Looking for easy, low cost and healthy recipes

[Ezra]

I do that quite often, although I do like to add hot Italian sausage to my spaghetti. That is not authentic Italian noodles, but my kitchen is a far way from Italy. I also like making my own sauce

I love sausage and ground beef in my spaghetti. But meat has to be cooked and then the pan has to be washed. My quick spaghetti just requires boiling noodles, tossing in the rest in and presto. 10 minutes to make and only one pot to rinse out. Quicker, easier, but certainly not better.

 

[Magna]

I don't know if you have a small pressure cooker, but I find one to be indispensable. I use mine for, among other things, the following:

Do you have a "co-op" type food store near you that specialized in organic foods? One thing that mine has is frozen organic chicken backs; the leftover part of the chicken no one prepares for a meal. Two of these backs sell for a few dollars. I cook them in the pressure cooker with water and sometimes some other broth friendly veggies like carrots, celery, onion. Then I cool the backs and separate the meat from the bones. Pressure cooking makes the smaller bones soft and crumbly and those, along with the skin get fed to the dog (only the soft mushy bone parts).

The backs for around two dollars, yield enough meat to make a mayo chicken salad for a few meals. The remainder of the process yields the "liquid gold": The broth! 10 times better than store bought broth and ten times richer. It's the basis for any soup that I make. Ultimately the chicken backs for a few dollars become a building block for not only the chicken salad, but also the broth for making any soup I want. Pressure cooking the two chicken backs gets me about two quarts of broth.

Which leads into another suggestion: Soup! The possibilities are endless and it's inexpensive.

I also use my pressure cooker to take dry organic pinto beans and make refried beans (you'll NEVER buy store bought refried beans again) which in turn I use to make a batch of 10 burritos that I then freeze individually. I cut each burrito in half and only have half a burrito per meal (I use the large tortillas). That's 20 meals frozen and ready to go when I want them and extremely inexpensive. I usually incorporate ground meat of some kind such as pork, chicken or grass fed organic beef, but my wife who also makes her own pressure cooked refried beans makes hers vegan.

Eggs as previously mentioned are also versatile and an inexpensive protein.

Watch out with buying inexpensive pre-packaged/processed foods (e.g. ramen noodles) because they're loaded with enough sodium to give ten people hypertension.

I think it also depends on how much time you have or how much time you choose to devote to cooking and preparing your own foods. Cooking is one of my interests so I don't view cooking, freezing, canning, dehydrating as a chore. It's work, but for me it's enjoyable and the effort is worth the benefits received.

 

[Gerontius]

Taters and eggs.

Take and cut potatoes up into thin pieces, diced--not quite julienned but close. Then take an iron frying pan and heat some peanut or vegetable oil, just enough to cover the bottom. You don't want to boil the potatoes in the oil. Think of it more like a wok--be multicultural! Woks are reminiscent of every white soccer mom everywhere circa 2005: an ancient relic of a forgotten people.
Salt, black pepper, paprika on the potatoes and put them in the oil, and have your eggs out and scramble them the way you usually do. When the potatoes are fried, maybe turning a little more than golden brown, nice and crispy outside and fluffed inside, then you can pour the eggs over the potatoes.
This admits for a lot of variations. You can do a ground sausage with this, frying it before you put in all the potatoes--and omitting the vegetable oil & using the sausage drippings. Or you can do bacon, and pour off most of the grease. You can put milk or cream in the eggs. Add pimientos if you like, or a decent quality sharp cheddar will add a bit of salt, or you can used smoked paprika for a meatless take.

This admits for a meatless version, full-blown lumberjack versions, brunch-y stuff, early morning rugged wilderness-style stuff, whatever. I've cooked it in trendy modern kitchens to prove to hipsters you don't have to live on avocados, served it on those wannabe-fancy square plates no one likes, and I have cooked it on an unfiltered wood-burning stove in an old 1930s shack in the middle of nowhere, shotguns on the wall and camouflage and the scent of paraffin from the Korean-War surplus tarpaulin that formed one end of the barn--served it in a WWII army mess kit. I've fixed it for Sunday breakfasts and for a quick lunchtime dinner and for supper and late at night when the ramen ran out.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

PIZZA

4 1/2 c flour
2 Tbs yeast (or 2 yeast packets)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil
1 3/4 c water

Mix together dry ingredients and then add wet. Mix together and then knead for about six minutes until you have a plump ball that feels like a teddy bear. If it's still sticky, slowly knead in a bit more flour until it is dry and plump

Let sit 15 minutes to rise.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the counter and punch down the dough on it. Next roll it out and hand stretch it.

Oil a pizza pan or cookie sheet and then sprinkle cornmeal on it. Place dough on top.

