Whole-Wheat Pasta Caprese Salad

This is something I eat quite frequently, especially in the summer when my herb pots are flourishing. Whole wheat pasta takes some getting used to, but the nutritional benefits of eating it are worth giving it a shot.  I  usually buy Walmart brand pasta, it is actually pretty good and only $1 a box.  The thin spaghetti is my favorite.

Like always, I try and use whatever is in my kitchen.  Here's what I had:

• Whole-wheat pasta - $1/box (I used 1/2 a box)
• Fresh Garlic
• A roma tomato - 1.99/lb
• A small handful of organic spinach - $1/5 oz
• Fresh mozzerella - $1/1 lb (I used 2 oz)
• Grated Parmesan/Romano/Asiago mix - $2.50/7 oz (I used about 1/2 oz)
• Balsamic Dressing - 8 oz bottle for free

How do I get my groceries for so cheap?  Go here to see how I shop.

I used only a fraction of the ingredients listed above, and I would estimate that it cost me about $1.40 for two full-sized portions. 

Method

Cook pasta according to directions on box, strain and run cold water over it.  Put pasta into a bowl with chopped vegetables (I usually use carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic...  Whatever you have) and add oil and vinegar, lemon juice or your favorite salad dressing.  Add cheese (Again, whatever you have.  For lower calorie and fat options, use a hard cheese such as parmesan, romano or asiago.  The flavor is stronger so you won't need as much).  Toss together and serve.

Coq Au Vin

Here's how to make coq au vin we had for dinner the other night.  I know it sounds fancy but don't be intimidated.  It's basically a rustic, country-style chicken stew.

This dish traditionally calls for Burgundy wine, bacon or salt pork, mushrooms and pearl onions.  None of which I had.  But, that's okay.  It's supposed to be rustic.  If I went to the store and spent another fifteen dollars to make it, I think it would kind of defeat the purpose.  If you want to go all-out, Ina Garden has a good recipe over at the Food Network.


Here's what I had:

• Four chicken thighs (you can use any type of chicken parts but bone-in is highly recommended)
• Leftover Rex-Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon - about 3/4 cup (Burgundy is traditional, but any red wine that isn't really sweet works)
• One limp carrot (My mom says you can re-hydrate it by putting it in water.  Who knew?).  Peeled and rough chopped
• Half a small onion, rough chopped
• Flour, 1 Tablespoon
• Butter, 1 1/2 Tablespoons plus a another Tablespoon extra to finish sauce with
• Thyme and Rosemary from my pot garden (Fresh is better by dry works)
• Bay leaf
• A can of Chicken Stock (Not totally necessary, especially if you are using bone-in chicken, but highly recommended)

Method

Set a pot, that has enough surface area to hold all the chicken parts without them overlapping, on medium to medium-high heat with about 2 Tablespoons of oil.  Pat the chicken dry, season with salt and pepper and place into heated pot skin-side down. 

***

Once the skin has browned, flip over and allow the bottom to brown.

***

Remove chicken from pot and discard the oil, except for about a Tablespoon of it.  Add carrot and onion, cook until slightly brown.  Return chicken to pot, add wine, chicken broth and herbs. 

***

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about an hour and half to two hours.  While the chicken is cooking, make a roux by melting 1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter into a small pan and adding 1 Tablespoon of flour.  Cook for two minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, set aside.  Once the chicken has become tender, remove from pot and strain the liquid into another sauce pot.  Bring to a boil and add the roux.  Lower the temperture to about medium heat and simmer until the sauce has a nice gravey-like consistency.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in a little dab of butter for richness.  Serve with roquefort potato gratin or mashed potatoes.

Roquefort Potato Gratin

 I haven't been shopping in a week (except for a small trip to Walmart for some coffee and a can of chicken stock) because I wanted to try and use up what was in my fridge and cupboards. 

Here's what I found in my kitchen (and the prices I purchased them for)...

•  A five pound bag of potatoes - $1 (on clearance)
• Gorgonzola - $1.65
• A pint of organic 1/2 and 1/2 - $1.00
• Chicken thighs, 4 pack - $2.70
• Leftover red wine that's been sitting in the bottle for a couple of weeks
• Carrots that were starting to go soft

How did I get this stuff so cheap?  Go here to see how I shop.

So I made...

~ Menu ~

Chicken Coq Au Vin

Roquefort Potato Gratin



I am estimating it cost me about $6.25 to create this meal (for 2) but I'll just go ahead and round it to $7.00.

That means $3.50 per person with leftovers for the next day. Not bad for something that cost around $20 at the bistro I used to work at.

Today I'm going to only post about the gratin because I am a little short on time and have a lot of pictures to upload for this one.  I don't have a set recipe, this is more of a use-your-own-judgement sort of deal.

Here's what I used (Approximations)

5 medium-sized russet potatoes
2-3 cups of milk, 1/2 and 1/2, cream or a mix (I used 1/2 and 1/2 and low fat milk)
Tablespoon or two of butter
Sprig of rosemary (thyme would be good too)
1/4 small onion, diced
Roquefort cheese
Shredded parmesan cheese (grated should be fine too)

Method

Slice potatoes as thinly as possible (use a slicer if you have one or just do the best with your knife...  It'll turn out fine), set aside. 

***

Bring milk to a boil with butter, rosemary and onion, set aside. 

***

 Evenly layer potatoes, (slightly overlapping) in a buttered casserole dish (I used a cake pan) no more that 12" in width or diameter.  Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with roquefort (easy with this one, it has a strong flavor) and parmesan cheeses.  Layer more potato, season, sprinkle cheese.  Repeat this until you get close to the top of the pan.  End the last layer with potato. 

