Tasty-Cheap-Eats
Making it work locally is what projectHERE is all about.
On the topic of tasty-cheap-eats, it makes sense to seek council from the “masters” themselves.
So, we posed this question to local chefs and culinary foodies:
What meal would you prepare for about $2 per person?
Over the coming weeks we’ll share their answers and welcome your recipes as well.
Joel Baecker and Naomi Crawford
When we make meals, we think three days out. Each dish has to be three meals for our family of four, either two dinners and a lunch or three dinners. I do this twice a week. That way I don’t have to think about what I’m going to make every night of the week, and it keeps us out of the grocery store buying all that other stuff that we don’t really need. Our goal is always to keep it around $2 per person. It’s actually quite easy when the cooking is done in bulk. This is a chili that our kids like, that is filled with low-fat protein, and only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Who wouldn’t love that
Green Chili Chicken with White Beans
6 small boneless, skinless free range chicken breasts
1 yellow onion, small dice
4 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil
3 cans white beans, organic
3 cans chopped green Anaheim chilies
2 cups chicken broth, organic
Salt
Optional garnish:
1 cup white cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup cilantro, chopped
“Sweat” the onion in the olive oil, which is cook over low heat without allowing to color. While it is sweating, slice the chicken breasts into small bite-sized chunks, and open the cans of beans and chilies. When the onions have softened, add 1 tbsp of salt then the chicken. While the chicken is cooking, add 2 tbsp salt. Meanwhile, puree one can of beans with one can of chilies. After the chicken has cooked through, about 10 minutes, add the puree as well as the additional beans and chilies. Bring the heat up to medium-high and add the chicken stock. Once the chili has come up to a low boil, turn off flame. Season with salt to taste. It’s ready to be portioned into bowls. Garnish with cheddar cheese and cilantro if you wish.
Total cost: $26.45 to feed 2 adults and 2 kids for three meal periods, translates to $2.20 per person per meal.
Chicken: $8/pound x 2# = $16.00
Onion: $.70
Olive oil: $.25
Beans: $1.25 ea x 3 = $3.75
Chilies: $1.25 ea x 3 = $3.75
Chicken broth: $2.00
Additional option: $.21 per person
Cheese garnish: $2.00
Cilantro: $.50