4 on 4 redux

This last time I was writing my blog I did a month long challenge to feed my four pack of a family for a month on 400$. I ended up spending over 500 but that was still a huge difference and I was pretty proud of myself. Now, a couple of years later, we're down to three as one is living large in NYC, and I want to rededicate myself to the process. So it's now 3 on 4. Sounds like a losing basketball game but a good way to keep an eye on the food costs.

We've just move so I tossed out a bunch of stuff from the larder so we're pretty lean and mean pantry wise right now except for dried beans. GOOD GOD YA'LL have I got dried beans! One of my objectives is to cook up the bean supply and regain an entire storage bin for other uses. I should probably take a picture and show you just how many beans we're talking about but it's embarrassing and I can tell you that it's easy 20 pounds plus.

This week I'm pretty on point for food. It's going to be a larder oriented week because I've got the stuff and I need the room. It's not cheating! Never ever have I cooked my house down to zero and then started off from scratch the next week.

What I have on hand
Canned Goods -
Tuna - cheap king 1.07 a can from Target
Progresso Lentil Soup. 1 can makes two lunches
Tomato products
Other random stuff

Meats
Chicken Breasts & Thighs

Produce
Apples
Salad fixings

Dry goods
BEANS
Rice
Pasta

We make a little food go a long way these days which is good. We've got maybe half of a grilled london Broil steak left from cooking out Friday. Brian will work on that for another two days which is when I'll do my mid week cook. I also have a big bowl of Quinoa Black Bean Salad. We'll have a tossed salad every night but I know I 'll need to refreshen the lettuce supply. There are a couple of odds and ends I know I'll need for what I'm planning on making. Breakfast as always is egg whites and I made buckwheat pancakes Sunday that will go another couple of days run through the toaster as a get up and go kind of carb. Lunches will be tuna salad and left overs for Brian. Soup and Quinoa Salad for me. If I get to the farmers market I'll pick up some additional things. Maybe a water melon and some more fruit. Will keep you posted on that.

I'm going to make Chicken Korma, an Indian curry dish, and Makhani, a lentil and kidney bean kind of curry that will use up some of both the black lentils and kidney beans I have on hand. Both are delicious and I'll fill out the plate with basmati rice and if I get really energized homemade naan (which by the way isn't hard to make at all so don't be intimidated!) It's a little starch heavy as I'm looking at it so I'll have to watch the portions and I might make a spinach curry too so we have something green other than romaine to eat. We'll see! But here is what I'm thinking about making. Most I have on hand.  This amount of food will feed us for 3 or 4 nights (thank God for leftovers and maybe some lunchy stuff too)

Chicken Korma (I'm going to double this and use half on Tofu)
Marinade
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 cups greek yogurt
2 Big chicken breasts, butterflied and cut into dice. Marinate for an hour. If using extra firm tofu, freeze over night, defrost and press for a half hour to get the liquids out before adding to the marinade)

1 Onion, diced
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, minced
4 or 5 garlic cloves, or a big soup spoon
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Carmelize the onions, add the ginger and garlic and saute until tender, add the chicken (or tofu) with the marinade and cook over low heat until chicken is done. Add tomato sauce simmer for a few minutes. Add the cream and cook over low heat until well blended

Makhani
3/4 cup dried kidney beans soaked over night
1/4 cup black lentils soaked over night
1/4 cup dried chick peas soaked over night
1 in pieced of ginger, minced
2 – 3 garlic cloves minced
2 green chillies, minced
salt to taste
Seasonings
3 TB butter
1 Teas Cumin Seeds, toasted then groun
2 – 3 garlic cloves
pinch asafoetida powder
1/2 Tea Fenugreek
3/4 c tomato sauce
to finish
1/2 cup cream
1/2 tea or more chilli powder
1/2 tea garam masala
method
Soak all of the bean in water overnight. Drain.  Put the beans in a crock pot with 5 cups of water.  With the garlic, ginger and chilis.Cook on high until beans are really soft.  Drain off excess water, it should be light a slightly soupy stew.  Mash the lentils lightly with the back of a ladle.
To make the seasoning, butter in a heavy pan until hot, and add the cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds, and stir until they crackle. Add the garlic and fry until beginning to colour. Add the asafoetida powder and tomato puree and stir for a minute. Add to the cooked beans, mixing well. Bring the beans to the boil again, adding the chilli powder garam masala and cream. Heat Through.

Basamati Rice

Naan
1 pkg Yeast
Pinch Sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 - 3 cups flour
1/2 teas salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil plus 1 TB spoon
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1 egg
1 onion minced
2 TB rosemary crushed

Carmelize the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil. Add rosemary and stir for a minute or two. Let cool.
Combine the yeast, sugar an water in a bowl and let sit until nice and foamy. Add the oil, yogurt and egg and mix. Add the onion and rosemary to the dry ingredients, mix well and then add to the yeast mixing to form a ball. Turn out and kneed for a few minutes adding more flour as you need to to keep it from sticking. Let sit covered for an hour. Punch down divide into 8 or more balls depending on how big you want them. Working with one ball at a time, keeping the rest covered, roll out to 1/8 - 1/4 inch. Heat a heavy bottomed pan on med - med high heat, spray grease, add naan one at a time cook uptil bubbled on top and golden on the bottom, flip and let color on the bottom. DIVE IN!

Spinach curry
2 10oz bags of spinach
2 16 oz cans diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 large onion, diced and carmelized in 1 tb of Oil
1/4 C prepared Red Curry Sauce
1 can lite coconut milk

Combine everything and let simmer until the spinach is wilted.  You can also add drained and diced extra firm tofu and some chick peas for a stand alone meal.  I fix this all the time!