Gourmet on a budget!

Some of the dishes I've put on here (such as the sushi platter) are dishes that require a considerable amount of cash to do unless you get a very good deal. Most people (myself included) don't have $70 to make one dinner with for four or more people. These next few dishes you can do with .















Here is an awesome chicken dish that tastes like something out of a fancy restaurant, but can come out of anyone's kitchen!

Pomegranate-Ginger Chicken over Lime-Ginger Rice with a Plum and Strawberry Sauce

For this recipe, I used chicken tenders.

The chicken is dredged in flour that has ginger, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper. Note: don't waste zip-top bags on this-- use plastic grocery bags! You can throw them out when you're done. The chicken is then seared in a skillet with about 1/4 inch of oil (any oil will do, just not peanut) with slices of ginger or powdered ginger to taste (at least 1 t). When the chicken is seared on both sides and you hear your pan making the "gah I need more oil heeeeelp!" popping noises, add 1 c of pomegranate juice. Yes, it will make lots of steam, but that's okay, you're not killing the pan. I like using Pom, it comes in pint-sized bottles and is usually a decent price. At this point, you can add even more ginger if you want, just be careful about it. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cover the pan, occasionally turning the chicken.

Rice: Any rice will do. Cook it as you normally would, just put 1/2 t powdered ginger per every cup of uncooked rice in the water before you start cooking. As it cooks, halve a lime and then quarter the halves. Note: if lemons are a better deal, use them instead. If the idea of big pieces of citrus fruit in your rice doesn't appeal to you, add 2 T lemon or lime juice instead. When the rice comes to a boil and you turn off the heat, add four pieces of lime per cup of uncooked rice. Cover it, and let it cook itself.















Plum-Strawberry Sauce: I got this recipe idea from http://madame.lefigaro.fr/cuisine/recettes/164-confiture-de-fraises-tuiles-aux-noix. The recipe is for a strawberry jam with walnut tuile. I switched out the half of the strawberries for two plums that we had in the house. The cost of the fruit shouldn't be too much of an issue because you will only need 1/2 c sliced strawberries and 2 sliced plums. Quick translation of the directions: For my version, you need 1/4 c water, 1/2 c sugar, and the fruits listed above. Add the sugar to the water and boil. When it boils, add the fruit and let it poach for 23 minutes (i turned the heat down to medium for this). Then turn off the heat.

To serve: Put 1/2c to 3/4 c cooked rice into a bowl per person, then place three pieces of chicken on each bowl. To the side of each bowl or in a family serving-thing, put the fruit sauce. You can either put the sauce directly on the chicken or dip the chicken into it. Your choice!!




















The drink is as follows: Divide up the unused pomegranate juice from the chicken recipe into glasses for everyone willing to try it, then add enough seltzer water or Sprite or club soda to go to the top of the glass. I didn't particularly like the Sprite flavor, but my mom thought it was pretty tasty. Garnish with a strawberry. I put some mint in there too for added awesomeness because I grow mint and had some on hand.

Now for something completely different!

Quick healthy food!















Yum! This one is about as simple as it can get, but it's great if you only have about 20-30 minutes to make something. Thinly slice enough carrot, celery, and potato for the people you are serving (I used one russet potato, one carrot, and one stick of celery for two people), and dice 1/4 onion for every 2 people you are serving. When steaks are on sale (in this case top round buy one get one free!), grab 1/2 lb per person. Grill the steaks to your preference and let it rest while you do the rest of the cooking. Sautee the carrot, celery, and onion in a pan with a small amount of oil (I used 1 T for the amount I made). Add garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. When the onions become translucent, put the veggies into a bowl for holding. Sautee the potatoes with paprika and garlic for about five minutes, then add 1 c water and simmer for five or until the potatoes are fork-tender. Slice the steak into 1/4 inch strips, and serve!

To serve: put 1/2 c potatoes into the bottom of a bowl, and put the steak and veggies on the table and let each person put what they want on their potatoes.
















Short Chef, signing out. Itadakimaaaaasu! (Translations at http://dict.regex.info/cgi-bin/j-e/dict ).