Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Roasted Beets & Sauteed Beet Greens
August 4, 2017 Lee
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Roasted Beets & Sauteed Beet Greens

This is a 2 for 1 side dish, roasted beets and the greens, excellent way to use the entire vegetable. I can only buy beets in Tesco, they have already been topped, so no greens for me, but that is going to change as I just bought beet seeds and I will be grown my own soon.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams fresh beets, with greens
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180 C. Wash the beets thoroughly, leaving the skins on, and remove the greens about 1 inch above the beet. Place the beets in a small baking dish and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  • Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until a knife can easily slide into the largest beet. Time will vary with the age and size of the beets. You can also just boil the boils until knife tender.
  • Once the beets are done, cut the stem end off, and peel them under running tap water. Slice the beets and add to a serving bowl.
  • Rinse the greens, removing any large stems, and set aside.
  • When the beets are almost done, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and cook for a minute to just soften. Tear the greens into 2 to 3 inch pieces and add them to the skillet. Cook and stir until greens are wilted and tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve the greens as is, and the roasted slice beets with either tossed with the red wine vinegar or just butter and salt and pepper.

Notes

Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SIDES
Green Beans & Mushrooms
August 2, 2017 Lee
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Green Beans & Mushrooms

Perfect side dish and even got the thumbs up from my mother in law, and she does not give that out easily. Takes just a bit longer than most green bean recipes as you will need to steam some items and saute other items, but for the most part, you can do both at the same time. For those viewers not in Asia, a long bean is just a green bean but can be 1-3 feet long. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams fresh long beans, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 fresh carrots, see Step 1
  • 1 onion, sliced thin
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, sliced, shiitaki or button would be good
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
  • 3 tablespoons butter

Instructions
 

  • Cut the carrots into 1 inch pieces, then cut each piece into strips about equal in diameter to the beans.
  • Steam the long (green) beans for about 3-5 minutes until tender to the bite, depending on how crisp and tender you like the beans. Remove and set aside. (You can steam the carrots for about 1-2 minutes, then add the beans and steam together until crisp, which is what I did.)
  • Steam the carrots for about 3-8 minutes, depending on the size and how crisp and tender you like carrots. Remove and set aside.
  • Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat, Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, add the mushrooms and cook until almost tender, cover and reduce heat to low and simmer for 2-3 minutes, stir in the carrots and green beans, salt, seasoned salt, and white pepper. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to heat everything through. (Mushrooms I used was a 150 gram package of Shimeji mushrooms, chopped.)
  • Serve as a side dish.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Seasoned Salt.
Variants: Substitute daikon for the carrot. Add 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme, or both.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MUSHROOMS,SIDES
Russian Style Crab Salad (Крабовый Салат)
July 31, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Russian Style Crab Salad (Крабовый Салат)

Natasha's Kitchen, Natasha Kravchuk, United States.
This recipe uses imitation crab, aka crab sticks, but if you wish to use real crab, feel free. I personally like imitation crab so I will be using that. And this is the first recipe I have listed with the Russian text in the title as well, very cool I think. I prepared this on 30 Sep 2017, delicious! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish, Side
Cuisine Russian
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams imitation crab, chopped or chopped and shredded, (1½ lbs)
  • 6-7 hard boiled eggs, diced, Shortcut
  • 1 small onion, finely diced
  • 1 cup mayo
  • 2 tablespoons horseradish sauce, or to taste
  • 1 can corn, drained well
  • 1 can sweet peas, drained well

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl, add everything except the peas and mix, add more mayo as needed to coat everything well.
  • Add the peas and gently fold in, this keeps them from getting mushy. Store in the fridge for several hours before serving.
  • Served along some Roast Red Pork, delicious! You can certainly serve this as a main dish as well.

Notes

Crab stick prices vary widely, from 90 to 270 Baht/500 grams, not sure of the taste or quality as I have only bought Tesco brand at 94 Baht/450 gram package and the taste is quite good, for 750 grams, figure about 150 Baht. For 8 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: RUSSIAN,Sides - Salads
Crab Salad with Cucumber & Tomato
July 31, 2017 Lee
1 Comment

Crab Salad with Cucumber & Tomato

This recipe uses imitation crab, aka crab sticks, but if you wish to use real crab, feel free. I personally like imitation crab so I will be using this. This is a use what you have recipe, and I will say, wow, this is good! I made this on 8 August 2017. The amounts listed are approximate, use what you have, I used a bit more imitation crab, but probably less spring onion.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams imitation crab
  • 2 medium cucumbers, diced small
  • 2 medium tomatoes, diced and drained
  • 1/4 cup spring onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1/2 cup mayo, or as needed

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the imitation crab by chopping and shredding. No kidding, use your hands like you would mix a meat loaf! Place in a bowl with all the remaining prepared vegetables and mix together.
  • Add the mayo and mix to coat everything, use more mayo as needed. Store in the fridge for several hours to chill before serving.

