By Gia Miller
When time is of the essence, it seems easier to grab the can, jar, bag, packet or box of food. However, ditching packaged food is better for your health (no additives or preservatives) and your tastebuds. All recipes below can be made in 15 minutes or less, except for the beans, which have about 15 minutes of hands-on time.
1. The perfect guacamole
Taco Tuesday isn’t the same without guacamole and store-bought doesn’t hold a candle to making it from scratch. Homemade guacamole only requires three avocados, two scallions, a small handful of cilantro, a pinch salt and a squeeze of lime; jalapeño and tomato (one each) are optional. “Don’t omit the lime—it’s a game changer,” says Joanna Herrera, chef and co-owner of Mariachi Mexico in Armonk. Mash the avocados with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon, then dice all the other ingredients and mix them in.
2. A quick garlic & oil “sauce”
In less time than it takes to cook your pasta, you can make a quick garlic and oil sauce. All you need is about ¼ – ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, 2-8 cloves finely chopped garlic, salt and red or black pepper. Begin by heating the oil in a pan over low heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté. “The key to getting the garlic and oil sauce just right is to not let the garlic get too brown or burnt,” says Ever Cruz, the pizza man at DiNardo’s Ristorante Italiano in Pound Ridge. “Remove it from the heat when the garlic turns golden brown, then strain out the garlic and season the oil with salt and pepper.”
3. A crisp and delicious salad & dressing
For a quick and easy salad, Herrera recommends tossing 2-4 types of lettuce, a few fresh herbs, several slices of a fresh vegetable and possibly a fruit together— go for what’s in season. Then make a simple vinaigrette by whisking equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar, perhaps an herb (she likes lemon thyme) and a teaspoon of coarse sea salt together. Slowly drizzle in the same amount of extra virgin olive oil as the honey/vinegar, whisking the entire time.
4. A multi-use pesto sauce
A basic pesto recipe calls for one cup basil, three tablespoons pine nuts, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, a clove of garlic and several tablespoons of olive oil. Process everything in a food until blended. But you can save money by substituting pine nuts with walnuts, almonds or even pumpkin seeds. You can also swap out basil for parsley, arugula or spinach. Besides tossing it with pasta, you can add pesto to roasted veggies, scrambled eggs or mashed potatoes, use it to marinate chicken or meat, spread it on a sandwich, or add a dollop to soups and stews. Freeze what you don’t use.
5. Flavorful beans
“Beans don’t have to be boring,” says Herrera. “You can add herbs halfway through cooking to enhance the flavor; I like epazote because it adds an herbaceous quality that makes beans delicious.” Plus, a bag of beans is about two to three times cheaper per serving versus a can. Soaking your beans for a few hours or overnight will remove complex sugars that can make you feel bloated and gassy, reduce cooking time to 20-40 minutes, improve nutrient absorption and add texture. Freeze what you don’t use.
6. A three-ingredient pizza sauce
“My pizza sauce is so simple,” says Cruz. “I use two brands of plum tomatoes, Alta Cucina and Cristoforo Colombo, some basil and sea salt. I blend an immersion blender until it’s smooth, and that’s it.” While Cruz does use canned tomatoes for his recipe, you can boil and peel the skins of plum tomatoes if you’d like. Freeze what you don’t use.
7. Your own signature salsa
“Salsa is really worth making from scratch,” says Herrera. “It’s very simple, and it can become something special and unique to a person.” All you need is one chili, a few tomatoes or tomatillos and whatever else you’d like—an onion, a few cloves of garlic or even avocado. There should be no more than five ingredients, with tomatoes accounting for two-thirds of the mixture. Dice everything (mince your garlic) and mash it together with a mortar and pestle or throw it in the blender.
This article was published in the November/December 2024 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
