Tasty Shortcut Dinner Delights! Flavor-Boosting Recipes For Chicken, Spaghetti and Salad Bowls

As we’ve learned over decades spent in the kitchen, there’s something about home-cooked food that makes it that much more delicious. We also know that there are days, or even weeks, when we simply can’t cook from scratch. Enter the new cookbook Homemade-ish, which has a solution. “Somewhere between totally scratch cooking and restaurant-made fare exists this easy, breezy in-between place where food can be anything you want it to be,” says author Lauren McDuffie. These recipes use fresh foods alongside shortcut flavor boosters that make cooking easier and more fun. Enjoy!

Creamy Corn and Salad Bowls

(Serves 4)

2 tbsp. olive oil
4 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 red chilies, sliced (optional)
1 cup frozen, canned or fresh corn kernels
1 (15 oz.) can cream-style corn
1 to 1 1⁄2 cups milk, half-and-half or coconut milk
1 cup instant polenta or grits
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
4 skinless salmon fillets

Directions:

1. With oven rack at top, heat broiler to high.
2. Melt oil and 2 tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium. Add next 4 ingredients; cook 2 min. Season. Stir in cream corn. Reduce heat to low, add 1⁄2 to 2⁄3 cup milk and simmer.
3. Cook polenta by directions, using stock. Add 1⁄2 to 1 cup milk, then remaining butter.
4. Cut salmon into bite-size pieces and place on a greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Broil 7 to 8 min.
5. Spoon polenta into 4 bowls. Top with corn sauce, salmon and chopped herbs, if desired.

PER SERVING: 535 cal, 26g protein, 54g carbs, 3g fiber, 3g sugar, 26g fat.

Spatchcocked Chicken Marbella

(Serves 4)

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 whole chicken, spatchcocked
8 oz. prunes
8 oz. pitted green olives, drained
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1⁄3 cup plus 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1⁄2 cup white wine

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large, deep, ovenproof pan over high. Season
chicken. Brown, skin-side down, 6 to 8 min. Transfer to a platter.
2. While chicken is browning, combine 4 prunes, 1⁄2 cup olives, 1 garlic clove, 1 tbsp. oil and 1 tbsp. vinegar in a food processor. Process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.
3. Reduce heat on stove to medium. Stir wine, 1⁄3 cup vinegar, 3 smashed garlic cloves and remaining prunes and olives into pan. Stir in 1 tbsp. prune paste. Scrape up browned bits on bottom of pan; cook 3 to 4 min.
4. Transfer chicken to pan, skin-side up, and slather remaining paste over top. Roast 15 min. Reduce oven to 350°F; roast 18 to 20 min. more, or until chicken is done.
5. Serve with pan sauce, garnished with fresh herbs, if desired.

PER SERVING: 633 cal, 22g protein, 45g carbs, 9g fiber, 19g sugar, 43g fat.

Spaghetti With Sausage Ragu

(Serves 4)

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
8 oz. mini sweet peppers, trimmed, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, quartered
2 tsp. chicken or beef stock concentrate
6 oz. tomato paste
1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1⁄2 cup grated Parmesan
3⁄4 lb. spaghetti

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high. Add sausage, breaking it up and spreading it out in a big layer. Cook 5 min., until very browned and crusty on bottom.
2. Combine veggies in a food processor; pulse to a pulp.
3. Add pulp, stock concentrate and tomato paste to pan. Season. Cook 5 min.
4. Add crushed tomatoes and Parmesan. Simmer while you cook pasta to al dente according to directions. Transfer cooked, drained pasta into skillet with sauce and toss to coat. Serve with fresh basil and extra Parmesan, if desired.

PER SERVING: 560 cal, 24g protein, 88g carbs, 9g fiber, 14g sugar, 14g fat.