Women's Web an online community for women
HomeArticlesForumsNews RoomShop with UsCafé Press
Your ad here. Ask us how Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com
categories
about women's web
beauty & fashion
career
diet & nutrition
food & drink
health
lgbt topics
mental health
parenting
pregnancy
relathionships
self-esteem
senior living
violence against women
weddings/bridal

newsletter
Take 5% Off $50 Order at TimeForMeCatalog.com

AmericanGreetings.com

TimeLife.com

Food and drink

Overview

Drinks
Tea, coffee, spirits, beer...

Wine
Learn about wine, wine tasting, and cooking with wine.

Food and drink

Recipes for busy cooks

What's for dnner? Quick & healthy one-pot meals
Recipes for busy cooks

Glorious One-Pot Meals

Glorious One-Pot Meals
Buy this book at Amazon.com

Glorious One-Pot Meals: A new quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking provides a patented cooking technique that balances both the need for quick and easy meals with the desire for healthy and tasty recipes. The Glorious One-Pot Meal method is unique in that it allows ingredients to retain their shape and integrity throughout the cooking process, unlike traditional one-pot meal methods such as crock-pot stews, casseroles, and stir-fries. Ingredients are infused with flavors and it makes no difference whether you start with fresh, frozen or canned foods as everything cooks in the same amount of time and emerges moist, tender and perfectly cooked. It’s the ultimate method for making convenient and healthy dinners.

Each Glorious One-Pot Meal contains an entrée, grains, and vegetable side dishes for a complete meal with minimal preparation or clean up. The Glorious One-Pot Meals cookbook includes more than just recipes; readers also receive grocery shopping tips and advice on stocking a pantry and freezer for convenient meal preparation. Glorious One-Pot Meals are perfect for the busy cook because each recipe requires, on average, fewer than 20 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to bake in the oven.

What's for dinner? Quick & healthy one-pot meals

Stephanie, a vice president for a venture capital firm in Denver, makes it a priority to get home in time to have a family meal with her husband and 1-year old son.

"I put a lot of energy into my job and then I get into my car at 5 p.m. and realize that I have no idea what I'm going to feed three people for dinner in an hour," she says. "That's when a one-pot meal is just perfect."

One-pot meals can be the solution to quick and easy cooking when no one really has the time to cook. While one-pot meals come in various forms, they all have the common concept of putting a variety of ingredients into a single vessel and cooking them all together. There's no fretting about getting the timing right so that your broccoli is perfectly steamed at the same time as the pot roast comes out of the oven medium-rare and the rice is ready to fluff, which is a boon for all those who aren't wizards at culinary planning. And, perhaps best of all, rather than a sink full of dirty pots and pans to scrub after dinner, there is only one pot to clean.

One-pot meals include everything from light stir-fries to hearty skillet meals to heavy casseroles made with cans condensed cream-of soup. Typically each forkful contains a little of each ingredient in the meal, whether it's in a slab form or bite-sized pieces. Crock-pot cooking, where all the ingredients are placed in a crock-pot along with some liquid and then simmered at a very low heat for 6–8 hours until everything has disintegrated into a stew, is another popular method of creating of one-pot meals.

The only downside to each of these methods is that they are usually not a complete and balanced meal in and of themselves. Since the definition of a complete, healthy meal includes protein, carbohydrates and vegetables, stir-fries are typically served with rice, skillet meals with pasta, casseroles with a salad, and crock-pot stews with bread.

Infuse it

To have a truly complete and balanced one-pot meal consider "infusion" cooking. Infused one-pot meals are made by layering whole foods into a closed container—either a foil or parchment pouch or a cast iron Dutch oven-and then baking the container in the oven at a very high heat for under an hour. These dinners can contain everything needed for a full and balanced one-pot meal without having to prepare rice or a salad separately.

Low in fat and high in nutrition, almost any ingredients can be added to an infused one-pot meal to meet personal dietary preferences. Infused one-pot meals prepared in a Dutch oven can even accept frozen elements without any change in cooking time or flavor.

"I love that I can make my infused one-pot meal up in advance," enthuses Stephanie. "I put it all together in the morning, keep it in the fridge, and then pop it directly into the pre-heated oven when I get home from work. Instead of fussing over a hot stove, I get to play with my kid while our dinner cooks. And they're so healthy and tasty that my husband loves them too!"

For the answer to the age-old question of "What's for dinner?" consider an infused one-pot meal for a healthy, quick and easy way to feed your busy family. Here is a great recipe to get you started!

