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Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Eggplant, Crab, and Cheese Bake

This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This recipe was given to me by a good friend in the US, and it does sound tasty! I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • all purpose flour, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, for frying
  • cheese, shredded, Mozzarella would be good
  • crab meat, real crab meat, not imitation

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
  • Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch.
  • When all the eggplant has been fried and on the baking sheet, sprinkle some crab meat on each slice of eggplant, then top each slice with some shredded cheese. Place in the oven until the cheese melts and just starts to brown up. Remove from oven and serve as a side with any main course of your choosing.

Notes

Low cost side dish.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Chuck Ruth.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Pan Fried Eggplant
December 27, 2016 Lee
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Pan Fried Eggplant

This is the large purple eggplant, this used to be imported but are now grown in Thailand. This is a great side dish, easy to prepare, and is low cost. I cannot price this until I buy more eggplant, I made this a few days ago and did not take any photos, which is rare for me.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 purple eggplant, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
  • all purpose flour, as needed
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil, for frying

Instructions
 

  • Heat a pan on medium heat and add a splash of olive oil.
  • Place some flour on a plate or shallow dish and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Coat the eggplant slices in the flour and place in the hot pan, cooking these in batches. After a minute or two, check the bottom of the slices, if golden brown, flip them over, when the bottom is golden brown, remove from the pan to a paper towel lined plate. Add more olive oil as needed and heat that up before adding another batch. Done. Serve as a side with steaks, meatloaf, etc.

Notes

Low cost side dish.
Family recipe taught to me when I was a child, I have made this many many times.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,SIDES
Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)

Adapted from an internet recipe.
I found this recipe as originally stated as roast in the oven with the meat stacked on a skewer and called for achiote paste, which I am not going to find nor do I think I can make that here. I am going to write this as a slow cooker recipe as well.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Passive Time 2 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

For the Marinade

  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons vinegar
  • ½ cup pineapple juice, from a carton, not fresh
  • 1½ kilos pork shoulder, cut into ¾ inch cubes, (3 lb)

To Prepare

  • 6-10 tortillas, corn or flour
  • onion, chopped
  • fresh cilantro, chopped
  • salsa, of your choice, Shortcut

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients except the pork.
  • Cube the pork and add to the mixing bowl, and mix together with the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-24 hours.
  • After marinating, place the pork in your slow cooker and cook for 6-10 hours on Low setting, remove and drain the meat, place a few spoons of meat on a tortilla, top with some onion, cilantro, and salsa, fold and enjoy!

Notes

The pork would cost about 100 Baht/kilo, so 150 Baht for that. The tortillas, flour, import from the states (actually good quality) will run 240 Baht/pack of 10. For 10 servings, this is about $1.15 per serving, not bad for visiting friends and family.
Shortcut: Salsa.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,PORK,Pork - Slow Cooker,TEX-MEX, sort of
Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Chicken Burgers in Mushroom Gravy

Sounds delicious for sure. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo ground chicken
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 cup dry bread crumbs, or butter cracker crumbs, or even panko
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, or 2 tablesppons dry parsley
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 medium onion
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 500 grams fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped, button mushrooms would be ideal, straw mushrooms may work as well
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 1 tablespoon Worcherstershire sauce
  • fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add the ground chicken, salt, pepper, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and grate in 1/2 of the onion. Mix with your hands then shape into patties, try to make about 7-9 patties. Chop the other half of the onion and set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry patties until golden brown on each side in batches. They will not be done on the inside, they will cook through later. Set patties aside on a plate.
  • Add the butter to the pan over medium heat until melted the add the mushrooms and onion and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to evenly coat, then cook for one minute then stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until gravy starts to thicken. Add the patties back into the gravy, cover with a lid, and cook in the sauce until patties are firm and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Serve over rice (would not be my first choice), pasta, or mashed potatoes, spoon some gravy over the top, garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy.

Notes

I cannot price this until I make this. Ground chicken is not available where I live so I will grind myself using both breasts and thighs for an even balance of white and dark meat. For now, I will say this is low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Stuffed Chinese Bitter Gourd Soup

This is an easy and delicious soup. The only chilies used are in the filling of the gourd. You can prepare this two different ways. 1. You can buy the already stuffed bitter gourd complete with sliced carrot and cilantro or spring onion, this is stuffed with minced pork and chopped chilies. 2. You can just buy all the separate ingredients do the stuffing part yourself. The already stuffed bitter gourd is the basic starter method, you add to this a few items and you have a delicious soup. For this recipe, I am using the already stuffed gourd as it is very cheap to purchase, less than $1. This is a make with quantities as you see fit recipe.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 package stuffed Chinese bitter gourd, this is a ready to cook meal
  • 1 package Enoki mushrooms, also called Golden mushrooms
  • 1/4 carrot, sliced
  • spring onions, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces, white and green parts
  • cilantro, chopped
  • chicken stock, fresh or from powder

Instructions
 

  • In a pot, add the bitter gourd and chopped carrot, add stock to cover the bitter gourd and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes or so, this is to cook the pork through, adding more chicken stock as needed. The stuffing is just minced pork with chopped chilies mixed into it.
  • While this is cooking, prep the mushrooms. These come in packs of about 200 grams each, these are in big clumps, before separating the clump, cut about 1-2 inches off the root end and discard that. Now you can sort of pull the clumps apart, set aside. These mushrooms maintain a great crunchy bite to them when cooked. If you like mushrooms, add as much as you want.
  • When the carrot and gourd is cooked through as well as the pork, add in the mushrooms, spring onion, and cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes or so, again, adding stock as needed. Serve.

