Your cheapest and most delicious meals... - Page 4

[PoetryLover]

This is a copy and paste from a post I made in a vegetarian thread a long time ago:


*Pasta with Peanut Sauce. We toss an assortment of steamed veggies on top of the pasta. This is the most delicious way I know of to eat veggies!! It is also a great way to use veggies up before they go bad.

*Lentil and Barley or Split Pea Soup (made with cheap vegetables-carrots, celery, onions...)

*French Onion Soup. This is so quick to prepare and absolutely delicious!

*Shepherd's Pie ... made with an assortment of veggies-carrots, celery, onions, canned tomatoes and red kidney beans topped with mashed potatoes.

*We make a pot of chili beans and use the leftovers for corn pone (baked chili beans with a crust of cornbread).

*Hummus is easy to make and makes a delicious sandwich filling! Try it on tortillas with brown rice and lettuce. Irresistibly delicious!

*Minestrone soup is another great way to use up vegetables before they go bad. I've even tried chopping up leftover spaghetti and throwing it into the pot (per suggestion of a vegetarian cookbook author). It tastes much better than it sounds.

*Tacos made with TVP is extra yummy!

I can provide recipes if anyone is interested. :-)

[greenluv]

Originally Posted by GoGoGirl

I haven't tried these yet but I just saw a recipe for egg-free (vegan) egg noodles over on Vegan Dad. I'm crossing my fingers that they might work for you!

Thank you for this recipe! I will have to try it out.

Everyone on this thread is full of good ideas. I picked up dry beans the other day to try the refried beans in the crockpot. I just need a night where I'll actually be home so we can chow down on some good food!

[columbusmomma]

Originally Posted by youngspiritmom

I've got one similar to this...it's the Arab version with Spinach and ground beef (or ground whatever)....

fry onions and garlic in olive oil
add ground beef and brown
add in one pack of frozen spinache
add 2 cans of broth (or water w/bullion cubes) - can have more or less broth depending on how watery you want in
season with salt and pepper
bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 min

*serve over cooked rice....the rice tastes soooo good with the broth, cooked spinache, and meat

My toddler ate three bowls of this!!!

gotta try this, it sounds amazing

[OkiMom]

My kids favorite go tos that are cheap:
Spaghetti
Tacos
Bean burritos
raviolis (I get the frozen type on sale or with coupons comes out to like 99 cents a bag and another 99 cents on tomato sauce so 2.00 total)
sloppy joes (specially if you make your own buns)
Taco salad
Taco Rice (noticing a trend, my girls love Mexican Food or things like it)

I also have a recipe books that is called "Fix it and Forget it: 5 ingredient crockpot recipes" that I use when I need something cheap and quick. You might be able to find it in your library and write down some of the recipes.

[ltlmrs]

Lentil soups: good plain or jazzed up with spices/coconut milk/broth. Sometimes I add leftover chicken or cook dumplings on top or add a grain like barley. Even jazzed up it is an incredibly cheap meal since one pot made with two cups lentils and a cup of coconut milk lasts us three meals.

My mother's buckwheat kasha: caramelize onions in lard or bacon grease, set aside. Brown some ground beef or pork, add onions and toasted buckwheat (I now soak mine before cooking). Cover with water or broth and bring to a boil. Cook covered on low for 45 min-1 hr. Makes a wonderful one pot meal and even DH who is more comfortable with SAD likes it.

Left over fried rice. I add whatever meat we have.

Jamaican beans and rice per Sally Fallon. We did not like beans and rice until I made this. Sometimes I'll cook the beans with a ham hock and shred it up afterward into the beans & rice.

Baked beans (complete with salt pork!) with sourdough bread.

Pasta carbonara (I can eat this every day!!!)

Really, any kind of pasta that uses cheese sparingly rather than the main ingredient.

I have to say, I went grain free/legume free/dairy free for almost three weeks and our grocery bill shot through the roof. I do feel better being grain free, but we can't afford it and I love grains too much!

[simplygreen]

[Attila the Honey]

ltlmrs- I know what you mean by going grain free. My doc told me I should for a blood sugar issue and I simply cannot afford it at all.

[Thystle]

Originally Posted by Ruthiegirl

We eat a lot of what we call "rice salad" -- I cook up a pot of brown rice and then take half, add chopped veggies, herbs, olive oil, salt, pepper, a splash of balsamic vinegar.

Do you have a favorite veggie and herb combo you use?

