Feed four friends on $10

If cash is tight, instead of running to the local all-night diner, offer to cook a meal up in your house. With a small amount of team effort, you can cook a meal for four people at home for as little as 25% the cost of dining out.

• 12 farm fresh eggs – $1.00
• 2.2 kg of bacon – $3.00
• toast – $1.00
• hash browns – $2.50
• coffee – $2.00

For $10, four people each get 3 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 slices of toast, coffee, and a small pile of hash browns.

You do lose variety here (no pancakes or biscuits and gravy), but it demonstrates the relative cost of home-cooked food.

 

Baked wrapped tilapia

I was amazed by this recipe, which produces mouthwatering flaky whitefish soaked in a complex bundle of flavors from ginger to maple syrup. The foil wrap concentrates the flavors deep within the fillet. Every recipe I’ve tried so far that has “baked” and “wrapped” in the title has been shockingly delicious.

Information:

Time: 45 minutes, 15 min prep.  Makes 4 servings of one fillet each. Be sure to prepare a side dish, otherwise it’s more like 2 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 213 calories, 10 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 7 g carbohydrates, 22 g protein.

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 1-inch cube fresh ginger root, finely chopped or grated
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped or grated
• 2 green onions (green part only), finely chopped
• Fresh chile to taste
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 tbsp grapeseed (or safflower) oil
• Dash of toasted sesame oil
• Dash of soy sauce
• Dash of fish sauce
• 4 tsp dark maple syrup

Tilapia:

• 4 fillets (4 oz each) fresh tilapia (or other firm-fleshed whitefish)
• 4 large banana leaves (or unbleached parchment paper)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Combine all topping ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place a fillet on each banana leaf and divide topping evenly among them, spreading it over the top. Fold each banana leaf over to form a packet around each fillet and seal the edge of each packet with a small piece of aluminum foil, crimping it tightly.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes.

This recipe would probably work with flounder or other whitefish in lieu of tilapia.

Recipe from Epicurious.

 

Bacon cheeseburger chili

Assessment:

A fool proof meal, this bacon cheeseburger chili was a big hit from the first time I made it, and I’ve served it several times since then at home and at work.  Having made it so many times, I feel it’s time to give it a rest, but I’m glad that this meal has become part of my repertoire; I can make it consistently and well every time, almost from memory. Even with practically no kitchen skills, you can come out of nowhere with this chili and people will devour it in wonder.

This a spicy chili with a distinct beef and cheese flavor, and a taste of barbecue and salsa. I often use medium salsa, but mild is acceptable if you want to tone it down.

Makes 8 cups, serves 4-6.  Serve with flaky biscuits or cornbread.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• half a large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 package chili seasoning mix
• 16 oz jar chunky salsa
• 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 14.5 oz can of beef broth
• 0.25 cup smoky barbecue sauce
• 15 oz can of kidney beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
• 8 oz package Velveeta cheese, diced
• 6 slices precooked bacon, diced

Directions:

• In large, heavy saucepan cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until beef is cooked through and onion is translucent.
• Add chili seasoning mix, salsa, tomatoes, broth, barbecue sauce, beans and mustard to saucepan; cover and simmer 10 minutes.
• Add cheese and stir until melted. Serve bowls of chili garnished with diced bacon. You can serve it immediately, but I like to simmer this covered for as long as possible, up to 6 hours.

Customizations:

If you like, dice some extra bacon and place it in a bowl so that people can add more. And it’s chili, so you can always sprinkle more cheese on top.

Recipe from the Basic Cigarette Company Winter Cook Book.

 

Brazilian chicken with coconut milk

Information:

Time: 45 minutes, 15 minute prep. Serves 4. Goes well with pasta or rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1 bunch chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix the cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and coriander. Place the chicken in the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and rub on all sides with the spice mixture.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet. Cook 10 to 15 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Cook and stir the onion, ginger, jalapeño peppers, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Mix in the tomatoes and continue cooking 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk. Serve over the chicken. Garnish with the parsley. Be sure to let the sauce warm up to a simmer after you add the coconut milk, which is probably coming from a room temperature can. In addition, by the time the sauce is ready to be poured, the chicken has been sitting unheated for at least 10 minutes. So it’s important to heat the sauce if you want this meal to be warm.

Assessment:

In addition to tasting great, it was exciting to pour the simmering sauce over the golden spiced chicken at the end. The coconut and jalapeño are really present. While cooking, the seasoned chicken releases aromas aplenty. I think the 15-minute prep time is a bit optimistic, as this meal took me half an hour. But most cooks are probably more efficient.

Lessons Learned:

The recipe called for 3 tomatoes, and I used one can of diced tomato (draining the juice from the can beforehand.) Also, I made this at a friend’s house and forgot to bring cumin. Beyond that, I would definitely use larger chicken breasts next time. I don’t care for tomato or onion on their own (although I like the flavors), and it seemed that my plate was mostly covered in them. But had the chicken been larger, it would have been more balanced. A side of rice would round out the meal, especially as one could mix the vegetables and sauce with the rice.

Recipe from Allrecipes.

 

Greek lentil soup

Info:

Time: 1.5 hours, 15 minute prep. Serves 8. Goes great with warm grilled pita bread and a crisp Greek salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• half cup chopped celery
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1.5 cups chopped onions
• 8 cups water
• 24 ounces beef stock or broth
• 2 cups dry lentils, rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1.5 teaspoons chopped mint (optional)
• half teaspoon salt
• half teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 10 ounces of frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Directions:

• In a large stock pot, heat the oil and saute garlic, celery, onions, and carrot until veggies are tender. Make sure the oil covers the bottom of the pan before throwing the vegetables in. The oil will get runnier as it warms. Keep the heat somewhere around medium. If the oil is crackling, it’s too high. Toss the vegetables around so that they are heated evenly. I just waited until the carrots were soft enough to stick a fork in one without hearing a “crisp”.
• Add the water, stock, and the rinsed lentils. To rinse the lentils, put them in a bowl or pot, run water over them, and drain.
• Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer (low or medium-low), cover and cook for 45 minutes or until lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add the tomatoes, along with the juice in the can, as well as the chopped herbs, and salt and pepper.
• Stir in the spinach and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes more. I rinsed my spinach too. Rinsing produce is generally a good idea.
• Re-check seasoning before serving. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Assessment:

Thick with lentils and spinach, this soup was hearty and filling. The carrots are tender and steeped with flavor.

Lessons learned:

I didn’t have any tomatoes, so I poured in 8 ounces of tomato juice instead. This worked well enough, but the diced tomatoes would have added some color to the soup and given it more texture, so I recommend using actual tomatoes. Also, my carrot slices were too thick (I didn’t see the “finely chopped” part above), so although they were moist and delicious, there were only one or two slices per bowl, which was too sparse, and boring.

Recipe from Recipezaar.