cookability

Preparation time: around half an hour, depending on your working speed
Bonuses: Low on advance preparation; cooks in just one dish; unlike many stir fries, does not require a rice or noodle side dish
Possible detractors: Requires some chopping, some opening of cans, use of a wok or frying pan, and some faffing about cooking things at different stages. Seemed to produce a remarkable amount of steam, for some reason.
Dietary considerations: Recipe is: lactose free. Recipe could be adapted to: vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free eaters

Note: This is a low-investment dish for me, but I did add a few ingredients. The original version at taste.com.au has fewer ingredients and is therefore even less labour-intensive (although not so great on the nutritional variety front).

( Ingredients )

( What you do with them )

My instinct with this dish is that it won't reheat well in the microwave, but it will probably be tasty cold. (I could be wrong! I'll try it cold and get back to you!)

SPEAKING of wombok, fried noodles, and things which are tasty cold, Stonesoup recently posted a variant on Chang's Fried Noodle Salad. Fried noodle salad is dead easy to make, easily customised, and makes a delicious side dish, contribution to bring-a-plate events, or light meal. Regular iceberg lettuce makes a reasonable base in place of wombok (but I wouldn't suggest that for the stir-fry version!).

empress_donna

It is my first time posting here, but I thought I would offer a apple crumble recipe that I used to make in high school (with assistance, due to the fact I am half blind) and now make every christmas for my family.

-----

Ingredients

3-4 Bramley Apples (cored, peeled and sliced)
5-6 plain digestive biscuits or chocolate (plain works best)
brown or white sugar
maple syrup (optional)

Equipment Needed

A peeling knife
A apple corer
A rolling pin
A plastic bag
Newspaper
A bowl or square tin suitable for the oven

Method

1) peel and slice the apples, and put into a bowl or tin.

2) Put the 5 or 6 digestive biscuits into a plastic bag, and hit them with a rolling pin till it makes them into crumbs.

3) Sprinkle the sugar and biscuits over the apples. Add maple syrup if you choose too (only a few drops).

4) cook for 30 mins in a gas mark four oven.

neqs

First time posting here, hi! *waves nervously*

I call this bread, but some parts of the world would call it a muffin. It's is very quick to make and IMO delicious, but pretty it ain’t, so I’m not sure how well kids would like it. Serves one person (or two if they’re not very hungry).

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of butter
4-5 tablespoons (0.7 dl) of dry ingredients of preference (I use one part flour, one part bran, one part wheat germ, one part flax and sesame seeds)
¼ teaspoon of baking soda
1 egg
(salt)

Equipment needed:
ceramic/microwave-proof bowl
tablespoon
teaspoon
fork
microwave oven
(rack for drying)

Instructions:
Melt the butter in a ceramic/microwave-proof bowl. Add all the other ingredients and mix well with a fork. Heat in the microwave for 60 to 70 seconds. Remove from bowl (just upend) and let dry for 5 to 10 minutes. Halve and eat like a breakfast muffin or a roll.

There’s a lot of room for variations. I originally found this recipe at a low-carb forum, where they used flax seed meal, soy flour, almond flour, and protein powder instead of all the carbs I use.

fred_mouse

The post by mathnerd about cooking pasta in the microwave reminded me of my microwave porridge recipe. I don't use it anymore, because I can't stomach oats, but hopefully it will be useful for others!

ingredients - oats, water.
equipment - microwave, microwaveable pot/jug (I use a 4L pyrex jug with nice chunky handle), spoon.

pros:

quick - less than 10 minutes if you can do it without forgetting it is there.
good for those with attention issues - you can afford to forget and come back.
childsafe - my microwave is set on a low table, and the then 4 yr old could make it without mishap.
oats digest reasonably quickly, so it is good when blood sugar goes wrong

cons:

carrying the pot may require two hands (I wouldn't lift it with one, but then I have a tendency to unexpectedly drop things)
needs stirring multiple times, which may require moving pot out of the microwave
needs a large pot or it boils over and then sets like concrete.

take one part 'quick cook oats' to two parts water - I recommend 1/2 a cup oats to 1 cup water for two average adults for breakfast. For a family of 5, we used to use 16 fluid ounces of oats to twice that of water, but this is because eldest just eats until it is all gone, and this was how much we needed to ensure ze wasn't grouchy.

put oats and water in pot. If you have time, or get distracted, leave to soak. this can be hours - no harm will come. put pot in microwave. cook for 2-3 mins (this is to heat the water). Stir. cook for a minute. Stir. Repeat last two until you like the texture (forgetting to come back and check just means that you need to do this more times). Wait to cool, eat.

