5 Ideas for a Quick and Light Dinner

Some recipes for beans and rice involve overnight bean-soaking, 10 kinds of spices and lots of simmering and stirring. But it doesn't have to be that way -- you can prepare a pot in a matter of minutes using ingredients you probably already have on hand. Sauté some garlic, bell peppers and onions, then throw in a can each of tomatoes and beans (rinse the beans first to cut down on sodium), a dash of oregano and some hot sauce or cayenne pepper. Simmer for a few minutes and serve with cooked rice. If you've got any leftover chicken, sausage or shrimp, just add it to the bean mixture in the last few minutes of cooking so it heats through.

Sometimes you have the basic ingredients for a good meal -- chicken breast, potatoes and carrots, let's say -- but you draw a complete blank on how to prepare everything. Do you grill the chicken and bake the potatoes? Steam the carrots? If you keep a roll of aluminum foil handy, you'll never torture yourself with these questions again.

Put a chicken breast and some cubed potatoes and sliced carrots on a piece of foil. Add your choice of seasoning and a splash of liquid (wine, beer, broth or water are all fine), then fold up the sides of the foil to make a packet. Make a packet for each person you're serving, then grill or bake them all at once.

You can use the packet technique with other poultry and pork, even fish and shellfish, and with no pots or pans involved in this meal, cleanup will be breeze!

There's a certain amount of prep work involved with shrimp, so you might not consider it when you're looking for a quick dinner fix. But if you buy already-cleaned and peeled shrimp, this incredibly simple dish will make you think again. Lightly brown some garlic slices in olive oil, drop in a pound of shrimp, sprinkle with salt, pepper and whatever dried herbs and seasonings you like. Cook for about five minutes, just until the shrimp are pink. Serve over rice or pasta. That's it.

Stir-fries are always a great idea for a quick, healthy meal, and they're forgiving, too. If you have the basics -- vegetables, garlic, soy sauce, maybe some ginger -- you don't necessarily have to follow any recipe. If you want to add a protein, chicken, shrimp, beef, pork and tofu all work equally well. Serve it over rice or noodles, or go carb-free with just the meat and veggies.

Is your refrigerator's produce drawer a collection site for singled-out veggies -- one lonely carrot here, half a bell pepper there? Got leftover chicken, beef or pork from your Sunday roast? Are there more than a few nearly-empty pasta boxes in your pantry? Use them all up in one fell swoop by making a pasta salad. Cook up the pasta and then throw in your extra veggies (frozen vegetables work too, just defrost them first), meat, cheese and whatever else seems tasty. Toss in what's left of those bottles of vinaigrette salad dressing in your fridge, and dinner is served.