It’s only the first week of December, but it already feels like the season for binge eating has arrived. Latke nights, cookie exchanges, holiday parties — that’s awesome, but there’s a lot! That’s why I try to keep the evenings as simple as possible when I go home and cook for myself. This week’s lineup looks like this.
Tofu and cabbage with spicy sauce
This dinner takes advantage of two commercially available saviors. Fried tofu is quick to prepare and can be found in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets (Trader Joe’s sells the following two). sesame ginger and Sriracha); And Mama O kimchi sauce, a funky, not-too-sweet garlicky hot sauce you’d drink by the gallon if you could. This combo started as an on-the-spot lunch, but I kept upgrading it and it’s now the meal my daughter Abby requests most often when she gets home from college.
recipe: Add half an onion (sliced), 1 inch of fresh ginger (chopped), and a clove of garlic (chopped) to the natural oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s a little soft, add the small shredded cabbage (I used half red cabbage and half green cabbage, but you can use any combination you like). Boil the cabbage until it caramelizes and wilts (about 10 minutes), then move it around the sides of the pot to expose the center. Add a little more oil and fry the tofu slices (one 7-ounce pack is enough for two people in my house) for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Add a little soy sauce, a squeeze of fresh lime juice and mix everything together. Serve with: Toasted sesame seeds and kimchi sauce (or Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce).
butter fried salmon
Salmon is an easy dinner fish in my hall of fame because it’s so flavorful and requires little intervention from the cook. Add spicy mayonnaise to easily upgrade pan-fried filet mignon.
recipe: Add 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (I like cast iron) over medium-high heat. Add the skin-on salmon fillets (1/3 pound fillet per serving), meat side down, and cook until the cooked flesh line is about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the fillets. Flip the fillets and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the top of the flesh is firm to the touch, but not firm (the skin is greasy, so it will splatter a lot). Remove onto a cutting board. Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve with spicy mayonnaise (3:1 mayonnaise to sriracha ratio). Served with: Crunchy bread and arugula salad tossed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper, then topped with sliced avocado.
one pot veggie chili
The main ingredients (beans, tomatoes, chili powder) are either canned or ready-to-eat staples (onions, garlic), so they’re always ready to eat.You can check the exact ingredient amounts on my website Reliable recipesyou can just riff on it if you want.
recipe: Put neutral oil in a neutral pot and heat over medium-low heat. Add 1 chopped onion, 1 garlic clove, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in a spoonful of tomato paste and cook for another minute, until the tomato paste darkens slightly. Add 3 cans of beans (white, pinto, or black in any combination) and 4 tablespoons of chili powder, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until spices sizzle, about 3 more minutes. Add a can of diced tomatoes, a block of dark chocolate (optional), a dash of cinnamon (my husband’s “secret”), and a healthy shake of oregano and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors deepen and meld, about 30 minutes. Serve with: Plantain chips, sour cream, and avocado chunks.
What are you cooking these days?
PS 5 Ways to Turn Rotisserie Chicken into Dinner and Cabbage: A Love Story.
(Chile photo provided by: Christine Han. )