Tag Archives: Less than 5

Comfort food, Informative, Less than 5, Main Dishes

Country Style BBQ Ribs

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What meat-eater doesn’t love ribs? I mean really, isn’t it just so satisfying to take a hunk of meat and bone and gnaw on it? Dripping BBQ sauce all over your hands and face and maybe other table mates, it is such a throwback to our caveman roots.

Summertime and grilling ribs go hand-in-hand. Unfortunately, ribs and my bank account staying full are not quite as cozy. A full rack of baby backs can run over $30, even at the grocery store. And if you order it already cooked in a restaurant with two people, the meal total can creep up towards triple digits.

While in the meat section of the grocery store, I came across a marked-down package marked “country style ribs”. Remembering these beauties from childhood, I decided to cook these up the way I remember them. My mom always cooked them this way, and they are fall-off-the-bone amazing. This lead me to question why there is such a disconnect between the different rib types.

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Thanks to AmazingRibs.com, I know more about pigs than I ever wanted to, and I even wrote an article about the different cuts of a pig before. The text following is from their website:

“Pigs have 14 rib bones. They are attached to the spine and are usually divided into four popular cuts: Baby back ribs, spareribs, St. Louis cut ribs, and rib tips. Starting at the top are the baby backs, closest to the backbone, nestled beneath the loin muscle. They are curved, round bones, close together, and most of the meat is on top of the bones, cut from the underside of loin muscle.

As you move further from the spine, the bones get larger, flatter, straighter, and wider apart with more meat between them. There is more fat marbling in the meat as you go further from the spine and closer to the belly. The front ribs are connected to the breast bone with a number of small bones and cartilage known as the rib tips. There are a number of other cuts, and they are all described below.”

pork cuts

As it turns out, Country-style ribs are not really ribs at all! They are actually pork chops, more meaty and less fatty than real ribs. They are cut from the front end of the baby backs near the shoulder. They respond well to brining before low and slow cooking. This is good news, because that is similar to how I cooked them.

Now, if you are thinking to yourself, “but I want ribs tonight, like now, I don’t want to have to wait to brine them!”

Have no fear! We skip the long 24-hour-brine and instead boil them in water with some vinegar added. This imitates the long brine in a much shorter time window. Finishing on the grill gives them the nice crispy outside char, and waiting to add sauce until the last minute ensures that the sauce is caramelized but not burnt.

Best of all, this is only 3 ingredients! (If you use store-bought sauce. I still think making your own is better, but that requires another 9-10 ingredients (which you probably have already)).

Ingredients:

  • 5-7 pounds country style ribs
  • 1-2 cups BBQ sauce (I recommend sweet & tangy homemade)
  • 1 gallon water
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar

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Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the vinegar. Throw in the ribs, and boil about 15 minutes.

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Step 2: Drain the ribs, and fire up the grill. Once it’s nice and hot, line with aluminum foil (to prevent sticking, you can also spray the grill with oil before lighting and go right on the grate) and place the ribs on top. Close and cook 5-7 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes.

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Step 3: Once nicely browned, coat thoroughly in sauce. Cover & cook again for just a few more minutes to caramelize the sugars.

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Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Then try to hold yourself back from eating a dozen at a time! Goes great with BBQ Bacon Baked Beans, mashed cauliflower potatoes, and Italian cucumber & tomato salad.

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Next time you have a picnic, party, or craving for something finger-lickin good, make up a few dozen of these and everyone is sure to be pleased.

 

Fish, Healthy, Main Dishes

Pistachio-crusted baked salmon

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You may have heard that nuts of all kinds are good for you, in small amounts. They all contain healthy protein, and some level of good fats. A personal favorite since I was a kid, pistachios are a great choice. Grown in bunches on bushy trees, pistachios are available year round.

Regular consumption of pistachios in the diet helps to lower total as well as bad LDL cholesterol and increases good HDL cholesterol levels within the blood. They are a part of the Mediterranean diet, which is high in heart-healthy fats such as olive oil and avocado, as well as vegetable-heavy and fish friendly.

