Help! Need Quick Yummy Easy Microwave Recipes!

[unionworks]

I am now a motel dweller, thanks to "right to work for less" sending my Northern towns manufacturing base southward to scab land. If I eat one more frozen dinner or eat one more sandwich I will gag. My nuke has the optional browning element on top and has mucho watts. (It is mine, not the motels.) I do have a mini fridge/freezer to store ingredients. All ideas are welcome.

[unionworks]

1. and please...

Nothing involving grits...

[trof]

2. Melt 1C. peanut butter. Pour over chocolate ice cream.

Well, there's your dessert, anyway.
And it's yummy and easy.
Good luck.

[backtoblue]

3. huh

I didn't know you could melt peanut butter...

I might have a new midnight snack!

[trof]

52. You can actually pour it.

[unionworks]

5. thanks

Will surrely try that!

[cbayer]

4. You may want to cross post this in cooking and baking.

Lots of great cooks in there and I bet you will get many, many good ideas.

[unionworks]

6. will do!

I was unaware there was a cooking and baking section. I was under the impression that forums other than GD, LBN, and DUL were uninhabited, having atmoshperes composed mainly of frozen methane and liquid nitrogen.

[siligut]

7. Do you like noodle soups?

Microwave noodles now come in bowls, you just add water. This is one of my DH's favorite light meals. He adds extra mushrooms, green onions and celery. Nachos are also a good microwave meal, corn chips topped with cheese, chopped onions, jalapenos and refried beans.

[unionworks]

10. I have used

...the browning element to cook prebattered frozen fish and french fries. Soups are fun and I like the added ingredients you menntioned!

[deucemagnet]

8. Fish cooks nicely in a microwave.

Tilapia filets sprinkled with Cavender's Greek seasoning and some steamed veggies is always good. Pokerfan recently posted about simple meals you can prepare in a cheap rice cooker here. Perhaps a rice cooker would be versatile addition to your roving kitchen?

[unionworks]

12. Will check it out

What gets me is there are many magical buttons on this microwave, such as "frozen vegetable, beefchicken or pork, grill combo etc., but I tried once cooking a steak in it that came out like leather. It would be helpful to here from people who have had success working with raw materials, and to learn the special little tricks involved to avoid having to throw away fine ingredients.

[davsand]

30. Those buttons are pre-set programs, probably using a sensor.

Generally, as others have said, red meat is not a good bet in the microwave. Chicken works fine if it is boneless, and fish is EXCELLENT prepared in a microwave. This is gonna sound awful but it really is an excellent way to cook fish either in a microwave or an oven:

Mix up:
a half to a quarter cup of REAL mayo
Diced onion
Dill

Lay fish out in a microwave safe plate/dish. Slather that mayo concoction on top of that nice piece of fish. Tilapia works ok, Cod, Flounder--pretty much any fish will do, actually.

Cover it with plastic wrap and microwave until fish flakes easily.


An alternative to that is to take the mayo and mix it with parmesan, garlic, and any other Italian herbs you like. Same drill, slather it on the fish and nuke it till it quits swimming...


You will get a very moist fish and it will have an actual flavor!!!!!



Good luck!



Laura

[Fearless]

9. I don't have anything professional but...

Rice goes a long way and is very cheap in large quantities.

Back in the day I would microwave a chicken breast (cut it up and zap it til it's totally white inside and the juices are clear), cut it up and get rice (available in microwaveable packets, yet cheaper if you can find a way to boil or microwave traditional rice). Choose your favorite flavored rice (be careful of sodium though, they are very high in salt) or a traditional white/brown/etc. In a separate bowl/cup/etc. mix together your favorite BBQ sauce with whatever kind of flavor you're looking for. Think about if you want it sweet, spicy, salty, etc. My favorite would be to mix some maple syrup and bbq sauce with a dash of soy sauce and sometimes a little OJ (pulpless) or a pinch of black pepper. Taste it and see what you like, adjust accordingly. Then cover the cut up chicken in it and then throw the bits of chicken in the rice with the sauce that's on them. Mix everything together and add a can of corn (peas, beans etc.) or canned sliced carrots if you want. Heat it until everything is appropriately hot (but be careful not to dry out the rice, you may want to add a few teaspoons of water).

[unionworks]

11. made my mouth water

And I am going to save it. I will call it "Fearless Chicken and Rice"!

[Fearless]

32. Haha! Thanks!

[surrealAmerican]

13. As a general rule ...

... vegetables cook quite well, but meats don't. You may have better results with chicken or fish if you cook it in liquid. You can also cook rice (about 50% power for about 10 minutes), but not pasta (except couscous which you just add to boiled water and cover).

Whenever you're making something new, watch it closely.

[unionworks]

14. Think UTILITARIAN

I am looking more for Rachel Ray than Chef Emeril. Put yourselves into this situation and think - cheap, fast, easy and tasty. Believe it or not, I have googled related terms and found suprisingly little. I know some people out there have ideas to share!

[unionworks]

15. one meat......

....that cooked quite well were "breakfast steaks". Very thin slices seem to do o.k.!