I've never tried this with milk, but I know that other people believe that porridge should be made with milk. We pour the milk on afterwards, so it wasn't a problem. We've added bits of fruit, dried fruit, and cooked it exactly the same way. We've used rolled oats when we didn't have quick cook oats, and they take longer, and the texture isn't as smooth.

mathsnerd

Hello all!

I'm hoping to pick to your collective brains in the hopes that someone has the answer to this question. I have recently acquired a 20L microwave/grill/convection oven and am now facing the cold hard truth that I don't know how to use it other than re-heating things. (Oops.)

The weather here in Germany is getting colder, and I am craving PASTA! Hence, my question to you all: how can I cook pasta in a microwave? What kind of dishes/equipment do I need to purchase? (I have, quite literally, nothing.) Are some sorts of pasta going to be harder than others? I do own an electric hot water cooker, so I can boil water ahead of time, if that helps.

In other important information, I share a tiny room, have next to no storage space, have almost no prep space, have a sink, share a tiny under-the-counter-fridge, do NOT have a freezer, have two hot plates but do not use them (hence the microwave/oven) due to fear of burns, do not currently have any storage containers but can get some when I get cooking dishes/equipment if it's recommended.

I am disabled, hence the not cooking on hot plates, use crutches and hand/arm braces, and have reduced motor skills in my hands/arms/legs. Spoons vary wildly by day and time of day.

I need to eat more and eat warm food. I turn to you in hopes of being able to start having pasta. If I can cook pasta, I can make a batch and refrigerate it, and then re-heat it and make sauces or dress it as my stomach permits (I have weird food things due to a chronic illness) and a lot of things would be better. At least one of my closer friends and her mother would stop bitching (they bought the microwave).

I thank you all in advance and look forward to being able to have pasta! X-posted to

boilingwater

Current Mood: confused

snowgrouse

First post, hope I'm doing it right:). I've got ridiculous insulin levels and various associated illnesses, so I've got to keep my carbs in check. But sometimes it's just too much effort to even fry stuff. I can always grab veggies from the fridge, but the meat is a bit trickier if I don't want to live on just slices of ham. So the microwave is a faster option. Here's a list of a couple of microwaved or otherwise fast proteiny things I've tried with my veggies with a fair amount of success.

( Read more... )

I'll add more when I can remember them. Hope these will come in handy for someone at least:)

amadi

A comment

axelrod made in an earlier post struck a note with me: rice cookers are awesome because you put ingredients in, can go back to bed and wake up to hot food waiting for you.

For the same reason, I love my slow cooker. I appreciate something that lets me make even complex meals with no tending, just prep and go.

I've also been recently reminded that a good knife makes prep work so much easier. (I now really grok why chefs will use anyone's pans, pots and appliances but carry their own knives with them.) With arthritic hands, I am far more capable of doing cutting/chopping prep work with a good knife that fits my hand and has a good sharp edge on it than I was with a drawer full of mediocre knives.

Our focus thus far has largely been on recipes, but I'm curious what tools, appliances and "hardware" are important parts of your kitchen arsenal?

pinesandmaples

rooibos and I are working our way through How to Cook Everything (which is a really great cookbook! Buy it if you see it in a used bookstore!) by Mark Bittman, and this is one of our favorites so far. I've modified it a little bit with my notes.

Serves: Four, with some sort of supplemental bread. Without bread, it serves closer to three.

Pros: Mostly unattended. Very few ingredients. Good for people who have time instead of spoons. Can easily be accomplished by someone learning to cook. Uses ingredients that store well. Very little cutting. Can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Cons: Requires blending. Not quick. Requires a little bit of knife work

Materials:

Medium-large saucepan

Spoon

Blender or food processor

Measuring cup

Knife

Cutting board

Time: Between 30 minutes and 2 hours, based on the beans you use.

( Recipe and ingredients under here! )

jumpuphigh

I just made this recipe for Oatmeal Crisps ~~more or less~~.

