Bobby’s Macaroni & Tomatoes

Bobby's Macaroni & Tomatoes

Just a Pinch Recipe Club, Bobby, United States.
This is from a friend in the Just a Pinch Recipe Club, and is slightly modified from his original based on items available here in Thailand. Lot of possibilities here. I made this again on 25 Mar 2022 and used a variant, I added browned ground beef and green bell pepper, delicious! And family approved.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams dry elbow macaroni, (8 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, (565 g / 20 oz)
  • teaspoons dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Cook the macaroni in a pot of salted boiling water until tender, then drain.
  • Return the macaroni to the same pot and stir in the butter. Then add all remaining ingredients.
  • Stir everything together and place on medium low heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to mix.
  • Serve and enjoy.
  • Here I made the recipe as stated then I browned ground beef (500 grams/1 lb) along with a diced green bell pepper and mixed that, it takes this dish up a notch, delicious! This will be my preferred way to prepare this from now on.

Notes

Low cost per serving with original recipe, adding the variants can make this a fair cost per serving dish.
Variants: 1. Add sliced hot dogs, cubed ham, sliced and sautéed sausage, cooked shrimp, browned ground beef or pork (brown the meat with an onion or bell pepper for additional flavor).
Lo Mein

Lo Mein

This recipe for Pork Lo Mein is from China Sichuan Food.
This is a Chinese dish and this recipe comes from a Chinese friend so this is the authentic way to prepare this. Lo mein can be made with pork, chicken, beef, or just veggies for a vegetarian version. I will state pork in this recipe. If you do not have lo mein noodles, ramen noodles work just as well. Two ways to prepare this, one way is the veggies and meat is served over the noodles, the other way is the noodles are mixed into the veggies and meat before serving.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 200 grams lo mein noodles, (7 oz)
  • 50 grams pork, sliced, (2 oz)
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 5-7 slices fresh ginger
  • 1 spring onion, sliced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ cucumber, cut into strips
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix the pork with the corn starch and salt, set aside for 10 minutes. While the pork is marinating, get the rest of the items prepped.
  • Heat the oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add the garlic, spring onion, and ginger. Stir fry for a few minutes until fragrant, then add the pork and bell pepper.
  • Stir fry until the pork changes color and is no longer pink, then stir in both soy sauces, stir fry for 30 seconds, remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil. Cover and set aside.
  • Heat a pot of water to a boil, add the lo mein noodles and boil for 4-5 minutes or until tender, drain. Divide the noodles between 3 serving bowls.
  • Divide the strips of cucumbers between the bowls, placing the cucumber on top of the noodles.
  • Divide the stir fried pork between the bowls and spoon that over the cucumber strips. Serve and enjoy.
  • Alternately, add the cooked noodles to the stir fried veggies and meat, toss to coat with the seasonings.
  • Serve as a main dish or as a side.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. This can be prepared as written, meaning the veggies and meat is stir fried and served over the noodles, or you can add the noodles to the pan and stir fry those with the veggies and meat.
Fried Zucchini

Fried Zucchini

Lee
Yep, basic recipe, more or less for my own reference.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick or a bit thinner if you like
  • 1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
  • black pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Slice the zucchini and onion, onion is just out of view in this photo.
  • Heat a non stick pan with the olive oil and butter, when hot, add the zucchini and onion.
  • Season with black pepper as desired, and cook, stirring often, until tender.
  • Serve as a side with any dish.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Leave out the butter and you have a vegetarian dish.
Just something I remembered from my childhood, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
King Oyster Mushroom Spring Rolls

King Oyster Mushroom Spring Rolls

Samantha Thayer, Thailand - United States.
This original recipe is from my daughter, Samantha. We had some extra King Oyster mushrooms so Samantha suggested spring rolls, and here it is. A lot of time involved with making spring rolls is the prep work making the filling. These are excellent spring rolls.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Side
Cuisine Chinese, Thai
Servings 20 spring rolls

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups King Oyster mushrooms, diced
  • 1 cup spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
  • cup carrot, shredded
  • 80 grams dry bean vermicelli, cooked, chopped, (2¾ oz)
  • 1-2 dashes oyster sauce
  • 1-2 dashes light soy sauce
  • handful fresh Thai Basil leaves, chopped
  • salt, to taste
  • extra light olive oil, as needed
  • vegetable oil, as needed
  • spring roll wrappers, as needed, about 20-22, thawed,
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1-2 tablespoons water

