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Peri Peri Spice Mix
October 27, 2015 Lee
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Peri Peri Spice Mix

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Also known as Piri Piri Spice Mix. A great spice mix used in various cuisines and extensively in South Africa. This is a rather expensive spice mix to purchase and I have not seen this in Thailand. This shortcut is very easy with items you have on hand.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
  • ½ teaspoon powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground dried ginger
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground oregano
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Just add all the powders to a mixing bowl, mix extremely well to form a smooth powder. Store in air tight jar.
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
North African Vegetable Stew
October 27, 2015 Lee
2 Comments

North African Vegetable Stew

Denise Georgiades, South Africa.
Nutritious and healthy vegetable stew served with rice. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 3 zucchini, sliced
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 can chickpeas, 410 gram can, drained
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 packet stew mix, Shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt

Instructions
 

  • Heat oil in a large pot and fry onion until soft then add the sugar and fry for about 5 minutes or until the onions start to turn golden brown.
  • Stir in the garlic and paprika and cook for 30 seconds to release the flavour and aroma.
  • Add all the vegetables and the water and allow to simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked.
  • Stir in the chickpeas and stew packet and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
  • Before serving, garnish with mint and yogurt. Serve with rice or couscous.

Notes

Easily $1 or less per meal per person.
Shortcut: Stew Seasoning Mix.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI,VEGETARIAN
Beef Stew Seasoning Mix
October 27, 2015 Lee
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Beef Stew Seasoning Mix

Adapted from an internet recipe.
A combination of seasonings bring out the flavor of even the cheapest cuts of beef, stretching your food budget to the max. Can easily be made from items you have on hand.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Cuisine Ingredient
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons salt, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons paprika, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder, plus 1 teaspoon
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon celery seed
  • 2 tablespoons onion powder, plus 1 teaspoon
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary

Instructions
 

  • Measure all of the ingredients into a medium bowl, mixing very well. Pour into a jar, cover, and add a label with directions for use.
  • To use, add 2-3 tablespoons of seasoning mix per pound of meat used.

Notes

Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Ingredients - Spice Mixes
Eggy Sausage Pie
October 27, 2015 Lee
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Eggy Sausage Pie

Great for breakfast or dinner. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Breakfast, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, coarsly chopped
  • 6 thin beef sausages, sliced, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 carrot, coarsly grated
  • 2 small zucchini, coarsly grated
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 packet dry chicken and mushroom soup
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 3 eggs

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 160°C and grease a baking dish.
  • Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add onion, cook stirring often for 2 minutes or until soft, remove and place in a bowl.
  • Add sausages to frying pan and fry until cooked through, set aside to cool then slice.
  • Spoon sausages, onion, carrot, zucchini, and cheese over bottom of baking dish.
  • Whisk flour, dry soup, and milk in a bowl until smooth. Add eggs, and salt & pepper to taste, whisk until well combined. Pour over sausage and veggies in the baking dish.
  • Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until set. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Most expensive item would be the beef sausage, probably not over 200 baht, which is about $5.90 or about $1 per meal per person, plus minimal costs for other ingredients, still makes this a very affordable dish.
Shortcuts: Sausage, Breakfast Sausage.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAKFAST (for dinner!),EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken
Sriracha Honey Chicken Wings
October 27, 2015 Lee
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Sriracha Honey Chicken Wings

Easy and delicious slow cooker spicy chicken wings, can also use legs and thighs.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kilo chicken wings, see note
  • 3/4 cup Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • juice from one lime, about a 1/4 cup

Instructions
 

  • In a 5 quart slow cooker on low add Sriracha sauce, butter, honey and lime juice. Stir to combine. Add chicken wings. Stir until wings are well coated. Cook on low 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Check at minimum time, meat should be near falling off the bones tender.
  • Remove wings from slow cooker and place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle sauce from slow cooker over wings. Set oven to broil. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 2-3 minutes until the sauce starts to caramelize. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy. Broiling is optional, can serve as is. The sauce is thin but add some to a bowl for a great dipping sauce.

