I make the most awesome green tea limeade (if I don’t say so myself). Cool, refreshing, and perfect for Summer Solstice.
You’ll need:
Directions:
Baked Chopped Liver
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons schmaltz *(see note)
2 pounds chicken liver, rinsed
2 hard boiled eggs, diced
salt, pepper, paprika to taste
*Note: Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat. You can either buy it at the supermarket or make it yourself. Head over to NY Times for the recipe.
You come back from work and/or school. You’re exhausted and hungry. You’re sick and tired of Chinese takeouts, but you still want something wholesome and quick.
What if I told you there is such a dish that you can cook in four minutes? And you only need four ingredients? And the meal will cover the need for carbohydrates, vegetables, and protein? Behold the Four Minute Soba. Boom.
FOUR MINUTE SOBA
(makes 1 serving)
80 grams soba noodles
50 grams mushrooms (brown beech, enoki, or white button)
70-80 grams kimchi
1-2 eggs (depending on how hungry you are)
1) Wash eggs well while waiting for water to boil.
2) Once boiling, put noodles, mushrooms, & eggs into the pot & cook for 4 minutes.
3) Drain and peel eggs.
4) Put noodles, mushrooms, eggs on plate and add kimchi.
5) Eat.
Egg tip: If you prefer a firmer less runny yolk, simply place them in a pot of cold water (after washing, of course) and bring to boil before adding the noodles and mushrooms.
Chickpea Spinach Salad with Radish Sprouts
Whisk together in a large bowl:
Then toss in:
Eat and enjoy!
Ohai. I present three recipes with my #FoodBankNYCChallenge haul.
Baked Lentils
1 1/2 cup lentils
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
diced fresh tomatoes
1 teaspoon dal spice mix (more or less according to personal taste)
Wash and drain lentils first. Then mix everything in a casserole dish and cover with water by one inch. Bake in a 350F oven for 40-55 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir half-way during the baking process.
Serve with rice, which you can prepare according to package directions.
I didn’t buy olive oil because its cost doesn’t fit into the $29 budget. I wondered if it’s possible to roast vegetables without oil. The internet says yes, it is so. So here we go…
Dry Oven Roasted Bitter Gourd
Slice gourds in thick rounds, roughly 1 inch thick.
Season with a bit of salt.*
Arrange in pie plate.
Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes.
*The Food Bank NYC Challenge Took Kit states that common spices (like salt) already in your pantry is okay to use.
No-cook oatmeal
This one is easy to put together.
Mix together equal parts raw rolled oats and almond milk in a bowl or mason jar. Add in as much raisins as you like. Let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, add in some sliced fruit (banana or apple) and eat.
So I was compelled to take on the #FoodBankNYCChallenge for one week. The challenge dictates that you try to live on $29 worth of groceries for seven days. And you can’t use stuff you already have sitting in the cupboard. With that in mind, it’ll take lots of strategic planning to make the dollar go far. Buying in bulk would give a better deal. When you buy in bulk, you’d end up eating the same thing pretty much at every meal, but you’ll make it through. A restricted budget means that you only eat to live, not live to eat.
So this is what my $29 food stamp challenge haul looks like.
Trader Joe’s
Instant coffee: $3.99
I realize that I can forget about the organic free trade non-fat soy latte brewed with whale tears from some trendy coffee house down the block overrun with hipsters. Because budget. Regardless, coffee is still an absolute must for me to be able to function in the morning. This is where instant coffee comes in.
I thought about picking up produce there, but figured that I might find a cheaper price at Aldi or the ethnic markets. I know because I once brought a 2 pound bag of bananas from Aldi at an exorbitant price of 44 cents.
Patel Brothers
Indian bitter melon at 1.79/lb: $1.58
1 pound bag of raisins: $2.99
Subzi Mandi
Box of spice mix: $1.29
1.25 pound bag of lentils: $2.49
Domestic garlic from California at 2.49/lb: $0.60 (Because “hell to the naw” to Chinese garlic.)
Plum tomatoes at .79/lb: $0.65
Aldi
2lb container of oatmeal: $2.49
Half gallon almond milk: $2.39
3 pound bag of rice: $1.59
Sadly the bananas and avocados were sold out so I had to go to a fifth market for fruits. Because the oatmeal need fruits.
Yellowstone Farm
Bananas at .79/lb: $2.29 (That comes to 0.38 per piece. Fuck, I should’ve gotten them at Trader Joe’s in the first place. Oh well.)
Apples at .99/lb: $0.93
My meal plan will be oatmeal and fruits for breakfast. Lunch and dinner will be lentils and rice with a veggie side. The total cost of this shopping spree came to $23.28. This leaves me with $5.72 to come up with another side dish for the mid-week. I get the feeling the bitter gourd won’t last a whole seven days.
Bread pudding
You’ll need:
one 14oz. can condensed milk.
vanilla extract, 1 tsp.
3-4 eggs
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 ripe bananas, sliced into coins
handful of raisins
any stale bread you have lying around (I had half loaf of Italian sesame bread which resulted in a salty nutty/sweet flavor combo)
butter to grease baking dish
1. Grease baking dish with butter.
2. Cut bread into cubes.
3. Beat together condensed milk, vanilla, eggs and salt in bowl.
4. Arrange bread in baking dish in one layer, sprinkle some raisins, then layer on the bananas. Ladle some egg mixture over the first layer.
5. Repeat with another layer of bread, raisins and banana, and soak with the rest of egg mixture.
6. Cover dish with foil and bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350°F oven.
Variations:
Use any fresh fruit in season.
Any dried fruit besides raisins would work nicely.
Dashes of spice of choice: cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ground ginger.
Yep, it’s exactly what it is.
So this is my take on the Chicken Cordon Bleu for someone who doesn’t feel like pounding chicken breasts or own a meat mallet.
Baked Cordon Bleu
Makes 4
stuff you will need
