THE ELECTRIC KITCHEN
Microwave speeds dinner prep on busy weeknights
Finding a quick and easy recipe for a weeknight dinner is a task that sometimes feels like "Mission: Impossible."
To help, we gathered up a few recipes that truly are easy to prepare and taste good, too.
Double the recipes to allow for leftovers and you'll have two meals done! For the Quick Corn Chowder, complete the meal with a simple tossed salad or a sandwich. Leftover Quick Microwaved Chicken tastes great on top of a salad for the next day's lunch or dinner. And the Microwaved Tofu Turkey Hash tastes great when reheated the next day.
Quick Microwaved Chicken
3 pounds chicken thighs
1 envelope (0.7 ounce) Italian salad dressing mix
1 tablespoon hot water
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons salad oil
Place chicken, skin side down, in a 2-quart baking dish. Cover with waxed paper. Cook in microwave oven on high power 8 minutes. Turn chicken pieces.
Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on high 8 more minutes.
Uncover and cook 2 more minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (using chicken with bone and skin): 360 calories, 23 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 525 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 30 g protein.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (using boneless chicken): 440 calories, 29 g total fat, 7 g saturated fat, 150 mg cholesterol, 550 mg sodium, 4 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 4 g sugar, 39 g protein.
Microwave Tofu Turkey Hash
6 shiitake mushrooms, soaked
1 block (20 ounces) soft tofu, cut in half lengthwise
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound ground turkey
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
Dash of garlic salt
Dash of pepper
Remove and discard mushroom stems; sliver caps.
Drain tofu well; place in bottom of a microwave-safe dish. Pour soy sauce over tofu.
Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over tofu and pat lightly. Cover and microwave on high 10 minutes, until turkey is cooked. Serves 6.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving: 250 calories, 15 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 500 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 1 g sugar, 26 g protein.
Quick Corn Chowder
1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 can (16 ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) cream of mushroom soup
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) cream of potato soup
2-1/2 cups milk
In a large pot, brown bacon. Add onion; sauté until lightly browned.
Add broth, corn, soups and milk. Bring to boil; lower heat and simmer about 15 minutes. Serves 10.
Approximate nutritional analysis, per serving (not including salt to taste): 170 calories, 10 g total fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 900 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 5 g protein.
Hawaiian Electric Co. presents this weekly collection of recipes as a public service. Many are drawn from HECO's database of recipes, accessible online at
www.heco.com.