Notes

For chicken wings, you can get the whole wing which is 3 sections, remove the tip section and save for a snack for your dog, then separate the drumettes from the other section and use both. You can also buy just drumettes or even use thighs and legs.
Chicken wings run about 80 baht per kilo, 160 baht for the chicken, for 4 servings, this is about $1.17 per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Pasta with Alfredo Sauce
October 26, 2015 Lee
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Pasta with Alfredo Sauce

Homemade Alfredo sauce with chicken and pasta of your choice.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 packages Cream cheese, 250 grams per package
  • 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 block of 227 gram block of butter
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3-4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cubed
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta of your choice, spaghetti would be good.
  • Melt cream cheese and butter in a saucepan, stir in the milk and ground pepper, and salt if you like.
  • In another saucepan, heat up 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, then garlic and cook for a minute or two then add the chicken cubes and cook until just before the chicken is cooked through then add the red bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes, chicken should be tender and bell pepper crunchy. Do not over cook the chicken.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken and mix, simmer for just a few minutes, at this point, add a handful of chopped fresh mushrooms.
  • Sauce will thicken, spoon over fresh pasta and top with grated Parmesan Cheese and ground black pepper.

Notes

All the ingredients makes this less than $1 per meal per person.
This is an easily adapted recipe, for the photo which I cooked on 6 Dec 2015, I omitted the chicken, and just added several large handfuls of fresh mushrooms, and then added fried bacon and ham.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,PASTA
Chicken Salad I
October 26, 2015 Lee
3 Comments

Chicken Salad I

Easy to assemble dish that is healthy and nutritious. Very easy to tailor this recipe to what you have on hand at the time. This recipe will even provide chicken broth you can refrigerate for later use in another recipe.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 10-12 chicken thighs, skin on, see note
  • 3-4 eggs, hard boiled
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2-4 stalks celery, if using Thai celery, use several bunches, chopped
  • 4-5 spring onions, chopped, green and white part
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • mayo
  • ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Boil the chicken thighs in a pot along with the eggs, remove the eggs about 2 minutes after the water starts to boil and place in cold water. Boil the chicken until cooked through then remove from the water and allow to cool. Skim any foam off the top of the water and you have chicken stock you can refrigerate.
  • While the chicken and eggs are cooling, chop the onion, spring onions, celery including, and leaves, and the bell peppers. Place in a large bowl. This photo only shows onion, yellow bell pepper and eggs, see, make this with what you have on hand.
  • When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bone and save for a snack for your dog, and simply shred the meat with your fingers and place into the bowl with the chopped veggies. This photo is the 5 chicken thighs I used for these photos.
  • Peel the eggs, and chop and add to the bowl with the chicken and veggies. Thighs shredded, use your fingers, added to the bowl.
  • Give the items in the bowl a good mixing, then start adding mayo, start with several large spoonfuls first, keep mixing and adding mayo until everything is coated well but not dripping with mayo. Sprinkle in some ground black pepper, another quick stir, then refrigerate for several hours. Serve as is, on crackers, or even a sandwich.
  • Mixed and ready for the fridge.

Notes

Chicken thigh note: buy quarters, separate the thigh from the leg and freeze the legs for another meal.
Chicken runs about 58 Baht per kilo in a grocery store quarters, quarters also have larger thighs, so you may spend 140-160 baht on chicken, only half will be needed as you can freeze the legs for later use, so cost would be about 70-80 Baht. All other items should come in under 100 Baht. So for this meal, 180 baht, 200 Baht max, for 8 meals it is well under $1 per meal.
My own recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,Sides - Salads
Fish Sandwiches
October 25, 2015 Lee
1 Comment

Fish Sandwiches

Easy, nutritious meal that is low in cost, fish is a great option. Normally when I have fish, it is just rolled in flour or breaded and pan fried, one day I wanted something different so I put this together. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fillets Pangasius, boneless and skinless, see notes
  • flour, for dredging
  • 4 hamburger buns, or plain bread works fines
  • Cheddar cheese, real cheese, sliced from a block
  • lettuce
  • tartar sauce, OR make this from a shortcut listed on this site
  • olive oil, as needed for frying
  • lump crab meat, optional, real crab meat

Instructions
 

  • Get your fixings ready first, slice some Cheddar cheese, get the mayo and tartar sauce out, tear off a few leaves of lettuce. Set 4 buns aside, spread tartar sauce on the top and bottom buns, then add your cheese. (I used just bread slices, my preferred way actually, home made tartar sauce, and the cheese is cut from a block.)
  • Cut fish fillets in half and dredge in flour. Pan fry in olive oil until golden brown.
  • Top each bun bottom with a half fillet, top that with lettuce and the top bun. Delicious! As an option, top each fillet with lump crab meat.

