Archive for the ‘SIDES’ Category
Creamy Garlic Mushrooms
This is an excellent side dish.
Ingredients
- 8-10 white button mushrooms, large
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dry herbs, such as sweet basil, parsley, etc
- 2 tablespoons Cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the mushrooms. For this I used 8 large.
- Slice the mushrooms into quarters.
- Heat the oil in a pan on medium low heat, add mushrooms and garlic, stir until the mushrooms are soft and some liquid is released from them, if the mushrooms do not release any liquid, add a tablespoon or two of milk.
- Remove pan from the heat and add the cream cheese and mix well, return to low heat and stir until heated through. Once mixed, and the herbs of your liking and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve as a side dish.
Notes
I recently bought white button mushrooms at Tops, 59 Baht for a package of 4-5 large ones (100 grams or 4 oz). For 2 packages, 118 Baht, for 4 servings, this comes to 89 Baht per serving, for a side or a snack.
Variant: 1. Use Straw mushrooms halved instead of quartered.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
White Beans & Peppers
A basic recipe with lots of possibilities. The inspiration for this recipe came from a recipe that listed canned beans and frozen veggies, I have changed it up to use dry beans, and the instructions are for Stove Top or Pressure Cooker preparation of the beans. This is a 2 for 1 recipe, you make bean broth as well, save that for soup or even cooking rice in it. This is listed as a side dish, add a ingredient or two and you have a main dish.
Ingredients
Prepare beans
- 500 grams dried Great Northern Beans, rinsed, soaked at least 6 hours, rinsed again
- 1 onion, quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt, for pressure cooker preparation
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil, for pressure cooker preparation
Cook the dish
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped, or green
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon orgeno
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Beans - Stove Top
- Drain soaked beans and rinse then transfer to a large pot. Cover by 2 inches with cold water, add a quartered onion and bay leaves and bring to a boil; skim off and discard any foam on the surface. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, gently stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain beans, discard onions and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the Beans - Pressure Cooker
- Drain soaked beans and rinse then transfer to a your pressure cooker. Add the quartered onion and bay leaves, add 8 cups (2 quarts) water.
- Place the lid on the pot, add the weight (jiggler), and bring the heat up to high. When the jiggler starts moving and releasing pressure, start timing this for 6 minutes, and turn the heat down to low or medium low to maintain the jiggler moving and releasing pressure.
- At 6 minutes, turn off the heat and move the pressure cooker to an unused burner and allow a natural release of pressure. When the pressure is released, open the lid, discard the onion and bay leaves.
- Place a strainer on another pot and pour the beans and liquid into the strainer. Let the liquid cool and pour into quart jars, you just made bean broth. Place the cooled bean broth in the fridge, use as a base for soup or even cook rice in it. (I made just over 1 quart of broth, beans soak up a lot of water.)
Cook the Dish
- Dice the bell peppers, onion, and set out the spices needed.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and bell pepper, and cook until tender.
- Add the drained beans. Season with oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through.
- Serve as a side dish with a main of your choice.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Variant: 1. Add in some boiled chopped chicken or cooked spicy pork sausage (think Kielbasa or mixed scraps) and you have a meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Indonesian Fried Rice
This is a classic Indonesian version of fried rice, simple but hearty, serve as a side dish or as a main dish. The purpose of fried rice is to use leftovers, not only does it reuse food, it prevents wasted food.
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice, add another cup to stretch this if you like
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 fresh green chili peppers, chopped
- 200 grams chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces, (7 oz)
- 200 grams prawn/shrimp, head and tail removed, peeled, (7 oz)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
- olive oil
- cucumber, sliced, for garnish
- tomato, cut into wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet with a splash of olive oil. Pour eggs into hot skillet. Cook until the eggs begin to set. Flip omelet in one piece and cook until fully set, about 30 seconds. Slice omelet into 1/2 inch strips. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon or so olive oil in a wok (preferred) or large frying pan. Stir in the onion, leek, garlic, & chile peppers. Cook, stirring until onion is soft. Stir in the chicken, prawns, coriander, and cumin, mixing well. Cook and stir for approximately 5 minutes.
