Eat Arkansas

Frittata
Citrus Salad
Frozen Banana Treat

Frittata--as many eggs as you need, a little milk, cheese, herbs to taste, salt and pepper, any veg and/or meat you feel like adding. Heat a skillet you can pop in a 375 degree oven (preheated). Mix up eggs, milk, herbs, s & p, cheese, veg and/or meat and pour in skillet. Let cook for a minute or two and pop into oven until a bit brown on top. Yum.

Citrus salad--any greens you like, a can of mandarin oranges or gresh cut up citrus fruit, a few nuts, maybe a bit of avocado and any dressing you like. I use a lemon and oil dressing or a balsamic and oil dressing. Ranch is OK, but not for me.

Frozen banana treats--cut bananas into bite size pieces. Freeze a day ahead in dessert cups (or longer in plastic bags), drizzle with honey and top with sliced nuts (I like toasted almonds). Way yum!

Ta Da. All this takes one half hour. Leave out the meat and you have a great vegetarian meal.

I always go for fajitas.

Cut up strips of skinless boneless chicken breasts. Season your choice of seasoning (I go for chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika & salt). Add to skillet heated over medium high heat with either olive oil or pam. Add some bell peper slices. Stir continuously. After 3 minutes, add sliced onions. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked (another 3-5 minutes, depending on the thickness of your slices). Heat some tortillas in the microwave according to package instructions, and fill to your heart's desire.

Heat up a can of black beans seasoned with some garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and cumin to serve on the side. If you feel like being fancy, add a little chopped cilantro on top while plating.

Not real inventive but it's quick, easy, and always a pleaser!

OK, here's the Rotel and the cream soup:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 roasted chicken breasts, deboned and cut in chunks (I use Tyson's)
2 cans cream of cheese soup
1 12 oz. bag of frozen kernel corn
1 can Rotel
32 oz. chicken broth
1 15 oz. can evaporated milk
½ envelope McCormick or Taco Bell enchilada seasoning
8 corn tortillas, sliced into strips

Dissolve seasoning in chicken broth, Rotel and evaporated milk. Add all other ingredients except tortillas and simmer until good and warm-15 or 20 minutes. About 10 minutes before serving, add tortilla strips.

My family likes it; hope you do too.

We saw a thing on Rachael Ray today that looks like something we throw together sometimes for a quick, delicious meal.

Cod, halibut or bluefish fillets

Can of stewed tomatoes

Half cup of dry white wine

Small onion

Clove of garlic

Butter AND olive oil

Parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Your favorite pasta (angel hair is mine).

Saute' chopped onion in butter, olive oil, and wine in an oven-safe pan until wine is reduced and onions are translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for a minute or two longer.

Drain part of the liquid off the tomatoes and saute' them in the pan, breaking them up coarsely with a spoon. Add parsley and stir. Add the fish and cover the pieces with the stuff in the pan.

Put the pan in a 350 f oven and cook until done (you be the judge).

Cook pasta while the fish is in the oven -- do not rinse.

Plate the pasta, place the fish on top (it's okay if it breaks up some), then ladle sauce over the whole shootin' match.

Instead of canned tomatoes you can use leftover marinara, jarred sauce, or whatever other tomatoe "stuff" you might have on hand.

You should be ready to eat in about a half hour.

Make that tomato -- not tomatoe.

I would say to you:
learn to use a slow cooker.
learn to use a steamer basket.

Slow cooker allows you to put
a lamb or beef roast on in the morning compele with onions, carrots, turnips, celery,
seasonings, cook it slowly for the day-- have a bag of tossed salad ready-and your meal is ready to serve when you arrive home. If you wish to make sauce from the au ju fine and dandy or you can buy some prepared gravies.

Steamer baskets are amazingly efficent. You can steam meats and
veggies usu within 20-25 mins. Just limited to your imagination. Asiatics have been using them for 500 years. Entire meal can be cooked in one steamer basket. I've done it a hundred times.

Here's one. Buy some strips of pork , the thinner the better. Shed cabbage in long shreds, a half pound of fresh bean sprouts.
Place a layer of beansprouts/cabbage in steamer basket, then a few strips of pork, sprinkle with cumin seeds plus desired salt, then repeat until you have about 3 layers. Turn up the heat and within 20-25 mins you're ready to eat. in a four quart pot in which your steamer basket sets you would need 1 1/2 cups of water.

Or
Place some potatoes and an onion both sliced into halves into steamer basket, sprinkle with seasoned salt.
Rub a couple of chicken quarters with seasoned salt and sprinkle on some black pepper. put 2 cups of water into steamer pot, turn up heat. 25-30 min later put cooked veggies and poultry into a serving dish and spoon a little of the pot juices over it.

