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Real Meals, Real Fast

By Phillip Rhodes; Food Styling: Roscoe Betsill: Mitch Mandel (Cook Icon)

 

It's 7:30 pm. You've managed to escape the office alive (and without inflicting serious injury). You've hit the gym. And now, as the minutes tick by, the rumble of your stomach is almost enough to drown out the three-cheese, stuffed-crust pizza come-on that's blaring out of the television. Almost.

So you give in, and who can blame you? Seems that in the modern world, you can have it all—the job, the girl, the house—everything but a decent home-cooked meal. That's what your neighborhood multinational restaurant chain is for. Sure, you'd love to eat a dinner that tastes like it took hours to cook, but you have only a few hours of wakefulness left, and you certainly don't plan on spending one of them wrestling a chicken into the oven and another cleaning up the wreckage.

Same with me. I work hard and often, but I stop short of the drive-thru. Being indolent by nature, I consider fast food a slippery slope I'd best not start down. So I cook, and most of the meals I eat take only 15 minutes to prepare. Now, I admit I enjoy cooking. To me, it's like making a Zen widget—a simple task that I can focus on while blocking out everything else. Besides, knifing an onion is good tension release—and much more effective than kicking down your cubicle wall.

Not convinced you can cook a meal in 15 minutes, too? Well, you can always invite Mom to move in and help feed you.... Didn't think so.

1. KOREAN-STYLE PEPPER STEAK

You'll need:
½ lb sirloin, sliced diagonally into thin strips
1 c bite-size pieces red or green bell pepper (or ½ c of each)
1 c bite-size pieces onion
2 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
Plus: 1 tsp sugar; 1½ tsp olive oil; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 tsp red-pepper flakes

How to make it:
1. Dump all the ingredients into a large ziplock plastic bag. Go James Bond on it—well shaken, not stirred . No, really throttle it. You want the soy sauce and oil to permeate everything in the bag.
2. Pour the meat, sauce, and vegetables into a medium-hot cast-iron skillet, stirring frequently until the meat is seared and the vegetables begin to lose their water (about 2-3 minutes).

Extra credit:
For a more authentic Korean-style flavor, use toasted sesame oil instead of olive oil and add 1 Tbsp rice-wine vinegar.

Eat with: Brown rice

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including rice:
623 calories, 37 grams (g) protein, 58 g carbohydrates, 27 g fat (9 g saturated), 4 g fiber, 604 milligrams (mg) sodium


2. TUNA SALAD FOR GROWN-UPS

You’ll need:
2 fresh yellowfin or ahi tuna fillets, 3–4 oz each
4 c chopped romaine lettuce
1¾ c grape tomatoes
1/3 c whole pitted black or kalamata olives
Plus: Salt and pepper; ¼ c chopped roasted red pepper Dressing: 2 Tbsp olive oil; 2 Tbsp lemon juice; 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard; ¼ tsp dried thyme; 1 clove garlic, crushed

How to make it:
1. Sear the tuna in a nonstick skillet on m-edium-high heat (one minute per side), seasoning each side with a pinch of salt and pepper as the other side cooks. Remove the tuna from the skillet and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and roasted red pepper.3. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, thyme, and garlic until well blended. No whisk? Just use a fork.
4. Cut the tuna into ½-inch-thick slices. (Yes, it should be raw inside.) Divide the salad onto two plates and top with the tuna and dressing.

Eat with: A microwaved potato with 1 Tbsp low-fat sour cream

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including potato:
647 calories, 46 g protein, 66 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat (4 g saturated), 7 g fiber, 1,383 mg sodium

 

3. BARBECUE-SAUCE CHICKEN PIZZA

You'll need:
2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
8" store-bought pizza crust
¼ c canned diced tomatoes with chile peppers, well drained
¾ c precooked chicken, mesquite flavor
Plus: 2 Tbsp sliced scallions, ½ tsp cilantro, ¼ c grated smoked
mozzarella

How to make it:
1. Smear the barbecue sauce evenly over the pizza crust.
2. Add the remaining ingredients in order.
3. Bake in a 450ºF oven for 8-10 minutes.

Extra credit:
Add ¼ c mixed-color peppers for a vitamin C boost.

Eat with: A simple tossed salad—mixed greens, sliced onions, and cherry tomatoes

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including salad:
324 calories, 21 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 8 g fat (2 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 835 mg sodium


4. SEARED SIRLOIN WITH 'SHROOMS

You'll need:
2 sirloin steaks, 6 oz each
¼ c chicken stock
½ c thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
Plus: Salt and pepper; ¼ tsp dried thyme; 1 clove garlic, crushed

How to make it:
1. Sear the steaks in a skillet on medium high (about 2-3 minutes per side), seasoning each side with a pinch of salt and pepper as the other side cooks. Remove the steaks from the skillet, and reduce the heat to medium.
2. Put the olive oil, thyme, and garlic in the skillet, stirring frequently and scraping with a spoon to release the brown bits left behind by the meat (about 30 seconds).
3. Add the stock and mushrooms, stirring often until the mushrooms soften (about three minutes).

Extra credit:
Use red wine instead of chicken stock for a more sophisticated flavor.

Eat with: 1½ c steamed broccoli

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including broccoli: 507 calories, 49 g protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 31 g fat (12 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 267 mg sodium

 

5. TOMATO-AND-ZUCCHINI-SAUCED CHICKEN

You'll need:
2 chicken breasts, 4–5 oz each, pounded to an even ¼" thickness
1 tsp olive oil
¾ c chopped zucchini
¾ c no-salt-added canned tomatoes
Plus: Salt and pepper; 1 clove garlic, crushed; ½ tsp dried basil

How to make it:
1. Sear the chicken in a skillet on medium-high heat (about 4-5 minutes per side), seasoning each side with a pinch of salt and pepper as the other side cooks. Remove the breasts from the skillet, and reduce the heat to medium.
2. Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet, stirring frequently and scraping with a spoon to release the brown bits left behind by the meat (about 30 seconds).
3. Add the zucchini and basil. Let the mixture rest for one minute.
4. Stir in the tomatoes and place the chicken breasts back in the skillet.
5. Cover and cook for two minutes more.

Extra credit: Use a vegetable peeler to shave a little Parmesan onto each breast.

Eat with: 1 c whole-wheat pasta

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including pasta: 523 calories, 42 g protein, 79 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 13 g fiber, 400 mg sodium


6. SPICY FISH AND TIPS

You'll need:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 c lightly packed baby spinach
10–12 asparagus tips
2 tilapia fillets, 3–4 oz each
Plus: ½ tsp red-pepper flakes; 2 scallions, sliced; ½ lime; salt and pepper

How to make it:
1. In a small bowl, mix the oil and red-pepper flakes and microwave for 30 seconds to make chile oil. Set aside.
2. Tear off two 18" sections of foil and smooth them flat. Arrange an equal amount of spinach and asparagus in the center of each piece of foil. Place a fillet on top of each pile. Then top each fillet with scallion slices and chile oil. Halve the lime half, and squeeze the juice from each piece over the fish. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and seal the foil (fold up and over the fillets, then crease the sides to form a tent—the fish will bake and steam simultaneously).
3. Bake in a 450ºF oven for 10-12 minutes.

Eat with: 1 c brown rice

Makes 2 servings

Per serving, including rice:
396 calories, 28 g protein, 45 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat (2 g saturated), 3 g fiber, 142 mg sodium

 

 

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