Case in point, I woke up at 5 this morning to check some things off my list. Now it’s 10 and I’m ready for a second breakfast. I’m hoping writing about food will provide a good distraction. Ha! Alright, first a little Manchego, Fig & Apple concoction (shown in picture as a crostini-style appetizer, but also great on an English muffin for one). After all, apple season is coming so might as well dabble in some fall-ier fare.
[snack break]
Back at it! Now for those of us that do any sort of meal-prep or cooking at home—even those that love it—come September we need a solid roster of recipes that we consider “time-saving.” Trouble is, “time-saving meals” can mean something different depending upon the day, who we have to feed, what food we have on-hand…you know the factors. I’m going to steer clear of calling any of the recipes below “30-minute,” “20-minute,” or “15-minute” even though some of them are. I think a time limit sort-of misses the point of cooking at all. Instead, I’m going to tell you why these recipes are among my list of go-to’s when life gets a little much.
First up, my Smashed Chickpea & Spinach Phyllo Roll-Ups. Okay, here’s the deal with these. They take some time to put together (if you must know, 30-ish minutes). But then, the yield is spectacular because you can tightly wrap them in some parchment paper and foil, put ’em in the freezer and bake ’em directly from frozen whenever you want. The recipe yields 4 long roll-ups, typically enough for 2-4 meals depending upon how many folks you’re feeding. For me, this is the ultimate time-saving meal because I can make the roll-ups when I’m feeling a little chef-y and bake them when I don’t have time to babysit my food. Side note: the Roasted Garlic Tzatziki included with this recipe is an awesome addition, but good quality store-bought tzatziki will do too.
Let’s look at time-saving a different way. Say you really are down to just minutes to put something delicious on the table. Then, you can’t beat a good, piled-high toast. Yeah, yeah—there’s avocado toast and tomato toast, but they don’t hold a candle to Drippy Goat Cheese Toast. This toast is so over-the top, drippin’ good that it requires a knife and fork to eat (unless you’re dining alone or alongside someone who is pro napkin-bib). For this recipe, a jar of marinated artichoke hearts does most of the heavy-lifting—I’ll leave it at that. My version calls for fresh tomatoes, frizzled rosemary, and creamy white beans too, but you can swap these inclusions for any fresh, Italian-ish ingredients that you like.
While on the Italian train, it’s worth mentioning my Bar Raid Antipasti Salad. This recipe fits those time-saving meal occasions when you’re literally cruising the grocery store aisles at 5pm and hoping to have a meal on the table by 6. You could pick-up a pizza or some microwave burritos, but this recipe takes equal time and is a lot more interesting, satisfying, and healthy. It starts by quite literally raiding the antipasti bar at your local grocery store—a scoop of sweet teardrop peppers, a generous tongs-grab of roasted tomatoes, some marinated mushrooms, pickled cauliflower, or pitted olives. Put ’em all together in a quart-size take-out container with a few extra spoonfuls of your favorite oil and vinegar-based brine and you’re on your way to a truly gourmet salad-for-dinner experience. The rest is simple. Turn the brine into a dressing with a little Dijon mustard and fresh lemon juice. Add some grated Parm, cubed salami, chunks of provolone, chopped romaine…. Suddenly, you’ve got yourself a BIG salad with BIG flavor.
Alright, let’s wrap this time-saving meals roster with a one-pan wonder. The beauty of cooking an entire main meal in one pan is obviously less clean-up (time-saving), but more importantly layers of texture and flavor if prepared accordingly. My Mediterranean Couscous Skillet with Chicken Sausage is just that—delicious ingredients purposefully incorporated in 3 easy steps (4 if you count the finishing drizzle) to yield an all-in-one veg-protein-pasta meal. Bonus: it’s done in about 30 minutes flat—35 if you really take your time with the finishing touches.
My final recipe for September is neither time-saving nor time-intensive…it’s just a great early fall recipe. It’s my Warm Roasted Beets, Orange & Arugula Salad. I’ve never met a person who didn’t love this salad or ask for the recipe. It’s a good one to have up your sleeve as the weather turns cool but your taste for light, bright flavors does not.