California Chicken

Servings: 2

Ingredients
1/2 cup couscous, dry
2–3 pieces chicken
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. lemon pepper
1 avocado, firm-ripe
2 tomatoes, cored, wedges
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, cut in wedges
1/2 cup olives, small, ripe, pitted, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. basil, dried
1/4 tsp. marjoram, dried
1 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray the inside of a 2-quart cast iron Dutch oven and the lid with olive oil.

Pour dry couscous into pot. Add 1/2 cup water and evenly distribute grains across bottom. Arrange the chicken atop the couscous. Season lightly with salt and lemon pepper.

Add layers of green peppers, tomatoes and olives. Again, season lightly with salt and lemon pepper.

Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Then, layer it in slices or cubes on top of everything. In a small bowl, combine the onion, celery salt, basil, marjoram, sherry, and lemon juice and pour into pot over everything.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes.

Tips:
Be certain that your oven temperature is accurate and your oven is fully pre-heated before putting the pot inside it. An oven thermometer can help ensure your oven is on target.

For light and fluffy couscous, fluff it with a fork when serving and let sit for a few minutes before eating.

About the Author:
Elizabeth Yarnell is the author of Glorious One-Pot Meals: A new quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking, a guide to preparing infused one-pot meals. Visit Elizabeth online at www.GloriousOnePotMeals.com. The Glorious One-Pot Meal cooking method is unique and holds US patent 6,846,504.

Recipes for busy cooks

About Busy Cooks
Busy Cooks

Crockpot Sandwich Recipes
Yes, you can make sandwiches in the crockpot. Of course, what you're making is the filling, but isn't that what sandwiches are all about? Use pita breads, English muffins, plain old white bread, hamburger buns, whole wheat bread, or focaccia to hold these flavorful and delicious sandwich fillings. I... continues

Everyday Menus: Butter Chicken
Butter Chicken is kind of a misnomer. I think of chicken cooked in butter when I hear the name. Instead, this mildly spicy and rich dish produces chicken with a buttery texture. The chicken is cooked in a tomato sauce flavored with onion, garlic, ginger, and curry powder. Make the dish as mild or sp... continues

Pavlova
If you're looking for an easy make ahead dessert that is light and springlike, Pavlova is the answer. This delicious and beautiful dessert was created in honor of Anna Pavlova, the famous ballerina. The meringue is supposed to resemble a ballerina's tutu. You can top it with just about anything, fro... continues

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday on About.com

Photo © 2010 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Wordless Wednesday originally appeared on About.com Busy Cooks on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010 at 00:00:05.

Permalink | Comment | Email this


Irish Soda Bread. And Variations.
Irish Soda Bread is one of those recipes, along with other quick breads, that everyone should know how to make. It was originally intended to 'pad' a dinner with a super quick and easy bread. The bread didn't need a long rising time, and the ingredients were always on hand. This loaf is tender and m... continues

Top 10 Quiche Recipes
Quiches are elegant, easy, delicious, and inexpensive. So we really should serve quiche once a week. And if you know how to make a pie crust instead of buying a premade crust, the cost really drops. These ten quiches are just some of my favorites. If pressed, I would have to say my absolute favorite... continues

Top 10 Fish Recipes for Lent
I've been concentrating on fish recipes recently, because it's Lent and just because fish is so good for you. These ten recipes are the ones I make often. There's a a nice variety in flavor and types of fish used in these recipes, as well as cooking methods. Try one or two or more this week to treat... continues

Favorite Flavors: Chocolate and Peanut Butter
My Favorite Flavors series continues with one of my all-time loves: chocolate and peanut butter. These 36 recipes all combine chocolate and peanut butter in bars, candies, cakes, cookies, pies, and desserts. Pick one or more this weekend and have yourself a delicious treat.

Photo © 2010 Linda La

... continues

The Weekend Cook: Last Minute Oscars Party
The Academy Awards broadcast is Sunday. This is the highlight of the year for movie and fashion buffs. You can join in on the fun and host a last-minute party. These easy recipes and menus will get you through the weekend by giving you time to make appetizers and treats. Have a wonderful weekend and... continues

Microwave Meal Magic
If you're still using your microwave oven just to pop popcorn and melt butter, you're missing out. It's easy to prepare a main dish in the microwave. Just be sure to read about cooking, stirring, rotating, and standing time. Then get started!

Photo © 2010 Linda Larsen, licensed to About.com, I

... continues

[ Back to Top ]