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Heather
October 20, 2014
Though it may not seem meal-like, this is my favorite unplanned meal: About 1 cup mix of raw cashews/walnuts/almonds/sunflower seeds and large flake unsweetened coconut lightly toasted in a skillet with 2 tsp coconut oil. Add this to 1.5 c full fat plain yogurt and top with large amount of berries/fruit. I guess this sounds breakfast-y, but it seems to leave me happy any time of day. I make up the missed greens my next meal
marymary
April 23, 2014
Lots of great ideas to try! Our usual go-to fare when pickin's are bare include...
Breakfast - polenta patties fried in butter and evoo, along with thinly sliced jalapenos, mushrooms, spinach and garlic, topped with a fried egg and whatever cheese is aging away in there.
Lunch - A can of tuna fish, hardboiled egg, either evoo/sesame oil or mayo/mustard, lemon juice, deli-style relish, jalapenos, celery salt, curry, sesame seed, salt and pepper.
Dinner - A can of tomato basil soup with a can of garbanzo beans and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, topped with sour cream and croutons.
Breakfast - polenta patties fried in butter and evoo, along with thinly sliced jalapenos, mushrooms, spinach and garlic, topped with a fried egg and whatever cheese is aging away in there.
Lunch - A can of tuna fish, hardboiled egg, either evoo/sesame oil or mayo/mustard, lemon juice, deli-style relish, jalapenos, celery salt, curry, sesame seed, salt and pepper.
Dinner - A can of tomato basil soup with a can of garbanzo beans and a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, topped with sour cream and croutons.
Brooke H.
March 20, 2014
A family favorite is a can of corn & a can of hearts of palm. Drain both, slice the hearts of palm and dress with vinaigrette. If we have avocado, I add it. Sometimes I add a can of tuna. And red onion. Or a hard boiled egg. I might serve it with rice. And though it consists of canned items, it ends up feeling very fresh, bright and a little exotic.
jo
February 23, 2014
bits of a leftover chicken(usually somewhere handy) pasta and a few veggies. maybe a boiled egg and mayo, or evoo. my dear daughters fav!
AntoniaJames
January 27, 2014
Another pantry dinner we enjoy here is a kala jeera and cumin tadka scented tomato soup, which I've given a protein boost with red lentils. http://food52.com/recipes/24113-tomato-soup-with-kala-jeera-and-cumin-tadka (I'm still trying to figure out why this and a related one I also posted are the only recipes on this site that use kala jeera.) ;o)
Katie M.
January 22, 2014
I recently bought a tortilla press and Corn masa. I don't think I will ever buy tortillas again! So simple, cheap and delicious! My current favorite when my fridge is looking slim is homemade tortillas, whatever cheese I have on hand, quick pickled onions and jalapenos or crushed red pepper. If I have beans/meat/veggies, sure I will throw them in. But the simplicity of good corn masa, cheese and pickled onions is enough to satisfy me on any given night.
AntoniaJames
January 20, 2014
This probably seems a bit odd to many of you, but my go-to pantry favorite consists of: a couple of just barely hard-cooked eggs, sliced while still warm and plopped on slices of toasted homemade artisan-style bread, topped with an on-the-fly tonnato sauce: olive-oil packed imported tuna, capers, anchovies, a touch of mayo, lemon juice, parsley and my tastiest olive oil, buzzed with an immersion blender. If the eggs seem like too much trouble, I put it directly on the toast. Sometimes I make this even when there's plenty of other stuff in the fridge I could use for dinner. It's not a family favorite, however, so I make it when I'm the only one here. ;o)
heatheradele
January 19, 2014
Frozen peas, cream, lemon zest and parm is always a hit with me. So simple and tasty. I'm also on the curry wagon - I'm in the middle of making one with chickpeas, canned tomatoes and some frozen green beans which have been languishing in the freezer for far too long.
mlrichmond
January 19, 2014
Poached eggs over veggies/greens with dressing made from shallots, red wine vinegar, olive oil and Dijon mustard; cubed sweet potatoes and shallots tossed with olive oil and roasted.
Tracy M.
January 19, 2014
If I have a squash laying around I slice it in half, scoop out the seeds, rub it with olive oil, and roast it skin side down at 400F. While it's roasting I put together some kind of grain and vegetable mixture to stuff it with and top it with the best cheese I can find in the fridge. Pasta with olive oil and veggies. Olives and cheese with wine, when I'm really lazy!
miranda.mal
January 19, 2014
Risotto, almost always. With frozen peas and Parmesan, and maybe dried mushrooms.
Pat E.
January 18, 2014
Posie....can we get a recipe for those yogurt biscuits you mentioned? Thanks!
Lazyretirementgirl
January 18, 2014
Farro risotto with shallots and sausage. Semi pearled farro, unlike rice, does not need to be stirred to make risotto. If you chop and sauté one sausage -- a Trader Joe's fully cooked one works well, deglaze the pan with red wine, then chop a shallot, sweat it in olive oil in a heavy saucepan, then add farro and coat in oil, add the red wine, the broth of your choice ( I prefer chicken) turn down the heat to a simmer, cover it and go relax. After 30 to 40 minutes, add the sausage bits, some grated parm and, if you have any, porcini powder (god's gift to the home cook). A virtuous whole grain dinner out of pantry staples that is delicious, easy and cheap. My trifecta.
nannydeb
January 18, 2014
We make what we call Pasta Pomodoro: Drain a can of diced tomatoes, toss a couple in a food processor with olive oil, fresh basil, garlic and a little white wine. Toss with the rest of the tomatoes and hot cooked pasta and top with shredded parmesan.
Peter S.
January 18, 2014
I almost always make spaghetti aglio e olio when I forgot to shop for dinner or when I'm home alone with my kid. My kid loves it and it only takes around 10 minutes to make, as you only need spaghetti, garlic, olive oil and parmesan to make the simplest (and yet extremely delicious) version.
Kathy
January 18, 2014
Mushrooms sautéed in butter with polenta or a kind of huevos with fried eggs, fork mashed black beans with cumin, salsa, avocado if I have it and a dollop of yogurt.
luvcookbooks
January 18, 2014
Spanish potato and onion tortilla (a frittata ish), potato and greens hash topped with poached eggs cooked on top of the hash, vegetable fried rice with fried eggs, soy sauce and sesame oil, frizzled shallots, pasta with gorgonzola (melt the gorgonazola in a metal bowl in the same pot that you cook the pasta in, along with some butter, peas, scallions, a little cream, what you will... , I'm surrised no one else has the humble tortilla with refried beans but I like it, with some salsa and cheese crumbled on top. Quick black bean chili, rice and beans, rice with pigeon peas, red beans and rice... I guess all my weekday cooking is pantry!
Katie Z.
January 17, 2014
I'm on the eggs and pasta train- my go-to is a slightly bastardized pasta carbonara. I sautée onions in butter, bacon fat, or olive oil until they begin to caramelize, and boil pasta or whatever other grain I have on hand (quinoa and freekeh work surprisingly well; sometimes I even use leftover grains). While that's going on, I mix an egg per person with as much pecorino or Parmesan as it can hold and some freshly cracked black pepper, and add any leftover veggies to the onions. Once the pasta's done, I fish it out with a slotted spoon and add it to the onions with a little extra pasta water, turn off the stove and dump in my egg/parm mixture while mixing for my life to keep the eggs from scrambling :)
Sarah A.
January 17, 2014
Pasta with tomatoes, beans, onions-and lots and lots of smoked paprika! Makes the dish feel hearty and savory.
Also: fried egg, hard cheese, sautéed greens (maybe a drop of red wine vinegar), stacked on a thick slice of toast. Or if it really comes down to it, whatever breakfast I had that morning.
Also: fried egg, hard cheese, sautéed greens (maybe a drop of red wine vinegar), stacked on a thick slice of toast. Or if it really comes down to it, whatever breakfast I had that morning.
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