Add sauce, cheese, and ingredients.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

If you like english muffins in the morning, and you have a microwave oven, this recipe will make perfect english muffin bread. Just slice it and toast it. I've baked actual english muffins in the oven, and this bread tastes so much more delicious.

See for yourself. It's probably the easiest yeast bread to bake. Just make sure you use a glass pan because metal is dangerous in a microwave.

When it comes out of the microwave, however, it will be very white, so just take it out of the pan and put it in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. It won't change the flavor, but it looks nicer.

Microwave English Muffin Bread

 

[Magna]

If you like english muffins in the morning, and you have a microwave oven, this recipe will make perfect english muffin bread. Just slice it and toast it. I've baked actual english muffins in the oven, and this bread tastes so much more delicious.

See for yourself. It's probably the easiest yeast bread to bake. Just make sure you use a glass pan because metal is dangerous in a microwave.

When it comes out of the microwave, however, it will be very white, so just take it out of the pan and put it in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top. It won't change the flavor, but it looks nicer.

Microwave English Muffin Bread

Interesting. I never thought to use the microwave to bake bread. I'm intrigued enough to want to try this recipe. Thanks!

 

[Metalhead]

PIZZA

4 1/2 c flour
2 Tbs yeast (or 2 yeast packets)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil
1 3/4 c water

Mix together dry ingredients and then add wet. Mix together and then knead for about six minutes until you have a plump ball that feels like a teddy bear. If it's still sticky, slowly knead in a bit more flour until it is dry and plump

Let sit 15 minutes to rise.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the counter and punch down the dough on it. Next roll it out and hand stretch it.

Oil a pizza pan or cookie sheet and then sprinkle cornmeal on it. Place dough on top.

Add sauce, cheese, and ingredients.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy.

Homemade pizza is amazing.

Not very healthy, but I can live with that once in a while.

 

[Giraffes]

In the uk most supermarkets reduce products out of date on that day to variable discounts often up to 80% off, at times i have found high quality nutricious food to freeze and it has supported me to have a varied balanced diet, love all the recipes and has written two to try, so thank-you all, chick pes curry tonight

 

[Major Tom]

I like to make chicken and vegetable soup. I take 2 chicken breasts or about a pound of chicken burger (if I use burger I brown it, if I use breasts I slice them thinly). Then add water, chicken or vegetable broth, canned beans (mixed or chickpeas), bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 2-3 hours (until the chicken just starts falling apart), then add carrots, potatoes, Bok Choy, eggplant, or whatever kinds of veggies you have/like. Then simmer it for about another hour. 1 batch usually feeds my 3 person family for about 2-3 days.
The bonus is, to a point, the soup gets better as it ages as long as it's refrigerated. After 3 days if you have any left, you can just freeze it in Tupperware. In the winter I cook it on the wood stove, so it takes a little longer, but other than my labor, it doesn't use any electricity or gas for cooking. All in all for 3 days of eating I'd say that it costs around 5-10$ to make, if it's just you eating it will last even longer. You can also add dumplings if you want, substitute the meat for different kinds of meat or just make it a vegetable soup.

 

[Magna]

I like to make chicken and vegetable soup. I take 2 chicken breasts or about a pound of chicken burger (if I use burger I brown it, if I use breasts I slice them thinly). Then add water, chicken or vegetable broth, canned beans (mixed or chickpeas), bring it to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Let it simmer for 2-3 hours (until the chicken just starts falling apart), then add carrots, potatoes, Bok Choy, eggplant, or whatever kinds of veggies you have/like. Then simmer it for about another hour. 1 batch usually feeds my 3 person family for about 2-3 days.
The bonus is, to a point, the soup gets better as it ages as long as it's refrigerated. After 3 days if you have any left, you can just freeze it in Tupperware. In the winter I cook it on the wood stove, so it takes a little longer, but other than my labor, it doesn't use any electricity or gas for cooking. All in all for 3 days of eating I'd say that it costs around 5-10$ to make, if it's just you eating it will last even longer. You can also add dumplings if you want, substitute the meat for different kinds of meat or just make it a vegetable soup.

That sounds great, Tom. I have a wood stove too and I've used it only once to make food when we had an extended power outage. I should use it more often to cook and now you've inspired me to think about doing that.

 

[AprilR]

This is a very easy 1 ingredient ice cream recipe: cut 3 or 4 ripe bananas (the riper the sweeter the ice cream will turn out) into small pieces, freeze them overnight.
After that just put them in the blender without adding anything and you have banana ice cream.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Homemade pizza is amazing.

Not very healthy, but I can live with that once in a while.

Use whole wheat flour, olive oil, and maybe grilled chicken and veggies and it's totally healthy!

 

[Kayla55]

Masterchef isn't a show about ' faking it' or image, no introducing a recipe you didn't make yourself....I'm interested in others sensory habits over food, what your favourite tomatoes sauce and why. May discuss alternatives for allergies....

