Back of the pantry meals

Hi, my friends. I hope you are all hanging in there. If you have already re-organized the pantry, cleaned the fridge, and alphabetized your spice rack out of boredom, I'm sure you've discovered some dusty bottles of spices and condiments in the corner. Now is the time to put them to use.

I'm in the same boat, so I've put together a bunch of easy recipes which might ease the strain of "What's for dinner" when the pickings get slim.

Mustard Crusted Pork Tenderloin

  • 1 lb pork tenderloin 
  • 2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard 
  • 2-3 tbsp bread crumbs 
  • 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence, or 1/2 tbsp dried thyme* and 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary*

Brush mustard evenly over tenderloin. Mix breadcrumbs and spices. Sprinkle over mustard. Cook for 1 hour at 350F.

(Note: if you only have ground thyme and ground rosemary, reduce amounts to 1/2 tsp of each for a total of 1 tsp)

Spicy Potatoes

  • 4 medium potatoes 
  • 1-2 tbsp olive oil 
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano (or 1 tsp ground oregano)
  • 1 tbsp paprika

Cut potatoes into wedges. Mix all ingredients in bowl. Ensure potatoes well and evenly coated. Cook for 1 hour at 350F.

Orange Chicken

  • 1 pound chicken pieces, thawed (3 breasts or six boneless chicken thighs)
  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce

Mix first three ingredients. Pour over chicken. Cook for 1 hour at 350F. 

Tuna Pasta Salad

  • 1 box macaroni and cheese (hold the cheese packet for another recipe), or 3 cups dried rotini noodles
  • 1 can plain tuna*, drained and flaked
  • 2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/2 to 3/4 Miracle Whip, (or mayonnaise, sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt, or any combination of these for the dressing)
  • Salt and pepper as needed.

Cook pasta as directed. Drain well and rinse with cold water. Add all other ingredients and mix well. If you do not have all three vegetables, add the ones you have available to give it some texture and crunch. 

(Note: if you have one small can of flavoured tuna, you can add it as well, but do not make the salad with ONLY flavoured tuna because it can easily become overpowering. I, personally, like the Thai Chili or Lemon Dill flavours.)

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