In Progress The struggle is real - Cooking contest

[RhazhBash]

Times are tough for a lot of people, and we're gonna have to look for somewhere to cut back on spending. Who knows how long it'll be before restaurant prices double and delivery fees triple.

Since a lot of people might have to start cooking their own meals soon, I decided I'd get everyone to share their favorite meals for surviving hard times. Find the meal that you could eat every day for the rest of your life if times get tough and try out everyone else's struggle meals. It could win you enough money to treat yourself to something nice.


Rules:

1. To enter this challenge, create a thread in Food and Recipes on Discord for your recipe. Post a link to this thread as a reply to this thread. Turns out you can't create a thread if the channel is a thread. Either post the recipe as a reply to this thread or post it in Food and Recipes and post a link to the message in this thread.
2. Make the recipe interesting to read. Cook the recipe, post pics of the process, and talk about what makes it economic.
3. Post recipes that can be made with ingredients available at the average western grocery store and appliance in the average western kitchen. People shouldn't need more than a trip to the grocery store to make it.
4. Only post recipes you came up with or put your own unique spin on. Don't post recipes from other sites.
5. Don't just submit. Try out the other recipes so you know which one to vote for.

Prizes:

Right now I'm giving 30 dollars to first place, and if we get at least 6 entries I'll throw in 15 for second place. Donations to the prize pool are welcome.

I'll accept entries until March 1st then we'll start voting on the winning recipe.

 

[RhazhBash]

I'm not entering but I'll start with a chicken and rice recipe I shared a while ago. What I made ended up being 6ish meals from 10 dollars worth of ingredients. This recipe is super customizable, and it's good for using up what's left in the fridge. I used leg quarters for it because I can get them for less than 2 dollars a pound, but any good meat for braising could work, or you could go beans only if you want.

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One twist you could try on the recipe is to add some hot peppers, diced tomatoes, and taco seasonings.

 

[Pixie Dimitri]

So time to add my submission into this, which is fun as I do enjoy cooking a lot and I do cook more Asian based meals due to easier to avoid my allergies, but will be adding optional toppings that others can have as while the base of the dish is very basic, you can add a lot to it and customise it to your liking really!

So I have an undying love of garlic, when a recipe tells me 2-3 cloves, I will always add 6 at least. I am in love with basic dishes which requires maybe 2 pans/1 pot & 1 pan, as I will admit I am lazy ahaha. Now what makes this dish economic is that while the recipe I will be providing has a few extra ingredients, the base of it only has 9 ingredients and a few most people will already have.

Base Ingredients:
- Pre-made noodles (any works though found friends prefer egg noodles and rice noodles)
- Butter
- 15-30 garlic cloves ( yes 30, as depends on who I am cooking for an how many)
- Fish sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Salt & Pepper
- White granulated sugar/honey (I prefer honey)
- Spring onion
- Grated cheese (something like parmesan though I use Pecorino Romano cheese as allergic to cow dairy)

For two people (as Lordy and I cook and eat together) it is $6-$9.50, so roughly $3-$4.75 per person. The base recipe is great own its own, though I do like to add extra as health requires me to have more stuff.

Extra Ingredients I will be adding:
- Mushrooms
- Broccoli
- Pre-cooked chicken

For two people it is roughly $6.25 – $9.50, which is roughly $3.10 – $4.75 per person.

So for a meal that can be kept in the fridge (I cook for an army I swear), the total all together is roughly $12.25 – $19.00 (per person is roughly $6.10 – $9.50)

All you need:
- Chopping board
- Knife
- 1 pot to cook the noodles
- 1 pan to cook the veg and mix the rest in after
- 1 Wooden spoon to mix with

Now you can be like me and mix the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar/honey and salt & pepper in a bowl while cooking everything up, but that is up to you!

Additional toppings can be a huge range of things! Say you don't want chicken, you can use a different meat, if you don't eat meat? Tofu or other veggies work! You like peanuts? Add them on top! ( I can't). Want an extra creamy sauce? Add an egg yolk! Hell you can have a fried egg on top! Want spice? Add chilli to it or chilli crisp on top!

With this recipe, you can change it to your liking as long as you keep the main ingredients the same and you can even do prep meals with the base and just change what you add in them for each day!!

 

[Acnologia]

Pizza for broke people:

Requisites:

• An air fryer
• Cheap sliced bread (wonderbread and derivatives work)
• Marinara sauce (pre packaged is ideal)
• Diced mozzarella
• Toppings of choice (cut up hot dogs for non vegetarians, bell peppers and onions for vegetarians)

Instructions:

1. Place bread in air fryer basket
2. Slather marinara sauce on the bread, a little goes a long way (a large amount makes the bread soggy after the cooking process)
3. Place toppings (cut your preferred toppings to size with a knife and a cutting board naturally) on the sauce
4. Put the cheese on the toppings, instead of under the toppings
5. Close the air fryer basket, cook for 7 minutes at 200C(392F or closest to it for Americans).
6. You now have a broke man's pizza.

