Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Tuna Patties I
This is a simple way to enjoy tuna using either canned tuna or fresh tuna. Fresh tuna is always better, it is cheaper than canned and no can waste, plus you get material for your compost pile. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna, OR 1 cup of fresh cooked tuna, Shortcut
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ cup white bread, torn into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons spring onion, sliced
- 2 eggs
- olive oil, as needed
- ½ teaspoon butter
- 2-3 dashes hot sauce, optional
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon water, see Step 1
Instructions
- If using canned tuna packed in water, drain and reserve 1 tablespoon of water from a can then add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the tuna. If using tuna packed in oil, just drain. If using fresh cooked tuna, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- In a large bowl, mix the tuna with the mustard, bread, zest, juice, water, parsley, spring onion, and hot sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, then mix in the egg.
- Divide this in to 4 parts, form each part into a ball and flatten to make a patty. Refrigerate for an hour, this helps keep the patties together when cooking.
- Heat some olive oil in a non stick pan with the butter, place the patties in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side to nicely brown them.
- Serve as is with lemon wedges on the side for a light lunch or dinner, or serve with tartar sauce on buns to make a tuna burgers.
Notes
Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Tuna.
Healthy Pancake & Smoothie
Provided by a good friend of mine, this is a single serving that is nutritious and healthy, perfect for after a long bike ride. For more servings, just adjust the serving size and the recipe will adjust for you.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Pancake
- 5-6 okra, good sized, trimmed, sliced
- 1 cup soy flour, fine organic
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon Chaat Masala
- salt and pepper, to taste
Smoothie
- ½ fresh pineapple
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 1 tablespoon Chia seeds
Instructions
Pancake
- Mix together soy flour, baking powder, Chaat Masala, and 1 egg in a small bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, add water to get the desired pancake mix consistency. Add sliced okra and mix.
- Heat a non-stick pan with a slight splash of olive oil to medium heat. Pour in the pancake mixture, after a few minutes, watch for bubbles to appear on the top and check the bottom, when golden brown on the bottom, carefully flip the pancake.
- When golden brown on the bottom, place pancake on a plate.
Smoothie
- Add to your blender, ½ a fresh pineapple, raw honey, and Chia seeds, blend until smooth.
- Pour into a large glass and serve with the pancake. A mild tomato based hot sauce pairs well with the pancake.
Notes
Healthy and nutritious. Easily under $1 per serving.
Baked Broccoli Tots
I like broccoli, this looks like a great recipe, a must try.
Ingredients
- 2 cups broccoli, uncooked
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup onion, diced
- 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2/3 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons parsely, OR cilantro, OR rosemary, etc
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200 C. Grease a baking sheet with a thin layer of butter and set aside.
- Blanch the broccoli in boiling water for 1 minute then remove and shock with cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
- Chop broccoli finely and mix thoroughly with the egg, onions, cheddar, breadcrumbs, and seasoning. Scoop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of mix using a ice-cream scoop or your hands and gently press between your hands into a firm ball then shape into a tater-tot shape. It helps to rinse your hands after every few tots to keep them from sticking onto your hands. Next, Place on your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake until golden brown and crispy, 18-24 minutes, turning half way. Remove from the oven and enjoy hot with ketchup, sriracha, ranch dressing, or your favorite dipping sauce!
Notes
This is low cost since little cheese is used.
Adapted from an internet recipe, suggested by good friend, Craig Hohnstein.
United States.
United States.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Egg Rolls
These sound really good, a must try for me.
Ingredients
- 250 grams Cream cheese, this is one block, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries
- 500 grams egg roll skins
Instructions
- Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla, and beat again until smooth. Mix in blueberries.
- Fill egg roll skins with the mixture, and fold as directed on the package.
- Fry until golden brown and serve.
Notes
Not sure how to price this until I make it, the cheese alone is 120 Baht, so estimating 4 servings, this would be about 89 cents per serving.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Garland Davis, US Navy Cook (Ret).
United States.
United States.
Recovery Stew
Recipe was inspired from a good friend in Phuket, Dave Williams, I tried to guess the ingredients of a stew he made from scratch, I was close but not spot on, but both of us agree, this would be a good stew.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup rice, cooked
- 1 can Garbanzo beans, drained, or use dried beans that have been cooked
- 1/4 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1/4 green bell pepper, diced
- 4-8 Bird's Eye Chilis, sliced, with seeds
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Chaat Masala, Indian spice, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, add a splash of olive oil and on medium heat, cook the garlic, then add the chicken until just about done, it will be tender.
- Then add all other ingredients. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, add chicken stock as needed to maintain a stew like consistency. Serve.
