Cooking Shortcuts and Quick Dinner Ideas
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Podcast 105 | Healthy Vegan Cooking in your Instant Pot by Simple Eats w/ Chef T
Don’t be intimidated by your instant pot any more. Here’s a great idea for your next intant pot meal prep. Lets keep it simple. Tune in!
Think I spend hours in the kitchen every night? Think again!
I’m a professional chef. I like to eat healthy homemade meals. But after cooking for my clients all day and running a business, I don’t always have the time or energy to prepare elaborate dinners.
I keep my meals nourishing and stress free with cooking shortcuts and quick dinner ideas. There’s no need to order takeout or microwave frozen pizzas when you have these simple tips at hand.
Cooking Shortcuts and Quick Dinner Ideas
Cook once, eat twice (or more): If you’re cooking dinner, always make double! This works particularly well with flexible, family-style recipes like soups, stews, and braised meats. Multiply a recipe by two or look for recipes that yield more servings than you’ll need. If you’re a couple, for example, prepare dishes that serve four to six people. If you’re a family of four, try recipes that serve eight to twelve.
These quantities will leave you with leftovers for lunch or another dinner. You can even freeze a few portions, so you have meals on hand for the following week. In time, you’ll have an arsenal of homemade dishes in your freezer ready when you need them.
My Marinated Grilled Chicken recipe serves four, but you can easily multiple it by two to serve eight. For a quick dinner idea, enjoy with cauliflower rice, leafy greens, or roasted root vegetables.
Go semi-homemade: It’s okay to use semi-homemade ingredients to speed up the cooking process. If you don’t have time to soak and simmer beans, use organic canned beans. Keep jarred organic tomato sauce in your pantry for speedy pasta nights and canned wild salmon for protein-rich fish cakes.
It’s important to read the ingredient list before purchasing any pre-made food to ensure it’s free from chemicals, preservatives, and added sugar or salt. Check out online retailers, like Vitacost, for quality brands sold at competitive prices.
Get the right tools: You may be surprised by how much time you can save in the kitchen by using the best cooking tools for the job. Want to make beef stew? A pressure cooker can get it done in 20 minutes. Need to chop a bunch of veggies for a salad? A sharp, durable chef’s knife will help you slice and dice in no time.
Not sure what you need?
Look out for my FREE guide…
Featuring the cooking tools that I recommend–and personally use. Follow Chef T on Facebook and Instagram to be the first to learn about the Top 10 Essential Kitchen Tools you need to Eat with a Purpose. Coming in 2018!
