Southwest Salad

I'm going to have leftovers for a week with all the salad I've made. At least it's healthy... and delicious.

Southwest Salad
Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 white onion
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can corn
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 cut crush tortilla chips
• 1/2 cup Ranch dressing
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Cut the chicken into 1 inch strips and fry with oil in a large saucepan on medium heat until cooked through

2. Wash and shred the lettuce in a large bowl

3. Mince the onion and add it, the corn and the black beans to the bowl

4. Mix the salad well with the chicken, cheese, tortilla chips and Ranch dressing and serve cool

Modified from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Southwest-Chicken-Salad-II/Detail.aspx

Roasted Vegetable Salad

I still had frozen leftover squash from the squash bread back in November. It's time to use it up.

Roasted Vegetable Salad
Serves 6

• head of romaine lettuce 
• 2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about one squash)
• 1 red onion, quartered 
• 1 sweet potato
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes or 1/2 bag of small fingerling potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
•  2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
• 1 tbsp rosemary/thyme (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F

2. Wash and chop the potatoes and sweet potato 

3. Quarter the red onion and combine in a large bowl with the potatoes and the squash

4. Pour the olive oil and rosemary and thyme over the vegetables and mix well

5. Spread the vegetables in a foil-lined baking dish and cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally

6. Chop the romaine into inch pieces

7. Mix the roasted vegetables with the lettuce and pour the balsamic vinegar over everything

Modified from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Vegetables/Detail.aspx

Surprisingly, this reheats very well in the microwave.

Veggie Packed Lunch

I dislike not having lunch on weekdays. When I get hungry I stop paying attention and when I have class from 11-3:30, I get hungry.

Instead of surviving on peanut M&M's, I've started packing a simple lunch to snack on. The downside is that I forgot how loud celery and carrots can be, so I have to eat half of it during breaks.

Veggie Packed Lunch
Serves 1

• 1 pita 
• 4 teaspoons of dip (I use spinach dip)
• 2 sticks of celery
• handful of cherry tomatoes
• handful of carrot sticks, baby carrots or carrot chips
• 1 Babybel cheese 
• 1/3 chopped apple

1. Cut the pita into quarters and spread the dip inside each pocket
2. Wash the celery, carrots and tomatoes
3. Cut celery into small pieces to fit into a container or plastic bag
4. Assemble all ingredients in a plastic container or separately in sandwich bags

Squash Bread

From mid-November, when butternut squash was plentiful:

Squash Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients

• 1 cup of butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 1/3 of one squash)
• 1 packet dry active yeast
• 3 tbsp warm water
• 1/3 cup of warm milk (do not heat in microwave)
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 eggs (can be done with 1 egg)
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable or olive)
• several handfuls of flour for kneading

1. Boil the squash cubes in a large pot for 15-20 minute, until tender. (If there is leftover squash, it can be frozen for future use)
2. Mix the yeast well with 2 tbsp warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Make sure the yeast is well mixed.
3. In a large bowl, combine the yeast with the milk, brown sugar, squash, butter, salt, flour and 1 egg, stirring well until completely mixed. The boiled squash should be broken into small pieces and thoroughly mixed into the dough. 
4. Knead the dough on a clear counter top dusted with flout until smooth, about 8-10 minutes.
5. Coat the inside of another bowl with the oil and roll the dough in it.
6. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm spot for 1 hour or until it has doubled in volume. 
7. Divide the dough into 6 long strands of equal length. 
8. Braid three of the strands together and place on a cooking sheet; repeat with the other three strands.
9. Let stand for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
11. Beat the remaining egg and water together and pour over the loaves (optional)
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes in the oven.

Modified from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/squash-braid/

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I'm happy with how this bread turned out; I wouldn't have thought that squash in bread would be any good but I was wrong. I'll definitely be making this again - there's two more cups of butternut squash in the freezer.

Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Tofu

Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Onions with Tofu
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 package of firm tofu
• 2 sweet potatoes
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic bulb, broken into whole cloves (optional)
• 1 bottle of chili sauce
• 1/2 tsp of ground ginger*
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp of red cayenne ground pepper*
• aluminium foil
• 1 cake pan, about 9" by 13"

*omit for a less spicy dish

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
2. Slice the sweet potatoes into thin slices and the onion into strips. 
3. Line the pan with the foil - this is to collect the juices and prevent the pan from burning
4. Spread the sweet potatoes, onions and garlic in the pan and cover with the entire bottle of chili sauce.
5. Cover the pan with more foil and cook in the oven for 20 minutes
6. While the vegetables are cooking, cut the tofu into small pieces and trap under weight to squeexe out the juices.
7. After 20 minutes, pull out the pan, add the tofu and recover with the foil
8. Cook for another 40 minutes and then serve.

This is a scaled down, vegetarian version of Caribbean Chicken.

Egg Omelette, Steamed Bok Choy and Rice

Egg Omelette, Steamed Bok Choy and Rice
Serves 2
Ingredients

• 1 cup of rice (short grain or Japanese sushi rice)
• 1/4 cup of rice vinegar
• 2 pinches of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 head of baby bok choy

1. Boil the rice according to instructions, about 20 minutes or until fully cooked.

2. Heat the rice vinegar and one pinch of sugar in a small saucepan or in the microwave until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Cut the baby bok choy into quarters and heat on medium in a saucepan filled with water. Cover with a top and steam until soft (about 15 minutes).

4. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and combine with the remaining sugar and soy sauce.

5. While the eggs are cooking, combine the rice and rice vinegar mixture.

6. Cook the eggs like a mini-omelette and cut in half.

7. Serve one half of the egg omelette with half of the bok choy and rice.

It's important to do this with short rice; enriched long rice (like you get in Food Lion) does not provide the same stickiness and does not mix well with the rice vinegar. Done properly, it tastes like sushi rice. 

I've found that I prefer steamed bok choy to stir-fried bok choy; it doesn't taste as acidic but it still has a nice crunch.

I'm pretty bad at making tamagoyaki - Japanese egg omelettes - but my bad presentation doesn't make it any less delicious. This is one tasty, balanced meal.

My inspiration for it is here.

1 cup rice, 1/2 bag of rice at $0.77/bag = $0.39 at Food Lion

1/5 bottle of rice vinegar at $2.49/bottle = $0.50 at Food Lion

2 pinches of sugar: about $0.05 at Food Lion

2 eggs at $4.29/dozen = $0.72 at Food Lion

1/10 bottle of soy sauce at $1.99/bottle = $0.20 at Food Lion

1 baby bok choy: $0.46 at Food Lion

Total Cost: $2.32 for 2 servings or $1.16 per serving

Sausage and Lentils

Sausage and Lentils
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 cups dried lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
• 1 package of smoked or Polish sausage
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• handful of sliced green onions (optional)
• salt (for seasoning)

1. Fry the onion and garlic in a pan with the oil until tender; set aside.
2. Boil the lentils and water in a saucepan with the onion and garlic for 10 minutes.
3. Slice the sausage into chunks, then add the meat with the cumin to the lentil mixture.
4. Cook for 15 more minutes, or until the lentils are soft.
5. Top with green onions and serve warm.

Modified from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sausage-and-lentils/.

I'm not a big fan of lentils but this turned out pretty well. The cumin was neither too faint nor overpowering and the sausage provided a different texture. As it is a hearty and cheap meal, I'll be keeping it.

1/2 bag of lentils at $2.29/bag = $1.15 at Food Lion
1/2 onion: $0.32 at Food Lion
1/2 bulb of garlic: $0.40 at Food Lion
1 package of Smoked Sausage: $2.29 at Food Lion
Canola Oil: about $0.10 at Food Lion
Cumin: about $0.05 at Food Lion
Green Onions: $0.40 at Food Lion
Total Cost: $4.71 for 4 servings or $1.18 per serving

Chinese Dumplings

Chinese Dumplings
Makes 48, about 4 servings
Ingredients
Dough:

• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 3 cup boiling water

Filling

• 8 ounces celery cabbage (Napa cabbage) [Note: Regular cabbage does not work]
• 3 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup of onions
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons canola oil

Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil

1. Cut the cabbage finely and mix with the salt, setting it aside.

2. Mix the pork, green onions, water, cornstarch, onion, pepper and sesame oil together, then combine with the salted cabbage.

