I am strapped for ideas of quick, easy, cost efficient, delicious meal ideas that foreigners, like myself, can cook and enjoy. I've mastered the ramen, udon, soba...and anything noodle like...I've conquered stir-frys with miso and DOBANJYA...my brain hurts and belly is empty...
When I was living in Japan, I often cooked tofu. There are many tofu dishes which are easy to cook and healthy. Plus, tofu usually isn't very expensive, so it's a good choice for poor students. (or English teachers )
Anyway, some of my favorite tofu dishes to make:
Yu-dofu - boiled tofu, this is good because it usually contains a lot of vegetables and it's easy to vary the recipe to suit your tastes
Mapo tofu - at Japanese grocery stores you can find a seasoning packet for this, so you add that to the tofu and make some rice
Gisei tofu - scrambled tofu, this is also a flexible dish with many variations
Eggs, chicken, Fish, Steaks, just like everyone else all over the world. Supermarkets are full of everything just like in the USA or Europe. I normally don`t try to make Yakisoba or Ramen, but I can make Nikomi.