Hungarian Chicken Paprikas

I first had this dish in Albany, Oregon the great mom and pop restaurant Novak's (literally mom and pop - Mama Novak and Papa Novak are there pretty much every day). It's got such a comforting complex flavor but is so easy to make! The nice short list of ingredients makes it fit the budget! I like to cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces before browning, but you can cook them whole as well. This is great over rice, egg noodles (or egg dumplings if you can find them)

Serves 6 - $17

Ingredients

• 1 large organic onion - chopped
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 3 Tbls Hungarian Paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
  
• 3 lbs Chicken Thighs
  
• 1 cup Organic Chicken Stock
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 chopped organic tomatoes (or 1x14.5 oz can)
• 1 cup organic sour cream
• Rice, noodles or egg dumplings for 6
  

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium to large sized pot over medium-high heat
2. Throw in the chopped onion and cook until soft - about 10 minutes
3. Add the chicken, paprika, salt and pepper and stir it until the chicken and onions are coated in seasony goodness
4. Cook the chicken about 6 minutes stirring occassionally until lightly browned
5. Put in your chicken stock, water and tomatoes and bring to a boil
6. Begin cooking your rice or noodles (Put this here so you don't forget you need something to put this goodness on:)
   
7. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, juicy and tender
8. Remove from heat and stir in your sour cream
9. Enjoy!
   

Poor Man's Pork Picadillo

This recipe's great and simple! You can make sandwiches out of the filling if you'd like, but I serve it up with boxed Spanish rice and black beans. It's great for leftovers too!

Ingredients

Serves 4
$16

• 1 medium organic onion - diced
• 2 cloves organic garlic - minced
• 1 lb natural ground pork
• 1/2 cup organic raisins
• 1 - 28 oz can organic diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup organic green olives from the deli section - chopped
  
• From the cupboard - 1 Tbls chili powder, 2 Tbls red wine vinegar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp salt
• 1 can organic black beans
• 1 box organic Mexican rice
  

Directions

1. Put the rice on to cook according to the directions (or cook from scratch if you've got the time...I recommend Rick Bayless Red Rice Recipe if you're cooking from scratch).
2. Throw the onion, pork and garlic in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the pork begins to brown. Don't worry about adding any oil, the oil from the pork will be great to cook the veggies in. Stir the pork around and crumble it up really good!
   
3. Add the raisins, spices and vinegar to the pan and stir it all together.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, leaving a nice spicy coating of goodness on the meat.
6. Drain the Black Beans and add them to the red rice for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
7. Add the green olives and stir
8. Enjoy!
   

African Peanut Soup

If you've been to a McMenamins in Oregon and you've been able to steer clear of the fries with your blue cheese and bacon burger, you may have had this as your soup option. It's pretty much the best meal in a bowl I've ever had, and it's rich enough to stand alone for dinner with some bread and salad greens.

Serves 4 for dinner or 6 as a before meal
$17

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Organic Onion - chopped
• 1 Large Organic Carrot - diced
• 1 rib of celery - chopped
  
• 1 bell pepper - seeded & chopped
• 32 oz Organic Free Range Chicken Broth
• 1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
• 2 large tomatoes - chopped
• 1 chicken breast - cooked and chopped
• From the cupboard - 1 cup milk, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper

Directions

1. Cook the Chicken (I like to grill it if the weather cooperates)
   
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and toss in the onion, celery, carrot and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent - about 10 minutes
3. Stir in the flour and slowly add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly to avoid lumps
4. Add the peanut butter and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Throw in the tomatoes, chicken and milk. Season with the salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste and simmer for another 30 minutes.
6. Enjoy!
   

Beef & Sweet Potato Burritos with Easy Rice

This is one of my favorite quick Thursday night recipes (when I'm too tired to cook something fancy). Adding the sweet potato makes the burrito filling go a long way.

Serves 4 (with lunch leftover the next day)
Under $20 for the whole meal!

Ingredients

• 1 Large Organic Sweet Potato cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 Large Organic Onion - Diced and Divided (1/2 for the potatoes, 1/2 for condiment)
  
• 1 Clove Garlic - Diced or Pressed
  
• 1 lb Oregon Country Beef (or your closest substitute)
• 4 oz cheddar or pepperjack cheese - shredded
  
• 1.5 cups organic white rice
• 16 oz Organic Salsa - Divided (1/2 for the rice & 1/2 for condiment)
  
• 1 large Organic Tomato - Diced
  
• 1/4 lb Organic Salad Greens
  
• Organic Whole Wheat Tortillas (10 ct)
• From the cupboard/pantry - Olive oil, cumin powder, chili powder, 1x15 oz can black beans
  

Directions

1. In a 2 qt saucepan heat up 1 Tbls olive oil and throw in the rice. Stir to coat and heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of the salsa. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes. This is poor man's red rice!
   
2. Heat up 2 Tbls olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Toss in 1/2 the onion and all of the garlic and saute for 8 minutes
3. Toss in the cubed sweet potatoes and stir until their coated with olive oil.
4. Sprinkle as much ground cumin and chili powder on as you like. I go for 1 tsp of each and add too taste. Add 1/2 tsp salt and cook over medium high heat - stirring frequently to avoid burning the potatoes
   
5. In a separate skillet, cook the beef according to the seasoning packets instructions
6. Heat up the black beans on low in a seperate pan
   
7. When the beef is done, add it in with the potatos and stir
8. Serve in the tortillas or on it's own with the cheese, onion and salsa. Beans, Rice and greens on the side or in the tortilla for the worlds largest burrito:)

Variations

• Pork Chorizo in place of the beef is a little less healthy, but really tasty!
• If you've got some plain yogurt in the fridge, it's amazing with the spicy sweet potatoes