- Mix in the rice, sweet soy sauce, and omelet strips; cook until shrimp are bright pink and chicken is no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve on a platter, garnish with cucumber slices and tomato wedges.
Notes
The ingredients are minimal cost at best, and if you have leftover roast chicken or leftover prawns, even better and nearly zero cost for this dish.
Variants: 1. Omit the omelet slices and cook as listed, then top each plate with a fried egg. 2. Add chopped leftover vegetables. 3. No prawn or chicken on hand? Use any meat you have, keep in mind leftovers, perfect use and less waste.
Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers
I could not get my jalapeno plants going in Thailand so I made this in the US on 31 May 2020, and used Cheddar with the cream cheese. I only used 5 peppers as a trial run and I will say these are excellent peppers! I will certainly try to grow these peppers again.
Ingredients
- 1 can whole pickled jalapeno peppers, about 12 peppers
- 250 grams Cream cheese, softened, (8 oz)
- 1 cup Jarlsburg cheese, shredded, OR Swiss or Cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup spring onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Using a small sharp knife, cut a slit down one side of each pepper. Leaving the stem intact, remove the seeds and veins. I used a teaspoon to remove the seeds. For my trial run, I used 5 peppers from the can.
- In a bowl, mix together everything except the peppers to make the cheese filling.
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a baking sheet with foil.
- Stuff each pepper with the cheese filling. I used two teaspoons and found this rather easy, scoop a little filling with one spoon, and push it off a little at a time to fill each pepper. Place peppers on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Well under $1 per serving in the US. In Thailand, I still have not found jalapeno peppers in a store, and I have been unsuccessful trying to grow them but I will be trying again real soon.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Craig Hohnstein.
United States.
United States.
Quick Fridge Dill Pickles
This is a brine-based pickle. The reason why they are called quick is because they are ready in about 2 days. They get a bit better if you wait, but they are very pickle-ish then.
Ingredients
- 1 empty pint jar with lid, mason or reused olive or mayo jar is perfect
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 handful fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fresh peppercorns
- cucumbers, small and short
Instructions
- Fill the jar about halfway with very hot water and dissolve the salt in the water. Add part of the peppercorns, dill, and vinegar to the hot saltwater and stir.
- Cut cucumbers lengthwise if you're making pickle spears, obviously if you want make chipped pickles just cut normally. Squeeze as many cucumbers as you can into the jar. Allow for a bit more liquid to be added if the cucumbers are not completely submerged.
- Add the rest of the dill and peppercorns.
- Let it cool down to room temperature. Put the lid on a shake it. Make sure the cucumbers are not poking up above the water. If they are, open the jar and push them back down. I made a jar of chips and a jar of spears.
- Put in the fridge... done... it's just that easy.
Notes
Low cost. I normally make two pints at a time, one spears, one chips.
Variants: 1. Add a few chili peppers to spice it up. 2. Add a teaspoon of mustard seed. 3. Add a teaspoon of pickling spice mix you can find in the spice row of most grocery stores.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Chicken Olivye (Chicken Potato Salad), made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Dip, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pickle Deviled Eggs, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Sardine Salad Sandwich, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Classic Tuna Salad Sandwiches, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Bacon Grilled Cheese, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Deviled Egg Pasta Salad, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Cream Cheese Sandwich, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Dill Pickle Bread.
- Russian Beet Salad.
Easy Scalloped Potatoes
I love cheese, and I love potatoes, perfect combination! And since I have not had scalloped potatoes in ages, and the fact that I have a 4 pound block of Cheddar cheese in my fridge, I decided to post this. My report is in the comments. And the recipe is modified on my findings.
Ingredients
- 8 large potatoes, thinly sliced, skin on is ok or peel if you wish
- 4-5 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C, grease a 9x13 baking dish. Or use a non-stick baking pan.
- Heat a pot of water, once it is boiling, put in the sliced potatoes, boil for about 5-8 minutes, drain thoroughly. This step is done to ensure your potatoes are fully cooked while baking, this is a head start for them. When you slice the potatoes, keep them uniform in thickness, a mandolin would be a great help in this process.
- Mix the corn starch into the milk and set aside.
