To Our Readers: The operating principle of Team Crave is “Keep it Simple.” We tend to favor recipes that an average home cook with average abilities can pull off with average ingredients from an average grocery store. We do aim higher at least once per edition, because many of our readers do appreciate a challenge, but for the most part we are reality cooks. Yet the most common complaint we get is that our recipes still aren’t suited to busy weeknights.
So today we launch a new feature, “Easy-Kine Cooking,” centered on recipes that get a headstart from convenience foods, to make them doable on busy weeknights. “Easy-Kine” is written by Lynette Lo Tom, a Crave regular with her monthly column “Back in the Day.” It will run on the last page of the section three weeks per month, closing out each edition with something truly friendly.
Other changes in Crave:
>> “Health Options,” which moved to Crave just a few months ago, is on the move again, going into a new section, Extra Health, which debuts Jan. 15 in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
>> “Grab & Go,” a feature on takeout dining, returns after a hiatus of several months, in the hands of a new contributor, Karen Iwamoto. Look for her debut next week.
—
When you get home late and the children are starving, cooking can seem quite the chore, making you wonder how this duty can be less stressful. I hope to give you some answers with “Easy-Kine Cooking,” a regular column of recipes that are simple, fast and tasty.
The premise: There is no shame in taking shortcuts such as buying precooked, canned, presliced ingredients or packaged mixes to quickly produce a satisfying meal.
When I was growing up, my mother put a good dinner on the table every night for our family of seven. It wasn’t always fancy. Sometimes it was the simplest food like her creamed tuna on toast (or rice or macaroni).
The basics: This had to be one of the easiest dinners as it involved nothing more than opening three cans and cooking a starch of your choice.
My mother would warm up a can of cream of mushroom soup, a drained can of tuna and the peas from a can, with half of the pea liquid. She would then ladle it out over toast, rice or macaroni and we’d be satisfied.
Sometimes the tuna would be accompanied by a salad. It was just a simple dinner to fill up the kids.
Variations: Some families would dress up this dish by topping it with crushed potato chips or minced parsley. It’s not naturally attractive, because canned peas are a dull green and the mushroom soup and tuna are dull, too. But you could update this 1960s classic by using frozen peas for their texture and bright color and by paying more for high-quality tuna, such as the Italian or Spanish brands sold in gourmet markets.
Not fond of peas? Substitute blanched cut asparagus, canned corn or lima beans.
Easy-kine eats!
CREAMED TUNA
By Lynette Lo Tom
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 (4 to 5.5-ounce) can tuna in oil, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can peas, drained, with liquid retained, or 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
- 1/2 cup water (if using frozen peas)
- >> Optional garnish: 1 teaspoon minced parsley or 1/2 cup crushed potato chips
In a skillet or saucepan over medium, heat undiluted soup, tuna, canned peas and half the liquid from the peas. If using frozen peas, add with water (more or less to reach the consistency you like). Heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
Serve over toast, rice or a short pasta such as macaroni. Serves 2.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including garnishes): 400 calories, 13 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 2,000 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 10 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 25 g protein.
“Easy Kine” features simple dishes that start with commercially prepared ingredients. Lynette Lo Tom is excited to hear your tried-and-true suggestions. Contact her at 275-3004, email lynette@brightlightcookery.com or via instagram at @brightlightcookery.
