Archive for the ‘SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI’ Category
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
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
Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings
November 12, 2015 Lee
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Beef Stew with Herb Dumplings

Easy to prepare stew and the dumplings sound very nice! I will have to try this. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

Stew

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 kilo beef, lean, cubed
  • 4-5 plum tomatoes, diced
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
  • 2 2/3 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons onion soup powder mix, OR make from a shortcut

Dumplings

  • 1 cup self rising flour
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon mixed herbs
  • water, as needed

Instructions
 

Stew

  • Heat oil in a pot and fry onion until clear then add beef and cook until well browned.
  • Add tomatoes, paprika, and mixed herbs, and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Add the water and allow to simmer for 1 hours, stirring occasionally.
  • At about 30 minutes of cooking time, mix the soup powder with a little water to form a smooth paste and stir into the stew and continue simmering to thicken.

Dumplings

  • Cut butter into flour with a fork until it resembles breadcrumbs and then add mixed herbs and enough water to form stiff dough.
  • Divide dough into 8 dumplings, drop dumplings into stew about 30 minutes before end of cooking time. Cover and simmer until fluffy and cooked and stew is thickened.

Notes

For beef, which is the most expensive item for this recipe, is priced at 316 Baht/kilo at Tesco. If you buy from a local fresh market you can find between 150 and 250 Baht/kilo. Based on 316 Baht, for 6 meals, this is about 53 Baht or about $1.66 per meal per person, still reasonable.
Figuring the rate at 250 Baht/kilo, 6 meals would be about 42 Baht or about $1.25 per meal per person, even better.
Figuring the rate at 150 Baht/kilo, 6 meals would be about 25 Baht or about $0.75 cents per meal per person, much better!!
Served with a green salad this would make a great meal.
Shortcut: Onion Soup Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Fair Value $1.01 to $1.50 per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
4 Bean Spicy Chicken Chili
November 11, 2015 Lee
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4 Bean Spicy Chicken Chili

This is chili is not only spicy but very healthy. Adding rice to the beans greatly increases to protein content, and increases the meals from this, and in combination with the chicken, it is a very high protein meal. The peppers have all sorts of anti-microbial benefits as well as triggering the release of endorphins. So, you can eat this instead of going out and running 10K.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 3 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken breasts, large, boneless and skinless, cubed
  • 1 can 4 Bean Salad, read Step 5
  • 1 can cooked rice, use the bean salad can
  • 1 dried Entero Pepper, OR bell pepper chopped
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1 palm full fresh peppercorns, freshly picked
  • several Bird's Eye Chilis, diced
  • several Yellow Thai Chilis, diced, these are small and quite hot
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
  • white pepper powder, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste
  • water or chicken stock, as needed
  • olive oil

Instructions
 

  • In a large, deep, frying pan on medium low heat, And just a tablespoon or so of olive oil and add the cubed chicken. Cover while cooking right from the start! This does not really fry the chicken. it ends up releasing the juices and sort of boils and steams the chicken. Turn the heat down if it looks like it's frying.
  • Stir in the onion, fresh peppercorns, dried Entero Pepper, and any other peppers you have diced and let it cook, stirring occasionally.
  • Once the chicken is cooked to the center of the cubes, add the remaining ingredients and stir, there should be enough liquid to cover about half of what is cooking, if there isn't, add some water or chicken stock. Add as much rice as you like to bulk up the chili, using 1 bean can of rice is simply a guide.
  • Simmer until you are too hungry to wait any longer. Add hot sauce if desired.
  • A note on the 4 Bean Salad, I use this brand, fiamma. If using this brand I use the liquid from the can as well, just open and pour the contents into the pan. If using other brands, I normally drain that liquid and use water or chicken stock as the liquid, basically open the can, drain, add water or chicken stock to the contents of the can, then pour that into the pan, there, you have the right amount of liquid.

