Black Beans and Rice

I can't even remember where I first saw this recipe, it was in my old roommate's cookbook collection and I copied it down without noting the source. I believe it was originally referred to as "Moors and Christians" rice. At any rate, it's a great and super-easy use for the black beans my hubby has become so fond of! I have been known to toss in some mexican shredded cheese, mostly because we are cheeseheads :)

Black Beans & Rice

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1 can black beans (or 1 1/2 cups cooked dried beans)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups water (can also substitute chicken or vegetable stock if you like)
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp white pepper

Directions:

- Saute the onion and pepper in the olive oil with garlic, cumin and thyme just until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in beans, rice, tomatoes, water, salt and pepper. Heat to boiling.
- Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes.

Total Cost:
Olive Oil - $0.08
Onion - $0.30
Pepper - $0.30
Garlic - $0.03
Black Beans - $0.25 (from dried)
Diced Tomatoes - $0.85
Rice - $0.20
Seasonings - appx $0.15

Grand Total: $2.16 for 4 servings!

Basic Pancake Mix

I found this on Recipezaar.com and I will never buy another boxed mix again. I had to make a few small adjustments to the original recipe, since we like our pancakes a little thicker, but you can easily adjust the milk or flour amounts to your liking. I find it lends itself VERY easily to add-ins as well!

The original author also mentioned that you can pre-mix the dry ingredients and either store or give away as jarred mix gifts...another great and frugal gift idea :)

Basic Pancake Mix

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar (white or brown)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk (increase to 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups if you like thinner pancakes)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

Make a well in the center, and add the milk. Stir with a whisk until well blended and slightly thicker than your desired consistency.

Add eggs, vanilla, oil and any add-ins you like. Stir to combine well - you can add extra milk or flour at this point if you want to change the consistency at all.

Pour in 1/4 cup measures onto a hot griddle or pan. Cook until bubbly across the surface. Turn over and cook for an additional 45 seconds-1 minute. DO NOT TURN THEM AGAIN! (this makes pancakes rubbery!)

Total Cost:
Flour: $0.14
Sugar: $0.02
Baking Powder: $0.04
Salt: less than a penny
Milk: $0.12
Eggs: $0.24
Vanilla: $0.02
Oil: $0.06

Grand Total: $0.64 for about 8-10 large pancakes!

Italian Sausage Hawaiian

I love sweet italian sausages, but I get tired of using them in the same old pasta based dishes. I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com, and it instantly appealed - I love the mix of sweet and savory flavors! And since I often find canned pineapple on sale, this will be easy to mix up from the pantry.

Italian Sausage Hawaiian

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh sweet Italian sausage link
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 green pepper, julienned
1 onion, julienned
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 lb very thin spaghetti, or 1 cup rice

Directions:
- Remove sausage from casing, break into small pieces and saute until meat is done.
- Saute peppers and onions.
- Add tomatoes, can of pineapple to peppers, onions and meat.
- Cook for 15 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch with a little cold water and add to mixture.
- Meanwhile cook spaghetti or rice until done.
- Serve meat sauce over spaghetti or rice.

Total Cost:
Sausage - $2.00
Pineapple - $1.00
Pepper - $0.40
Onion - $0.30
Diced Tomatoes - $0.80
Rice - $0.40

Grand Total - $4.90 for 4 servings!

Cheesy Kielbasa Bake

I came across this recipe on Stumbling Along Faithfully, it originally comes from Allrecipes.com and is a FANTASTIC recipe for OAMC cooking! I regularly pick up Kielbasa at BOGO sales and I'm always looking for new ways to serve it. This is a nice, hearty dish that can be frozen in two 9X13 or four 8X8 pans depending on how many mouths you need to feed at a sitting.

Cheesy Kielbasa Bake

INGREDIENTS
1 box uncooked elbow macaroni
2 pounds kielbasa (Polish) sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onion, chopped
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 medium carrots, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:
- Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage in oil over medium heat. Add the onions, zucchini, carrots and garlic; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- In each of two greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dishes, layer a fourth of the macaroni and meat sauce. Combine the egg and ricotta cheese; spoon a fourth over sauce. Sprinkle with a fourth of the cheddar and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat the layers once more.
(I actually combined the macaroni and meat sauce together in a big bowl, and squished things down as I layered them)
- Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Uncover; bake 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve one casserole. Cool second casserole; cover and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake after freezing, thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Total Cost:
Macaroni - $1.00
Kielbasa - $4.20
Olive Oil - $0.30
Onions - $0.50
Zucchini - $1.00
Carrots - $0.30
Spaghetti Sauce - $1.00
Garlic - $0.15
Tomatoes - $0.80
Egg - $0.14
Ricotta cheese - $1.35
Cheddar cheese - $1.50
Mozzarella cheese - $1.50

Grand Total - $13.74 for 12-16 servings, $6.87 per 9X13 pan!

