Your Go-To Foods For When You Lack Inspiration?

[shootthebandit]

Stir fry

Put meat in a wok (I recommend pork belly although any meat will do)
Put noodles the wok
Put vegetables in the wok (I recommend mixed peppers and onions but anything will do)
Put sauce in wok

Its easy, tasty and contains protein (meat), carbs (noodles) and veggy goodness.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Empanadas. Easy to make, cheap, taste great and you can fill them with pretty much whatever.
Here's a pic of the last batch I made. I filled them with quince cheese that one time but you get the idea, they all look the same from the outside anyway. These I coated with sugar, hence the glisten.

Oh my GOD, that looks tasty! They kinda look like pirozhki, don't they? I've made those a few times, and I usually fill them with mince meat. Do you deep-fry them, or are they made in the oven?

Strictly oven. I spread about a teaspoon of oil on the tray so they won't stick, but that's it. Some people deep-fry them but I think it's too unhealthy to do it that way.

These look amazing. Do you have a recipe? I need to expand my repertoire and these are very much up my alley.

I don't know how popular these are around your neck of the woods but where I live you can just buy the frozen tapas/tortillas (a small circle of dough) and use whatever you want as filling. The most common are mincemeat, ham & cheese, corn, tuna, veggies, etc. or as pictured above something sweet like quince cheese or sweet potato jam. I wouldn't know how to make the tapa myself, I don't think anyone besides bakers do anyway. You can buy them cheaply by the dozen in any supermarket.

Basically spread the tortilla, put one or two spoonfuls of filling on the upper half and fold the lower half over it. Moisten the rims with some water so the ends will stick together, then press them shut with a fork. Something very important: puncture the empanada with a knife or fork, so hot air can blow through rather than blow the empanda up. If you're feeling like a pro coat the outside with egg yolk, it'll harden it and give it a nice glow as well. Place the empandas on a tray with some oil spread through it so they won't stick, put it in the oven and from thereon it's basically up to your oven's firepower but generally speaking they cook quickly, like 10 or 15 minutes.

 

[Generalissimo]

toasted sandwhiches. throw whatever you can scrape out of the cupboards between two slices of bread, grill it and there you go. there's sooooo many combinations and experimenting with flavours is an experience enjoyable by all.

 

[Rob Robson]

Pork with wok'd baby corn, bamboo shoots and onions on a bed of umami rice with soy sauce.
Bacon or chili hot dogs when I'm in a rush
Spaghetti whenever I feel like hating myself.
Medium rare steak with cream gratinated potatoes
Chicken soup

Though the former wins in frequency, looking at my shockingly diminishing rice supply. Cooked about 3 KG of rice in just two weeks.

 

[Varrdy]

I simply take one take-away menu and a phone...

 

[Relish in Chaos]

When I can?t think of anything else (or there?s actually nothing else in the house), I normally just cook noodles (takes about five minutes), maybe with chicken slices or some satays to compliment it. As for ingredients, I drizzle sweet chilli sauce on damn near everything.

 

[[Kira Must Die]]

Omelettes. Usually I'll have bacon, eggs, and cheese lying around.

 

[Foolery]

Rice and vegetables. Usually with some kind of meat. Chicken, shrimp, beef, etc. I cook a pot of rice the night before. And add it to stir fried vegetables usually seasoned with a bit of soy sauce, coconut sugar, and garlic powder or ginger.

 

[Robert Marrs]

A claussen pickle or subway. If I HAVE to actually cook something its usually something like Ramen. I can cook and I'm actually pretty good at it. I'm just lazy.

 

[Alexei F. Karamazov]

Empanadas. Easy to make, cheap, taste great and you can fill them with pretty much whatever.

Given your current country of residence, I find that pretty fitting. The empanadas I've made were exceptionally delicious, though it's been a few months since I've last made them due to the death of my oven. I should really look into that at some point...

OT: Mostly green stuff. I just look into my fridge and see if I've got any spinach, romaine, kale, etc, and eat that by the fistful. Polish that off with some form of protein, and some manner of fruit. As others have said, eggs are quick and easy as well!

 

[Beffudled Sheep_v1legacy]

When I can't think of anything to make I usually go for a quick, easy, and cheap burger or a not so quick but still tasty and cheap veggie soup.
My veggie soup is vegetable broth, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, red and green bell peppers, the seeds from those peppers (for some small kick), chives, mushrooms, and some whole dried red chili peppers for even more kick and flavor.
Oh and a nice helping of salt too, can't ever forget the salt.

