Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
White Bean & Ham Soup
December 9, 2016 Lee
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White Bean & Ham Soup

This, sounds wonderful! You can use canned beans or dry beans that you cook the day before. You can use an immersion blender, a regular, or just a potato masher if like a chunkier soup. On my to cook list for sure! If using dry beans, you need to plan ahead to cook the beans the day before. It may seem odd to slow cook cooked beans but it is the blend the flavors.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 750 grams dry Great Northern beans, cooked the day before
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 cup carrot, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, import, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked ham, diced
  • 3 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a non stick skillet over medium heat with the olive oil, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook until tender, then add the garlic and diced ham and cook for about 1 minute, the pour this into your slow cooker. Then add 1/2 of the beans, chicken stock, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste to the slow cooker. Mix this, cover and cook on Low setting for 4 hours.
  • At 4 hours, remove the bay leaf and you can do one of three things, immersion blend, use a mixer to blend, or just use a potato masher to mash the beans in the slow cooker. My vote is potato masher but I will see when I make this. Add the remaining beans, cover, and cook for another 1-2 hours. Serve.

Notes

This is low cost and less than $1 per serving, either using a ham bone, or using thick cut ham slices from Makro (that is what I will be doing).
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
White Chicken Chili I
December 9, 2016 Lee
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White Chicken Chili I

There is as many ways to cook white chicken chili as there is stars in the evening sky. This recipe is very tasty and is a slow cooker recipe for the most part. The beans listed are for beans that you have prepared from dry beans, not only is this a money saver, some places do not have canned beans available. Plan your timing appropriately. I made this on 19 Dec 2016 and it is very good, recipe modified slightly. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Total Time 5 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
  • 1 medium onion, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 500 grams dry Great Northern beans, cook in the morning, very easy
  • 2 cups chicken stock, fresh or from powder
  • 2-3 green chilies, chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream, OR make from a shortcut

Instructions
 

  • Rinse and sort the dry beans, place in a pot and cover with about 3 inches of water, and a couple of good shakes of crack black pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Stir the beans every 15 minutes or so and add more water as needed. Cook the beans for 2-4 hours until soft. Remove from heat and drain.
  • Place the chicken in the slow cooker, put everything else in the slow cooker including the beans, except the sour cream and heavy cream. Cover and cook on Low setting for 5-7 hours. Chicken should be fall apart tender at 5 hours, if using frozen chicken breasts, then go the full 7 hours, or on High setting for 3-4 hours.
  • Remove the chicken to a plate using some slotted spoons, shred with a couple of forks and return the chicken back to the slow cooker.
  • Mix together the heavy cream and sour cream in a small bowl until smooth and stir this into the slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking on Low setting for 30 minutes. Serve.

Notes

Chicken breasts will cost about 30 Baht/500 grams. For 6-8 servings, this well under $1 per serving.
Shortcut: Heavy Cream.
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup
December 9, 2016 Lee
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Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

I love stuffed bell peppers so this soup sounds very delicious, on my to cook list. I will base this on preparing the black beans from dry beans so I will just state cooked beans so you will have to do some planning to make this if you cannot find canned black beans. There is also one shortcut that you can make to save money as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 large bell peppers, colors are up to you, cut into cubes
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, or 1 can drained and rinsed
  • 4 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
  • 2 cups tomato sauce, OR make from a shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • red pepper flakes, to taste
  • hot cooked rice, to serve

Instructions
 

  • Heat a non stick skillet to medium heat and add the onion, when the onion is softened, add the beef and just brown it, season with salt and pepper as you desire. When the beef is just browned, drain the fat and pour into your slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the rice. Cover and cook on Low setting for 8 hours or until the pepper pieces are tender, or on High setting for 3-4 hours.
  • To serve, place a scoop of hot rice in a bowl, ladle soup over the rice and mix.

Notes

The  ground beef would run about 100 Baht/500 grams, grind yourself to save money. For 8 servings, this is about 37 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Sauce.
Provided by Barefeet in the Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Soups, Stews, Chili - Slow Cooker
Whitefish Scampi
December 8, 2016 Lee
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Whitefish Scampi

Sounds good and easy with only 5 ingredients. The cooking time listed for this seems long but is spot on, as I made this on 13 Sep 2017, outstanding, another big hit with the family.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 fillets whitefish, Pangasius, Barramundi, or Tilapia, fillets cut in half as well
  • 3/4 cup butter, this is 3/4 of a standard block
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, or lime juice
  • 8 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • salt and lemon pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter.
  • In a saucepan, add the butter and the minced garlic and put on low heat to melt the butter and soften the garlic a bit.
  • Arrange the fillet pieces in the baking dish in a single layer, season with a pinch of salt and lemon pepper as desired.
  • Mix the lemon or lime juice into the butter and pour the butter and garlic over the fish evenly. Sprinkle the fish with the parsley and bake for 40 minutes, turning the fish over every 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
  • Serve. (This was my plate, the fish shown is 3 half pieces of fillets, the last 10 minutes cook time, the pieces come apart into two pieces.)

