Since my last five dollar dinner post was so popular I thought I would do another one.
Chinese Dinner for under Five Dollars
egg drop soup
fried rice
stir-fry
For the Egg Drop Soup as an appetizer:
2C water
2 chicken bullion cubes
1 egg, beaten
cornstarch slurry (optional)
yellow food coloring (optional)
Bring water to boil, add bullion and stir until dissolved. While at rolling boil, whisk in egg. To add color add a few drops of yellow food coloring. Thicken if desired by adding 1 Tbsp of corn starch to 1/2C cold water and pour into boiling soup, stirring constantly until thickened. Makes 4, 1/2C servings.
Fried Rice:
2 strips bacon
2C cold cooked rice
1 onion, chopped
about 3-4 Tbsp soy sauce
Cut bacon into small pieces and fry onion until translucent, add cooked rice and break up any lumps. Add soy sauce to color and taste preference. For added flavor, add one pre-cooked scrambled egg diced finely and 1/2C frozen or fresh peas, giving a quick stir to heat through. Makes 4, 1/2C servings.
American Stir Fry Vegetables (Chow Mein):
! head cabbage, chopped finely
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, cut into coins
1/2C peas
2 large stalk celery, diagonally cut
2-3 Tbsp cooking oil
1C water
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
4 tsp soy sauce
Combine water, cornstarch, bouillon and soy sauce in small bowl or cup and set aside.
Put oil into pan and stir fry first the carrots and celery, add onions, and cabbage stirring quickly until tender crisp. Add peas and stir until hot. Pour water/cornstarch mixture over veggies and stir and stir until mixture boils and thickens (about 3 minutes). Serve. Makes at least 4 servings.
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Simple Meals
Looking for something more simple? Try these cheap meals for a simple dinner that is easy on the pocket book.
Chicken Crepes
Filling:
1 large chicken breast, cooked and chopped into small bits
1 can water chestnuts
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter
1C milk
salt
pepper
1 Tbsp sliced almonds
Crepe:
3/4C flour
3/4C milk
3 eggs
1 Tbsp cooking oil
For filling: Melt butter in pan and stir in flour, cook a couple of minutes, then add milk, stirring constantly until you get a thin white sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, then chicken, drained water chestnuts. Set aside.
For crepe:
Heat oil in skillet. Whisk together eggs, flour and milk until fairly smooth. Pour about 2 Tbsp of batter into the pan and move pan to coat bottom. Brown lightly on both sides of batter and set to the side until you have used it all up and formed thin sheets of pancake. Makes about 8.
To assemble:
Place spoonful of filling into crepe and roll (do it in the baking dish you plan to use). When you have placed all the rolled crepes into the pan, pour excess sauce over top of the crepes. Top with bread crumbs or the almonds and bake at 350F until heated through and top begins to bubble
Bean and Cheese Wrap-Ups
2/3 cup cooked Kidney Beans
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped tomato
4 ounces mozzarella cheese
10 small black olive
1 small green pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon reduced calorie Italian dressing
4 1 ounce pita breads
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredient except pita bread and stuff into pita bread. Wrap in foil and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.
Comfort Food
Creamed Chicken
1/4 cup margarine
1 onion
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup of milk
2 –3 cups cooked chicken
Saute onion in margarine. Add in flour and cook until bubbly. Stir in 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup milk as well as salt and pepper to taste. Once mixture has thickened add 2-3 cups cooked chicken. Heat through.
Serve the above with Rice or Noodles add a veggie and you have a comfort meal for under five dollars.
Pic by http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevendepolo/