One of the things you find when you are living in limited space is that you have limited space to store food. I know – DUH!

Due to a slight miscommunication on how many cans of black beans we really needed for Taco Stew, I had an extra can of them lying around, along with a pepper that really needed eating up. It was a little wrinkly for a salad, but would be just dandy if you were cooking it. I also had some rice on hand, because if you eat rice, you should always have some on hand.

So… Beans and Rice.

I haven’t been doing many (okay, any) vegetarian meals here, mostly because I am a carnivore, but there are some vegetarian meals I am fond of, and this is one. It’s easy, it’s quick, it’s healthy, and it’s tasty.

To make this meal, you will need:

• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Deep Skillet with a lid and heat source

One-Pan Beans and Rice

• 1 15 oz. can of Black beans (Don’t try dry beans here. Takes too long to cook)
• 2/3 c. rice
• 2 c. diced bell pepper. (I happened to have red. Any color is fine)
• ½ c. diced onion
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1 ½ c. stock (vegetable or chicken is fine. I used water and a bullion cube)
• 1 T Montreal Seasoning. No, stop looking at me like that. The heavy pepper is good and it’s versatile. If you don’t have room for a big spice rack, this is something you want on hand.
• 3 T olive oil

Heat the olive oil on medium high. Sauté the peppers, onions and garlic until the onions are translucent. Add the black beans and rice. Stir. Add stock and give it another good stir. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for ~20 minutes.

I had planned for leftovers. Looks like there won’t be any. Which, given the tiny fridge, I am actually just dandy with!

So, last week, I thought I’d try something with apples and leeks with pork in rosemary and red wine. Sounds great, right?

Well, that dish on top was what I did. I asked The Prince how he liked it and he shrugged. Since I’m making these meals at least in part because I want to post articles on my blog about them, I asked him what was wrong. His comment, “The pasta is okay and all, but you know that apples, onions and sweet potato dish you do in the Fall? I think that’s what this dish is really calling for.”

He was right.

The dish I do every fall? I slice apples, sweet potatoes, and onions, layer them in a dish with a bit of butter on top, cover, and bake. Delicious, and if you have an oven, I encourage you to try it. A friend of mine back over a decade ago brought it to a family meal once, and it really is very, very good.

Using The Prince’s inspiration, I adapted this to a one-skillet meal you’ll be sure to love. The pasta version is okay. The sweet potato version is All That’s Good About Fall is and like angels singing.

Equipment you’ll need:

• Deep Skillet with a cover.
• A source of heat that’s reliably even
• A sharp knife
• A Cutting board

Pork Chops Graced with Autumn Goodness

• 1 pork chop for each person you’re serving. They should be reasonably thick.
• 1 Medium apple, diced. I prefer the tartness of a Granny Smith to contrast with the sweetness of the sweet potato, but a firm, sweet apple would also be okay.
• 2 cups sliced leeks
• 2 cups sweet potato, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 T olive oil
• ¼ c red wine
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, or 2 T ground rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium. Add sweet potatoes and cook ~10 minutes, covered.

They should start to be softer around the edges but still firm. Add leeks and apple with rosemary and cook another 5-7 minutes covered until leeks become tender.

Add red wine and pork chops, sprinkling with salt and pepper. Cook about 3 minutes on a side until cooked through.

Serve.

(The Prince insists that I must add the caution that one should not count on leftovers)

The old induction hot plate died, and while I was really irritated, I cannot say that ultimately, I was totally sorry. I was in a small town with a small-town Target and just had to buy something for cooking. I bought an Oster 12″ Titanium Infused Electric Skillet. I don’t ordinarily recommend products on this blog, but this one has been a good one for the past couple of weeks. It heats evenly, the non-stick coating is the real thing, and doesn’t take up an inordinate amount of space. I would say the one disadvantage is that unlike a burner, you can’t heat water for tea in it, nor would it really be good if you wanted a meal in a pot rather than a pan. I use a kettle to heat water for my pour-overs and for tea, so this isn’t a big deal to me.

That said, it is deep and is large enough to cook ample meals even for people with hearty appetites.