Notes

Pangasius runs about 120 Baht/kilo, this is about 4 fillets. To use Barramundi, you would need 2 fish and fillet yourself, 2 fish would cost about 135 Baht. For 4 servings using Pangasius, this is about 88 cents per serving.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - White Fish
Lemongrass Coconut Whitefish
December 8, 2016 Lee
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Lemongrass Coconut Whitefish

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Sounds really good, for the fish, think Pangasius or Barramundi fillets.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 4 fillets whitefish, think Barramundi or Tilapia, fillets cut in half as well
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • red chili flakes, to taste
  • cooked rice or pasta, to serve

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix together the coconut milk, onion powder, ginger, turmeric, and salt. Take the lemongrass stalk and lay on a heavy chopping block, then use the flat side of a meat tenderizer, pound the lemon grass to soften it up, when it is soft and flexible tie into an over hand knot. Doing this serves two purposes, first, it keeps the lemongrass in a bundle so it can be removed, plus it releases the oils into the dish.
  • Heat a large non stick pan to medium heat. Season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the pan then pour the coconut milk mixture over the fillets and add the lemongrass. Use the spatula to coat the fish evenly. Sprinkle with red chili flakes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover, cooking the fish for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve.

Notes

Pangasius runs about 120 Baht/kilo, this is about 4 fillets. To use Barramundi, you would need 2 fish and fillet yourself, 2 fish would cost about 135 Baht. For 4 servings using Pangasius, this is about 88 cents per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Barramundi,Fish - White Fish
Grilled Barramundi
December 8, 2016 Lee
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Grilled Barramundi

Adapted from an internet recipe.
A basic grilled fish recipe suitable for any whitefish. This can be done with fillets or a whole fish. Whole fish would be preferred for Barramundi and Tub Tim, fillets for Pangasius.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Servings 2 servings

Equipment

  • Grill, Charcoal or Gas

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fillets Barramundi, cut each fillet in half to make 4 pieces, or 1 whole fish
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 bay leaf, omit if using fillets

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your grill for medium heat.
  • If using a whole fish, you will need to scale, gut, and remove the gills, no need to remove any fins or the head. Clean the inside well along the backbone, rinse then pat dry. If using fillets, just rinse and pat dry.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Rub the whole fish inside and out or rub on both sides of the fillets with the mixture. If using a whole fish, put the bay leaf inside the fish, omit if using fillets.
  • Lightly oil the cooking grate and grill a whole fish for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Fillets will cook faster. When the fish easily flakes with a fork, serve and enjoy.

Notes

In Tesco, Barramundi is sold at about 68 Baht/fish, ocean farmed is sold in open markets by the kilo and it is just slightly more than the Tesco fish. One fish will be 2 fillets, cut each fillet in half and there is your 4 pieces. Using Barramundi from Tesco, this is about $1 per serving for 2 servings. Pangasius fillets and whole Tub Rim would be slightly less. Using a whole fish I would stick to 1 kilo or less for the fish.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Barramundi,GRILLED / BBQ / SMOKER
Gourmet Potato and Barramundi Pie
December 7, 2016 Lee
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Gourmet Potato and Barramundi Pie

Sounds like a great recipe, I will have to try this for sure.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 kilos potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 600 grams Barramundi fillets
  • 1 1/3 cups milk
  • 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
  • 200 grams sour cream
  • 1 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 220 C. Cook the potatoes in pot with water until tender. about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Place the barramundi in a shallow pan then pour over the milk and sprinkle over the spring onions. Cover, bring to a simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until the fish is cooked and flakes easily. Lift out the poached Barramundi fillets. Pour the warm milk and spring onions into a measuring cup to measure out just over 3/4 of cup and reserve.
  • Drain the potatoes well and mash until smooth. Mix in the reserved warm milk and spring onion followed by the sour cream. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
  • For the fish, the original recipe is unclear if skinless or skin on, so flake the fish into bite size pieces and remove the skin.
  • Gently fold in the flaked fish and half of the cheese. Spoon the mixture into a large shallow oven proof dish and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on the surface. Serve.

