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Cilantro Lime Chicken I
November 7, 2016 Lee
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Cilantro Lime Chicken I

Lime and cilantro with chicken sounds very good! This I will be trying soon.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 limes, juice from 2 limes
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • olive oil, as needed
  • cooked rice, for serving
  • chicken stock, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Make the marinade by whisking together 2 tablespoons olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, and cumin. Add chicken and toss to evenly coat with the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
  • Pour olive oil into a large skillet, cast iron would be perfect, to just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium high heat. Season each side of marinated chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken skin side down and pour in the marinade. Sear until the skin becomes golden and crispy, about 6 minutes. Flip the chicken over, reduce heat to a low simmer and cover the pan. Cook for another 20 minutes or so, moving the chicken around once in a while to prevent sticking, add chicken stock as needed, until cooked through and juices run clear.
  • Serve over rice along with the drippings from the pan.

Notes

Chicken thighs run about 75 Baht/kilo, quarters run about 71 Baht/kilo. Quarters will give you the largest thighs and it takes just seconds to separate the thigh from the leg. I will go with just 75 Baht (on the high side for 4 thighs), everything else is minimal. For 4 servings, this would be about 55 cents per meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CHICKEN & TURKEY
Viennese Beef Goulash
November 6, 2016 Lee
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Viennese Beef Goulash

This, sounds really good! Austrian Goulash is different than Hungarian style but still shares the paprika ingredient and is served over pasta or potatoes. This recipe screams of using a slow cooker for the simmering, which is what I will do when I make this so I will modify this recipe slighly. One ingredient may only be available in the larger cities, cornichons.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine European
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 10 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 1/2 cups onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup garlic, smashed and minced, about 1/2 head of garlic
  • 1 kilo beef stew meat, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup cornichons, finely chopped
  • 1/2 lemon, zest only
  • 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 4 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, OR equal 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, OR 1 1/2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 2 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or make from powder
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium pot and cook onion and garlic on medium heat until golden brown, stirring occasionally to ensure garlic does not burn. After it is cooked, place in your slow cooker.
  • Add the remaining olive oil to the same pot and brown the beef well in batches, as it browns, add to the slow cooker. Once all the beef is added to the slow cooker, add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix well and cook on High setting for 3 hours. Check for tenderness of the beef at the 3 hour mark, continue cooking if not tender. If mixture is too thick, add a bit of beef stock and stir that in.
  • Season with additional salt and pepper to suit your taste. Remove the bay leaves before serving. Serve over pasta or mashed potatoes.

Notes

For the beef, I will go with 200 Baht/kilo. For 6 servings this is about 98 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Beef - Slow Cooker
French Baguettes
November 6, 2016 Lee
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French Baguettes

This is a basic recipe that you may need to experiment with to get the right consistency with the flour you have available. And I am really winging this with the type of flour. This takes a lot of time to make. Metric and Imperial measurements are given, the metric is more accurate if you have that measuring capability. This recipe ranks right up there are expert level!
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Prep Time 2 days 2 hours
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 2 days 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine European
Servings 2 baguettes

Ingredients
  

  • 2.83 cups bread flour, 360 grams
  • 1 cup luke warm water, 240 ml
  • 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast, .65 g
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 7 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar, 2 g

Instructions
 

  • Mix the water, yeast, salt and sugar together until dissolved. Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center and pour in the water mixture. Mix to form a smooth dough. The dough should be kneaded until it does not stick to the bowl any longer (alternatively have a mixer or kitchen machine do it. First slow then a bit faster.) Once you have a smooth dough, you are going to let this rest for 1 hour but you will fold it over on itself every 20 minutes.
  • Now take the take the dough and transfer to the fridge to rest for 48 hours, put the dough in a bowl that is covered. After it has rested, take it out of the fridge and divide it into 2 or 3 pieces. On a lightly floured surface, fold each piece over on itself 2-3 times, to make a cylinder, place each roll seam side up on a towel and cover with the towel for 15 minutes.
  • Now take each roll and on a lightly floured surface, roll with your hands to make the roll longer, about 3 times longer than what it started out as, place each long roll on a towel. Cover these with the towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Place a oven proof small pot filled with water in the bottom center of your oven. Now preheat your oven to 250 C. Once it is heated, place the long rolls on a baking sheet seam side up and put into the oven (you can also use a razor and make 2 or 3 light cuts along the top of each roll at an angle), then reduce the temp to 230 C. They will be done in about 25 minutes and should be golden brown.

