15 Days Left

Hey guys just another push for our indiegogo campaign.  This is not food related but I am using my blogs to help promote because I know you guys can help! 

 

Here is what you can do to help.  Please share this link http://igg.me/p/184961?a=891101 on facebook, twitter, linkedin, googleplus, digg and other social media accounts.  Or you can e-mail it to friends or colleges you think could help spread the word.  Ask all the above to share with folks.  Make comments on the campaign and ask others to. 

 

So how does this help?  Every hit or comment improves our page rankings.  The higher our rankings the more exposure we have, the more people see our campaign, the more support we get.  So please, please share the link and ask others to as well, it is that simple.

 

http://igg.me/p/184961?a=891101

 

More can be read here too.

 

Hey guys just another push for our indiegogo campaign. This is not food related but I am using my blogs to help promote because I know you guys can help!

Here is what you can do to help. Please share this link http://igg.me/p/184961?a=891101 on facebook, twitter, linkedin, googleplus, digg and other social media accounts. Or you can e-mail it to friends or colleges you think could help spread the word. Ask all the above to share with folks. Make comments on the campaign and ask others to.

So how does this help? Every hit or comment improves our page rankings. The higher our rankings the more exposure we have, the more people see our campaign, the more support we get. So please, please share the link and ask others to as well, it is that simple.

http://igg.me/p/184961?a=891101

Vanessa

Asian Noodles on the Cheap

I did this over on my main blog Mommy Gourmet and forgot to update it here. Sorry I am not good with keeping up with this one!

Over at the Alchemist Chef http://alchemistchef.blogspot.com/2009/03/call-for-submissions-recession-proof.html they are calling for some recession proof dinning. Seeing how I started family meals for less, (but never did much with it) I thought it was a great idea. Money is tight for some many of us, and the reality is you can still eat great food that is healthy on a dime. So for this post I also included the price of the items and the number of servings.

The other day the grocery store had a ton of veggies on sale and that is what inspired this. I think you could put any you like in (I thought asparagus and tomato would also be great)but this is what I did.

1 bunch of broccoli broken into small pieces ($1.65)
1 bag of matchstick carrots ($1.25)
1 zucchini (I used a peeler to ribbon mine, but you can chop it too) (.75)
1 bunch of green onion chopped (.75)
1 lb chicken (1.99 on sale, 3.99 otherwise)
1 package of soba noodles (1.75)
2 tbs sesame oil (.50?)
4 tbs soy sauce (.25?)
¼ c. of sweet chili sauce ($1)
Salt and pepper
1 clove of garlic
Pinch of red pepper
1 tbs olive oil

Serves 6
The total cost if you get the chicken on sale is $8.99 it is $10.99 otherwise


I started by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper. I heated the oil and added the garlic to pan and cooked the chicken. Set aside and let it cool.

Meanwhile cook the soba noodles and drain.

Toss the soba with the vegetables and shred or chop the chicken and add. In a small bow add the sesame oil, soy and chili sauce and mix. Pour the sauce over the noodles and toss.

Just a reminder, please stop by to see these blogs!!


Wonderings http://bunnytrailthoughts.blogspot.com/ .
My Tasty Treasures http://mytastytreasures.blogspot.com/
Chef E at Behind the Wheel Chef http://cookappeal.blogspot.com/

Transylvanian Baked Sauerkraut

3 tbs bacon fat
1 onion chopped (.50)
1clove garlic
1 lb ground pork (2.50)
1 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1tsp paprika
1 package of kielbasa cut into small slices (2.50)
¼ lb bacon chopped in to small pieces (.75)
1 c. sour cream (.75)
¼ c. rice (.25)
1 lb ground pork (2.50)
2 bag sauerkraut (2.00)



The total for this comes in just under $10. Even with big eaters you will have leftovers and the leftover just get better. This is not an original recipe at all. It was one of my favorite things as a kid. It is also just one more reason to love winter cooking. I totally forgot to take a picture of it so the picture is curtsey a Google image search.

In a skillet began to cook bacon, pull off your 3 tbs and add to another skillet.
Add sausage to the skillet with the bacon and allow it to cook over medium until bacon begins to brown (about 5 minutes).

In the pan the bacon fat was added to, sauté onion until it starts to wilt. Add pork and allow it brown. Stir in garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Make the rice according to package instructions and set aside.

Heat oven to 325. Grease the bottom of 3 quart baking dish.

Rinse sauerkraut and pat dry. Place 1/3 of the sauerkraut in the bottom of dish.

Over that put the bacon and sausage mixture including all juices.

Spread another 1/3 of the sauerkraut on top. Dot with 2 tbs of sour cream. Sprinkle the rice over.

Add the pan with the pork mixture and all the juice and cover with the rest of the sauerkraut.

