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Chicken Broccoli Divan
November 29, 2015 Lee
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Chicken Broccoli Divan

This recipe can be adapted in so many ways. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups broccoli, florests and stems, bit size pieces, cooked
  • 2 cups chicken, cubed, cooked
  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese, grated (more if you like cheese!)
  • 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, OR use the shortcut on this site
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 230 C.
  • Boil or steam the broccoli and measure out 4 cups and add to a standard pie pan (23 cm/9 inch).
  • Boil your chicken, thighs and legs would be nice in this dish, then de-bone them and cube, add to the pie pan and mix a bit with the broccoli. If you add some chicken bones you saved from another recipe, add those to the pot along with some celery and carrot and make stock while you cook the chicken for use in another recipe.
  • Mix the soup and milk in a small bowl and pour mixture over the broccoli and chicken. Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the top.
  • Mix the bread crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl, sprinkle that over the cheese.
  • Bake for 20 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve. A green salad would work well with this.

Notes

Chicken quarters are about 57 Baht/kilo, buy a kilo and go with that. Broccoli I will mention as that is import item and is 55 Baht/kilo. For 4 servings this would be about 83 cents per serving, the cheese is minimal with 1/2 cup.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Breadcrumbs.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Chicken & Vegetable Stew
November 29, 2015 Lee
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Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Sounds really good, a must try. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams chicken thighs, boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons stew mix, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 potatoes, washed and cubed
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a pot and fry the onions and green pepper until soft.
  • Add the chicken pieces and fry for about 5 minutes until well browned.
  • Add the potatoes, frozen vegetables, and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on, stir occasionally.
  • Add the stew mix and stir well, simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Notes

Chicken is about 57 Baht/kilo for quarters (leg and thigh), thighs are about 59 Baht/kilo, and boneless leg and thigh meat is about 69 Baht/kilo. Buy a kilo of quarters and cut and de-bone the thighs yourself, then you have legs to use in another recipe. Well under $1 per meal per person.
Save the bones to make chicken stock.
Shortcut: Stew Seasoning.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Cottage Cheese Pierogies
November 29, 2015 Lee
2 Comments

Cottage Cheese Pierogies

This is an Old World classic that can be tailored to any taste and is not only easy to make, but very low cost as well. This will be a must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Polish
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

Filling

  • 2 cups Cottage cheese, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 egg, slightly beaten
  • salt, to taste

Pierogi

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 3/4 cup warm water

Instructions
 

  • Mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl. Add the egg, oil, and water to make a medium soft dough. Knead on a floured board until the dough is smooth. Caution: too much kneading will toughen the dough. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
  • Combine the cottage cheese with the egg and season to taste with the salt.
  • Roll the dough quite thin on a floured board. Cut rounds with a large biscuit cutter, or as most old-world grandmothers did, with the open end of a drinking glass. Put the round in the palm of your hand. Place a spoonful of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with the fingers. The edges should be free of filling. Be sure the edges are sealed well to prevent the filling from running out.
  • Place the pierogi on a floured board or tea towel and then cover with another tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
  • Once you have all the pierogies made, drop a few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. Do not attempt to cook too many at a time. Stir gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When they float remove them with a slotted spoon and place in a colander and drain thoroughly.
  • After all the pierogies are boiled and drained, pan fry in butter or bacon fat until golden brown. This dish can be served as a stand alone meal or paired up with kielbasa sausage.

Notes

If making these with store bought Cottage Cheese, the price per person would be high. If making this from our Cottage Cheese recipe on this site, use 2 liters of milk to make the cheese, yield should be 2 cups of cheese, cost would be about 120 baht for 2 liters, for 4 people, cost is about 90 cents per meal per person.
The great thing with this recipe, is that is just a base to start from, for fillings you can also use minced meat and onion (beef, pork, chicken), sauerkraut and or mushrooms, mashed potato and Cottage Cheese.
Shortcut: Cottage Cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* High Cost $1.51+ per Serving,PASTA
Paneer Cheese from Milk
November 28, 2015 Lee
1 Comment

Paneer Cheese from Milk

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Use the Cottage cheese recipe on this site, Paneer is basically a dried out version of Cottage Cheese. This cheese won't melt or get gooey the way Mozzarella or Cheddar will, but with Paneer, this is actually an advantage. Because it won't melt, we can stir chunks into a soup or creamy curry, crumble it over a flatbreads, or even skewer cubes onto kebabs and the cheese will keep its shape and chewy texture.
Print Recipe
Servings 3 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Cottage cheese recipe from this site

