Five Weeknight Dishes: Meals for Maycember

If you re a parent you might be in the thick of Maycember that end-of-spring flurry of sessions that requires SEAL-Team-Six-level logistics and planning school concerts graduations sports tournaments dance recitals field trips themed dress-up days classroom parties tutor conferences summer child-care planning What am I forgetting Definitely something I ll remember at a m I personally love the hustle and bustle of the almost-summer season but I d be lying if I didn t admit that the idea of cooking dinner every night on top of it all is little overwhelming My first tip is this Don t Schedule one or two or three days for takeout or something incredibly simple like store-bought frozen dumplings or burritos with a pile of cut up fruit and vegetables For the rest choose the most of low-effort recipes in all the land like those below A multitude of of them can be made in minutes or less are wonderful warm or at room temperature and can be tucked into a Thermos and eaten on the way to your kid s th activity Sheet-pan chicken and tomatoes with balsamic tahini Ali Slagle s all-in-one dinner comes together in minutes thanks to clever use of the broiler Food styled by Cyd Raftus McDowell Kerri Brewer The New York Times Sheet-Pan Chicken and Tomatoes With Balsamic Tahini This sheet-pan meal of spicy herbed chicken and blistered green beans and tomatoes comes together in just minutes Broiling the chicken and vegetables instead of roasting swiftly creates well-browned yet juicy bites while that s happening in the oven swirl together a creamy sweet-tart sauce of tahini and balsamic vinegar and perhaps get out rice salad greens or pita to serve alongside For even more ease trim the green beans with scissors and you don t need to clean a cutting board or knife Make-ahead tip Toss everything together on the sheet pan cover with plastic wrap and slide into the fridge until you re ready to cook Make the two-ingredient sauce in a resealable container No need to refrigerate if it s just for the day By Ali Slagle Yield servings Total time minutes Ingredients pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs patted dry tablespoon Italian seasoning to teaspoons crushed red pepper Salt pint cherry tomatoes ounces green beans trimmed and snapped in half tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil cup tahini tablespoons balsamic vinegar Sugar Torn parsley basil or mint leaves for serving optional Preparation Arrange an oven rack about inches from the broiler and heat broiler to high Line a sheet pan with foil for easier clean-up On the sheet pan toss the chicken with the Italian seasoning crushed red pepper and a big pinch of salt until evenly coated Add the tomatoes and green beans to the sheet pan sprinkle with salt then drizzle everything with the oil Toss to coat then spread into an even layer Broil until the chicken is cooked through and charred in spots and the tomatoes and green beans are golden to minutes Meanwhile stir together the tahini and vinegar Add water until pourable around cup depending on your tahini Add salt and sugar to taste If flavors are muted add salt if tart add sugar Serve the chicken and vegetables drizzled with the balsamic tahini and herbs if using Borani-yeh esfenaj spinach yogurt dip Assemble it in advance and then scoop out individual portions into to-go containers whenever you re ready Food styled by Victoria Granof Ryan Liebe The New York Times Borani-yeh Esfenaj Spinach Yogurt Dip There are multiple types of Iranian borani or yogurt-based dishes and spinach borani is a classic What sets borani-yeh esfenaj apart from a simple mix of wilted spinach and yogurt is that the spinach is first cooked down with flavorful golden onions garlic and turmeric The preparation of the onion is the backbone of the dish and not to be overlooked Rather than cooking the onion low and slow as is done when caramelizing it s cooked fleetly over a higher heat to draw out its sweet and sharp flavors Creamy Greek yogurt is mixed with thinner regular yogurt for a balanced consistency Use more or less of either depending on your preference You can serve the borani thicker as a dip with pita crackers or flat breads or thinner as a light lunch or snack alongside rice Make-ahead tip Assemble it in advance and then scoop out individual portions into to-go containers whenever you re ready By Naz Deravian Yield servings Total time minutes plus at least hours chilling Ingredients tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving medium yellow onion finely chopped large garlic cloves finely grated Salt and black pepper teaspoon ground turmeric ounces fresh baby spinach or thawed frozen spinach no need to squeeze cup plain Greek yogurt tablespoon regular plain yogurt or water see tip plus more as needed teaspoon lemon zest and tablespoon lemon juice plus more juice to taste Preparation In a large -inch pan heat the oil over medium-high Add the onion and cook stirring occasionally until golden brown to minutes Reduce the heat to medium-low add the garlic sprinkle with a little salt stir and cook until fragrant about minutes Add the turmeric stir and cook until fragrant about seconds Add about half the spinach and increase the heat to medium Using tongs hurriedly and continuously toss the spinach with the onion mixture until slightly wilted and reduced in volume Add the rest of the spinach teaspoon salt and teaspoon black pepper Toss and cook until the spinach is wilted and any liquid has evaporated to minutes Increase the heat slightly if the spinach releases too much water Transfer the spinach mixture to a bowl and cool to room temperature To the cooled spinach add the Greek yogurt regular plain yogurt lemon zest and lemon juice Stir well to combine and add salt to taste If the mixture is too thick thin out with more regular yogurt tablespoon at a time Taste and add more salt and lemon juice as needed Cover and refrigerate for at least hours and up to hours Stir to combine then drizzle with olive oil and serve TIP You can thin out the Greek yogurt with water instead of regular yogurt but it might not be as creamy as using regular plain yogurt Slow-cooker butter chicken This slow-cooker version from Jennifer Steinhauer is happily adaptable Meredith Heuer The New York Times Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken Not every version of butter chicken uses butter Coconut milk gives this slow-cooker chicken its creamy richness This is a fast recipe for the cook Just prep it earlier in the day even during your morning routine getting your onion and spices going on the stove while simultaneously making lunches for grumpy children folding dish towels feeding the dogs and wondering once again why no one else has done any of the above If you re preparing pork or beef in the slow cooker you ll want to brown the meat first but that s not necessary with boneless cuts of chicken Make-ahead tip I prep mine in the morning but I aspire to be one of those people with a freezer full of slow-cooker meals in Ziploc bags You could do that here By Jennifer Steinhauer Yield to servings Total time About hours Ingredients tablespoons vegetable oil medium yellow onion diced cloves garlic finely chopped tablespoons grated ginger tablespoon garam masala -ounce can tomato paste teaspoon kosher salt pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into -inch pieces teaspoon lime zest tablespoon lime juice cup coconut milk if necessary whisk to combine the liquid and solids before measuring cup chicken stock cup cilantro leaves for garnish optional Cooked basmati or jasmine rice for serving Naan for serving optional Preparation In medium skillet heat oil over medium-high heat Add onions to skillet and cook until softened about minutes Reduce heat to medium add garlic and ginger and cook another minutes Add garam masala tomato paste and salt cook and stir minutes Place chicken pieces in a slow cooker then add tomato paste mixture lime zest and juice coconut milk and chicken stock Stir everything together cover and cook on low heat setting for to hours until the chicken is cooked through You may let it cook up to hours if necessary but the chicken may be very soft and shred Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati or jasmine rice and naan if you have several