3 Super Easy Quarantine Meals to Master (Inspired by Local Favorites)

If anything positive has come out of this COVID-19 Stay At Home order, I think many of us could agree it’s rediscovering how we love cooking and baking! Before this, we may not have had the time. Now a lot of us are bored in the house (and we’re in the house bored) constantly pacing back and forth to the kitchen.

As we enter what feels like day 6,782 of quarantine, I am providing some fresh ideas of copycat dishes from some of my favorite local (PHX) restaurants that, unfortunately, are closed until the foreseeable future (or only open on select days). If you’re in the mood to try something new, I hope these ideas will create a great meal for yourself, your family members, or whoever you may be stuck with. Cheers!

Breakfast Sandwich (The Vig Replica)

One of my all time favorite places to brunch is the Vig in Arcadia, so you better believe I am missing them being open. While all their food is delicious, today I want to share their infamous breakfast sandwich (pictured above on their butter croissant).

For two servings, what you’ll need is:

• 2 eggs
• 1 Avocado (optional)
• Slice of Tomato
• Bacon (4 strips)
• White Cheddar (optional; I did without)
• Chipotle Mayo (I used Trader Joe’s Sriracha Ranch Dressing)
• Croissant, ciabatta bun, or biscuit (I snagged mine from Trader Joes!)

This meal can be tossed together for breakfast, lunch, or the classic breakfast for dinner! Get creative and let’s get started!

1. If you are using biscuits as your base, preheat your oven and follow the instructions on the packaging. Slice your bread choice in half to create a sandwich.
2. Heat a skillet and start frying the bacon or whichever protein you choose.
3. Cut up your avocado and tomato and set aside. When bacon is cooled, take biscuits, butter each side and set on the hot skillet for a few seconds. Then, layer your veggies, bacon and cheese on your base.
4. Fry an egg in the leftover bacon grease to your liking – over medium was perfect!
5. Place egg on your sandwich/biscuit and drizzle with chipotle mayo/sriracha dressing
6. Close sandwich and enjoy!

If you really want to get into the Vig-inspired dish, I highly recommend you pour yourself a bloody mary or mimosa! I miss The Vig terribly and look forward to dining with them as soon as they reopen their doors! For updates on their status, you can visit them here.

Chicken Pineapple Bowls (Aunt Chilada’s Replica)

I have to say the neighborhood feels different without the buzz coming from Aunt Chilada’s each night. It’s strange to see empty streets where cars used to be lined waiting for a parking spot to open up. While we can’t get the main menu items at Aunt Chilada’s during this time, we can recreate them the best we can!

We are in peak pineapple season so there is no better time than now to make this sweet and salty dish! This meal is full of grains, protein, and fruit without the gluten and dairy! Don’t even get me started on how filling it is, too! Simply pick your toppings, fill your bowl and enjoy. At Aunt Chilada’s they use spicy shrimp, and it is phenomenal but unfortunately I only had chicken in the freezer so that’s what we’re using today!

For two servings, what you’ll need is:

• 1 ripe pineapple
• Your protein (Fresh chicken breasts, shrimp or sautéed veggies – if you’re going the the vegetarian route)
• Your favorite sauce (I used a cherry barbecue sauce, my sister used teriyaki)
• Additional seasonings (optional)

That is all the ingredients! How easy is that? Now let’s get cooking!

1. Start by cutting the pineapple in half (lengthwise).
2. Scoop out the inside of the fruit with a spoon or ice cream scoop and set aside.
3. Cook and season the chicken to your liking. I cooked mine in a skillet, but if you have a grill – even better!
4. Boil a bag of rice
5. Remove the chicken from heat and marinate in your favorite sauce
6. Take the spoon, or ice cream scoop, and dish out a plentiful serving of hot rice into each pineapple half, leaving room for chicken (or veggies)
7. Layer the marinated chicken on top of your rice
8. Optional: Add pineapple chunks back into the bowl if you want extra flavor!

There you have it! An easy, delicious, and healthy meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make! It will leave you and your family feeling full and satisfied! Aunt Chilada’s is still open on Sundays for carry out from 10am-2pm. To support them or learn more information, visit their website here.

Roasted Chicken (The Henry Replica)

The Henry is one of my favorite restaurants in Phoenix and I can say I’ve utilized their take out service way too much during this quarantine! Allie and I ordered the roasted chicken for our 26th birthday and then decided to try and make it on our own. Follow the steps below and we can make this one together!

For two servings, what you’ll need is:

• Chicken
• Brussel sprouts
• Heirloom carrots (or potatoes in our case)
• Cauliflower (we used broccoli because we were out)
• Lemon to season

This dish was probably the one we couldn’t replicate perfectly due to limited resources. The usual dish calls for a Unami sauce which we clearly did not have. But we did season ours with an apricot glaze!

1. Bake and season the chicken on a baking sheet. Cook until crisp (28-32 minutes).
2. If you are using potatoes instead of carrots, wedge them, drizzle in olive oil and bake until browned.
3. Cook/steam your Brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower in the microwave.
4. Divide up your chicken and veggies. Drizzle lemon juice on the entire meal and enjoy!

As I post this blog, The Henry is still very much open for carry out, delivery, and curbside pickup. In fact if you use the code FRC35, you can enjoy 35% off your entire order Sunday through Thursday. They are open 8am-8pm and you can order online here.

If you try any of the above dishes, please let me know how they turn out! As we wait to support our local restaurants again, I hope you take the time to have fun in the kitchen and mix it up a little! Stay safe, be healthy, and enjoy your meal!