[riderinthestorm]

20. Baked potatoes. And bacon cooks up really well in the micro

You can add it to salads for some protein and variety. If you can find pasta that you can cook in your microwave, you can enlarge your diet immensely....

[unionworks]

21. pasta is no problem

...one of the easier items. Heat up water in plastic bowl, dump in pasta, 4 to 5 minutes at least two servings. Be prepared to towel up overflowed water from the glass turntable...

[riderinthestorm]

22. Have you thought about appetizers as a meal?

I'm not talking about salsa and chips but substantial items? I make a jalapeno chicken dip that's really easy and with some Triscots or your favorite bread or toast, can be a meal in itself with a salad.


Jalapeno Chicken dip

Ingredients

1 (10 ounce) can chunk white chicken in water (or larger depending on how much chicken you like), thoroughly drained
1 pinch seasoned salt
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
3 tablespoons chopped jalapeno
Shredded cheddar cheese to taste

Directions

Combine the chicken and seasoned salt in a bowl; heat through.
Combine the cream cheese and chicken soup in a microwave-safe bowl; cover and heat for 1 minute in the microwave. Add the chicken mixture and continue to heat at 1 minute intervals until the liquid bubbles. Stir in the jalapenos and cheese and serve immediately.

[riderinthestorm]

23. I'm on the phone with my sister and she just emailed this to me (she's a caterer!)

Southwest chicken casserole

Ingredients

1 (5 ounce) can chicken chunks, drained
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chiles
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups instant rice

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, chiles, soup, cheese, onions, salt, pepper and water and pour the mixture into a microwave safe 9x13 inch casserole dish.
Add the rice. The mixture should be the consistency of soupy pancake batter.
Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave for about 15 minutes (depending on the microwave). Serve with mexicorn and green salad if desired.

[unionworks]

24. you are right on track!

Thanks for these great recipes! Incredible! I bet some folks are going to be quite embarrassed tomorrow when I start posting some of the depression era recipes.

[riderinthestorm]

27. Just scale some of these down to single portions and you are good to go.

My sister said she probably has more but will look through her "box" tomorrow for you....

Good luck!

[unionworks]

28. Thanks Rider

Honestly it isn't just for me, I hope to pass most of this along!

[KamaAina]

45. One thing about nuking bacon

Prepare to use LOTS of paper towels.

[trof]

53. Over AND UNDER.

[unionworks]

16. My Mom

...God rest her, was second generation Italian from South Phillie. I was raised on fine cooking. Just can't seem to get in touch with my inner chef, though...

[deucemagnet]

17. Five minute chocolate cake in a mug.

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[unionworks]

18. Thanks yumm

Looks like it's begging for some Cool Whhhip (ala Stewie).

[unionworks]

19. depression era cooking

A simple google search gave me recipes our great grandparents came up with to make delicious food without milk, eggs and butter which were in short supply. Much of America is now facing similar challenges. Are we not up to the challenge as our forebears were?

[RedCloud]

25. Microwave popper

Some discount stores have these. You will need the insert piece (looks like cardboard)which can be re-used several times

Put in 1/4 cup popcorn. Cook as instructions say, enjoy!

[unionworks]

26. Love popcorn

...especially when reading great DU posts! Thank you, Redcloud!

[cliffordu]

29. HERE!!!! GO GET YOURSELF A RICE COOKER!!!!

READ THIS!

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2008/11/the_pot_and_how_to_use_it.html

I've just started using one for all this stuff and he's EXACTLY RIGHT!!!!

I never thought I'd be so enamored with an appliance as a rice cooker.

I use it for 10 grain cereal, oatmeal, steamed veggies and soups.

All you need is electricity. And water.

Between that and a microwave, you should have it just about covered.

Except for a Hibachi for cooking in good weather, but you can get those for a buck at garage sales.

[TreasonousBastard]

31. Slice an eggplant into...

1/4 inch or less slices. (skinning it optional, as is dredging in flour or bread crumbs) It may be best to precook the eggplant a bit so that the cheese doesn't overcook waiting for the raw eggplant to cook. (I fry the eggplant slices a little, so I'm not sure how raw eggplant in the assembly would work)

Find a plate that fits into the nuke and layer the slices with ricotta-- optionally, add some roasted red peppers, scallions, mushrooms, ripe olives, or whatever strikes your fancy to the layers. Ham, or previously nuked bacon should work, too.

Open a jar of acceptable tomato sauce and pour some over the layered eggplant.

Slice or grate mozzarella over the whole mess.

Nuke it till it's done (experiments required, depending on you microwave).



If and when you can find an acorn (or similar) squash...

Cut the squash in half and clean out the seeds (you can toast the seeds and eat them should you desire)

Fill the hole with anything you like-- a drained can of tuna with spinach and mushrooms, rice and hamburger meat... anything you can think of...

Drizzle some olive oil over the assembly, with maybe some cheese on top, and nuke till done. It will probably be best to wait toward the end to add the cheese.

Nuke till the squash is cooked

Herbs and spices elevate the experience, and I'm partial to adobo, curry powder, cayenne pepper, oregano, fennel, basil, rosemary, garlic, parsley, and pretty much anything else I can find lying around.

