Cous Cous Adventures

I am very blessed to have cooking ability and I'm sure I'm not alone in being low on food and/or money. What would you do if you were in that situation? Go out to eat? Go get Mickey D's? Nah! Why not just throw together what I find in my apartment and call it a day! You know, kind of like Chopped and making a "food salad" combined! This way, I can still feel like I'm eating gourmet, but on a budget! #poorpostcollegegradproblems

*Cous Cous: I have made WAY too much Cous Cous for my own good, but the 5 minute cous cous in the box isn't a bad idea. I got the tomato and lentil flavor and added peas, red onions, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, onion powder, a dash of cumin, chives, red bean noodles (from Whole Foods that I keep at my apartment at my disposal), a package of veggies from an already-used Ramen Noodle pack, and Tabasco Sauce. This can give me up to 4-6 servings, depending on what I use it for!

Homemade Black Bean Soup Recipe

Homemade black bean soup. Here's the recipe:

*1 can black beans (or a can of black bean soup)
*1 tsp Better Than Bullion Chicken Broth
*1/2 can of water
*1 tsp cilantro
*5 tbsp chopped red onion
*3 tbsp fall flavor salsa (from Trader Joe's is where I got mine and any salsa works )
*1 pinch of salt
*1 pinch of pepper
*1 minced clove of garlic
*1 tbsp hot sauce of your choice
*1 tsp Taco seasoning
Cook on medium heat until bubbles start to form. Once that happens, turn off your burner and let cool for 3-5 minutes. Enjoy your nice hot soupie :D Can be topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese too!

Cheap Noms List

Healthy Tuna Salad on Garlic Bread Recipe

Kale Caesar Salad with Bacon Recipe

Quick and Easy Chicken Salad Recipe

Grilled Pepper and Onion Tuna Salad Recipe

Egg Salad Recipe

Deviled Egg Salad Recipe

Cucumber Veggie Bean Salad Recipe

Salmon Salad Seaweed Wraps Recipe

Enhanced Ramen Recipe 1: Roast Chicken Asian Peanut Noodles

Enhanced Ramen Recipe 2: Asian Cole Slaw

Enhanced Ramen Recipe 3: Kicked Soy Fishy Noodles

Enhanced Rice Pilaf

Enhanced Rice Pilaf

How to use up food in your pantry and play the "Chopped" (like on Food Network) like I did today:

1/2 tsp of: garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper 

1 tbsp sun dried tomatoes 

3 tbsp chopped red onion

1 handful Asian rice noodles 

1/2 cup mixed greens that were about to expire

1 box rice pilaf (sitting on my shelf for eons)

1 frozen veggie burger, cooked in the microwave in a wet paper towel for 1 minute and 20 seconds 

Fill up 1 and 3/4 cup of water, 1 tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt into a pot. Wait for it to boil. Pour all ingredients into the boiling water. Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently. 

Enjoy the tastiness. I didn't pay an extra cent for any of this!

Welcome to Cheapity Cheap Noms

Like the cheap gourmet (which already exists), I am creating kitchen experiments where you basically simulate playing "Chopped" (the cooking show) in your own home by using items you have in your pantry already to create a masterpiece costing you little to no extra money. I coined this idea when I left my job, exhausted my extra savings account, and barely have money for food; I do however have extra items in my pantry from when I bought too much and now I want to use the items up. I want to be able to show people they can eat well (or afford to eat at all) when on a tight budget and still have it be as healthy as possible and taste good. This is also useful for inexpensive college staples to make too while on a budget. I don't want people going broke or gaining weight like I did! Happy eating and food on a budget everyone! I'll post some pictures and recipes in the meantime!