For many people the challenge in preparing a meal comes from following the detailed cooking instructions: “bake for 30 minutes per pound,” “sauté until tender,” or, my favorite: “chicken is done when the juices run clear.” If you can’t cook a 3 minute egg, even with an atomic clock, no need to despair. There are plenty of fun, inexpensive meals that don’t require a degree in chemistry or engineering to make. Think “assembly” instead of “cooking”.

The common feature all these dishes have is that you don’t have to fuss over a stove or oven, worrying about the proper cooking temperature, time or when to add a specific ingredient. In addition to being low-stress preparations for you, these meals are ideal for training young chefs.

Sandwiches
Throw out your old ideas of traditional sandwiches. At its most basic level, a sandwich is something you can eat with your hands, consisting of some type of outer carrier (like bread) and some type of inner filling (like peanut butter or ham and cheese).

Sliced Bread Alternatives
Pita wraps, Tortillas, French Rolls, Lettuce or Cabbage Leaves (think Asian wraps)

Sandwich Filling Ideas
Leftover meat, chicken or fish
Sliced vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, cucumber and carrots work best)
High protein spreads like hummus
Try olive oil, Italian spices, or pesto in place of traditional mustard and mayo.

Pre-sliced deli meat is the most expensive way to buy meat. If you really don’t want to cook, you are better off going to a store that sells cooked whole chicken or roasts and cutting them up at home. Occasionally, you can get a good deal on deli specials, but still ask them to slice your purchase when you choose it, rather than buying the pre-packaged meat or cheese.

Salads
Salads are so much more than iceberg lettuce and Thousand Island Dressing. One of the most interesting salads I ever had was an all meat salad. A salad is a collection of things tossed together with some type of dressing, usually served cold. It is another great way to utilize leftovers. You can use any type of vegetable, leafy green, fruit, pasta or grain as a base for a salad. If you are using uncooked vegetables, it is important they be as fresh as possible.

I prefer simple oil-based dressings with a little vinegar and seasoning to cream-based dressings. While I love all kinds of sauces, the heavier ones tend to overwhelm most salads. I always keep a jar of marinated sun-dried tomatoes in the refrigerator to add zest to my salads. Often my wife and I will make an entire meal of a fresh green salad. If you feel you need more substance, any cooked meat, chicken or fish can add body to your salad.

This salad can be enjoyed as a refreshing summer side dish or used as a dressing over fresh vegetables or your favorite mixed greens.

Crock Pots
Technically, using a crock pot falls into the same category of assembling food rather than cooking it. You just throw a bunch of stuff in the pot and let it cook for 4-6 hours. The key to making a stress-free crock-pot meal is the proper choice of ingredients. If your goal is to create a tasty “low-maintenance” dish, pick ingredients that won’t get easily overcooked. Choose carrots, potatoes, turnips and other root vegetables instead of tomatoes and leafy greens like spinach. Use fresh sources for seasoning (like garlic cloves instead of garlic powder) whenever possible. The beauty of cooking with a crock pot is that most of the recipes’ directions are all the same: “Put everything in the pot with some liquid and cook for 6 hours.”

Recipes
Most of us have a pretty good idea how to make a basic sandwich, salad or stew. Here are some “out of the box” recipes that give new twists to these standard fares.

Ginger Yogurt Salad
2 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon grated ginger
½ teaspoon minced green chili (jalapeno, Serrano or Chinese)
½ teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together and let stand in refrigerator for 1 hour before serving. The spiciness of the chili and ginger contrast nicely with the cooling, creaminess of the yogurt. This salad can serve as a stand-alone course, or as a topping for stir-fried vegetables or savory meats such as lamb.

Basic Wraps
1 large flour tortilla or sandwich wrap
5-6 spinach leaves
1 slice of red onion
4-5 slices of turkey
2-3 tablespoon of creamy salad dressing

Spread the salad dressing over the tortilla, all the way to the edge. Lay the spinach leaves on top of the dressing, leaving about ¾” of the tortilla exposed on one end.
Separate the sliced onion into rings and spread them on top of the spinach. Spread the sliced turkey on top of the onion and spinach.

Starting at the end where the spinach goes all the way to the edge of the tortilla, roll everything up. When you get to the end, the exposed tortilla and salad dressing will help “glue” the wrap shut. Wrap the finished sandwich wrap in clear plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. This will help the wrap stay together after you slice it. To serve, remove the plastic wrap and cut into sections about 2” wide.

As stated above, you can put virtually anything in a wrap and make a meal of it. Replace any item in this recipe with anything from the same general food group (i.e. any kind of meat, any kind of leafy vegetable, any kind of sauce) and create your own signature wrap.

Crock Pot Beef Roast with Cranberry Gravy
2 ½ pounds of boneless top round roast or beef brisket
1 16-ounce can of whole cranberry sauce
1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce
½ cup of chopped onion
1 tablespoon of mustard
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper


Rub meat with salt and pepper; place in a 5-qt. crock pot. Combine the cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, onion and mustard; pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat and slice thin. Skim fat from cooking juices; serve with meat.