Law School Meals

A good friend of mine asked me to give her some tried and true meal ideas for someone who does not feel comfortable cooking and has negative time. Here are some more ideas for those of you who are tired of Lean Cuisines.

SPICY ASIAN NOODLE SALAD Easy

This dish I make all the time and for company, even though it has so few ingredients. This is a great dish because it has your carbohydrate, protein and vegetable all in one dish. This is really the key for saving time. I am known for making this dish in certain circles, because I get lazy and people like it. When I do not feel creative, why cook anything else?

1/3 c crunchy peanut butter
1/4 c soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon hot sauce / cayenne pepper to taste
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 tablespoons pasta water
3/4 lb whole wheat pasta
3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite size pieces
2 large carrots cut into small pieces
6 green onions chopped
2 red bell peppers, cur into matchsize strips

Add salt and 1 T olive oil to pasta water. Boil pasta water. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, hot sauce, sugar, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Boil pasta according to instructions on package. Combine pasta, vegetables, sauce and 3 tablespoons pasta water in a bowl and stir. Serve!!

MEATLOAF...BALLS   Easy
found on cookinglight.com

The special aspect of these meatloaf balls (I keep rewriting this to make it sound less inappropriate) is not the recipe (which I am still perfecting), but the preparation. This recipe is made in a nonstick cupcake tin. You can freeze the meatloaf, and then when you want to eat it, you can take the balls out of the freezer simply in the number that you need for that night. In my experience, the best way to cook when you have no time, is just to cook a lot and freeze it, especially if you have the appetite of a 5 foot tall girl in law school (you know who you are).

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1  cup  finely chopped onion
• 1/2  cup  finely chopped carrot
• 1  teaspoon  dried oregano
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  cup  ketchup, divided
• 1 1/2  pounds  ground beef, extra lean (raw)
• 1  cup  finely crushed fat-free saltine crackers (about 20)
• 2  tablespoons  prepared mustard
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  large eggs
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes.



BAKED PASTA, SAUSAGE AND TOMATOES   Easy
adapted from cookinglight.com recipe

AMAZING!!! This is a spicy pasta dish that is all in one. You have your carbohydrate, meat and veg. I added spice and oregano to the recipe, because I like my food to have a lot of flavor. You can make one of these casseroles for dinner, and make an extra one to put in the freezer. Make the freezer casserole in a disposable tin loaf pan (yes, loaf pan. What a scary thought). Therefore you can take it from the freezer, defrost it on your counter and put it straight into the oven.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients

• 1  (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1  pound  hot turkey Italian sausage links
• 1  cup  chopped onion
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  tablespoon  tomato paste
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  (14.5-ounce) cans petite-diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh basil
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) shredded fresh mozzarella cheese
• 1  cup  (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.
Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.