[mouso]

I had subbed to the thread but last night I was making a meal I make and realized that it fit this thread. It is a dish I just threw together once and now make regularly so you have to just add spices to YOUR taste:

Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

2 cans black beans (or about 3.5-4 cups if soaked & cooked)
2 large sweet potatoes, diced
1 large can diced tomatoes (or tomatoes you dice)
coriander
cumin
fresh garlic
olive oil

Sauté fresh garlic in oil. Add in sweet potatoes, cook for a bit if you want them browned. Add in beans and tomatoes. Add cumin and coriander to taste. Bring to simmer and cover at a low heat (so it doesn't burn). Let simmer, covered, until sweet potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally.

Serve over rice. I make coconut rice with it (add a can of coconut milk in place of same amount water when cooking rice) and buy sweet plantains and fry them too. It's good with a dollop of sour cream on top.
So good, cheap and feels like a fancy meal- even good for guests.

Oh, this makes enough for more than one night for our family of four. Usually two nights and lunch, too.

[UberMama]

From the Crockpot 365 blog:

Zesty Burger Soup Slow Cooker Recipe

1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained (or turkey)
2 (10.5-ounce) cans tomatoes and chiles (Rotel; I really should buy some stock)
1 (15-ounce) can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1/2 cup dried beans soaked overnight)
4 cups chicken broth
shredded cheddar cheese (to add later, optional)

The Ingredients.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Brown meat in a skillet on the stovetop, and drain. Put into your cooker. Add the whole cans of tomatoes and chiles and corn. Drain and rinse off the beans and add. Pour in the chicken broth.
That's it! Really!
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the flavors have melded. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and buttered bread.

[UberMama]

Crock Pot Chili
1 large can tomato sauce
1 pound lean ground beef
2 cans beans (kidney beans are fine, but you can use whatever you like)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 cup diced onion (or onion salt)



BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (we like the dark meat, but you could use breasts too)
1 can of cola (coke, pepsi, whatever, just no diet due to the artificial sweeteners breaking down)
1 large onion, sliced thin
1.5 cups ketchup
1/2 cup mustard (any kind you like)

Great on buns!




Slow Cooker Curried Coconut Chicken
Ingredients

* 1 can coconut milk ($1.09) Used $1 coupon on sale price
* 2 tsp curry powder ($.20)
* Salt and pepper
* 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ($2.87)
* 1 bag frozen stir-fry mixed vegetables ($1.09)
* 1 cup white rice ($.20)
* 1/2 tsp ground ginger, curry powder each ($.10)

Directions

1. Shake the coconut milk vigorously. Pour into the base of a lightly sprayed slow cooker. Whisk away any chunks of the coconut milk if necessary. Whisk in the curry powder and salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts into the coconut milk and spoon some of the milk over top of the chicken. Top with the
2. Set slow cooker on high for 6 hours (or low for 8-10 hours) and let it fill your home with an amazing aroma as it cooks all afternoon/day.
3. About 20 minutes before dinner, cook the rice as directed with a few dashes of ground ginger and curry powder added to the water. Extra flavor boost! (I stirred together the rice and veggies and some of the juices.)
4. Serve the Curried Coconut Chicken and veggies over the rice.

Cost $5.55

[UberMama]

From a friend of mine!

Burritos

When I do this I buy most of my ingredients from Costco because store prices are crazy on tortilla. For less than $30 I have enough materials to make at least 24 burritos (or more) with plenty left overs of cheese, potato & eggs for other ...things.

-About 12 potatoes cubed and fried (8-10 cups) and seasoned with Johnny's Seasoning Salt ($1.99 at the grocery store)
-1 Costco (3lb) sized log of Jimmy Dean sausage cooked OR a couple packages of bacon baked in the oven ($6.39)
-28 eggs scrambled with milk (I buy the 5 doz pack for less than $5)
-tortillas ($3.99 for 30)
-shredded cheese (LARGE package $10)

Combine in a very large bowl to help evenly distribute ingredients. Warm tortillas to make pliable in a lidded pan one at a time. Warm one while wrapping one. Scoop of filling and add some cheese, wrap, put in a sandwich bag.
Cool in fridge then freeze.

I only had enough tortillas for 24 burritos today and PLENTY filling left over for the 5 of us to have a bowl for "dinner". I could have easily made 30 burritos with this recipe. If I had bought another 3 pound log of Jimmy Dean sausage (...$6.40) and another 30 pack of tortillas ($3.39) I could have had a total of 60 burritos in my freezer for less than $40.

Nuke for about one and half minutes, flip then another half minute or so. I remove from the sandwich bag and wrap it in a paper towel to cook it.

I have never tried microwaving in wax paper so I have never really considered using it. I "kinda" like the bags because they help keep them all the same size. I need to try a few different ways to wrap them.

[KathinJapan]

[saoirse2007]

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