Cucumber Raita

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2012/06/cucumber-raita/

cucumber raita

 

 

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Total Cost: $1.20

Cost Per Serving: $0.20

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain yogurt $0.54
• ½ medium cucumber $0.30
• ½ inch fresh ginger $0.09
• ¼ tsp coriander $0.02
• ¼ tsp cumin $0.02
• ¼ tsp salt $0.02
• handful fresh cilantro or mint $0.21

Instructions

1. Peel the cucmber and slice in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Grate the cucumber on a large cheese grater and place into a colander. Add a pinch of salt and allow it to sit while you prepare the rest of the sauce.
2. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, salt, cumin, and coriander. Stir to combine. Roughly chop the cilantro and add to the bowl. Peel the ginger and grate it (using a fine cheese grater) into the bowl.
3. After the cucumber has been sitting for at least ten minutes, press it into the sides of the colander to extract as much moisture as possible. Add it to the sauce and stir to combine. Serve the sauce immediately or refrigerate to allow the flavors to combine. Adjust salt as needed.

Notes

This sauce should keep in the refrigerator for approximately 5 days.

Step By Step Photos

Begin with the cucumber. Peel the half that you’ll be using, slice it in half lengthwise, and then scrape out the seeds with a spoon.

Grate the cucumber into a colander using a cheese grater. Add a pinch of salt and allow it to sit. The salt will help draw out the juices so that they don’t make your sauce watery.

Place the yogurt in a bowl and add the cumin, coriander, and salt. Peel the ginger and grate it into the bowl as well. Stir to combine

Take a handful of cilantro (or mint) leaves and roughly chop them.

After the cucumber has been sitting in the colander for about ten minutes, press it against the sides to extract as much water as possible. Add it to the yogurt sauce along with the chopped cilantro. Stir to combine.

Taste the sauce and add more salt if desired. I didn’t want a lot of salt in this sauce because I liked it’s light, fresh flavor. You can eat the sauce as is or refrigerate it to allow the flavors to mingle.

Flat Bread

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2010/09/naan/

naan~~ FLAT BREAD

 

 

Prep time

1 hour

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Total Cost: $1.27

Cost Per Serving: $0.16

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tsp dry active yeast $0.19
• 1 tsp sugar $0.02
• ½ cup water $0.00
• 2½-3 cups flour $0.18
• ½ tsp salt $0.05
• ¼ cup vegetable oil $0.15
• ⅓ cup plain greek yogurt $0.56
• 1 large egg $0.12

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes or until it is frothy on top. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.
2. In a medium sized bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
3. At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.
4. Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.
5. Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about ¼ inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface (see photos below). Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Serve plain or brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with herbs!

TIPS: For the most bubbles, don’t roll out the ball of dough until just before it is ready to be placed in the skillet. I experimented with different skillet temperatures and found that a medium heat produces the most bubbles in the dough and does not burn the surface.

Step By Step Photos

Start by dissolving the sugar and yeast in 1/2 cup warm water. Allow to sit and get frothy.

Then mix in the oil, egg and greek yogurt. I was disappointed to find that I was out of regular cooking oil and had to use olive oil which is much more expensive… but it adds to the flavor so, oh well!

Stir those all up until they’re well mixed.

In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of the flour and salt together until they’re evenly mixed.

Then add the bowl of wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir well. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can’t stir it with a spoon.

Turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top and knead for 3 minutes. Add flour as needed until you have a smooth, very soft ball of dough. I used about 3 cups of flour total for the recipe.

Shape the dough into a ball, loosely cover and let rise until it is double in size.

After it has risen, flatten it out slightly and cut into 8 equal size pieces.

Shape each piece into a small, smooth ball.

Heat a skillet over medium flame and lightly coat with non-stick spray. Roll out a ball of dough until it is 1/4 inch thick or about 6 inches in diameter.

Place the rolled out dough in the hot skillet and cook on one side until large bubbles form and the side touching the skillet is golden brown.

Flip the dough over and cook on the second side until golden brown as well.

Bran-Carrot-Nut Muffins

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/03/morning-glory-muffins/

morning glory muffins

 

 

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Total Cost: $4.47

Cost Per Serving: $0.25

Serves: 14

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour $0.10
• 1 cup whole wheat flour $0.16
• ½ cup oat bran $0.52
• 1 cup sugar $0.18
• 2 tsp baking soda $0.08
• 2 tsp cinnamon $0.12
• ¼ tsp salt $0.02
• ½ cup vegetable oil $0.24
• ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce $0.38
• 3 lg eggs $0.53
• 1 tsp vanilla $0.28
• 2 cups (4 med) carrots, shredded $0.49
• ½ cup raisins $0.28
• ½ cup walnuts, chopped $0.84
• ½ cup shredded coconut $0.25

Instructions

1. Wash and peel the carrots. Using a cheese shredder, shred the carrots into a bowl and then set them aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, oat bran, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
3. In another fairly large bowl, combine the wet ingredients: vegetable oil, applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until evenly combined. Stir in the carrots, raisins, walnuts and coconut.
4. Pour the bowl of wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir just until everything is moistened and combined. Over stirring can give the muffins an undesirable texture.
5. Line a muffin tin with paper cups or spray with non-stick spray. Fill the cups to the top with the muffin batter. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Step By Step Photos

Put all of the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt). Yes, there is a bowl there, it’s just glass so you can’t see it.

