If you're like me, you're getting older. Time seems to shrink. There is ever more shit to do with the same amount of time and fewer joules of energy to do it with. Something has to give and one of those things is usually quality food preparation.
Most people I know really don't cook, even if they think of themselves as food people (what in our parents day people called Gourmets, which is a term I think needs to make a comeback because "Foodie" always makes me feel like someone took a shit in my mouth). They blow ungodly sums at the deli counter of Whole Foods, order one of the explosion of Blue Apron type meal services or eat out nearly every night.
There are a number of problems with this. 1) that shit is 'spensive 2) that shit is no good for your mind, body and soul.
Yelling at people, unfortunately, does not change human behavior. But good alternatives to current behaviors can.
With this in mind let's begin.
Summer is by far the easiest season to eat well in with very little work because grills and vegetables. Here's some very simple recipes that can help you eat the shit out of this Summer with no brow sweat.
Everything tastes better with Ranch on it but most bottled Ranch sucks and contains all kinds of shitty chemicals that you don't want. Luckily making your own healthy and delicious ranch dressing is easy and can be made in bulk because it lasts for at least a week. I try to have this in the fridge at all times because it allows me to throw together a decent dinner salad with almost no forethought. Got a can of garbanzo beans, some bacon, medium boiled eggs, sliced turkey, cucumbers, bell peppers, sunflower seeds? You got dinner.
Ingredients
16 oz. Sour Cream (Full Fat ONLY, please)
1/2 cup Buttermilk
Whole milk
1 bunch dill, minced fine
1 bunch chives, minced fine
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced super fine
Black pepper
Salt
Make
Combine everything but the salt, black pepper and milk and blend with a whisk or immersion blender (the best $25 you'll ever spend in the kitchen) and then thin the dressing with milk to desired texture and then season with salt and pepper. Allow dressing to meld in the fridge for a day for best flavor.
Med-style Eggplant Caviar
Here's one of my favorites. I know, eggplants are fucking gross but this eggplant recipe is actually really good and it is extremely simple to make either in the oven or on the grill. Pick up some pita bread, an eggplant and you're in business in under an hour with 5 minutes prep time.
Ingredients
1 big assed eggplant
Olive oil
Whole milk greek yogurt
1 clove garlic
salt
Make
Halve the eggplant, cut fairly deep 1" crosshatches in the face of the cut eggplants and then season with salt and drizzle with a good amount of olive oil and toss in a 375' oven or a grill on a low setting for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the center is nice and soft.
Top the roasted eggplant with 1 cup or so yogurt mixed with 1 crushed and minced clove of garlic, salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Scoop onto warmed pita and cream your jeans.
Chicken Marinade a la Arabe
Here's a marinade I like to throw chicken breasts or thighs in at the beginning of the week with no real plan other than that I know, at some point in the week, I will need to solve dinner by throwing them on the grill and then topping a salad, a sandwich or a pita with them.
Ingredients
1 lbs. boneless chicken thighs or breasts
1 cup Greek yogurt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1 Tablespoon paprika or other chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon ground corriander
Black pepper
Salt
Make
Mix everything together (add some lemon or lime juice if you're feeling crazy). That's it. When you marinate the chicken sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and then toss in marinade. Refrigerate for 6 hours minimum and 3-4 days max. This also works on whole chickens as well.
For Breasts grill on high for 5 minutes or so a side (longer if they're giant gross grocery store breasts) until the chicken has shrunk by around 20% visually. For thighs or whole spatchcocked chicken cook on medium low turning every 5 minutes and baste with lime juice. Thighs should take 15 minutes and a chicken around 1 hour.