Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
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.
Chilied Bacon and Potato Hash
Potato, bacon, onions cooked as a hash with cumin and chili powder, drop a couple of eggs on the top and cover to let them set, just a little, excellent! I made this on 19 Sep 2016 and this is a keeper! My Thai wife took one bite and gave me 2 thumbs up!
Ingredients
- 400 grams bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces, this is 2 regular packages
- 2 tablespoons red chili flakes, optional
- 4-6 potatoes, diced, peeled or unpeeled is up to you
- 2 tablespoons butter
- splash olive oil
- 4 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 large shallot, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4-6 eggs, or as many as you want to use
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, heaping
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, heaping
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Using a large heavy bottom pan, cast iron would be ideal, Add the butter and a splash of olive oil, set on medium to medium low heat, add in the diced onion, shallot, and chopped bacon, stir this once in a while and as you are dicing the potatoes add them to the pan. add potatoes until the pan is near full, they will cook down as well.
- As the potatoes cook, sprinkle in the cumin, chili powder, and black pepper, stir the potatoes occasionally.
- When the potatoes are tender, spread the potatoes out fairly flat and start dropping in eggs. I used 6 eggs but one yolk broke, when that happens it just sinks down into the hash like the whites do. Sprinkle some black pepper on the eggs (cannot have enough black pepper).
- Cover for a few minutes and check on the eggs, whites should be set in the hash, and the eggs should be a nice sunny side up.
- Serve. Not a great looking dish plated, but the taste is outstanding!
Notes
Easy meal for under $1 per person.
For options, instead of bacon, use sausage, breakfast sausage, ham, or a little of each! Add some chopped red, yellow, or green bell pepper, or even some hot sauce splashed on. Can also beat the eggs first and just pour into the pan over the hash and cover and cook to see the eggs, or place (oven proof pan keep in mind) in the oven and broil. Totally up to you.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Three main ingredients, easy to assemble, must try for me. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1/2 can Root Beer, OR coke
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce, OR make from a shortcut listed on this site
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken breasts and root beer in a slow cooker and cook for about 3 hours on High Setting.
- Shred in the pot and drain most of the liquid but leave a little so chicken doesn’t get dry. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Pour in a bottle of BBQ sauce and let cook another 20-30 minutes in slow cooker. Serve on buns, rolls, or bread.
Notes
Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless run about 87 Baht/kilo, 4 breast is under that, if you go with skin on and bone in, the cost is about 58 Baht/kilo. Go with skin on and bone in, remove the skin and excess fat before putting in the slow cooker, when done, remove from pot and remove bone (easy) then return to pot to shred, the bone in will add more flavor. For serving 4 people, this is well under $1 per meal per person.
Shortcut: BBQ Sauce.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Beef & Noodles I
Prepare, bake, then enjoy, it is that easy. On my list to try! This the first version, Beef & Noodles II is in the Beef - Slow Cooker category. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo beef, cut into 1 in cubes
- 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, OR you can make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix, OR you can make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 1 packet brown gravy, OR you can make from a shortcut listed on this site
- 1 cup water
- 1 can mushrooms, sliced
- egg noodles, cooked, OR or wide fettuccine noodles, OR mashed potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 C.
- Add the cubed beef to a 13×9 baking dish.
- Combine the cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, brown gravy mix and water in a bowl. Add the mushrooms and stir to combine. Pour over the beef and stir to mix thoroughly.
- Cover with foil and bake for three hours. Uncover and serve on top of egg noodles, fettuccine noodles, or even mashed potatoes.
Notes
Beef will cost about 200 Baht/kilo. Just go with a large chunk from an open market and cube that. For 6 servings, this is about $1 per serving. Very reasonable on price for a hearty meal.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Dry Onion Soup Mix, Brown Gravy.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew I
Basic Beef Stew recipe, this is on my list to make 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 kilo beef, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Worcherstershire sauce
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock, fresh or from powder
- 3 potatoes, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
Instructions
- Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture.
- Stir in the garlic, bay leaf, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
- Cover and cook on Low setting for 10-12 hours or High setting for 5-6 hours.
Notes
Beef will cost about 200 Baht/kilo. Just go with a large chunk from an open market and cube that, the slow cooker takes care of the tenderness. For 4 people, this is about $1.50 per person, for 6 people, this is about $1 per person. Very reasonable on price for a hearty meal.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Easiest Chicken Casserole
6 ingredients and 2 hours of cook time, easy, a must try. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut in half lengthwise
- 1 cup dry white rice
- 1 can condensed cream of celery soup, OR make from a shortcut
- 1 packet onion soup powder mix, OR make from a shortcut
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 soups cans water, OR 2 1/2 cups of water if you made the shortcut soup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 160 C. Get out a 9x13 baking dish.
- Pour the dry rice into the dish and spread around to even cover the bottom of the dish. Add the chicken on top of the rice.
- Pour the condensed soup into a large bowl or pot, add the onion soup mix then add two soup cans of water or 2 1/2 cups of water if you made the soup from the shortcut. Stir this to mix, add salt and pepper to taste to the mixture.
- Pour the soup mixture over the rice. Sprinkle the chopped onion on the top.
- Bake in the oven for 2 hours. Serve with a green vegetable for a complete meal.