***

 Strain the hot milk onto the potatoes, making sure the top layer is covered with the milk.

***

  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.  Remove foil, and continue to bake until the gratin is golden brown on top and the potatoes have absorbed all the liquid.  Let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Pizza Toast



Last week one of my coworkers made stromboli for all of us in the pastry kitchen to eat.  Another one one of my coworkers took a bite of the stromboli, pulled out a green sliver and said "I think this is cactus".  Cactus?  Why would there be cactus in you food?  Who eats cactus?  I stood there making fun of her comment.  Well, apparently her and her family does.  Who knew? 

It turns out that the cactus was actually a pepper.

So anyway, it got me thinking about the weird things my family ate...  Chili on top of sticky rice with a slice of American cheese...  Collard greens with sticky rice...  Vegetable stir fry and hot dogs...  With rice...  (I'm sure you're starting to sense a pattern here.  My mom is Japanese and my dad is a white boy from the south.)  Actually almost everything was with rice...  Pizza toast...  Not with rice.

Alright.  So maybe the pizza toast doesn't sound so strange but I haven't really met many people who have had it.  "Oh, it's like a pizza bagel?"  Well, yes.  It is like a pizza bagel...  But on toast. 

I like using sliced bread because, first of all, it has less calories than a bagel.  Second, it has more surface area and comes without that darned hole that tends to drop all the toppings you pile onto a bagel.  Third, I always have bread in the freezer.

The great thing about pizza toast is that bread, sauce and cheese are readily available in most house holds, can be purchased for very cheap (especially if you have coupons!) and it can be made relatively healthy.  You can use whatever ingredients you have on hand but for something on the healthier side this is what I would recommend using: whole wheat bread, pasta sauce, part skim (or nonfat) mozzarella cheese and sliced vegetables (peppers, onions, mushrooms).  It's quick, easy and almost as if you're eating actual pizza.  Almost.

I recommend that you first toast the bread completely before adding the sauce and toppings.  Put on a sheet pan and then under the broiler (use an oven or toaster oven) until it looks like the picture above.

This little guy was my last bell pepper of the season.  Just when I thought my plants were going to die, they made one last effort to produce something.  It made a nice little topping for my pizza toast.



Chicken Egg Drop Soup for a Cold

My mom bought Matt and I a crock pot for Christmas and I had made plans to test it out on one of my Harris Teeter $2.70 chickens by making coq au vin (chicken in red wine).  Unfortunately, Matt came down with a cold which meant coq au vin and my crock pot were going to have to wait.  I was going to have to make soup.

I'm bored of chicken noodle soup.  If you get it at a restaurant, or out of a can, you'll be lucky if the broth isn't made from a bouillon cube.  Even if it is made from scratch, more often than not it's full of  large mushy pieces of overcooked carrot and celery and bloated egg noodles.   I suppose it can be comforting, especially if that's what you grew up with (I loved Campbell's as a kid), but I"m tired of it.  So I changed it up a bit.

This soup is especially good for someone with a cold because it has lots of ginger and garlic. 

The recipe makes about 4 large servings of soup with 1/2 the chicken meat left over to use in something else.  I made brown Spanish rice with shredded chicken and beans (recipe to come).  That's two meals with a chicken that cost less than $3! 

What you need to make the broth

A whole chicken, or bone-in chicken parts (about 4 - 5 lbs)
Tops of green onions (just chop off the tops of the entire bunch)
Garlic - I used about 7 cloves (Your discretion)
Ginger - peeled and sliced thin, about 7 quarter-sized slices (Your discretion)
Black pepper - peppercorns or ground, either is fine

What you need to finish the soup

Cornstarch slurry - about 2 Tbsp of cornstarch and a 1/4 cup cold water - Use your fingers to break up any lumps
Shredded chicken - 1/2 of the meat from the boiled chicken
1 carrot - Small dice
Sesame oil - about 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Soy Sauce - about 2 tablespoon or to taste
2 eggs - whisked
white part of green onions - chopped small, 1/4 cup
Minced fresh ginger - 1 Tbsp

Method

Take a whole chicken and put it into a large pot.  Add enough water to cover the chicken.  Add the tops of the green onion to pot as well as the ginger, garlic and black pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, occasionally skimming the fat and impurities (foamy stuff) off the top.  Cook for about two hours or until chicken falls off the bone and the broth has a good flavor.  Strain the broth into another pot through a colander large enough to hold the chicken (or pull out the chicken and strain).  Let the meat cool then shred it with your hands.  Bring the broth to a boil.  Slowly add your cornstarch slurry in an even stream into the boiling broth.  Add shredded chicken and carrots and cook until carrots are tender (if they are chopped really small, it'll take about a minute).  Add sesame oil and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour eggs into the broth in a slow steady stream and immediately turn off heat.  Finish with chopped green onions and ginger.  Serve with sticky rice.

Asian tuna salad

I have lots of tuna and a brand new jar of mayo in my cupboard. So, as you might have guessed, I made tuna salad. Asian tuna salad.

Instead of the usual mayo, mustard, pickles, celery... Or whatever it is that you choose to use... Try mixing tuna with mayo, sesame oil, sesame seeds, green onions and siracha. Just make it to your taste, although I would start with a small amount sesame oil and siracha because the flavor/spice can quickly become overwhelming.

If you want to go healthy, substitute some of the mayo with greek yogurt. Serve on a toasted whole wheat bun with green leaf lettuce, if you'd like.