Pros: Simple recipe. Easy to mix (I don't use an electric mixer and it was easy with a whisk and wooden spoon). Yummy
Cons: Hot baking sheets

Tips and Tricks
I didn't grind the oatmeal. Grinding 3 c. of oatmeal definitely fell into my "yeah, right, in your dreams" category. I think grinding would have made them crispier but I don't feel like I'm missing anything by not grinding.
If you use parchment paper, you can slide the paper with the cookies still on top from the cookie sheet onto the counter for cooling. Save a spoon.
I think part of why it was so easy to mix was I let the margarine get really soft.
If you need to put the batter in the fridge for later, definitely let it sit out until it is back at room temperature before trying to spoon it out.

ETA: Also, even though you flatten the dough before baking, they will still expand in the oven. Allow some room for that.
ETA2: It may just be that these are addictive. I cannot stop eating them.

axelrod

Since I can't sleep, let me tell share a few things with you all : ) And btw, these are dishes which I find easy in terms of speed, simplicity, accommodating limited mental spoons - not necessarily great for manual dexterity issues, maybe they are, I just know that these recipes work for me. Mostly, they require some rough measuring and I suggest shiitake mushrooms as optional ingredients a couple times - they're not the easiest thing to cut.

1) Rice cookers! Possibly many of you know about these already, but for those who don't, the great thing about rice cookers is that you put in the rice, you put in the water, you turn it on, it cooks, it turns off automatically, and keeps it warm. On bad days, I've put the rice on, stumbled back to bed, and when I got up there was hot food for me to eat.

( Read more... )

2) I tried one of the recipes from the Stone Soup cookbook which

rydra_wong linked to a little while ago: the simple soba noodle soup with bok choy (page 21). ( Read more... )

3) ( Green beans and cashews )

ETA: added some cut tags

highlyeccentric

Impossible Pie used to make regular appearances when I was a kid and we had visitors for dinner - in hindsight, I think it was Mum's "the kids are driving me up the wall and I don't have TIME to make apple pie" dish, but, just quietly, I like it better than "real" pie anyway!

Pros: Low prep, incredibly easy one-step mix, tastes delicious
Cons: You'll need to be able to lift a pie dish in and out of the oven; baking time is around an hour

Ingredients
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter or marg, melted
1/2 cup Plain flour
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 cup dessicated coconut
2 teaspoons vanilla

What you do
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Pour mixture into a 25cm greased pie plate.
Bake at 180 degrees celcius for 1 hour or until centre is firm.

Other things you could do
* Add citrus peel and a dash of citrus juice, for citrus pie
* Apparently you can make a savoury version which is like quiche, but ridiculously easy.

jumpuphigh

I love this recipe for No-Knead Bread.

Pros: Lack of kneading saves spoons. Long rise allows for flexibility to accommodate high vs. low-energy moments. Prep time is quick and easy.
Cons: Heavy lifting. (I can use a Pyrex dish during the winter when the rise isn't as great but in the summer I have to use cast-iron in order for the dough to fit.) If you want bread on Tuesday, you have to start it on Monday.

I love that I can make organic bread for less than US$1 a loaf without too much muss or fuss.

Tips:
If your bread is gummy, baking it at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time and then letting it sit for at least 30 minutes once it's done baking should solve the problem.
You can do all of the steps in a large bowl to avoid scrubbing counters. Just flour the bottom of the bowl for the 2nd and 3rd stages.
You can extend the initial rise by sticking the dough in the refrigerator then pulling it out for a few hours until it is appropriately bubbly before moving on to step 2.
If you live someplace with low humidity, add plastic wrap to the top of the bowl before covering it with a tea towel.

highlyeccentric

This one only makes two or three servings, but it's a favourite of mine for cooking up for lunch on one day and saving for lunch and/or snacks the next day. Also makes a great low-energy dinner. It was invented by a friend of a former housemate, so all due credit to former housemate's friend. (Re-post from

batchlunch)

Pros: It's FAST (total cooking time - as long as it takes to cook spaghetti); simple; low on chopping; dairy-free and vegetarian unless you add the optional meat ingredients.
Cons: Requires manual dexterity to scoop out an avocado, lifting pots and water to cook spaghetti; optional ingredients all require a more fiddling around.

