$10 Food Challenge

I'm a fan of Bravo's Top Chef program . I got hooked while I was home on maternity leave and watched season 1 and 2. Now it's in season 4 and one of their recent challenges inspired me to try this at home. The challenge essentially required the chefs to create a healthy meal for a family of four on a $10 budget plus the Top Chef pantry (I think).

http://www.bravotv.com/Top_Chef/season/4/index.php

So, I told Dave that he and I were going to battle it out and each prepare a meal using any ingredients already at home and only spending $10 on the rest. One caveat... we buy big bag's of all natural chicken at Sam's Club (~14 pieces per bag) for a significant discount compared to grocery stores, so we both had the advantage of not needing to buy a protein with our $10.

Here is what we each made:

Chicken Stir Fry (Shannon's Meal)

2-3 chicken breasts cut into pieces

Vegetable Oil (could use peanut oil, but again more $$)

Lite Soy Sauce

Cornstarch

5 spice seasoning

6-8 gloves garlic (depends on how much garlic you want)

1 bunch green onions

1 onion

1 can water chestnuts

1 green bell pepper (can use red or orange, but more $$)

8 - 10 oz. of frozen peas, thawed

1 can chicken broth

Whole wheat pasta (Could substitute rice)

Sugar

pinch cayenne pepper

• Slice chicken into pieces and place in a bowl or plastic bag and add 1 T lite soy sauce, 1 T cornstarch, 2-3 gloves garlic minced and 5 spice seasoning. The mixture should coat all of the chicken, if not, add a little bit of each ingredient until thoroughly coated. Let marinade for approximately 20 minutes.
• Prep the remaining ingredients while the chicken marinates - cut peppers, green onion and onion into bite size pieces, mince the garlic cloves, and have the seasoning, oil and liquids ready.
• Heat a wok or large skillet on the oven over medium/high heat with 2 T vegetable oil. Saute the green onions, salt and 2 gloves of garlic for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken and saute for 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic, onion, bell pepper, peas, water chestnuts and about 1/2 can (6-8 oz) of chicken stock (can add water if additional liquid is needed). Season with 5 spice seasoning as desired. Bring to a simmer and cover until vegetables reach desired tenderness and chicken is cooked through.
• Meanwhile, use a spaghetti pot to bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on package.
• In a bowl, mix 4-6 ounces chicken stock, 2-3 T soy sauce, 2-3 T sugar and 2-2 1/2 T corn starch and cayenne pepper. Whisk ingredients together,ensuring cornstarch dissolves and add to chicken/vegetable mixture. Allow sauce to thicken and serve over noodles.

One note, Dave and I cook a lot by taste, so while a recipe will call for a specific amount of soy sauce, sugar, etc., we adjust it until we like the flavor of the sauce. This is my recommendation for you on the last step in this recipe as I did not record specific amounts when I made it.

My review: The 5 spice seasoning is interesting, but grew on me. I think this meal would have been better with carrots, baby corn and/or broccoli in it. It needed some color from a presentation perspective and a little more diversity with the vegetables. Also, don't be scared of the garlic. I used at least six cloves and barely tasted it, next time I'll add more. I'll also add more cayenne for a little spiciness as well. It was good, not great, so I'd like to try it again and improve on it.

Chicken Caper Parsley on Toasted Baguette with Arugula Salad (Dave's Meal)

3 chicken breasts

2 - 3 lemons juiced

1 baguette

1/4 cup capers, drained

1 sweet onion

Extra Virgin Olive Oil/Olive Oil

2 T fresh parley leaves

Ground Black Pepper

Arugula Leaves (enough to feed the people in your dinner party)

Salt

Chicken Caper Parsley Crostini

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat Grill. Season raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook on grill approximately 7 minutes per side at high/medium high heat.
• While chicken is on the grill, slice baguette into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for five to ten minutes or until the baquette is 'toasted'.
• In a mixing bowl, combine capers, minced onion, 2 T fresh parsley, 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil, 3 T fresh lemon juice, and black pepper (~15 grinds). When chicken is ready, shred chicken and add to mixing bowling. Ensure all ingredients are coated in the mixing bowl.
• Place chicken mixture on toasted baguette and serve.

Arugula Salad with Lemon Vinegarette Dressing

• This salad contains arugula, olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and salt. It is courtesy of Dave Lieberman from the Food Network. You may find the recipe at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33176,00.html

My Review: The crostini definitely stole the show. It was excellent, the freshness from the lemon and the parsley tasted wonderful. The onion blended well and did not overwhelm the dish. Seasoning the chicken also helped bring the entire dish together. I enjoyed the arugula salad more than Dave. It was a nice change of pace since we usually eat salads with Romaine lettuce and store bought dressing.

My only recommendation is not to over do it on the dressing with the salad. The recipe has you mix everything together from the start, but I would make the dressing on the side and add it to the arugula in three steps so that the arugula isn't soaked in oil and lemon. It is still a salad I would recommend, especially during the summer.

And the winner of our at home $10 challenge is...

DAVE

Overall, Dave's meal hit the spot and is something that we could serve this weekend to friends or family visiting us. It didn't need any major adjustments like I felt my stir fry did. FYI.. The crostini would make a great appetizer or tapa if you're looking for finger foods.