Fall Harvest Menu

4 Servings

1 Butternut Squash  $3

1 Vidalia Onion $2

2 Granny Smith Apples $2.50

1.25 LB Boneless Pork Tenderloin  $6

Salad Greens $3

Olive oil & seasonings $3

Peal and cube the butternut, onion and apple.  Roast in baking dish with OO, S & P @ 350 for 25 min.

Rub Porkloin with OO, S & P, roast @ 350 for 30 min.

Serve with salad greens and simple vinaigrette.

Dinner for six

Tomato-basil risotto

  • $2 arborio rice
  • $.19 olive oil
  • $.25 yellow onion
  • $3 sweet local cherry tomatoes
  • $.47 white wine (a generous splash)
  • $.25 basil (from the box on my windowsill—priceless)
  • $.08 broth (my own veggie broth made from leftovers; this is an estimate based on bouillon)
  • $.50 butter
  • $3 Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (both in the risotto itself and in a dish for sprinkling)
  • Total cost: $9.74

Rosemary-garlic roasted chicken

  • $14.98 organic free-range chicken
  • $.25 rosemary (once again, from my windowsill; estimate based on dried herb)
  • $.25 garlic
  • $.19 olive oil
  • $.02 salt
  • Total cost: $15.69

Bread

  • $.80 all-purpose flour (Hecker’s)
  • $.08 yeast (Red Star, from a 2-lb. package)
  • $.02 salt
  • Total cost: $.88

Walnut gelato

  • $2 walnuts
  • $.97 whole milk
  • $.27 sugar
  • Total cost: $3.24

Suzie’s Taco Soup

During the winter months, fresh produce is expensive. This soup recipe takes advantage of canned beans, corn and tomatoes.

SUZIE’S TACO SOUP

Serves 4

1 teaspoon canola oil

1 small or ½ large onion, diced

1 – 1 ½ pound package ground turkey

1 package Lawry’s taco seasoning

¼ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 can kidney beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

2 cans Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chilies

1 can chicken broth

1 bag tortilla chips

Grated Monterey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1.       Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat.

2.       Add diced onion, cover pot and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

3.       Crumble ground turkey into soup pot and cook over medium heat until brown.

4.       Stir in taco seasoning, chili powder, and garlic.

5.       Add kidney beans, corn and tomatoes. Add broth (You can use more broth or add water if the soup is too thick). Heat soup.

6.       Serve soup with tortilla chips and grated cheese on the side to sprinkle on top of soup.

On hand

Canola oil

Chili powder

Chopped garlic

Chicken stock, homemade

Safeway 10/11/11

1 onion                           $.74

1.25 lbs ground turkey   5.99

Lawry’s taco seasoning   .99

Kidney beans                 1.00

Del Monte corn              1.00

2 cans Ro-Tel                 3.58

Tortilla chips *sale*      1.99

Grated 2% cheese          2.99

Total:                           $18.28 / 4 =

$4.57 per serving

A $5 Dinner in 15 Minutes

Most of the people planning Slow Food USA‘s $5 dinners have shown remarkable ingenuity in stretching their $5 far beyond what anyone would have imagined—preparing multiple courses of sustainable food that few would have believed cost less than $5 per serving.

I decided to try something a little different.

I stuck to the $5-dinner rules, but I wanted to address the criticism that many people have of cooking at home—namely, that they don’t have the time to do it. I didn’t seek out ingredients that I could stretch as far as possible; instead, I chose ingredients that I could turn into a simple, delicious, sustainable meal, quickly:

  • One 4-1/2 lb. Amish chicken $14
  • 1 lb pesticide-free Brussels sprouts, Ann’s raspberry farm, $4
  • 1/2 lb salad greens, $2

(Prices are approximate; when you factor in the salt, pepper, and olive oil/vinegar that I added later, the result puts us almost exactly at $20, for four meal-sized portions.)

I did relatively little to the ingredients: I removed the extra bits from the chicken, rubbed it with olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary, and threw it in a 400° oven to cook for just over an hour (15 minutes per pound). Then I rinsed, oiled, salted and peppered the sprouts and put them on a tray by the oven, rinsed the lettuce and put it in the refrigerator… and went back to reading. When there were 40 minutes left I slipped the sprouts into the oven. When everything was done I pulled the sprouts and chicken out of the oven, quartered the bird, dressed the salad, put the remaining portions into Pyrex storage containers to cool, snapped a quick photograph… and sat down to enjoy dinner at my leisure.

It was far from the most elaborate meal that was prepared today. But it’s sustainable, it’s healthy, and it clocks in at around $5 per serving. And even making generous allowances for travel and cleanup the time spent obtaining and preparing it doesn’t exceed an hour, or 15 minutes per meal when you take leftovers into account.