Instructions
 

  • Prep the mushrooms, spring onions, carrot, and heat a pot of water to boiling, add the noodles and cook until tender. Drain the noodles and chop. Here, everything is prepped.
    Now you can take your spring roll wrappers out of the freezer to thaw on the counter.
  • Heat about a tablespoon of extra light olive oil in a non stick pan, when hot, add the carrot. Saute until soft, just a few minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few minutes, stirring often. Goal is to soften the mushrooms, this type of mushroom does not release a lot of water so add a bit of extra light olive oil as needed. Saute for a few minutes to soften the mushrooms.
  • Add the Thai basil and stir in, saute for a minute or two. The basil adds a depth of flavor and is not overpowering.
  • When the basil is nicely wilted, add the spring onion and mix in. Add 1-2 dashes of soy sauce and oyster sauce and mix in, saute for just a minute or two. Remove from heat.
  • Add the chopped vermicelli noodles to a large bowl or pot. Add mixture from the pan and mix together, taste and season with salt as desired. Set this aside to let it cool to room temp, about 1 hour.
  • When you are ready to roll the spring rolls, open the package of spring roll wrappers, if working by yourself, you need to keep them covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out. Ideally, two people would be perfect. One person to pull off each wrapper and one to fill. If the sheets dry out, they will tear when pulling them apart. There is two textures on a sheet, one side is smooth, the other side is a more rough texture.
  • Mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, this is your glue.
  • Pull off one sheet and place smooth side down on a clean counter with one corner of the sheet facing you. Place a tablespoon or so of filling near the corner closest to you.
  • Fold the bottom (the corner closest to you) up over the filling.
  • Tightly roll away from you, the filling will spread some, that is fine. When the roll is just before the widest part of the pastry (left and right corners will be on the sides of the roll). Use your fingers and apply some glue to the two sides that are away from you, then fold the left and right sides towards the center. The roll should be about 5 inches long, and should look like an envelope.
  • Continue to roll away from you and just pat the seam down with your fingers. There, you just made a spring roll. Repeat this process until all the filling is used.
  • To fry these, heat about ½ inch of vegetable oil in a pan. When hot, add 5-6 spring rolls at a time and fry, turn often, until golden brown, These cook fast so keep an eye on them. Remove to paper towels to drain and fry the remaining rolls. Perfect color.
  • Let cool for a few minutes then serve hot with a dipping sauce of your choice.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Long Bean Soup

Long Bean Soup

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Also known as Green Bean Soup, but since long beans are common here in Thailand, let's go with that for the name. Long beans are just very long green beans, 12-24 inches long, taste is the same. I prefer to pressure cook long beans, but for this recipe, I am going to sauté them in butter to cook them as directed.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup long beans, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
  • inches carrot, diced
  • 1 potato, peeled and diced
  • ¼ cup green peas
  • ½ inch fresh ginger, or ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or as needed
  • water, as needed
  • salt, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Cook the diced potato, carrot, and peas in a sauce pan with with water to cover them. Cook until tender.
  • While the other vegetables are simmering, heat a non stick pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and when hot, add the long beans. Saute until tender. When cooked, remove to a bowl and set aside.
  • Once the potatoes and carrots are tender, drain and retain 2½ cups of the cooking water. Mash the potatoes, carrot, and peas.
  • Add the mash to a sauce pan and add the 2½ cups of retained water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
  • Add the long beans to the sauce pan and stir in, boil for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Add more water to adjust the thickness of the soup.
  • Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with black pepper, and serve.

Notes

Low cost.
Nước Chấm (Vietnamese Vegetarian Fish Sauce)

Nước Chấm (Vietnamese Vegetarian Fish Sauce)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
A vegetarian alternative to fish sauce.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Cuisine Vegetarian, Vietnamese

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons boiling water
  • 4 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, with pulp
  • 4 teaspoons garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 2 teaspoons red Bird's Eye chilies, finely chopped, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add the boiling water to a bowl and dissolve the sugar then allow the water to cool to room temp.
  • To the bowl, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Done, and ready to use.

Notes

Shortcut: Vietnamese Pickled Carrot & Daikon (Đồ Chua).
Variants: 1. Add pickled daikon and carrot, chopped. 2. Add crushed peanuts.
Kung Pao Mushroom

Kung Pao Mushroom

China Sichuan Food, Elaine, China.
This sounds really good and is from a good friend in China. This is Szechuan in nature, and the sauce can be used to make many variants, such as with tofu, fish, sweet potato, or shrimp. King Oyster mushrooms are used in this dish.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 large King Oyster mushrooms, or 4 smaller ones
  • ½ cup peanuts, skinless, toasted
  • 1 spring onion, white only, cut into 1/4 inch slices
  • 6-10 dried Bird's Eye chilies, chopped, less for less heat
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil
  • 15-20 black peppercorns, Sichuan peppercorns if you have them