Instructions
 

  • Instead of draining the whey off in our Cottage cheese recipe, line the colander with cheesecloth.
  • After the whey and curds have separated, about 10-20 minutes after the vinegar or lemon juice was added, pour into the cheesecloth line colander and let it drain for 10-20 minutes.
  • After it has drained, take up the corners of the cheesecloth and gently squeeze any whey out, place the cheesecloth with the curds inside still, on a plate, form into a round or square shape. Place another plate on top and set several large heavy canned items in the top plate to press the Paneer. Leave the canned items on the plate for about an hour then refrigerate the bottom plate with the Paneer still in the cheesecloth.
  • Once it is pressed and chilled, it is done and ready for use. Use in a recipe or refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Ingredients - Cheese
Pinto Bean Soup
November 27, 2015 Lee
2 Comments

Pinto Bean Soup

Great flavors and very nutritious, this is a hearty soup. I am going to make this, report to follow!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams chicken, breast or thighs, skinless, boneless, cut into bite size pieces, (1 lb)
  • 250 grams Pinto beans, dry beans, (1/2 lb)
  • 4-6 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 6 pieces fresh okra, sliced
  • 1 head broccoli, large, roughly chopped, including stem
  • 1 handful peppercorns
  • 1-2 cups cooked rice, more or less depending on your preference
  • white pepper powder, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak the beans overnight, next day, rinse and add to a large pot and and water to cover by 1-2 inches, simmer until soft.
  • Boil (or saute in a bit of olive oil) the chicken, on low heat in a separate pan until cooked through, do not over cook. Add to the cooked beans.
  • Add the okra, peppercorns, tomatoes, and rice to the beans, add water as needed (or whey if you have it) and simmer for 20 minutes or so. Add the broccoli and simmer for another 10 minutes until broccoli is cooked through and soft. Add seasoning to taste and simmer until you are hungry.
  • A salad or good thick bread with real butter would be great for a side dish.

Notes

Chicken would run 55 Baht at the most for 1/2 kilo, beans would be 25 Baht or less for 1/2 a bag. Everything else is low cost, this meal would be 80 Baht for chicken and beans, for 4 servings, this would be about 60 cents per meal per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Dave Williams.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Skillet Ziti
November 27, 2015 Lee
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Skillet Ziti

Quick meal when served with a salad would be an excellent dinner. I adjusted the measurements I found on the internet to easier amounts, I increased the amounts. If you like cheese, go heavy with the cheese, that is the beauty of these recipes. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams minced pork
  • 250 grams Penne pasta, uncooked, about 3 cups
  • 3 cups tomato pasta sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup Cottage cheese, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
 

  • Cook pasta in pot with unsalted water until tender, drain well.
  • Meanwhile, cook ground pork over medium-high heat in large, nonstick skillet about 3 minutes or until pork is no longer pink, breaking pork in to 3/4-inch crumbles. Drain off fat.
  • Add hot pasta to ground pork in skillet. Stir in pasta sauce and Cottage cheese. Cover and cook over low heat until hot, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

Notes

Minced pork runs about 120 Baht per kilo, recipe calls for 1/2 kilo so the cost is 60 Baht. The Ricotta cheese, if purchased will put this meal well over $1 per person, use the shortcuts on this site to make Cottage Cheese (a very good substitute) or Ricotta Cheese, then the cost is some milk, still not a show stopper. With the milk in a shortcut and the minced pork, this is still $1 or less per serving.
Shortcuts: Tomato Sauce, Cottage Cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,PASTA
Honey Mustard Tenderloin
November 27, 2015 Lee
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Honey Mustard Tenderloin

Simple and easy recipe and inexpensive as well. This one I am going to try soon and I will leave a comment on the results.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams pork tenderloin
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon brown mustard
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • olive oil, as needed

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 190 C, rub just a bit of olive oil on the inside of the baking dish, then line the bottom with the onion slices.
  • Combine all ingredients but tenderloin; coat tenderloin well with sauce, and place on top of the onions in the baking dish.
  • Roast in the oven at 190 C for 20-30 minutes, basting occasionally, until meat thermometer registers 65 C, followed by a 3-minute rest time. Slice thinly to serve. Mashed or boiled potatoes and a green vegetable would be perfect for this dish.