Notes

The chicken costs 60 Baht, the 4 Bean Salad costs 54 Baht. 114 Baht total, other items are normally on hand. This comes out to just over $1 per meal for 3 meals or for 3 people. Adding more rice this could be stretched to 4 meals, and less than $1 per meal.
Instead of using the can of bean salad, you can also use dried beans, which on average is 40 Baht for 500 grams. Beans I use is Pinto or Black-eyed Peas. You will need to soak these overnight and then boil them before use in this recipe. The advantage is not only lower cost, but gives you a lot more beans, use the whole bag of beans, this would increase the number of meals, also reducing the cost per person.
Overall a very reasonable meal that is very nutritious and healthy.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Dave Williams.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Country Potato Bacon Soup
November 9, 2015 Lee
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Country Potato Bacon Soup

Chicken stock may be substituted for water but I don’t think it’s necessary. All the ingredients, except potatoes, are quite flavorful on their own. Save chicken stock for something that needs a flavor boost. Don’t shy away from buttermilk without giving it a fair shot. It has less fat that half and half or cream and much more flavor. The soup can be pureed if you want it smooth. I prefer to slightly mash the potatoes with a potato masher and leave the texture chunky. As with most soups, this one is better the second day. It takes a while for the bacon grease and buttermilk to become comfortable with each other. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 4 slices bacon, fried crisp and set aside, drippings reserved
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 1/2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced into one inch cubes
  • 3 1/2 to 4 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup buttermilk, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • In a pot, saute the onion in the reserved bacon fat until soft. Add potatoes and stir well. Cover the potatoes with the water, add salt and pepper and stir.
  • Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, eat a piece of that bacon sitting on the counter staring at you.
  • Once the potatoes are soft, you can puree them or slightly mash them. Taste for seasoning and adjust.
  • Add buttermilk and stir well. Brink temperature back to simmer and cook for 15 minutes uncovered, do not let it boil.
  • Ladle into bowls. Crumble the remaining bacon, if there is any left, and garnish each bowl with a bit of crumbled bacon.

Notes

Most expensive item is potatoes, but at 35 Baht per kilo, you can make a lot soup! Easily under $1 per meal for this dish. Serve as a side with dinner or a light lunch.
Shortcut: Buttermilk.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Pork, Cabbage, and Carrot Soup
November 6, 2015 Lee
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Pork, Cabbage, and Carrot Soup

My wife makes this about once a month, feeds the family for a 3 days or so. Very easy and economical. This is a base recipe, use items you have on hand or omit items you do not like. This is never made the same every time.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo minced pork
  • 1 large carrot, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
  • 1 white radish, sliced in 1/4 inch slices
  • handful Chinese cabbage, tear into 2-3 inch pieces
  • 1-2 tablespoons pork or chicken stock powder
  • splash soy sauce

Instructions
 

  • Fill a large pot about half full with water, add the pork or chicken stock powder and bring to a boil.
  • While the water is heating, shape the pork into balls about 1 inch in diameter and set aside.
  • Slice the carrot and radish, and tear up the cabbage.
  • When the water is boiling, add the pork balls, takes just a few minutes for these to cook through, then add the carrot and radish and continue boiling for a few minutes until the carrot is cooked through and tender.
  • Reduce the heat to low and add the cabbage and give it is a good stir and put in a splash of soy sauce. Simmer for a few minutes more then remove from heat and cover. Your soup is done. This photo is what my wife made on 2 June 2017, this one contains pork ribs, chicken feet, carrot, radish, and bok choi.

Notes

Minced pork run about 125 Baht per kilo, about $3.70 this plus the veggys which are very reasonable. This makes a large pot of soup, here at the house it feeds 4 people for 3 days, well below $1 per person.
Variants: Use pork ribs, pork belly, chicken feet, or any combination. Leafy veggys can be Chinese cabbage, regular cabbage, bok choi, or any combination.
My wife's recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,PORK,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Chicken & Green Bean Stew
November 3, 2015 Lee
2 Comments

Chicken & Green Bean Stew

This recipe is from a good friend and sparked my interest not only for the inexpensive chicken, but for the green beans! We have yard beans (also called long beans) and they are very inexpensive to buy. It is a basic meal to which you can add any vegetable other than beans if you wish. Yard beans are relatively cheap, and therefore makes for a very economical dish.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 300 grams yard beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons onion soup powder mix, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • In a large pan, heat oil and fry chicken strips until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.
  • Same pan, fry onions and peppers with curry powder until soft, add yard beans, chicken, and water, allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Mix the soup powder with a little water to form a smooth paste and stir into the stew then allow to simmer until thickened.
  • Serve with boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice.

