Author Archive
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
I make these little meatballs whenever we have guests – mostly when we get together to watch sport or when we’re having a games evening. I serve them with a dipping sauce, try chili garlic sauce (Sriracha sauce). No pricing or measurements are given, how many you make is up to you for the people you have over. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- minced chicken
- 1 onion, diced, if making a lot, use another onion as well
- Parmesan cheese, lots (recommended by Lee), grated
- dry bread crumbs, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
- garlic, finely minced
- parsley, fresh or dried is up to you
- 1 egg, if making a lot, use another egg
- chili flakes, optional
- ketchup, OR make from a shortcut on this site
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230 C. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Form mixture into balls, size is up to you, and place each meatball on the baking sheet.
- Brush each meatball with ketchup OR chili garlic sauce. Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, top each meatball with more cheese and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Enjoy.
Notes
The bulk of the cost is the minced chicken and the Parmesan cheese, you can make a little amount or a large amount, all up to what your intention is. Here is some suggestions:
South Africa.
- Serve as a snack during a sports game on TV, Sriracha chili garlic sauce, or a sweet and sour sauce would be great for dipping.
- Bake but do not add cheese in the last step, just bake for a few more minutes, add to an Alfredo sauce and spoon over pasta of your choice.
- Make a large batch and serve with buttered egg noodles and a vegetable.
South Africa.
Chicken a la King I
"I use this recipe x10 when I go out into the rural areas to feed the under-privileged. Sometimes I use frozen peas and corn as a substitute for the mushrooms, as they can be pricey at times and I obviously don’t use the sherry." These are the words from the author of this recipe. I think she is spot on and this would be hearty wholesome meal.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 100 grams button mushrooms, sliced, or Straw mushrooms, sliced in half lengthwise
- 500 grams chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cubed
- 4 tablespoons Sherry, optional
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup frozen peas and corn, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pot over medium heat, saute the onion until just tender.
- Add the mushrooms and cook without coloring them. Once cooked, remove the mushrooms and onion with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the chicken and red pepper to the pot and cook until the chicken is golden brown, straining off any excess liquid.
- Add the sherry and stock and simmer over a low heat until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the onion and mushroom mixture and stir well, bringing it to the boil, Remove the pot from the heat and finish off by stirring in the cream and tasting for seasoning. Serve over rice or egg noodles.
Notes
Boneless skinless chicken breast will run about 87 Baht per kilo, bone in with skin on will run about 60 Baht per kilo. Get the bone in type and pull the skin off and filet out the bone. Major cost for the meal is the chicken at 30 Baht for 4 servings, add a side dish and this is well under $1 per meal per person.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Chicken, Tomato, and Pea Stew
This is a typical South African kind of stew – nothing fancy at all. It's very cheap to make and is quick and easy. I can't even remember if this is one of my own creations or where I got this recipe from, but it is really very easily adaptable. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 5-6 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 500 grams chicken, boneless and skinless breast or thighs, cubed
- 2 tablespoons ketchup, OR chili garlic suace
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons stew powder, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 cup frozen peas, OR use peas in pods
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot and fry the onion until soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until soft and pasty.
- Add the chicken pieces and brown well on all sides then stir in the tomato sauce.
- Add the water and stew powder, stir well and bring to the boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
- Add the peas, stir well and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Serve with rice.
Notes
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless will run about 87 Baht per kilo, (about 44 Baht for this recipe), boneless chicken legs/thighs will run about 67 Baht per kilo (about 34 Baht for this recipe), and chicken quarters run about 57 Baht per kilo (buy a kilo of quarters, cut the legs from the thighs, pull off the skin on the thighs and de-bone then cube, save the legs for another recipe, cost for this recipe would be 29 Baht), all other items are minimal cost. Cost is about about $1 for all 4 meals!
This would be another stew that would work well with Straw Mushrooms as well.
Shortcuts: Ketchup, Stew Seasoning.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Beef & Mushroom Stew
If you like meat and mushrooms, this recipe is for you! Easily done with pork or chicken as well, just use pork or chicken stock powder instead of beef stock powder. Serve with a vegetable and potato on the side, this would be a filling meal.
Ingredients
- 500 grams beef, OR pork or chicken, cubed
- 1 onion, cut into wedges
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 3 tablespoons flour
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 150 grams fresh mushrooms, whole, Tesco variety packi s a good choice
- 2 cups water
- 1 cube beef stock, OR 1 tablespoon stock powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion and garlic until soft.
- Dust the meat cubes in the flour, salt and pepper and add to the pot and lightly brown.
- Add the mushrooms and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the water, stock cube, sage, and thyme and simmer on medium heat for 45 minutes, stirring often.
- Sprinkle the chopped parsley over just before serving.
Notes
Beef will run about 200 Baht per kilo, for this recipe, cost is about 100 Baht, all other items are minimal cost. For 6 meals, cost is about 50 cents per person.
If you like mushrooms, add as much as you want, this would be excellent with Straw Mushrooms.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
South Africa.
Chicken Broccoli Divan
This recipe can be adapted in so many ways. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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.
South Africa.
Chicken & Vegetable Stew
Sounds really good, a must try. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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.
South Africa.
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.
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.
Paneer Cheese from Milk
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.
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.
Pinto Bean Soup
Great flavors and very nutritious, this is a hearty soup. I am going to make this, report to follow!
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.
Thailand.
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.
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.
