"Cheat" recipes for those of us who can't cook / won't cook

They are somewhere between doing it all yourself and takeaway/eating out I think.

I pay about £35 a week for 3 meals for 2 people, but It's only me. That's 3 evening meals, and the other portion reheated for lunch the next day. It also means that I don't have to meal plan, find recipes, build a shopping list, go search the supermarket for all of the individual ingredients, and I'm not doing my default of just cooking oven meals.

There is a section for vegetarian and vegan meals I believe. I've had a few vegetarian options and they were nice. Not sure about allergies and such.

I believe they are still fine outside of big towns. The parcels are shipped with ice packs in for the items which should be stored in the fridge. I've had them delivered late in the day before and the ice is still solid keeping things chilled.

I have used Mindful Chef, which has vegan and gluten-free options, and maybe also options for other dietary requirements. I live in a small village in Oxfordshire. They are quite good but a tad expensive. 

Today I did a simple "All day breakfast" (we had it for tea)

I put some pork sausages and frozen hash browns into roasting trays and cooked for 30 minutes in the oven at 200c, turning halfway through, and put a tin of baked beans and a small tin of plum tomatoes in a pan together and warmed them through. If you want you could also pop some bread in a toaster and/or cook a couple of eggs to add to it.

I have seen those, but they seem a little expensive.

Do these companies operate outside of big towns and cities?

How are they for people who are veggie, vegan, wheat and/or dairy intolerant or have any other allergies?

Have you considered Gousto? I find it very useful as you pick some meals, the ingredients just turn up, and you follow the recipe. No coming up with meal ideas, compiling a shopping list, going round the supermarket trying to find things, having to deal with if you forgot something, spices are just in small pots you throw into the pan so no measuring things out, ...

I tend to pick the "quick and easy" meals but sometimes get longer ones, or they also have "no-cook" ones which usually just need a microwave. I adjust some things a bit. I can't stand the texture of onions so I just leave those out. 

Invite link below if anyone fancies trying it out. That will also give you 65% off your first box, and 25% off your first 2 months. Full disclosure that it also gives me £20 off.

https://gousto.co.uk/raf?promo_code=ENJOY45246251

I used to use Hello Fresh but I think Gousto is better with ensuring all of the ingredients are in, and the recipes don't seem to have as many errors as hello fresh. The minimum number of meals is also more flexible, and they are less intrusive. Hello Fresh would badger you if you skipped a week, asking if you want to unskip, even when you've told them you're away on holiday. Gousto don't auto-select meals, so if you don't pick anything, none show up. Much more pleasant to deal with.

I have been living mostly on soups and stews, and curries, this year. I just throw in whatever ingredients I happen to have. Feels a bit like cheating. I only cook plant based these days, which makes it easier.

Here's another easy one.

Stroganof, sort of.

This can be done with leftovers, either pork or chicken

per person,

1tblsp of finely chopped onion, if you get them frozen then just spoon it out.

3 or 4 mushrooms, sliced, again you can get them frozen, so a couple of tblsps

pinch of salt

a handful or about 100g of chopped up cooked pork or chicken

250ml of single cream, either dairy or an alternative.

I heaped tsp of whole grain mustard from a jar, or you can use dijon if you prefer a smooth mustard, just use a level tsp instead of a heaped one.

1tblsp of cooking oil

1 tblsp of chopped parsley, you can leave this out if you want

2 tblsps of white wine, also optional.

Heat the oil in a biggish frying pan, you know it's hot enough when a piece of onion gently sizzles when put in the oil, let the onion cook until its sort of see through, then add the mushrooms and salt and cook them until they're soft. Add the meat and allow that to warm through, keep stiring everything so as it cooks evenly. Then add the wine if using and bring the pan up to a higher heat so as the wine boils, this takes the alcohol away, let it reduce by half.

Reduce the heat again.

Add the cream and the mustard, stir it all well and turn to a low heat and let it gently bubble for 5 minutes, give it good stir every minute or so to stop it sticking and going claggy or seperating. Add the parsley if you're using it and remove from heat and serve with rice or a carb of your choosing.

TBLS is a tablespoon

TSP is a teaspoon

You could use Quorn in this, just add some along with the mushrooms, so as it cooks properly.

If you want to make more than one portion just add more meat/quorn, and veg you can double this to make two portions without doing anything to the cream or wine or mustard/

OK this takes minimal prep and goes nicely in a slow cooker.

About a pound/500g of sliced potato, two or three baking size ones do well.

I large sliced onion,

6 or 8 rashers of bacon

1 pint of bechemel sauce either home made or from a packet.

Layer potatoes, onion and bacon in alternate layers, starting and ending with potatoes in a caserole dish with a lid, or the dish or your slow cooker, add a bay leaf, a good grind of pepper and nutmeg to the sauce and pour over the layers of bacon and veg. Cover with the lid and cook in the oven on gas 5/180.c for about an hour or until a fork slides nicely through the layers, then serve with a green vegetable. I'd do it for at least 4 hours in a slow cooker. 

Delia's book was called how to cheat at cooking, but it's quite old now and it's difficult and /or expensive to buy some of the ingredients. Plus you have to buy the book first unless you have a kindle subscription/borrow it from a library.

I know you enjoy cooking, and I was hoping you would contribute an easy recipe?

There are many such books, but I think I know the one you mean. She used various expensive conserves and other half-prepared products as shortcuts. There are other books that use short ingredient lists instead to simplify the recipe.

I kinda like cooking but I have problems with meal planning. And I don't like the logistics. I live as a lodger.

This threads an anathema to me, as I love to cook, which is just as well given all my allergies and intollerances. Didn't Delia Smith do a book on this stuff?

I used to eat quite often a bowl of rice (or other grains), microwave-steamed mixed vegetables, and baked beans. Or just plain potatoes, the perfect vegetable. I'd make sure to have a short walk after the meal, for better glycaemic control. . 

I like melting cheese with soya milk (use any milk though).

1. Put pieces of soft cheese and a small cup of milk in a pan, in low fire, until the cheese melts.

2. Once melted, add herbs like thyme for example.

3. Separately, put baby potatoes and cauliflower in the oven, 30'-40' at 180 degrees.

Finally mix and enjoy.

I tend to use my airfryer for most things now

My go-to as a student (which I've mentioned in another post). Serves 2-3:

1. Cook some pasta of your choice.
2. Fry 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) in plenty of olive oil until just starting to colour.
3. Add can of tuna to the garlic and oil.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Toss the pasta with the garlic, tuna and oil.
6. Serve and enjoy.

You're welcome.

Here is another one I like - the only prep is to grate a bit of cheese, although you can buy it pre grated.

Cheat cottage pie:

Ingredients - 1 can minced beef with onions in gravy, 1 can baby carrots/ sliced carrots, 1 pack prepared  mashed potato (fresh, not frozen), a little grated cheese.

Method - Put the minced beef into a casserole dish. Drain the water off the carrots and add them to the minced beef. Open the pack of mashed potato and fluff it up a bit with a fork, then put it on top of the minced beef & carrots (spread it over as evenly as.possible using the fork). Sprinkle a little grated cheese on top.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 200C for around 25 minutes, until cheese melts and starts to brown.