Easy Chicken Pad Thai Serves 4 Ingredients for the Sauce: 2 TBS sesame oil – stock 4 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce – stock 1 Tablespoon sriracha – stock 3 Tablespoons lime juice – stock 3 Tablespoons brown sugar – stock 2 Tablespoons fish sauce – stock Ingredients for the Pad Thai: 8 oz. flat rice[…]
Sesame-Miso Asian Beef Tacos with Quick-Pickled Peaches & Red Onion
Sesame-Miso Asian Beef Tacos with Quick-Pickled Peaches & Red Onion Serves 4 Adapted from a recipe in Better Homes & Gardens Ingredients for the Pickles: ½-cup white vinegar – stock ¼-cup sugar – stock ¾-teaspoon salt – stock 1 ripe peach, sliced – $1.75 ½ medium red onion, sliced very thinly – $0.69 Ingredients for[…]
Asian Turkey Meatballs with a Tropical Peanut Dipping Sauce
Asian Turkey Meatballs with a Tropical Peanut Dipping Sauce Makes about 10-12 meatballs and a ½-cup of sauce Ingredients for the meatballs: 1 lb. of ground turkey – $4.79 1 bunch of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, divided – $1.99 ½ of a carrot, grated – $0.80 1½ Tablespoons of fresh ginger, peeled and grated –[…]
Thai Lamb Meatballs with Coconut Red Curry
Thai Lamb Meatballs with Coconut Red Curry Makes 16-18 golfball-size meatballs Serves 4 as an entree Adapted from PicNic Ingredients for the Meatballs: 1-1½ lbs ground lamb – $7.99 4 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste – $2.49 2 Tablespoons breadcrumbs – stock 1½ Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped finely + extra for garnish – $.89 1[…]
Sweet & Savory Asian-style Pulled Pork
Sweet & Savory Asian-Style Pulled Pork Serves 8 Inspired by Dessert Before Dinner Dry Rub Ingredients: ½-Tablespoon Chinese Five Spice – $2.26 Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper – stock ½-Tablespoon kosher salt – stock ½-Tablespoon packed brown sugar – stock 1 teaspoon ground ginger – stock 5lb bone-in pork shoulder – $10.51 Ingredients[…]
Cold Sesame Noodles
Cold Sesame Noodles Serves 2 to 3 Adapted from Saveur Ingredients: ½ lb whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente, according to package directions (soba noodles also work, but I find they have a slightly bitter after-taste that’s distracting) – $2.19 4 Tablespoons sesame oil, divided – stock 2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce – stock 1[…]
Curried Pork Potstickers with Soy-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Mariel here. Many moons ago, my husband and I spent an incredible year living in Hong Kong. We were in our mid-20s, unmarried and unmoored from all those wonderful anchors of adulthood. Feeling restless and in search of adventure, we both decided to part with our jobs and experience life away from the east coast,[…]
Lettuce Wraps Stuffed with Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry
Mary Anne here. This past weekend, when I ran into an old friend at the supermarket, he casually asked if I had stopped creating new recipes for Feast and was simply overseeing Mariel’s work. I literally stopped dead in my tracks. Two things struck me about the comment: first, I would never stop cooking, and[…]
Soy-Glazed Black Sesame Shrimp with Soba Noodles
Mariel here. Notice anything different around here? A little more color maybe? Some fancy new fonts? An entirely new design? You better, we just sunk a decent-size chunk of change into refreshing our beloved Feast on the Cheap. It’s official, we’re coming for you Contessa, hold on to your macramé Martha, and Paula, you’re fine[…]
Tummy Taming Stir-Fried Ginger Chicken with Leeks
Mary Anne here. By now you know I love a good deal and recently, whole chicken breasts were on extra-super sale at my local market. Thanks to the generous grocery gods, I was able to create this dish at an amazing 88 cents per serving! A word to the wise and frugal – post this[…]
Michael’s Cajun Shrimp with Quinoa
Mary Anne here. My “significant other,” Michael, knows his way around a kitchen. When we first started dating, he actually tried to boss me around, certain that I was inept in his domain. While this preposterous notion tickled me to no end, in truth, he really is quite an accomplished home-cook and, on those nights[…]
Steve’s Sticky-Sweet Orange Chicken
Mary Anne here. When I posted my brother Stephen’s Spare Ribs recipe, I mentioned that when the Ellicotts get together for family reunions, we really know how to “throw down.” And this past week was no exception. Steve and I – along with our 85-year-old mom (and frequent Feast on the Cheap star) – packed[…]
Hoisin Chicken
Hoisin Chicken Serves 8 Ingredients: 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes – $5.98 ¼ cup cooking sherry – stock 2 Tablespoons corn starch – stock 1 Teaspoon salt – salt ½ Teaspoon sugar – stock 4 Tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil – stock 1 cup sliced mushrooms – $1.98 1 green[…]
Out-of-the-Kitchen Asian Noodles
Mary Anne here. Ahh! It’s Labor Day! How is this possible? I feel like I only just wrote our Memorial Day menu. I knew the summer was swishing by in a seemingly endless downpour of rain, but to wake up this morning and realize that the last official weekend of summer is upon us –[…]
Thai Lettuce Wraps
Mariel here. This is probably one of the most summer-friendly dinners out there. While it requires a good deal of chopping – not my favorite pastime – it’s totally worth the somewhat annoying prep. And cooking takes about 7 minutes which is always a good thing when you live in a tiny apartment that gets[…]
Soy-Marinated Chinese-Style Tilapia with Fresh Ginger and Scallions
Mariel here. I’ve never been a huge fan of Chinese takeout. Too greasy, too slick, feels too much like lead in my stomach. However, that changed when I lived in Hong Kong for a year. Having skipped good old NYC in favor of the exotic Orient, it was time to bone up on the many[…]
Veggie Soba Noodles
Mary Anne here. I used authentic Yakisoba Noodles for this recipe and I served these delicious noodles alongside a Thai Spinach and Mango Salad, and Miso Cod. Yakisoba noodles cost 1.99/8 oz. package, but you can certainly use regular pasta like Vermicelli or thick spaghetti to cut costs even further! This was a particularly rewarding[…]
Fried Rice with Shrimp and Pancetta
Serves 6 Mary Anne here. This reheats beautifully for leftovers, although my host scarfed it down before anyone else could! Ingredients: 3 Tablespoons Peanut oil, divided – $4.49 3 large eggs, lightly beaten – from stock 1/3 lb. Pancetta, trimmed and diced (from one chunk) – $3.60 1 cup scallions, diced (including green tops) – $.45 *Plus 1 or 2 extra[…]
Thai Spinach Salad with Mango & Avocado
Serves 6 Ingredients: 1 8oz. bag organic baby spinach – $3.99 1 large, ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin slices – $1.50 2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced – $2.58 ½ red bell pepper, julienned (narrow slices) – $0.39 3 Tablespoons dry roasted peanuts, chopped – $2.49 *Note: See Mango Salsa and Guacamole recipes for how[…]
Well-Stocked, The Asian Edition
Mary Anne here. Last weekend I was lucky enough to spend time with close friends at their cozy lakefront cabin in Pennsylvania. Under normal circumstances, as a guest, I would have shown my appreciation by treating my hosts to dinner at a lovely restaurant. But given the state of my own economy, I instead offered[…]