Notes

Crab stick prices vary widely, from 90 to 270 Baht/500 grams, not sure of the taste or quality as I have only bought Tesco brand at 94 Baht/450 gram package and the taste is quite good. For 6 servings, this is about 46 cents per serving.
Inspired by the recipe Crab Salad with Cucumber and Tomato from Natasha's Kitchen.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
Mexican Chorizo
July 28, 2017 Lee
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Mexican Chorizo

Mexican Chorizo is the wet type of sausage, that is mainly used in bulk form, commonly mixed with eggs, potatoes, chilies, tacos, etc. This will keep in the fridge for several weeks. This is a base recipe that you can use and tailor the spices to your preference.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 750 grams of Chorizo

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams pork, see Step 1
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, adjust as needed if using Thai chili powder
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar

Instructions
 

  • You can use either minced pork from the store, or as I like to do, is grind my own, as you can control the fat content of meat. I will use pork shoulder when I make this. If grinding your own, use the medium plate or the coarse (wagon wheel) plate.
  • Add the coarse ground pork to a large bowl, add all other ingredients and mix well, use your hands to ensure a good mixing. You may need to increase the amount of vinegar.
  • Pack into a large jar or ceramic bowl, cover and store in the fridge for up to several weeks. Best to sit overnight in the fridge before the first use.
  • To use, just scoop some out and cook with scrambled eggs, diced potatoes, etc.

Notes

Pork will cost about 75 Baht for 750 grams. This can be added to various dishes so 750 grams will last for say 6-10 dishes. Low cost.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Sausage
Stuffed Peppers with Polenta & Sausage
July 27, 2017 Lee
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Stuffed Peppers with Polenta & Sausage

This sounds really good, nice use of the polenta. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 red bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 350 grams Italian sausage, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Microwave the bell peppers on High for 2 minutes to soften slightly. Cut bell peppers in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes, leave the stem intact for visual purpose.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage to skillet and cook 4 minutes, stirring to break into small pieces. Add onion to skillet, stirring occasionally, until sausage is cooked and onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Remove sausage mixture from pan.
  • Add cornmeal to the same skillet cook 1 minute, stirring constantly then add broth, milk, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Stir in parsley, sausage, and half of the cheese. Divide mixture evenly among bell pepper halves. Place side by side on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
  • Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the peppers are tender.
  • While the peppers are cooking, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, black pepper, and remaining salt in a medium bowl, add the tomatoes and basil, toss to coat. Serve over peppers with bread or a salad on the side for a complete meal.

Notes

For the sausage, this is based on making it yourself (takes just minutes) and would only cost about 40 Baht. Figure about 60 Baht for the cheese. For 6 servings, this is about 49 cents per serving.
Variant: Use 3 links of Italian sausage, hot or mild, remove the casing and break up when you cook them.
Shortcut: Italian Sausage.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Stephen Connell.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pork - Sausage
Hawaiian Ham & Swiss Sliders
July 25, 2017 Lee
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Hawaiian Ham & Swiss Sliders

Sliders are essentially small burgers/sandwiches, often made using dinner rolls. Tesco has the 12 pack of rolls but not Hawaiian rolls. This slider recipe sounds outstanding! Pineapple is optional. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 12 pack Hawaiian rolls, OR make from a shortcut
  • 12 slices ham
  • 6 slices Swiss cheese
  • mayo, as needed
  • poppy seeds, as needed if desired
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 6 pineapple rings, optional

Instructions
 

  • For the rolls, you can use plain rolls like what is in Tesco and you would add thin pineapple slices, I would use fresh pineapple but canned is also ok. Link to the Hawaiian Rolls is listed in the recipe notes section, However, I have not tested that recipe yet.
  • Preheat your oven to 180 C. Slice the rolls in half lengthwise, slice the entire package at one time, not individually. Place the bottom half in a 9x13 baking dish.
  • Spread mayo on the layer of buns in the pan, top that with 2 layers of ham, followed by the cheese. Place the top layer of the rolls on the top. If using regular buns, ass 6 slices of pineapple on the top of the cheese, the top with remaining roll section.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter, onion powder, mustard, and poppy seeds. Brush the top of the rolls with the butter mixture. Cover with foil and let sit for 10 minutes. Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted, uncover and bake for another 2 minutes or until the top is golden brown and slightly crisp.
  • Slice into individual sliders, serve, and watch your fingers!

Notes

I will say low cost for now until I make these, they do sound delicious!
Shortcut: Hawaiian Rolls.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings III
July 23, 2017 Lee
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Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings III

Another version of Chicken & Dumplings, sounds very good. This recipe calls for packaged refrigerated biscuit dough, I will leave this as is but when I make this, I will make biscuit dough from scratch and will update this recipe when I have a good working and tested biscuit recipe. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kilo chicken tenders/fillets
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 package refrigerated biscuits
  • 1 cup chicken stock, fresh or from powder

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, mix together the soup and stock, dice the onion, and cut the butter into pats.
  • Place the chicken in the slow cooker, top with the onion, top that with the pats of butter, and finally pour the soup mixture over everything. Cover and cook on Low setting for 5-7 hours.
  • About 45 minutes to an hour from serving, open the can of biscuits, separate each one, and cut each into quarters, place these on top of the chicken and spoon a bit of the liquid over each biscuit piece. DO NOT be alarmed if it looks really soupy, just add the biscuit pieces.
  • Turn the slow cooker to High setting, cover, and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour longer. Check the center biscuits to make sure they are cooked through.
  • Serve.

Notes

The chicken will cost about 75 Baht/kilo. Canned biscuits I cannot price as I have never seen them here. If making the biscuit dough from scratch, this is a low cost item then.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Chicken - Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta
July 23, 2017 Lee
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Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta

Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here, United States.
I was hooked on just the mention of chicken and pasta. Now this is a slow cooker recipe which means it is pretty much hands off for the most part. Several shortcuts are listed for savings as well. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams Cream cheese, one standard block, (8 oz)
  • 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each), Shortcut
  • 2 packets Italian dressing mix, Shortcut
  • ½ cup chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 kilo chicken, boneless, skinless, any type, cubed, (2 lb)
  • 500 grams dry Fettuccine pasta, (1 lb)
  • spring onions, or parsley, chopped, optional
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, optional

Instructions
 

  • Lightly butter your slow cooker insert, then add the soup, cream cheese, broth and dressing mix to the slow cooker and mix, see you did not even need to dirty a bowl for this.
  • Stir in the chicken. Cover and cook on Low setting for 4-6 hours.
  • Now right after you turned on the slow cooker, heat a pot of salted water to boiling. When boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until just before before done. Drain and rinse, cover and place in the fridge.
  • About 45 minutes to an hour before serving, add the pasta from the fridge, and sprinkle in some spring onion or parsley, reserve a bit of spring onion or parsley for garnish, stir well and cover and cook for just long enough to heat the pasta through, 45 minutes to an hour.
  • Serve with spring onion or parsley sprinkled on top, and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese to taste.

Notes

Figure about 75 Baht/kilo for the chicken. The Cream cheese is about 120 Baht, go with Caroline brand, that saves you 30 Baht right there. For 6 servings, this is about 95 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Italian Dressing Mix.
Variant: 1. Use Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup in place of the mushroom soup.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Pasta - Slow Cooker
Breakfast Burritos
July 22, 2017 Lee
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Breakfast Burritos

These sound really good, and I like the addition of the sour cream in the scrambled eggs, that sounds really good. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 flour tortillas, 8 inch size is perfect
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 250 grams fresh mushrooms, button, Shiitaki, Shimeji are fine
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 6 eggs
  • 1/2 cup sour cream, divided, OR make from a shortcut
  • 1/2 cup cooked ham, cubed or diced
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1 medium tomato, diced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 2-4 tablespoons cooking oil, to fry with
  • hot sauce, to serve, optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large non stick pan with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and cook until near golden brown, season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the pan and set aside. You are not done with pan yet.
  • In a medium bowl, add the eggs and 2 tablespoons of sour cream and whisk together, season with salt and pepper to your liking then stir in the ham.
  • Using the same pan as used for the mushroom, melt 1 tablespoon of butter then add the egg mixture. Scramble the eggs until just cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. For that pan, quickly rinse it out and dry with paper towels, you will use it again.
  • Same pan, no oil this time, on very low heat, place a tortilla in the pan and heat for about 1 minute on each side.
  • Take that warm tortilla, spread about 1 tablespoon of sour cream along the middle from left to right or right to left, Add 1/6 of the scrambled eggs on top of the sour cream, sprinkle on some Mozzarella cheese, then top with 1/6 of the mushrooms, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of the tomato. Go easy, don't over fill or it will be hard to roll.
  • Now take the top of the tortilla, that side farthest from you, and fold that over the filling, and roll the burrito towards you, tucking in the ends as you go. Set this aside seam side down, and repeat with the remaining tortillas, by heating them up, one at a time.
  • When all the burritos are rolled, heat the same pan you used for the tortillas with 2 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. When oil is hot, place burritos in the pan seam side down. You may need to do this in batches. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, turn and keep cooking to make the whole burrito golden brown. Adding oil as needed.
  • Serve with hot sauce if desired. These would be perfect for not only breakfast, but for a nice lunch or dinner.

Notes

This is low cost from what I see, I will break down the costs when I make this, but overall, this is easily less than $1 per serving. If you follow the link listed below, Natasha took some great photos on how to assemble these.
Shortcut: Sour Cream.
This recipe for Breakfast Burritos is from Natasha's Kitchen.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BREAKFAST (for dinner!)