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What are you favorite meals, either home cooked, take out, or at restaurants, for the impecunious?

Hot dogs from Gray's Papaya?
Rice and gravy from the local Chinese takeout?

Mind you, a meal doesn't have to be cheap to be a great value. What are your favorites?
 
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One of my favorites is actually my wifes homemade Chicken Pot Pie. Easy to put together, cheap to make and it tastes awesome!
 
Phở

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Chinese buffets, Pho (any kind of Vietnamese food really) and I can cook up some pretty good Chicken wings.
 
Homemade potato soup and cornbread with honey butter, cheap, filling and good.
(Generally by myself so default to pop-tarts. :rolleyes:)
Sue
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
Beef stew, meatloaf, cabbage rolls. Almost all the food I crave is traditional and based on stretching the budget. . . for instance roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.

Now I'm getting hungry
 
Burgers and chicken grilled here at home with my wife's kitchen sink potato salad. Add margaritas (made by me) and guacamole (made by my wife) and we have everything we need for a budget friendly fine dinner on the patio with a few friends and neighbors.
 

ouch

Stjynnkii membörd dummpsjterd
This may stretch the budget a bit, but why not live like a king for a song. Picked up a slab of wild Alaskan salmon on sale at Fairway, and in two days I'll be having gravlax (unsmoked lox) for 1/5 the price of the prepared item.

Get the bagels!

I'm sure some of the fish will find its way onto the grill, too.
 
Phở

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+1 for Pho. I'll raise you a plate of Korean BBQ with Panjori and Ssamjang.

This may stretch the budget a bit, but why not live like a king for a song. Picked up a slab of wild Alaskan salmon on sale at Fairway, and in two days I'll be having gravlax (unsmoked lox) for 1/5 the price of the prepared item.

Get the bagels!

I'm sure some of the fish will find its way onto the grill, too.

Grilled gravlax can be quite good!
 
Lentils are highly overlooked and absolutely delicious. They are also very cheap, about the price range of dried beans or less.

Indian Lentil Stew

1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 medium onion
about one inch of ginger, peeled
two cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2 teaspoon garam massala (Indian spice mixture, better markets will carry it pre-mixed or you can make it yourself)
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 can coconut milk
1 Thai Chili (leave whole for a more mild flavor, slicing in half lengthwise will add more spice)
1 Tomato, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Puree or finely chop the onion, garlic, and ginger together. In a preheated pot with some oil on the bottom add the onion mixture and your spices, cook 2-3 minutes or until soft. Not so much looking for color, more to get the rawness out.

Once you've done this add your lentils, water, tomato, and chili and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the lentils are just under done. You are looking for the consistency of a thick stew (just a litter thicker then you want at serving time, see below for the coconut milk), add a little water as needed to avoid getting to dry. Just before lentils are cooked fish out the chili and add your coconut milk and continue to cook at a light simmer until they are tender. If the stew is to thick for your taste add a little additional water or more coconut milk and cook for a few additional minutes.

Serve with Chapati (dense flour water and salt dough rolled into a thin disk and cooked on a flat iron. Sort of like a thick tortilla)

I make no claims that this is an authentic Indian dish, merely Indian inspired and darn tasty.
 
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My go-to cheap dining is our local middle eastern deli. An almost unlimited variety of excellent food. I've become a big fan of sweet tea with rose water added too.
 
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