Notes

Bread flour is available in Tops, Tesco, etc. Some shops will have better quality flours. Once you make this and it comes out good for you, stick with that type of flour when making again. Easliy low cost.
Recipe and photos provided courtesy of good friend, Daniela Dalaa Payerl.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAD & PASTRY
Pan Fried Whitefish I
November 5, 2016 Lee
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Pan Fried Whitefish I

This is a basic recipe that you can use to expand on to suite your taste. There is no quantities here as this is a make with what you want recipe, either way, this is a low cost meal, whether feeding 10 people (think a fish fry) or feeding just 2 people. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • whitefish fillets, skin on or skin off is up to you
  • all purpose flour, you need about 1/2 cup per 4 fillets
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • tartar sauce, as needed, for serving, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Season the flour with salt and pepper and you like, coat the fish fillets in flour, shake off the excess flour.
  • Using a non stick pan, heat a splash of cooking oil and heat to hot but not smoking, place the fillets in the pan skin side down and cook for 3-4 until browned on the bottom and edges, then flip and cook for another 3 minutes or so, just until the flesh is cooked through and not translucent, and flakes with a fork. The thickness of the fillets will determine how long you cook these.
  • Serve. Fries on the side would be great, a green vegetable like asparagus or broccoli would be nice as well. If cooking for a fish fry, some potato salad would be a good choice. If tartar sauce is desired, there is a shortcut on the site for that.

Notes

Overall, this is a low cost meal, whether for 2 people or 10. This is not what would be called Fish and Chips, you need batter cooked fillets for that.
Shortcut: Tartar Sauce.
I have been cooking fish like this for many years, Lee Thayer.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - White Fish
Grilled Salmon
November 5, 2016 Lee
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Grilled Salmon

Adapted from an internet recipe.
I have not had salmon in many years, I can get that in the city, it is costly so not a cheap meal, but this does sound good.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Grill, Charcoal or Gas

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams salmon fillets, (I think the 140-160 gram / 5-6 oz fillets would be perfect)
  • â…“ cup soy sauce
  • â…“ cup brown sugar
  • â…“ cup water
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • garlic powder, to taste
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • lemon zest, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Season salmon fillets with pepper, salt, lemon zest, and garlic powder to your liking. In a bowl, mix together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, and olive oil until the sugar is dissolved. Place the seasoned fillets in a large resealable bag with the soy mixture, seal, and turn to coat, refrigerate for 2 hours, turning every 30 minutes.
  • Heat your grill to medium heat. Oil the grill and place the salmon on the grill flesh side down and discard the marinade. Cook salmon for about 6-8 minutes per side or until the flesh flakes easily with a fork. Serve.

Notes

For 6 servings, this comes out to about 1.60 per serving, as I make this and get more accurate pricing I will update this.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Salmon
NY No Knead Bread
November 4, 2016 Lee
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NY No Knead Bread

This comes highly recommended by a good friend in Phuket. This is a no knead bread but this does take some time. You will need a pot with a lid that can go in your oven, a cast iron dutch oven would be perfect.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients
  

  • 325 grams wheat flour, 3 1/4 cups
  • 125 grams rye flower, 1 1/4 cups, if no rye flour is available, then use 5 cups of wheat flour
  • 1 1/3 cup luke warm water, 320 ml for metric measuring cup
  • 1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • This is the wheat flour used, this is an import from Australia.
  • This is the rye flour used, this is also an import from Australia.
  • Put the water in a large mixing bowl, add yeast, salt, and sugar and let it dissolve. Then add the flour and stir until no dry flour is left. Cover the bowl with clear kitchen wrap and let it rest for 16-22 hours (now the yeast does its job).
  • Now you either can gently stir the dough one more time or plop it onto a smooth, well floured surface ( what I did) fold top to the middle, bottom to the middle then left to the middle and right to the middle cover it up with a clean kitchen towel for about an hour. (Even if you stir it one more time, still cover the bowl to let it rest.)
  • While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 250 C and also preheat the pot and lid in the oven at the same time.
  • When the dough has rested, take out the hot pot from the oven, then take your dough and gently rub flour or wheat bran onto it and plop it into the pot, cover, and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the lid and reduce the temp to 220-230 and bake for another 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven, done, enjoy. This is the wheat/rye bread.
  • This is the wheat only flour.

Notes

The flour is available at Tops Central in Phuket for sure for about about 40 Baht/ for 450 to 500 grams, each package shown. There is also a bakery supply place in Rawai, Phuket (Schmidt Bakery Supply) as well in several cities across Thailand. The cost is a bit more at the bakery supply shop. Over, this is an economical loaf of bread that you made yourself and you know exactly what is in it.
Recipe and photos provided courtesy of good friend, Daniela Dalaa Payerl.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAD & PASTRY
Slow-Cooker Pantry Chicken Stew
November 4, 2016 Lee
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Slow-Cooker Pantry Chicken Stew

This sounds really good is very close to that of crustless chicken pot pie. A must try.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 700 grams chicken thighs, no skin, bone reomved, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 220 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 3/4 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 6 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup Cream cheese, softened, this is about 1/2 block of 250 grams

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken to your slow cooker and add the flour, stir to mix. Add the rest of the ingredients except the peas and cream cheese, mix then cover and cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours or High setting for 3-4 hours.
  • Stir in the Cream cheese and peas, cook for another 30 minutes, serve over pasta, rice, or biscuits.

