My basic requirement is that recipes don't require a lot of skill. They aren't all necessarily short though. Some require a lot of preparatory cutting unless you have a food processor (like latkes).
General notes
- If a recipe that isn't supposed to be very garlic-y says to use a few cloves of garlic, always use a full head of garlic
- If a recipe is supposed to be garlic-y, use multiple heads of garlic (at least two)
- If a recipe calls for some amount of spinach or kale in a way that the greens get cooked and shrink, you can add 2-4 times the amount of greens and not taste a difference. You'll eat more greens. And greens in soup tend to hold soup flavor quite well.
Recipes
Thai Curry
Sichuan Noodles and Egg
Make any noodles. Make a boiled egg. Buy Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil. Add a spoonful of the Chili Oil sauce to a bowl with noodles. Add the egg on top. Serve alongside bok choi sauteed in oil and fresh garlic with a bit of salt and sugar.
Gnocchi, Mozzarella, Basil Bake
Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos
Butternut Squash and Pork Soup with Fish Sauce
Kung Pao Chicken
Cambodian Salad
Blacken the chicken by frying with a bit of salt and sugar. Add apple slices or mango slices as well.
Tuna and White Bean Salad
Laziji: Sichuan Chicken
Savory Pumpkin Stew
Sichuan Eggplant
Cacio e Pepe
Generously salt the pasta water. Don't burn the oil you toast pepper in, but do let it toast for as long as possible (before burning).
Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Use two bunches or boxes of spinach. There's never enough spinach.
Salmon, Bacon, Kale, and White Beans
Spicy Cabbage Stir Fry
Use generous amount of sugar. The result won't be sweet but it better brings out the contrast with vinegar and spice.
Latkes
Swap potatoes for any root vegetables (turnip, sweet potato, carrots, onions) for variety. Serve with sour cream, pickles, and/or apple sauce. Without these toppings you'll need to add more salt than you think or the latkes will be pretty bland.
Capers, Tomato, and Basil Pasta
Udon
Noodles are not from scratch, but the rest is.
French Onion Soup
Keep the soup and bread separate so they can be stored easily. Serve bowl-at-a-time by dishing soup into a bowl, covering with one or two pieces of bread, topping with generous amount of sliced Gruyere/Emmental/Jarlsberg or (American) Swiss cheese and microwave for a minute or two until the cheese melts.
Chicken and Dumplings
Zucchini Pizza Casserole
Recipes/meals I don't like
- Mushroom risotto: It's always incredibly bland.