Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Pinto Bean & Ground Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker)
I found this recipe yesterday, had everything on hand, tested out by the family, this is overwhelmingly tasty!!! This is for a stove top pressure cooker. Counting on the natural pressure release, you can have this on the table is under an hour. You can cook the beef and other prep while the pressure cooker is doing its thing. Follow all safety precautions for your model of pressure. This can also be prepared on the stove top using canned ingredients.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry Pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
- cooking oil, as stated in instructions
- 4 cups water
- 500 grams lean ground beef, (1 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano, Mexican oregano if you have that
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro
- 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
- 1 cup liquid, from cooked beans
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
- ½ cup spring onions, sliced, white and green
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
For Stove Top using Canned Items, change only:
- 1-2 cans ground pork, (1½ lb can)
- 3 cans Pinto beans, (15 oz cans)
Instructions
- Add the rinsed and sorted beans to your pressure cooker, add the 4 cups of water, and 1 tablespoon of cooking oil, the oil is to prevent the beans from foaming. Depending on your size of pressure cooker, do not fill more than halfway.
- Place the lid on the cooker and lock closed. Place on high heat until the pressure cooker comes to full pressure, meaning the jiggler is moving and making some noise, this is when you start timing. Turn the heat to low but maintain full pressure. Time the beans for 22 to 27 minutes depending on if like them firm or softer. (I time for 25 minutes.)
- While the beans are cooking, heat a non stick skillet and cook the ground beef until cooked through, drain the beef well and set aside. Photo shows the beef cooking while the pressure cooker is working on the beans.
- Same pan, heat a splash of oil and cook the onion until starting to turn brown, then add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes,
- Then add the oregano, cumin, and dried cilantro and cook for about 2 minutes more. Set aside.
- I added a variant, I used a handful of Shiitake mushrooms, photo shows before I removed the stems and chopped them.
- Saute the chopped mushrooms until starting to brown up. Set aside.
- After the time is up on the pressure cooker, turn off the heat and move to another unused burned. Allow the cooker to release pressure normally, about 10-15 minutes.
- When the pressure is fully released, open and ladle out 1 cup of liquid, set that liquid aside, drain the beans in a colander and rinse well and return the beans and the 1 cup of liquid from the beans, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes with liquid, the cooked beef, onion mixture, and mushrooms if using, to the cooker.
- Close and lock the pressure cooker lid and bring to high pressure and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let pressure release naturally, about 10-15 minutes.
- When it is safe to open, remove the lid and stir in the spring onion and most, not all, of the fresh cilantro, and lime juice. Return to heat without the cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Serve and sprinkle the remaining cilantro on each bowl for garnish.
For Stove Top using Canned Items
- Drain the canned ground pork. Open the beans, retain 1 cup of juice from the beans then drain and discard the rest of the juice.
- In a pot, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, when hot, add the onion, saute until just starting to brown, then add the garlic, saute for another minute.
- Add the pork and break up and heat through. Add the cumin, dried cilantro, and dried oregano. Mix with the pork and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beans, the reserved 1 cup of bean juice, chicken stock, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Heat and simmer for 1 hour or so until the liquid level is to your liking. About 10 minutes before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and spring onion.
- Serve and enjoy.
Notes
The beef will cost about 120 Baht for 500 grams. For 6 servings, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. Sauté a handful of chopped mushrooms and add to the cooker after adding the beef and onion. 2. Use mushroom stock instead of chicken stock. 3. Replace the cilantro with chopped celery tops or parsley. 4. Serve with saltines or oyster crackers. 5. Use ground pork, fresh or canned, in place of ground beef. 6. Add ½ can of tomato sauce in place of the tomato paste. 7. Top a serving with shredded Cheddar cheese (highly recommended).
Deep Fried Nachos
Sounds, and looks, really good! This is a make as much or as little as you want. On my to make list.
Ingredients
- nacho chips, crushed
- tortilla chips, crushed
- nacho cheese, some shredded and some cubed
- oil, for frying
- toppings, of your choice
Instructions
- Mix together the crushed chips and just enough shredded cheese to form the mixture into balls, about golf ball size. As you form each ball, insert a cube of cheese into each one.
- Deep fry or pan fry the balls in oil until gold brown, just a few minutes, drain on paper towels.
- Top with your favorite nacho toppings as desired. Enjoy 🙂
Notes
Low cost.
