Recipes: "Cheap.Fast.Good!"

Jan. 10, 2006 — -- In the book, "CHEAP. FAST. GOOD!," Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross show readers how to save money while making quick, delicious meals. Packed with over 250 quick and easy recipes, this is the definitive guide to not only cooking smart but shopping smart, too. This is the book you'll want to own if you want to save money in the kitchen.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $107.70 is the absolute bottom line for a family of four to spend per week and still get a nutritionally balanced diet. This might not sound hard until you consider that's only $14.29 per day -- for four people. Mills and Ross undertook the challenge of feeding their own families of four on $100 a week. Their experiment will show you that this is difficult yet possible, given a little creativity.

The bottom line is you don't have to sacrifice delicious meals while trying to stick to a budget. You can still feast on Chicken and Caramelized Onion Pizza, Chili in Spud Bowls, even the authors" own substitute for Pad Thai: Thai Spaghetti Toss with Peanut Sauce.

You can find several recipes from "CHEAP. FAST. GOOD!" below. To print these recipes, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the "Print This Article" icon.

Serves: 4
Start to finish time: Under 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Bring 2 1/2 quarts lightly salted water to a boil in a covered 4½ quart or larger pot. When the water reaches a rapid boil, add the pasta and cook, uncovered, until just tender, following the package directions.

2. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the garlic and place it in a 4-quart or larger bowl. Add the oil and Italian seasoning. Core and chop the tomatoes into bite-size pieces and add them to the bowl. Stir to coat with the oil. Drain the olives and add them to the bowl.

3. Drain the pasta well and add it to the bowl. Scatter the Parmesan cheese on top, and toss to melt the cheese. Season with salt and black pepper and serve at once.

Note: Buy the ripe olives already chopped if you can find them. Otherwise buy sliced olives and chop them finely. Refrigerate the leftover chopped olives in an airtight container, and sprinkle them over a salad later in the week.

Serves: 4
Start to finish time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

Directions:

1. Bring two cups lightly salted water to a boil in a two-quart saucepan.

2. While the water is heating, if the chicken is frozen, run it under hot water so you can remove the packaging. Place the chicken on a microwave-safe plate and microwave, uncovered, on high power for two minutes to partially defrost it.

3. When the water comes to a boil, add the rice, stir, and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan and simmer until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a four-quart or larger Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Peel the onion and finely chop it, adding it to the pot as you chop. Cut the partially defrosted or fresh chicken into bite-size pieces, adding them to the pot as you cut. When all of the chicken is in the pot, raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the chicken is almost cooked through, about four minutes.

5. Peel and coarsely chop the carrots, adding them to the pot as you chop. Coarsely dice the celery, adding it to the pot as you dice. Add the garlic and ginger to the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery is crisp-tender, about two minutes.

6. Add the broth to the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and cook at a moderate boil to combine the flavors, five minutes. Season with black pepper. To serve, spoon some rice into each bowl and top it with the soup.

Serves: 8
Prep time: 15 minutes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Add the tomato juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Stir in the bread crumbs and oats. Set aside.

3. Peel the garlic cloves, if using fresh. Turn on a food processor and drop the garlic cloves, one at a time, through the feed tube. Process until finely minced. Then drop the fresh parsley leaves (if using) through the feed tube and finely mince.

4. Peel the carrot and cut it into roughly two-inch pieces. Cut the celery into roughly two-inch pieces. Core and seed the bell pepper half and cut it into roughly two-inch pieces. Add the carrot, celery, and bell pepper pieces to the processor bowl and pulse until the vegetables are cut into very small pieces (but not soupy). Transfer the vegetable mixture to the mixing bowl, along with the bottled minced garlic and dried parsley (if using).

5. Peel and quarter the onion and place the quarters in the processor bowl. Pulse until the onion is cut into very small pieces (but not soupy). Add the onions to the mixing bowl and stir to mix well.

6. Add the beef to the bowl and, using your hands, thoroughly combine the meat with the vegetable mixture.

7. Spray a large loaf pan (about 10 x 6 x 3 inches) with cooking oil spray. Spread the meat mixture evenly in the pan. Use the back of a spoon to spread the topping of choice evenly over the meat. Bake, uncovered, until cooked through, about one hour and 10 minutes. Let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Note: Because the fat is not drained off in this recipe, we suggest using ground beef that is at least 85 percent lean.

Mustard-Brown Sugar Topping

Ketchup Topping

Serves: 10 to 12
Prep time: 20 minutes

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 13- x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish and set it aside.

2. Cut the butter into four pieces, place them in a microwave-safe measuring cup or small dish, and cover it with a paper towel. Microwave on high power until melted, 45 seconds to one minute. Set aside.

3. Pour the lemon juice into a medium-size mixing bowl. Peel and core the apples. Cut them into bite-size chunks, adding them to the bowl as you cut and tossing them in the lemon juice. Add the granulated sugar and stir well. Set aside.

4. Mix the bread crumbs, butter, brown sugar, and apple pie spice together in a medium-size mixing bowl. Stir well.

5. Spoon half the apples into the baking dish. Top with half the crumbs. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

6. Bake, uncovered, until the apples are tender and the top is crisp and browned, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove the dish from the oven and allow the apple betty to cool for 15 minutes. Serve in small dessert bowls, topped with vanilla ice cream.

Copyright 2005 Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross.