Mustard Glazed Salmon
Healthy, handy and so good.
Ingredients
Two 6oz salmon filets
1 tablespoon coconut oil
¼ cup dijon mustard
zest from 1 orange
salt and pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celcius, and heat an oven safe skillet over medium high heat.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the dijon mustard and orange zest. Stir to combine.
Dry your salmon filets well so they will get a crispy crust, then season with salt and pepper.
When the skillet is heated, melt the coconut oil and cook the salmon. If your salmon has skin, start it with the skin side up. Cook for 5 minutes until the salmon is crispy and golden brown. Flip the salmon, then top the cooked side with the orange mustard glaze.
Finish the salmon in the oven for about 5-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of your salmon.
Serve warm with wedges of orange.
(Recipe via Tasteslovely.com)
5. Spaghetti Carbonara
Pasta is just a life-saver on days when there really is no time to cook.
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- 3 egg yolks
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup pecorino cheese (plus more at the end)
- 8 ounces spaghetti
Instructions
Preheat oven to 225 degrees Celcius. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season well with salt. It should taste like sea water.
Add bacon to a medium non-stick skillet. Bake until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove bacon from grease and chop.
In a small bowl, whisk yolks, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
Cook the pasta until aldente. Reserve cooking liquid.
Slowly whisk in about ¼ – ⅓ cup of starchy pasta water into the egg mixture to slowly rise the temperature of the eggs.
Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta to the skillet with the bacon fat. Turn the heat on medium-high, and toss noodles with fat until very hot. Remove from heat.
Pour egg mixture into the hot noodles, while tossing with tongs. If necessary, add more pasta water until you get desired consistency. Toss until pasta is coated in sauce and cheese is melted. Add bacon.
Season with cheese, salt and pepper.
(Recipe via Cookingforkeeps.com)
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