( For the noms! )

rydra_wong

Con: requires use of a food-processor or blender, which can be hard for those of us with noise sensitivity.

Pro: minimal prep, lasts indefinitely in the freezer, takes only a few minutes to make, no cooking required, compatible with a very wide range of special dietary requirements, is mysterious food alchemy.

Taken from Instructables: 1-Ingredient Ice Cream:

Take a banana or bananas, peel, chop into chunks, then put in a bag in the freezer.

When desired, take out your frozen banana chunks, put them in a food processor, and blend them.

The result is amazingly creamy in texture, and way sweeter than regular banana, for reasons I cannot fathom.

I don't eat a lot of sugar, and I actually find the result too sweet; I'm going to be experimenting with blending in extra ingredients, including other fruits or cocoa powder.

ETA: If you need/want to take a supplement that's in powder form, blending it in seems to work very well (I tried this with a scoop of whey protein).

ETA2: If you are okay with dairy, blending in some Greek yoghurt is amazingly delicious.

rydra_wong

Thanks to

sarah, who posted about this in

omnomnom:

The blog Stone Soup (DW feed at

stonesoup_feed) is giving away a free e-cookbook.

Stone Soup: Minimalist Home Cooking

All the recipes have a maximum of 5 ingredients and take a maximum of 10 minutes to prepare, so this is potentially of interest for people who may have very limited mental or physical energy for complex shopping or cooking (e.g. me).

I've just downloaded it and it looks gorgeous, full of luscious photos, and the recipes seem fairly easy and do-able -- actually, I've just noticed that one recipe is almost identical to one of the meals I fall back on when I'm shortest on mental spoons.

killing_rose

I've had low energy on and off again, so my kitchen activities are related to "Do I already have all the ingredients and assembly is one pot/dish?"

Time, including prep: ~25 minutes
Ability levels: Can be done while sitting, in stages, and pretty entirely in the microwave. However, you do need to be able to cut the squash (either before or after it's cooked) and scrape the insides into a bowl.

Ingredients:
*One spaghetti squash
*4 to 8 oz. of feta cheese
*3 or so tablespoons of olive oil
*1 can of flame roasted tomatoes with chilies (optional)

I microwave the squash as per this website. You can microwave it halved or whole; each half takes 7-10 minutes, in which you can be sitting down and not having to stare at the microwave/oven) while microwaving whole can take up to 15 or more minutes. I went with whole because I'd rather get it a little too under or over cooked than have to do the microwaving bit twice.

Once it's soft enough, scrape the flesh into a bowl, drizzle the olive oil over it, and throw in the feta and the tomatoes, if you so choose (it's fine either way). Mix the ingredients together quickly and serve. Keeps fine in the fridge.

All told, it took about 25 minutes for the entire dish and the most strenuous thing for me was scraping the squash's flesh into the bowl.

amadi

From the BBC: a podcast about kitchen accessibility that may be useful to some of us. There is also a print transcript available for download at that link.

Please stay tuned for a proper welcome post with discussion for how we can tailor this community together, to be as useful as possible for all of us. :D

pinesandmaples

Let's kick things up a notch!

Something that my wife/kitchen buddy

rooibos and I would love to do and share with the community is make really complicated recipes into low-spoon friendly things. We both love things involving the kitchen, and we have complimentary annoyances so what I can't do, she can and vice versa.

But what would be the point in breaking down a lovely, complex Julia Child recipe only to find that no one else cares? Right. To combat that, it's poll time!

Keeping in mind that we are both vegetarians and will work these recipes out as our schedules allow, we'd like some feedback about interest in various options.

If you have a favorite recipe or a recipe tucked away in a cookbook that has always struck your fancy, but you haven't worked out how to break down the work, please do comment so we can pursue those things, too! She and I are up for all sorts of wild adventure in the kitchen.

( Ticky boxes ahoy! )

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Accessible Cooking

Recent Entries

Stir-fried Wombok with Chang's Noodles

Apple Crumble

Microwave Bread/Muffin

Porridge in the microwave

Making pasta in the microwave?

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White bean soup

Oatmeal Crisps

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Possible pie!

Fresh Baked Bread

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Free e-cookbook -- quick and simple recipes

Recipe: Spaghetti Squash with Feta

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