Fast Food

by Mark R. Vogel

Are you a vegetarian? No problem. How about tomato and cheese burritos with Mexican yellow rice? Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

Sauté one tablespoon of annatto seeds in 2-3 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil in an ovenproof saucepan for a minute or two. (Annatto seeds can be found in the Goya section of your supermarket).

Remove the seeds. Cut up a small onion and a garlic clove. Sauté the onion in the oil until it softens, add the garlic, and sauté one more minute.

Add one cup of long grain rice and sauté for another minute or two. Add two cups of chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste and other seasonings if you wish, (cumin, coriander, hot pepper, etc.)

Bring to a boil, cover, and then place in the oven for 15 minutes. Fluff it with a fork when it is done. If you don't have a saucepan that can go in the oven you can simmer it covered on top of the stove for 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.

While the rice is cooking, take 4 plum tomatoes and chop them. Layer them down the middle of two burrito size tortillas. Sprinkle with packaged shredded cheese. Add salt, pepper, and the same seasonings you used for the rice.

Add hot pepper sauce and/or your favorite jarred salsa as well. Leave them unrolled and place them in the oven on aluminum foil a few minutes before the rice is finished cooking. Roll them when they're done. This should take you 40 minutes tops.

Here's a real quick, healthy, and balanced meal. Make a chef or antipasto salad. Again you can use the already bagged salad if you want. Place the lettuce in a large bowl. Add cut up pieces of deli ham, cheese, pepperoni and/or salami.

Other quick additions include a variety of jarred or canned delectables: marinated artichoke hearts, marinated mushrooms, olives, roasted peppers, chickpeas, etc. Add anchovies or tuna if you wish to avoid the red meat.

Finally, you can cut up pieces of raw vegetables like peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, or carrots in a few minutes. Use the above homemade vinaigrette but this time use less salt. The above jarred and canned items are already fairly salty.