LOW OR LITTLE ENERGY DINNERS

There's no story here, just the some truths about cooking: sometimes we can't. I always want to cook, but when my energy ebbs after a long day, I wish I were a genie and could make a wonderful dinner appear.

So now I must confess...my apologies to my students at North Shore Community College and those of you who learned how to make home-made pasta and scrumptious sauces in my kitchen while sipping wine..I have and do occasionally open a jar of pasta sauce, use frozen pasta and other prepared foods...mea culpa!

Look for foods which are passably healthy and have, for the most part, ingredients which one can pronounce without too much effort. 
After all, saving energy is the point here.

Here are a couple of my more recent low-energy dinners which we have enjoyed and one, moderate energy meal devoured on a better night.

SMOKED MOZZARELLA AND ARTICHOKE HEART RAVIOLI WITH ROASTED PEPPER GARLIC CREAM SAUCE

Doesn't that sound good! you could make all this, but..

Monterey Pasta Smoked Mozzarella and Artichoke Heart Ravioli

1 1/2 cups Roasted Pepper Alfredo Sauce (Classico)

1 large clove garlic, crushed in a press or minced

2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, chopped

olive oil, wine, basil and some chopped artichoke hearts if you have them

Grated Parmesan or Asiago, optional

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic, sun drieds and artichoke hearts if using.

Add splash white wine and then the Alfredo Sauce. Stir in basil.

Heat and stir to blend flavors.

Boil water for pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and cover with sauce. Garnish with grated cheese and basil if desired. Serves 2

You could substitute red peppers or fresh tomatoes or mushrooms for the sun drieds. The idea is to add some veggies to the sauce to make it more nutritious; it's all delicious!

Yes, this sauce can be used for fettuccine or other dried pasta, and yes, I do remember teaching you all that a true alfredo is just butter, cream and cheese..so why not use that instead of  a jarred sauce? Believe it or not, the jarred sauce has less fat and calories than the authentic version. When I need to save time and energy, I like to save food energy, calories, too! Save the calories for a really sumptuous homemade meal.

FUN FAUX ASIAN

When I make rice, I usually make more than what we need and freeze the rest for beans and rice or soup or some other meal. Last week I found myself with  Jasmine Rice and 2 leftover egg rolls in the freezer as well as a Ginger Honey salad dressing in the fridge...bought a package of Thai Tiger Shrimp Tempura, heated the rice and egg rolls, added some Thai Chili Sauce for dipping and made a salad of greens with cucumber, red pepper, carrots, red onion and sesame seeds with the dressing...Voila! a delicious Asian style meal with little effort and not a lot of fat. Even without the  rice,  the greens, the shrimp and the egg roll would make a nice meal.

Grilling a chicken breast or pork chop or pork tenderloin, takes little time and effort. Adding a delicious sauce is often the energy and time killer. Next time try this when fresh figs are in season. 

Black Mission Figs Ready to Roast

ROASTED FIGS

4 or more fresh figs, black mission preferably

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup red wine

1 tablespoon butter 

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400

Cut figs in quarters 3/4 through so they still hold together and stand on the base

Place in a baking dish along with remaining ingredients

Bake for about 30 minutes until liquid is syrupy and figs soften and fall apart.

Roasted Figs and ...

Use on grilled or roasted meat or poultry.

I used this on Pork Rib Chops grilled with a BBQ rub and Worcestershire sauce. 

Pork Chops with Roasted Figs

Ok, I had more energy that night, so I pureed Yukon Gold potatoes with Rutabaga and Celery Root and made a Broccoli Feta Salad, with Chick Peas, but a simple salad and baked potato would complete the meal just as well.

Fresh Pineapple or Berries could also be substituted for the figs if they are not available.