Notes

Pork tenderloin is about 160 Baht per kilo, or 2 pounds. This recipe would be 80 Baht for pork, which comes out to about 60 cents each for 4 people/servings.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PORK
Cottage Cheese
November 27, 2015 Lee
6 Comments

Cottage Cheese

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is also known as Farmers Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, and if more dry and pressed, then it is called Paneer. Regardless of the name, this is a easy to make shortcut. Cottage Cheese and Ricotta Cheese can be used interchangeably in most recipes. True Ricotta Cheese is made from just from the whey and just a finer, drier curd than Cottage Cheese. The rule of thumb here is 1 cup of Cottage Cheese from 1 liter (quart) of milk.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 3 cups, approximate

Ingredients
  

  • 3 liters whole milk, do not use UHT milk, (3 quarts)
  • ½ cup white vinegar, or lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt, optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat the milk in a large pot, if you have a thermometer, you are looking for 88° C (190° F), if no thermometer, heat the milk until you see bubbles on the sides and remove from heat.
  • After removing from the heat, gently stir the milk and slowly add the vinegar, once the vinegar is added, stop stirring and allow the milk to cool, about 30 minutes.
  • When cooled, pour the mixture, which is now curds and whey into a fine mesh colander and drain off the whey into another pot, allow to drain for about an hour. You can also line the colander with a clean cloth, cheesecloth, or a paper towel. I used a metal strainer with tiny holes, not a mesh strainer, use a spoon and move around in the curd, along the bottom of the strainer and the whey will drain, let it sit in the strainer for an hour or so, use the spoon every 5-10 minutes.
  • Pour the curds, this is the cheese part into a bowl, add salt and mix or enjoy or use as is in a recipe that calls for Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese or as a side dish. Can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days. In this photo you can see the cheese has thickened up as the whey is draining, and you can see the holes in the strainer.
  • For the firmer 'Farmer's Cheese' used in recipes, once you have the cottage cheese strained, line a large bowl with 2 or 3 layers of cheese cloth and pour in the strained cottage cheese, gather up the corners and tie that into a bag shape. Place a cutting board in your sink, place the tied up bag of cottage cheese on the cutting board, place another cutting board or large place on top of the bag, place some heavy canned goods on the top cutting board or plate to force out the remaining whey. After a few hours, Farmer's Cheese.
  • If using this as an ingredient, say for lasagna or another dish, use as is. If using as a side dish, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and mix that in.

Notes

The yield from 3 liters of whole milk is about 3 cups of cheese. Cost for this is 55 Baht for a 946 ml carton of Meiji brand milk (just call it a liter and go with that) 3 cartons is 165 Baht, or about $4.85 for 3 cups of Cottage cheese. You can use the whey to make stock, use in place of milk or water in soup recipes and baking recipes, feed it to animals, and even water plants with it. If you refrigerate this, it will become quite stiff, add some milk and stir, you will have perfect Cottage cheese.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
#1 Go-To Recipes,Ingredients - Cheese
Beef & Red Pepper Kebabs
November 19, 2015 Lee
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Beef & Red Pepper Kebabs

What has me interested in this is the marinade, Creamy Italian Salad Dressing, will try this soon. This is one of those recipes that is easily changed.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 2 hours
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Mixed
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 600 grams beef, OR pork, cut into bitesize cubes
  • 2 red bell peppers, cut into square pieces
  • 1/2 cup Creamy Italian Salad Dressing
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 8 bamboo skewers, soak in water 1 hour before grilling
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Place beef cubes and red pepper in a bowl with salad dressing, sage, and rosemary and toss to coat. Thread the beef and pepper onto the skewers and pour over any leftover marinade, allow to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
  • Remove from fridge and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
  • Place on the BBQ over hot coals and cook until done, turning often. Serve with a green salad or a nice potato salad.

Notes

Beef in a rural area runs 150 to 200 Baht/kilo. Pork runs 130 to 160 Baht/kilo depending on the cut.
Using the 200 Baht/kilo figure, 600 grams of beef would be 120 Baht, or about $1 per meal per person. Add a potato salad or green salad, maybe some corn on the cob, and this is just over $1 per meal per person.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,GRILLED / BBQ / SMOKER
Basil, Lemon, and Garlic Chicken Pasta
November 16, 2015 Lee
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Basil, Lemon, and Garlic Chicken Pasta

Sounds very good! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons basil paste, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 lemon, juice and zest
  • 1 1/2 cups dry Penne pasta, cooked and drained, or any amount you desire
  • 6-8 zucchini, sliced
  • 1 cup cream
  • Parmesan cheese, shredded, to serve

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large heavy-based pan, add garlic, chicken pieces, and courgettes for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Stir in the basil paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, cream, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  • Serve over Penne pasta and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Notes

This is a low cost but great sounding meal. Until I make this, I will say easily under $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Basil Paste.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PASTA