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 Look for meals that can be simmered the night before and heated up quickly to be served with a side salad or favourite vegetable. (Shutterstock.com) |
September's all about new routines: Kids are back in school, new schedules are in place and dinner plans are taking a beating.
We're either eating dinner later, or on the run, ordering fast food or chucking it all for a bowl of cereal instead.
When was the last time you sat down as a family and enjoyed the eating experience together?
"If you can't prep a dinner in 20 minutes or less, it doesn't belong in your work week," notes Calgary-based author and TV personality Sandi Richard, a mom of seven considered by many to be North America's leading meal planning expert.
Dinner is one of the most crucial meals to be shared, adds Richard, author of five bestselling meal planning books in the series Cooking for the Rushed, even though "dinner time is considered the most stressful part of the day."
Richard says it's a question of strategizing meal planning -- being prepared, working ahead and sharing the responsibilities "in order to get families back to the dinner table.
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"Dinner together creates more balance in our lives," writes the award-winning Richard, of Food Network Canada fame.
Plus -- you'd be surprised to learn the more you get to know your kitchen the less time you'll have to spend in it.
Look for meals that can be simmered the night before and heated up quickly to be served with a side salad or favourite vegetable.
It's a question of balance. And sitting down to a delicious, nutritious meal together as a family.
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BRAISED CHICKEN THIGHS
In this simplified version of coq au vin, chicken slowly simmers with mushrooms in a red wine sauce that infuses its flavours until the meat falls off the bone. Serve with a side salad or over rice. Recipe courtesy of HomeGrownOntario.ca.
8 skinless chicken thighs (or 4 boneless, skinless breasts)
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) butter
1 cup (250 ml) button mushrooms
1 cup (250 ml) sliced onions
1 tsp. (5 ml) chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. (2 ml) EACH salt and cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) tomato paste
1 cup (250 ml) dry red wine
1 cup (250 ml) chicken broth
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) chopped fresh parsley
If using breasts, cut crosswise in half. In shallow Dutch oven or heavy skillet, heat butter over medium high heat; brown chicken, in batches, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Add mushrooms and half of onions to pan; fry over medium-high heat until mushrooms are browned, about five minutes. Transfer to plate.
Add remaining onions, thyme, salt, pepper and bay leaf to pan, cook until onions are softened, about six minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook one minute. Add wine and broth and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return chicken and any accumulated juices back to pan. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer; cover and cook for 20 minutes. Return mushroom onion mixture back to pan, continue to cook, covered, until sauce thickens slightly and chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Serves 4.
NOTE: If you do not have dry red wine, cider vinegar can be used as a substitute. If cooking in a slow cooker, adjust setting to medium heat and simmer for six hours.
VEAL STROGANOFF
Indulge in creamy comfort with this homemade skillet stroganoff. Using simple, fresh ingredients and staying away from canned soup bases, this recipe skimps on the sodium allowing the true flavours of veal, fresh broccoli and mushrooms to shine through. Recipe courtesy of HomeGrownOntario.ca.
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) vegetable oil
1 lb. (500 g) veal scaloppini, sliced crosswise into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
1 tsp. (5 ml) EACH salt and cracked black pepper
1 cup (250 ml) sliced cremini mushrooms
2 cups (500 ml) low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 lb. (250 g) egg noodles
2 cups (500 ml) broccoli florets
1/2 cup (125 ml) sour cream
1/4 cup (50 ml) chopped fresh parsley
Heat oil in large deep skillet on medium high. Brown veal, about one minute per side. Transfer to plate and season with salt and pepper.
In same skillet, add mushrooms, cook until golden, about five minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Add noodles and cook for five minutes. Stir in broccoli, cover and reduce heat to simmer until most of liquid has been absorbed, noodles are tender and the broccoli is tender crisp, about five minutes. Stir in sour cream and veal until well combined. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve warm.
Serves 4.
TIP: To make this recipe lower in fat, use fat-free sour cream.
rita.demontis@sunmedia.ca