Posts Tagged ‘STEP’

quick ramen bowl $1.01 each

March 11th, 2010 The FLHC

By noon today my throat had swollen up so big that I couldn’t swallow and my head was pounding. The sickness was upon me. So, as soon as I got home I started searching for something warm and soothing to eat. A quick scan of my refrigerator showed one lonely egg, some left over spinach, mushrooms and green onions from the salads that I packed for lunch this week and on top of the refrigerator I found my roommates stockpile of ramen noodles. Bingo! A hot soothing bowl of “souped up” ramen! Now, I know I may sound a little like a hypocrite because in my “About Budget Bytes” introduction I spoke of not having to eat ramen noodles every day to stay on a budget. That being said, you can do some pretty delicious things with these humble packages of noodles. This one is great because not only does it increase the nutritional value (if it had any to begin with) but it is an excellent way to use leftover veggies – experiment with whatever you have. Plus, when you’re sick, an easy, hot, soothing and delicious bowl of noodles is just what the doctor ordered!

Quick Ramen Bowl

Total Recipe cost: $1.01

Servings Per Recipe: 1-2 (makes a lot)

Cost per serving: $1.01 (for one serving per recipe)

Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 20 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1 pkg ramen noodles $0.25
1 cup fresh spinach $0.17
3 medium button mushrooms $0.26
2 whole green onions $0.16
1 large egg (optional) $0.12
1 tsp chili garlic paste (optional) $0.05
TOTAL   $1.01



STEP 1: In a small pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, wash and slice your veggies. Once the water is boiling, add the dry noodles and cook according to the package directions (boil about 5 minutes). Add the seasoning packet (or half a packet if you prefer less sodium) and stir until dissolved.

STEP 2: Turn the heat down to medium and stir in all of your fresh veggies. Allow them to sit in the hot (not boiling) broth for 1-2 minutes or until slightly softened.

STEP 3: Make a well in the center of the pot and crack the egg into it. Allow the egg to poach in the broth until the whites are solid but the yolk is still runny. Alternatively, you can break the yolk and stir the pot just slightly to yield egg ribbons like in egg drop soup.

NOTE: The water should not be boiling at this point or else your egg will dissolve into such small pieces that it will just give you a cloudy broth.

STEP 4: Pour the soup into a bowl and serve with a dollop of chili garlic paste on the side.

Step By Step Photos

leftover veggies
While you cook the ramen noodles, chop whatever fresh veggies you have on hand.

poach veggies
After the noodles have cooked and you have added the seasoning packet, stir in the veggies and allow them to poach for a minute or so.

Crack the egg into the center of the pot and allow it to poach as well (no picture, please forgive me, I’m sick as a dog!)

broken yolk
I like to leave the yolk runny so that when I finally break it, I get a little shot of creamy yolk heaven!

There are so many good things that you can add to your ramen bowl, don’t be shy. You can try cabbage, sesame seeds, beans, shredded carrots, grilled chicken, shrimp… make it different every time! If you don’t have chili garlic paste, sriracha sauce is also excellent. A sprinkle of sesame oil over top would be even more special. I had a wonderful noodle bowl at a restaurant a while back that came with a side of plum sauce that added an INCREDIBLE flavor to the broth… now I just have to find some to buy somewhere!



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baba ganoush $3.07 recipe / $0.77 serving

March 9th, 2010 The FLHC

I’m going to admit right now that I have never made Baba Ganoush before today so if you have any suggestions or recipe variations, please share!

If you have never heard of Baba Ganoush, today is your lucky day. Baba Ganoush is a roasted eggplant dip that is common in Mediterranean cuisine. If you like hummus, you may very well like Baba Ganoush because it is very similar. So similar, in fact, that I like to describe it as hummus made with roasted eggplant rather than chickpeas or garbanzo beans. It has all of the usual ingredients: tahini (sesame paste, think peanut butter but made with sesame seeds instead of peanuts), lemon juice and garlic. Although I love garlic, the breath that fresh garlic leaves behind can be a little too strong for even me. So, for this recipe, I used roasted garlic instead of fresh. Roasted garlic is still strong and will give you breath but the odor is more like an “8″ on a scale of ten rather than “15″ like fresh garlic is.

Anyway… it turned out great and I ate a boat load of it today for lunch with some whole wheat pita ($0.21 per pita pocket)! Even though it was a simple appetizer-like lunch, I’m still full over five hours later.

