Need some grab and go/do ahead and re-heat meal ideas

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
Bff is coming and the plan is working on the house. Meaning waaay too tired to cook. I’d like to prep some things ahead we could grab or just reheat.

She does not eat red meat (also she is a diabetic, so not sweet stuff).

Ideas?

 
Extremely fond of indian chicken dishes and basmati rice. Both can be made

ahead of time, reheat, AND freeze well.

Been using jarred Indian sauces lately and either chicken breasts or boneless skinless thighs (even better). I also tend to throw in a lot more veggies than most basic recipes call for to stretch them out.

I make the rice following NYTimes method of "bring to boil, put into oven covered to bake, then let sit untouched" and it works out perfectly every time. Of course, you may not have "making rice" issues like I do, but this recipe has been a god-send to me.

 
Second: salads using bagged butter lettuce from Trader Joes. Just went through five bags

when Larry stayed here while Dorian was passing by Florida. The following list of add-ins is endless. These were the ones I used:

fresh tomatoes, salted
jarred baked tomatoes
English cucumbers, peeled, deseeded, salted
celery, cut the "THANK YOU CATHYZ!" way
Haas avocados (salt + lemon juice)
olives
thinly slice organic carrots
Jarred roasted peppers

Protein choice:
hard-boiled eggs
browned and thinly sliced chicken sausage from TJ
lemon-seasoned tuna (bag version)

Home-made croutons, toasted in pan to crisp
sunflower seeds

Everything but the avocado can be pre-sliced (but not pre-salted).
Add 1/2 C of each veggie to a bag of lettuce (your choice) and toss with dressing; add protein on top. Dressing was oil from jarred tomatoes or olive oil, lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Made a mound on dinner-size plate. Very satisfying in a "not-feeling guilty at all now about that coffee and huge cookie earlier" kind of way.

 
New York Times No-Fail Rice

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse rice well under cold water.
In a large ovenproof saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until foaming. Add rice and stir to combine. Cook until rice is coated with butter and starts to smell nutty.

Add 2 cups of water and the salt.
Bring to a boil, cover with a tight-fitting lid and place in oven. Bake for 17 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes without removing the lid.

Marilyn's Note: I use basmati rice and a porcelain- lined cast iron dutch oven (goes from stove top to oven). Plug the tiny steam hole in the lid with a wooden toothpick. I may extend the times by a few minutes, but mostly this is perfect.

When finished and fluffed, I'll add a bit more butter and some Season-All if it tastes flat. If the rice is used for Indian food, I'll add some garam masala to butter at early stage. Reheats really well. Freezes well too without degrading.

 
Freezes well: Red Wine-Braised Chicken With Chorizo and Chickpeas

Red Wine-Braised Chicken With Chorizo and Chickpeas
4 servings
Active Time
30 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, plus more
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/2 pounds), trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
6 ounces dried Spanish chorizo, casing removed, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons
1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Sherry vinegar
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided

Preparation

Place raisins in a small bowl; cover with hot water. Set aside.
Mix cumin, paprika, 1 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne in another small bowl. Pat chicken dry and rub all over with spice mixture.
Heat oil in a 5–7-qt. Dutch oven or large wide saucepan over medium-high. Add chorizo and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 5–8 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix chickpeas, orange zest, remaining 3/4 tsp. salt, and a pinch of cayenne in a medium bowl.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to chickpea mixture; stir to combine. Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pan, then return to medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until well-browned, 12–14 minutes. Transfer to a plate skin side up. Add onion to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3 minutes.
Add wine and broth. Bring to a boil, nestle chicken skin side up into onions in pan. Lower heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, drain raisins and stir into chorizo mixture.
Stir chorizo mixture and Sherry vinegar into chicken mixture. Cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/3 cup parsley, then divide among 4 plates. Top with remaining 1 Tbsp. parsley and serve.

 
REC: One-Pan Mediterranean Braised Chicken with Olives

We liked this! I used skinless boneless thighs (I had on-hand) and cooked for 30 minutes, until potatoes were done but the chicken was probably a bit overcooked. I also added a tablespoon of capers with the olives and did use less potatoes. Next time I make this with bone-in, skin-on thighs, I may add the carrots from the original recipe and/or frozen/canned artichoke hearts instead of using more potatoes. There was a lot of sauce that more veggies could enhance. Colleen

One-Pan Mediterranean Braised Chicken with Olives
4 in bone- skin-on chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic smashed
1 large yellow or white onion sliced
4-5 inch yukon gold or red-skinned potatoes scrubbed clean and cut into 1 pieces
1 lemon sliced thinly
2 Tbsp fresh oregano minced (can substitute 2 tsp dried oregano)
1/2 cup Mezzetta green olives with pimento (some sliced some whole)
1/2 cup Mezzetta pitted Kalamata olives (some sliced some whole)
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup white wine one third, I use Chardonnay
1 1/3 cup chicken stock one and one third
1 sprig of fresh rosemary whole
1 lemon zested
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over MED-HIGH heat. Once oil is rippling, add the chicken thighs, skin side down and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden brown and seared.

Turn chicken over and cook on the other side for another 4-5 minutes.
Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
Add onion to the pan and saute for 1-2 minutes.
Add potatoes, smashed garlic cloves, olives, and minced oregano and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes.
Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. Add wine and allow most of the liquid to cook off (just a few minutes).
Pour in chicken stock and stir. Nestle the chicken thighs into the pan and tuck the lemon slices in among the chicken and vegetables. Toss in the rosemary sprig.
Cover pan with lid (or foil), and bake for 40 minutes, until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through. Remove rosemary stem.
The remaining juices should have thickened into a makeshift gravy you can spoon over the top of the chicken when serving.
Garnish with lemon zest and additional oregano or fresh parsley if desired.
NOTES
** Mezzetta olives are the ones I use for this recipe, as they are quality ingredients.
** recipe adapted from Dinner at the Zoo

https://www.thechunkychef.com/one-pan-mediterranean-braised-chicken-with-olives/

https://www.thechunkychef.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/IMG_4094-crop.jpg

 
Quiches either already baked or make the filling and bake at serving. Twice baked potatoes

loaded with some diced ham and veggie like (frozen) broccoli or spinach.
Rotisserie chicken with a salad.
Half hour chicken gumbo (can give you the recipe).
Chicken salad on summer tomato. Salad will hold in fridge for a few days.
Make the Acropolis salad that is on here and add some chicken or shrimp to it when serving.
Five Ingredient chicken--just put together in morning and bake while having a glass of wine!!

 
One of my all time favorite prepare ahead lunches from when I used to brownbag...

I would make all the components for New York City-Style Sichuan Sesame Cold Noodles (sauce, noodles, cucumber strips, chopped cilantro, crushed dry roasted peanuts, bean sprouts) and store them in the fridge in separate containers.

In the morning, or when you are ready to eat, just pull the containers out and pile noodles, sauce, and garnish in your to-go bowl or plate.

Instant yummieness.

The most amazing thing is one of my main suppliers of cold sesame noodles when I was a student in NYC in the early 80's (mentioned in 19138.1) is still there! Empire Szechuan on Columbus Ave across the cross-eyed junction of B'way, Columbus, 66th and Tucker Square (actually a triangle) from Juilliard. I got to eat cold sesame noodles at the mother ship when I was in NYC in April. Sigh.

https://finerkitchens.com/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=160242

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top