Meal Planning Inspiration
Fast & Easy Recipes

Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto

This recipe was originally published by Food & Wine in Aug of 2015. It doesn’t appear to be available on F&W’s website, but I did find the recipe courtesy of New Roots Organics.

Pappardelle with Summer Squash and Arugula-Walnut Pesto is ‘Fasy & East‘ at its very best. In fact, Big and Little prepared 90% of this dish. They toasted the walnuts, pulsed the pesto, shaved the zucchini and cooked the pasta. They even seasoned the pesto with salt and pepper!

The heat of the pasta softens the zucchini, but it is otherwise raw. Both the zucchini and toasted walnuts lend a lovely texture to the pasta. I recommend doubling the amount of walnuts so you have plenty to top the pasta. If you’re looking for a bit more protein, bocconcini or rotisserie chicken would be a lovely addition.

Sheet-Pan Herbed Salmon Cakes with Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Sauce

Looking to up your salmon game? Try Sheet-Pan Herbed Salmon Cakes with Asparagus and Lemon-Herb Sauce by America’s Test Kitchen. This recipe goes hand-in-hand with warm, balmy days. It is simple enough to throw together for a week-day friendly dinner and elevated enough to serve while entertaining. Make extra and use the patties in a salmon burger the next evening.

I served the salmon cake on top of a bed or rice with peas and scallions.

Grilled Steak and Radishes with Black Pepper Butter

Grilled Steak and Radishes with Black Pepper Butter by Bon Appetit is ‘Fast & Easy‘ at its best!

We haven’t yet found a vegetable that isn’t delicious when grilled, and this recipe featuring grilled radish caught our attention. I loved the mellow, slightly nutty flavor the grill produced. We accompanied the steak with millet and added parboiled fresh green beans. Add a touch of vinaigrette to the millet for subtle flavor.

To parboil beans, prepare the beans by removing tough stems. Bring water to a rolling boil and add beans for two minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. When cool enough to handle, cut beans into 1.5″ pieces.

Asian-Style Ground Beef Cabbage Wraps

If you’re looking for flavor, but need fast and simple, Asian-Style Ground Beef Cabbage Wraps, by allrecipes, is for you. I love how this recipe puts a twist on the traditional lettuce wrap by using cabbage. We added thinly sliced red peppers along with the carrots.

I will say I found the cabbage leaves a bit hard to manipulate. The inner leaves were a slightly more pliable. When removing the tough stem, you were sometimes left with what amounted to two halves – more of a bun than a wrap.

IMHO … cabbage is an underrated vegetable. Thinly slice cabbage and use it to garnish pulled pork sandwiches, add it to a bowl or stir fry, and include thin wedges in a crudite platter.

Soy-and-Ginger-Glazed Salmon

I love the ease with which this recipe from Food & Wine came together.  ‘Fast and Easy’ at its best.  Accompany this dish with any grain and a leafy green or broccoli and you’ve got an easy go-to dinner menu that is impressive enough to serve to company.  The recipe recommends marinating the fish between 1 and 4 hours … I think you can get away with 15-minutes if you have limited time.

On this go-round, we selected fried rice and gomen.  To effortlessly pull together a fried rice, combine a few sliced scallions, scrambled egg, and soy sauce with cooked rice in a pan over medium-high heat.  For variety, try adding slivered almonds or green peas.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth

I am deliberately building more fish into our diet.  While I like fish, I’ve always been reluctant to prepare it at home.  I really dislike the smell of fish and any lingering fishy smell drives me nuts.  Now, I know, fresh fish shouldn’t have a smell.  I’ve generally found this to be true.  But, case in point, we bought fresh, wild-caught halibut for this recipe, and I could smell it every time we opened the fridge.  I became very worried about the freshness of the halibut (irrespective of the label date, which gave us several days); however, when we opened the package, the fish itself emitted no smell.  Phew.  I have noticed that cooking fish the day you purchase it seems to yield the freshest, least smelly results.  I also never reheat fish.  If we have extra, we eat it cold.