Baba Ganoush

Total Recipe cost: $3.07

Servings Per Recipe: 4 (about 1/2 cup each)

Cost per serving: $0.77

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 55 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
2 medium eggplant $1.92
1/2 bulb roasted garlic $0.18
1 medium lemon $0.33
3 Tbsp tahini $0.54
to taste salt $0.05
1/2 tsp paprika $0.05
TOTAL   $3.07



STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the whole eggplants on a baking sheet and prick all over with a fork (this allows the steam to escape while they roasts. Place the eggplant in the oven and roast for 45 minutes or until the skin is all wrinkled up and the flesh is very soft. You can roast the garlic at the same time if you choose to use roasted as opposed to fresh. Instructions for roasted garlic are here.

STEP 2: Once the eggplant are done roasting, slice them length wise and scrape the soft flesh into a bowl. Add the garlic, tahini, juice of the lemon, salt and paprika to the eggplant and either mash up with a fork, mortar and pestle or blend in a food processor or blender. Taste the mixture and adjust to your preferences.

STEP 3: Serve with pita bread cut into triangles and/or vegetable crudites!

Step By Step Photos

tahini
Here is a picture of tahini, if you have never heard of or seen it before. There are many brands and it can be found in major super markets either near the peanut butter or in the ethnic foods section.

roasted eggplant
This is what your eggplant will look like when they are finished roasting.

opened eggplant
Slice them lengthwise and scoop out all of that creamy good flesh! Mix with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and paprika.

baba ganoush platter
Serve with pita bread or vegetables. Garnish with parsley or a drizzle of olive oil.

NOTE: For a thicker, richer dip you can add some olive oil while mixing the ingredients. I believe the dip is not usually pureed to a smooth consistency but with my little ‘bitty food processor, it just had to be that way. It was still delicious!



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cranberry & walnut stuffed pork loin $7.56 recipe / $0.95 serving

March 5th, 2010 The FLHC

Stuffing meat is fantastic. Not only does it add extra flavor and texture but it takes advantage of Budget Byting Principle #2: use ingredients wisely. That means taking an expensive ingredient (the pork) and combining it with a less expensive ingredient (the stuffing) to bring the cost per serving down.

The second trick that I used to make this recipe so cost efficient was the fact that I snatched up this huge 27 oz. pork loin when it was on sale ($4 off!!) and stored it in my freezer ’till I was ready to use it. Normally, $8.99 for a pork loin is just too expensive for my taste but slash it by almost half and I’m game!

Lastly, even though dried cranberries and walnuts are by themselves expensive ingredients, if you use them sparingly to just add a little bit of “oomph” to the stuffing, they won’t do too much damage to your bottom line.

Cranberry & Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin

Total Recipe cost: $7.50

Servings Per Recipe: 8

Cost per serving: $0.95

Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 1 hr. Total: 1 hr. 15 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
27 oz. (1.7 lb.) pork loin $4.99 (SALE)
1 box stuffing mix $1.32
2 Tbsp butter $0.05
1/2 cup dried cranberries $0.67
1/4 cup chopped walnuts $0.32
2 Tbsp olive oil $0.21
TOTAL   $7.56



STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium pot, cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box (usually bring water to a boil with butter, add stuffing mix, remove from heat and let sit with a lid on for 10 minutes). My box suggested using 4 Tbsp of butter but I felt that was excessive so I used 2 Tbsp instead.

STEP 2: Meanwhile, “butterfly” the pork loin in preparation for stuffing and rolling. Butterflying means cutting it so that it lays out flat in a rectangle instead of being in it’s usual cylindrical shape. Instead of taking step by step photos of this process (because I’m still honing my butterflying skills) here is a website with excellent photos and instructions.

STEP 3: Mix the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts into the cooked stuffing and spread the mixture all over the butterflied pork loin.

STEP 4: Starting at one of the long sides, roll the pork loin and it’s contents all the way up. Secure the opening either with a long skewer (thread it along the edge like a needle), multiple tooth picks or tie it up using kitchen string.

STEP 5: Heat a skillet with 2 Tbsp of olive oil on medium/high heat. When the oil is very hot, sear the pork loin on all sides until it is brown and crispy. Transfer the seared pork loin to the oven (on a baking sheet) and finish baking until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees (about 45 min).

STEP 6: When the stuffed loin is finished baking, let it rest 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to redistribute into the meat. Slice the roll into 1 inch thick servings and enjoy!