You might be able to beat that with a trip to the drive-through window, maybe… as long as you don’t get stuck behind the guy who can’t decide whether he wants fries with that.

- submitted by Bear Braumoeller

An Anniversary Dinner Party - for $3 per person

We wanted to celebrate our anniversary last weekend, and invited a large group of our friends for dinner. When I looked into catering options, I realized how expensive it would be - and that the food would be less healthy, and not as fresh as I would want. Living on Maui, a lot of prepared food that is available locally for parties is “luau style” - heavy on pork and mayonnaise. And that is not what I had in mind for this dinner. The cost per-person for the meal I prepared was probably less than $3, considering how much we had left over - but my grocery receipts totalled $97, and we had more than 30 people eating. So we’ll say $3 per person. And after the party, several guests asked for recipes - which led to me writing about it (link below).

To start I served a salad of organic baby greens with dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, sunflower seeds, cucumbers, sprouts and balsamic strawberries, with goat cheese on the side. I had it set up as a salad bar, so people could pick and choose - which led to less waste and more reusable leftovers. 

For dinner we had rice, lentil daal, and spicy masala grilled chicken.

The recipes are here: http://whatsmommydoing.blogspot.com/2011/09/5-challenge-dinner-party-cooking-for-40.html

- submitted by Daffodil Campbell

Tuscan Inspired Beef Roast with Greens, Potatoes and Carrots

Here’s what I did…a meal for 4 under $5/serving AND a free meal to boot.

Tuscan Inspired Beef Roast 

2 lb boneless or  2&1/2-3 lb with bones  beef roast (buy hormone and antibiotic-free, this should be your big purchase so spend about $15 on it because you CAN buy the cheapest cut and it will be fine)

Saute 1 finely chopped celery stalk and 2 small carrots, finely chopped with a couple slices of minced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic in olive oil until soft. Set aside.

SEAR all sides of the roast in the pan used for veggies.

Tie together: 2 sprigs each of Rosemary,  Thyme and a small bunch of Parsley.

Prep crockpot, place 1/2 veggies on bottom, then beef roast, then rest of veggies and tuck the herb pack alongside the roast. Cover with 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes.

Prep Crockpot. Place half the veggies on bottom, then add the roast, put remaining veggies a 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes on top. 

Cook all day.

On the way home, stop at the FARMERS’ Market and buy somegreens. I purchased 1 lb of Swiss Chard for $1.00, but you can use spinach or kale, too. After cleaning, saute the greens with a litttle garlic, salt and pepper in oil.

Then dice about 4-5 large Russet potatoes. Reserve about 25% to a bowl for tomorrow’s dinner.  Mash the rest.

Clean and slice 1/2 lb carrots (or substitute leftover veggies you may have in the refrig. I happened to have leftover Eggplant from the night before so it became my leftover side.)

Here’s the Roast with the greens, ready for serving.

 So dinner is Tuscan inspired beef roast with greens,mashed potatoes and carrots (or other leftover)—under $5/person.

When you clean up, please chop your leftovers and immediately place into the soup pot. Add ALL reserved juices and veggies from the crockpot. Run a knife to coarsely chop leftover greens into smaller serves. Add any leftover veggies (green beans, peas?) and 32 oz. additional beef  or veggie broth. Part of this can be reserved water from your cooked carrots. (I keep broth always available frozen,  from cooking soup bones for my dogs. ) 

Remember how I told you my leftover veggie was eggplant—well, I STILL had a little leftover, so I put the eggplant into a mini food processor, added a little olive oil, lemon juice, and additional olives that I had leftover from a pizza adventure earlier in the week—to make a GREAT EGGPLANT DIP on crackers, while waiting for the soup to heat up the next day!!! 

- submitted by Karen O’Mara

Break it down and pump it up!

 

I made the pledge, I took the challenge then racketed up up a notch and created a fine family meal for five people for under five dollars. Oh yeah! Check it out with full recipe and photo instructions and, yes, the cost breakdown. Break it down and pump it up! Go Slow Foods!  See the recipe here  - submitted by Leslie Macchiarella

Slow Cooker Slow Food

We knew we’d be feeding a crowd, since our event took place at a food pantry, so we went with black beans and rice in a slow cooker. The whole meal comes to $7.23, including extras like sour cream and cilantro, but it feeds four or more people (generous portions), bringing the cost per person down to $1.81. Our recipe features several items that are currently available in our food pantry, free of charge. We receive fresh local produce from the community farmer’s market and local gardeners through the “plant a row for the hungry” program. Fresh red peppers are abundant right now! Many of our patrons have gardens of their own, or garden with us (Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard) at one of our four community garden sites—creating access to fresh, herbs and veggies at no cost.