Recipe and photo provided by good friend, Rachel Greenawalt, and the original recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Basic Streusel Coffee Cake
I used to make this type of coffee cake when I was little and learning to cook. This sounds pretty close to what I made, and I tested this out on 2 Jan 2018 and yep, this is really close to what I made, it is excellent. Now there is a story to the photos, the photo of the batter in the pan with the topping before the oven, picture perfect, after I put it in the oven, about 10 minutes later, I realized I had not opened my new bottle of baking powder! Since this cake was for my mother in law's birthday, removed the pan from the oven, scraped out the contents for the compost pile and let the pan cool while I prepared a new batter and topping mix. As I was making the batter, my wife walks through the kitchen and says, mother in law likes very little sugar, so go easy on the topping. The second cake is the cooked photo, with little topping. Mother in law took one bite, instant thumbs up from her!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten, chicken or duck
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
For the Topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F), grease a 9x9 baking dish with butter.
- Mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the egg, oil, and milk. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix well to combine. (I just used two separate bowls, one for batter, one for topping.)
- Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and spread out evenly.
- Now using the bowl the flour mixture was in, add the Topping ingredients and mix together. Sprinkle the topping over the batter.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. (I used the toothpick method, when it came out clean, done.)
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Hamburger Buns
This is from a good American friend, Brian, who lives in northeastern Thailand, and he makes these often. Brian's words "Being that I live in Thailand, in a place that does not have a bakery around the corner, making my own hamburger buns allows me to enjoy a burger with a proper bun." And Brian is very correct, want a proper bun for a burger here, you have to make it yourself. I know Brian well, if he provides a recipe or shortcut to my site, he makes it often.
Ingredients
For the Buns
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup luke warm water
- 1 egg, chicken egg, duck would be preferred
- 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 448 grams all purpose flour, 3 1/2 cups if no scale
For the Tops
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk
- white sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the yeast and 1/2 cup of the flour. Add the luke warm water and mix together. Let this set for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is foamy and bubbly.
- To the flour mixture, add the egg, butter, sugar, salt, and whisk together until well combined.
- Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour. IF using a standup mixer, use the dough hook and kneed for 6-8 minutes, add flour as needed until the dough comes together and has come free of the sides of the bowl.
- IF mixing by hand, mix in the bowl until the dough comes together, adding flour as needed until the dough comes free from the sides of the bowl, turn out dough on a clean surface and kneed with hands for about 10 minutes, use flour as needed until the dough is tacky but comes free of the work surface.
- Oil a large bowl (large enough to allow the dough to double in size), and place the kneeded dough inside in the bowl, cover the bowl with a towel and set aside for about 2 hours to rise and double in size.
- Punch down the down and remove the dough from the bowl to a lightly floured work surface. Shape the dough into a rectangle or circle and cut into 8 equal size pieces. A pastry cutter works well, and a digital scale is a bonus to ensure you get equal sizes. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly flour just the sheet.
- Using floured hands, form each dough piece into a ball, then take each ball and form into a disk about 1/2 inch thick, place each disk on the baking sheet evenly spaced.
- Lightly flour the tops of the disks and cover with a towel. Let rise for an hour or until doubled in size.
- About 20 minutes before buns have risen, preheat your oven to 190 C (375 F).
- Whisk together the egg and milk. Remove the towel from the rolls and using a pastry brush, lightly coat the top of each bun. Sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and place buns on a rack to cool.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Low cost.
Recipe provide by good friend, Brian Colligan, Pleasures & Pastimes (which is a great resource for gardening seeds and other items).
Thailand.
Thailand.
Curried Egg Frittata
Sounds very good. And for your educational tip for today, Indian Curry Powder is not Indian, that is a British mix of spices. True Indian curries uses curry leaves, totally different flavor. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 5 eggs, chicken or duck
- handful fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, (Indian)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper, as desired
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat, or oil of choice
- 1 onion, minced
- 1-2 Bird's Eye Chilis, seeded and minced
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, diced
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add the eggs, cilantro, curry powder, paprika, and salt and pepper as desired. Mix together and set aside.
- Heat your cast iron pan with the bacon fat or oil of choice on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and chilies and a pinch of salt, saute until the onion is soft then add the tomatoes.
- Cook for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Now give the egg mixture another stir and pour that into the pan and give another quick stir in the pan. Reduce heat to low.
- Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes undisturbed, then cover the pan with a large lid and let the eggs cook for another 5-6 minutes, then check to see if the top of the egg mixture is cooked.
- When the top is cooked, let rest for a few minutes, then cut like a pie and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add diced bell pepper, chopped spring onion, chopped mushrooms, etc. 2. Top with shredded cheese.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Greek Salad & Dressing
Sounds really good, on my to make list.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cucumber, sliced in half, seeded, sliced into half moons
- 1 cup pitted black olives, or kalamata olives if you have them
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, juice, and oregano. When combined, slowly whisk in the olive. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- To the large mixing bowl, add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, and red onion and toss to coat well.
