6 Ingredient Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Six-Ingredient Solution (ATK Book)

I wasn't sure if I would try this because I like the Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce recipe from Cook's Illustrated and it is not too difficult to make that. But it looked good and I had the 6 ingredients (flank steak, a pepper, broccoli, oyster sauce, sesame oil and sweet chili sauce) on hand and I thought I would give it a whirl.

It turned out really good. I might even like it better than the real recipe because the sauce had a bit of sweetness to it which I really liked. The sweet chili sauce helps keep the number of ingredients down since it has sweetness, garlic and spice all in one.

It was very easy to pull together and could probably even be done quicker once I know the recipe. I had the kitchen cleaned up while making it which is a change from many stir-fry recipes where I end up feeling like I used a million dishes.

I will definitely make this again.

Make Ahead Sesame Noodles and Shredded Chicken

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Finish Time: 5 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Sources:

• Cook's Illustrated (September 2004)
• Make Ahead Cook (book) 

I made this recipe from the Make Ahead Cook book. It was in the "From Fridge to Table" chapter. That means it is something you can make the night before and serve the next day. And these are recipes that are designed to taste good cold or at room temperature. 

It turns out that this recipe was already featured in Cooks Illustrated (Sept 2004) and I've reviewed the recipe already. 

I've compared the recipes and the ingredients are exactly the same. The instructions are mostly the same, but the way to "Make Ahead" is to store the dressing in a separate container from the rest of the ingredients. Then when you want to serve, you can add some hot water to the dressing to loosen it up and mix with the salad (noodles, chicken, vegetables). 

I don't mind that this recipe is one I've had before. I like that they are really examining the best way to prepare food ahead of time and testing how to store, etc. 

For this specific recipe, I never minded the leftovers, even though the sauce does get clumpy and it does get absorbed in to the noodles a bit. I actually ate some of this for dinner when I first made it, kept the sauce separate for making for dinner last night and had some leftovers for lunch today. The leftovers were still great. I do think I will keep this as a make the night before meal and keep the sauce separate, because it probably does help the texture some. 

Making things for the next day works out pretty well for me because I am usually quite hungry when I want to eat dinner after doing a workout after work. I never want to spend the time to prepare something then, but if I prepare the next nights meal after dinner, I am less rushed and it isn't as annoying. This is a strategy I've tried to use in the past with success, and I should employ it more often. 

Roasted Pepper Soup

Total Time: 50 minutes

Grade: B-

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: 6 Ingredient Solution

I thought this tasted very nice, but my picky eater didn't care for it. (At least he tried it, which was a shock.)

Although only 6 ingredients you do have to roast the peppers. That part was okay for me. The part where I got in trouble was dealing with the blender. I ended spilling soup everywhere and then I decided to strain it because I wasn't sure I got all the pieces processed enough. That made the soup just too thin for me.

This recipe used these Cheese Stick crackers (only 2), and suggested using the crackers as condiments also, which was good. It also called for a basil whipped cream which I liked. But you were supposed to make that in the blender, and that didn't work well for me. I ended up pulling out my mixer to make it. That part was delicious. You dollop a little on top of the soup.

Although I liked this, since I was the only one and it was a bit of work, and I made a mess of my kitchen, I probably won't make this again. It might be nice for a dinner party though if you have friends who are not such picky eaters and nice like flavors.

Two Quick Pork Tenderloin Dinners

Recipe 1: Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Fall Vegetables

Prep Time: 15 minutes each
Cook Time: 30+ minutes

Grade: B+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November2011)

You start with this recipe and you save 1/2 of one of the pork tenderloins. Actually, since I cut recipe in half, I only used one tenderloin.

This was my first time trying parsnips (as far as I know) and brussels sprouts since I was kid. I loved the parsnips, but was neutral on the brussels sprouts. I should probably try a recipe with bacon and then I'd probably like them more. :-)

It made two meals for me and had lots of vegetables which was nice. There was very little effort to the meal, and I liked knowing I had a head start on a 2nd meal later that week. 