3. Combine the flour and water and knead into a dough for about 5-6 minutes [Warning: Hot].

4. Separate the dough into 4 pieces and roll each dough ball until all are are 1 foot long.

5. Cut the dough rolls into 12 slices, each.

6. Flatten each dough slice and spoon 1 teaspoon of pork mixture onto the dough, then fold over and pinch at the top.

7. Heat the canola oil in a frying pan and fry as many dumplings in a single layer as possible, until golden brown at the bottom.

8. Pour in 1/2 cup water and cover, cooking for 6-7 minutes.

9. Repeat with the rest of the dumplings.

10. Mix the sesame oil and soy sauce together to make a dipping sauce and serve with the dumplings.

Modified from http://chinesefood.about.com/od/potstickers/r/potstickers.htm

The original recipe called for 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of water; this is not nearly enough. I used up half of the pork mixture and all of the dumpling dough and had to cook the rest of the pork separately. The dough itself was pretty tasty but the filling wasn't very good at all.

I tried using cabbage instead of Napa cabbage but that didn't work out so well.

All in all, I won't be making this again. 

I did break a spoon mixing the dough.

Flour, about $0.50

Cornstarch, about $0.10 at Food Lion

Pork: $2.99 at Food Lion

Cabbage, 1/4 of a head at $1.40/head = $0.37 at Food Lion

Green onions: 1/4 of a bunch at $0.59/bunch = $0.15 at Food Lion

1/8 onion: $0.20 at Food Lion

Pepper: $0.01

Canola Oil: $0.20 at Food Lion

Sesame Oil: about $0.50 at Food Lion

Soy Sauce: about $0.66 at Food Lion

Salt: about $0.20 at Food Lion

Total: $5.88 for 4 servings or $1.47 per serving

Homemade Pizza

Homemade Pizza
Serves 4
Ingredients
Dough:

• 1 packet of dry active yeast
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 chopped onion
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water

Seasonings: (optional)

• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Toppings:

• 1 bag of shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 bag of pepperoni (optional)

1. Mix the yeast with lukewarm water and set aside.
2. Combine the flour with the salt and shortening and then add the yeast-water.
3. Mix well together until all of the water is absorbed into the dough.
4. Lightly flour a flat space and knead out the dough for about 5 minutes.
5. Pour the oil into a large bowl and coat the sides.
6. Put the dough into the oiled-bowl and coat the dough on all sides.
7. Cover and set aside for about 45 minutes.
8. Chop the onion and saute until tender. 
9. Combine all the spice together.
10. Simmer the tomato paste, water, onion and spices for 15-20 minutes in a small saucepan.
11. When the dough is ready, spread it on a baking sheet into one giant oval or 2 smaller circles. Roll up the edges for a fluffy crust if desired.
12. Spread the tomato mixture evenly on top.
13. Cover with cheese and desired toppings.
14. Bake for 20 minutes on 400 degrees on a middle rack.
15. Cut into pieces and let cool, then enjoy!

Modified from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mikes-homemade-pizza/

Nothing is quite as delicious as homemade pizza. This took about an hour and a half to make but there wasn't anything hard about it. I don't know where my pie cutter went so I improvised with a knife (that's why the slices look weird). The cheese had a tendency to fall off but I wasn't too concerned about that.

This is definitely a keeper. 

Note: I rounded up the cost for the spices so they are no doubt horribly exaggerated. 

Yeast, 1 packet of 3 at $1.11/trio = $0.37 at Food Lion

Flour: about $0.85 at Food Lion

Canola Oil: about $0.20 at Food Lion

Tomato Paste: $0.75 at Food Lion

1/2 onion: about $0.35 at Food Loin

Shortening: about $0.50 at Food Lion

Spices: perhaps $1.20 in total from Food Lion

Mozzarella: $2.27 from Food Lion

Pepperoni, 1/4 of a packet at $3.49/packet = $0.88 from Food Lion

Total : $7.37 for 4 servings or $1.84 per serving