Notes

For the package of stuffed bitter gourd, that is 32 Baht. One 200 gram package of Enoki mushrooms is 14 Baht. For 3 servings, this 45 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,MUSHROOMS,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Fresh Strawberry & Blueberry Pie
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Fresh Strawberry & Blueberry Pie

Sounds like a great pie! On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pie crusts, fresh, frozen, OR make from a shortcut on this site
  • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, stems removed and slightly chopped
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • lemon zest, OR orange zest, from 1 orange or lemon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 205 C. Mix together the berries, sugar, zest, and corns starch in a large bowl.
  • Place one pie crust in a pie dish, pour the berry mixture into the dish. For the top crust, you can do this several ways, one complete crust on the top with a few slits cut in it, a lattice top, or use different shape cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top. Mix together the egg and a tablespoon of water and brush this on the top crust.
  • Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before cutting to maintain the shape.

Notes

I cannot price this until I purchase the berries. For 8 servings I will say for now this is low cost.
Shortcut: Basic Buttery Pie Crust.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAD & PASTRY
Parmesan Broiled Whitefish
December 26, 2016 Lee
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Parmesan Broiled Whitefish

This sounds not only good, but is quick to prepare as well. On my to try list for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 whitefish fillets, Tilapia, Pangasius, Sea Perch are all good choices
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/8 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons mayo
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
  • pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven broiler to High and place the rack near the top. If you have a counter top oven, preheat the oven to 200 C using the top coil only, and place the rack near the top.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the cheese, butter, mayo, lemon juice, dill, and pepper.
  • Place fish fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil and broil for 3 minutes, remove from oven and flip each fillet over and divide the cheese mixture over the fish fillets and broil for 3-5 minutes making sure you do not over cook the fish, serve.

Notes

Pangasius fillets would run about 115 Baht/kilo, four fillets would probably be less than so I will us 100 Baht. For 4 servings this is about 75 cents per serving. Sea Perch would cost more (96 Baht per fish), and you have to fillet yourself. Nile Tilapia and Tub Tim would cost less (51 and 58 Baht per fish) but you would have to fillet yourself.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - White Fish
ABC Soup
December 25, 2016 Lee
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ABC Soup

This is a simple Chinese soup recommended by a good Singaporean friend, and surprisingly, this is also a Thai soup as well.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese, Thai
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams pork ribs
  • 1 large carrot, sliced
  • 1 large potato, quartered
  • 1-2 tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 teaspoon white pepper
  • salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Ribs come in a strip as shown, cut between each bone, rinse and place ribs in a pot.
  • Cut your vegetables up and place in the same pot, add water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer. Simmer for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Alternately, put everything in a slow cooker and set on High setting for about 3-4 hours. Skim off any foam occasionally. Season with salt to taste, serve as is with a bowl of rice on the side, or serve as a side to a meal.

Notes

Pork ribs will cost about 80 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 59 cents per serving.
Variant: change the ribs to chicken legs and you have Thai Chicken soup, it is really that easy.
Recipe inspired by & photo provided courtesy of good friend, Grace Adamson, Gourmet Kwi-zeen.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: CHINESE,: THAI,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Chili Cornbread Pie
December 24, 2016 Lee
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Chili Cornbread Pie

Sounds really good and there is several shortcuts you can prepare to cut costs but this will increase the time needed to prepare this. I think the lower cost, knowing what everything is made off is a good trade off. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Cornbread Mix

  • 1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup milk

For the rest of the Pie

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 packet taco seasoning mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 can chili beans, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, to taste
  • lettuce, tomatoes, onions, shredded, diced, chopped, for toping, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 200 C.
  • Prepare cornbread batter by mixing in the egg and milk, pour into a lightly greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake cornbread for 10 minutes then remove from oven, yes, it is not done, we will get back to that.
  • Meanwhile, cook ground beef and onion in a medium skillet and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to your liking. Once cooked through, drain fat. Add the taco seasoning and undrained chili beans and stir well OR If using the shortcut for the beans, add the beans and 1/2 cup of water. Continue cooking on a simmer and until starting to to thicken, then spread chili evenly over partially cooked cornbread.
  • Combine sour cream and 1 cup of Cheddar cheese and mix well. Spread sour cream mixture evenly over chili. Start by evenly placing dollops on top of chili then the heat from the chili will make it easier to spread. Top sour cream mixture with remaining Cheddar cheese then continue baking for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
  • Serve, top each serving with shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and onion if desired.

Notes

For ground beef, figure 100 Baht/500 grams.Making the shortcuts, does take time, will save a lot. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix, Taco Seasoning Mix, Chili Beans.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BEEF
Sub Sandwiches
December 24, 2016 Lee
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Sub Sandwiches

When I was growing up, these were a regular meal, sub sandwiches, this is a basic meal, filling, and can be made anyway you want. This is a starter recipe, tailor as you see fit. I am going to list what I use on one sandwich but I did enjoy two of these last night. Use any amounts of the ingredients as you see fit.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 1 sandwich

Ingredients
  

  • 1 hamburger bun
  • 2 leaves lettuce
  • onion, sliced
  • tomato, sliced
  • 3 slices smoked ham
  • 3 slices baloney with chilies, this is a great flavor, if not a fan of chilis, just push them out from the slices
  • Cheddar cheese, sliced
  • mayo, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Spread mayo on the bottom and top pieces of the bun. Starting on the bottom bun, add onion slices, lettuce, smoked ham, baloney with chilies.
  • Keep adding with cheese slices (I used real cheese, not the processed rubbish), tomato slices, top with the other piece of bun, enjoy.

Notes

Low cost meal.
Variants: Use spicy mustard instead of mayo, add cooked bacon, add or change the meats used, use sliced bell peppers, the combos are endless and up to your liking!
Been making these for years but will give credit to my parents for showing us kids this many many years ago.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES