Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew

Creamy with coconut milk, this Brazilian-style fish stew is a sumptuous contrast of flavors. Also added are Fish fillets marinated in citric lime juice. Canned tomatoes, fresh chopped bell pepper and onion give crunch and body to the stew.

It all comes together quickly. Just marinate fish in the lime juice while the stew cooks for 15 minutes, then add fish -- it's ready to serve in a few more minutes when fish becomes flaky.

I always find canned coconut milk (or cream) at my local 99c only Store. And small packages of fish are usually carried for one dollar per 4 oz. steak in the frozen deli case of my local chain grocery store. Canned tomatoes, onion and bell pepper economically fill in the other stew ingredients.

Try out the unusual melange of flavors that make up my Moqueca - Brazilian Fish Stew. 

Ingredients (serves 2 - 3)

• 1 onion - chopped
• 2 bell peppers - red and/or green chopped.
• 2 -3 small packages of fish - about 8 to 12 ounces total, or any local fish on sale.
• 1 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice - fresh or bottled.
• 1 can (about 14 oz.) of coconut milk
• 1 can of tomatoes (about 14 oz.) - crushed, chopped or whole (breaking it apart as it cooks).
• 2 tablespoons of oil.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
In a bowl or plate drizzle fish with lime or lemon juice. Allow to marinate for about 15 minutes while sauteing veggies and cooking stew.

In a large pan or pot saute chopped bell peppers and onion over a medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes.

Pour in coconut milk and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 10 minutes. Finally, add fish and cook until fish is flaky and done, 10 - 15 minutes depending on thickness of fish filets.

Serve over rice or anything that soaks up the sweet coconut sauce.

Cherry Tomatoes & Sausage with Pasta

Cherry tomatoes pop in your mouth with a more intense flavor than regular full size ones. In April, the Chef featured them in his 2 minute Salad video. Now allow The 99 Cent Chef to liven up a typical boring tomato sauce.

When paired with sausage and pasta, these intense pellets of concentrated tomato essence create a colorful rich texture. The last cooking step -- deglazing the pan with red wine, pasta water and a pat of butter -- creates a rich delectable tomato sauce. My Italian budget entree uses ingredients I picked up at the Hollywood 99c only Store.

You can use any sausage on sale, and a small carton of cherry tomatoes comes cheap. If you have a little onion and bell pepper you need to use up, add these too.

Cherry tomatoes begin to soften after 15 minutes of cooking and become even sweeter. Crush about half of them to thicken sauce, but be careful, because they squirt when squashed. The Chef's cherry tomato sauce is an adaptable addition to your favorite pasta recipes. Use any favorite protein on sale, or just leave out the meat and add seasonal veggies for a lively vegetarian ratatouille-style pasta sauce. All ingredients featured in this recipe are inexpensive at any market, so make a low-priced meal of it!

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 carton cherry tomatoes - about 16 ounces or 2 cups
• Sausage - your favorite on sale, about 1 lb.
• 1 small onion and 1/2 bell pepper chopped - for vegetarian, use any seasonal favorites.
• 1 tbsp. chopped garlic - fresh or jar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup of red or white wine - photos shows red (optional, or use chicken/veggie stock).
• 1 cup of pasta water - reserved from cooked pasta
• Slice of butter - thickens sauce (optional)
• Fresh herbs if you have them - about 1 tablespoon total if dried, including parsley, oregano, sage and basil.
• Salt and pepper to taste - minimal salt is needed, as sausage is salty enough.
• 3/4 package of your favorite pasta - cook per package directions

Directions 
Boil water for pasta and cook per package directions. After draining pasta, reserve 1 cup pasta water to add for sauce. Add olive oil to heating pan and brown sliced sausage for about 5-10 minutes. Add any aromatic veggies, including bell pepper and onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Deglaze pan with wine or stock. Add pasta water, butter, tomatoes - salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce sauce by half. Break up about half of the cherry tomatoes with your cooking spoon or spatula as they soften -- but be careful -- they squirt! Finish up by adding herbs you have on hand. Serve over your favorite pasta.

The Chef's Sunset Magazine Profile & An Under 2 Minute Salad - Video

The 99 Cent Chef takes out-of-towner Jenny Cunningham of Sunset Magazine in hand and shows her a banquet of L.A. frugal finds. Read her account in the May issue of Sunset Magazine now on newsstands, or the library if you are chintzy like The Chef. Photography is by Lisa Romerein. Some of the highlight destinations are a trip to Carney's hotdog train car on the Sunset Strip for a beer and hot dog totaling $3.50 -- to downtown destinations including: the "Too Hot Tamales's" Ciudad Restaurant for happy hour mojitos with carnitas tacos, and 35 cent cocktails at the glamorous downtown speakeasy The Edison -- a special offered from 5-7 p.m. every Thursday. A brief excerpt below:

An Under 2 Minute Salad - Video

Salads are economical, healthy and especially, quick to make. With packages of cleaned and trimmed spinach, lettuce, or mache blends of various leafy greens, crates of cherry tomatoes, canned veggies and chicken, everything is conveniently available for a speedy salad. The Chef recently noticed how quickly it can all come together during a lunch break, when a fellow worker popped open a few containers and, quicker than I could microwave my lunch, she had assembled and dug into a delicious looking salad. I complimented her leafy prowess, and made a mental note to try this at home - with a stop watch. Check out the following video to see exactly how fast the Chef tosses his salad. 

An Under 2 Minute Salad - Video

Play it here. The video runs 3 minutes 17 seconds.

Ingredients (2-3 servings)

• 6 oz. bag of spinach
• 15 oz.can of beets (whole, sliced, or julienne)
• 5 oz. can of chicken, turkey or tuna
• 10 oz. cherry tomatoes (small crate)
• 1 tbsp. each oil and vinegar - per serving 

Directions
In the video, I made a single serving; but you can add all the ingredients together for 2-3 servings. Make sure to drain liquid from canned goods. Lastly, whisk together oil and vinegar, or use your favorite salad dressing. For a work lunch salad keep canned drained ingredients in separate containers, so spinach does not get soggy.

Go here to embed or view video at youtube.