We set up our table outside during pantry hours, and offered samples to everyone passing through. Children and adults alike enjoyed the dish, took recipes and signed up to win a new slow cooker. Some folks remarked that they had never tried black beans, others had not heard of cilantro. We talked about slow cookers, beans and rice, and shared recipes, tips and stories. 

Sharing good food, sharing skills and ideas on how to grow and prepare wholesome food on a tight budget is what we’re all about! So the Slow Food USA $5 challenge is a perfect fit!

Here’s the recipe:

Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

One 1-lb package black turtle beans           1.39

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped .28

1 red bell pepper, seeded & finely chopped (optional) 1.59

1 or two hot chilies, depending on what’s available, and

what you like  (Jalapeno, Serrano, habanero, etc. If you don’t have fresh chilies, use dried red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper) .37

2 cloves of garlic, minced  .13

1 teaspoon ground cumin  .41

1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican, if you have it,

otherwise, regular is fine)  .22

1 bay leaf   .30

½ pound roma tomatoes, finely diced  .96

6 cups (or more) of water

2 teaspoons salt  .01

1 tablespoon canola oil (if making on the stove)  .13

 Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt (optional) .55

1 bunch cilantro chopped (optional)  .50

 6-8 cups of cooked white rice .39

Instructions with a slow cooker (crockpot):

Pick over, rinse and soak the beans for 2 -3 hours (you can speed this up by using the quick soak method:  cover the beans by a few inches, with cold water. Bring to a boil, boil for two minutes, remove from heat, let sit for an hour).  Drain and transfer all ingredients, except salt, to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. The beans need to be covered with liquid at all times, so check on them occasionally, and add water if needed.  Check at 3 hours for doneness—they’ll be tender, and hold their shape, and won’t fall apart. With quick soaked beans, it is usually 6 hours, but could be less. When done, remove from heat, add the salt, serve over rice with chopped cilantro and sour cream or yogurt.

Instructions for stovetop

Pick over, rinse and soak the beans for 2 -3 hours (you can speed this up by using the quick soak method:  cover the beans by a few inches, with cold water. Bring to a boil, boil for two minutes, remove from heat, let sit for an hour).  Drain the beans. In a large pot, preferably with a heavy bottom, sauté the onion in a tablespoon of canola oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chilies, cumin, oregano and tomato, and cook for 1 more minute, on medium heat. Add the beans, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3-5 hours, checking for doneness occasionally. When done, remove from heat, add the salt, serve over rice with chopped cilantro and sour cream or yogurt. 

The cost break-down:

This recipe can be made, no frills, for $ 4.59. You can feed 4 people at $1.15 per person, but this recipe will easily feed 6, maybe more.

For $7.23 (total) you can include red pepper, sour cream and cilantro.

If you get your rice, tomato, red pepper, sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and hot chilies from MHC (these are things that we have had in the past week or two) the price knocks down to $3.24, for the whole meal!

Growing your own oregano, cilantro, tomatoes, onions and peppers, can save you even more!

- submitted by Kayte Young

Cheap Eats with the Flower City Foodie

When I decided to host a $5 Challenge meal for my family, the first recipe that came to my mind was a childhood favorite: yakitori. It is probably strange that some of my favorite food memories from my younger days revolve around Japanese food, given that I am not Japanese and have never been to Japan. But my Dad (pictured above) speaks Japanese and befriended his Japanese coworkers so that he could practice speaking the language. We were invited to their homes where I ate tempura, sushi, egg cakes, and yakitori with delight. We had a culinary cultural exchange—my mom taught them about apple pie, and they taught us how to make yakitori.

Yakitori was a good choice for the $5 Challenge because chicken is a relatively cheap protein source. We had vegetable tempura and steamed white rice for side dishes, and my sister made applesauce cake for dessert (since apple pie ended up being too expensive). If you would like to read more about our $5 Challenge experience, please read this post on my blog http://flowercityfoodie.com. 

Yakitori

  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 2/3 cup mirin (sweetened sake)
  • 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • canned pineapple chunks
  • bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 20 minutes
  1. In a saucepan combine the soy sauce, mirin, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and cook until it is reduced by a third.
  2. Thread the strips of chicken and pineapple onto the bamboo skewers. Brush with the sauce created in step 1.
  3. Grill the skewers over medium-high heat. Baste with remaining sauce several times throughout cooking. Remove from heat once the chicken is cooked through.

- submitted by Gretchen

    Top