The global economic crisis is still very real for most people, even though those in the media say that the worst is behind us. For some serving up family meals on the table that are nutritious, taste great, whilst being cheap is a real challenge. So I thought I’d share some cheap meal ideas that are easy to make and cost around $10 or so.
For me, vegetables are the key in developing cheap meal ideas and are obviously nutritious as well. Proteins like meats, poultry and seafood are obviously important, but they tend to be the most expensive cost in any recipe. So going down the vegetarian path is the first part and then adding them to pasta, rice, nuts and even lentils also keeps the costs down.
Cheap Meals don’t have to taste cheap, so here are some Cheap Meals Ideas which have a gourmet flavour and don’t cost a lot to make;
Oven Roasted Pumpkin Risotto with Thyme
Everyone loves risotto and pumpkin is ultra cheap. If you oven roast the pumpkin together with some fresh thyme it will give your risotto a great flavour. As an addition, try freshly chopped spinach which will give it a great colour as well. If you wanted to add some other ingredients, then you can add bacon, chicken or mushrooms.
Quesadillas
I first experienced Quesadillas at a small hole in the wall Mexican diner in Los Angeles and since then I always frequent that place when I’m in California. Quesadilla is a toasted tortilla with melted cheese inside and some sort of filling. Quesadilla’s are traditionally filled with chicken, pork or beef, but they can also have mixed fillings. You can make some great fillings using mushrooms, Spanish onions, asparagus, pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes and olives to name just a few. The herb of choice here is coriander and don’t forget to serve with sour cream and guacamole on the side
Mixed Mushroom Linguine
Pastas are considered by many as a cheap meal idea and this mixed mushroom pasta is no exception. Using a mixture of button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms and enoki mushrooms, sauté these in a little butter and garlic till golden brown. Then deglaze with a little white wine and cream and reduce till a think creamy sauce. Then toss in a hand full of linguine, chopped Italian parsley and serve with parmesan cheese.
Chopped Salad
Relatively unknown in Australia, the Chopped Salads is well know at diners across the USA as it accompanies most meals, however the chopped salad can be served by itself. The Chopped Salad is exactly as it suggested with all the salad ingredients chopped usually into bit sized pieces and tossed together with a dressing of some sort. I like a simple balsamic. My chopped salad includes tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, celery, Spanish onions, avocado, dill and crumbled feta cheese.
Zucchini Slice
My favourite vegetable is zucchini and I love making this slice. It’s kind of like quiche and you can make it with a pastry or without. I simply grate a couple of zucchinis, onions and carrots then combine them with eggs, chopped parsley, salt and pepper. I then pour into a baking tray. I bake for about 35 minutes at 180 degrees. Once again you can flavour with something like ham if you don’t want it vegetarian. Zucchini Slice can be served by itself or with something a protein on the side.
Sweet Potato and Corn Soup
We couldn’t have written about Cheap Meal Ideas without including a soup of sorts. I regularly make this Sweet Potato and Corn Soup at home and is simply peeled sweet potato, corn, stock and cream. I bring it to the boil for approx 35 minutes, and then blitz it up in the food processor. My secret is to only put half the corn in first and reserve half for after it’s blended. Add cream and some fresh herbs for added flavour. Serve with butter and freshly baked French stick (or just plain old toast!)
Burgers
Ok, I mentioned that I was going to avoid proteins and concentrate on vegetables, but the humble burger is a great cheap meal. I find the key is in the burger patty. I commonly use two different minces – lamb and beef, breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, egg, salt and pepper. Then stack your burger up with fresh lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheese and ketchup and you’ve got a great cheap meal.
Quiche Ideas
Everyone loves a quiche and the best thing about a quiche is the flavours ideas are endless. There are of course your classics like tomato, Florentine (spinach) and Lorraine (bacon and cheese); but there are many others. Why not try caramelized onions and roast capsicum or pumpkin, pinenuts and asparagus. For mushroom lovers, why not make a mushroom quiche. Quiche ideas are endless and the fillings can be from using leftovers in the fridge. Serve with a freshly tossed side salad.
Frittata
Unlike a quiche which is baked in the oven, a frittata is like cooked on the stove in a frying pane or skillet. But like a quiche, frittata fillings are endless. Some people like adding cooked pasta for texture and others just add the fillings. Try a frittata with roasted Spanish onions, thyme and goats cheese or roasted capsicums, mushrooms and spinach. If you want to try adding some proteins how about chopped smoked salmon and dill or even ham and cheddar cheese.
A couple of months ago I visited for the first time the Home and Housewares show in Chicago. The show would have to be the biggest show for kitchen equipment, appliances, cookware etc. One of the stands I visited was the Kyocera stand. Immediately you’re probably thinking about Kyocera printers right? Well wrong. Kyocera manufacture a vast range of kitchenware products, with nearly all of them featuring their unique ceramic blades.
