These noodle bowls are a super easy and healthy way to make a quick meal with prepackaged ingredients.  Asian salad mixes are available in the produce section of most grocery stores and provide an easy way to create this dish with no time consuming chopping of vegetables!  A rotisserie chicken is another time saver in this no cooking required recipe.

Ingredients

Rotisserie Chicken

3 1/2 oz vermicelli noodles

1 pre-packaged Asian salad with chopped cabbage, carrots, celery, green onion and cilantro

1 package shredded lettuce

Vietnamese Sauce:

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1/4 cup water

1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or more to taste)

1 1/2 tbsp lime juice

Instructions

1. Separate the rotisserie chicken from the bone and chop it into smaller pieces.
2. Cook vermicelli noodles according to package directions.
3. Whisk together all of the Vietnamese sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
4. To assemble the noodle bowls, divide the premixed salad between 4 large bowls.  Add shredded lettuce, noodles, and chicken.  Top with the desired amount of sauce.
5. Enjoy!

This recipe is an easy weeknight meal that produces a delicious gravy that can be served with mashed potatoes or rice.  I also like to use a round steak instead of ground beef to cook with the same gravy, which simplifies the recipe even further.

Ingredients

Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 lb ground beef

1 package Lipton Recipe Secrets Onion Mushroom

1 egg

2 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, divided

2 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tbsp all purpose flour

3 cups beef broth

Salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom  of a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms to the mixture and cook until they are slightly softened.  Remove the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Add the ground beef, Lipton Recipe Secrets, egg and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce to a bowl and mix thoroughly.  Divide the mixture into 5 oval shaped patties.
4. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil over high heat then add the hamburger steaks.  Cook the first side for 1 minute or until browned then flip them over and brown the other side.  The inside will still be raw.
5. Remove the steaks to a plate.
6. Lower the heat to medium low and melt the butter.  Once melted, add the flour and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Whisk in the remaining Worcestershire sauce and the beef broth until the mixture is smooth.
8. Increase heat to medium and add mushroom mixture to the skillet.
9. Stir, then add in the steaks along with any juices on the plate.
10. Cook until gravy is thickened and steaks are cooked through, approximately ten minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

My idea of cooking is anything that takes less than 30 minutes to achieve and has a limited number of ingredients.  Since my retirement, I’ve adapted many recipes to include things that I like to eat, and exclude portions of recipes that my family isn’t fond of (which in theory would exclude anything but chicken nuggets and pizza).  These “Adventures in Cooking” posts are the fruits of my simplistic cooking style.