Cooking For One or Two - A Guide to Budget Meals and Stretching Your Money

I remember, years ago, when I was a kid, my mother clipped coupons. she had stacks of newspapers that she went through, clipping out coupons that she would and could use. She was both frugal and discplined. Me? That's another story.

If I used food coupons, I'd probably need a moving van to deliver items that I'd not normally eat. This is, of course, no way to save money. And my point, of course, is, only save coupons for items you'd actually eat. Don't even clip out the other coupons. Or if you do, give them to someone you know would use that product. I'm not sure if charities can use the coupons, but it wouldn't hurt to ask your local food banks if they take coupons to hand out.

That said, I have to be honest and say that even over the past 4 calendar years, I have seen fewer and fewer coupons in supermarket flyers and newspapers. What I mostly see are coupons for fast food joints. Especially pizza. Save yourself a few bucks and make your own flatbread pizza (recipe below).

You could use a pre-made pizza shell, if you like, but any sort of flatbread that has a bit of thickness works quite well. Do not use tortillas, unless you want to eat your pizza with a knife and fork. Keep in mind that even thick flatbreads are generally softer than pizza shells, so hold hot pieces with care.

If I'm making any dry stir-fry, what I like to do is keep a bit of the dish aside for a flatbread pizza later in the week. This way, your pizza takes less time to make. What's more, if you're a mushroom fan, try pre-sauteed mushrooms on your pizza instead of raw slices, and you'll know why I do this. I've never tasted a more heavenly pizza than one with pre-sauteed mushrooms.

Ingredients

• Flatbread - the thickest you can find, or pre-baked pizza shells.
• Olive oil (or in a pinch, canola oil) [optional]
• Spaghetti sauce or plain tomato sauce.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 1 tsp dried Oregano. When baked in an oven, oregano produces a wonderful aroma that suits Italian-based cooking. You can substitute with any pizza seasonings.
• Crushed red pepper flake [optional]
• 2-3 tbsp of stir-fried veggies and meat (bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, beef or chicken strips). Make sure that you strain off any liquid. Pat the mixture dry with paper towels (kitchen paper), if necessary.
• Grated cheese - your choice. I like to mix mozzarella and cheddar.

Preparation

• Since all of the ingredients are pre-cooked, you could use a microwave, but the result will be soggy. If you do use one, ignore the references to an oven, below, and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese melts. To avoid burning your mouth, let cool a bit before eating.
• Before you start preparing the preparing the ingredients, turn your oven on and preheat to 325 Fahrenheit.
• With your clean fingers, lightly and gently rub no more than 1-2 tsp of oil on the surface of the flatbread. Use a very small amount The thinner the flatbread, the less you should use.
• Similarly, using the back of large spoon, spread 1-2 tbsp, maximum, of tomato or spaghetti sauce over the surface.
• Sprinkle on the salt, black pepper, oregano, and crushed red pepper flake.
• Spoon on the stir-fry veggies and meat, making sure they are evenly distibuted. If the flatbread you are using is small, spoon on less mixture. You don't want a heap of mixture; just enough for taste and texture.
• Evenly distribute the cheese to cover the veggies and meat.
• Place the flatbread pizza on a cookie sheet or, if you have one, a pizza sheet or baking stone. The pizza sheets that have perforations in them will allow the bread to crisp up a bit.
• Bake for no more than 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Presentation
Cut in quarters and enjoy with a drink.


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(c) Copyright 2005-Present, Raj Kumar Dash, http://cookingforone-or-two.blogspot.com

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