Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Long Bean Soup
August 22, 2018 Lee
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Long Bean Soup

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Also known as Green Bean Soup, but since long beans are common here in Thailand, let's go with that for the name. Long beans are just very long green beans, 12-24 inches long, taste is the same. I prefer to pressure cook long beans, but for this recipe, I am going to sauté them in butter to cook them as directed.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Vegetarian
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup long beans, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
  • 1½ inches carrot, diced
  • 1 potato, peeled and diced
  • ¼ cup green peas
  • ½ inch fresh ginger, or ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or as needed
  • water, as needed
  • salt, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Cook the diced potato, carrot, and peas in a sauce pan with with water to cover them. Cook until tender.
  • While the other vegetables are simmering, heat a non stick pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and when hot, add the long beans. Saute until tender. When cooked, remove to a bowl and set aside.
  • Once the potatoes and carrots are tender, drain and retain 2½ cups of the cooking water. Mash the potatoes, carrot, and peas.
  • Add the mash to a sauce pan and add the 2½ cups of retained water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.
  • Add the long beans to the sauce pan and stir in, boil for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Add more water to adjust the thickness of the soup.
  • Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with black pepper, and serve.

Notes

Low cost.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI,VEGETARIAN
Teriyaki King Oyster Mushrooms
August 22, 2018 Lee
3 Comments

Teriyaki King Oyster Mushrooms

Adapted from an internet recipe.
Excellent use of King Oyster mushrooms, and tasty as well. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 400 grams King Oyster mushrooms, (14 oz)
  • ¼ to ½ cup Teriyaki sauce, Shortcut
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil, as needed
  • fresh spring onion, sliced
  • hot cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
 

  • King Oyster Mushrooms. These come trimmed, just a quick rinse and we are ready to start. This type of mushroom keeps well in the fridge for several days, so when I see these in the market, we buy them then plan a meal with them a few days later, no need to cook them the day of purchase.
  • Slice the mushrooms in half lengthwise. Take each half and further slice it lengthwise into about 1/8 inch slices. For the side pieces, lay them cut side down and just trim of the edge of the cap to make a flat piece, as shown on the piece on the right. Place the slices in a shallow dish.
  • Pour the teriyaki sauce over the mushroom slices and use tongs to mix the slices to coat them well. Start with 1/4 cup of sauce and use more as needed. Let this marinate for 15 minutes.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a non stick pan on medium heat, when hot add some of the spring onion. Stir the spring onion until fragrant.
  • Place the mushroom slices in a single layer without overlapping, work in batches. Retain the teriyaki sauce for another step.
  • Cook the slices without moving them, when the bottom is browned, turn the slices and cook the other side until nice and golden brown, and the edges can even be a bit charred. Transfer browned slices to a plate. Continue cooking until all the slices are browned, adding additional oil and spring onion between batches.
  • When the last batch is browned, return all the removed slices back to the pan.
  • Pour in the reserved teriyaki sauce and cook, turn the mushrooms as needed until the liquid in the pan is absorbed, just a few minutes.
  • Serve over rice or with noodles, garnish with spring onion if desired.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Teriyaki Sauce.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,: CHINESE,MUSHROOMS
Chickpea Salad
August 21, 2018 Lee
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Chickpea Salad

I will be hooked on this, my wife and I very much like chickpeas, in soups, salads, pasta salads, by themselves right out of the pressure cooker, etc. so this I am sure will be hit. On my to cook list and soon. I will use chickpeas cooked from dry but you are free to use canned chickpeas if you desire. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Salad

  • 1 can chickpeas, (15 oz) drained, or 2 cups cooked, (Shortcut)
  • 1 avocado
  • 1/2 fresh lemon
  • 1/4 cup red onion, diced large
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 2 cups cucumber, diced, peeled or not up to you
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 3/4 cup red bell peppers, diced

For the Dressing

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • If using dry chickpeas, cook 1 cup of dry in your preferred way, I will use a pressure cooker, then use 2 cups, drained, from that. Link to my method is in the Recipe Notes section.
  • Halve and remove the pit from the avocado (grow a tree from the pit, great project for kids or adults), then scoop out the flesh and cube. Place the avocado cubes in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the avocado and gently stir.
  • Add the remaining Salad ingredients to the mixing bowl and gently toss to mix.
  • Mix the Dressing ingredients in a small bowl, pour in the mixing bowl and gently mix to distribute the dressing throughout the salad.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  • Serve as a side salad with a main dish of your choice. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Chickpeas (Pressure Cooker).
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,Sides - Salads
Steamed Egg Tufu with Mushrooms
August 20, 2018 Lee
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Steamed Egg Tufu with Mushrooms

Adapted from an internet recipe.
This is a quick and simple Singaporean dish. I will verify some of the ingredients measurements when I make this. On my to cook list.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Singaporean
Servings 2 servings

Equipment

  • Steamer
  • Steamer Handles

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tubes egg tofu, I will verify size of tubes
  • ½ package fresh mushrooms, Shiitake, Shimeji, and Enoki, I will verify amount
  • 1-3 Bird's Eye Chilies, seeded and thinly sliced, optional
  • spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • black pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • Heat a steamer with 1 inch of water, this can be your rice cooker with a steamer tray or a large pot with a trivet. Get out a heatproof plate that will fit either in your rice cooker or pot. If you have a steamer handles, get that out as well and place near the steamer.
  • Slice off the end of a tube of egg tofu, remove the piece from the end, then push out the tofu from the tube.
  • Slice the tofu into ½ inch slices and arrange on the heatproof plate.
  • Remove the stems from the Shiitake mushrooms and discard, thinly slice the mushrooms.
  • Cut off the root sections of the Shimeji and Enoki mushrooms and separate into individual stems.
  • Arrange the mushrooms on top of the egg tofu. Sprinkle with the sliced chilies is using.
  • Mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and black pepper as desired. Pour over the mushrooms and egg tofu.
  • Place the plate in the heated steamer of your choice, cover, and steam for 10 minutes.
  • Carefully remove the dish from the steamer.
  • Sprinkle the sliced spring onion over the mushrooms and egg tofu.
  • Serve with rice or porridge on the side as a breakfast, lunch, or light dinner. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: SINGAPOREAN
Barley, Lentil & Mushroom Soup
August 20, 2018 Lee
2 Comments

Barley, Lentil & Mushroom Soup

Another great recipe using barley, This is very delicious and well liked by the family. Lots of variants listed in the Recipe notes section. Keep in mind, when looking at the photos, the pot is for my pressure cooker, this soup is NOT a pressure cooker dish, I simply use the pot as a good thick walled soup pot when not pressure cooking.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 stalk import celery, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped or Rangiri (see Recipe Notes)
  • 3/4 cup dry barley
  • 3/4 cup dry brown lentils
  • 2 quarts beef broth, fresh or from powder, (8 cups)
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups fresh Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced, or button or straw

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often to just soften the onion, not browned. About 5 minutes.
  • Add the carrot and celery and cook another 5 minutes.
  • Now add the barley and lentils and stir to coat them with the oil. Cook, stirring often to lightly toast them.
  • Add the broth, thyme, parsley, pepper, and bay leaf, stir together, and bring to a boil. Stir in the mushrooms, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes, stir occasionally.
  • When the lentils and barley are good and tender, remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
  • Serve and enjoy.

Notes

I will price this when I can source lentils. Barley is cheap. For now, for 8 servings, I will say this is low cost.
For the carrots: I use a Japanese style of chopping carrots, called Rangiri, which is basically, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot 1/4 turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces, and a larger surface area giving two uses, first, it absorbs more of the stock flavor, and second, it cooks faster with a larger surface area.
Variants: 1. Add a diced potato. 2. Add 1/2 cup broken spaghetti. 3. Add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar. 4. Replace the beef broth with vegetable stock. 5. Increase the broth or stock to 3 or 4 quarts. 6. Brown 500 grams (1 lb) ground beef and add to the soup.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Homemade Beef Barley Soup
August 17, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Homemade Beef Barley Soup

I was in Tesco in the town near us, and I seen barley stocked, that was a first! So of course I bought a 500 gram (1 lb) bag for 30 Baht (just a bit less than $1). This recipe comes from a good friend, and it is delicious! Very well liked by the family. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams beef, see Step 1
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, sliced or Rangiri (see Recipe Notes)
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 6 cups beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 2/3 cup dry barley
  • 1 tablespoon Worcerstershire sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 packet beef gravy, (Shortcut)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley
  • salt and pepper, as desired
  • 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced

Instructions
 

  • For the beef, you have several options. 1. Use ground beef (my preference). 2. Use leftover roast beef or steak that is diced. 3. Use raw beef that is diced.

Using Ground Beef or Raw Beef

  • Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat, when hot, add the onion, garlic, and either ground beef or raw diced beef. Cook until browned. Drain, and add to a large pot. Now continue with Continuing On... below.

Using Cooked Beef

  • In large pot, heat the oil on medium heat, when hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is tender and soft, then stir in the cooked diced beef. Now continue with Continuing On... below.

Continuing On...

  • Now that we have the beef sorted out, and in the pot, let's continue, and this is easy, add all the remaining ingredients to the pot.
  • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until the barley is plumped and tender.
  • Here it is fully cooked. If you would like a thinner soup, add some beef broth or water to thin it out, and if you would like a thicker soup, more like a stew, just simmer for a few more minutes with the cover removed to reduce the liquid.
  • When the consistency of the soup is right for you, ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes

I bought the beef from a local vendor and ground myself, 500 grams (1 lb) was about $1.95. The barley was $1. For 8 servings (easy), this is about 37 cents per serving.
For the carrots: I used a Japanese style of chopping carrots, called Rangiri, which is basically, cut a piece of the carrot off at an angle, then rotate the carrot 1/4 turn, cut another piece off at an angle, repeat the turning and cutting. This makes for bite size pieces, and a larger surface area giving two uses, first, it absorbs more of the stock flavor, and second, it cooks faster with a larger surface area.
Shortcut: Beef Gravy.
Variants: 1. Use vegetables you have on hand, like green beans, corn, different color bell peppers. 2. In place of the canned tomatoes, use a pint of fresh cherry tomatoes quartered. 3. No celery? Not a problem, add a pinch of celery seed if you have on hand, or just omit.
Inspired by Spend With Pennies and the link to this recipe is here.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Meatball & Egg Tofu Soup
August 17, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Meatball & Egg Tofu Soup

This is a basic, non spicy Thai soup, made more for children than anything, but when I made this on 11 Aug 2018, the entire Thai family loved it. Not only did they enjoy it for dinner, they enjoyed it again (as did I) for breakfast the next morning. The ingredients are simple, flavorful, and nutritious. For readers in the US and Canada, you can find the various meatballs and egg tofu in most Asian markets. Read the Variants in the Recipe Notes section as there is many ways you can prepare this.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Thai
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 800 grams fish balls, (28 oz)
  • 2 cubes mushroom stock
  • 2 bunches spring onions, chopped, white and green parts
  • 1-2 bunches cilantro, chopped
  • 1-2 handfuls fresh oyster mushrooms, torn into bite size pieces
  • 420 gram egg tofu, (15 oz)
  • oyster sauce, to taste
  • soy sauce, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Fill a large pot about 1/3 full of water, add the stock cubes and bring to boil. The pot I am using here is my pressure cooker pot, this is NOT a pressure cooker recipe, I use the pot because it is a heavy thick walled pot.
  • The brand of fish balls I used, each bag, vacuum sealed, is 400 grams (14 oz) and I used bags. These are the large fish ball. For readers in the US and Canada, these will be in the frozen or fridge section of an Asian market.
  • Empty the fish balls onto a cutting board, use a knife and cut an X on opposite sides of each ball.
  • Add the fish balls to the pot, and reduce heat to a simmer and let the fish balls cook through. They will swell as they cook.
  • Chop the spring onion and cilantro and add to the pot and stir in. Here you can see the X's on the fish balls, the reason for doing this is more surface area to absorb the stock flavor.
  • After about 15 more minutes of simmering, add the mushrooms and stir in.
  • Continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes to cook the mushrooms and get them nice and tender.
  • This is the egg tofu I used, it comes in a tube. Cut the end of each tube off and the tofu will slide right out. Slice into 1/4 inch thick slices.
  • Add the egg tofu to the pot and stir in, simmer for about 15 minutes to heat the tofu through. Season to taste with soy sauce and oyster sauce, a splash or two of each works well.
  • Ladle into bowls and enjoy.

Notes

This makes a large amount of soup. The fish balls were 104 Baht for both packages, egg tofu was 40 Baht, and the oyster mushrooms were free (I use a really good vendor). For 8 servings, this is about 55 cents per serving.
Variants: 1. Use any meatballs you like, such as fish, pork, chicken & pork, seafood, and shrimp. 2. Use any stock you like, such as chicken, pork, shrimp, vegetable, and mushroom. 3. Use any mushrooms such as Straw, Shiitake, Shimeji, Oyster, or button. 4. Add any any of the following, glass noodles, egg noodles, carrot, daikon, or even hard boiled quail or chicken eggs. 5. Serve with rice if desired.
Common Thai soup.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: THAI,MEATBALLS,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
August 10, 2018 Lee
1 Comment

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

This, sounds incredibly good! I used my shortcut for the cake mix as boxed mixes are outrageously priced where I live. This is like a giant sheet cookie, and very tasty as well. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 box yellow cake mix, (Shortcut)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 5 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F), get out a 9x13 baking dish.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix together the first 3 ingredients. The mixture is quite thick.
  • Mix in the chocolate chips.
  • Place the mixture into a 9x13 baking dish and spread out evenly. I wetted my hands to spread the dough out evenly.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and place dish on a wire rack to cool a bit.
  • Slice while still slightly warm, as it will firm up a lot when totally cooled off. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Homemade Yellow Cake Mix.
Variants: 1. Use M&M's in place of the chocolate chips. 2. Lightly sprinkle sugar sprinkles on the top once the cake is cooled. 3. Pipe chocolate frosting in the center of each cut piece.
Recipe provided by Conni Layton.
United States.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,5 Ingredients or Less,DESSERTS
Mushroom Barley Soup
August 7, 2018 Lee
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Mushroom Barley Soup

I made this on 1 Nov 2018 and used three types of mushrooms; White Crab, King Oyster, and Shiitake. This soup is absolutely delicious.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish, Side
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 3/4 cup carrot, diced
  • 1/2 cup celery, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 500 grams fresh mushrooms, Straw, Shiitake, or Button, sliced, (1 lb)
  • 6 cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 3/4 cup dry barley
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Prep the veggies. (I used Thai celery for this, and even chopped the leaves to go in at the end.)
  • Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat, when hot, add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is transparent and tender.
  • Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. A note if using straw mushrooms, only slice in half lengthwise.
  • Mushrooms are cooked down and stirred to coat with any oil in the pot.
  • Add the broth and barley and stir together. I used 4 cups bean broth from chickpeas and 2 cups of water.
  • Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer until barley is tender, about 50 minutes, stir occasionally, and add broth as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. About 10 minutes before serving, add some chopped celery tops if using those, and if using Shiitakes for a nice garnish, add those and allow them to soften.
  • Serve. If using the Shiitakes as garnish, spoon those out and place on top of the soup.

Notes

Low cost.
Variants: 1. Add chopped celery tops towards the end of cooking. 2. Use bean broth in place of vegetable broth. 3. Add whole Shiitake mushrooms with a decorative cut as a garnish, add near the end of cooking and allow them to soften.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,MUSHROOMS,SOUPS, STEWS, CHILI
Teriyaki Salmon, Chicken, or Tofu
August 3, 2018 Lee
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Teriyaki Salmon, Chicken, or Tofu

This recipe for Teriyaki Sauce inspired by Just One Cookbook.
This is a 'make the amount you want' guide and is a basic way to use real Japanese teriyaki sauce. As the title states, use either salmon, chicken, or tofu, and each item will have separate instructions. Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
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Total Time 5 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • salmon steaks, or chicken thighs, or firm tofu
  • cornstarch, as needed
  • Teriyaki sauce, Shortcut
  • salt and pepper, as needed
  • sake, as needed

Instructions
 

Teriyaki Salmon

  • Heat a non stick pan with 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil, season the salmon steaks on both sides with salt and pepper as desired then coat with flour. When the oil is hot, add the salmon and cook for 3 minutes or until nicely browned.
  • Turn salmon over and add 1 tablespoon of sake, cover the pan and cook for 3 minutes more.
  • Spoon some teriyaki sauce over the salmon and turn to coat.
  • Serve, optionally spoon some teriyaki sauce over the top of the salmon when serving.

Teriyaki Chicken

  • Heat a non stick pan with 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil, season the skin on chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper as desired then coat with flour. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and cook until nicely browned.
  • Turn the chicken over and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
  • Remove chicken, pour out oil and wipe with a paper towel, return the chicken to the pan, spoon some teriyaki sauce over the chicken and turn to coat.
  • Serve, optionally spoon some teriyaki sauce over the top of the chicken when serving.

Teriyaki Tofu

  • Firm tofu comes in a brine, first thing you have to do is drain off the liquid, and gently press it to remove any excess moisture. You can also microwave the tofu for 1 minute.
  • Cut the tofu into slabs or cubes, Add some cornstarch to a mixing bowl, add the cubed or slabbed tofu and shake and toss to lightly coat.
  • Heat a non stick pan with 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil on medium high heat, when hot, add the tofu cooking on both sides for slabs or all sides for cubes until golden brown.
  • Spoon teriyaki sauce over the tofu and turn to coat. Place tofu in a serving bowl.
  • Serve, optionally spoon some teriyaki sauce over the top of the tofu when serving. Enjoy.

Notes

Low cost.
Shortcut: Teriyaki Sauce (照り焼きのたれ).
# Buster Approved,#1 Go-To Recipes,* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving,: JAPANESE,CHICKEN & TURKEY,FISH - ALL,Fish - Salmon