Archive for the ‘* Best Value $1 or Less per Serving’ Category
Oyster Casserole
I bought a quart of fresh oyster meat on 3 Jun and decided to make this. This is easy and delicious. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 4 cups oyster meat, rinsed and drained well, (2 pints / 1 quart)
- ⅓ cup extra light olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely minced
- ⅓ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cups Italian breadcrumbs, Shortcut
- ¼ cup lemon or lime juice
- 6 spring onions, sliced, white and green parts
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200° C (400° F). Grease a 9x13 baking dish with butter. This is the container that oyster meat comes in at Tesco, I will verify the amount of containers needed when I make this. I think there is 1 cup of oyster meat in a container, and these cost 49 Baht ($1.53) each.
- Here is the oyster meat, in brine, from local fishermen, and they deliver as well. Each bag has 2 cups (1 pint) of oyster meat, drained, these cost 50 Baht ($1.56) each. You can see the savings by buying from a local fisherman, and these are fresh as well.
- In a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, garlic, parsley, breadcrumbs, and lime or lemon juice, mix together.
- Add the oysters to the dish and spread out to an even layer.
- Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the oysters.
- Sprinkle on the cheese.
- Sprinkle on the spring onion.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the topping browned.
- Serve with a side or two of your choice. Enjoy.
Notes
I used a quart of oyster meat, drained, from a local fisherman, cost was 100 Baht. For 6 servings, this is about 52 cents per serving.
Shortcut: Italian Breadcrumbs.
Oyster Mushroom Soup
This is an excellent soup and is a great use of these delicious mushrooms. This has lots of possibilities and can be tailored to your liking. I look forward to creating some tasty soups with this recipe as a base. I made this on 5 June 2018 with a variant, I added peppered Vietnamese sausage (Cha Hue), diced, to the soup. Perfect.
Ingredients
- 300 grams fresh oyster mushrooms, (11 oz)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 cups water
- 3-4 slices fresh ginger, or 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- sesame oil, as desired
- white pepper powder, as desired
Instructions
- Trim off the root ends of the mushrooms, rinse and squeeze dry, then tear the larger ones into 2-4 pieces, chop any of the large stems.
- In a medium size pot, add the water, ginger, and mushrooms and bring to a boil. Once at a boil add the salt boil for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and slowly pour in the beaten egg around the pot, no stirring yet, wait until the egg is starting to set, about 1 minute then sprinkle in the spring onion and give the pot a gentle stir.
- I went with a Variant and added some diced peppered Vietnamese sausage (Cha Hue). Simmered for about 15 minutes to let the sausage heat through.
- Ladle the soup into serving bowls and drizzle with sesame oil as desired, and sprinkle with white pepper, also to taste.
- Serve with additional spring onions if desired.
Notes
Low cost.
Variant: 1. Add 160 to 250 grams diced Vietnamese sausage.
Inspired by the recipe Quick Oyster Mushroom Soup from Spice the Plate.
Homemade Smoked Bacon
This comes from a good friend and this recipe sounds spot on! Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 - 2 kilos slab pork belly, skin on, fatty preferred over lean, (3-4 lbs)
- 3-4 tablespoons sea salt
- 5 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pink salt
- 4 jalapeños in escabeche, OR make from a shortcut
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
- 2 bay leaves, torn into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, slightly crushed
Special Equipment Needed
- smoker
- apple and oak wood chips
Instructions
- Rinse off the slab of pork belly and pat dry.
- Mix together the salt, sugar, and pink salt. Sprinkle generously over all sides of the pork belly, then gently shake off the excess. Place the belly into a non-reactive dish (stainless steel, ceramic, glass, or plastic) or a large zip lock bag.
- Blitz the jalapenos with 1-2 tablespoons of their liquid (pickling juice) in a food processor or blender.
- Pour the blitzed jalapenos into a small bowl and add the garlic, bay leaves, and peppercorns, mix together then pour onto the pork belly, coat all sides with the mixture.
- Place in the fridge for 5 to 8 days. Turn the pork belly over every other day. The meat is ready once it is reasonably firm when pressed. Remove the belly and rinse off the cure with cool water. Pat dry, place on an oiled rack and return to the refrigerator to dry uncovered, overnight.
- Heat your smoker to 65 to 85 C (150 to 180 F) using apple and oak wood chips or any mix you prefer.
- Place the pork belly slab in the smoker. The bacon is ready once it reaches 65 C (150 F) internal temperature - usually in about 3 hours.
- Remove the bacon and allow to cool to room temp. Remove skin, slice to your preference, thick or thin, freeze in portions you commonly use.
Notes
I will price this when I can get a slab of pork belly in that weight. I will say Low cost for now.
Shortcut: Jalapeños in Escabeche.
Variants: 1. Use honey and brown sugar and omit the jalapenos. 2. Add cracked black pepper to all sides before smoking.
Recipe and photo provided by good friend, Susie Whitman and her recipe is here.
United States.
United States.
Cheeseburger Casserole
This sounds good, uses ground chicken as the meat instead of beef. And in keeping with the spirit of fresh, I am going to write this to use more fresh and less canned items. On my to cook list for sure.
Ingredients
- 250 grams dry elbow macaroni, or penne pasta, (8 oz)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 500 grams ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
- 2 1/2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced, peeled is up to you
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese, shredded, (1/2 lb)
- salt and black pepper, as desired
- cherry tomatoes, diced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C (350 F). If not using a 12 inch heatproof pan, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. (I will verify the dish size when I make this.)
- In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until just tender, drain and set aside.
- While waiting on the pasta to cook, heat a large non stick pan on medium heat, add the oil. When hot, add the onion and cook until softened, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken and steak seasoning, stir and cook until the chicken until browned, it cooks further in the oven. Drain any liquids from the pan.
- To the pan add the tomatoes, tomato paste, mustard, and dill relish. Simmer for a few minutes then turn off the heat. Stir in the pasta and stir to coat well.
- If using a oven proof pan, smooth out the mixture and add the shredded cheese evenly on the the top, place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and the cheese melted in.
- If using a baking dish, transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x13 baking dish, spread out evenly and add the shredded cheese evenly on the top and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and the cheese melted in.
- Sprinkle with diced tomatoes and salt and pepper as desired and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Variant: 1. Use ground turkey in place of ground chicken.
Adapted from an internet recipe.
Chicken Thighs (Slow Cooker)
Sounds very easy and very good. On my to cook list.
Ingredients
- 6 chicken thighs, see Step 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons Sriracha Chili Garlic sauce, mild or hot, your choice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- hot cooked rice, for serving
- fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- For the chicken, quarters will provide the largest thighs, simply separate from the legs, freeze the legs for another dish. Leave skin on and bone, trim any fat.
- To your slow cooker, add the ketchup, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger, Sriracha sauce, and lime juice, whisk together.
- Heat the oil in a large non stick pan on medium heat.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and when the pan is hot, add to the pan, work in batches if needed, cook on each side for about 3-4 minutes to get a nice brown on each side, as they are cooked, place in your slow cooker.
- Once all the chicken is added to the slow cooker, move the pieces around to coat them all.
- Set your slow cooker to Low setting for 6 hours and cover. Do not open the lip until 6 hours have passed. Set to Warm setting until you are ready to serve.
- Serve with hot cooked rice and garnish with cilantro.
Notes
I will price this when I pick up 6 quarters and work it out from there, for now I will say low cost.
Omurice (오므라이스)
This sounds good, and is a first for me to have Korean writing on the site as well, which is always cool to add the other languages. This is a fried rice dish inside an omelet. Originating in Japan then spread to other Asian countries. The main flavoring, ketchup.
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion, finely diced
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 small carrot, finely chopped
- 120 grams ground pork, or beef, or chicken, or shrimp, (4 oz)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons ketchup, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper
- olive oil, for frying
- 1¼ cups cooked rice, average ¾ cup per serving
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Heat a large non stick skillet on medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil, when hot, add the onion, spring onion, carrot, and pork. Stir fry until the pork is cooked through and the onion is soft, then stir in the soy sauce and season with salt and pepper as desired.
- Add the rice, stirring to break up any clumps until it is mixed well, then add the ketchup, taste, and season with salt and pepper as desired. Transfer to a bowl.
- Same pan, heat a small amount of olive oil, while the oil is heating, break two eggs into a small bowl, whisk with a fork and add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired. Add the eggs to the hot pan and swirl them around to cover the bottom of the pan.
- When the bottom is set and the top of the eggs are a bit runny, turn off the heat and spoon in half of the rice mixture down the center of the eggs.
- Fold over both sides and and slide the omelet to the side of the pan, then flip onto a plate. Repeat the process for the second omelet.
- Drizzle some ketchup on the top of each and serve.
Notes
Low cost.
Minced Chicken Oven Dish
This is a basic Indonesian dish and it sounds really good, and easy to prepare. On my to cook list. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Oven
- Baking Pan (8x8 inch)
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground chicken, (1 lb)
- 2 potatoes, boiled, skin on is ok, chopped small
- 1 egg, beaten
- 3 tablespoons onion, shredded
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- 1 tablespoon celery, chopped
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons beef broth, or chicken, fresh or from powder
- breadcrumbs, Shortcut
- butter, chopped, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180° C (350° F). Lightly grease a 8x8 baking dish with butter.
- In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, onion, celery, garlic, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and broth. Mix together with a large spoon.
- Fold the potatoes into the mixture.
- Add the chicken mixture to the baking dish and spread out evenly. Pour the beaten egg onto the chicken.
- Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top then add a few chunks of butter.
- Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, check the doneness of the chicken and if not done bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with rice for a simple and enjoyable meal.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Breadcrumbs.
Slow Cooker Breakfast Casserole II
This sounds like a great breakfast casserole, this use stale bread (think just cubed and toasted dry, instead of hash browns, so good, on my to cook list. Remember, breakfast dishes always make great dinner dishes as well. Link to the shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- butter, as need to grease the slow cooker pot
- 12 eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 slices bread, cubed and toasted
- 500 grams bulk breakfast sausage, OR make from a shortcut, (1 lb)
- 1½ cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
Instructions
- Cook the breakfast sausage in a non stick pan until cooked through and fat drained.
- Grease with butter your slow cooker insert, bottom and sides.
- Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl, whisk until well mixed and frothy is ok. Add the milk and mustard, and season with salt and pepper as desired, whisk to combine.
- Place the cubed dried bread in an even layer in your slow cooker, then add the sausage, cheese, onion, and bell pepper.
- Pour in the eggs, push down the other ingredients as needed.
- Cover and set your slow cooker to Low setting for 6 to 7 hours. Check at 5 hours to be on the safe side, the dish is done when the eggs are set and the top is golden brown.
- Spoon into bowls and add some nice toast and you have a meal, regardless of the time of day.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcut: Breakfast Sausage.
Chicken Macaroni Salad
This is a Filipino version of macaroni salad, many cultures have their own versions, just like chicken noodle soup is found many cultures. This is a delicious and filing pasta salad which can be a side dish or a main dish. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Notes section.
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry elbow macaroni
- 1½ cups mayo
- 500 grams chicken breast, boneless, skinless, (1 lb), Shortcut
- 2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped and drained
- ¼ cup sweet pickle relish
- 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped, Shortcut
- 1 medium red onion, minced
- 1 carrot, julienned, and cut strips into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese, cubed
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pot of salted water to boiling then cook the macaroni to tender, drain and set aside.
- Cook the chicken any way that you like, steamed, boiled, oven baked. If boiling, and you have the time, add trinity and make some broth while you are at, also, let the pot cool to cool temp before taking the chicken out, this will result in juicy chicken. A Shortcut is listed in Recipe Notes to follow if you want to use a pressure cooker and make broth for another recipe.
- Drain the pickle relish and the pineapple, this is so you do not make a soggy salad, no one likes a soggy salad 😉
- After everything is cooked, drained, chopped, and cooled, place everything, except the mayo, in a large mixing bowl and gently toss to mix. I started with a mixing bowl, and I lightly mix as each item is prepared and added, I had to transfer to a large pot, as this is a lot of salad.
- Add the mayo and gently mix to make sure everything is coated well. Cover and place in the fridge to chill until serving, chill for about 2-3 hours.
- Serve as a side dish with chicken from the BBQ, grilled sausages, etc. Or serve as a meal itself.
Notes
Low cost.
Shortcuts: Quick Chicken Broth, Perfect Hard Boiled Chicken Eggs.
Arroz Con Pollo (Pressure Cooker)
This is a comfort food originating in Spain and is common in Latin America as well. There is as many ways to prepare this as there are shades of blue. This was originally written as pressure cooking the rice, then cooking the chicken. I am in Thailand, everyone has a rice cooker so I am sticking with that, and for folks in the states, many have rice cookers or can cook rice in a pot on the stove, so I am not going to add the rice part here. On my to cook list. I will be using my 9½ quart stove top pressure cooker. Follow all the safety precautions for your model of pressure cooker.
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Rice Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 kilos chicken pieces, quarters separated perfect, (4 lb)
- paprika, as needed
- salt and pepper, as needed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 brown onions, diced
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder, or crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads, 6-7 threads
- 1 bay leaf
- 1¾ cups chicken broth, fresh or from powder
- 2 cups frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup green olives with pimento, sliced
- 1 tomato, chopped, or use 3-4 roma chopped
- 3-4 cups hot cooked rice, use a rice cooker or saucepan on the stove
Instructions
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika as desired. With the lid off your pressure cooker, heat the oil, when hot, brown the chicken, working in batches, set browned chicken aside.
- Then add the onion and garlic to the cooker, saute until the onion is softened.
- Add the chicken back to the cooker, sprinkle with the chili powder, saffron, and add the bay leaf and chicken broth.
- Place the lid on and lock, add the weight (jiggler), bring up the heat to high, when the jiggler starts to move and vent pressure, reduce the heat to low or medium low to maintain pressure release. Start timing for 12 minutes.
- When 12 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and move to an unused burner and allow a natural pressure release. When it is safe to open the pressure cooker, meaning it has vented to atmosphere and no pressure remains inside, open and remove chicken to a serving tray.
- Add the rice, peas, tomato, and olives to the cooker and stir together to heat through, can simmer on low heat for a few minutes if needed.
- Serve the chicken with rice on the side. Enjoy.
Notes
Chicken will cost about 52 Baht/kilo for quarters. For 4 servings, this is about 41 cents per serving. Great value. I will verify the amount of chicken and procedures for sure with this recipe.