Step By Step Photos

stuffing w cranberries and walnuts
Cook the stuffing according to the directions on the box then mix in the dried cranberries and chopped walnuts.

butterflied pork loin
Butterfly your pork loin so that it lays out flat and is about 1 inch thick. Don’t worry if it is not perfect, mine definitely wasn’t!!

add stuffing
Spread the stuffing mixture out evenly over the pork loin.

stuffed and rolled pork loin
Roll that bad boy on up! If any stuffing tries to escape, just push it back in.

secured pork loin
Secure the opening on the roll with a long skewer, tooth picks or some kitchen twine.

sear pork loin
Sear all sides of the pork in a hot skillet until it is brown and crispy on the outside.

bake pork loin
Bake the stuffed pork loin at 350F degrees until it reaches an internal temp of 160F… approximately 45 minutes (shorter for smaller pork loins).

sliced stuffed pork loin
Let the pork loin rest for 15 minutes then slice into 1 inch thick portions. PRETTY!

NOTE: Everything is always prettier and more appetizing when placed on nice plate and sprinkled with some fresh chopped parsley. Soooo, if you weren’t able to perfectly butterfly the pork loin then it pulled apart, shrank and tore open when it baked (like mine did), just gussy it up and no one will notice. Plus, it will still taste fantastic so everyone will be impressed!



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balsamic oven fries $3.49 recipe / $0.58 serving

March 3rd, 2010 The FLHC

As a side dish to my Cranberry and Walnut Stuffed Pork Loin last week, I made up some thick cut french fries… well, oven fries because I don’t have a deep fryer and my conscious is happier with baked fries anyway. Oven baked fries still come out crispy and you can add any sort of flavoring to them before they go in (garlic, chili, parmesan… ANYTHING). For some reason I was craving “fish and chips” last week so I decided to douse my oven fries with balsamic vinegar when they came out of the oven. They were spectacular but if you don’t like balsamic vinegar, just eat them plain or dipped in your favorite sauce. The key here is that they’re cheap, versatile and yummy!

Balsamic Oven Fries

Total Recipe cost: $3.49

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Cost per serving: $0.58

Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 40 min. Total: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
3 lbs. russet potatoes $1.79
2 Tbsp. olive oil $0.21
1/4 tsp garlic powder $0.05
1/2 tsp salt $0.05
hand full fresh parsley $0.19
6 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar $1.20
TOTAL   $3.49



STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wash the potatoes very well so that the skins are clean and edible. Cut the potatoes into thick wedges.

STEP 2: Place the potato wedges in a bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt and garlic powder. Spread the potatoes onto a baking sheet (or two) so that they are in one layer (all touching the baking sheet) and have a little space between them. If they are too crowded the moisture from the potatoes will get trapped and steam them as they cook yielding a soggy fry.

STEP 3: Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until they are all brown and crispy on the edges. Check them at 30 minutes and adjust the cooking time to get them to your desired degree of brown-ness (I know, that’s not a word).

STEP 4: Place the cooked fries in a bowl and toss with chopped parsley. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar just before serving.

NOTE: This makes a LOT of fries. Luckily, you can easily adjust the recipe to use any amount of potatoes. I had to use two baking sheets to cook these so you may want to use only 2 lbs. of potatoes.

One night when I was super starving, I grabbed a plate of these, sprinkled them with some shredded cheddar and nuked them for a minute… wow. I can only imagine if I had some chili on hand… Heavenly homemade junk food!



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apple crisp $3.41 recipe / $0.57 serving

March 1st, 2010 The FLHC

It’s not too often that I make sweets (the last one was lemon ricotta cookies back in january) so I didn’t feel guilty about giving into my craving for warm apple crisp topped with cold vanilla ice cream! The problem came when I started researching apple crisp recipes. There are SO many out there (probably because the dessert is as old as time) that I had trouble deciding which way to go. In the end I decided to go with the basic, tried and true recipe from my Joy of Cooking Cookbook (altered to make a smaller batch). This is the first time that I have made apple crisp so I figured I would stick with the basics and experiment next time. If you’re an apple crisp pro, try some of the variations that I saw like adding crushed up ginger snaps or cinnamon graham crackers to the topping or pouring dulce de leche in with the apples (YUM). Let me know how it turns out!