Notes
Chicken breasts run about 60 Baht/kilo. Two breast would be around 40 Baht I would think, putting this meal, easily under $1 per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Celery Soup, Dry Onion Soup Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Cajun Style Ribs
I like a good plate of ribs, Thais however cook most ribs in a soup. I made this, these are very good, and I have modified the recipe on my findings, my comment on the dish is listed below. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4-6 racks pork ribs, see Step 1
- 1/2 cup water
Dry rub
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 3/4 teaspoon oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed, use 3/4 cup if using 6 racks
BBQ sauce
- 1 cup BBQ sauce, your favorite sauce or homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning, OR make from a shortcut
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- A rack of ribs is the long strip of ribs, the rib bones are about 3 inches long. Pick out strips that are meaty between the straight bones and not so much of the odd shaped bones. Prep the ribs by rinsing them then cut the racks into portions, 3 bones per section. (Photo credit: Tesco Lotus Thailand.)
- Mix the dry rub ingredients in small bowl. Using your hands rub the dry rub on the ribs on both sides. Place ribs in a bag and twist to remove air and place in a bowl and put in the fridge overnight. Perfect use for a Tesco Lotus plastic bag.
- Next day, remove the ribs from the fridge. Mix the barbecue sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Layer the ribs in your slow cooker and on each layer, add a tablespoon of sauce. Add the water to the sides of the pot, cover and cook on Low setting for 9 hours, do not remove the lid during this time. Serve with the sauce on the side. Side dishes recommended would be pinto beans, and even potato salad.
Notes
Pork ribs run about 140 Baht/kilo, I bought 3 slabs for about 180 Baht. This came out to about 90 cents per person for 6 meals.
Shortcuts: BBQ Sauce, Creole Seasoning Mix.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Beer Chicken
Two of my favorites, beer and chicken. This is easy and delicious and is truly fall off the bones tender and juicy. I took the photos last night, 1 March, when I made this, report is in the comments section.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, OR chicken pieces
- 1 can beer, any type, room temperature
- 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
- 1 onion, peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon parsley
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Wash chicken inside and out, remove giblets if in the cavity, if a local market bought chicken, remove the neck, feet, and trim the fat from the gut opening. Place chicken in slow cooker breast side down, add the garlic and onion in the gaps on the sides of the chicken.
- Pour beer over the chicken, sprinkle on the spices.
- Cover and cook on Low setting 7-8 hours or High setting for 3-4 hours.
- When chicken is cooked through (does not hurt to use a meat thermometer at this point), remove the whole chicken carefully from the pot as it may fall apart. If using chicken pieces, use a large slotted spatula.
- Make a gravy from the juices from the pot, enjoy. Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes or rice and a vegetable for a complete meal.
Notes
A whole chicken will cost about 150 to 200 Baht. This is a $1 meal for 6 people, less for 8 people.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Slow Cooker Chicken & Gravy I
This is good and really easy. Keep in mind folks, use the shortcuts listed on this site for the gravy mix and soup, not only will this reduce the cost a lot, you eliminate the extra salt and preservatives. I did not take photos when I made this, just think of a slow cooker pot with gravy in it covering the chicken, you get the idea. Links to the shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 kilo chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, OR skinless thighs
- 2 packets dry chicken gravy mix, Shortcut
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup, Shortcut
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1/8 teaspon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Put the gravy packets, cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom soup), water, and pepper in your slow cooker and whisk until the gravy and soup are smooth as possible, any lumps will cook out.
- Add the chicken breasts OR thighs.
- Cook on Low setting for 5-6 hours.
- When the chicken is done, use a large spoon to remove chicken to plates, it will be fall apart tender. Serve with mashed potatoes with gravy ladled over the top. Serve with a vegetable for a complete meal.
Notes
Chicken breasts will cost about 88 Baht/Kilo, thighs even less. For 4 people this is about 75 cents per meal, even less for 6 people. Make the gravy mix and soup yourself for a greater savings. If you do not want to make the gravy shortcut, just use 2 tablespoons of flour and 1 rounded teaspoon of chicken stock powder.
Variants would include using thighs or legs instead of breasts. Also adding a handful or two of fresh or canned, sliced mushrooms about an hour before it is done would work well also.
Shortcuts: Gravy Mix, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chicken, Chicken Blood, and Winter Melon Soup
This is a non-spicy soup made with just 3 major ingredients. Excellent taste. Don't let the ingredients fool you. The chicken blood is congealed, not liquid form, and the vegetable, winter melon, is pronounced fuk.
Ingredients
- 1/2 chicken, chopped into small pieces
- 2-3 cups congealed chicken blood, cut into large cubes
- 2 winter melon, peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock
- 4-5 shallots, smashed
- 3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Chop the half chicken and blood. If you do not have a half chicken, use thighs, legs, breasts, chopped into smaller pieces.
- Peel the winter melon, chop into large pieces, soak in some water for a few minutes then drain. If it has small seeds that is ok, if the seeds are large, remove them.
- Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add the smashed scallions and garlic.
- After it is boiling, add chicken pieces and chicken stock powder.
- When cooked through, about 10-12 minutes, add the chicken blood. Continue to boil until the blood is cooked through about 5-10 minutes.
- When the blood is cooked, add the winter melon and reduce heat to a simmer to heat the melon through. When melon is tender, remove from heat and serve with a bowl of rice.
Notes
Chicken would run about 100 to 140 Baht for about 1 kilo of chicken. Blood and melon, very cheap. This is about 70 cents per meal for 6 people, even less for 8 people. Nutritious and healthy.
Provided courtesy of my wife, Rrayada Thayer.
Thailand.
Thailand.