You only used one pot to cook it all, and minimizes cleanup.

Oh you mentioned healthy, Steamed foods are 5x more healthy than fried foods, and about 3x more healthy than boiled or broiled foods.

Excellent point Lwood, the crockpot is a wonderful thing with endless possibilities.

Also, if you don't mind those store-bought crusts (Baboli, or something like that): PIZZA. Jar of Ragu or tomato sauce, whatever toppings and cheese, and your all set in 20 minutes.

Making your own pizza crust is as easy as pie with a bread machine: take the ball of dough out after it forms and before it bakes. Voila!

Before you go to work, put soy sauce, a couple of smashed garlic cloves, a little water and maybe some pre-ground ginger in a zip top bag. Mush it around to combine. Put in 2 pork chops* (butterfly or not, suit yourself).
When you get home, take out the pork, dry it off, put it on a broiler pan and broil about 2-3 inches away from the element/fire for 5 min a side (more or less depending on the thickness of the pork).
While that's cooking fix a salad, steam some veggies as Lwood suggests, sautee some bell pepper (if you finish with a little balsamic vinegar, all the better) and you have a delightful dinner.

* When Kroger has a half or whole pork loin on sale, I buy it and cut my own chops and package in 2's. I can trim it at that point as well.

My quick and easy suggestion:

Greek Pizza

one loaf ciabatta or baguette, sliced in half
brush with olive oil and sprinkle plenty of fresh basil, or use a prefab pesto sauce
then load it up with black olives, artichoke hearts, sweet peppers, onion, and sun dried tomato

sprinkle with feta and/or mozzarella

bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Serve with salad and red wine.

If you don't keep these things on hand you can get most all of them at a grocery store salad bar. Saves prep time, too. Using the salad bar method, I've gone from store to kitchen to table in half an hour.

Cook boneless chicken pieces in a skillet with some olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with Cavenders Greek season and curry powder (heavier on the curry)

Slice cucumbers (I prefer to peel them first) into a bowl and add some sliced onion. Add some vinegar, salt, pepper and a few good sized dollops of unflavored fat free yogurt and mix together.

Once chicken is done if you like add a few dollops of the yogurt to the skillet to make a "cream sauce" or just take them straight and dry, adding the yogurt keeps them from being so dried out tasting and adds color as the curry spreads through the warmed yogurt.

Add fresh tomato slices or wedges to the plate with your chicken and the cucumber salad and you've got a great fresh summer meal.

OK, do you HAVE to cook? Our most favorite quick meals (thanks Dad - he referred to this as "Dutch Lunch") and if you've ever had the traditional "Holland Guesthouse breakfast" you'll recognize it (some would trivialize it by calling it a "relish tray") - just an array of your favorite RAW veggies, cheese, hard boiled egg, pickles/olives/salsa and maybe boiled shrimp. Our 'headliner' is usually avocado, but also specialty sausage, smoked ham or aged Molinari Salame - the avocado five-packs at Sam's are as good as you can get (so is their cheese selection). Add a special bread/cracker/chip and brew/light wine, and you're good to go...

PS - Hugh got it right EXCEPT you gotta use Contadina Pizza Sauce - "accept no substitutes" OR vary it by topping with shrimp/crab and a white cheese/garlic sauce. Boboli Thin Crust RULES!!! ;>)

But really now, don't you find crockpot-cooked food to be ucka BLAND, no matter how you spice it?!! We do...

"Basa Z"
1 Large mango, peeled and chopped
1 14-oz can drained pineapple bits
1 28-oz can drained pears , chopped (reserve ¼ cup of syrup)
1 lime, juiced (a little pulp is okay)
Enough basa (or catfish or other favorite fish) fillets (boned) for everybody

Rub fish fillets with kosher or sea salt and bake at 350 for ½ hour. While the fish is baking, combine chopped fruit, reserved pear syrup and lime juice into a fruit chutney and let stand.

When fillets have baked for the first half-hour, place them on squares of foil and top each generously with fruit chutney, pinch foil to form tiny, individual ovens and bake for a further ½ hour. Some might like to sprinkle the chutneyed fillets with ground black pepper or a bit of chili powder or dried chili flakes for a bit of kick.

Make a salad or other side dish during the second half-hour, or go watch the end (car-chase scene) of "Dukes". Any leftover fruit chutney could be spooned over ice cream (or sorbet or shortcake) for dessert, if you'd like one, or added to cereal or oatmeal at breakfast the next morning. Make a double batch of chutney, adding a little liqueur or brandy, if desired, to be used for future impromptu dishes.