The 250 Best 4-Ingredient Recipes

Margaret Howard is an author, registered dietitian and a professional home economist.

From the Introduction

In choosing the title for this book, The 250 Best 4-Ingredient Recipes, I was curious to learn whether there is any special meaning to the word four.

I was indeed pleased to come across, with considerable help, the real significance of this word. It has far deeper meaning than 1, 2, 3, 4 in numerical order. There are four elements -- earth (or solids), water (or liquids), air (or gas) and fire. There are four seasons -- winter, spring, summer and fall. There are four points to the compass. There are four sides to the square. You will no doubt think of many other ways the word four or number 4 enters your life. I hope that this book will be one of them.

In this book , I offer quick food preparation for the busy person who is not willing to compromise on great taste. The four-ingredient concepts counts water, salt and pepper as non-ingredients. Everything else is an ingredient!

Getting Started

Planning in all aspects of life is important no less so in meals. I suggest that the following points be considered with regard to meal planning. Unless stated otherwise, all recipes use large eggs and either 2% or homogenized milk.

• Be a planner by taking about 10 minutes to plan your dinners for the week. It's one of the best ways to ensure you place healthy dinners on the table even when you are in a hurry.
• Plan meals around main ingredients that cook quickly, such as fish, eggs, chicken breasts, cooked ham and turkey.
• Choose lots of fresh fruit and vegetables as support to the main ingredient.
• Choose main dishes that you can add to or alter to accommodate other ingredients. For example, when meat is the main dish, plan a side dish such as pasta that can be changed into a main entrée with the additions of beans, cheese, hard-cooked eggs or tofu.
• For budge supper solutions, choose inexpensive cuts of meat and meat alternatives that are both nutrient-packed and budget friendly. Stretch meat and seafood by cooking them in pasta dishes, risottos, soups and stews.
• Plan one-pot meals such as stews, chilies or soups that are easily reheated in single-serving amounts.
• Use grains such as bulgur and couscous which, like rice and pasta, cook quickly.
• When necessary, used canned and frozen vegetables. They come out of the package ready to cook.
• Keep prepared sauces and spice mixtures on hand to add instant variety and flavor to your cooking.
• The microwave oven makes side dishes, such as rice, easier to prepare.
• By adding a new ingredient to your shopping list each week, you will soon have expanded your repertoire.
• Use quick-cooking methods such as broiling and grilling.

Acknowledgments

Introduction

• Getting Started
• Measuring Up!
• General Cooking and Selection Techniques

Appetizers and Beverages

Soups

Breakfasts, Brunches and Breads

Salads and Salad Dressings

Fish and Seafood

Poultry

Meats, Sauces and Marinades

Pasta, Rice and Grains

Vegetarian Dishes

Vegetables

Desserts and Dessert Sauces

Index