Apple Crisp

Total Recipe cost: $3.41

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Cost per serving: $0.57

Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.
The vanilla ice cream pictured with the apple crisp was $0.23 per half cup serving.

INGREDIENTS COST
4 medium (2 lb.) apples $2.00
1 medium fresh lemon $0.30
1/2 cup flour $0.27
1/2 cup rolled oats $0.10
1/2 cup brown sugar $0.24
1/2 tsp salt $0.05
1 tsp cinnamon $0.10
1/4 tsp nutmeg $0.05
6 Tbsp butter $0.30
TOTAL   $3.41



STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Wash, core and chop the apples into one inch cubes. Place the apple chunks in a 9×9 inch baking dish. They should be about two layers of apples deep. If they just cover the bottom either cut more apples or use a smaller dish. Squeeze the juice from half of the lemon over the apple chunks and toss to coat.

STEP 2: In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir until they are well combined.

STEP 3: Add the cold butter and mix until it is well incorporated. If you have a pastry cutter, this works best. If you don’t have one, don’t worry, just cut the butter into small chunks and then smear them into the dry mix using your hands (clean of course). Small chunks of butter are okay. See the photos below for what it should look like when it is mixed.

STEP 4: Pour the crumble topping over the apples and bake for 45 minutes. Serve warm topped with a scoop of cold ice cream! DELICIOUS!

Step By Step Photos

Chopped Apples
Wash and chop the apples. Toss with juice from half of a fresh lemon.

Dry Ingredients
Combine the dry ingredients (flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and brown sugar).

Crumble Topping
Mix in the cold butter until it is mostly incorporated. Some butter chunks are okay. Pour the topping over the apples and bake for 45 min at 375 degrees.

Apple Crisp



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chili garlic breakfast quesadilla$0.61 each

February 19th, 2010 The FLHC

A while back I posted my delicious Egg Florentine Quesadillas and many of you seemed to enjoy them just as much as I did. Although they are wonderful, I don’t always have creamed spinach in my fridge (and not for lack of wanting) so the recipe has since morphed into these delicious Chili Garlic Breakfast Quesadillas. They sill have spinach (fresh rather than creamed) and instead of red pepper flakes I smear a bit of garlic chili paste onto the tortilla. Anyway, you can make one of these in about 10 minutes and they’re very portable… not to mention delicious. These quesadillas have been my breakfast for WEEKS (well, when I’m not eating my Indian Spiced Oats, that is).

Chili Garlic Breakfast Quesadillas

Total Recipe cost: $0.61

Servings Per Recipe: 1

Cost per serving: $0.61 each

Prep time: 7 min. Cook time: 3 min. Total: 10 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1 large egg $0.15
1 small tortilla $0.08
1 tsp chili garlic paste $0.05
1/4 cup shredded cheddar $0.25
1/2 cup fresh spinach $0.08
TOTAL   $0.61



STEP 1: In a small non-stick skillet, fry your egg until it is set. I like to leave the yolk just slightly runny but beware: the runnier the yolk, the less portable the quesadilla (and there is nothing worse than dripping egg yolk down the front of your shirt before you even get to work. Trust me).

STEP 2: While the egg cooks, smear 1 tsp of chili garlic paste on one half of the tortilla. Top that side with 1/4 cup of cheese. When the egg is finished, place the egg on top of the cheese (the heat helps it melt) and then put the spinach on top of the egg. Fold the tortilla over and return it to the pan (keep the heat on).

STEP 3: Cook each side of the quessadilla until it is golden brown and crispy (1-2 min each side). Be careful not to spill the contents of the quesadilla out as you flip it. The spinach likes to escape.

STEP 4: Wrap your crispy quesadilla in a paper towel and enjoy on the go!

Step By Step Photos

Chili Garlic Paste
This is the chili garlic paste that I use. Sriracha (rooster sauce) can be used in it’s place although it is a touch sweeter.

add cheese
I put the cheese in between the chili sauce and the egg so it melts.

add egg and spinach
Top the cheese with the cooked egg and the fresh spinach. Fold the tortilla over top and return it to the pan.

cook quesadilla
I like to use my spatula to hold the top over when cooking the first side. The spinach is so springy that it likes to pop the tortilla open.

cook quesadilla
By the time you cook the second side it should be stiff enough to hold closed by itself.

cooked quesadilla
Plate up (or hand up) and enjoy!



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rice pancakes $0.42 recipe / $0.21 serving

February 17th, 2010 The FLHC

I made some pot roast yesterday (recipe will be posted later today) and a bunch of rice to soak up the delicious gravy. I always seem to make too much rice and even though it’s as cheap as dirt, I feel bad throwing the leftovers away. These tasty little rice pancakes are something that my mom used to make for us growing up when there was leftover rice from dinner the night before (my mom = the original budget byter!). The recipe I have listed here makes four pancakes (two servings) but it is easily doubled or tripled to fit the amount of leftover rice (or hungry mouths) that you have. If you are multiplying the recipe just make sure that your rice to egg ratio doesn’t exceed 1.5 cups rice for each egg. The egg is the binder, the key to keeping the pancakes in one piece. Also, two pancakes doesn’t seem like a lot but these are much more dense and filling than regular pancakes. I used a mix of brown and white rice so the extra fiber made them extra extra filling.

The cost listed here is for the pancakes only… This post was not pre-planned so I do not have the cost of syrup (I used some that was already in the fridge, thanks roomie!). Pancake syrup can be purchased fairly inexpensively so I would imagine that a serving would cost $0.15-$0.25. and of course butter is optional.

Rice Pancakes

Total Recipe cost: $0.42

Servings Per Recipe: 2 (four pancakes)

Cost per serving: $0.21

Prep time: 5 min. Cook time: 10 min. Total: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1.5 cups cooked rice $0.12
1 large egg $0.15
1/2 tsp vanilla extract $0.05
1/2 tsp cinnamon $0.05
1/4 tsp salt $0.05
TOTAL   $0.42



STEP 1: Pre-heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. While the skillet is warming, mix together the rice, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a bowl until well combined.

STEP 2: Using a measuring cup (about 1/3 cup), scoop some of the rice mixture onto the hot skillet. Using your spatula, smoosh the ball of rice down until it is a circle and about 1/2 inch thick. Repeat until your skillet is full.

STEP 3: The pancakes need to cook for about 5 minutes on each side to give the egg enough time to set and hold the rice together. Flipping them too early or too many times will result in loose fried rice rather than rice pancakes. When you flip the pancakes, make sure to get the entire pancake onto the spatula before attempting to flip. Plate the pancakes up when they are golden brown on both sides and solid in texture.

STEP 4: Dress the pancakes with your favorite pancake toppings and enjoy!

Step By Step Photos

Pancake ingredients
Stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl while the pan heats.

mixed pancakes
It will look like this when fully mixed – moist and eggy.

rice ball
Scoop some of the rice mix into a measuring cup and place it on the hot skillet.

smoosh the pancakes
Smoosh it down until it is round and pancake-like.

cook pancakes
Cook them for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown and the egg has solidified all the way through. Serve them with your usual pancake toppings!



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lemon ricotta cookies $3.53 recipe / $0.12 cookie

January 12th, 2010 Beth M.

I saw these Ricotta Cookies yesterday morning on Tastespotting.com and they looked so scrumptious that I bumped one of my planned recipes in favor of this one. The cookies are great because they are not too sweet, not too rich, they come together very quickly and they are a blank canvas as far as flavor is concerned. You can add lemon, almond, cinnamon… whatever flavor you want. I went with lemon and I haven’t been able to stop eating them. They are light, fluffy and perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea.

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Total Recipe cost: $3.53
Servings Per Recipe: about 30 cookies
Cost per serving: $0.12 per cookie
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 15 min. Total: 25 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened $0.40
1 cup granulated sugar $0.18
1 large egg $0.15
1 tsp vanilla $0.30
1 cup ricotta cheese $0.92
2 cups all purpose flour $1.08
1 Tbsp baking powder $0.07
1/2 tsp salt $0.05
1 cup powdered sugar $0.18
1 medium lemon $0.20
TOTAL   $3.53

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whip together the softened butter and granulated sugar until you get a light fluffy paste. A mixer is best for this but if you don’t have one (like me… I know, I should), you can just use a fork and a lot of elbow grease. It won’t be easy unless your butter is really soft.

STEP 2: Once the butter and sugar are mixed together, add the egg, vanilla extract and ricotta. Zest the lemon and add in half of the zest, reserving the rest for garnish. Mix until all of those “wet” ingredients are well combined.

STEP 3: In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Make sure they are well combined – chunks of baking powder are not delicious.