Thai-Style Halibut with Coconut-Curry Broth from Food Network courtesy of Ellie Krieger was delicious.  I used regular (rather than light) coconut milk to lend a bit more richness to the broth, and we served it on a bed of short-grain brown rice.  To retain a bit of shape and color in the spinach, we added a bit of chicken broth in a pan and briefly steamed the leaves until just starting to wilt.  Complete this step when you are ready to plate your dish, or the carryover cooking will yield limp, shapeless spinach.

Maple Mustard Salmon

This recipe from Allrecipes is “Fast & Easy” at its finest. The flavors are delicious and prep is incredibly simple.

I didn’t change a thing! Be sure to give the salmon a thick coat of glaze, and don’t forget the sides of the filet. Use a high quality syrup to achieve maximum maple flavor.

We accompanied this with panzanella and brown rice to round out a light, healthy, flavorful meal.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Stew with Corn

I love soup by Food & Wine year-round, but there is something about this soup that is so right now. It is perfect for the transition to spring. The layered flavor and warm broth fights the last bit of winter chill. The lime lends a bit of brightness … and nothing screams summer like corn.

I love this recipe because it was delicious + super fast + super easy, always a winning combinoation in my book.

Thai chiles pack a punch at 50-100K Scoville Heat Units. Try substituting a serrano (5-15K SHU) or a jalapeno (2-5K SHU). To remove the heat from chile, scrape out the white membranes and seeds, as this is where the heat lives.

We topped the soup with plenty of fresh basil leaves and served the soup over rice to give it a bit more heft. Bean sprouts would be an excellent accompaniment.

Chickpea Stew

I am on the hunt for hearty vegetarian recipes, and this is a winner. The flavors are rich and warm, and the textures are divine. I love the crunch imparted by the roasted kale and chickpeas.

While both Big and Little rated this recipe two thumbs up, it is a bit spicy. I ended up using about 3/4 of the spice mixture. The labneh tempers the heat and adds a rich creaminess to the broth. For extra back-up, serve with a side of milk, as dairy helps neutralize the heat. Capsaicin is oil-based, so water simply spreads the heat around your mouth.

I ran out of hungarian paprika, so I subbed a teaspoon of smoked paprika and liked the subtle depth in flavor it created.

Stir Fry

The stir fry is my go-to meal when I lack inspiration, time, or I missed meal planning for the week. My quintessential combination is a protein + vegetables + sauce.

I’ve found there are a few critical components to a powerful stir fry game. The first, use a large frying pan to create plenty of heated surface and ensure your pan is sufficiently preheated before adding the ingredients. This will enable you to quickly brown the vegetables without overcooking them.

The second trick is the sauce. The sauce from Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls is one of my new favorites. It is versatile and fast to assemble. Food Made Fast ASIAN is also filled with delicious sauce ideas.

I cook the meat first and set it aside. Then, in the same pan cook the vegetables. For best results, I recommend cooking the vegetables in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. If you find the vegetables are browned but not yet cooked to your preference, throw a bit of broth or water into the bottom of the pan. The steam will finish the job. Return meat and vegetables to pan, add sauce, allow sauce to thicken for 3-5 minutes, and serve.

Spinach Shakshuka with Naan

Yes to this green-laden dish from Food & Wine.

I buy pre-made naan from the grocery store. To bring the naan to life, sprinkle with water and toast in pan over medium low heat. Coat lightly with olive oil or butter.

I ate this cold the next day, and it was still delicious.

Sesame-Crusted Salmon with Lemon and Ginger

Access to this recipe requires a subscription or cookbook purchase, but Cook’s Illustrated crafted my favorite salmon dish.

Ensure the brine water is no warmer than room temperature. If you place the fish into warm water, it will begin to cook the fish. The partially cooked fish is difficult to handle and will begin to fall apart when you turn the fish in the skillet.

