With my upcoming trip to London, I have been on the lookout for super cheap, but super yummy meal ideas for the week. Gotta save, gotta save – Mama’s got a ton of shopping and eating to do. When I was at the market, I stumbled upon these ribs which were ridiculously inexpensive, and I knew they would be super versatile. The idea of BBQ ran through my mind the second I saw them, and I thought, “Game On!”

I threw together my favorite all purpose rub, rubbed it on, and cooked these little yummies until they were nearly falling off the bone. Plus, I whipped up a batch of my favorite BBQ sauce and drowned them in it.

’cause that’s how we do it in Texas.

OVEN ROASTED SPARERIBS
serves two to four

3 to 4 pound rack pork spareribs
1 Tbs. each sea salt, black pepper, brown sugar, Pimenton, and garlic powder
1/2 batch of The Best Sugar Free BBQ Sauce Ever

1. Thoroughly mix all of the spices together.
2. Rub the spice mix all over the ribs. Be sure to get the bottom of the rack, too.
3. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a metal cooling rack on top. Place your rubbed ribs on the rack and broil them until the top is well browned.
4. Lower the temp of the oven to 300 degrees and roast the ribs, uncovered, for about an hour.
5. Loosely cover the ribs with foil, and continue roasting for another hour, or until the meat is super tender and juicy. (Before covering the ribs with foil, you may baste the ribs with BBQ sauce, if you wish.)
6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for about 20 minutes before slicing into individual ribs.
7. Serve with a boatload of BBQ sauce on the side.

That’s right. My soldier has been deployed for almost 3 weeks now which means, for the first time in over 5 years, I have no one to cook for. No husband, no clients, no roommate. Just lil’ ol’ me. And, to make matters worse, the best restaurant in town offers a choice of:

Deep Fried Pork Schnitzel Covered in Re-hydrated Brown “Gravy”
Nitrite Sausage in a Bun So Crusty You’ll Sever the Roof of Your Mouth
Seven Pounds of Noodles Smothered in Something White

Which means, I have no choice but to cook every single meal for myself, all the time. Sounds great, right? Right…

Pretty soon, even I was running out of inspiration. I’m not surrounded by awesome chefs, food writers, and obsessive foodies like I was in Austin. Options for great food – not only at restaurants, but also at grocery stores – are just limited. I finally reached my lowest state this week: Every other meal consisted of PB&J on a rice cake and some cucumber slices. And, then, bored with that, I just stopped eating.

Bored, bored, bored.

And, that’s when I was, like, WHOA. This has got to stop. I have to find some inspiration. I have to find something worth eating or I’m going to waste away – and, lose my cooking skills.

So, I headed to the library and stumbled upon Jamie Oliver’s very simple, yet just enough of a kick in the pants, book Jamie’s Food Revolution.

I picked this recipe because I knew that I could easily find the ingredients it called for, and I hoped the flavors might just rouse my culinary curiosity. It worked!

That Jamie Oliver. There he goes, even saving me from MY rut. Someone give that man a high five!

SWEET AND SOUR PORK
serves two very hungry people
adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe

olive oil or coconut oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp. garam masala
salt
1Tbs. sesame oil
2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
5 big cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 small onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbs. wheat free tamari
(1) 8 ounce can of pineapple chunks
(1 little can) 6 ounces pineapple juice
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro

1. Heat a good amount of olive oil or coconut oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Toss the pork and garam masala together and throw them in the pan. Brown the meat on all sides. When the meat is browned, transfer it to a plate.
2. Clean the saute pan and return it to the heat. Add some more olive or coconut oil and the sesame oil. When the oil becomes fragrant, add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook for about 30 seconds and add the onion and bell pepper.
3. Cook everything together for about 2 minutes. In a small cup, combine the cornstarch and tamari. Add it to the pan and toss everything together.
4. Quickly add the pineapple chunks (with their juices), the balsamic vinegar and the pineapple juice.
5. Return the pork to the pan, stir to get it nicely coated in sauce, and then, cover.
6. Allow everything to simmer together until the sauce has reduced to a nice consistency and the pork is cooked through.
7. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with steamed rice and heart of romaine leaves on the side.

