Here’s what to cook in December, even when you’re crazy busy. (Hint: It’s all about the easy recipes.)
With December being tiring (and wonderful at the same time), offering all those extra obligations, it’s always nice to fit in a sit-down dinner whenever you can. I craved warm, comforting meals. Think easy bake-based recipes, skillets, and one-bowl dinners.
Ask for these super easy recipes to end the year with.
Spicy lentil soup
Modified from Half Baked Harvest
I try to fit in one or two basic easy meatless recipes a week with an emphasis on beans and lentils. This is a relatively light meal, though still filling, flavorful, and fairly easy to put together. It has big spices that give big flavor.
For the squash:
1 medium acorn squash, seeded and diced (1¾ to 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of raw honey
2 teaspoons garam masala
fine pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the soup:
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons of salted butter
1 (1-inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
fine pink Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
3/4 cup red lentils
1 can full fat coconut milk
2 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Preheat oven to 450°F. Roast the squash by combining the squash, olive oil, honey, garam masala and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake until tender, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Next, stir in the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, then add the butter, ginger, garlic, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cayenne and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring, until butter is melted and mixture is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and lentils. Cook on medium until lentils are tender ~20 minutes. Finally, mix with the coconut milk and spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Serve alone with chopped cilantro topping. This is good on its own as a one-bowl meal, but you can serve it over rice with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt for extra filling.
Really easy Shrimp Fajitas
A Healthy Nest Nutrition Fave
This is a three step dinner: 1. Season the shrimp 2. Chop the vegetables 3. Prepare the shrimp. Literally, there is 15 minutes of active kitchen time and then passive time in the oven. A great dinner with a lot of work.
1-2 kg shrimp (fresh or frozen), peeled and deveined, dried
2 red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers, sliced
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon for shrimp, 1-2 tablespoons for vegetables
1 red onion sliced
½ teaspoon chili powder (to taste for hot)
1 teaspoon cumin, oregano, paprika
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of pepper
Toppers: chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, sliced lettuce, salsa, spritz of lime
Pat the shrimp dry and toss with most of the seasonings and oil. Then toss the vegetables with spices and oil. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Add shrimp and cook until no longer pink ~ 8 minutes. Drizzle with lime juice. Wrap in lettuce leaves, tortillas or serve over rice.
Fried scallops over zucchini noodles
Inspired by asweetpeachef.com
This slightly fancy, really easy recipe is a quick dinner on the stove in three simple steps. Prepare the scallops, sauté the spiral noodles (OR sub in baked spaghetti squash). Top with toasted pine nuts and herbs.
8 jumbo scallops, dry
½ teaspoon sea salt and ground black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil
⅓ cup raw pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
⅓ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 zucchini, spiralized
1 tablespoon chopped parsley and or basil, for topping
Heat a large frying pan over high heat until hot. Add the olive oil to coat the pan. Pat the scallops dry with a paper towel, then lightly season each side of the scallops with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Add the scallops one at a time to the hot pan. Be careful not to crowd the scallops and place the scallops in the pan with at least 1-2cm between them (so they don’t steam together). Let the scallops cook for three minutes without touching them. After three minutes, the bottom should be nicely browned. Carefully flip the scallops over and cook for 2-3 minutes or until well browned. Remove from heat and set aside. This is on the scallops. So fast.
In addition, in the same pan, add the pine nuts and chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Once the pine nuts are golden and the garlic is fragrant, add stock and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the zucchini noodles to the pan and stir, cooking for just 2-3 minutes, until slightly softened and heated through. Quickly remove from the pan and serve, topped with the pan-seared scallops, chopped parsley and/or basil.
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