FROZEN SOLUTIONS
Jared Soares/Kansan
Frozen foods are a cheap and easy alternative to cooking for some college students.
If it's a late night and ordering food is out of the question, then a hearty, frozen meal could be your ticket to hunger paradise. Here's a collection of tasty frozen dinners to keep you happy and your stomach full.
Stouffer's Homestyle Entrée
The zesty flavor of barbecue sauce is paired with rich and creamy cheddar cheese in this Stouffer's chicken breast tenders dinner. The chicken tenders smothered in barbecue sauce and the side dish, a cheddar potato bake with bits of bacon, compliment each other in the perfect "I don't feel like cooking" meal. The potato bake couldn't come any closer to home — it even has a crumb topping. To get an extra serving of veggies, add a side salad or green beans with a dash of Worcestershire sauce for added kick.
—Amanda Wolfe
Healthy Choice Supreme French Bread Pizza The old-fashioned goodness of grade-
frozen wonder neatly wrapped in a little green box. The sausage, reduced-fat pepperoni, nonfat and reduced-fat moz-
school hot lunch is back, and it even says "healthy" on the box. Healthy Choice Supreme French Bread Pizza is a
zarella cheese and vegetables don't sound that healthy, but indeed they are. With only 5 grams of fat and 360 calories, this French bread pizza can be ready in minutes and made into a meal by adding a small salad. These are good for lunches on-the-go or light dinners. This frozen dinner is a great choice among personal-size, healthy pizzas.
—Meghan Erwin
Totino's Pepperoni Supreme Pizza Rolls
Totino's Pizza Rolls walk a strange line between food and snack. They're perfect for watching a basketball game or a movie but can also work for a good, quick meal. They bake to a golden brown, and are shaped vaguely like pieces of fried ravioli. Inside, though, they contain small chunks of pepperoni, onion and celery much like, as their name implies, a rolled-up pizza. One package usually contains 16 pieces, so you can decide if you want a snack or a meal.
Patrick Cady
The spice is right Add some flavor by the pinch or pound
By Meghan Erwin merwin@kansan.com Jayplay writer
Go ahead and add a little spice to your life. By adding some simple herbs and spices to your daily meals you can create delicious, flavorful dishes with a shake of the wrist.
Spices are pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots, seeds or stems of various plants and trees. They are available in both whole and ground forms.
You're probably familiar with common spices, such as ginger, cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Used to enhance a variety of foods, spices can add zing and bite to bland dishes.
Ground ginger is fantastic with soy sauce and can add a subtle hint of flavor to many salad dressings and marinades. Cinnamon and nutmeg are more commonly used in sweet dishes but can add just the right touch of sweetness to savory chilis and stews.
Be aware that ground spices lose their flavor and should be stored in airtight containers in a cool, dark place for no longer than six months.
and have a stronger, more concentrated flavor. Like ground spices, they should be stored in airtight containers to maintain the longest shelf life.
Herbs, usually the leaves of small plants, also come in fresh and dried forms. When buying fresh herbs, select ones that have a clean, fresh fragrance and are bright in color. Store fresh herbs in the refrigerator wrapped in damp paper towels inside re-sealable plastic bags.
Fresh herbs, such as basil and
Spices are pungent or aromatic seasonings obtained from the bark, buds, fruit, roots seeds or stems of various plants and trees. They are available in both whole and ground forms.
parsley, jazz up salad with flavor not found in everyday greens and lettuce.
Dried herbs are available year round
Oregano is one of the most common types of dried herbs. It is best paired with tomato-, egg- or cheese-based dishes.
For a quick and delicious veggie sauté, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add finely chopped garlic and a pinch of dried oregano. Add your favorite variety of fresh or frozen veggies to
create a healthy, flavorful dish. But be careful when adding the dried oregano. Dried herbs tend to be more potent than
fresh and a little really does go a long way.
One of my favorite flavor enhancers is crushed red pepper flakes. Add it to eggs, tomato sauces, steamed veggies and of course, top your pizza with crushed red pepper flakes for a little extra kick. Infuse hot red pepper flakes to hot olive oil and you have an instant sauce to top off your pasta. But be sure to know your own heat tolerance because these little flakes can get pretty heated.
Whether herb or spice, anyone can add more flavor to everyday meals. The hard part is deciding which spice or herb to try next.
For a low cost approach to experimenting with new herbs and spices try The Community Mercantile, 901 Iowa St. It carries a wide variety of dried herbs and spices. And because they come in bulk you can literally buy a pinch at a time.
(Some of the information about spices and herbs was found at www.foodtv.com.)
6 jayplay
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thursday, october 16, 2003