Pour 1 cup of water in the skillet that had the pork and swirl it around, and then pour it over everything.

Cover with the rest of the sour cream and put in the oven and let bake uncover for 1 hour and a half.

Let stand 20 minutes.

Pork Taco’s and Lentil Soup

This ends up being 2 meals. Half the pork tenderloin is used for the pork tacos and half is used for the lentils. The lentils form almost like a chili, it is a very hearty bean soup. Also note, I used the tenderloin, not a loin roast. I think that is much better for this dish.


Pork lion 2.5 lb ($9)
1 Onion chopped ($.75)
1 bag of red lentils ($.85)
2 tbs cumin ($.20)
1 jar of sofrito sauce ($ 2.50)
6 cups of chicken stock (made with bullion cubs less than .10)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of red wine optional ($1)
Sour cream ($.50)
1 can of refried beans ($1)
Rice ($.30)
Lettuce for taco ($.25)
Salsa (.25)
Guacamole (.75)
Salad (1.25)
Tortillas ($1.50)
1 tbs oil (.10)


The total for the two dishes comes in at just at $20 dollars, however I feel pretty confident you could get 3 meals for 4 out of this even if you have big eaters. The first meal is pork tacos, with refried beans and rice. The second meal is a pork and lentil soup with salad.

Here is how I did it. In a stock pot I sautéed the onions in a bit of oil. Add the bullion and lentils. Add the wine ( if you do) and sofrito sauce (reserve about 3 tbs for the rice). Bring to a boil. Salt pepper pork tenderloin and add to pot. Add cumin. Reduce and allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Check periodically to make sure tenderloin is under liquid and stir the beans. Once the tenderloin is good and tender take it out and shred the meat. Add half back into the lentils. Set the lentils aside for another day. The meat that is left is for the pork tacos. It should have a good flavor form cooking in the lentils, but if you want you add more cumin.

When making the rice for a side to go with the tacos, add the reserved sofrito sauce and put it in with the rice and water. When rice is done fluff and serve. I put a little lime juice and salt in the sour cream too, but you don’t have to. We had our pork tacos with lettuce, sour cream,guacamole and salsa. Obviously if you put more things on it will change the overall cost of the meal. Also we used corn tortillas which I think are better for this. I do suggest, since they fall apart easily, use two tortillas instead of one.

Rosemary Pasta

I am having a hard time keeping up with Family Meals for Less. I am going to try and get a new meal out here once a week, so bare with me. This is easy and so good. Add some chicken or shrimp for a protein if you want. As it is, the meal is around $6, however if you add a pound a shrimp you are right at $10. I suspect you could use any fresh herb (oregano, basil) to do this, I just love the rosemary so much I have never strayed. However, if you are serving little ones, rosemary may be a bit much for them and you might be safer with a basil. Since this is really simple the Parmesan is a real stand out in this. Get some of the good stuff. I recommend ,hands down, Locatelli. However, if you don’t want a big block go to Ukrops you can by the end pieces and it will cost your near nothing. Plus you can use the extra on popcorn (yummy).

1 lb pasta ($2)
½ c. olive oil ($1.50)
1 stick butter (.75)
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary ($1 or free if you have a plant)
Fresh Parmesan ($1)

Start pasta, while that is cooking melt butter and oil in a pan. When the butter mix just starts to bubble, throw in the rosemary and take off the burner. Allow rosemary to steep in the butter for 5 minutes or more. Once pasta is done, remove rosemary and toss with pasta. Serve immediately with fresh grated cheese over.
R

Salmon with Honey-Soy Glaze with Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes

This was a recipe that my husband adapted from Gourmet. It originally called for Maple Syrup. We like it far better with honey. This should get you 2 meals worth, but honestly I always eat more than ¼ lb of seafood as does my husband. You can expect to pay about $4/lb for salmon at Costco and about 6.99 (on sale) at a seafood shop. Add it mash potatoes ($1.5) and green beans ($1) and you are at just over $10. You may not get 2 meals for 4 adults out of it but you will easily get a meal and lunch for two/ or two meals for 2 adults and 2 pre-teen children.
¼ c. soy
¼ c. honey
2lb salmon
Boil honey and soy in saucepan over medium heat. Reduce to about 1/3 c. (about 5 minutes).
Heat oven to 450.
Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Reserving 1.5 tablespoons of glaze for later use, brush salmon with glaze. After 5 minutes brush with remaining glaze. Put salmon in oven and let cook for 10 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil 4-5 minutes. Brush with reserved glaze (use clean brush) and serve.

A Note on Junk Soup

I suggested in the previous post that curry might be a good addition to this soup. We had some last night and put pinch or two in our bowls along with some Greek yogurt to make it creamy… it was so very good. And my son loved it with the addition of curry (but put pepper on anything…go figure).