The US$7 Dinner Challenge
Posted by kathryn in Blogging, Desserts, Salads and Dinners
Bananas, custard and asparagus are not the most obvious elements on which to base a meal.
And when I started thinking about Sarah Cucina Bella’s $7 dinner challenge they were far from my mind.
Originally I was planning a red lentil dal with yoghurt and rice. Good bargain fodder. Until I saw asparagus for a dollar and realised bananas were the cheapest fruit in the supermarket.
Which is when my plan changed.
Instead my meal is a barley, fetta and asparagus salad followed by a healthier take on bananas and custard.
The salad is based on a wheat berry version in Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking. While the bananas and custard are based on a recipe I’ve used before in David Scott’s Penniless Vegetarian.
Converting US dollars to Australian money meant I had a budget of A$10. In the rules of the challenge, this money has to make a two-course dinner for four people. My main course and dessert come in at $9.92, just under budget. I’ve put the details of costs and where I shopped below.
Barley, fetta and asparagus salad
Serves 4
- 180g pearl barley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, cut in half & sliced into half-moons
- 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1cm slices
- 2 carrots, grated
- ¼ bunch fresh coriander
- 50g fetta cheese
- 20g pumpkin seeds
Dressing:
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
Cook the barley: Rinse the barley well, as it tends to be dusty. Place in a saucepan with 2½ cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil and gently simmer for about 35 minutes.
Sauté the vegetables: When the barley is half way through cooking put a small saucepan over a medium-low heat. Once warm add the olive oil and onions. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from sticking. The onions should be soft and slightly browned. Add the asparagus. Cook for a further 3 minutes, until the asparagus is softened but still crunchy.
Finish the salad: Whisk together the dressing ingredients. Drain any excess water from the barley. When the vegetables are cooked add to the barley, with the carrots, coriander, fetta and pumpkin seeds. Pour over the dressing and toss to combine. Serve this while still warm.
Banana custard puddings
I made these puddings in small ramekin dishes. You could also make one larger pudding, in an oven-proof bowl. While I had the idea of custard in my head, the final version is not very custard-like. But it is delicious.
Serves 4
- 3 ripe bananas, peeled
- 250g (250ml) natural yoghurt
- 2 free range eggs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Prepare the puddings Cut the bananas into chunky pieces. Whisk together the yoghurt, eggs, sugar and spice. Add the banana and mix together. Spoon this batter into four ramekin dishes.
Cook the puddings: Stand the ramekins in a roasting tray. Pour water into the tray, until it comes half way up the side of the dishes. Place in the oven and cook for 35 – 40 minutes, until the custard is cooked and golden brown on top.
The shopping
I bought ingredients from the Woolworths in Balmain on Monday 13 October. I’ve prorated the costs where I didn’t use the whole packet.
- 180g pearl barley $0.87
- 2 tablespoons olive oil $0.26
- 2 onions $0.76
- 1 bunch asparagus $1.00
- 2 carrots $0.51
- ¼ bunch fresh coriander $0.49
- 50g fetta cheese $0.61
- 20g pumpkin seeds $0.42
- ½ lemon $0.51
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano $0.11
- 3 ripe bananas $1.74
- 250g natural yoghurt $1.30
- 2 free range eggs $1.01
- 1 tablespoon sugar $0.04
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice $0.28
- Total: $9.92
What would you make for under A$10?
13 October, 2008
Comments
That looks fabulous! What a fantastic idea. It’s so exciting to see what different palates come up with. My post will be up tonight — be sure to check in and leave your link in the widget.
hooley dooley! All my favourite things! I might just have to make all of it!
Hi Kathryn
Did you use normal yoghurt, or low fat for the banana pudding? I’ve been making a modified “Low fat” clafoutis when I have sugary-desserty cravings…and this seems very similar….yum!
Great job Kathryn! I wish you’d grabbed me a few bunches (or 5) of that cheap asparagus!
that salad looks very nice.
i’m so loving asparagus season :) though i was rather annoyed yesterday when i bought a bunch at Harris Farm for $2.50, then went to Coles and saw it for a dollar! (i ended up buying a bunch there too, i couldn’t resist). such a massive difference in price!
Reemski: I used a new yoghurt it’s Black Swan’s No-Fat Greek Yoghurt. Normally I’d just go for a normal low fat. But I’ve been reading on UK blogs about a fabulous no fat Greek-style yoghurt they buy – and I wondered if this would be the same.
It’s okay, but a slightly weird texture. I think next time I’d go back to the normal low fat.
And . . . have you posted your clafoutis recipe? Because I’d love to take a look.
Christie & Lindsey: I wish I’d grabbed myself five bunches. Don’t know what I was thinking but I only bought one! I really was in frugal mode.
Interesting! Just last night my BF and I estimated the cost of our meal (puy lentils, rice, kale) to be <2GBP (~3.50USD) per person. This is with all organic ingredients. I suspect most of our meals fall in this range… but now I want to see just how far I can stretch it. I’m up for the challenge.
The salad looks delightful; I’d probably add a few extra chickpeas for extra protein. I LOVE asparagus.
That’s a great challenge and brilliant that you got 2 courses for 4 people under $10! I think I’d struggle at getting one course for that price but your options sound delicious too.
So glad you joined in our challenge – your meal sounds fabulous!
That dinner sounds awesome! Where I live, I think it’d be difficult to feed 2 courses for 4 people for USD $7. Well, maybe if it was vegetarian. But given how I normally buy local produce and how expensive it is, I’m not sure. But I usually make big pot meals (chili, soup, lasagna, that kind of thing), and if I broke down the cost, I think each individual meal would come out under that $7.
Hi Kathryn-
I love Black Swan’s low-fat yoghurt – is that what you normally use? I’ve been looking at the new no-fat one suspiciously. I also can’t wait to try out your banana puddings – I never thought about baking yoghurt before!
And lindsey – I got asparagus at Harris Farm last week for $1 a bunch. I guess you just have to shop around for things, hey? I’ve noticed that if I go around and check out different grocery stores in the area they all have slightly different specials.. it takes a little bit of extra time but if you know your grocery stores you can probably case them quickly in 5 mins. I find it enjoyable to have a bit of a walk and go look at fresh produce anyway, so picking up cheaper fruit and veg is just an added bonus.
how does a can of tinned spag, a few chewy bits of toast and half a tub of no name ice cream sound??? I think that would come in (if the spag and bread comes from ALDI) at about 2 bucks AUS. Noice…
Seriously, I don’t think you can go past a basic carbonara pasta with fresh eggs, bacon, lashings of garlic and black pepper and olive oil, (no cream), and a generous scrape of parmesan, followed by a punnet of strawbs at 99c with a dollop of yoghurt or cream on top. I think that would come in less than $6 at a guess.
Mmmm I’m hungry already…
Monica: normally I’d add a few chickpeas or white beans to this – but it didn’t fit in with the budget. The combination of seeds, grain and dairy does give a good amount and balance of proteins.
Pigeon: I hadn’t seen the Black Swan brand before. And since leaving my comment above, I’ve revised my opinion. After giving the tub a good stir I enjoyed the rest of it.
Em: I did think of baked beans on toast, followed by a piece of fruit . . . but didn’t quite seem interesting enough. Your carbonara idea is good – but for the challenge (and good health) the meal has to include a serve of vegetables. So maybe some spinach stirred through or a salad on the side. Although that might get you close to the dollar limit?
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