Along with this geographic accessibility comes the ease of finding new ingredients and foods that aren’t super common across the pond. For instance, besides German food, the easiest cuisine to find in Deutschland is Turkish food. There was an influx of Turkish immigrants to help rebuild after the war, and they brought an uh-may-zing cuisine with them. In addition to the Turkish imports, Germany is just just a hop, skip, and a jump to Morocco across a little, beautiful body of water we call the Mediterranean. Moroccan cuisine also brings incredible warm flavors to the table.

These meatballs, while not specifically from one particular cuisine, reminded me of the flavors used all around the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean. Spain, Italy and Greece might get the official Mediterranean Diet seal, but by not including the unbelievable flavors from these other seaside countries we are missing out on some truly delicious experiences.

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MEATBALLS
makes about twenty golf ball-sized meatballs

enough olive oil to evenly coat the pan
12 oz. ground beef, bison or lamb
1 small onion, minced
2 Tbs. minced cilantro
2 huge garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tbs. turmeric
1 Tbs. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients into a bowl and thoroughly mix using your hands.
3. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet on the stove. Roll the meat mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs and drop into the hot skillet.
4. When the first side of the meatballs are browned, roll them onto the opposite side and transfer them to the oven.
5. Bake until they are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Serve with a yummy Tzatziki sauce and a little salad on the side.

We’ve had some good times, but our journey ends here -

With you in a steamy, hot bowl of spicy coconut-y goodness.

I know what you are thinking. “Day four? Doesn’t that mean that your chicken is pretty old at this point?” Well, it could have been. However, the behind the scenes action that you didn’t see is that I made the Chicken Quinoa Chicken Salad and the Cabbage Potato Soup on the same day. I ate the salad for lunch, and the soup for dinner, so technically day two and three were actually one day…

So, this lovely curry was made on day 3. I ate it for dinner, and froze the remaining curry in portion sized containers for future meals. (I also did this with the soup since it made 3-4 portions, as well.)

Curry is not a super common food in the restaurants of rural Germany, as one might imagine. I did manage to find Curry Powder at a street market vender, although I later found some in one of the larger grocery stores in town.

With the weather getting colder and the lack of ethnic food running through my veins, this curry was exactly what I needed.

CHICKEN, SWEET POTATO, AND SPINACH CURRY
makes three to four servings

2 Tbs. canola oil
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated on a Microplane
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp. curry powder
1.25 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne, or as desired
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
a ton of salt
1 tomato, diced
1.25-1.5 cups coconut milk
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch pieces
4 cups baby spinach
chopped cilantro, for garnishing
Steamed Jasmine Rice, for serving

1. Cook your sweet potatoes until just soft in a pot of boiling water. Strain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until just beginning to soften. Add the onion and continue cooking until it begins to turn translucent.
3. Combine all of the spices and add them to the pot. Add salt. Start with 1/2 tsp. but you will definitely be adding more. Stir consistently to evenly coat every vegetable in the pan. When the pan becomes dry and the spices fragrant, add the tomatoes and scrape all the goodies from the bottom of the pot. Continue stirring until it becomes almost like a paste.
4. Slowly add your coconut milk while stirring.
5. Add the sweet potato and chicken and bring them up to heat. Taste your sauce. If it seems sort of bland, it’s because you need more salt.
6. When everything is cooked through and tastes good, add your spinach. Cook, stirring consistently, until it just starts to wilt, about 30 seconds.
7. Turn off the burner, cover your curry, and serve up your rice. Spoon the curry over the rice, sprinkle it with chopped cilantro, and serve.

Chicken Experiment Wrap Up:

Rosemary Roasted Chicken = 1 serving
Chickpea Quinoa Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing = 1 very large serving
Cabbage Potato Soup = 4 servings
Chicken, Sweet Potato, Spinach Curry = 3 servings

So, all in all, I managed to eke out 9 meals with plenty of variety from a single chicken. Luckily, the soup and the curry freeze well so I have more yummy lunches and dinners ahead of me. This was a really great challenge for me. We should all strive to make the most out of the food that we get. Not only will it save money, it will also help lessen our burden on the planet. Less trash = more space to grow veggies and/or more forests we can keep intact!