Notes

Pangasius is also called Shark Catfish, it does not have a catfish flavor, more like a whitefish. The meat is flaky when cooked, firm, and a mild taste.
Pangasius runs about 110 Baht per kilo, I bought 3 fillets 2 days ago for 66 Baht, that would make 6 sandwiches. Fish prepared this way is a one time deal, try not to have left overs. If you fry to many fillets, just refrigerate and fry to warm up the next day.
Even with the Cheddar cheese, imported from New Zealand, you only use a few slices per sandwich so I do not factor in that cost. Tartar sauce is Tesco brand, very reasonable prices and last many meals.
Over all, about 65 cents per meal per person.
Shortcut: Tartar Sauce.
My own recipe.
The option with Lump Crab Meat, provided by good friend, Chuck Ruth.
United states.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
October 25, 2015 Lee
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Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

About as easy as you get for pulled pork. Melt in your mouth and tasty! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 9 hours
Total Time 9 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 kilo pork butt
  • 1 can beer, any type, room temperature
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder, all to taste
  • 1 onion, sliced (optional)

Sauce

  • 3/4 bottle BBQ sauce
  • 1/2 small bottle Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce, mild or hot is up your preference

Instructions
 

  • Trim away any large amounts of fat from pork. At Tesco we picked up 3 large chunks of meat, about 1 kilo each.
  • If you wish to use an onion, slice and place at the bottom of the slow cooker, place meat on top of that.
  • Pour the beer over the meat until about an inch from the top of the pot. Add salt to your taste, generous amounts of black pepper and garlic powder.
  • Cover and set to High for 1 hour, then reduce to Low for 8 hours.
  • At 8 hours, remove pork from pot, use two large slotted spoons as the meat will fall apart. Discard the onion and liquid. Shred the pork using two large sturdy forks and return to the slow cooker pot.
  • Add the BBQ sauce and Sriracha sauce, mix well and put slow cooker on low for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve on buns, and I like to use a slice of onion on mine as well.

Notes

Pork butt runs about 137 baht per kilo, 3 kilos would be 411 Baht, this comes out to about $1 per serving.
Shortcut: BBQ Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Slow Cooker
Thai Omelet
October 24, 2015 Lee
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Thai Omelet

Thai omelets are generally airy and fluffy cooked eggs, not folded over. This is quick and easy, served with rice on the side, is a simple and filling meal for 3 people. This is the basic recipe with no fillings, for fillings, use those of your choice and fold over to make a stuffed omelet, or just mix the fillings into the eggs and no folding over is required.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 3 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4-5 eggs, chicken or duck
  • 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, OR use a pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder, optional
  • cooked rice, for serving
  • cooking oil, as needed, DO NOT use olive oil!

Instructions
 

  • Put a wok or non stick pan on high heat and add about 1/2 cup of cooking oil. For a non stick with the rounded sides, a 10 inch pan is perfect and you want about 1/4 inch of oil on the bottom of the pan.
  • While the pan is heating, break eggs into a bowl.
  • Add the fish sauce to the eggs, and chicken stock powder if using that, and beat with a fork until frothy.
  • When the oil just starts to smoke, turn the heat to low and quickly pour in the beaten eggs, it will fluff before your eyes.
  • Using a spatula, lift the edges to get the liquid part of the eggs onto the pan, do this several times.
  • Keep checking the bottom and when getting nice and browned and set well (remember, from pouring into the pan to flipping takes only 45 seconds to a minute) flip the omelet over, 20-30 seconds later, the bottom should be browning nicely.
  • Remove from the pan to a plate and serve with rice on the side.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add chopped spring onion, chopped tomato, cooked minced pork, cooked chopped chicken, etc, can be added to the egg mix or added to a side when cooking for a folded stuffed omelette. 2. Add a few drops of lime juice or vinegar for a even more fluffier omelette.
Well known Thai recipe than my family has been making for years.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: THAI,BREAKFAST (for dinner!),EGGS - ALL,Eggs - Chicken