Author Archive
Healthy Mushroom Soup
My creation, I had some King Oyster mushrooms in the fridge so I decided to make a soup. This is not a milk or cream based soup, in place of that, I used mushroom stock. This is a delicious soup.
Ingredients
- 5 cups King Oyster mushrooms
- 1 carrot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter, or 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups mushroom stock, I use 1 cube dissolved in hot water
- 2 small tubes egg tofu, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- salt and pepper, to taste, as desired
- sesame oil, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the mushrooms by slicing in half lengthwise, then slicing each half into 1/2 inch pieces. Dice the carrot into about 1/2 inch cubes. Roughly mince the garlic. Chop the spring onion whites into 1/2 inch pieces, the greens into 1 inch pieces.
- In a pot on medium heat, add the butter, when melted, add the garlic and mushrooms. Stir often until the mushrooms are softened, not browned.
- Add the mushroom stock, carrot, and spring onion, season with a pinch of black pepper as desired. Let the soup simmer until the carrot is just tender.
- Slice the egg tofu. Here is what a tube looks like as well as one sliced.
- Add the egg tofu to the soup turn off the heat, leave on the burner, and cover for about 15 minutes, this will heat the egg tofu. Season with salt and black pepper to taste or as desired.
- Ladle into bowls and add a drop or two of sesame oil as desired. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
My creation that turned out better than expected, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Crockpot Shredded Chicken
Need chicken for a casserole, tacos, sandwich, salad, or a soup? This would be a good way to prepare this. This is hands free for a few hours once it goes in the slow cooker, what you will not get is a nice broth as if you were pressure cooking the chicken, but not everyone uses a pressure cooker. This will result in tender juicy chicken however. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth, or water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or as desired, fell free to omit
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, Shortcut
- fresh herbs, if you have on hand, a few sprigs is perfect, not required
Instructions
- Place the sliced onion in your slow cooker, add the chicken, sprinkle in the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and if using the fresh fresh herbs, add a few sprigs. Pour in the broth or water.
- Cover and cook on Low setting for 5-6 hours or High setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- When the chicken easily shreds with a fork, it is ready. Remove chicken to a mixing bowl and shred with two forks, add a bit of liquid from the slow cooker to the chicken as desired.
- Use the chicken in casseroles, soups, tacos, you get the idea. Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Italian Seasoning.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here. United States.
Omelet Sandwich
This is not a recipe, this was a spur of the moment sandwich, and it is brilliant. Omelet fillings of your choice, here is what I used.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, chicken or duck
- 4 slices bread, your choice
- 1 spring onion, sliced, white and green parts
- 1 plum tomato, diced
- 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce, or to taste
- white pepper powder, as desired
- butter, as needed
Instructions
- Prep the spring onion, tomato, and cheese.
- Crack the eggs into a bowl, add the fish sauce, and a good shake of white pepper or as desired. Mix with a fork.
- Heat a tablespoon of butter in a non stick pan, when hot, pour in the mixed eggs. I use a wok pan so I rotate it around a bit to spread out the egg mixture. When the eggs are almost set, sprinkle in the spring onion, tomato, and top with the cheese, (or fillings of your choice) on one half of the eggs, use a large spatula and fold the other half over the filling, cook for another 30 seconds and remove from heat.
- Toast the bread then butter the slices. Cut the omelet in half with the spatula and top a slice of toast with the half an omelet and top the sandwich with another slice of toast, butter side down. Enjoy!
Notes
Low cost per sandwich.
I winged this and it was spot on perfect, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Personal Pizza Galette
Now your first question is probably what is a galette. A galette is basically a free form crust, pastry dough for a fruit tart and pizza dough for our pizza. The edges are partially folded over the filling, or with our pizza, the toppings. This recipe comes from a good friend who is a Chef and this is his creation. The toppings listed here is what the Chef used, feel free to use toppings of your choice. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Foil
- Oven
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough recipe, your choice, ready made is fine, Shortcut
- 170 grams bulk Italian sausage, (6 oz), Shortcut
- 4 slices Canadian bacon
- 3 slices Provolone cheese
- 10-12 slices Pepperoni
- ½ cup pizza sauce, Shortcut
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 85 grams Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, (3 oz)
- olive oil, as needed
- dried oregano, as needed
Instructions
- Heat a non stick pan then cook the sausage until just cooked through, breaking it up with your spatula, drain the fat and place on paper towels.
