Tonight’s Recipe comes from Alisa of One Frugal Foodie! She shares a Vegan/Vegetarian (optional), Dairy-Free, Soy-Free (use a chickpea miso), Gluten-Free, Peanut-Free recipe tonight!

Alisa blogs at One Frugal Foodie with a focus on using whole foods to create inexpensive, healthy recipes. She is also the founder of Go Dairy Free , the website, and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook. She currently resides in beautiful Lake Tahoe – okay, not actually in the lake, but next to it!

Ingredients
1 Teaspoon Grapeseed or Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
3 Cups Chicken Broth or Chicken-Flavored Vegetarian Broth*
¾ lb Potatoes, diced into ½ inch cubes (I used red potatoes, skin and all, but Yukon Gold would be beautiful in this)
¼ Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Tablespoon Cashew Butter (optional, but a nice addition for flavor and texture)
1 Tablespoon Light Miso**
1 Teaspoon Dried or Fresh Chives
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Directions
1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and sauté until fragrant, just 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add in the broth, potatoes, and onion powder, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low again, cover and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until those potatoes are nice and tender.
3. Place the soup and potatoes in your blender (may need to do this in two batches) along with the cashew butter and miso. You may want to let it cool for a few minutes, and make sure you secure the lid as you puree the soup until it is nice and smooth (lest some of that hot liquid go flying!).
4. Return the soup to the pot, add the chives and black pepper to taste, and heat it to your desired temperature.
5. Serve topped with wonton strips or your favorite crumbled crackers. I used some wonderful flour tortilla strips (not unlike wonton strips) that were leftover from a dinner out.

* If you are watching your sodium, feel free to used reduced-sodium broth, I tested with regular though.

**Miso is sold in the refrigerated section of many grocers and Asian markets. I buy a sizable tub for around $3.50 at Whole Foods, and it lasts quite a while. It keeps for around 6 months (I believe) once opened, so it easily fits on the convenient frugal foodie list, and adds a nice jolt of salty flavor. You can get several different types of misos, but a light soy miso or chickpea miso is what I would recommend for this one.

Yields: 2 Servings

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Tonight’s guest recipe comes from Susie at Susie’s Homemade.  She is a thriving stay-at-home mom of two wonderful girls (5 and 19) and a caretaker of my 67 year old live-in mother. On her blog, Susie’s Homemade, she shares her adventures in baking, cooking, gardening, homemaking and entertaining.

Ingredients
1 lbs Chicken Breast
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter
2 Garlic Cloves, minced or crushed
2 cups of Water
1 Can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Can (10 3/4 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cups of Instant Rice
1 cup Frozen Peas

Directions
1. Pound chicken flat and season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil, butter, and garlic to a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until you get a golden brown color in the garlic. Add chicken and cook until the chicken is also golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Cook until no longer pink in the middle. Set cooked chicken on a plate.
3. Deglaze the pan with the water. Whisk in the soups and heat to a boil.
4. Stir in rice and peas and top with chicken.
5. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
7. Serve Garlic Chicken over Creamy Risotto and Peas.

Serves 4.

Get the soups on sale and this meal is sure to be under $5!

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Janice shares her favorite “Poor Man’s Stoup” recipe with us tonight!  What a fantastic and filling meal!

And if you’re looking to save a little extra on ground beef, there’s a new coupon available..details here!

Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef or chuck (sausage or chicken works well too) ($1.50)
Carrots (from the garden)
Celery ($.20)
Onions (from the garden)
Beef stock (2 cans)/also works with chicken stock ($1.00 bought on sale for $.50 a can)
1 to 1 1/2 cups of rice ($.25)
Bay leaf, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper, terragon, sage ($.25)
1 can of cream of mushroom/chicken ($1.00-unfortunately not on sale)
dollop of sour cream ($.15)
parmesan (if desired) ($.10)

Directions
1. Brown hamburger in a stock pot. Drain, rinse and return to pot.
2. Add grated carrots, chopped onions, and chopped celery and let them sweat out until tender.
3. Add beef stock and bring to a boil.
4. Add rice (not cooked); 1 bay leaf, couple shakes of thyme, parsley, terragon, sage and salt and pepper, then turn down heat to simmer and let it cook until dinner time.
5. 10 min. before you eat, add the cream of mushroom/chicken, and the sour cream and parmesan. Give it just enough time to heat through, about 3-5 minutes.

Cost $4.45

Hint: You might have to occasionally add a little water here and there if it looks like it’s getting too thick.
Hint: This makes a TON of soup. We usually eat half, then I store the other half in the freezer for a day I don’t want to cook! Easy cheesy!

Enjoy this great one pot supper!!

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Tonight’s $5 Dinner Challenge meal comes from Melissa, who blogs at Mom’s Plans. She is currently working full time while raising two little ones.  Her goal is to learn to live on less, as they strive to make it possible for her to become a stay at home mom.