Pizza Braid

I came across this recipe thanks to Laura over at I'm an Organizing Junkie, awesome host of Menu Plan Monday! She gave this recipe a try and since we make pizza just about every week I was prompted to add it to my arsenal too.

The original recipe comes from Amy at The Finer Things in Life, and like many great recipes the filling can be adjusted to your own family's preferences! I love one of her reader's suggestions to make a Tex-Mex style braid and have included my ingredients list for that option as well. Don't be afraid to experiment! My adjustments are below, the original can be found at the title link.

Pizza Braid

Ingredients:

Filling (pizza option):
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 chopped green bell pepper
1 small can mushrooms
8 oz. tomato sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

Filling (Taco-style option):
1/2 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can drained diced tomatoes, or 1 cup salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 chopped green pepper
1/2 chopped red or yellow pepper
Can diced chiles (optional)
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Pizza dough (or use your favorite recipe!)

Directions:

{repare dough according to recipe. Place in a greased bowl and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. While dough is rising, brown ground beef in skillet; add veggies and other meats, then add seasonings and tomato sauce. Mix well. Set aside. Punch down risen dough. Roll dough into a rectangle on a greased cookie sheet. Spoon meat filling down the center of the dough. Top with cheese.

Cut 8 even slits from the filling out to the edge of the dough. (I use my pizza cutter to do this. Hint: for even strips, slice your middle strip first. Then slice the middle of the halves, then the middle of the quarters.)

Start at one end and criss cross the dough strips. Tuck the last strip under. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.


Total cost, Pizza option:
Pizza Dough - $0.94
Beef - $1.00
Onion - $0.15
Pepper - $0.30
Mushrooms: $0.40
Sauce: $0.25
Cheese - $1.50
Seasonings - $0.10

Total Cost, Mexican option:
Pizza Dough - $0.94
Beef - $1.00
Taco Seasoning - $0.25
Diced Tomatoes - $0.75
Corn - $0.25
Peppers - $0.60
Cheese - $1.50

Grand Total: Pizza, $4.64 Mexican: $5.29 for 6-8 servings!

Crockpot Beef Stew

Beef stew is one of those great, versatile recipes that you can make almost completely on the fly - as long as you have beef, broth and veggies on hand you can make it with whatever's already in the pantry! I like the subtle flavor that coffee adds to the broth but feel free to experiment with whatever tempts your tastebuds!

This stew tends to have a slightly thinner broth to it - if you prefer something a little thicker just add some cornstarch dissolved in water at the end of the cooking process!

Ingredients:

2-3 lbs cubed beef
1/4 cup flour
1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
1/2 Tbsp ground pepper
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1 Tbsp paprika
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
3-4 good sized carrots, peeled and sliced
1/2 to 1 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup brewed coffee (old coffee if possible)
1.5 cups beef broth

Directions:
- Combine flour, salt and pepper with beef in a bowl, coat beef thoroughly and transfer everything to the crockpot.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the crockpot
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 4-6 hours

Total Cost:
Beef: $4.00
Potatoes: $2.00
Carrots: $0.30
Onion - $0.30
Celery - $0.10
Beef broth - Free! (homemade!)
Coffee - Free!
Seasonings - $0.50

Grand total: $7.20 for 8-10 servings!

Orange-Apricot Pork Chops

This was another great find on Once a Month Mom - the original recipe hails from one of my personal favorites, A Year of Crockpotting and it translates well as either a fresh cooked meal or OAMC freezer stash.

You can find the pumped-up OAMC version (4 meals worth) in the April Printable Menu from Once a Month Mom...the individual recipes are in a scrollbar at the bottom of the document.

Orange-Apricot Pork Chops

Ingredients:
6 pork chops
1 cup apricot jam
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (and juice!)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine jam, sugar, salt and spices.

For fresh cooking:
Place pork chops in the crockpot, spoon jam mixture over the chops. Pour entire contents of mandarin oranges can (juice and all) over the top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.

For OAMC/Freezer prep:
Place pork chops and contents of mandarin oranges can together in a gallon freezer bag. Pour jam mixture into the bag. Seal and Freeze. To cook: thaw, then follow regular cooking directions as for fresh cooked.

Total Cost:
Pork Chops - $4.50
Jam - $1.00
Oranges - $0.50
Sugar - $0.20
Spices - $0.20

Grand Total - $6.40 for 6 servings - or $1.07 per serving!