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How to Cook When There’s Nothing to Eat

By Lara Stewart

It happens to all of us. You get home, you’re tired and you have not been grocery shopping. Concede defeat and order a pizza (again)? Why not pull together a delicious, original skillet dinner instead?

If you give in and order out even twice a month, that can add up to at least $500 that you are throwing away every year.

This is not a recipe. Rather, it is an idea for improvising and combining household staples and leftovers to make a palatable meal. If you think about flavors that work well together, you can put together countless satisfying dishes with very little effort. Plus, this method of cooking can help reduce food waste. Using up those little bits that would otherwise turn to a liquid mush at the back of your refrigerator can save a lot of money over time.

Start with a base starch. I always make sure that there is plenty of pasta, rice and other grains in my cupboard. Start your water boiling while you raid the pantry and fridge for other ingredients.

Have some leftover steak or a chicken breast? Don’t worry if it is only a small amount. Dice it and set it aside. If you don’t have, or don’t feel like eating meat, grab a can of beans (garbanzos are my favorite), or a can of tuna. I buy tuna by the case every time the price gets down to 3 cans for a dollar.

Let’s look at veggies now. Are there any portions of bags of frozen veggies lurking in your freezer? Now look in the refrigerator. What about those baby carrots that you munch on with ranch dressing? Maybe there are one or two marinated artichoke hearts left in a jar. Grab that last celery stick, or some leftover broccoli. Check the cabinets. Are there any little jars of roast peppers, or cans of green beans sitting on the shelf? Pull out whatever looks promising. While you chop ingredients into bite size pieces, toss your chosen starch into the boiling water.

Grab a large skillet and add a little butter, oil or a combination of both. Begin adding ingredients, adding those that need to cook longest first. Save any ingredients that only need to be warmed through, like leftover meats or canned vegetables, for last.

Now pick you seasonings. Do you have a can of cream soup? Scoop a little out, mix in a tiny bit of milk and add straight to the cooking veggies. Check out the condiment drawer. Taco sauce packs from Taco Bell? They are surprisingly good over any kind of legume. A little olive oil and lemon juice works with just about everything. Or, mix equal parts mustard and milk or cream for a faux dijonaise sauce. The possibilities are endless. I once made a Thai peanut sauce from chunky peanut butter, a little hot water, a few drops of Tabasco and some green onions that had been languishing at the back of my fridge.

Mix your pasta, sauce and veggies in the skillet. You now have a one of a kind meal out of nothing! Over time, you will be able to formulate endless combinations of satisfying food.

Bio:
Lara Stewart is a college student and freelance writer living on Florida’s Gulf Coast. She collects kitchen and household items from the 1950s and often sells them on ebay. (Look for auctions by retro-dame.) She is engaged (though not necessarily to be married), has two intelligent, beautiful children and one neurotic cat.

Fast Combos: Rice &: Red kidney beans or Hamburger & mushroom soup or Bell pepper, pineapple & teriyaki sauce Pasta & Spaghetti sauce or Chicken chunks with green beans or Beef broth, cubed steak, carrots & celery or Tuna, mushroom soup & shredded cheese

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