Fast, Affordable, No Cook Family Meals

Yesterday, I participated in the Vons Ultimate “No-Cook” Challenge which brought a few mom bloggers out to test our skills: we had $25 and 25 minutes to make a meal for a family of four…without an oven or stove. All of the participants came up with fantastic ideas — and they’re all time and budget tested, plus practical!

After a busy day, these are great ideas to turn to when you’re short on time.

Erin Shachory’s Fig Crostini & Chipotle Chicken Salad

Fig Crostini
1/2 inch slices of bakery fresh multi-grain bread
2 fresh figs sliced thin
cream cheese spread with chives

Spread cream cheese on slices of multi-grain bread. place a slice of fig on each crostini.

Chipotle Chicken Salad
Chipotle Mayo (see recipe below)
1 head of romaine lettuce
roasted chicken, shredded
1 large Haas avocado
lemon juice to taste
1 lime
cilantro to garnish

Chipotle Mayo
1/2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
lemon juice to taste
1 tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mix shredded chicken with chipotle mayo. Serve on a bed of lettuce with slices of avocado. Add lemon and lime juice to taste.

Anna Vocino‘s Lime Chicken Tostadas with Cilantro Sour Cream

Rotisserie chicken
Bunch of cilantro
1 medium heirloom tomato
1/2 cup your favorite salsa
1 lime
1/4 cup grated cheese
4 corn-based tostadas
1 avocado
1/2 cup lite sour cream or creme fraiche

Pull the rotisserie chicken meat into small pieces and put into a large mixing bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime over the chicken, blend it in, and let the chicken marinate for 5-10 minutes in the lime juice while you chop the other ingredients. Put the chopped tomato, a small handful of chopped cilantro, and the salsa into the chicken mixture and fold in evenly.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream and another small handful of finely chopped cilantro.

Place chicken mixture on tostada shells, top with grated cheese, avocado slices, and cilantro sour cream.

Lolita Carrico‘s Peppers Stuffed with Tuna, Tomato & Mozzarella Salad and Zucchini Ribbons

Zucchini Ribbons
2 green zucchini
2 small yellow squash
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
lemon juice and lemon zest

Make zucchini ribbons using a peeler and put in bowl with herbs. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest, pour on vegetables. Gently mix to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Tomato & Mozzarella Salad
1 8-0z container of boccioni (small round) mozzarella in water
3 diced roma tomatoes (or use whole grape tomatoes)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together. If possible, allow to sit for 20 – 30 minutes for flavors to develop.

Peppers Stuffed with Tuna
4 red or yellow bell peppers
3 cans tuna fish (I prefer solid albacore in water)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
olives or capers
1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

Cut tops off of peppers and remove inside stems and seeds. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix remaining ingredients together. Evenly spoon mixture into peppers. Garnish with parsley if desired.

Sarah Auerswald‘s BBQ Chicken Sliders with Cole Slaw

Rotisserie chicken
1 bag of shredded purple cabbage
Cole Slaw dressing, to taste
1 – 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
8 dinner rolls

Mix cabbage with cole slaw dressing and set aside.

Shred chicken, add onion, bbq sauce and relish. Mix well.

Assemble each slider by taking a dinner roll and slicing it in half. Pour a bit of BBQ sauce on the bottom half, add a dollop of chicken mixture (about 1/3 of a cup), top with about a tablespoon of the cole slaw, and end with the other half of the dinner roll.

Christy Portillo’s Chicken Cashew Pita Sandwiches

Rotisserie chicken
2 6oz. containers of plain non-fat yogurt
1 9.25 oz can chopped cashews
1 broccoli crown
1 small carrot
1 Gala apple
1 Celery stalk
1 package of pita breads

Debone all chicken from pre-made rotisserie chicken and cut into chunks. chop cashews, broccoli, apple and celery into small pieces. Add to chicken. Shred carrot and add to chicken mixture. Add two containers of yogurt and mix well. Serve in pita bread.

Carolyn Graham’s Chicken Walnut Salad

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3-4 tbsp balsamic vinegar (to taste)
ground black pepper to taste
1 bag of salad greens
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup of walnuts, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 container crumbled feta cheese

Put mustard into a small bowl and gradually stir in olive oil. when nicely combined, add vinegar until you have the right consistency and add ground pepper to taste. Put all other ingredients into bowl and toss with dressing.

Joann Egan Neil’s Chicken Crunch Salad

romaine lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese
El Torito cilantro pepita ceasar dressing
pre-cooked chicken strips
1 yellow bell pepper
tortilla chips
large flour tortillas
1 large mango
lemon juice
cayenne pepper

Chop lettuce, chicken and bell pepper. Add cheddar. Crumble chips over mixture and mix again. Spoon about 1 cup of salad mixture into middle of flour tortilla and roll tightly, tucking in sides. Garnish plate with sliced mango sprinkled with lemon juice and cayenne pepper and tortilla chips.

Jessica Gottlieb‘s Asian Shrimp Salad

1 pound precooked, peeled deveined shrimp, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve a few whole shrimp for garnish)
1 can water chestnuts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (reserve a few for garnish)
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1/4 cup Kraft Light Asian dressing
I cucumber, cut into 1/4 inch pieces, seeds removed
Mix above ingredients in a bowl.

Arrange 1 bag mixed baby greens on a platter. Put shrimp salad mixture over greens. Garnish with reserved whole shrimp and water chestnuts.

Serve with french bread.

Win one of two $50 Safeway Gift Cards!
We’re giving away two $50 Safeway Gift Cards — redeemable at any Safeway store! To enter to win, give us your favorite no-cook recipe in the comments below before 5pm ET on Monday, October 12th! We’ll pick our two favorite entries and send off a gift card to the entrant!

Good luck!