Good thread! Added on a bit more than the topic - hope it is okay.
1. Quick Asian-style soup. Boil water in pot, add better than bouillon chicken stock (def the best - can be mixed with homemade - have a vegetable one too) and stir until dissolved. Add vegetables of your choice (I use sweet potatoes and carrots mostly - sometimes cabbage too - or add frozen peas, tofu or shiitake a bit later) and cook for a few minutes. Add wontons - home-made (easy) or frozen store-bought (easier). Cook until they just start to float. Turn off heat and break egg for each person into pot. Put lid on and wait until egg is cooked to your liking. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and green onions. Add Vietnamese chili garlic sauce or bit of soya sauce. We eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
2. Halve an avocado. Remove seed. Put Japanese soya sauce in hollow. Eat with spoon.
3. As others have mentioned - roasted root vegetables, including fennel, and especially including beets. Roast in olive oil until done. Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and balsamic. Leftovers can be made into an excellent pureed soup with the addition some chicken stock and spices. Cream or coconut milk can be added also.
4. Asian grilled steak. Melt butter in frying pan. Sear steak on both sides but do not cook further (will be raw inside). Remove from frying pan and slice into thin slices. Mix Japanese soya sauce, fresh ginger and garlic, Vietnamese chili paste (to taste), black pepper, bit of sesame oil and brown sugar. Turn heat on pan and put steak slices in. Pour sauce on top and cook until done as you prefer. Serve over rice and with vegetables you like. We can feed five with two largish steaks with this recipe. Guests like it as much as a bbq steak and it is less expensive.
5. Home-made gyoza - which are the same as wontons only fried with a special sauce for dipping. We use ground chicken instead of pork and sometimes don't add cabbage but do add chopped green onion. We make a lot and then freeze them. You could do a vegetarian version using tofu. The wrappers are available in Asian grocery stores. Here is the recipe:
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/potstickers/r/gyoza.htm6. Acorn/Butternut/Kabocha squash. I bake it in slices with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. I also use this recipe to make a soup that is very good:
http://japanesefood.about.com/od/soup/r/kabochasoup.htm7. Wraps. So tasty with beans, cilantro, cheese, avocado and salsa - and whatever leftovers. Homemade salsa is awesome. I'm planning to try this filling next:
http://www.theyummylife.com/Thai_Peanut_Slaw 8. Five minute artisan bread. Excellent dipped in a mix of olive oil and balsamic (kids love this). If you still eat wheat I highly recommend this recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-artisan-bread-325571Great revelations in prepared cooking products over the years:
1. Better than Bouillon paste stock
2. Thai red and green curry paste
3. Lemongrass
4. Vietnamese chili garlic sauce
5. Wonton wrappers
6. Coconut milk/cream
7. Sesame oil
8. Miso
Best kitchen utensil:
Sturdy German garlic press - cut off end of garlic bulb but don't have to peel
Best kitchen appliance:
Tie: toaster oven (less energy and we can bake cookies/muffins/tarts six at a time to keep snacking down) and good electric rice cooker
Best revelation for getting kids to eat healthy:
Fill one of these up every day with cut-up vegetables, fruit and nuts (whatever they will like) and have it on the kitchen table when they get home and on weekends:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TUPPERWARE-DIVIDED-RELISH-VEGETABLE-FRUIT-TRAY-4-PIECE-CONDIMENTS-TACO-/360731418802and:
Use divided dinner plates for picky kids which have vegetables in the largest divided area and then protein, carb and fruit in the others\
and:
Smoothies
Best revelation for the dog:
Home-made dog food.
Buy cheap meat on sale/marked down and make sure you include some organ meat. This is most often ground/cubed beef, ground/cubed pork, ground chicken and chicken hearts for us. Get big pot and boil meat with sweet potatoes and carrots and rosemary. When cooked, add brown rice and bring to boil. Turn off heat and let rice cook with lid on. Proportions are around 1/2meat 1/4 vegetables 1/4 rice. Freeze in serving sizes. We also give one fish oil capsule per day and one marrow bone. We cook the food once per wk. Our dog is really healthy at six and exactly the right weight.
Potential food revelations I have not tried but want to:
1. Home-made kimchi
2. Trying to catch most of our fish/seafood
3. Refrigerator pickles
4. Buying only free range meat - starting with our Thanksgiving turkey this year
5. Making gravlax
6. Smoking salmon
7. Paleo eating