Sliced Steak with Pureed Turnips and Toasted Quinoa Serves 4 Note: When buying turnips, select the smaller ones. They are not only sweeter but also a whole lot easier to peel and dice before boiling. And the quinoa (a protein-packed grain, BTW) is actually crunchy as this recipe requires only a small amount of water[…]
Hot Crab Dip with Old Bay Seasoning
Hot Crab Dip with Old Bay Seasoning Serves 10 Ingredients: 8 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened – $2.19 3 scallions (about ¼ cup), chopped fine – $0.99 ½ of a red bell pepper (2/3 cup) , chopped – $1.07 a heaping ½ cup grated Monterey Jack cheese – $1.09 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese –[…]
Mango-Cilantro Chutney
Mango-Cilantro Chutney Makes about 8-oz Ingredients: 1 large bunch fresh cilantro – $1.99 1 large jalapeno, seeded – $.69 1 mango – $2.50 Juice of 1 lemon – $.25 1 teaspoon salt – stock 2 teaspoons sugar – stock 2 tablespoons water – stock Grand total assuming well-stocked kitchen: $5.43 Directions: 1. Rinse the cilantro[…]
Classic Chickpea Hummus
Classic Chickpea Hummus Makes about a pint Slightly adapted from Simply.Food Ingredients: 15-oz can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed – $1.29 1 clove garlic – stock 2 tablespoons water – stock 1 tablespoon olive oil – stock 3 teaspoons tahini (sesame seed paste) – $4.79 2 teaspoons lime juice – $0.59 Freshly[…]
Peach and Mozzarella Paninis with a Fig-Shallot Tapenade
Peach and Mozzarella Paninis with a Fig-Shallot Tapenade Makes 4 sandwiches (with leftover tapenade) Ingredients for the Tapenade: 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter – stock 3 shallots, minced finely or pulsed in a food processor – $2.49 1 teaspoon sugar – stock Salt & pepper – stock 6-7 fresh figs, finely diced or pulsed in a[…]
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Dip with Fresh Basil
Roasted Garlic and White Bean Dip with Fresh Basil Makes about a pint Ingredients: 1 head of garlic – stock 19-oz can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed – $1.39 6-8 medium-size fresh basil leaves – $2.50 Plenty of freshly ground black pepper – stock ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus some for brushing[…]
Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Healthier Spinach and Artichoke Dip Serves 8-10 Ingredients: 5-oz clamshell of fresh baby spinach – $3.00 8-oz block of reduced fat cream cheese, softened to room temp – $1.69 1 cup (8-oz) fat-free plain yogurt – $1.78 1½ cups part skim mozzarella, shredded – $2.79 14-oz can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped – $2.99[…]
Homemade Mixed Berry Jam
Mariel here. As my mother elucidated in her post earlier this week, we’ll be hosting one of my best friend’s bridal showers this coming Saturday. Since my mom is a specialist in afternoon teas, we decided to stay the course and drum up an array of dainty, midday nibbles. While mommy dearest is far more[…]
Chile Con Queso aka Tex-Mex Style Nacho Cheese Dip
Mary Anne here. Super Bowl Sunday is upon us, and this year I may actually watch the game as my New York Giants tackle the New England Patriots! Usually it’s all about the grub…and the commercials. My cheering section of the Ellicott-Rittenhouse team plans to keep up our spirits no matter what happens on the[…]
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella
Sun-Dried Tomato Caprese with Smoked Mozzarella Tip: You can prepare this up to 2 days before. Bring the tomato mixture back to room temperature before serving. Store the toasted baguette rounds in a sealed plastic container. Serves 10 Ingredients: 4 ozs. sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil – $2.49 2 cloves garlic, minced – stock 1[…]
Spinach-Ricotta Spread on Crispy Parmesan Squares
I’ve become a serious deadbeat in the kitchen. Apparently my culinary inspiration has gone the way of the Walkman and every week I scratch my head over what to make for Feast. Stew Leonard’s prepared foods have become my new bestie – ditto for Progresso soups and frozen ravioli – and gone are the days[…]
Montrachet and Walnut Quesadillas with Apple, Fig, and Date Salsa
Mary Anne here. At Feast on the Cheap, we’ve written our fair share about enjoying breakfast for dinner. And Mariel realized recently that when I broke out the pancake batter for our night-time repast when she was just a little girl, it was more an act of…ummm…laziness, rather than altruistic, motherly benevolence. Busted by my brood,[…]
Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Pickled Onions – aka My New Favorite Burger Topping
Mariel here. So judging by the calendar, this past weekend marked your 437th “woo summer 2011!” backyard BBQ. I have a feeling I could extrude pure mayonnaise from your arteries or butter a dinner roll with your forehead. Let’s lighten things up, shall we? August seems to herald the unofficial crescendo of gloopy pasta salads[…]
Shrimp Po’ Boys with a Spicy-Sweet Remoulade
Mary Anne here. It would seem we’re on a sandwich roll here – get it? Oh whatever. From Mariel’s Crispy Chicken, Fried Egg and Prosciutto Sammie and my Classic Lobster Roll to these ridiculously rich Open-Faced Peach and Prosciutto with Brie and Arugula Sandwiches, we could practically open a deli! Thanks to the steamy temps outside, I[…]
Puff Pastry Bites with Stilton, Fig Jam, and Candy-Glazed Walnuts
Mary Anne here. Living in the Northeast, this wickedly wild winter left me wanting to hibernate. And while our spring has certainly had its fair share of dark and dreary days, we’ve also enjoyed intermittent bouts of sunshine and warmth. I am SO ready for real spring weather that I’m determined to dust off the[…]
Roasted Tomato Salsa with Fresh Cilantro and Tomatillos
Mariel here. I don’t have to tell you that fresh salsa beats the pants off the jarred stuff, so I won’t get into some long-winded explanation as to why I whipped this up. But I will tell you this: a) I was inspired by a delicious-looking Salsa Verde over at Mommie Cooks! b) this is[…]
Cranberry Pear Sauce
Mariel here. Thanks to my love affair with Costco, I had a jumbo bag of cranberries hanging out in my fridge – taking up space, weighing down my crisper drawer. Cranberries are for Thanksgiving, so once the holiday comes and goes, what on earth are you supposed to do with any leftovers? Has anyone ever[…]
Smoked Salmon Challah Bites
Mary Anne here. As I’ve mentioned before, the Ellicott clan was raised in a Christian-Judeo household. We were confirmed Catholics but our step-dad, George, was a devout Jew. And as he embraced our Christmas and Easter traditions with all the enthusiasm of an excited toddler, we honored his religious holidays as well – and none[…]
Roasted Veggie Sandwiches with Sweet Herbed Ricotta
Mariel here. By now I should be a pie crust whiz. Between my mom’s one-on-one training and our joint video demonstration – not to mention the hours I’ve spent fixing my own botched crusts – I’ve had a good deal of practice. That being said, unless I’m making a delicious dessert pie, I’d rather leave[…]
Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish
Jalapeno Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish Makes 18 fritters Ingredients for Sweet Pepper Pineapple Relish: ¼ cup sweet onion – $0.89 2 ½ cups fresh or canned pineapple. If you use canned, opt for the type in natural juices – $2.39 1 small red bell pepper – $1.22 ¼ cup fresh cilantro –[…]