No kitchen! Meal ideas

[Silverbirch89]

We have been without a kitchen for 2 months and have another 2 months to go due to an extension being built. We have a mircrowave combi oven but no hob and are currently washing up in our cloakroom.

I am getting really fed up with takeaways and ready meals and wondered if any one has any suggestions for simple but healthy meals we can cook in a combi oven that don't make too much washing up?

Could you get a slow cooker? Then you can just chuck everything in one pot and if you get the liners then you don't have any washing up!

Better than a slow cooker, a multi-cooker/pressure cooker is more versatile and will expand what you can eat (and save time).

Ohh I like the sound of the liners. Thanks that sounds like a great idea. I have never used a slow cooker before, what sort of recipies taste good in them? It is just casseroles or can you do other things?

I am not sure about a pressure cooker, we need something small that doesn't need extraction/create steam as we are currently cooking in the hallway!

@Silverbirch89 we do chillis, curry's, pulled pork, chicken in red wine.
You can look up the Schwartz packets online and see what they have and it gives you the ingredients etc. We all love the chicken curry one

Barbecue?

Microwave chilli www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/microwave-chilli
Jambalaya www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/microwave-jambalaya
Butternut risotto www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_butternut_99796
Courgette risotto www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/toddler-recipe-microwave-courgette-and-pea-risotto-prawns
Jacket potatoes
Grilled chicken fajitas with salsa, guacamole etc...
Couscous and feta salad www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/10minute-couscous-salad
Grilled chicken or lamb kebabs with flatbreads or couscous
Hot dogs
Burgers
Salmon noodles www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/microwave_soy_salmon_07689 I’ve done double what the recipe says, but never cooked it for four.

Get the Quick Roasting Tin book. Fast and healthy and usually delicious and just one roasting tray needed.

Also, as you do basically have an oven, if washing up is a huge problem, perhaps get a stack of tin foil baking trays and dishes? Not that environmentally friendly but no worse than takeaways and ready meals. You can then use the oven to do tray bakes, casseroles etc and just discard them afterwards?

Roasted vegetables (either buy them ready-prepared in foil packets for cooking in oven or do your own) with couscous (just needs hot water from kettle to cook) and topped with goats cheese or feta.

I'd be barbecuing in this weather though, with paper plates etc. Also, BBQ in bulk - so do more sausages/chops/chicken than you need and then eat those cold or nuked for a minute to make warm to eat on subsequent days (avoid burgers, I don't think they reheat well!)

Also semi-prepared meals might be a good compromise eg

• a chicken salad with store bought cooked chicken
• Those noodles that just need to be soaked in hot water served with a ready made sauce that you microwave.
• Other cooked meats/cheeses with salad and nice bread

Also, most vegetables can easily be microwaved. Just put in a bowl with a couple of teaspoons of water, cover with clingfilm, punch a hole or two and microwave for between 3-7 minutes depending on what you're having. eg frozen veg take about 3-5 minutes depending on how many you're doing. I saw Jamie Oliver microwave a whole aubergine once - I think for about 10 minutes. Jacket potatoes can be microwaved as is, or cook the potatoes then scoop out flesh to make mash (or peel and then microwave).

I had another idea ( I seem to be taking this as a challenge!? )

Poached fish. If you bring the poaching liquid up to boiling point in the microwave, then immediately transfer to something with a tight fitting lid, you can drop the fish in and let it cook in there. From memory, it takes between 5-7 minutes with no additional heat source required? Also, I think those bags the supermarket sends fish in can be put in the microwave or oven and there's often instructions for how long to cook it (or ask the fishmonger on the counter). Certainly, DH, who can't cook, has been left by me with those bags and instructions to just stick in the oven for x amount of time.