This meal is based more on memories of rice pilaf. Honestly, it was more about trying to use up what was in the fridge than being all special with the cooking. I was using up some small peppers I’d intended as easy veggies for lunches but really needed eating up and weren’t going to withstand being in a bento in a backpack for a morning. It is also a good one if you like rice, but don’t have a separate pot or rice cooker

Sorta Pilaf

• 1 c. Rice
• 1 lb chicken, diced
• ½ c. broccoli crowns
• 1 c. sliced red peppers (look, I like red pepper and broccoli. It’s a thing. One firmer veggie and another more delicate veggie would work here)
• ½ c. diced celery
• ½ c. diced onions
• 3 T. Olive oil
• 2 T. Minced Garlic
• 1 ½ c stock (I used chicken, but anything flavorful should do)
• 2 t. ground sage
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté chicken and oil on medium for a few minutes until it starts turning white with a few pink spots still showing (I am sure there is a real culinary term for this. I just don’t know it). Add the onions and celery and sauté until the onions are tender and translucent. Add the uncooked rice, sage, and garlic, sautéing until the rice starts to brown a bit. Add chicken stock and cook on low for about ten minutes. Cover and stir occasionally. Add broccoli and cook another five minutes, then add red peppers and cook for another three.

Serve.

Here we have another great meal when you have few utensils and little space. Make this delicious pasta dish in a deep-frying pan; it doesn’t even require a colander!

You only need the following kitchen equipment:

• Heating source (Hot plate or camping stove. I’d even attempt it over a fire, but it’d need to be a hot one)
• Cutting board
• Sharp knife
• Deep Pan

Basil Fettuccini with Sausage

(serves two. Scale up for larger party)

• ½ lb Italian sausage, sliced
• ½ lb Fettuccini
• Handful fresh basil, torn or chopped into pieces
• ½ large red pepper
• ¼ c onion sliced fine
• 2T Minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic sliced fine
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• 2 ½ c water
• 3 T olive oil
• ¼ c grated parmesan cheese

Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pan. Arrange ingredients according to the picture. The important thing is to have the pasta in the middle as flattened out as possible. Pour in water and turn on high heat. As the pasta starts to soften, you need to stir or shake the pan frequently. If you’re using something like Fettuccini, you’re going to need to cook it for about fifteen minutes. If you’re using spaghetti, you’ll want a little less water, and you’ll want to cook for less time. Be careful not to use something like angel hair or the sausage will never have a chance to cook thoroughly.

When the pasta is soft, and the water has thickened to more of a sauce, add parmesan cheese and serve.

This meal is easy and quick. You don’t need a lot of equipment, it uses fresh ingredients, and it takes less than half an hour. My kind of meal!

After we ate, I commented that it might be better if you browned the sausage first, then added the water and other ingredients. But still, quite easy and tasty.

I’d mentioned I was going to be cooking some meals in a very limited kitchen for the next few months. A friend of mine said it sounded like I was going to be a dorm rat, and I liked the way that sounded, so I went ahead and totally stole the expression for this series.

I’ll be experimenting with several different menus, and different kinds of equipment you can fit in a small space. These meals will not only work in a small, not very equipped kitchen, but in an RV, or other situation where you have little prep space and few burners. (I only have one).

For the meal I made tonight, you will need:

• A hot plate of some sort.
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board
• A deep pan with a lid (I bought mine at K-Mart for about 18 bucks. It has a Teflon coating and is steel, so it works with my induction cooker).
• A sink to wash up. My sink is about the size of a bar sink.

I am going to be making a lot of one-pan meals over the next few months. The other utensil I will be making extensive use of is a crock pot.

Bratwurst and Potatoes

• 1 lb bratwurst
• 2 medium potatoes
• ½ medium onion
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 large red pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 T olive oil

The key to this recipe coming out well is lower heat and patience. Heat the pan with some olive oil and add the brats. Cover and while they cook, prep the potatoes by dicing in 2-inch cubes. I didn’t have a potato peeler, so I just scrubbed them well and left the skin on. Hey, it’s more nutritious that way, right?

Add the potatoes and cook covered on a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (especially if you’re not using a Teflon pan) or shaking the pan semi-frequently.

Add the onions and garlic, and cook covered another ten minutes, stirring or shaking occasionally. When the onions start to brown a little, and the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, add the peppers and cook uncovered for another three to five minutes, depending on how crispy you like your veggies.

This serves two to three people, depending how hearty your appetites. IF you’re cooking just for yourself, adjust volumes accordingly.

My husband’s comment was that this was <unprintable>ing delicious.