Recipe 2: Lo Mein with Pork

Total Time: 15 - 20 minutes 

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (November2011)

 

I subbed a bit in this recipe using vegetables I liked. It isn't the most amazing stir-fry in the world, but for a real quick dinner it was great. I will definitely use this technique again - roasting some protein and saving it for a later stir-fry. 

Chicken and Brown Rice

Prep Time: 28 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Grade: B-

Make Again: No


Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2005)

This was almost really good, but I really didn't like the roasted red peppers in this. They got quite soggy.  Maybe using regular diced peppers would have been better.

I think this recipe as potential as a one pot meal, but I probably won't tweak it anymore, since there are too many good recipes to try! 

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

I haven't done a stir fry in a while, and I miss them. This is a simple and light version of sweet and sour (no frying).

It differs from Cook's Illustrated stir-fries in that you dump the veggies and chicken into the pan at once. That makes it easier, but it also resulted in green beans that were a little overcooked. Not bad, but not as bright green and crisp as they could have been.

When I first tasted the chicken, I was unimpressed, and thought that it was more bland because there was no marinating of the chicken. But when I tasted the full dish with veggies and sauce, I liked it more, and overall I found the dish very satisfying.

I think CI/ATK stir-fry recipes are a bit better, but a little more work, so this one will do in a pinch when there is less time. I could have shortened the time more by overlapping the cooking with prep, by at least heating up my pan while still prepping. However, I have found cleaning the kitchen before I start cooking with stir fries is a very good idea, otherwise I end up with a disaster.

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

Grade: A-
Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (January 2011)

Wow, I haven't cooked anything, not even old standbys for a month. I was working at a client very far from home and just didn't have time. I've had more sandwiches in the past month, than I care to admit, but finally this is a sandwich that involved some effort (but not too much) and felt like real cooking.

This is a lightened recipe from the January issue of Everyday Food. I need to start cooking from that magazine more now that I'm busier than I used to be. My success rate with these recipes is not quite as high as Cook's Illustrated, but the recipes are usually pretty easy and sometimes are quite good.

I don't think this sandwich probably stands up next to a full-fat version of other pulled pork or chicken sandwiches, because the sauce is pretty light. However, it is was still very good.

The best part of the recipe (see link above) is that after prepping the ingredients (which does involve the stove, this isn't a dump raw ingredients into the slow cooker recipe) you are done for 4 hours. The recipe included the tip of using a Potato masher to shred the chicken and it worked great. I was skeptical, but it worked as well as using a fork and was so easy.

I altered the recipe slightly, using all breast meat, and used 3 T of a Chipotle sauce instead of 4. It could have handled 4 T, but of course it depends on the sauce you are using. It is 8 servings so makes a lot, and the leftovers can be frozen, which is another bonus as well.

Simple Turkey (or Beef) Chili

 Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Grade: A
Make Again: Yes
Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (January 2008) 
Recipe Source: Best Light Recipes

CI originally did this recipe with beef several years ago (or more than several.) The turkey recipe was developed for the Best Light cookbook after that and was the same, but used turkey and less oil basically.

I can't believe I haven't added this recipe to the blog yet, because I make it at least a few times every year.  It is so simple and exactly the kind of chili I like. It reminds me of the chili I had a kid and it hits the spot on cool days.

With the turkey version they suggest adding the 2nd pound of ground turkey for the last hour of cooking so it stays more clumpy. Sometimes I do that, sometimes I don't. It seems fine when I don't, but the texture it a little smoother I guess.

This is a go to recipe for when I don't have time to cook, but I am at home and can have this cook a while.

Stir Fried Pork Scallions and Peppers with Garlic Sauce

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Grade: C+

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (April 2007)

I wasn't too in love with this recipe. I just wasn't getting much flavor out of the sauce. It helped when I added some soy sauce. It wasn't bad, but since most of the other CI stir fry recipes I've used have been outstanding, this one just doesn't compare for me. It came from the Best Light Recipe also - maybe their efforts to lighten took away too much for me.

Beef and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 12-15 minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated (September 2003)

This isn't as great as the Thai-Style Beef recipe, but it is a good stir fry. I have finally learned to clean up between the prep and cooking when I do stir fries and it makes a huge difference. My kitchen doesn't look like a disaster when the food is ready to eat and I feel less stressed when I'm cooking. I think it goes faster too.

