'Five' ingredients or less

[vass]

My main cooking problem is with executive function/attention/general brain fog. If there are too many ingredients or steps, I just tend not to eat, or to eat junk instead of cooking a meal. I once had a three day brain block when it felt too hard to make a banana smoothie. All I needed was ice cream, a banana, cinnamon, and milk, but I also had to get the blender down and wash it afterwards, and it just seemed too hard.

So, it occurred to me this morning that I should try googling for recipes with five ingredients or less/fewer. I found a lot of recipes, but one small problem: THEY CAN'T COUNT.

Take this recipe for crockpot mashed potatoes: it purports to have five ingredients, but actually has nine. I'm guessing they thought the condiments didn't count. Well, if I were adding salt and pepper to my own taste, they wouldn't count. But if they're a step I have to get over while following a recipe, they certainly do count. If I have to go to the supermarket to buy onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper, because I've never used those things in my life, then yes, they count.

I used to be a good cook.

Does anyone have any brain fog friendly vegetarian recipes? Preferably not too starchy, since insulin resistance contributes to the brain fog.

Comments

[sage]

How do you feel about Texmex? Here's my favorite super-simple meal.

I have a square griddle that will easily fit 2 corn tortillas on it. You can use a single skillet instead, but having a griddle lets you do 2 at once. I tolerate corn better than wheat, so I only use corn tortillas, but corn is higher on the glycemic index, so maybe whole wheat would go easier on your body? Also, wheat tortillas are bigger, so you'd need fewer of them.

Note: making them on a griddle, as described, gives you tostadas. If you use wheat tortillas instead, you can skip cooking entirely and have nummy soft tacos instead.

Ingredients:
4 tortillas
shredded cheese (I use my grocery store's in-house 4 cheese blend)
cooked beans
fresh baby spinach
avocado (optional)

(I nearly always have a pot of beans on the stove or in the fridge, so I just scoop a few spoonfuls into a bowl and nuke them while the tortillas are toasting. I think black or small red beans taste better than pinto (and have a lower GI number), but go with the variety you like best.)

Making tostadas:
Heat the griddle on medium heat.
Toast one side of the tortillas on the dry griddle.
Flip, sprinkle cheese on each tortilla.
Add a good amount of baby spinach.
Add a heaping spoonful of (drained) beans on top.
Remove to plate.

Top with avocado slices -- if you like avocado and have it available in your area -- fold in half, and eat like tacos.

You can also add stuff like chopped tomato, sauteed onion, sauteed summer squash, various other veggies you have on hand, etc., if you have the brain and energy for it, but the simple version is fine as it is.