[unionworks]

34. thanks I will research

The effects of radiation on eggplants

[HopeHoops]

33. Take crap in paper tray out of box, slit plastic covering, nuke until burnt.

[unionworks]

35. Been doing that

Which is what I'm trying to avoid! You sound like a veteran...

[HopeHoops]

40. Yep.

[unionworks]

41. With your post in mind...

[HopeHoops]

46. Tequila, fine. I'll pass on the bacon.

I wouldn't eat candied bacon even if I DID still eat meat.

[unionworks]

36. Great Depression Meals

...with Clara! Step up to the plate, America- politically and foodwise!

[unionworks]

37. Beans and More Beans

...but how good!

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[unionworks]

38. And Now We Enter...

... my neck of the woods!

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[GoCubsGo]

42. Just out of curiosity...

Whereabouts in Scab Land are you, roughly?

[unionworks]

47. I'm in Yankeeland

...Northwest Pa. Erie was a manufacturing powerhouse. When the rethugs started their "right to work for less" program of destruction in the southern states, I watched as nearly every damn plant headed down to scabland. G.E. is still here, but even they started building their new plant in Texas as a middle finger to union workers. We need to go after the "right to work for less" hard.

[GoCubsGo]

50. It's going to be a tough slog.

Unfortunately, I live in one of those "right to work for less" states. They have the people so brainwashed against unions it's sickening. These morons accuse the teachers unions of destroying the state's public school system--except that it is ILLEGAL for teachers to unionize here. That's how bad it is here. I have never seen so much will ignorance in my life! It's truly nauseating, especially since this is the land of Norma Rae. At least in PA, there's hope. They haven't had quite the brainwashing yet. But, I think the southern states may be a lost cause.

[unionworks]

51. Cheer up!

The good news is WI bastard Scott Walker is getting recalled! And if the other states that have had Citizens United financed state level rethugs thrust upon them do the same as WI workers did, we can win this war.

[GoCubsGo]

54. There is a push to get rid of our idiot governor, too.

There is no recall process here, but there is a huge push to get the state legislature to pass something that will allow us to get rid of her. I hope the WI recall will inspire them to do something about it. Most of our state leg. can't stand her, so there is hope for this place yet. As for Citizens United, it's biting the rethugs in the ass, especially here, where we are being deluged by negative PAC ads, so we may just end that monstrosity yet.

[unionworks]

55. same here in Pa

The unions have vowed to start a recall effort if "right to work for less" goes anywhere! And no insult meant to your state by the reference to "scabs". There are good folks everywhere, and southern people have been more than kind to me!

[GoCubsGo]

56. No insult taken.

Although some of the people here deserve more than insults. I have little doubt the people here have not been taught about the Hay Market Riots, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Mother Jones, etc. Those responsible for that are deserving of all the scorn and derision that can be heaped upon them.

[unionworks]

43. Sadly

The songs on this clip are actual songs that were banned during the depression, some of them sung by WPA artists. One chilling song is about a serial killer who stalked hobos, and it seems history has repeated itself. The rest speak for themselves. This is the message of Occupy... our "elected representatives" sit on their hands as we perish.

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[MiddleFingerMom]

44. Best source of recipes ever!!!

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http://recipesource.com/misc/microwave/indexall.html
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[unionworks]

48. Thanks MFM!!!!!!

State and local WPA officials were the most frequent transgressors of Harry Hopkins' stated intention. When the New York City WPA director was looking to purge his program of radical artists, he spotted trouble in a four-panel mural at Brooklyn's Floyd Bennett Airport: he had three panels torn down and burned after he saw a figure who looked like Lenin and a plane with a red star that looked Soviet. The artist was fired, though he brought in his source photos to prove that the Lenin lookalike was really an early parachutist and the plane a U.S. model.

Illinois's WPA administrator shut down Paul Green's Hymn to the Rising Sun, the second production of the Chicago Negro Company, while the opening night crowd was milling around in the lobby. He sputtered that the play, was "of such a moral character that I can't even discuss it with a member of the press." The play dealt with the use of chain-gang labor in the South; its moral character didn't prevent it from opening later in New York, to rave reviews.

Despite the reservations of censors, WPA projects were highly popular with audiences and critics, and reviews were generally favorable. Press was divided: accounts in liberal newspapers urged the establishment of permanent local projects upon foundations laid through Federal One support. But papers opposed to the New Deal capitalized on every act of censorship or problem in the programs.

Artists, too, envisioned a future for the projects; in the words of painter Stuart Davis, then secretary of the American Artists' Congress, "The artists of America do not look upon the art projects as a temporary stopgap measure, but see in them the beginning of a new and better day for art in this country." {10} Larger forces were to intervene, however.

In a sense, Federal One itself ultimately fell to the censors. As the '30s drew on, the WPA became the most frequent target of New Deal critics in Congress and the press. Federal One, as a highly visible and controversial part of the larger agency, provided an especially good target for FDR's enemies. Their attacks led to the ultimate censorship: the termination of the projects.

[unionworks]

49. I had a variation of this recently

...melt in your mouth delicious!

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