So the chicken strips with mash potatoes was my favourite when I was younger. I don't like mushy crumbs so I tend to overgrill and people think my strips are dry....so here I failed MasterChef! But I discovered chicken wraps and top it with grated camembert, lettuce leaves and avocado. (Maybe won't fail)
Ok, so I gave up meat and now I've experimented for years making different items from home made fallafel to lentil pies. (I can't eat soya it wrecks my tummy) so being stricter these years I cook lentils and wanted something new and not just veg curry.
So I shaped my lentils in a heart (no soya sausage or no resemblance to meat for me)

• Brown lentils, preferably pre-cooked or steamed.
• Onions & carrots for added veggies and flavor
• Oat flour to help bind the burgers. You can make your own oat flour by blended rolled oats in a blender, or substitute your favorite breadcrumbs (regular or gluten-free)
• Simple flavorings like ketchup and garlic
• Spices like cumin, smoked paprika, salt & pepper

 

[Kayla55]

PIZZA

4 1/2 c flour
2 Tbs yeast (or 2 yeast packets)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c oil
1 3/4 c water

Mix together dry ingredients and then add wet. Mix together and then knead for about six minutes until you have a plump ball that feels like a teddy bear. If it's still sticky, slowly knead in a bit more flour until it is dry and plump

Let sit 15 minutes to rise.

Sprinkle cornmeal on the counter and punch down the dough on it. Next roll it out and hand stretch it.

Oil a pizza pan or cookie sheet and then sprinkle cornmeal on it. Place dough on top.

Add sauce, cheese, and ingredients.

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy.

I'm highly sensitive to punching or battering dough (no women in our family hit, just how sensitive I am to way I perceive the treatment of women)
I knead my dough well, I gently fold sides of dough inward and push dough way, repeating. I know some breads require different methods, I think it's ciabatta

 

[GypsyMoth]

What are your favorite low cost healthy foods to make?

Have you tried a béchamel sauce? The recipe goes something like this:

1 c. milk
1 c. chicken broth
2 TBS flour
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1-2 tsp. herbs de provence (or Oregano & a dash of whatever else)
your choice of tuna/chicken/ham/shrimp
(I always pre-cook raw meat before adding to the sauce.)
1 bag of frozen vegetables
Want egg noodles with it? Add enough water to cook the noodles.
Want a thicker sauce? Add cornstarch.
Cover and cook until thawed and cooked through.

Make as much or as little as you want. Great for leftovers.

 

[AuAL]

Healthy, simple, cheap = dal bhat. (dal/dahl - lentil, bhat - boiled rice) It’s the staple diet in Nepal and many parts of India.
My goto for chana dahl is this recipe: Chana Dal Recipe (Bengal Gram Dal) - Swasthi's Recipes (You don’t have to use a pressure-cooker as suggested in the recipe - I just boil the lentils in a saucepan.)
Serve with some spicy mixed pickles, some seasonal vegetables and, if you like, a small portion of stir-fried chicken. Can also be enjoyed with roti.

 

[Mary Terry]

I made Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup for dinner last night:

One pound of hot Italian sausage, skins/casings removed, chopped in bite-sized pieces
3 Tablespoons olive oil
One onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
5 or 6 cups of kale, chopped
One 15 ounce can of chopped tomatoes (I like to use fire-roasted tomatoes)
5 cups of water or vegetable stock or chicken stock
one 15 ounce can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans
one 15 ounce can of drained and rinsed dark red kidney beans
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram (optional)
Parmesan cheese rind (optional)
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice or plain white vinegar

Put the oil in a large, heated pot, brown the sausage for 5 minutes. Push the sausage to the sides of the pot.
Add the chopped vegetables and let them cook for about 5 minutes with the sausage.
Add the kale (or Swiss chard or spinach or any kind of green leafy vegetable) to the pot and stir everything together.
Add the liquid (water or stock).
Add the herbs and salt and pepper to taste. (Go easy on the salt because the sausage has salt)
Add the piece of Parmesan rind to the pot.
Bring to a gentle boil, turn it down to a simmer, cover the pot, simmer for 30 minutes, stir it occasionally.

Remove bay leaves, squeeze in a tablespoon of lemon juice or plain vinegar to the pot.

I like to toast a piece of bread, cut it in cubes, put the cubes in the bottom of the soup bowl, sprinkle them with shredded Parmesan cheese, ladle the hot soup over the bread and cheese, add a drizzle of more lemon juice and more shredded Parmesan on top.

This makes a lot of soup and freezes well, too, for future meals.

Omit the sausage and use water or vegetable stock to make this a vegetarian soup. Omit the cheese, too, to make this vegan.