It’s probably safe to say that most of us have cooked more over the last eight weeks, than we have all year – I know that is true for me! Although I enjoy cooking, I want it to be quick and easy.
Here are some of The BELLA Team’s quick, easy, favorite quarantine meals.
We hope you will try some!
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Vanessa Coppes, BELLA CEO + EIC
Tuna Steak + Quinoa
This recipe is so easy + so fast (my two favorites) to make, your family will be singing praises even post quarantine. Tuna steak, quinoa + avocados on the side with lime juice, EVOO + garlic salt -because avocados make everything taste better. Period.
Cooking Notes
Marinate the steak first (recipe below) and then proceed to cook the quinoa. For how to cook the quinoa, look on the box, that’s what I did. Prepare + enjoy. Seriously the best tuna you’ll ever have.
Recipe By: LINKYJ
“This mixture of orange juice, soy sauce, and garlic gives this marinade a wonderful taste.”
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 (4 ounce) tuna steaks
Directions
- In a large non-reactive dish, mix together the orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in the marinade and turn to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat grill for high heat.
- Lightly oil grill grate. Cook the tuna steaks for 5 to 6 minutes, then turn and baste with the marinade. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, or to desired doneness. Discard any remaining marinade.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2020 Allrecipes.com
Homemade Brooklyn-Style Pizza
- Preheat your oven to 475 degrees
- 1 lb ball of dough at room temperature ( Bought or homemade)
- lightly flour a board or counter
- gently stretch out the dough, press it down with your fingers a little at a time, take your time, so you don’t make holes in the dough
- put the dough on your pizza stone (or tray)
- drizzle a little EVOO on the dough
- sprinkle about 1/4 tsp of garlic powder and oregano and crushed red pepper flakes on the dough
- generously put on on fresh spinach ( I buy the organic leaves in a bag)
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- 1 finely sliced medium onion
- 11/2 cups cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1/4 cup grated cheese sprinkled all over
- salt & Pepper to taste
- drizzle a little more EVOO
- 6-8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
- Put everything on the pizza except the mozzarella and put in the oven for 10 minutes
- take it out and sprinkle on the mozzarella cheese
- put back in the oven for approximately 8 – 12 minutes depending on your oven
- the cheese will melt, and the crust will be golden brown
Spicy Buffalo Chicken Bites
- Flour
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Cut up chicken breast
- Breadcrumbs
- Olive oil
- Buffalo sauce
- Bbq sauce
Directions
- Mix flour with salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add pre-cut chicken breast pieces to the mixture. Toss until the chicken is thoroughly coated and then cover with breadcrumbs.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet on a high heat and fry on one side until golden brown. Flip the pieces over and brown the other side. Pour in buffalo sauce of choice and a little bit of bbq sauce of choice. Heat for another few minutes.
- Turn to a low simmer and cover skillet. Let sit for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve with celery, blue cheese (cocktail optional.)
Easy Shrimp Scampi
- Frozen jumbo pre-cooked shrimp ( cleaned and de-veined)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Lemon Pepper Spice
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 425. Place thawed jumbo shrimp in a bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter pour over the shrimp and add an equal amount of olive oil. Toss with salt and pepper.
- Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for five minutes. Open oven and sprinkle on lots of Parmesan cheese and then bake for another 3 minutes. (Or until the cheese starts to brown and crisp a little).
- Take out of the oven and serve over cauliflower rice for a low-carb meal!
- Enjoy!
Lauren Vena, BELLA Cover + Features Makeup Artist
Vena’s Home Brew Chili
My husband, Joe, likes to homebrew beer. Since we are under quarantine, there is nothing better than sipping on our homemade beer while cooking my chili recipe that calls for a bottle of the Vena brew. So here it is. I hope you like it.
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 onion diced
- 1 29oz can kidney beans, undrained
- 1 29 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 can pinto beans, undrained
- 2 Cups Venas Home Brew
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt & black pepper
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat
- Crumble ground beef into the skillet
- add chopped onion
- cook until beef is brown (7-10 minutes)
- drain excess grease
- Transfer beef to a slow cooker
- Stir in tomato sauce, kidney beans, beer, diced tomatoes. green chilies, chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper and stir it all together
- Cook on high 4 – 5 hours
- Serve with Vena’s Home Brew and enjoy it!
Michele DiNardo, BELLA West Coast Editor
Ina Garten’s French Apple Tart
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 cup ice water
For the Apples:
- 4 Granny Smith apples
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter, small-diced
- 1/2 cup apricot jelly or warm sieved apricot jam
- 2 tablespoons Calvados, rum, or water
Directions
- For the pastry, place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse for a few seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas. With the motor running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse just until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a floured board and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Roll the dough slightly larger than 10 x 14 inches. Using a ruler and a small knife, trim the edges. Place the dough on the prepared sheet pan and refrigerate while you prepare the apples.
- Peel the apples and cut them in half through the stem. Remove the stems and cores with a sharp knife and a melon baller. Slice the apples crosswise in ¼-inch-thick slices. Place overlapping slices of apples diagonally down the middle of the tart and continue making diagonal rows on both sides of the first row until the pastry is covered with apple slices. (I tend not to use the apple ends in order to make the arrangement beautiful.) Sprinkle with the full ½ cup sugar and dot with the butter.
- Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Rotate the pan once during cooking. If the pastry puffs up in one area, cut a little slit with a knife to let the air out. Don’t worry! The apple juices will burn in the pan but the tart will be fine! When the tart’s done, heat the apricot jelly together with the Calvados and brush the apples and the pastry completely with the jelly mixture. Loosen the tart with a metal spatula so it doesn’t stick to the paper. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
Clearly mine didn’t look as pretty as Inna’s, but believe it or not, even with the uh, ‘well done’ apples, it was DELICIOUS. I added cinnamon on the bottom half for my mom. (I can’t believe I’m allowing this photo to be posted, holy smoke.)
Janene Mascarella, BELLA Beauty Director
Rosemary & Cheddar Drop Biscuits
It’s easy like a Sunday morning! I love making these on Sundays when the kids are still sleeping and they wake up to warm biscuits. Pretty much as close to a Martha Stewart moment as I get! They take only about 15 minutes and super simple and really good!
Ingredients
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 1/4 cups Original Bisquick mix
- 2/3″ cup of milk
- Half a cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions
- Heat oven to 450°F.
- Stir Bisquick mix, rosemary, milk, and cheese until soft dough forms. Drop dough by 9 spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir together butter , a little more Rosemary and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits.
Easy Healthy 3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes
- 1 egg
- 1 banana
- 1 tbs peanut butter (or nut butter)
- optional: 1 scoop protein powder or a handful of chocolate chips
- Mash banana in a bowl.
- Add egg and peanut butter and mix.
- Oil hot skillet and add batter (makes approx four small pancakes).
- Flip when golden brown and enjoy!
- You can top with more chocolate chips, peanut butter, or sprinkles!
Aunt Elizabeths Broccoli Dip
Ingredients
- 3 stalks of celery, chopped medium-fine
- ½ large chopped onion
- 1 small can of mushrooms (pieces or button)
- 1 24-ounce package of frozen chopped broccoli
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
- 1 roll of garlic cheese
Directions
- Sauté celery, onion, and mushroom pieces in butter or oleo.
- Cook broccoli as directed on package and drain well.
- Add mushroom soup to the above ingredients.
- Melt cheese in a double boiler.
- Optional addition: almonds
- Combine all in a chafing dish to serve as a dip with Fritos, Doritos, etc. or to put into miniature pastry shells or toast cups. You could also serve this as a vegetable. This dip freezes beautifully.
Cooking Notes
Variation: I usually double all the ingredients for this recipe. For garlic cheese, use 1 pound of 2% light Velveeta and one heaping teaspoon of minced roasted garlic from a jar. No need for the double boiler; just add the Velveeta in chunks, and it melts fine. Cook on the stovetop and serve warm.
Stuffed Pepper Bake
Ingredients
- Large assorted peppers (I like yellow and orange)
- Rice (brown or white, your preference)
- Canned corn
- Canned black beans
- Salsa
- Shredded cheese
- Hot sauce (if you like spice)
Directions
- Cut ends off of peppers and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake at about 400 degrees.
- Meanwhile, cook rice.
- When rice is done, add corn and beans to the same pot. Stir to combine.
- Stir in salsa (as much as desired) and hot sauce (same, if desired)
- Once peppers are lightly softened (I look for a little visible roasting) remove from oven and fill with rice mixture. Add remaining rice mixture to the baking sheet around the peppers.
- Top stuffed peppers and surrounding rice with a little salsa and cheese.
- Return to over to bake until cheese is melted.
- Enjoy!
Cooking Notes
A lot of this recipe is based in preference, so you can’t mess it up! Add other veggies if you like, load up on cheese, add a little taco seasoning (I do sometimes) whatever!
Jennifer Capella, BELLA Cover + Features Hair Stylist
Grilled Chicken Quinoa & Spinach
Since this whole crisis began, I have been focused on my health and not gaining the quarantine extra 20!I am using the time that I have now to make positive changes. With the help of my trainer, I started to meal prep every day. This, along with working out, has helped me to lose weight, inches, and feel great. This is my favorite meal prep recipe!
Meal Prep Items
- Spinach
- Carrots Celery
- Quinoa
- Onions
- Broccoli
- Sliced cooked chicken breast
Ingredients
- 3-4 0z grilled chicken breast
- 1 cup steamed spinach
- 1/3 cup quinoa
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 Tablespoon of low-fat Italian dressing
Directions
- Lay the chicken over the steamed spinach.
- Drizzle on the low-fat dressing.
- Serve quinoa on the side.
Penguin Random House Cookbook, FAMILY MEAL: Recipes from Our Community
In the spirit of recipes, cooking with or for family, + giving back during these trying times, BELLA would also like to recognize a cookbook with a cause. In an effort to help one of the many industries that has been devastated in recent weeks by the deadly coronavirus pandemic, Penguin Random House is releasing a digital-only cookbook, the proceeds of which will benefit restaurants and their workers. The book, FAMILY MEAL: Recipes from Our Community, features more than 50 recipes by chefs and home cooks who are published by various imprints at Penguin Random House. FAMILY MEAL will aid U.S. restaurants—featuring a star-studded lineup of celebrity chefs and bakers , including Bobby Flay, Kristin Cavallari, Danny Trejo, and more. All proceeds go toward the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Fund.
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