Rice Cakes with Bok Choy

Pretty easy to make, especially if you get sliced rice cake from the store and just toss all the ingredients together in a wok. Only drawback is the rice cakes turning hard after a day or two, so eat them up the day you make them.

Sauted Eggplant with Garlic and Scallions

This is a classic Northern style dish, doesn't look too pretty, but is a mainstay in many households in the Dongbei area in China. It has a pretty pungent flavor due to all the garlic and scallions in there. I love it as week-night dinner, since it tastes even better as a leftover. If you make this much on the weekend, you can generate at least two cheap and fast dinners later on.