This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time. Over the last week, my youngest stepson, Julian, and I have had the opportunity to spend quite a bit of time together. A few days ago, I took him to the gym with me. Instead of a daycare center that most gyms have, the gym on post simply has a “Family Room” – a room full of treadmills and elipticals with a chunk of the room cordoned off for the kiddos to play. The floors and walls of this stark white room are padded for the childrens’ safety making it seem much more like an asylum rather than a “Family Room”, but I digress…

Another mommy was there with her daughter whose nasal floodgates were wide open. Wouldn’t you know it, the only child we came into contact with was sick, and consequently, we both woke up the next morning with puffy eyes and sniffles.

At that moment I knew exactly what we were having for dinner.

Little Julian who is only 18 months old couldn’t eat the broth from this soup on his own, but, to my surprise, he ate a ton of the veggies all by himself. I fed him the broth, and it seemed he couldn’t get enough.

The Jewish mommy in me can’t help but believe that this soup is the reason he didn’t get much more than a little cranky and a runny nose.

Yes, this recipe is simple and not super flashy. But, when you don’t feel good and nothing sounds good to eat, this soup tastes like a big, cozy hug from Mom.

CABBAGE POTATO SOUP
makes three to four servings
If you are making this soup from the leftover chicken for the chicken experiment, please remove the meat from one of the breasts as you will be using it for the final chicken recipe.

2 Tbs. mild-flavored oil, such as rapeseed, canola, or grapeseed
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 roasted chicken carcass, butterflied and cut into 2 pieces
8-10 cups water
1 tsp. dried thyme, or 1 Tbs. fresh thyme
6 cups chopped green cabbage
2 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
lots of salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a stock pot over high heat. When it is hot, add the onion, garlic, 1 carrot, and the celery.
2. When the veggies are browned, add the chicken pieces in an even-ish layer across the bottom of the pot, and deglaze the pan with the water. Add the thyme and season very, very well with salt and pepper.
3. Bring the soup just to a boil, reduce the heat, and allow to simmer, covered, for 2-3 hours.
4. When the soup has a super yummy, chicken-y flavor, remove the pot from the heat, strain, and return the stock to the pot. Set the chicken and veggies aside. Return the stock to the stove, and bring it back up to a simmer over medium high heat.
5. Add the potatoes and remaining carrot. Cook for about 5 minutes and add the cabbage.
6. While the veggies are cooking, remove the chicken meat from strained chicken and veggies. Shred the meat and add it to the soup when the veggies are just cooked through.
7. Taste for seasoning. It will probably need a lot more salt. If it tastes bland, it just needs more salt.
8. Grab some crackers and serve.

Part of my goal with this experiment is to do very different preparations of chicken. I figure if I have to eat chicken everyday for a couple of days, I want some variety, ya know?

In all honesty, this preparation came about out of necessity to use up some things in the fridge. European fridges are notoriously teeny tiny and mine is no exception. Gone are the days of shopping for a whole weeks groceries – I can’t even fit a whole head of romaine lettuce in my veggie bin. Small amounts of leftovers are doable, but for the most part, I can only store about 2 or 3 days worth of food in the fridge.

It just so happened that I had the quinoa, chickpeas, herbs, half an avocado and bits and pieces of other veggies in the fridge. Plus, I had some honey mustard sauce already prepared from a chicken nugget dinner with the kiddos two nights previous. If you already have about 1/4 cup prepared honey mustard on hand, just add some olive oil and lemon juice to it to make the dressing for this salad.

I threw it all together with some chicken and had a pretty fantastic little lunch.

CHICKPEA QUINOA CHICKEN SALAD WITH HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING
serves one as a main course, or two as a side dish

Salad:
1/2 cup cooked quinoa, cooled
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas, cooled
meat from 1 chicken leg quarter, skinned and shredded
2 inch piece cucumber, diced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
1/2 avocado, diced
1 small tomato, seeded and diced
2 Tbs. minced fresh parsley
2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro

Dressing:
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

1. For the salad: Combine all of the salad ingredients together in a bowl.
2. For the dressing: In a small jar, combine all of the dressing ingredients and shake it up until it is emulsified.
3. Assemble: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.

So, I reverted back to my days as a single woman and started cooking for one again. What is great about it this time is that in the past, I’ve sort of neglected feeding myself properly because I was just cooking for me. Somehow I came up with excuses as to why I didn’t need to cook and how, of course, an almond butter and jelly sandwich is a sufficient dinner for an adult. But, since I had already fallen into the routine of making a proper dinner every night, I stuck with it – even after My Soldier left.