Ingredients
1 bag pita bread
1 cup spaghetti sauce
Favorite pizza toppings, such as pepperoni, ham and broccoli, ham and pineapple, sausage and green peppers…whatever!
1 slice mozzarella cheese for each pizza or shredded mozzarella cheese
Side salad

Directions
1. Cut the pitas in half to make open faces, and bake them in the oven at 350 for a few minutes, until they become crisp and start to curl in on the edges.
2. Spread spaghetti sauce on top and layer on whatever ingredients you have on hand. We put on sliced mozzarella, deli ham and blanched broccoli.
3. Cook at 350 for another few minutes, or until the cheese melts.
4. Serve Pita Bread Pizzas with Side salad or other favorite veggies to round out the meal!

Melissa’s Note: These taste like a thin crust pizza. My family prefers thicker crust pizza, so at the dinner table, we decided to fold each half over. We ended up with pita calzones that were tasty. This is a great way to use up leftovers!

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Tonight’s recipe comes from Jennifer!  She has a great recipe for a soup that serves 12!  For only $8!!!

Jennifer is a homeschooling mother of two who has been married to her husband for 16 years. She loves to write, blog, cook, craft, and spend time with her family. She blogs at For Such A Time As This.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 can green chiles
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 boxes of chicken broth (or you can use your own stock)
2 cans of great northern beans
2 bone in chicken breasts boiled and shredded
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Sour Cream, for garnish
Cilantro for garnish

Directions
1. Put oil in the bottom of soup pot.
2. Add onion. Cook until tender.
3. Add garlic and green chile. Cook for 1 minute. Stir so you don’t burn garlic!
4. Add cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir so as not to burn the garlic.
5. Add chicken broth and beans.
6. Add shredded chicken and 1 cup of the monterey jack cheese.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Let simmer on the stove for about 30 minutes. Then enjoy!
9. Garnish with fresh cilantro and sour cream. Add a pinchful of the remaining cheese to each bowl.

Cost $8.00 for 12, or just $.75/serving

Side dish suggestions: Fresh homemade baked bread, corn cobs or other favorite vegetable.

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Starting next week, I’ll start to highlight the $5 Dinners that you all have been making in your kitchens! You all have come up with some stellar meals, and I can’t wait to share them!!!

Ingredients
About 1 lb. ground chuck ($1.67) On sale this week for $1.67/lb!!!
1/2 yellow onion, chopped ($.15)
6 cups of water
1 cup pasta noodles ($.15) Still using up my $.50 boxes of pasta!
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($.59)
2 carrot sticks, peeled and diced ($.20)
1 celery stalk, diced ($.10)
1 green pepper, seeded and diced (from the garden)
1 red pepper, seeded and diced (from a friend’s garden!) Thanks!!!
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese ($.75) I omitted this part to keep the soup dairy free, but think it would be a great addition!
2 tsp Italian seasonings ($.10)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large butternut squash ($1.11) On sale for $.49/lb the other week!
1 mini French loaf ($.20) This is the last of my manager’s special loaf breads!
Butter and jam ($.20)

Directions
1. Cook butternut squash.
2. In a large saucepan, brown the ground chuck with the chopped onion. Drain and return to saucepan.
3. To the ground chuck, add water, diced tomatoes, diced carrots, diced celery, diced peppers, and the Italian seasonings. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, and then add the pasta. Cook for another 10-15 minutes and reduce heat to low until its time to serve. (Don’t let the soup “sit” too long on the stove, as the pasta will overcook and get mushy!)
4. Slice and warm bread and serve with butter and jam.
5. Serve Beefy Mac Soup with Butternut Squash and slices of French bread.

Cost $4.46 without the cheese, $5.21 with the cheese! 

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Thanks to those of you who sent your recipe ideas last week!  And it’s not too late…for more information on how to get your recipe featured on the $5 Dinner Challenge, click here.

Last week I stashed the chicken breasts that I bought for $1.79/lb into the freezer in different baggies with different marinades.  For tonight’s dinner, I just took the chicken out of the freezer and let it marinate while it thawed in the fridge.

Quick and simple!

Sorry no photo…camera fail…Err…operator fail…forgot to recharge the battery in time!

Ingredients
3 large or 4 small chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb.) ($2.24)
1 Tbsp olive oil ($.10)
2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning (free) Bought with $1 coupon when on sale for $1!
1 lb. green beans ($.99)
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
Homemade Rolls ($.50) Used this recipe with half white flour and half wheat flour. Baked them in regular size muffin tin.

Directions
1. Marinate the chicken breasts in the olive oil and lemon pepper seasonings for at least 2 hours in the fridge.
2. Grill or saute for 5-6 minutes per side, or until chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of the chicken breast.
3. In medium or large skillet, add the olive oil and turn on medium-high heat.  Add the green beans and saute for 4-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Prepare dough and bake homemade rolls.
5. Serve Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken with Green Beans and “Hot out of the oven” Rolls.

Cost $3.86

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With the baby coming in a few short weeks, followed by the release of the cookbook, I think this is the best time to turn the $5 Dinner Challenge over to YOU!

It’s time to highlight YOUR recipes each week.  If you’ve got a frugal family favorite meal…then we wanna know about it!

If you’d like for your recipe to appear as one of the featured recipes for the $5 Dinner Challenge, then please email the following:

1. Your first name

2. Bio Line: A 2-3 sentence blurb about yourself!

3. Website/Blog Name (if applicable…you do NOT have to have a blog to submit recipes!)

4. Recipe – Please include ingredients, directions, cost (you are not obligated to break it down by cost) and how many people it serves.

5. Photographs of your meal/recipe – If you have the photo stored online somewhere, the HTML would be great…if not, then attach the photo to the email.

Please email the necessary information to: 5dollardinnerchallenge (at) gmail (dot) com

Send over your recipes and I’ll begin highlighting a different recipe each week, starting in mid-October!!!

Please note…if you have a larger family or are feeding older children, please feel free to use “your own $$ amount”…whatever is a challenge for you!

Note: I will continue to post a Mr. Linky so that you can all enjoy each other’s recipes.

**Our dinner tonight…Tuna salad on toasted bread with bacon, lettuce and tomatoes.  Tuna was free!  Lettuce on sale. Tomatoes from the garden and used up the last of the bacon I had in the freezer.  And the Hubs had a slice of cheese, making his a “Tuna BLT Melt.”  Had some nectarines (found this morning on clearance) and cantaloupe.  Definitely under $5!
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When I got my Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker, I also got a few recipes to try out…and this is one of them. I made a few slight modifications…mainly, I used tomatoes from the garden and added in some chopped mini-onions from the garden as well.

Ingredients
About 2/3 cup chopped onion (from the garden)
4 garlic cloves, chopped ($.10)
6-8 small tomatoes (from the garden)
2 chicken breasts, diced ($2.11)
3 cups of rigatoni pasta ($.40) I used less than a box of my $.50 Barilla pasta from the past 2 weeks!
2 1/2 cups homemade chicken broth (free!)
Handful fresh basil and parsley (from the garden)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese to garnish ($.25)
1 bag Ruby Red salad mix ($.59) Marked down…more on my salad ordeal…err, deal tomorrow!
2 tomatoes (from the garden)
Italian dressing ($.05) Bought today with sale, store promo and coupon! Details tomorrow!

Note: Original Recipe called for penne pasta and pre-grilled diced chicken pieces.

Directions

1. Spray deep covered baker with cooking spray. Place chopped onion, garlic and tomatoes into base of cooker. Cover and microwave for 5 minutes.

2. Add uncooked diced chicken breast, pasta, chicken broth, parsley, basil, plus salt and pepper. Mix together.

3. Cover and microwave for 10 minutes. Stir through. Microwave another 6-8 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and liquid has absorbed. (Note: when opening the lid, open away from you, as the steam rises quickly and is HOT!) Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, optional. Omit if dairy-free!
4. Prepare salad.
5. Serve Chicken Rigatoni al Fresco with Parmesan Cheese and Side Salad.

Cost $3.50

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Delicious pasta dish loaded with diced chicken, zucchini, squash, carrots, broccoli, garden fresh tomatoes…tossed in a parmesan cheese sauce!

Ingredients
1 box piccolini farfalle pasta ($.50) On sale for $1 matched with $.50 coupon!
2 chicken breasts, diced ($1.76) Bought on sale with coupon!
1 tsp olive oil ($.03)
Salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini squash, cut into circles ($.53) Bought 50% off from farmer’s market!
1 medium yellow squash, cut into circles ($.46) Bought 50% off from farmer’s market!
1/4 small yellow onion, chopped ($.05)
1 head broccoli, cut into florets ($.46)
2 carrot sticks, peeled and chopped ($.20)
5 small tomatoes, seeded and diced (from the garden)
2 garlic cloves, crushed ($.10)

For White Sauce:
3 Tbsp butter or margarine ($.30)
3 Tbsp flour ($.10)
2 cups milk ($.25)
3-4 Tbsp parmesan cheese ($.25)
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta according to package instructions.  Drain and add to large serving bowl.

2. In large skillet, saute diced chicken in olive oil and salt and pepper for 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Once chicken has cooked through, transfer to plate.

3. Chop all veggies. Add chopped veggies to same skillet that cooked the chicken in.

4. Add all the veggies (except the tomatoes) to the same skillet that you sauteed the chicken and steam/saute for 3-4 minutes with 1/4 cup of water.  Add the tomatoes during the last minute.  Transfer to plate.

5. Make white sauce in the same skillet.  See video for details!  (Note: My videographer husband was still at work while I made this dinner, so sorry about the few spots that are jumpy!)

6. In large serving bowl, toss pasta, cooked chicken, sauteed veggies with parmesan sauce.  Season with salt and pepper to taste…and extra parmesan cheese if you like.

7. Serve Chicken Pasta Primavera.

Cost $4.99

Note: This made a LOT of pasta…will easily feed us all for lunch tomorrow…and possible beyond!

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