STEP 4: Mix together the bowl of wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until you have a thick paste like batter. Using a spoon, drop balls of the batter onto an ungreased baking sheet two inches apart. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

STEP 5: In a small bowl prepare the glaze by combining 1 cup of powdered sugar and the juice of the lemon that you previously zested (be careful not to let the seeds drop in). Using a spoon, smear a small amount over top of the baked cookies. ENJOY!

Step By Step Photos

Butter and Sugar
Cream together the butter and sugar until it is a light, slightly fluffy paste.

Eggs, Ricotta, Vanilla
Add in the egg, vanilla and ricotta and mix until it looks like…

Mixed Wet Ingredients
…until they look like this.

Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) until they are well combined.

Finished Batter
Now mix the wet and dry together until you have this thick batter. Drop the batter onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Baked Cookies
They will be nice and golden brown on top when done. Slather some glaze on top and eat ‘em up! One at a time please…

Eaten Cookie

NOTE: I used an old coffee scoop to measure my batter when dropping them onto the cookie sheet. I think it was a 2 Tbsp scoop and I got 30 cookies out of it. The batter was so thick that the handle broke off the scoop… The cookies are worth it though. RIP scoop!

Plate of Cookies

To our health!

Beth at Budget Bytes

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roasted poblano and sweet potato salad $5.96 recipe / $0.76 serving

January 11th, 2010 Beth M.

This recipe was inspired by a dish that I saw at Whole Foods Market. I don’t have their recipe so I made this up based on what I thought theirs was. It turned out pretty tasty and it’s super healthy which (in my opinion) is win-win! Also, this was my first time cooking with poblanos and I have decided that they are my new favorite ingredient. Their flavor is incredible and my house smelled AMAZING while they were roasting. I’m going to have to try a stuffed poblano recipe soon!

Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad

Total Recipe cost: $5.96
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $0.76
Prep time: 15 min. Cook time: 45 min. Total: 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS COST
2 large (about 2.5 lbs.) sweet potatoes $2.43
2 large poblano peppers $0.98
one 14 oz. can black beans $0.0.78
1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.32
1/4, diced red onion (optional) $0.12
1 medium lime $0.20
3 Tbsp olive oil $0.32
1 bunch cilantro $0.66
2 tsp ground cumin $0.10
1/2 tsp salt $0.05
TOTAL   $5.96

STEP 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees on the broiler setting. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray your poblanos with non-stick spray. Place the baking sheet with the peppers about 4 inches below the broiler coils(this is the second rack level on my oven). Roast the peppers under the broiler for 15 minutes on one side, flip them over then broil for another 5 minutes on the other side. You want the skin on the peppers to be all blistered and blackened. This will give them a nice smokey flavor. Don’t worry, you will be peeling away the charred skin.

STEP 2: While the peppers are roasting, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into even chunks about one inch square. Place the chunks in a bowl and toss them together with 3 Tbsp of olive oil, 2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of salt and about half a bunch of chopped cilantro leaves. Mix it all up until the sweet potato chunks are well coated. The peppers should be done roasting at this point.

STEP 3: When the peppers come out of the oven, put them into a resealable freezer bag and let them cool. The peppers will steam themselves in the bag as they cool allowing you to easily peel away the skin.

STEP 4: Turn the oven from broil to bake (still on 400 degrees), pour out the bowl of sweet potato chunks onto the baking sheet that was used for the peppers, and roast the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes. Stir the chunks half way through.

STEP 5: Drain and rinse the can of black beans. Thaw one cup of frozen corn kernels. Finely chop 1/4 of a red onion (if desired). Put the beans, corn and onion together in a bowl. When the poblanos have cooled, peel off their skin, open them up to remove the seeds, seed pod and stem then cut the flesh into chunks. Put the chopped poblanos in the bowl with the other vegetables.

STEP 6: When the sweet potatoes are done, let them cool for about 10 minutes. In the mean time, chop the other half of the cilantro, and juice the lime. Mix the sweet potatoes, cilantro and lime together with the rest of the ingredients and serve. This dish can be eaten warm or cold!

Step By Step Photos

fresh poblanos
Coat the poblanos in oil to prepare them for roasting.

roasted poblanos
They will be charred and blistered when done (even more charred than this is okay).

peeled poblanos
After steaming in a ziplock bag, peel away the skin. Remove the seeds and dice the flesh.

prepped sweet potatoes
Peel and dice the sweet potatoes. Toss them in a bowl with olive oil, cumin, salt and cilantro. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

roasted sweet potatoes
Combine the roasted sweet potatoes with the poblanos, beans, corn, red onion, lime juice and fresh cilantro.

Roasted Poblano and Sweet Potato Salad

NOTE: It’s kind of funny that the sweet potatoes are the most expensive ingredient in this dish. I usually visit the produce market but this week it was so bitterly cold, I was coerced into buying my produce at the grocery store (the produce market is open-air). I’m sure that if I had bought the ingredients at the produce market, I could have made this dish for far less.

While making the salad, it looks like it is going to be a very small amount. To my surprise, it actually made quite a bit. Since I cook for only myself, I will definitely be halving the recipe next time. This recipe can easily be halved, doubled or made into whatever quantity you need!

To our health!

Beth at Budget Bytes

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marinated mushrooms $4.50 recipe / $1.13 serving

January 4th, 2010 Beth M.

I had a hankering for some balsamic marinated mushrooms the other day but after searching for recipes, I decided to try a batch of regular marinated mushrooms before trying the balsamic variety. There were many recipes out there but I finally went with this one from Tyler Florence, found on the Food Network website. Of course, I don’t need two pounds of marinated mushrooms so I cut the recipe in half and it was just right. These mushrooms are SO GOOD that I couldn’t stop popping them into my mouth. They make a great party appetizer or you can put them on sandwiches or salads. The best part is, a little jar of these will cost you $5 easy at the store and only have half as many mushrooms… and probably less of a vibrant fresh flavor. They’re quick and easy so if you’re a mushroom fan, give them a shot!

Marinated Mushrooms

Total Recipe cost: $4.50
Servings Per Recipe: 4-6
Cost per serving: $1.13 (for four servings)
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 10 min. Total: 20 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
1 lb. fresh button mushrooms $2.98
1 medium fresh lemon $0.25
2 cloves garlic $0.12
1/4 cup olive oil $0.42
5 sprigs fresh thyme $0.63
1 dried bay leaf $0.05
to taste salt and pepper $0.05
TOTAL   $4.50

STEP 1: Rinse your mushrooms with cool water in a colander to remove any dirt and debris. Cut them in half or in quarters to make them all about equal size and set them aside. Peel and mince the two cloves of garlic and set them aside. Zest and juice the lemon and set it aside.

STEP 2: In a large skillet, cook the mushrooms in half of the olive oil (2 Tbsp) until they are soft and have released most of their water (about 5 minutes). They will be smaller and a deep taupe color when they are done. There will still be juices in the pan, this is okay. See photos below

STEP 3: Turn off the burner and add the lemon juice, zest, minced garlic, thyme leaves, bay leaves, 2 Tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper. To easily remove the thyme leaves from the sprigs, simply pinch the top of the sprig and pull backwards (from top to bottom) and all of the little leaves will pop right off.

STEP 4: Stir the mixture well and allow to come to room temperature in a bowl. This will allow the flavors to mix and the mushrooms to marinate. Enjoy!

Step By Step Photos

fresh mushrooms
Cook the cleaned and quartered mushrooms in a skillet with olive oil to cook down.

cooked mushrooms
When they have released their water and they are a deep taupe color, they are done.

add seasoning
Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice, zest, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper.

finished marinated mushrooms
Mix it all up and let it come to room temperature to marinate!

marinated mushrooms close

NOTE: I think the fresh thyme really made a difference in this recipe. I had not planned on using fresh but then I remembered that I had bought a pack of fresh thyme for my Thanksgiving Turkey back in November. I looked in my refrigerator and, sure enough, the thyme was still in there! I opened up the package and it still smelled and looked fresh… two months later. So, I used it and it was fantastic. Now I know that spending $2.50 on a pack of fresh thyme is not wasteful because even though I only used about 1/4 of the pack for each recipe, the rest stays good for A LONG time. Crazy, huh?
old thyme
See? Looks like new!

This is a great recipe for when you find mushrooms on sale. Mushrooms can easily cost $2.99 for a 1/4 pound so be sure to check around for prices. I bought mine at the produce market for only $1.49 per quarter pound. When the mushrooms get close to the expiration date, they WILL go on sale. Don’t be afraid of dark or bruised mushrooms, that happens easily because they contain so much water and since you will be cooking them down anyway, the bruises won’t be noticed in the finished product.

To our health!

Beth at Budget Bytes

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