Spicy Potatoes and Peas with Chicken

I love trying new foods with my family.  As of late I've really been exploring the use of many different spices.  Let me just tell you- I've won some and I've crashed and burned.  I had found this recipe in Martha's Everyday Food- in the section where the editors give you a grocery list and a weeks worth of recipes.  I decided upon it because the spice blend used for this meal is also used in another later in the week.  Both looked tasty so I tried it.  Well... this was good, the Couscous with Spiced Meatballs on the other hand... lets just say we had Chipotle for dinner that night.
Again, having a stocked pantry really opens a whole world of recipe options for the budget minded person.  This meal is a prime example.  Total cost was $4.42.  That is less then ONE value meal at any fast food establishment.  If your spice rack needs up dating, shop around for cheaper spices- though just because the dollar store carries spices doesn't mean that you she purchase them there to save a few bucks.  I like getting my spices from a small Spanish market near by, I've found that are the best quality cheap spices. 

• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/4 ground coriander
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
• Course salt and ground pepper
• 1 bag (10oz) frozen peas
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 boneless, skin-on chicken thighs (about 1 lb total)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves, plus whole leaves for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Ina small bowl stir together cumin, coriander, and cayenne, if using.  In a medium pot, bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, 10 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.  Return water to boil, then add peas and cook just until tender, 3 minutes.  Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high.  Season chicken with salt and cook, skin side down, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.  Flip chicken and transfer skillet to oven; roast until chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove chicken from skillet and pour off all bit one tablespoon of fat.  Add potatoes and 1 1/2 teaspoons spice mix, reserving remaining for another use, and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are golden in spots, 7 minutes.  Stir in peas, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro; season to taste with salt and pepper.  To serve, place chicken on top of peas and potatoes and sprinkle with cilantro leaves.

Beef and Orange Stir-Fry

I am a huge fan of stir-frying at home.  In fact it was through teaching myself to stir-fry that for the first time in my life I am not only eating vegetables but craving them.  Perhaps it's because it seems to me that its very difficult to over-cook what ever it is one is cooking while stir-frying.  There is noting more disgusting than mushy veggies.
I found this recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, Everyday Food from the Martha Stewart kitchens.  This cookbook should be on every home cooks shelf.  There are over two hundred fresh, easy and healthy recipes that are simple and affordable.  Further, the best component is that it's divided into seasons!  Personally, I think all cookbooks should be divided up this way.
Enough about the book, this recipe only cost me $7.00!  Though, I did substitute the beef with pork chops to keep the price down. Normally I shy away from food that is very citrus but this sauce is to die for!  The sweet and salty flavor marries perfectly with, in my case, the pork.  Not to mention the fresh orange slices.  Really, any meat would work well with this recipe, so feel free to improvise!

• 3 Oranges
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs. trimmed boneless, sirloin or rib-eye steak, cut into 1/2 inch thick strips
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 6 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
• white rice for serving

1. Into a small bowl, finely grate the zest and squeeze the juice from 1 orange.  Add the garlic and the soy sauce.
2. With a sharp paring knife, peel the remaining 2 oranges.  Slice the oranges crosswise 1/2 inch thick, then halve the slices; push out and discard any seeds.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, toss the meat with the cornstarch until coated.  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat.  Working in batches (adding more oil if needed), brown the beef on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to plate.
4. Pour the juice mixture into the skillet, and boil until syrupy, about 1 minute.  Return the beef to the skillet; add the orange slices and scallions.  Toss until coated and heated through.  Serve hot, with white rice.