Notes
The chicken will be 50 Baht or under. All other ingredients minimal. Well under $1 per person per meal.
Provided courtesy of good friend, Dave Williams.
Thailand.
Thailand.
Recovery Vegan Stew
Original recipe from my good friend, Dave Williams, Thailand, "I call this 'Recovery Stew' because it is high in carbs with a good percentage of amino acids (protein) and a healthy mix of a lot of different minerals. There are, additionally, a lot of antioxidants in these ingredients, so it helps your body to recover from exercise by both replacing what you've used and by adding nutrients that you might not have had in your system." Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic Jasmin rice, cooked
- 1 can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), do not drain, or 1½ cups cooked with broth, Shortcut
- ¼ yellow bell pepper, diced
- 6 medium okra, sliced in large pieces
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon Goji berries
- 1 tablespoon Flax seed
- 1 tablespoon Black Sesame seed
- 3 tablespoons Golden Mountain Spicy tomato sauce, it is not really that spicy
- sea salt and white pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Chaat Masala, Indian spice, optional
Instructions
- Add cooked rice and Garbanzo beans (with liquid from can) to a big pot and cook on low. Cover the pot. Cook for about 15 minutes or so on very low heat. Add additional water as needed to maintain a good stew consistency.
- Add Goji berries, bell pepper, okra, garlic, and tomato sauce. Stir and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes on low (covered pot).
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir, you can cook for a minute or so, but its best not to cook the milled seeds so you can retain the maximum nutritional value from them. Remove from heat, cover the pot, and let sit for a few minutes. Serve.
Notes
Easily under $1 per person per meal.
Shortcut: Chickpeas (Pressure Cooker).
Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak I
Easy, straight forward recipe, and makes its own gravy, nothing could be easier. This is a must try. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4-6 patties lean ground beef, OR minced pork, OR ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon steak seasoning, OR you can make from a shortcut listed on this site, see Step 1
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 package button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock, use fresh or from powder
Instructions
- Place a layer of formed patties on the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle on some steak seasoning. Add a layer of sliced mushrooms. Repeat adding the next layer of patties, steak seasoning, and mushrooms. Note about the steak seasoning, you can use steak seasoning, or you can just season the patties with salt, pepper, garlic powder, a pinch of paprika, and a pinch of ground coriander.
- Mix the onions and flour in the beef stock, pour that into the pot. Cover and cook on Low setting for 6-8 hours. Serve with mashed potatoes and a vegetable for a complete meal.
Notes
Beef will run between 150 to 200 Baht/kilo. If you cannot find ground beef, get a large chunk and mince yourself. Or you can use minced pork or even chicken would would work, but for chicken, use chicken stock instead of beef stock. 500 grams of meat should make 4 nice patties, 1 kilo of meat should make 8 patties. Make 6 equal size patties from a kilo of meat and call it good. Going with 200 Baht/kilo, and 6 patties, comes in at right about $1 per meal for 6 people. All other ingredients are minimal.
Shortcut: Steak Seasoning.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Butter Ranch Chicken
Three ingredients, easy enough and sounds excellent, a must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1 packet dry ranch dressing mix, OR you can make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 1/4 block of butter, this is the standard 228 gram block, this is 1/4 cup butter, or 1/2 a stick
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in your slow cooker, sprinkle with the dressing mix. Cut the butter into 8 pieces and place on top of the dressing mix.
- Cook on Low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Check at 4 hours, juices should run clear, meat should be very tender. Serve with corn on the cob and maybe some yard beans for a nice meal.
Notes
The butter and liquid from the chicken is enough for the slow cooker.
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless is 85 Baht/kilo, bone in and skin is about 63 Baht/kilo. Going with 85 Baht for 4 breasts, for 4 meals, this is about 65 cents per meal.
Shortcut: Ranch Dressing Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Broccoli & Potato Soup
Sounds like a great soup, a must try.
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 4 medium potatoes, roughly diced, skin on
- 1 head large broccoli, roughly chopped, including stem
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot, boil potatoes until soft, then add chopped broccoli and cook for about 5 minutes more, there is no need to cook the broccoli until soft. Keep a lid on the pot at all times while boiling. Remove from heat and let cool for a little while.
- Once cooled a bit, use a slotted spoon to scoop out the potatoes and broccoli into your blender. Add some water from the pot. Save the rest of the water in case you need to change the consistency later. The water is also rich in the water soluble vitamins. You can refrigerate the water for several days and use in any recipe that calls for water.
- Blend thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste, then blend some more. Add water from the pot to get the smoothness that you desire. Serve with rice crackers or any bread not made with eggs or dairy and you have a great meal.
Notes
Well under $1 per serving.
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.