Coming to price, all ingredients at full quantities cost me roughly 10 USD (the cheese is the most expensive for me). Varies per region. Per slice of pizza bread, it costs 0.4-0.6 USD. The air fryer is the important thing here, and often something that can cost a lot for people, but it's a good investment + the cheapest options can cost as little as 20 USD on discount.

Spoiler: FINAL PRODUCT

 

[cooldude42]

i made a pb&j it tastes really good

 

[Lordy]

My entrance is the Revolutionary proposition of Fried protein, Roast veg, Stewed carbs, tied together with a little dairy.

Grain bowl:​

Recipe for Two:

Couscous: 200g / 1 1/4 cups
2 Onion
4-6 cloves of Garlic
2 Carrot
1/2 Broccoli floret
2-4 Frozen fried chicken
6tbsp Soured Cream/Crème Fraîche/Yoghurt
4tbsp Herbs and/or Spices of choice
1 Chicken/Vegetable Stock cube/equivalent in 200ml of water
= Shopping cost came out to £5 ($6.80) for two people.

- Chop and slice your vegetables to finger size batons and toss with a little drizzle of oil and 2tbsp of the herbs you want. I went Italian here.
- Roast in the oven at 180°C/350°F for 25-30mins till tender (We like a lil char on our onions, add them 10mins after the carrots if you don't)

Spoiler: Veg

- Chuck the fried chicken in the oven cooked to package instructions. 15mins @ 180°C for me, if yours asks for a different temp then put above or below the veg as appropriate.

Spoiler: Chicken

- Make up the stock ready to have on hand quickly.

Spoiler: Quick Prep

- Slice or chop your garlic and throw into a pot on the stove with a little drizzle of oil on Med-high heat, stir for 30s then pour in the coucous stirring for another 30s. Pour in the stock and cook to packet instructions: Literally just turn off the heat and chuck a lid on in my case.

Spoiler: Couscous

- When the couscous is finished stir in the Dairy, saving some for topping the veggies.

Done in this order and with similar products you should get all parts completed at the same time with only two vessels to clean.​

- Plate up, dollop on your remaining dairy, and enjoy for ~£2.50 per person ($3.40)

---

This is one of those meals where nearly anything goes. Vegetarian? Use any protein including fried tofu, halloumi, beans, etc. Vegan? You know better than me what to do here why are you reading this. Got no couscous or grains but have rice? Cook away and perhaps steam the veg in a colander over the pot. Got Veg that needs using up? We've used nearly everything and are yet to find a vegetable that didn't rock it. Got some leftover meat? Same again, it'll work and taste good. Got the munchies and want to know if chipotle lamb works with roast celeriac and the leftover sweet-and-sour sauce rice from yesterday's takeaway? My Child of Christ it is your God given mission to let us know how it goes.
You name it, and this format takes it and makes it good with a healthy balance of Protein, Carbs, Fibre, & Fats and thus similarly a good balance of vitamins from the vegetables, Pair with fruit for desert and you've got the full set. Best of all, veg, grains, stock, and frozen meats are cheap as sin, I worked this pricing out at buying all of these ingredients in their individual prices, buying in bulk the things that'll keep longer like carrots, onions, and grains, garlic, herbs & spices and using leftovers where you have you'll find it an extremely frugal, filling, and delicious meal that's piss easy to make.

Pixie and I have had this many forms and varying ingredients, here's some that we can attest to:

Greek: Oregano, Basil, and pinch of Cinnamon and Garlic powder: Pan-seared Halloumi with Cucumber Yoghurt (Tzatziki), Carrots, Onions, and homegrown Tomatoes.
Moroccan: Bulgur wheat cooked with finely diced onion with the garlic, and Ras al Hanout spice mix (Store bought, otherwise simple - complex) and spinach stirred through at the end. Topped with Garlic Yoghurt and Sriracha.
Italian: Thyme, Oregano, Basil, touch of Rosemary: Adding Celery to veg mix, and sometimes switching out grains for Orzo topped with parmesan.
French: Herbes du Provence (Store or simple), works best with braised meats like beef, lamb, pork.
Chipotle: Cumin, Paprika, Chilli, switching in peppers and coriander (cilantro).

Examples with images (click cause it wasn't loading the pics lol:
Greek Style
Mexican
Moroccan
Mushroom and Mackerel
Italian w/Harissa
Our favourite is Moroccan, the warm spices match the roasting and crispy breading gorgeously, but you use what you've got and match the herbs/spices and you'll see why this my lazy struggle meal entry.