Cheap Eats

I've been both amazed and repelled by all the posts and articles I've read lately about how to feed your family on next to nothing. One of my favorite blogs asked readers to comment on their favorite cheap meals. Wow! These ladies don't mess around--one Mom feeds her family of four for less than $8.50 a meal. Another made dinner for two for $7.38. Both cooked meals from scratch. Yum!

What kind of grossed me out and yet fascinated me at the same time were the "recipes" or "meals" that consisted entirely of packaged or processed foods. Some call them "pantry staples." Full disclosure: our pantry has quite a few of these staples (Uncle Ben's Wild Rice Pilaf, Cornbread Mix, etc.) so I'm not knocking them altogether. But a whole menu of canned/boxed food? Hmm. For example, the dinner made up of 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans, and 1 can of meat or meatless chili. Heat in a pan and serve. Doctor it up with spices if necessary. Hmm. Or this one: Top Ramen cooked with only a little bit of water and add a can of Pork-n-Beans at the end. OMG.

So here is my "quick-scratch" contribution to eating in these lean times (and what we had for dinner last night):

Easy Chinese Chicken Pasta Salad

Leftover boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh meat, shredded or sliced (1 - 2 cups or whatever you have)
1 green onion, finely chopped
1/2 head iceberg or romaine lettuce, shredded
2 ribs of celery, sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
Leftover cooked pasta (regular or whole wheat, any shape, about 2 cups or whatever you have; I have used penne, rotini and thin spaghetti)
Chow Mein Noodles (ie. La Choy)

Dressing:
4 tsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/8 tsp pepper

1. In a bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
2. Toss chicken, pasta and all vegetables together with the dressing. Add a few handfuls of chow mein noodles on top. Best if served immediately. (**If you are serving the salad much later, you can leave out the lettuce and chow mein noodles and add them right before serving to keep them crisp**).

Makes about 6 servings, can be stretched by adding more pasta and lettuce. Since I buy most of my produce at Costco, this meal is really economical. For example, 6 heads of romaine for $3! Enough celery for a month for about the same price. About $1.50 worth of carrots, green onion and cucumber combined. And I always have these particular Asian ingredients on hand anyway, so I didn't have to go out of my way for them and they seem to last forever in my fridge. Definitely a yummy cheap meal!

*Variations: You can add/omit vegetables based on what's in your fridge. For example, I think it would look/taste really great with some red bell pepper strips or mandarin oranges. You can omit the pasta if you don't like/have any. You can substitute roasted cashews or friend wonton strips instead of chow mein noodles.

Recipe adapted from a much more involved one in Every Grain of Rice by Ellen Blonder & Annabel Low