Notes

Chicken thighs will run about 75 Baht/kilo (figure 65 Baht for the chicken), the Cream cheese will run about about 60 Baht for 1/2 package of 250 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 62 cents per serving.
Variants: Add cubed potatoes to the slow cooker as well.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
No Crust Chicken Pot Pie II
November 3, 2016 Lee
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No Crust Chicken Pot Pie II

I like the idea of the potatoes used in this. There is one shortcut for additional savings.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 1/2 small onion, finely diced
  • 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 3-4 potatoes, washed and cubed
  • 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, OR use evaporated milk (my preference)
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • biscuits, home made would be best, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the slow cooker, top with the diced onion, then pour in the contents of the soup over the top, then top that with the diced potatoes, salt and pepper the potatoes to your liking as well. Cover and cook on Low setting for 6 hours. Then use 2 forks and shred the chicken, it will be tender, will take just a minute or two.
  • Add the peas and carrots, and the heavy cream (or evaporated milk) and stir to mix. Cover and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes. While this is cooking, make your biscuits.
  • When the biscuits are ready, split each in half and place on a deep plate or large bowl and ladle on the pot pie mix from the slow cooker.

Notes

Chicken breasts cost 60 Baht/kilo, skin on but boneless, takes all of 3 seconds to remove the skin and trim any fat. Four breast may be about 700 grams, go with that, more chicken, no one is going to complain. For 4 servings, 60 Baht for the chicken, 100 Baht for the 2 cans of soup, this comes to about $1.18 per serving, if you make the soup yourself, you can reduce the soup price to about 45 Baht for both cans.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Crockpot Italian Chicken
November 3, 2016 Lee
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Crockpot Italian Chicken

Sounds really good and a slow cooker dish as well, bonus! This is a simple recipe with few ingredients but you can save by making the shortcuts listed.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 250 grams Cream cheese, this is 1 standard block, softened
  • 2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 packet dry Italian salad dressing mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 500 gram pasta, I would use fettuccine but any bite size pasta is ok

Instructions
 

  • In your slow cooker, add the soup, dry dressing mix, and garlic powder, stir to combine and add the chicken breasts, cook on Low setting for 4 hours. Remove the chicken carefully to a plate and shred, then return to the slow cooker. If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk to thin to your desired consistency.
  • Just before you are ready to serve, cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just soft, drain pasta well and add to the sauce and mix in, cook for another 10 minutes to heat the pasta through, serve.

Notes

Chicken breasts cost 60 Baht/kilo, skin on but boneless, takes all of 3 seconds to remove the skin and trim any fat. Four breast may be about 700 grams, go with that, more chicken, no one is going to complain. For 4 servings, 60 Baht for the chicken, 100 Baht for the 2 cans of soup, this comes to about $1.18 per serving, if you make the soup yourself, you can reduce the soup price to about 45 Baht for both cans.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Dry Italian Salad Dressing.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas
November 3, 2016 Lee
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Cream Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sounds really nice, several shortcuts to make here as well for cost savings. The store bought tortillas is pricey so this is not a low cost meal. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Baking Pan (9x13 inch)

Ingredients
  

  • 8 flour tortillas, 8 inch should be perfect here
  • 250 grams Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz)
  • ¼ cup sour cream, Shortcut
  • 2 cups salsa, Shortcut
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, or use 2 cups of Cheddar
  • 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
  • 1 cup corn, fresh cooked or canned - drained, or frozen - thawed
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cumin
  • 4 spring onions, chopped, divided, green and white parts
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 160° C (320° F) and get out a 9x13 inch baking dish, and 2 mixing bowls.
  • First mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and sour cream (or Greek yogurt) then mix in ½ cup of the salsa and stir in ½ cup of each shredded cheese (if using just Cheddar, then stir in 1 cup) and set aside. Second bowl, mix together the chicken, corn, chili power, cumin salt, and pepper to your liking, and half of the spring onion. Add the chicken mixture to the cheeses mixture, there, you just made the filling for the enchiladas.½
  • In the baking dish, add ½ cup of your salsa and spread that around to coat the bottom. Now take a tortilla and place about â…“ to ½ cup filling on a tortilla, roll up and put in dish seam side down. Repeat process for remaining tortillas. Pour and spread the remaining salsa over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese is starting to brown. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Sprinkle on the remaining spring onion and serve. Some good beans on the side would be a great addition.

Notes

Ground beef will run about 100 Baht/500 grams. For 4 servings, this is about 74 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Salsa, Sour Cream.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,TEX-MEX, sort of