I usually make about a weeks worth of soup per batch.

 

[Artina89]

Chickpea tabbouleh. It is quick, simple and healthy and you just need some chickpeas and assorted veggies, and I usually have enough to put in a whole wheat tortilla or pitta bread and I also have lunch sorted out for the next day. Another easy favourite of mine is brown rice and assorted veggies (usually chilli's, bell peppers, mushrooms, and spring onion), which is what I had for lunch today incidentally enough.

 

[stroopwafel]

Some of my personal favorites that are easy to make are noodles mixed with paprika, shrooms and ham(or bacon cut in tiny pieces) or chicken and tofu with a separate cup of soy sauce mixed with a bit of yoghurt and sesame seasoning and emping and cassave chips on the side. Another is pasta with self-made meatballs, oregano, tomato sauce, fresh basilicum and rasped cheese. Most of these ingredients I buy from this local Italian delicacy shop. Much better quality and better taste than supermarkets.

I also like to make white rice with a separate sauce of beans, corn, meat and tomatos with separate guacamole and tortilla chips. What I also think is delicious is to boil potatoes in a pot than let them cool off and bake them in a pan combined with a cooked saucage and a salad of lettuce or ruccola, dried tomatoes and a dressing of mayo and yoghurt with a few drops of lemon vinegar. Though that's probably a bit more work.

I also really like to make my own pizza. Just buy a pizza bottom and put your own fresh ingredients on them. Can be anything from ham, pineapple, tuna fish, aubergine, paprika, shrooms etc. Delicious and healthy! I also really like scrambled eggs with bacon though I prefer that in the weekend as a (late) breakfast.

For ideas I also recommend walking into your local delicacy shop. They have really good stuff so just...get creative. I also recommend to always use fresh ingredients, none of these prefabbed crap that not only tastes like shit but is also not as healthy. I'd advise against skipping meals though(being hungry probably won't do your mood much good), espescially breakfast as that is the most important meal of the day.

 

[TheRiddler]

Really depends on how hungry I am. If it's just a snack, a banana and some peanuts will do in a pinch. As for an actual meal... there are generally some eggs and bread lying around. I scramble the eggs with some chopped onion and chile peppers and make a sandwich with whatever veggies are available. If I have meat, usually pastrami or turkey, that goes in too.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

Jacket (Baked, for you Yank types) potato with baked beans and cheese! It takes 10 minutes to make, and is one of my favourite meals. Usually with a garnish of mixed lettuce and cucumber as that is what I tend to have in the fridge.

This is rare that I do this though, as, because I am in the military all my meals are cooked for me and supplied in the building I live in. We have a choice of 3 core meals every day, and have a 'retail menu' with other a la carte dishes on. I can't actually cook, and don't have access to kitchen equipment, so the only time I need to prepare a meal is if I am at my parents and they have gone out... This means I will nearly always get a take-away or make a jacket potato.

 

[SirDerpy]

Well, if I'm not drowning in sloth, I have eggs fried with soy sauce, along with miso soup and either plain toast or fried bread, depending on how lazy I am.

If I'm really feeling tired, I make noodles with leftover pork broth from the previous day.

If I'm not even hungry, I'll go with a few poached eggs and pepper sandwiches.

 

[game-lover]

Uh... Well, it varies.

When I'm not especially hungry or just barely away from being lazy enough to go without food, I can fall back on hot dogs or sammies. Not very creative but I don't mind. Or noodles. Noodles are also good.

If there's just nothing I can find to eat, I find myself going into what are known as my concoctions. Which can be about anything.

Stir fry, burrito varieties, chicken dishes, particularly of the wing variety. Fish, usually baked.

 

[Alleged_Alec]

I have a few of those:

Pasta pesto. Basically: cut chicken filet, bake with bell peppers and courgette add green pesto add pasta and done.
Pasta tuna. Get some tuna canned in oil. Use the oil to fry some bell peppers in a pan, add pasta and tune, give it some heat, add a good amount of black pepper, some salt to taste.
Noodles. cut some chicken, stir-fry with vegetables you like, with some cut chilli if you think it needs extra heat. Mix together around a 50-50 mixture of a Thai chili sauce, add some lemon juice and tomato pasta. While doing this, also get ready any kind of noodles you like. Add the noodles and the sauce to the pan, mix it up and start eating immediately.