Quarantine cooking: recipes to make you feel like you’re traveling the world
Due to social distancing requirements, most people are staying home and cooking their meals, rather than going out to eat. And, because of COVID-19, people were forced to cancel their travel plans. If you’re tired of cooking the same recipes or need a vacation, we have the perfect solution for you—try these dishes that will transform your typical weeknight dinner and have you feeling like you’re traveling the world, even when you can’t.
Creamy chipotle chicken breast
This creamy chipotle chicken breast recipe will make it seem as if you’ve hopped on a plane and traveled to Mexico. Like many Mexican dishes, it’s rich in flavor and looks incredible. Even better? It’s simple to make. You need only a few ingredients, and it takes fewer than 30 minutes to prepare. This recipe is from Mexico in my Kitchen—a food blog dedicated to authentic, Mexican cooking, created by Mely Martinez. The website has dozens of recipes to choose from, too—even vegetarian options.
Croque monsieur
If you’re looking for a hearty sandwich that instantly transports you to a French bistro, what better than a croque monsieur? It’s essentially a grilled cheese, but with a French twist—it’s made with ham, Dijon, bechamel, and gruyere cheese. You can use any cheese, but gruyere is preferred. This sandwich makes for hassle-free cooking that will satisfy your cravings. You can find this and dozens of other French recipes on Mon Petit Four®, a site that is devoted to French fare.
Japanese-style pasta
Although it sounds like a new fusion creation, Japanese-style pasta is prominent in Japanese cuisine. Japanese-style pasta, also known as Wafu pasta, is a pasta dish that has Japanese seasonings and ingredients—usually soy sauce, miso, and nori seaweed. This Japanese pasta is perfect for a quick, easy dinner—it takes only 15 minutes to cook. The ingredients are simple, too—all you need is pasta, shrimp, broccolini, soy sauce, and garlic chili oil. This recipe is from Just One Cookbook—a website that is all about Japanese culture and cuisine, created by Nami Hirasawa Chen, a home chef aiming to make Japanese cooking easy and accessible to everyone.
One-pan Bobotie casserole
Bobotie is a South African casserole that is similar to Greek Moussaka and is typically served with yellow rice. It’s very simple to make and is ideal for those weeknights when you don’t necessarily feel like cooking. The dish is filled with flavor from spices and everything is prepared in one pan. The ingredients can be found in your local grocery store, too. You can find this recipe on All that’s Jas—a food blog that features comfort food from around the world.
We hope these recipes not only help you switch up your mundane dinners but also provide a way for you and your family to escape to different parts of the world—all from the comfort of your kitchen.