- Layer the bottom the baking dish with potatoes. Cover the potatoes with a layer of cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Repeat the layering process until all of the ingredients are used up. Cheese should be your last layer. Photo shows 3 layers of potatoes and 3 layers of cheese.
- Pour the milk mixture over all the potatoes, cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender, this may take longer than 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Completed, and yes, my portion has already been removed, and it was tasty.
Notes
Potatoes cost about 35 Baht/kilo, making this a very reasonable side dish for up to 8 servings.
Now this is listed as a side dish, but if you add a couple of diced boiled chicken breasts or diced ham to each layer, and pair it with a green vegetable for a side dish, you can turn this into a inexpensive meal.
Adapted from and internet recipe.
Hash Browns
This is an easy side dish to prepare, I do not state servings on this recipe, 2-3 medium potatoes works fine for my wife and I.
Ingredients
- 2-3 medium potatoes, washed, skin on or off, shredded
- 2-3 tablespoons butter, or bacon fat
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- After shredding the potatoes, place in cold water and swish around for a bit, then pick up the potatoes and squeeze all the water, and I mean squeeze! Change the water and repeat this, do this 3-5 times or until the water you are squeezing out is clear and the water is clear. What you are doing is removing the starch. Once the water is clear and the potatoes are well squeezed, place on a plate. If using in another recipe where the hash browns will be cooked, use them now and disregard the rest of the recipe.
- Heat a large heavy pan, cast iron is a good choice, to medium low heat and add the butter or bacon fat. When the butter is melted, swish it around in the pan a bit to coat the bottom. Add the shredded potatoes and pat out flat with a spatula. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Now let it cook, you are not making a stir fry, no mixing, just let it cook, flatted out. Watch the edges and you will seem them start to brown up, using the spatula, lift up an edge and check the bottom, should be golden brown, when golden brown, try and flip the whole thing, think of it like a potato pancake.
- If it falls apart, no harm, just keep cooking, you will just have to turn more often. If the hash browns stayed together, when the other side is golden brown, using the spatula, cut in half or quarters and plate up with eggs for a hearty breakfast.
Notes
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
Simmered Black Beans
Easy to make recipe for a side dish or a quick lunch.
Ingredients
- 500 grams dried black beans, rinsed and picked over to remove bad beans and debri
- 8 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 1 onion, peeled but leave root end on and cut in half, so it does not fall apart
- 1 orange, rinsed and cut in half
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place beans in a large pot and add water until beans are submerged by 3 to 4 inches. Add the garlic and onion, squeeze in orange juice, then add the squeezed orange halves. Cover and place over high heat until water comes to a boil, then uncover pot and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cook until beans are completely tender and creamy, 1 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding water if tops of beans become exposed.
- Remove orange and onion halves. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring frequently, until reduced to a thick, creamy sauce that clings to the beans, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve as a side dish with fresh cilantro and a dash or two of hot sauce if desired.
Notes
This makes a pot of simmered beans, can use this for many sides or lunches, most expensive item is the beans, about 50 Baht for 500 grams (1 pound) and that is a lot of beans!
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Gravy Mix
Homemade gravy mix, very basic recipe, made as chicken or beef.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon beef bouillon powder, or chicken bouillon powder
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, heaping
Instructions
- Mix together and store in airtight container in a cool dry place for up to 6 months. Makes 1 cup gravy mix; which will make 8 batches gravy.
- To prepare a batch of gravy, melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add 2 Tablespoons gravy mix. Cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in 3/4 cup water until smooth.
- May add mushrooms, sautéed onions, and or left over roast beef to gravy. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes or so.
Notes
Cost for this is minimal. I use a Thai brand beef or chicken stock powder for this, works great.
Used in Recipes Listed on this Site:
- Giant Meatball I.
- Turkey Meatballs with Summer Squash, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Beef & Noodles IV, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Meatball Dinner, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Slow Cooker Chicken & Gravy II, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Pork & Noodles, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Chicken with Noodles & Gravy, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- BJ's Rice A Roni, made it, GO-TO recipe.
- Homemade Beef Barley Soup, made it, GO-TO recipe.
