So, some things that take 10 minutes or less to cook, that I've been eating a lot of in these last harried days of the semester.
Coke and Maltesers
Open up a can of cold Coke. Tear off the top of a bag of Maltesers. Alternate sips and bites until the sugar rush gives you the maximum jitters. Go for a run with your newfound energy and feel healthy afterwards.
Anticipating Having to Skip Lunch Breakfast Sandwich
A piece of toast topped with cream cheese, pesto, sliced avacado, and an egg fried in olive oil
Thick as Mud Coffee
I just got a french press, and rather than the recommended two scoops I like to put in about five. It makes for some slap-you-in-the-face caffeine, let me tell you.
Roasted Asparagus
I only really like the skinny asparagus, as I find the thicker stalks too woody and fibrous. That being said, it's hard to find good asparagus for cheap in winter. SIGH. I broke my cardinal cheap-produce rule in the interest off fast dinner.
Drizzle some olive oil over asparagus (more or less depending on how much you are roasting), season with salt and pepper. Roast at 400º for 4 minutes or so. My toaster oven works a dream for this, as it heats up so fast. These guys also work really well n the barbeque.
Once crisp-tender, remove from the oven/BBQ. Top with one or all of the following: goat/brie cheese, chopped sundried tomatoes (packed in oil), lemon zest.
Su Choy and Asparagus Asian-Style Scramble
The ugliest thing I've eaten in a while, but so fast and so tasty.
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp hoisin (or oyster sauce, if you have it)
1 Tbsp (scant) cornstarch
2 Tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 asparagus spears, broken into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
Pinch of red chili flakes
1 cup of chopped su choy, aka Chinese cabbage, packed
Mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin/oyster sauce, and cornstarch together, Set aside. Heat the 2 Tbsp of oil in a skillet. Ad minced garlic and ginger, saute until fragrant–2 minutes. Add su choy and asparagus. Let the heat of the pan let wilt it for about 30 seconds. Add cornstarch mixture and egg. Scramble fervently. Take out your pent-up end-of-term stress out on it! Raaaagh! Add chili flakes! Mix mix mix! Until the egg is cooked, and the mixture has thickened and become a sort of saucey dressing. You'll know it is done when it looks exceedingly ugly. Season with salt, eat fast.
Pumpkin-Pecan Muffins with Dates
Adapted from Gourmet, November 1997 (RIP)
Don't think that I'm staying up late every night to make up a batch of these babies. I made them a few weeks ago and cut them in half, and lucky for me they freeze UNBELIEVABLY well. All I have to do with pop them in the toaster in the morning and stumble around the kitchen until they pop up, spicy and fragrant and speckled with those soft dates
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup pumpkin puree (or squash)
1/4 cup buttermilk (I used 1/4 cup regular milk with a 1/4 tsp of vinegar, as I can't justify buying buttermilk when all I'm going to do with it is bake)
2 large eggs
3 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
11/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp all-spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
3/4 cup of chopped pecans
3/4 cup of chopped dates
Preheat the oven to 400º and butter a 12-man muffin tin.
In a bowl, whisk the applesauce, pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla, milk (buttermilk or milk/vinegar mixture), and molasses until well-combined.
In another, larger bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients, including the dates and pecans. I find that giving them a bit of a flour-coat keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the batter. Whisk in the brown sugar last.
Careful not to over mix, add the wet ingredients to the dry and fold together until just combined. Spoon into your muffin tin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. I found that the batter made exactly twelve muffins, but they took EXACTLY 20 minutes to bake. Anymore would have made them dry.
Spread with peanut butter and eat as you run out your door and to the bus stop. Don't cry if you miss the bus. It's give you more time to savor breakfast. And to buy an enormous coffee from the cafe two blocks away, even though you're broke and supposed to be off coffee. Heh.