For the Stir Fry Sauce

  • ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh spring onion, chopped, green and white parts
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ½ teaspoon sugar

Instructions
 

  • Trim off the root ends of the mushrooms and give them a rinse. Dice the mushrooms into ½ to ¾ inch pieces
  • Mix together the Sauce in a bowl, set aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan or wok on low heat, when hot, add the chilies, garlic, spring onion, and peppercorns, saute until fragrant.
  • Add the mushroom and cook until they are soft and tender.
  • Stir in the Sauce and continue to cook until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute,
  • Add the toasted peanuts, give a big stir and mix everything together, transfer to a serving dish.
  • Serve over steamed rice.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Easy Spring Roll Wrappers

Easy Spring Roll Wrappers

China Sichuan Food, Elaine, China.
This comes from a good friend in China to make an easy spring roll wrapper without kneading and fast. This is a non traditional way but seems to work perfect, and is vegan as well, bonus for my vegan friends. Just three ingredients, and read the steps fully as you need to have some patience here and follow the steps.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 25 spring roll wrappers

Ingredients
  

  • 200 grams all purpose flour, (1⅓ cups)
  • cups water, more as needed, a teaspoon at a time
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, mix together the flour and salt, then stir in the water, stir until well mixed.
  • Place a strainer on another bowl, pour the mixture through the strainer to remove any lumps. Now your mixture is perfect.
  • Now you need a non stick pan with a flat bottom, and a brush. Heat the pan on low heat, then quickly brush the flour mixture into the pan to make a round skin. Increase the heat and the skin will turn white and will lift from the pan. Cooking takes about 10 seconds.
  • Flip the skin over and cook for another few seconds and it will lift from the pan. Turn heat to low.
  • Place skin on a plate to cool before stacking them to prevent the skins from sticking to each other.
  • Wipe out any crumbs in the pan, and repeat the steps until all the batter is used, about 20 wrappers.
Rajma – Kidney Bean Curry (Pressure Cooker)

Rajma - Kidney Bean Curry (Pressure Cooker)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a great main or side dish, I made this on 30 April 2018 was truly surprised, excellent flavor! This originates in Northern India and Nepal. This is a modified recipe and not authentic.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Indian, Vegetarian
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups dry red kidney beans
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoons butter
  • 1 large onion, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon Thai chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 4 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • salt, to taste
  • water, as needed
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala, optional
  • 1 teaspoon ground red pepper, optional
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • Rinse the kidney beans and remove and bad ones and any debris, place in a large bowl and cover with 2 inches of water. Cover the bowl and let that sit for 6 hours.
  • After 6 hours, drain and rinse the beans, just leave in the strainer for now.
  • In your pressure cooking, without using the lid, heat the oil and butter on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant, then add in the ginger, cloves, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, and coriander. Cook for a few minutes then add the tomatoes and cook for about 1 minute.
  • Add the drained beans and water to just cover the beans then add 1 more cup of water. Stir in the sugar and salt to to taste.
  • Place the lid on the pot and bring the heat up to high. When the jiggler starts moving and releasing pressure, start timing for 8 minutes and turn the heat down to low or medium low to just maintain the jiggler moving and pressure releasing.
  • At 8 minutes, turn off the heat and move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow a natural release of pressure. When the pressure is released, open the lid.
  • Serve as a side dish or a main dish over rice.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. For a non-vegetarian, add in sliced sausage at Step 4 (this is what I do). 2. Add a spoon or two of lime juice and mix that in before serving.
Kidney Bean Salad

Kidney Bean Salad

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Excellent salad if you like kidney beans, after I mixed I taste tested, perfect. When chilled, it is excellent. If one does not like that much cilantro, just cut back on that. To make this vegetarian/vegan simply leave out the cheese. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings as a side

Ingredients
  

For the Salad

  • 1 can red Kidney beans, drained, rinsed, or 1½ cups you cooked, Shortcut.
  • 1 can corn, drained, or 1½ cups fresh cooked or frozen
  • ½ cucumber, diced, if small cucumber, use all of it
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2-3 spring onions, sliced, white and green
  • ¾ cup Feta cheese, crumbled

For the Dressing

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Add all the salad ingredients to a large mixing bowl and toss together.
  • In a small bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk, taste and adjust as needed.
  • Pour dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Place in the fridge for a few hours, serve as a side dish. This can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. (I chose to add the Feta cheese after this is chilled, that is why you do not see it in this.)

Notes

Shortcut: Kidney Beans (Pressure Cooker).
Variants: 1. Add halved cherry tomatoes. 2. Use black beans in place of red kidney beans. 3. For vegetarian or vegan, omit the cheese.