Notes

Chicken breast run about 87 Baht per kilo, 6 breast is probably 150 baht or less. Yard beans are something like 15 Baht a bunch, bell peppers can be found for cheap as well. Easily $1 or less per serving for 6 meals.
Shortcut: Onion Soup Mix.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Denise Georgiades.
South Africa.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
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.
Print Recipe
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
Pork Ribs & Radish Soup
October 24, 2015 Lee
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Pork Ribs & Radish Soup

Thais make a soup from just about any meat and vegetable. Not every dish is spicy, this one is non-spicy and has a very good flavor. Easy to prepare. Serve with rice for a filling meal.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Thai
Servings 8 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo pork ribs, (2 lbs)
  • 2-3 white radishes, cut lengthwise once then slice half into 1/2 slices
  • 8-10 shallots, crushed
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 6-10 spring onions, white and green, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons pork broth powder, can also use chicken broth powder

Instructions
 

  • Put a large pot of water on the stove, throw in the crushed shallots and crushed garlic, and broth powder and bring to a boil.
  • While waiting on the water to boil, cut between each rib bone to separate them all. Once water is boiling, add all the ribs. Ribs should be cooked in about 10-15 minutes.
  • When ribs are almost cooked through, add the sliced radish and reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the radish is tender.
  • Turn off the heat and add cilantro and spring onions, gently stir then serve. Serve as a side of soup or with rice to make a complete meal.

Notes

Note: Pork ribs, these are normally found in long strips or "racks" 2-3 inches wide.
Pork ribs average about 125 baht per kilo, the radish is 25 baht per kilo, other items are minimal in cost. This soup would cost about $4.50 to make, can last 2-3 days, so per person it would easily come in under $1 per meal.
Variant: 1. Cut the ribs into one bone pieces and add to a mixing bowl, add oyster sauce to the bowl and mix the ribs around to coat them well. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 3 hours, then proceed with the recipe as stated.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Variant 1 provided by good friend, Kurt Hammerschmidt.
Thailand.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,PORK,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Mom’s Chili
October 23, 2015 Lee
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Mom's Chili

Joann Thayer, United States.
This is a basic, yet delicious chili, that I have been making for 40+ years. Growing up, when I could handle the cast iron pan and chop things, I was cooking. I make this often, finally got around to taking photos on 3 Nov 2016. I modified the recipe slightly to make the simmering hands off, no stirring or watching needed, I use a slow cooker to simmer the chili!
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Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 1 day 4 hours
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo minced pork, OR ground beef
  • 1 bag dry red kidney beans, 500 gram bag
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
  • 2 cartons tomato juice, OR use 4 cans of tomato paste and 16 cans of water
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Soak beans overnight.
  • Drains beans and rinse well. Add to a large pot and cover with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Cook until beans are soft, about 1-2 hours. Once beans are soft (if you can put a bean in your mouth and crush it with your tongue only then it is done), drain beans and set aside.
  • Same large pot, rinsed out, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes.
  • Add the minced pork or ground beef and chop up with a spatula and brown. Drain off most, not all of the fat, the fat adds flavoring.
  • The minced pork, cooked beans, and spices added to the slow cooker.
  • Tomato juice added and mixed into the bean, pork, and spices. Set to High setting and simmer this for 2-3 hours.
  • After 2-3 hours, the spices are well blended and the chili is ready.
  • I like to add dry pasta to my chili, it is a filler to extend it and is a good way to use up small amounts of pasta from making other dishes. I added about 1 cup of spiral pasta to the chili, just mix it in and simmer for another hour.
  • Serve, I like to grate some cheese on the top.

Notes

For the tomato juice, you can use 2 cartons of juice, these are normal size cartons you find in Tesco. An alternative if no juice is available is to use tomato paste. To make juice from paste, it is easy, 1 can of paste  and 4 cans of water, whisk to combine, use 4 cans if making the recipe as stated here.
Most expensive item is the beef or pork, pork is available where I live, beef is not. Beef would run 200 baht per kilo, beans, juice and other ingredients is minimal. Comes out to right about $1 per meal person, much less if minced pork is used.
Variants: You can add items to make the meal bigger, add 1 1/2 cups of dry macaroni while simmering, name changes then to Chili Mac (I do this a lot). Or add a couple of big scoops of cooked rice or just serve over rice.
Family recipe I have been making for years, AND a big thank you to my parents for showing me how to make this!
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI