I am currently living on a $7/day food budget, so let me say I *really* get where you're coming from on the needing the food cheap thing.
A couple of recipes I really like.
Navajo Stew (adapted from the Moosewood "Simple Suppers" Recipe) - Coat the bottom of a 9X13 pan with olive oil. Just enough so there aren't any dry spots. - Chop one onion (I prefer sweet, but yellow or white will also be fine), one red pepper, and one peeled sweet potato into about one-inch segments (one inch cubes for the pepper and potato, bite sized pieces for the onion). - Combined the chopped onion, red pepper, and sweet potato in a bowl. Add a splash of olive oil (about 1/4 cup, but less is fine). Add 1.5 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili pepper, some salt and pepper, and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (You can play with all these measurements. I like spice, so I add in lots. If you're not a spice person, add less). - Pre-heat the oven to 450 F. - Pour the onion/pepper/potato mixture into the 9x13 pan. Roast at 450 for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. - After 20 minutes the vegetables should be tender to the touch (particularly the potatoes). If not, continue roasting until vegetables are tender and the tops are browning. - Once it's at that state, pour a can of black beans on top of the mixture. Also pour a can of diced tomatoes on top (I prefer Hunts with jalapeno, but I like spice). - Roast another 10 minutes. - Eat it!
I will often serve this on top of cornbread or rice, but it's also awesome on its own. A friend of mine likes to squeeze a bit of lime juice on top as well.
(this should serve about 4 if you add a side salad)
Stracciatella Soup with Spinach
- Take the stems off about two cups of baby spinach. Chop into thin strips. Rinse under cold water. Put aside. - In a large pot, start to boil about 3 cups of chicken broth. I tend to add about 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic at this point. - When the chicken broth starts to boil (i.e. bubbles), turn the heat down just enough so it doesn't boil anymore (i.e. "simmer") - Add the chopped spinach. Stir. - In a separate bowl, beat two eggs together (like you would for scrambled eggs). Add in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and a bit of remaining chicken broth. - Drizzle the egg mixture into the soup. You should see ribbons of scrambled eggs form. Make sure you stir the soup continuously so you don't get a mass of egg forming at the top of the soup. - Serve. I tend to add a dash of salt before eating, but there's salt in the cheese so it's not necessary.
(I think this serves 2 if you have a roll on the side)
Chinese Stir-Fry - Thinly slice 3 large carrots and 1 large zucchini (note: I tend to cut out the seeded part of the zucchini, but it's not necessary). Try to make it look like each slice looks like a matchstick. - Heat in a pan (or better yet, wok) a base oil (canola/vegetable/olive) and a dash of peanut oil (about 2 teaspoons) on med-high. - Add carrots and zucchini. - Add 1 clove diced garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon diced garlic root (peeled) - Once the veggies have been heated through (they should be soft but not droopy), add in a teaspoon of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of some stir fry sauce (I like to buy spicy mandarin sauce, but choose your favorite/cheapest from the grocery store). - Take the veggies off the heat. - This part is optional. In a separate pan that has enough oil to coat the bottom, either add thinly sliced meat of some type (beef, pork, or chicken) or 1 scrambled egg. The heat again should be medium-high. Expect some oil to jump up (it can hurt!). Cook until meat is no longer pink (2-3 minutes) or eggs are no longer raw (2 minutes) making sure you stir regularly. - Put the veggies back on the heat, add the meat or eggs back in and stir for a few minutes. - Taste test. If it doesn't taste right, try adding more soy sauce (for salt) or stir-fry sauce (more savory). - Serve over rice.
Should serve 2-3 (more if you add other types of veggies or increase the quantity).
no subject
A couple of recipes I really like.
Navajo Stew (adapted from the Moosewood "Simple Suppers" Recipe)
- Coat the bottom of a 9X13 pan with olive oil. Just enough so there aren't any dry spots.
- Chop one onion (I prefer sweet, but yellow or white will also be fine), one red pepper, and one peeled sweet potato into about one-inch segments (one inch cubes for the pepper and potato, bite sized pieces for the onion).
- Combined the chopped onion, red pepper, and sweet potato in a bowl. Add a splash of olive oil (about 1/4 cup, but less is fine). Add 1.5 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon chili pepper, some salt and pepper, and a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (You can play with all these measurements. I like spice, so I add in lots. If you're not a spice person, add less).
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.
- Pour the onion/pepper/potato mixture into the 9x13 pan. Roast at 450 for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- After 20 minutes the vegetables should be tender to the touch (particularly the potatoes). If not, continue roasting until vegetables are tender and the tops are browning.
- Once it's at that state, pour a can of black beans on top of the mixture. Also pour a can of diced tomatoes on top (I prefer Hunts with jalapeno, but I like spice).
- Roast another 10 minutes.
- Eat it!
I will often serve this on top of cornbread or rice, but it's also awesome on its own. A friend of mine likes to squeeze a bit of lime juice on top as well.
(this should serve about 4 if you add a side salad)
Stracciatella Soup with Spinach
- Take the stems off about two cups of baby spinach. Chop into thin strips. Rinse under cold water. Put aside.
- In a large pot, start to boil about 3 cups of chicken broth. I tend to add about 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic at this point.
- When the chicken broth starts to boil (i.e. bubbles), turn the heat down just enough so it doesn't boil anymore (i.e. "simmer")
- Add the chopped spinach. Stir.
- In a separate bowl, beat two eggs together (like you would for scrambled eggs). Add in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and a bit of remaining chicken broth.
- Drizzle the egg mixture into the soup. You should see ribbons of scrambled eggs form. Make sure you stir the soup continuously so you don't get a mass of egg forming at the top of the soup.
- Serve. I tend to add a dash of salt before eating, but there's salt in the cheese so it's not necessary.
(I think this serves 2 if you have a roll on the side)
Chinese Stir-Fry
- Thinly slice 3 large carrots and 1 large zucchini (note: I tend to cut out the seeded part of the zucchini, but it's not necessary). Try to make it look like each slice looks like a matchstick.
- Heat in a pan (or better yet, wok) a base oil (canola/vegetable/olive) and a dash of peanut oil (about 2 teaspoons) on med-high.
- Add carrots and zucchini.
- Add 1 clove diced garlic. Add 1/2 teaspoon diced garlic root (peeled)
- Once the veggies have been heated through (they should be soft but not droopy), add in a teaspoon of soy sauce and 2 teaspoons of some stir fry sauce (I like to buy spicy mandarin sauce, but choose your favorite/cheapest from the grocery store).
- Take the veggies off the heat.
- This part is optional. In a separate pan that has enough oil to coat the bottom, either add thinly sliced meat of some type (beef, pork, or chicken) or 1 scrambled egg. The heat again should be medium-high. Expect some oil to jump up (it can hurt!). Cook until meat is no longer pink (2-3 minutes) or eggs are no longer raw (2 minutes) making sure you stir regularly.
- Put the veggies back on the heat, add the meat or eggs back in and stir for a few minutes.
- Taste test. If it doesn't taste right, try adding more soy sauce (for salt) or stir-fry sauce (more savory).
- Serve over rice.
Should serve 2-3 (more if you add other types of veggies or increase the quantity).
I'll add more as I think of them.