For most Americans, the concept of what the evening meal should look like contains the same three elements that it has for generations:
Meat. Starch. Vegetable.
And because we also visualize the meat portion as occupying half the space on our plate, we've become stuck in a diet heavy with protein and saturated fat. This three-tiered meal plan also causes us to spend more time in the kitchen than would be necessary if we were able to see dinner as a single element.
Single element? Yes. We're talking about a one-dish meal. Not one-dish in the sense of a single plate, but one-dish as in a stew, stir-fry or pasta primavera.
Most of the world eats one-dish meals. Vegetables mixed with grain or noodles - and, on special occasions, a bit of meat thrown in - is dinner from Marrakech to Hong Kong.
But in the West, we long ago abandoned this idea for a more opulent spread. This was an inevitable trend as industrialized peoples became wealthier. But it took on an air of scientific fact in this country, starting in 1958, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture's promotion of "the four basic food groups" made a multi-dish dinner seem the most straightforward means to nutritional well-being.
Things change. The concept of the four basic food groups has given way to the USDA's new Food Pyramid, which is a step toward more healthful eating, and which deals with serving sizes and the types of foods that are best for us.
One-dish meals don't have to be just casseroles and stews, although some of the best still are. A one-dish meal can be as simple as steaming a few shrimp and vegetables over a pot of simmering rice. It can be a saute of chicken finished with garlic and cheese to top spaghetti, or microwaved asparagus and peppers to top a salad.
One-dish meals are grain salads and noodle sautes. They're grilled fish wrapped in a tortilla with some salsa, and rice and beans simmered with spices. They are chilies and spaghetti, sautes and stir-fries.
Not only are one-dish meals versatile, quick and easy to make, they help keep your meals in line with the Food Pyramid nutritional guidelines that call for smaller portions of meat and larger helpings of grains and vegetables.