Tandoori Chicken

Interesting fact, Curry powder is not native to India.  It was created when India was apart of the English empire.  The English men and woman who lived in India and then returned home to England missed the spicy Indian cooking so they created a spice mix to imitate the Indian flavors.  In India to "curry" something is a method of cooking as opposed to a specific spice.  As a matter of fact this recipe for Tandoori Chicken- the "tandoori" part of the name refers to the object that the chicken is cooked in, rather then a flavor.  Most Indian homes have a tandoor instead of a conventional oven.  A tandoor is a large clay-lined oven that's shaped like a barrel and has a vent in the bottom.  Of course I did not use a tandoor in order to make this- I just used my oven.  However a charcoal grill would add a more authentic flavor.
I loved cooking this recipe!  It was the first time that I had tried my hand at preparing Indian food and I was able to try marinating with yogurt for the first time as well.  What I enjoyed even more was the fact that it only cost me $6.60!  That's $1.65 per serving. The average cost of Tandoori chicken in an Indian restaurant is $13.95.  The savings on this meal rely  on having a well stocked pantry and spice rack, purchasing spices can shoot the cost up dramatically! 
Note: I will write  the ingredients that I needed to buy in red and the remaining ingredients in black are what I have in my pantry at all times.


Tandoori Chicken

• 1 small chicken, about 3lbs, cut into serving pieces, skinned, and trimmed of all visible fat
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon each minced garlic and peeled and grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 each ground cardamom, cloves, and black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• Slices of cucumber, red onion, tomato, and lemon

1. Prick the flesh of the chicken all over with a fork, then using a sharp knife, cut slashes in the flesh to allow the marinade to penetrate.  Place the chicken in a large, shallow dish.
2. To make the marinade, in a glass or ceramic bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cayenne, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and salt.  Stir until well mixed, then pour the mixture over the chicken and rub it into the flesh, turning the chicken several times.  Cover and marinade in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.  (Do not marinade for longer then 2 days.)  Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.
3. Grill or roast the chicken.  If using a charcoal grill, prepare a fire for direct cooking.  Position the grill rack 5 inches from the fire.  Allow the coals to burn until white ash covers them and the heat is moderate.  Remove chicken from marinade, pressing lightly to extract excess marinade, and brush with oil.  Place the chicken on an oiled grill rack and grill, covered, with the vents open, turning 3 to 4 times, until the juices run clear when a piece  near the bone with a knife, about 45 minutes.
4. If roasting the chicken, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, brush with oil, and cook, turning once, until juices run clear when pa piece is pierced with a knife near the bone, 25-30 minutes.
5. Serve with slices of cucumber, red onion, tomato, and lemon.

Feasting in a time of Famine

To those close to my family it is no surprise that the economy has not been kind to us the past three years.  We are now living, on a good month, about a quarter of our budget from three and a half years ago.  For a woman whose joy in life is cooking, it was a sever blow to my perceived ability to provide nutritious, delicious meals for my family.  Admittedly in the beginning I didn't really even try.  I resorted to Hamburger Helper, "box meals," and pasta.  I sacrificed produce and non-ground meat.  It is so true that we parish due to the lack of knowledge.  Gaining weight and unfulfilled by the non-cooking involved with these meals I set out to discover budget cooking that is outside of the box, literally.  From the start of my odyssey I reminded myself that a well stocked pantry can make or break the home cook.  Slowly I began restocking, and as I did I found that I could supplement the box meals with one or two home made meals a week.  Slowly I have been able to eliminate box meals all together. 
First of all, you will not find any Wal-Mart hate here.  I love Wal-Mart.  With out it my family would have starved.  However, the produce is expensive and sub-par.  The answer I found was local produce markets.  I LOVE my local markets.  The produce is locally grown, fresh and cheep!  For example, just last week I bought 1lb celery, 1lb carrots, 1lb onion, 1lb potato's, fresh rosemary, paprika and cooking twin for only $7.20!  Try doing that even at Wal-Mart.  That brings me back to the pantry.  I always have said veggies and a few others on hand which saves so much when planing weekly meals based on the cost per recipe.  I have learned how to feed my family weekly, wholesome meals- including lunches for $40 to $60!
This knowledge is what I wish to share on this blog.  How to read the cost of a recipe and the recipes that I've served my family for as little as $4.50 a meal.  I hope you enjoy.