Research studies suggest that Mediterranean diet that is rich in dietary-fiber, mono-unsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidants help to prevent coronary artery disease and strokes by favoring healthy blood lipid profile. Pistachios also contain many antioxidants, carotenes, multiple minerals, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

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Though a good thing, you can get too much. They contain about 550 calories per 100 grams, so as with most good things you need to exercise restraint. A tough task indeed when you have a bowl for shells and a bag of nuts. I know I’ve looked down to see a pile of shells much larger than I thought possible many a time.

While I love pistachios plain in the shell, I also love combining multiple heart-healthy options into a tasty health bonanza. What could be more heart-healthy than a salmon fillet?! With tons of omega-3 fatty acids and protein of its own, salmon is one of my favorite types of fish to cook and eat. Since I also already had pistachios lying about, they seemed a natural match.

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And since I have just done a post about sweet Brown Sugar & Maple Apple Glazed Salmon, this recipe will take the fish in the savory direction.

Ingredients:

  • 2 4-oz salmon fillets
  • 1/4 cup crushed pistachios
  • 1/3 cup bread crumbs
  • 2 tbsp plain yogurt (or mayo)
  • Cooking oil

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Step 1: Shell and crush the pistachios. I put them in a plastic bag and slammed them with my rolling pin. Put on a flat plate with the bread crumbs. You could use crushed crackers or flour here too.

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Step 2: Smear 1 tbsp yogurt onto each fillet. Don’t be afraid to get messy and use your hands.

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Step 3: Place the yogurt-smeared side down on the nut and bread mixture and press. This creates the crunchy coating on the fish. The yogurt helps keep the moisture in while the nuts give it texture and great flavor.

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Step 4: Spray an oven-safe baking pan with cooking oil, and place the fillets inside. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until fish is light pink and flakes easily with a fork.

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The fish cooks up nice and juicy, with just a hint of nutty flavor and a crisp outer coating. You can use a beaten egg or milk or mayonnaise in place of yogurt, and other types of nuts, or none at all if you have allergies.

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As you can see, I served mine with a baked potato and sweetly addictive and stunningly easy Mexican street corn.

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So do your heart and your taste buds a favor, and cook this up for dinner soon!

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Finances, Informative, Less than 5

Meals Under $5

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We all experience some times where we are on a tight budget. Maybe that time is only during college, and you are lucky enough to get a good-paying job with degree in hand. Maybe that time is during the holidays, when food budgets are stretched with all the family get-togethers and parties. Maybe that time is your whole life. Maybe you have plenty of cash to spare, but want to use it for things other than extravagant meals.

Whatever the case, making a frugal meal definitely does not have to be tasteless and boring!

With my “Less Than 5” category, I am aiming to create and share recipes which take less than $5, less than 5 minutes to make, and/or less than 5 ingredients. Bonus points for me if all three apply!

I will update this post periodically as I continue to add more “Less Than 5” recipes. This one will be specific to meals which will cost less than $5 per serving. So if you only have a few dollars in your pocket, you are better off reading these recipes and heading to the grocery store than blowing it all at once on a dollar menu. These recipes will (mostly) be filling and somewhat healthy for pennies a plate.

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First let’s get the classic budget recipes in a list:

  • Peanut butter & jelly sandwich
  • Macaroni & cheese (though with the price of cheese soaring, I don’t know about homemade mac n cheese anymore)
  • Ramen noodles
  • Beans & Rice
  • Tuna salad sandwich

Now these are a little bit more creative:

Do you have any recipe ideas that are less than $5? Please share in the comments!

Healthy, Less than 5, Soups, Vegetarian

Less than 5: Quick Miso Soup

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I am a huge fan of most all Japanese foods, especially sushi. As evidenced from my ill-fated attempts at Salmon Nigiri and Lazy Won-Ton Soup, I am by no means a Japanese chef. But I do try, so I feel like I get some credit for that.

This is my super fast and easy imitation miso soup. Keep in mind I had no miso paste, which kinda makes the soup… so if you do, add that! If not, this is sort of close. You will need some specialized ingredients, but honestly most common grocery stores like King Soopers are now carrying similar items in their “ethnic” section.