- Fold in the Feta cheese, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Bacon, Egg & Swiss Salad
This sounds very good, and even has a warm bacon dressing. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
For the Salad
- 7 slices bacon
- 6 slices Swiss cheese, cut into strips
- 4 hard boiled eggs, chicken or duck, quartered
- 1 head romaine, torn, or lettuce of your choice
- 1/4 cup chives, chopped
- black pepper, to taste
For the Dressing
- 1 slice bacon, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the 7 slices of bacon on the parchment, bake until crispy, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and chop into bite size pieces, set aside.
- While the first seven slices of bacon are baking, heat a medium size pan on medium heat and fry the 1 piece of bacon to start making the dressing. Cook until crisp, then add the garlic and shallot. cook until the shallot is soft, about 2 minutes or so. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the salt, mustard, vinegar, and olive oil.
- On a large platter, or using 4 serving bowls, add the lettuce, then bacon, then eggs.
- Return the dressing to low heat just to warm it then drizzle over the salad. Garnish with the chives and some black pepper as desired.
- Serve as a lunch or light dinner.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs, Perfect Hard Boiled Duck Eggs.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Wonton Soup
This is a basic broth based soup, feel free to make this as spicy as you want it with the crushed red pepper flakes (non Thailand) or the chili powder (Thailand).
Ingredients
For the Wontons
- 300 grams ground pork
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chives, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 package wonton wrappers, more as needed
- 1/4 cup water
For the Soup
- 4 cups chicken stock, fresh or make from powder
- 2 inches fresh ginger, peeled
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons spring onion, sliced, for garnish
Instructions
For the Wontons
- Combine the Wonton ingredients, except the wrappers and water in a mixing bowl until fully mixed.
- For the wrappers, there is two ways to do this, the simple, and the fancy. First thing, add some water to a small dish and keep near you, this is for sealing the wontons.
- For the simple way, place a wrapper on your palm, one corner towards you and the opposite corner pointed away from you. Place some pork filing in the center of the wrapper, 1/2 teaspoon to 1/2 tablespoon, you will get the feel for this as you make them. Now dip a finger into the water and wet the two edges that are farthest from you, then take the corner nearest you and fold over away from you to the opposite corner, to make a triangle, and use your fingers to seal the two edges. (I will have photos soon to show this). Set the wonton on a sheet of parchment paper. This completes the simple method, repeat until all the filling is used in each wrapper. OR, read the next step for the fancy method.
- For the fancy method, once you have the triangle shape, and the two edges sealed, take the two opposite corners and fold over each other and seal those. (I will have photos to show this soon as well). Set the wonton on parchment paper and repeat until all the filling is used in the wrappers.
For the Soup
- Add all of the Soup ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, lets the flavors blend. Remove the ginger and garlic.
- Bring back to a boil, then lower in the wontons, and cook for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with spring onion.
- Serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Crock Pot Chicken Adobo
Now I am not a fan of adobo, in the Navy, on the 4 ships I served on, adobo was on the menu every week, sometimes twice a week, and sometimes twice a day. This is the first adobo recipe on my site, and I will try this as well, as it has been many years since I have eaten adobo. Edited on 9 May 2018 to include peppercorns and bay leaves. I made this on 9 May 2018, and I was pleasantly surprised, very delicious.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker (3½+ quart)
Ingredients
- 750 grams chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, (1½ lb)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup vhite vinegar
- ¾ cup soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- Add the soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, onion, peppercorns, and bay leaves to your slow cooker.
- Slice the chicken into 1 to 1½ inch pieces, add to the slow cooker and mix to coat all the chicken. (This photo shows I used the Variant and went with skinless, bone in, fat trimmed, whole thighs.)
- Cover and turn on your slow cooker to the Low setting for 5 to 6 hours. Check for tenderness and doneness at the 5 hour mark.
- To thicken the sauce slightly, 30 minutes before serving, set the slow cooker to the High setting, stir, and leave the cover tilted to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
- Remove the bay leaves, serve with rice.
Notes
Figure about 60 Baht for the chicken. For 6 servings, this is about 30 cents per serving.
Variant: 1. Use whole bone in, skinless, fat trimmed, thighs in place of boneless thighs.
Basic Salmon Patties
When I was growing up, these were a common staple for a dinner. Here is Thailand, the large cans of salmon are very high priced, so I will work this up with frozen salmon that I steam and will come up with a cost per serving when I make this. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 can salmon, drained, (14¾ oz / 418 g), Shortcut
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- salt and pepper, to taste
- olive oil, as needed
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl.
- Mix together, season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Divide mixture into 4 sections, form into 4 patties and place on a plate.
- Heat a large skillet with a splash of oil, when the oil is hot, cook the patties about 4-5 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown.
- Turn patties over and cook another 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove patties to a serving plate.
- Serve with sides of your choice, enjoy.
Notes
In Thailand, I will price this when I steam some salmon and prepare this. For those in the US, a store brand of canned salmon would make this about 70 cents per serving and a Best Value.
Shortcuts: Steamed Salmon, Breadcrumbs.