Notes

One large Barramundi would be a good 600 grams of fillets. The cheese would be 90-120 Baht. Figuring 68 Baht for the fish and 120 Baht for the cheese, for 6 servings, this is about 92 cents per serving. Less if Pangasius was used.
Variant: Add a cup of cooked peas or peas and carrots.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,CASSEROLES
Barramundi Rodeo Burger
December 7, 2016 Lee
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Barramundi Rodeo Burger

Sounds really good, the sauce sounds delicious! On my to cook list for sure. Feel free to use any whitefish for this recipe.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Burgers

  • 1 fillet Barramundi, cut in half to make 2 pieces
  • cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 2 buns
  • lettuce leaves, as needed
  • tomato, slices, as needed
  • 1/2 onion, sliced thick and seperated into rings
  • 1 cup tempura flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • cooking oil, as needed
  • olive oil, as needed

For the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon BBQ spice
  • 1 tablespoon mayo

Instructions
 

  • Rub the fish pieces with the cracked black pepper, pan fry in a heated non stick pan with a splash of olive oil for about 3-4 minutes per side or until it flakes easily. Set aside.
  • While the fish is cooking, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl, set aside.
  • In a pot, heat several cups of cooking oil for the onion rings. The temp should be 180 C, hot but not smoking. Mix the tempura flour with 1/2 cup of water, coat the onion rings in flour, then into the tempura mix and fry in the hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Remove and place on paper towels and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Lightly toast the buns. Spread some sauce on the bottom bun, add some lettuce leaves, some tomato slices, a piece of fish, some onion rings, and spread some sauce on the top bun and cover the burger. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Easily less than $1 per serving for 2 servings.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,BURGERS & SANDWICHES
Garlic Basil Barramundi Skillet with Tomato Butter Sauce
December 7, 2016 Lee
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Garlic Basil Barramundi Skillet with Tomato Butter Sauce

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This sounds interesting and very good. You can use canned beans or dry that you cook yourself, cooking the beans yourself drops this down to a $1 per serving meal, canned beans will increase the cost to a fair value. This will be priced using dry beans as canned white beans are not available where I live. Feel free to use any whitefish for this recipe.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Main Dish
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • fresh basil, chopped
  • fresh parsley, minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1½ cups plum tomatoes, diced, use a bowl and save the juice as well
  • 1½ cups white beans, cooked, or 1 can of white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 fillets Barramundi, cut each fillet in half to make 4 pieces
  • ½ cup chicken or vegetable stock, fresh or from powder
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • Parmesan cheese, optional, for garnish

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl, combine the olive oil, basil, parsley, salt and pepper, tomatoes and their juice as well, and the beans. Set this aside and let the flavors blend for about an hour. The longer you let this sit, the better the sauce will be.
  • Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan over medium heat. Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides, then pan-fry on each side for about 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add the tomato white bean mixture to the skillet and add the butter. Bring to a low simmer. The sauce should start to thicken. Add the chicken or vegetable stock as needed to thin it out. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the sauce is velvety and loose enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, add the fish back in. Spoon the sauce over top of the fish and serve sprinkled with some Parmesan cheese.

Notes

In Tesco, Barramundi is sold at about 68 Baht/fish, ocean farmed is normally sold by the kilo in open markets and it is just slightly more than the Tesco fish. One fish will be 2 fillets, cut each fillet in half and there is your 4 pieces. Using Barramundi from Tesco, this is about $1 per serving for 2 servings. Pangasius would be slightly less. Using canned beans would add anywhere from 60 to 90 Baht to the cost.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Barramundi
Barramundi with Lemon Butter
December 6, 2016 Lee
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Barramundi with Lemon Butter

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a fast and easy method of cooking not only Barramundi but any whitefish, like Pangasius.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 fillets Barramundi, cut each fillet in half to make 4 pieces
  • olive oil, as needed
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¾ tablespoon dried basil, or 5 fresh basil leaves, minced

Instructions
 

  • Heat a small saucepan over medium heat and cook the garlic in the butter for about 2 minutes until fragrant and golden, then stir in the lemon juice and about ¾ of the basil, add salt to taste, and set aside.
  • Heat a large non stick skillet to medium heat. Pat each piece of fish dry then coat each side with a bit of olive oil. Add the fish to the pan, skin side down and cook for about 3 minutes, the edges should turn golden brown, gently flip each piece over and cook for another 1-2 minutes, the fish should flake easily with a fork.
  • Remove the fish from the pan to plates and spoon the sauce over the fillets and sprinkle the remaining basil on top. Enjoy.

Notes

In Tesco, Barramundi is sold at about 68 Baht/fish, ocean farmed is normally sold in open markets by the kilo and it is just slightly more than the Tesco fish. One fish will be 2 fillets, cut each fillet in half and there is your 4 pieces. Using Barramundi from Tesco, this is about $1 per serving for 2 servings. Pangasius would be slightly less.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,FISH - ALL,Fish - Barramundi