Skillet Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes (lots of cooking done while prepping)

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (Feb 2005)

This one is not as easy as I thought it would be. I don't know why - just a lot more prep than I wanted, I guess. I really liked the flavor the first time I made it, and the 2nd time I was less impressed. I realized the difference was the first time, I subbed a 1/4 c cream and 3/4 water for the 1 cup of milk. This time I made with 2% milk and it was less rich.

My sub adds calories, (but maybe only 25 per serving) so I might try again that way. The one thing I have to remember with this recipe is to add the broccoli later than the recipe suggest. The broccoli cooks way faster than my pasta and gets overcooked when I used the recipe's times.

Orecchiette with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

Total Time: 28 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (September 2004)

This is a good recipe for under 30 minutes. It doesn't call for broccoli but you can cook it in the pasta water before the pasta. I'm always happy when I can add broccoli or more veggies to a recipe and this works well. You can use jarred roasted peppers, but I roasted mine from scratch, and was still able to finish recipe in under 30 minutes, by starting the water and peppers at the same time.

Polenta with Sausage and Peppers

Prep Time: 55 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Grade: A+

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cover & Bake

Mmmmm, I love this recipe, it is very good comfort food. I have made several sausage and pepper recipes lately, but this one is the very best. (It is also the most time consuming, but freezes well and is worth making on occasion. It almost ends up being like a polenta lasagna.

The recipe calls for instant polenta, which I didn't have, so it would probably be quicker if you used that. Also, I use 1 lb of sausage instead of 1.5 pounds, and I think 1 pound is plenty. The only other adjustment I made was to use orange and yellow peppers, because I think it makes a prettier dish than using the red peppers. You are getting the red from the tomotoes, so this makes it more colorful.

Dirty Rice

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (October 2005)

This was good and since I have some other recipes that only call for 8 oz of ground pork (like this does) I will probably use this to use up the rest of the pork. I skipped the chicken livers, and don't think I missed them!

Skillet Tuna Casserole

Total Time: 30 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Cook's Country (February 2005)

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very tasty, but I am reluctant to use this recipe a lot just because it uses a lot of heavy cream (why it was so tasty, of course!) It was good and very easy. I replaced the mushrooms with some roasted red peppers, and that is a great sub. But I will use regular peppers instead of roasted, because the charred bits were unappetizing.

Italian Sausage with Peppers, Onion and Potatoes

Total Time: 37 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: No

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was fine, but I didn't love the potatoes in it, so I would probably just stick with the Hoagie version next time which is a little bit easier.

I used less sausage then recipe called for and I would have preferred more.

Mediterranean Tuna Noodle Casserole

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 - 20 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Everyday Food (October 2007)

This was a nice variation on a Tuna Noodle casserole. I don't love mushrooms, so I liked having other things to put in it. If I make again, I definitely want to use more red pepper. I could probably skip the artichokes too, since I didn't really taste them, and they were expensive. I used a little less olive oil than called for.

30-Minute Black Bean Soup

Prep Time:25 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes

Grade: B

Make Again: Probably not

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was fine, but I didn't love it as much as the long cooking version. Since the long version is not hard, it just takes time, I don't mind doing that one, and will probably stick to that recipe instead. Especially because it freezes so well, that I can have the leftovers when I need a quick meal.

Italian Sausage, Pepper and Onion Hoagie

Total Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: minutes

Grade: A

Make Again: Yes

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was quick and easy. AND there was time to clean up during final cooking, which I really like. I did spend more time browning the sausage than recommended, otherwise it might have been even quicker.

Migas

Total Time: 25 minutes

Grade: A-

Make Again: Maybe

Recipe Source: Best 30-Minute Recipes

This was very good and easy. The only problem with the recipe is that it uses baked Tortilla chips, which I don't love on their own. I bought some, and they are expensive, and that doesn't really seem reasonable for a quick egg dinner. But sometimes I do have extra corn tortillas, so maybe I would make my own chips by spraying with oil then baking.