Recently, Kyocera sent me a sample of one of their newest products, the Kyocera Perfect Peeler. Featuring a ceramic blade, the Kyocera Perfect Peeler would have to be one of the best peelers I’ve ever used. It peels thick skinned ingredients like sweet potato easily. It reminded me of running a hot knife through butter gliding through without fuss.
The unique features of the Kyocera Perfect Peeler include;
Stay sharp ceramic blade which won’t rust
Handle Rotates making it suitable for either Left Hand or Right Hand use.
Ergonomic, non-slip handle
Dishwasher safe
Kyocera indicate in that because of the ceramic blade being used that it won’t brown foods or leave a metallic taste or smell on things being peeled. They also say that it’s impervious to acids, juices, oils, and salts.
If you’re in the market for a new peeler for your home kitchen or even you’re chef toolkit then I highly recommend you get your hands on a Kyocera Perfect Peeler.
Savings Guide is run by friend, Alex Wilson and provides a comprehensive source for everything saving money related. Savings Guide is all about helping save money. Driven by Alex as well as numerous contributors and self confessed budgeting addicts, the aim and goal of the site is to provide a cost free resource for people wanting to learn how to save money and minimise their expenses.
Savings Guide will help you:
Start saving money
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Savings Guide has become an industry leader in money saving tips, boasting strong editorial content and a large user community that actively helps each other discover simple ways to save money. Savings Guide is based in Sydney, Australia, with contributors from all over the world.
I’ve been wanting to write this blog for some time, but I thought I’d wait to the finale to share my thoughts. Over the past couple of months so many people have asked me about Channel Ten’s Masterchef and what I thought of the show and who my favourite contestant was. To be honest I didn’t really watch that many episodes, but on average I watched maybe 1 episode each week.
I never liked the UK version of Masterchef (which Masterchef Australia was modelled on) which has been on Lifestyle Food for sometime. I just didn’t like the pompy british judges. But Masterchef Australia was different. The Australian judges George Calombaris, Gary Mehigan and Matt Preston are not only are highly skilled professionals with tonnes of experience, but they each are great characters which ooze their own personality on the screen. Loved the comments and advice from all of them.
In terms of the guest chefs that appeared for the battles with contestants, Masterchef Australia attracted some of the best chefs in the country. Which is a feat on its own to get them in the same room, let alone have them share their recipes.
As the owner of Gourmet Ads, one of the most interesting things for me, is on the media side of things. I don’t think many people know this, but the Masterchef website was during the show’s duration the most popular food websites in Australia. I think this was probably due to the clever fact that they never really showed recipes on the show like other foods shows. Instead they attracted users to the website where they freely shared recipes.
On TV the ratings side apparently it was the most show this year, beating Underbelly. So its no surprise that there is a celebrity Masterchef in development which will hit the screens in September, and Fremantle Media is already looking for the next round of contestants for the Masterchef 2010.
The best thing about Masterchef Australia is that people around the watercooler are talking about good food, chefs, restaurants and cooking.
Finally, well done to Julie who won Masterchef Australia. Hope this is the start of a new career in the wonderful world of cooking.
Ask my partner Jen what her favourite breakfast is and she’ll answer freshly cooked pancakes with real maple syrup. I often get up early on the weekends to surprise her with freshly cooked pancakes, and a cup of English breakfast tea.
This really easy pancake recipe comes from when I used to work at the Watermark Restaurant in Balmoral Beach on Sydney Harbour. We used to pump out hundreds of these pankcakes each Saturday and Sunday morning using this recipe. Forget buying a premade mix, use this pancake recipe instead.
There’s lots you can do with this classic pancake recipe. You could of course use it as is, or you can add specific ingredients like banana, blueberries, strawberries, chocolate or apple. Alliteratively try flavouring this pancake recipe up with vanilla bean, cinnamon, honey or real maple syrup. Using some Australian ingredients, this pancake recipe goes well with wattleseed, lemon myrtle and fruit spice which each can be incorporated into the pancake batter. Australian fruits like rosella, riberries and quandongs also are a great fruit garnish topping.
Start by sifting together the plain flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Once combined, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the milk, egg and melted butter. Mix well until the batter is well combined. If you’re going to add fruits or liquids to the batter, make sure it’s slightly thick. At this point, I find if you leave the batter for say 20 minutes on the bench, I find the pancakes are fluffier when they are cooked.
In a frying pan, heat the pan to medium. Then melt a little butter in the frying pan. Pour in a little of the pancake batter. Be sure not to over crowd the pan as they will become attached to other pancakes and make them hard to flip. I prefer to do one at a time.
As the pancake begins to cook, you’ll see small bubbles appear. When the bubbles start to pop, its time to flip the pancake. Cook on the other side for 1 minute until golden.
Stack pancakes on a plate and serve with your favourite toppings. Mine’s simple butter and real maple syrup. Others love butter, sugar and lemon juice.
