Island Parent Magazine Winter 2023

WHAT’SFORDINNER
Wholesome
Dinners in
a Hurry!
We’ve all had it happen to us. Those nights where we
forgot to plan for dinner, ran out of time or didn’t
have a chance to pick up groceries. While takeout is
an option, it isn’t really that quick, easy or healthy. You have
to figure out how long will it take to get your order. The choice
between going to pick it up or wait for it to be delivered.
Instant dinners and fast food are high in salt, sugar, carbs
and trans fats. Low in everything we need for a wholesome
diet, namely vegetables and whole grains.
Here are three meals that truly take only 30 minutes to
make. They are made with pantry staples so you can turn to
them no matter what else is going on in your busy day. Best of
all, they are SIMPLE. So you can take a deep breath at the end
of a busy day and enjoy a healthy meal.
Super Nachos
Homemade nachos are a great way to sneak in extra vegetables and
protein. The refried bean “sauce” is what makes these nachos super! It
also is a great way of hiding all those extra vegetables.
5 spring onions 1 green pepper
1 red pepper 3 Roma tomatoes
1 bag of corn chips 1 can of refried beans
1 cup of water 2 to 3 cups of grated cheese
Salsa, guacamole and sour cream
Preheat the oven to 400˚F.
Finely slice the spring onions. Dice the peppers. Slice the Roma tomatoes
in half. Remove the seeds, then dice the tomato flesh.
Spread the corn chips out on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover with the
vegetables. Pop the baking sheet in the oven for 7 minutes, to lightly
cook the vegetables, while you prepare the refried bean sauce.
Scrape the refried beans out into a bowl. Add 1 cup of boiling water
and stir to mix thoroughly. It should be a thick, white sauce-like consistency.
You may need to add more water, depending on the consistency
of the refried beans.
Pull the corn chips out of the oven. Spread the refried bean sauce
over the whole sheet. It doesn’t need to be in an even thin layer. The
sauce softens the corn chips, so it’s actually nice to have some chips
without the refried beans so they are crunchy.
Cover the whole baking tray in cheese. Pop the baking sheet under a
broiler, and cook until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Veggie-Packed Frittata
Though eggs are thought of as breakfast, there’s no reason not to make
them for dinner! Packed with protein and quick to make, they are the
perfect go-to dinner. Try fried egg sandwiches or scrambled eggs on
toast with a salad.
This particular dish is a cross between a traditional frittata and a
quiche. It skips the added milk so that it cooks up quicker. It’s a simplified
version that makes it a perfect stress-free dinner.
1 small onion 1 red pepper
1 small zucchini 1 Tbsp butter
8 eggs 3 ⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp ground black pepper 1⁄2 cup grated cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 375˚F.
Finely dice the onion and pepper. Grate or finely slice the zucchini.
I find grated zucchini tends to disappear in dishes, making it more kidfriendly.
Heat the butter in a large, oven-safe frying pan. Add the vegetables
and sauté for 5 minutes, until softened. Remove from the heat.
Beat the eggs, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.
Pour the eggs over top of the cooked vegetables, in the hot frying
pan. Stir once to make sure everything is evenly mixed. Top with the
grated cheese.
Place the frying pan in the oven and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until
the cheese is melted and the eggs are set. Serve immediately with
slices of toast.
Emillie Parrish loves having adventures with her
two busy children. You can find more of her recipes
in her recently released cookbook Fermenting Made
Simple. fermentingforfoodies.com
26 Island Parent Magazine IslandParent.ca