Veggie Ramen Noodles
1 pkg of Raman Noodles, you choice of flavor (I use shrimp_
2 carrots, cut into wafers
2 stalks of celery, cut into crescents
Handfull of button mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup of frozen mixed veggies.
Put veggies in a microwave safe bowl, crumbe dry noodles over the top, then add Ramen seasoning packet. Add requisite amount of HOT water per Ramen directions, cover and irradiate in microwave for 3-4 minutes, let stand for two minutes, then serve.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Popcorn
Airpop your favorite brand of popcorn into a sealable container
Top with salt and dried cayenne pepper
drizzel with olive oil (I use a chipolte pepper flavored oil YUM)
close container and shake vigorously.
open container and enjoy with a homebrew.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Meat and rice:
1/4 cup of rice. (I use a mix of brown and wild rice, uncooked)
seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, onion powder, cayenne pepper, saffron and dill weed are my choices)
1/4 water.
1/2 cup of frozen veggies of choice
2 Oz of frozen meat (chicken or fish of the day is what I use)
Place everthing in rice/veggie steamer, drizzle a bit of olive oil over frozen meat. Steam for 55 minutes or until rice is fully cooked.
Prep time: 15 minutes to divide up meat in bulk then freeze individually. 5 mintues to put all together, then cooking time.
Tempeh and pasta
Marinade for tempeh:
1/4 cup of peanut butter (Crunchy Adams organic pb is what I use, no suger)
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of a good soy sauce
salt, pepper and onion poweder to taste
Cut 1/4 pkg of tempeh into strips, marinade overnight in the fridge
Boil water for angel hair pasta
While water is boiling, heat a pan for tempeh. Add marinade and reduce until slightly thickened, then reserve the majority for the pasta. With the remainder, add tempeh strips and "fry" (no oil, so its not really frying). Cook pasta, then drain and toss with reserved thickened marinade. Not denched, just a light coating. Top with hot tempeh and serve with cold fresh veggies as a side dish.
For those who are not familiar with tempeh
Tempeh is a fermented food made by the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus mold (tempeh starter). The tempeh fermentation by the Rhizopus mold binds the soybeans into a compact white cake. Tempeh fermentation produces natural antibiotic agents which are thought to increase the body's resistance to intestinal infections but leaves the desirable soy isoflavones intact.
Raw tempeh has a a nutty-mushroom type flavor, similar to an overripe walnut, but with out the drying, astringent character of the overripe walnut. I've tried this with firm tofu, but the texture of tofu does not blend well with the pasta unless the tofu is sliced thin and well browned.