Oddly enough, while chicken is the main component of a butcher’s case in the states, it is not such a common find here in small town Germany. Pork in various forms of schnitzel, sausage, bottled forcemeat, and processed deli slices is definitely the primary find. I never thought I would say it, but living here really makes me appreciate chicken more. So, as an ode to my American standby meat, I decided to give myself a challenge:

How many meals can a single person get out of one chicken?

Here are my results from Day One:

ROSEMARY ROASTED CHICKEN

1 (3.5 pound) chicken, patted dry with paper towels
1 small onion, cut into chunks
6 garlic cloves
4 springs fresh rosemary
3 Tbs. olive oil
lots of salt and pepper
2 small yukon gold potatoes, diced into 1 inch pieces, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Loosen the skin at the bottom and each breast and each thigh, and place a sprig of rosemary under the skin. Try to stretch the rosemary over the entire length of each breast. Also, try to loosen the skin enough on the leg that the sprig reaches to both the thigh and the drumstick.
3. Place the onion and garlic inside the cavity of the chicken.
4. Rub the entire chicken down with the olive oil and lots and lots of salt and pepper. If you think you have way over salted the chicken you probably need to salt it some more.
5. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast iron pan, scatter the potatoes around the chicken, and drizzle them with a little extra oil.
6. Roast the chicken until the skin is browned and crispy and until the breast is 160 degrees internally.
7. Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before serving. Waiting allows the juices to remain inside the chicken and keeps it super moist.

After eating one serving, put the remaining cooled chicken and any leftover bones into a large container or ziploc bag to use for tomorrows’ lunch…

This evening for dinner I had planned to eat the leftover Dal Curry with Spinach and Brown Rice that I had made a few nights ago. But, for lunch today, I attended the Annual Vegan Chili Cookoff and couldn’t seem to muster the strength for another meal consisting almost exclusively of legumes. I needed veggies. STAT.

So, I started rummaging. Somehow, through some amazing intervention of the Leftover Food Gods, this was literally all that I had left in my produce bin. Well, okay, I also had some tomatoes, a russet potato, and a pear. But, other than that, this was what I had left. Actually, now that I think about it, I should have thrown the pear into this salad as well. It would have been amazing. Oh, well. Maybe next time.

And, yes, there will be a next time.

This salad was a beautiful, perfect combination of crunch from the veggies and soft suppleness of young coconut flesh. The flavors melded smoothly with the sweetness of the ginger and maple and the tang of the vinegars. The umeboshi plum vinegar provided a lovely splash of saltiness, and there with a subtle kick with the last minute addition of chili garlic sauce.

In order to make this dish raw, (obviously) leave out the chicken, use untoasted sesame oil, and replace the caramelized ginger with 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger. If you would like a little extra protein, throw in some slivered almonds. Also, you can use agave nectar in place of the maple syrup and apple cider vinegar in place of the other vinegars. Unfortunately, you will have to leave out the chili garlic sauce altogether, but if you throw half of a minced jalapeno in with the veggies, I’m sure you won’t even miss it.

If you are new to the magic that is the young coconut, here is a tutorial on how to open it and get to the meat. And, don’t forget to save the coconut water inside. That stuff is the nectar of the gods. Seriously.

CABBAGE SALAD WITH YOUNG COCONUT NOODLES AND CRYSTALLIZED GINGER
serves four

For the Salad:
3 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded Napa cabbage
1 cup shredded cooked chicken, optional
meat from 1 young coconut, sliced thinly into “noodles”
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 carrot, diced or shredded
1/2 cucumber, diced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 Tbs. each black and white sesame seeds

For the Dressing:
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
3 Tbs. maple syrup
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1 Tbs. umeboshi plum vinegar
1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt, or 1/2 tsp. sea salt

1. In a large bowl, combine all of the fixins for the salad.

2. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake it up until it emulsifies. Or, just whisk it all together in a small bowl. You may need to tweek the amount of each ingredient to find the balance that is just right for you.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad, mix it up, and dig in.

OTHER CABBAGE SALAD RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad at 101 Cookbooks
Red Cabbage Salad with Braeburn Apples and Spiced Pecans at Serious Eats
Thai Cabbage Salad with Chicken at Eat This.
Swiss Chard Cabbage Salad with Garbanzo Beans, Broccoli Stems and Cottage Cheese
Red Cabbage and Dried Figs Salad at Chocolate and Zucchini

Short ribs are a perfect option, not only because they are a super inexpensive cut of meat, but also because they require some serious slow and low cooking. Putting them in the Crockpot allows you to cook these guys as long as they need to without having to be in the house to do it.

Believe me, this is an awesome meal to come home to after a long day at work. And, it would make a really great dish to serve for guests. It’s impressive, super flavorful, and the best part is, you hardly have to do anything to make a great dinner. Just whip up some Wasabi Mashed Potatoes, saute baby bok choy with some sesame oil, salt and pepper, and voila! You’ve got an awesome dinner!

And, for those of you who are considering bringing a new addition home to your kitchen appliance family, here is a little more incentive.

ASIAN SLOW COOKER SHORT RIBS
serves one

1# grass fed beef short ribs

Marinade:
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup GF tamari
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar
1/2-1 tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced on a microplane
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced on a microplane

Garnish:
sliced scallion
white and black sesame seeds
cilantro leaves

1. Place the short ribs in the Crockpot
2. Whisk together the marinade and pour it over the top of the ribs.
3. Cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 6 hours.
4. When the ribs are fall-off-the-bone tender, transfer the sauce from the bottom of the Crockpot to a small saucepan. Simmer the sauce over medium high heat until reduced almost to a glaze, about 8 minutes.
5. Spoon the sauce over the ribs and garnish with scallion, sesame seeds, and/or cilantro.

MORE SLOW COOKER RECIPES FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:
Chicken Makhani in the Crockpot
Agave Hoisin Chicken
Split Pea Soup with Chicken Sausage and Carrots at Kalyn’s Kitchen
White Bean Chili at Fat Free Vegan
Apple Brown Betty at Slow Cooker Collection

This evening, I was standing in that old familiar position: head in the fridge, just staring, wondering what the heck I was going to make with all these random bits and pieces. I knew that anything requiring more than a few minutes of cooking was out of the question. I’ve been cooking a ton the last few days, and just didn’t have the energy to whip up something fancy for myself. Eventually, I spotted the sweet potato on the counter, the sprouts at the bottom of the veggie bin and a lone egg staring back at me, begging to be released from its shell.

This meal makes such a great weeknight vegetarian dinner. In fact, ever since I found Vital Farms Eggs I’ve been topping lots of things with fried eggs – steamed spinach, pumpkin cornbread, even roasted asparagus – to make simple, nutritious, and fast meals. They are the only eggs that I have found that I can eat with very little to no allergic reaction. I don’t know why I seem to be okay with these eggs and not any others, but I sure am glad I found them.

BLACKENED SWEET POTATO AND BRUSSELS SPROUT HASH WITH A FRIED EGG
makes two to four servings
Feel free to prepare these eggs however you like. I prefer sunny side up, but you can make them over easy or poach them. Part of the joy of this meal is eating the veggies covered in runny, gooey yolk, so I would recommend that however you prepare the egg, the yolk remains soft.

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
about 15 to 20 Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 Tbs. blackening spice
salt, to taste
1 fried or poached egg per serving

1. Place a 10″ cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the oil, let it heat up a bit, and add the sweet potatoes. Add the blackening spice and stir to evenly coat the potatoes. Stir the potatoes occasionally, but not too often so that they can brown.
2. When the potatoes are almost cooked through, add the shredded Brussels Sprouts. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked and the sprouts are softened and browned.
3. Season the hash with salt and/or more blackening spice. Divide the hash evenly on serving plates and top each serving with an egg.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Look who I got to meet this weekend:

He’s so cool.

Anyhoo….Here are a few more…

EGG-TOPPED FOODS FROM AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE:

Poached Eggs Over Rice at 101 Cookbooks
North African Pepper and Tomato Stew at Field to Feast
Frisee Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette and a Poached Egg at Gluten Free Girl
Breakfast Pizza at The Kitchn
Corn Pancakes with Broccoli, Carrots and Basil at What Did You Eat?