- While the sausage is cooking, prep and get all the remaining ingredients. Preheat your oven to 220° C (425° F). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- On the prepared baking sheet, lightly floured, roll out the dough to about an 8 inch circle, we're not looking for precision or a perfect circle here, just eyeball it. Lightly brush the dough with some olive oil.
- Starting in the center of the dough, add the pizza sauce and spread into a 6 inch circle. The extra dough, we'll get to that in a few minutes.
- Place the Italian sausage on the pizza sauce.
- Place the Provolone cheese on the sausage.
- Place the Canadian bacon on top of the cheese.
- Add the Parmesan cheese on top of the Canadian bacon.
- Add the Mozzarella cheese then the Parmesan cheese, followed by the pepperoni.
- Now for that extra dough, take a knife and cut the dough from the edge of the pizza sauce out to the edge about every 2 inches, so it looks like spokes on a bike wheel.
- Fold the extra dough over the pizza fillings, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with some dried oregano.
- Place the pizza galette on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-18 minutes, goal is cheese lightly browned and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, slice, and serve.
Notes
Overall, even though with the cheeses used, this is low cost per serving, and it sounds mouth watering, so cost is not really a factor for this recipe.
Shortcuts: Pizza Dough, Pizza Sauce, Italian Sausage.
Easy Ground Beef Hoagies
This comes from a friend and is highly recommended. This sounds absolutely delicious. On my to make, taste, and enjoy list, I might even go into a food coma with this dish. This recipe is wide open to changes to suit your families tastes as well. Change it up and make it your own.
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
- 500-750 grams fresh white button mushrooms, sliced, (1-1 1/2 lbs)
- 1 small onion, quartered and sliced
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 packet mushroom gravy
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, cheese, additional cheese for topping if desired
- hoagie rolls, as needed, or hotdog buns
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- salt and pepper, as desired
Instructions
- Prep the mushrooms and onion.
- Heat a large non stick pan and add the olive oil, when hot, add the beef, mushrooms, and onion.
- Cook, breaking up the beef, until the beef is browned and cooked through.
- Drain the beef mixture then place on paper towels to drain even more. Wipe out the pan and return the beef mixture to the pan and set the pan aside.
- Prepare the gravy according to the packet instructions, when good and thick, pour into the pan with the beef mixture. Add the 1 cup of Mozzarella cheese and stir together. Heat on low to medium low heat until the cheese is melted in, and the mixture is heated through.
- Slice the hoagie rolls, spoon the beef mixture into the rolls, and top with additional cheese.
- Serve with chips, fries, a dill pickle spear (a must), salad, or any sides you desire.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variants: 1. Add diced green bell pepper or jalapeno peppers. 2. Add 1-2 slices of Provolone in the hoagie before adding the beef mixture.
Recipe adapted from Just A Pinch Recipe Club, Elaine Bovender, and the original recipe is here.
United States.
Photo provided by Just A Pinch Recipe Club, Amy Herald.
United States.
United States.
Photo provided by Just A Pinch Recipe Club, Amy Herald.
United States.
Fried Zucchini
Yep, basic recipe, more or less for my own reference.
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.
Thailand.
Turkish Chicken Kebabs
This recipe comes from my good friend, Brian, who lives in northeastern Thailand, and is highly recommended by him. On my to make and taste list.
Equipment
- Grill, Charcoal or Gas
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1,250 grams chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, (2 1/2 lbs)
For the Marinade
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Aleppo red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
- â…› teaspoon ground cinnamon
For Grilling
- 2 medium onions, cut into big chunks
- 2 bell peppers, your choice of color, cut into big chunks
- 2 heads garlic, separated into cloves, peeled
- wood skewers, as many as needed
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into ¾ inch pieces.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the Marinade ingredients and mix to combine, slowly add the chicken pieces making sure all the chicken is coated. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight to full blend the flavors.
- When you are ready to cook, light your grill then prep the Grilling ingredients, and soak the skewers in water. When the grill is hot, can be gas or charcoal, arrange the coals for cooking over partially indirect heat, or direct heat if less coals are used, no need to use a lid for this.
- Now for grilling, you can make this a family event, set out the Grilling ingredients in bowls, drain the chicken and place in a bowl but retain the marinade in another bowl and stick a brush in that.