Ingredients:

  • 1 bunch scallions
  • 1 tbsp duck paste (you can use chicken bouillon too)
  • 2-3 sheets seaweed
  • 1/2 block tofu
  • Optional: 1 pack ramen noodles

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Step 1: Slice the tofu into small squares. Cut the seaweed into strips. Slice all the green part of the scallions diagonally.

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Step 2: Bring the water to a boil and stir in the duck paste or chicken bouillon. Add the scallions, seaweed, and tofu. And that’s it!

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This soup is delightfully salty and packs a heavy umami punch.

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Add some glass or ramen noodles for extra filling power. You can have this soup as an appetizer, part of a light lunch, or as a whole meal. Quite healthy, if you’re ok with a high-ish sodium content… you can omit the bouillon but the taste will suffer.

Side dishes

Less than 5: Spanish Rice

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This Less Than Five post will be the all-around qualifier: it takes less than 5 ingredients, less than $5, and less than 5 minutes (if you don’t count inactive cook time). 

When I have an idea for the main dish but need a quick side, rice is always my first thought. Rice is so versatile, you can put almost anything in it and it will taste great. And since I got my new rice cooker, I eat rice at least 3 days a week because it is so easy!

Even if you don’t have a rice cooker, rice is super simple to make. 

Stove top: Put 1/2 cup rice and 1 1/2 cup liquid in a pan, heat to boiling. You could use water, broth, tomato sauce, juice, whatever you want. Add any fresh or frozen vegetables too. Lower to simmer, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!
Microwave: Put 1/2 cup rice and 1 1/2 cup liquid in a microwave-safe bowl with plenty of room for the rice to boil. You could use water, broth, tomato sauce, juice, whatever you want. Add any fresh or frozen vegetables too. Microwave for 15-20 minutes on high, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Fluff and enjoy!

Now, for this spanish rice I cheated a little and used a boxed mix because it was on sale for $0.73. You could also use a tbsp chili powder and a small can of tomato sauce for about the same price and taste.

Rice: Bought on sale with spices included. = $0.73
Can of corn: On sale 2 for $1, one for $0.50. = $0.50
Can of diced tomatoes: Usual price is $0.69. = $0.69
Total: $1.92 for about 5 servings = $0.38 per serving!

Ingredients:
1 box Spanish Rice mix
(Or 1 cup rice, 1 small can tomato sauce, 1 tbsp chili powder)
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomato
1 cup water

Step 1: Spray the rice pot lining, combine all ingredients. Don’t drain the corn or tomatoes, the juice adds extra flavor.

Step 2: Turn the rice cooker on and let cook for ~20 minutes. Or use one of the above cooking methods.

Step 3: Serve and enjoy. I made chicken legs to go with my rice. But this would be delightful in a taco or burrito, as a side to enchiladas, baked into a frittata, or on its own as a vegetarian meal.


What’s your favorite easy side dish?

 

Less than 5, Main Dishes, Vegetarian

Peanut butter, banana and Nutella sandwich

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This was a spur of the moment creation while packing for a hiking trip. We were attempting a 14-er (peak higher than 14,000 feet) and it would be a 5-7 hour climb round trip. When I do long hikes I like more than just a few granola bars and trail mix.
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So I made a peanut butter sandwich, then noticed a banana on the counter about to go bad. Sliced that guy up and added it on top of the Jif. Then I remembered I had bought Nutella a few weeks before and it was in the refrigerator still, so that was the finishing touch on this buttery, peanutty, fruity delight.
Ingredients:
  • 2 slices wheat bread
  • 1 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2/3 banana, sliced
  • 1 tbsp Nutella spread
Step 1: Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread. Spread the Nutella on the other. Slice up the banana, and layer the slices on the bread. Sandwich together. Enjoy immediately, or pack up in a baggie or Tupperware for later.

It was gooey, filling and delicious. Even after being smashed in a backpack with 2 water bottles for 3 hours.

Might I suggest honey if you don’t have Nutella, or a semi-melted chocolate bar. Maybe try some marshmallow fluff instead of the peanut butter if you’re allergic to nuts. I bet peaches or pears would work well too, sliced thinly. I might need to go try all these combos now…