Stir it all up so it’s evenly mixed.

Put all of the wet ingredients in a second bowl (oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla).

Whisk until evenly combined.

Add the rest of the ingredients (shredded carrots, walnuts, raisins, coconut) to the wet ingredients and stir it up.

Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients…

And stir it up. Stir only until everything has moistened and mixed evenly. Over stirring can give the muffins a poor texture.

Fill the muffin tin up to the top of the wells. Bake at 375 degrees (preheated oven) for about 30 minutes.

Spinach-Mushroom-Feta Crustless Quiche

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/11/spinach-mushroom-feta-crustless-quiche/


spinach,mushroom & feta crustless quiche

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour

Total Cost: $6.19

Cost Per Serving: $1.03

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 8 oz. fresh mushrooms $1.99
• ½ tsp minced garlic $0.06
• as needed non-stick spray $0.02
• 1 (10 oz.) box frozen spinach $1.09
• 4 large eggs $0.83
• 1 cup milk $0.39
• 2 oz. feta cheese $0.87
• ¼ cup grated parmesan $0.39
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella $0.50
• to taste salt & pepper $0.05

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If your frozen spinach is not already thawed, thaw it in the microwave. Empty the box into a colander and let it drain while you begin to prepare the rest.
2. Quickly rinse the mushrooms and slice them thinly. Place the sliced mushrooms in a skillet coated with non-stick spray, add the minced garlic, and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their moisture and no more water remains on the bottom of the skillet (5-7 minutes).
3. Spray a pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and spread it out on the bottom of the pie dish. Next add the cooked mushrooms and crumbled feta.
4. In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs until fairly smooth. Add the milk, parmesan, and another small sprinkle of pepper. Whisk to combine. (This step can be completed while the mushrooms are cooking) Pour this mixture into the pie dish over the spinach, mushrooms, and feta.
5. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet for easy transfer into the oven. Place the quiche into the preheated oven and bake until it is golden brown on top and the center is solid. Every oven is different but this should take between 45 minutes and an hour. Slice and serve!

Step By Step Photos

The key to preventing a soggy quiche is to reduce the moisture in your vegetables. This is why the spinach is squeezed dry and the mushrooms get cooked before adding to the quiche. I start by draining the spinach in a colander and then squeeze the rest of the moisture out before adding it to the dish.

Next, move onto the mushrooms. Sometimes pre-sliced mushrooms are the same price as whole, but not this time around…

So I washed and sliced my own. I usually cut them in half first (to get a flat surface) and then slice them.

Mushrooms are like sponges that are secretly holding a lot of water, so you need to saute them before adding them to your quiche. I just placed them in a skillet coated with non-stick spray (and a little garlic for flavor) and then sprinkled them with salt and pepper. Just a touch. The salt will help draw out the moisture.

Turn the heat onto medium or medium high and saute them (cook while occasionally stirring) until the water cooks out. This picture is about half way through the process. You’ll notice that the bottom of the skillet is covered with water that has seeped out of the mushrooms. Just keep cooking past this point until most of that water has evaporated off and the bottom of the skillet is relatively dry. This should take about 5-7 minutes, depending on how hot your skillet is. You can prepare the custard (egg and milk mixture) while you’re waiting for the mushrooms to finish.

Coat the inside of a 9 inch pie dish with non-stick spray. Squeeze the rest of the water out of the spinach and place it in the bottom of the dish along with the cooked mushrooms and feta cheese… in no particular order.

To make the custard, begin by whisking together four eggs until they are fairly smooth and uniform in texture.

Next whisk in the milk and parmesan cheese… and a little more pepper or any other herbs that you might like.

Pour the custard mixture over the vegetables in the pie dish. Oh, and the quiche is much easier to get in and out of the oven if it’s on a baking dish, so I put it on there before pouring in the liquidy custard mixture.

Sprinkle on more cheese (mozzarella in this case) if you want… again, I probably went overboard on the cheese but boy, was it tasty 

Bake the quiche in a preheated 350 degree oven until it is golden brown on top and the center is no longer liquid. This will take anywhere between 45 minutes to an hour depending on your oven. Just start checking it at 45 minutes. You’ll notice as it cooks that it begins to puff up a bit. It will deflate once it comes out of the oven but the “puff” is a good way to tell which areas are cooked and which are still liquid.