Kitchen 101 for the Fresh Food Phobic

Being a teacher, I of course have the summers off. My wife, however, does not. That equals me taking on the summer job of stay-at-home daddy. I love it. My son and I plan adventures, visit parks, go swimming, etc. But, we also do the housework. We wash the dishes, do the laundry, and even cook. Now that's where it gets interesting. My wife is a fabulous cook. So, I am happy to let her be the star of the kitchen during the school year.

However, during the summers my son and I both have healthy appetites that won't wait for Mom. The problem is, I don't really know how to cook. Fresh vegetables and herbs intimidate me and raw meat just grosses me out. Canned goods and frozen things are more my speed. However, I'm health conscious and realize TV dinners everyday for a whole summer would spell heart attack for dear ol' dad. That's why I've come up with a series of healthy and easy recipes that anyone can handle. All of my recipes use only canned, frozen, or pre-packed ingredients. They don't require culinary skill or vocabulary and they make a large quantity so you can reheat them for a meal later in the week, killing two birds with one stone. (Several even taste better the second time around.) Anyone who doesn't cook but finds themselves needing to should try these recipes out. They are simple, quick and give the appearance and taste of something far more complicated. So, let's get cracking.

Here is the recipe to my first Kitchen 101 for the Fresh Food Phobic -- Chicken, Vegetable, and Rice Fajitas.

To begin, you'll need your ingredients. (Notice that many of these may already be stocked in your pantry.)

1 can of precooked chicken

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn

½ a bag of frozen onions and peppers

1 packet of fajita or taco seasoning

1 package of Ready Rice

Flour tortillas

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Pull out your biggest non-stick skillet and warm it over medium high heat. Open and drain all of your canned goods. Place your black beans in a colander and rinse them. They come packed in really nasty black goo that no one wants to eat. Toss half of your bag of frozen onions and peppers in the skillet. If you have never seen these, look in your grocers frozen veggie section. They are simply chopped onions and red, green, and yellow bell peppers frozen in a bag. They are so convenient and I don't have to mess with fresh veggies or crying while cutting onions. Let them cook for a few minutes until they no longer look frozen and have softened up a bit. Next, toss in the contents of all three of your canned goods and stir to combine. Now, take your seasoning packet and sprinkle over the top of your mixture in the skillet. My son and I are kinda babies when it comes to spice so I often use less than the whole packet. It's up to your taste buds. Stir the seasoning in and then let it simmer over medium heat while you work on the rice. Ready Rice is precooked rice in a little pack. All you need to do is squish it around some, open the corner, and then pop in the microwave for 90 seconds. After it is done, toss it in the skillet and mix everything together.

Now, let everything cook a while to meld the flavors. In the mean time, start setting the table. Pull out your flour tortillas, cheese, and sour cream. On a side note, we always use whole wheat tortillas. They taste exactly the same and have tons more cancer fighting fiber, plus they make you look a bit fancier if you're trying to impress someone. By the time you've set the table, your fajita filling should be ready to server. Simple place a blob of your filling in the middle of a tortilla, sprinkle on some cheese, sour cream, and then roll that baby up. Store any unused filling in an airtight dish and refrigerate. But don't forget about it. This filling is even better reheated after it has had some time in the fridge to mix flavors. Reheat it for another fajita meal or reheat and eat as a great chunky dip on tortilla chips.

This recipe is extremely simple. It only uses pre-cut, pre-cooked items so the hard part is already done for you. All you have to do is make a good combination of other people's work and then take all the credit. Plus this recipe is very healthy. Canned chicken is usually low in fat and the recipe includes many healthy veggies. Between the corn, beans, onions and peppers, you've got vitamins A, C, iron, some calcium, and tons of fiber. So, give this recipe a whirl. It will impress you on how easy it is. It will impress you guests on how tasty it is. And it will impress any critics by how healthy it is.

If you try this recipe and like it, keep an eye out for future Kitchen 101 for the Fresh Food Phobic articles.