trickybeck wrote:
Buy a rice cooker for like $30. You don't need all the fancy buttons, I use one that just has Cook/Warm/Off.
Add
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups water
• cut up chunks of meat or 1 can of red/black beans or your tofu
• a cup or two of vegetables that taste okay even when they're stewed thoroughly (spinach, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower). Fresh or frozen.
• then add a little extra water depending on how much stuff you've added. (The first 2 cups is for the 1 cup rice to absorb.)
• salt + whatever seasonings you like
• press Cook. Wait like 25 minutes. Makes 2 meals' worth. Add a splash of water to the rice when you microwave it the next day, or it will get hard and dried out.
Admittedly, this will not taste as good as stir fry, but it's @#%^ing easy and cheap and healthy.
Edited, Sep 20th 2012 10:10pm by trickybeck
Add
• 1 cup of rice
• 2 cups water
• cut up chunks of meat or 1 can of red/black beans or your tofu
• a cup or two of vegetables that taste okay even when they're stewed thoroughly (spinach, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower). Fresh or frozen.
• then add a little extra water depending on how much stuff you've added. (The first 2 cups is for the 1 cup rice to absorb.)
• salt + whatever seasonings you like
• press Cook. Wait like 25 minutes. Makes 2 meals' worth. Add a splash of water to the rice when you microwave it the next day, or it will get hard and dried out.
Admittedly, this will not taste as good as stir fry, but it's @#%^ing easy and cheap and healthy.
Edited, Sep 20th 2012 10:10pm by trickybeck
I do something like this all the time. I substitute broth for the water. And I'll also add in half a teaspoon of sesame oil or a dollop of butter. Sambal oelek on the top for the spiciness. When I re-heat, I don't add water. I usually cover with a paper towel or warm up in a covered microwaveable dish as the steam from the meat and veggies tends to keep the rice moist.
Fried rice is also very easy to make with any leftover rice you have. I typically mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, a bit of oil, garlic, Chinese 5 spice and red pepper flakes (don't ask for measurements, I always go with taste). Scramble an egg, saute diced onion of your choice, add in the veggies, throw in the rice, mix it up, pour over the soy sauce mixture, mix well, let it sit for about 5 minutes and then eat.
Pasta or noodles are another cheap easy dinner option. I usually slice up Italian sausages, tomatoes and other vegetables. Fry them all together and toss with angel hair pasta, spaghetti or linguine. Pasta carbonara is another easy recipe: Boil up spaghetti to al dente and drain, saving about half a cup of the pasta water. Fry some bacon (I use pancetta but you're looking for cheap and easy so bacon is a good substitute). Add some garlic and saute for another minute. Add the drained spaghetti to the pan and toss to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat a couple of eggs and Parmesan or mozzarella cheese (I use Parmesan and you can even use the dried stuff that comes out of the bottle) together in a mixing bowl. Mix well so you don't have lumps. Remove the pan that has the bacon and spaghetti from the heat and drizzle the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, and toss the pasta quickly and thoroughly. This coats the pasta and the eggs get cooked from the warmth of the bacon and spaghetti. Thin out the sauce with a bit of the pasta water. Add pepper (and salt if you're inclined but the bacon usually has enough). I top with parsley.
Asian noodle dishes: I do the same thing as fried rice. While I'm sauteing the eggs, protein, veggies, I'll boil up the noodles (you can even use ramen noodles that all college students use). Same seasonings, but you could substitute the Chinese 5 spice for whatever spice packet you get with the ramen noodles. Use a tiny amount of soy sauce since those spice packets are loaded with sodium to begin with. Toss and serve.
Casseroles are another easy way to have cheap food. I usually make a noodle or rice casserole: Chicken and rice, tuna noodle, lasagna.
Also, get a crock pot. Big hunks of cheap meat can be tenderized and softened in a slow cooker. Easy thing is take a pot roast and half a bottle of of BBQ sauce, throw in the pot and slow cook for about 6 hours. You'll have meat for days.