- Let people build their own kebabs, just mixing and matching what they like, baste the kebabs with the marinade before placing on the grill, and again during grilling. Turn the kebabs every few minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Enjoy.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Brian's Frittata aka Egg Pizza
This recipe comes from my good friend, Brian, in northeastern Thailand. This was his creation that follows keto diet rules and is based on simple intuitive cooking, which is how many cooks come up with new dishes. Keto or not, this sounds absolutely delicious! The Egg Pizza part of the name comes from my wife. I made this on 3 Mar 2019 exactly as written and we absolutely loved it, this recipe is a keeper! Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Equipment
- Pie Dish (9 inch)
- Oven
Ingredients
- 10 eggs
- 8 strips bacon, cooked crispy, crumbled
- 1 bell pepper, diced, your choice of color
- 1 onion, diced
- 3-4 spring onions, whites sliced, greens chopped
- 125 grams Cream cheese, softened, ½ block, (4 oz)
- marinara sauce, or pizza sauce, as desired, Shortcut
- Mozzarella Cheese, shredded, as desired
- Italian seasoning, as desired, Shortcut
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Lightly grease a 9 inch pie dish with butter.
- Onion, bell pepper, and spring onions prepped while the bacon is frying.
- In a mixing bowl or pot, add all the ingredients except the marinara sauce, cheese, and Italian seasoning.
- Mix to combine, if there is a few lumps of cream cheese, no worries.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the center is set (when a toothpick comes out clean), remove from the oven. Now at this point you have a great frittata, now we're going to take it up a notch.
- Spread the top with marinara sauce as desired, top that with Mozzarella cheese as desired, and sprinkle on some Italian seasoning. I got snap happy with the camera and took the photo before adding the Italian seasoning.
- Place back in the oven until the cheese is melted.
- Slice, plate, add another light sprinkling of Italian seasoning as desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcuts: Pizza Sauce, Italian Seasoning.
Variants: 1. Replace the marinara sauce with salsa and replace the Mozzarella cheese with Cheddar cheese and sprinkle with oregano or even taco seasoning - there, you have a Mexican variant, like a Breakfast Burrito without the tortilla. 2. Use plain tomato sauce, oregano, and Cheddar cheese, highly recommended. 3. Add more bacon and use a 7x11 baking dish, highly recommended. 4. Serve with choice of toast, biscuits, or crescent rolls.
Stir Fry Fixings in a Bag
The advantages to buying these from the local markets is that the vegetables you need for a stir fry is already cut up, so instead of buying a whole cabbage and only needing part of it for a stir fry, the bag has the correct amount you need. Possibly less waste, and no room in the fridge needed as these are a buy on the day your are going to prepare. All you need is one bag, a few sauces, and a good arm. This can be a side dish or add some meat and you have a main dish. Each bag is only 25 Baht (78 cents) and you have 4 or 5 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 bag stir fry fixings
- oyster sauce, as desired
- mushroom sauce, as desired
- light soy sauce, as desired
- extra light olive oil, as needed
- water, as needed
Instructions
- A typical stir fry fixings in a bag will have chopped broccoli, cabbage, carrot, baby corn, and a few types of mushrooms, oyster and ear wood are common types used. Need a larger amount of stir fry when family is visiting? Use two bags and a larger pan or a wok would be preferred. Simply add the contents of the bag to a colander and give it a quick rinse.
- In a large non stick pan, or wok, heat 1-2 tablespoons of extra light olive oil, when hot, add the fixings (I used 2 bags), and stir fry...
- And stir fry, add a dash of each of the sauces, does not hurt to go heavy handed with the oyster sauce, and taste, if needed more salt, add another dash or so of light soy sauce.
- If the pan is drying out, add a bit of water, and keep stir frying, the water will help steam the veggies as well. When the carrot and broccoli are tender, and the liquid more or less evaporated, pour onto a serving tray and serve as a side with any meal.
To Add Meat
- Meat used is typically chicken or pork where I live, but beef can certainly be used. To prepare the meat, just slice into strips.
- Add the strips to the pan first and stir fry until just no longer pink, a bit of pink visible, no problem!
- Then just add the bag of fixings and continue as stated above.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Commonly used throughout Thailand and Asia.
Photo of finished dish provided by my daughter, Samantha Thayer.
Thailand.
Photo of finished dish provided by my daughter, Samantha Thayer.
Thailand.
King Oyster Mushroom Spring Rolls
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Oyster mushrooms, diced
- 1 cup spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
- â…” 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.