To avoid overcooking your salmon, ensure your skillet is sufficiently preheated to toast the sesame seeds within the prescribed cooking time.

I accompany this dish with Perfect Asian-Inspired Rice (PAIR) and Roasted Asparagus or Roasted Broccoli. Add a splash of rice wine vinegar and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.

Roasted Chicken with Clementines & Arak

This chicken recipe was created by Yotam Ottolenghi and was featured in Food & Wine’s Best of the Best Vol 16.

We chose to use chicken thighs, rather than having to deal with dividing a whole chicken. If you go this route, try doubling the liquids for a bit more sauce. Next time we try this recipe, we plan to add an extra fennel bulb.

We could not find clementines, so we substituted mandarin oranges. We could not find arak, so we substituted sambuca.

Chipotle Beef Chili Bowls with Lime-Cilantro Crema

This is recipe 4 from One-Pan Wonders by Cook’s Country. I was shocked by how fast this dish came together. The chili flavors were tasty, and perhaps a bit subtle. It’s perfect on a cold day when you’re craving something hearty, yet need to throw it together quickly.

I added extra corn to the base and topped the bowl with toasted pepitas, avocado, and crema.

Next time, I’m going to try adding 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, because I think it will create a more rich chili flavor.

Pan-Seared Steak with Red Wine Pan Sauce

We love grilling, but apartment-living in NYC makes grilling a challenge, so we’ve been on the hunt for a technique that leverages our kitchen while doing justice to premium steaks. Cook’s Illustrated delivers.

We used a rib-eye, and when serving, I love leaving just a tiny bit of the fat cap on the side … so much flavor!

Ensure your pan is fully pre-heated, do not move the steaks until you’re ready to flip (about 4 minutes for rare and add a minute for each level higher), and allow the steaks to rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Tinga Tacos

We return to this Food & Wine recipe by Justin Chapple constantly. It is fast. It is easy. It is versatile … taco, burrito, tamale, bowl, salad, sandwich … the options are endless. And most importantly, it is downright delicious.

I prefer chicken thighs for this recipe, rather than legs. Depending on what we have in our pantry, we often substitute diced tomatoes, rather than the tomato puree.

Need topping ideas? Fresh cilantro, radish, diced tomato, onion (yellow, purple, or scallion), lettuce, cucumber, or zucchini. And don’t forget our favorite … toasted pepitas!

Dry-Fried String Beans with Pork

I typically have these ingredients on-hand, so Dry Fried String Beans with Pork is an excellent option when I need dinner on the table fast.

For this particular version, I substituted a whole sliced onion, rather than the scallion. This recipe is also delicious with asparagus, and/or snow peas.

To find more time-saving asian-inspired recipes, check-out Food Made Fast ASIAN.

Easy Chicken Fajitas

I decided to try my hand at fajitas today, and this recipe was straightforward and fast to prepare.

To achieve a nice sear, work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and ensure that your pan is properly preheated.

Next time, I plan to reduce the paprika and chili powder by about 25% and add extra lime and lime zest.

We topped our fajitas with homemade pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, creme fraiche, and a squeeze of lime juice.

Glazed Japanese Chicken Meatballs on Skewers

This recipe is simple and delicious. Cook the meatballs on a grill for best results. I’ve attempted it indoors twice … once with skewers and once without. I recommend going without the skewers and wiping the sauce from the pan between batches, because the sauce burns easily, but you need a high heat to obtain a light char.

To make it a meal, I added rice with peas and my simple roasted broccoli.

For variety, try substituting turkey for chicken.

Ginger and Honey Chicken Wings

If you’re looking to bring global flavors to your grill, try this recipe.  This dish feels Vietnamese-inspired and comes together very quickly.  The most complex part of the preparation is grating the ginger (which takes a fair bit of patience). 

We substituted the wings for chicken thighs, and quinoa was used for the base of this dish (rather than the more traditional option, rice).  My sense is the plain flavor of rice would showcase the citrus a bit more, but the dish paired fine with quinoa.