Frugal Shopper 2009 Winter Recipes
PL Byrd, CHE Stanly Regional Medical Center January 2009
Dear Kind Frugal Shoppers, Included here are nine tried and true recipes from my home. Some are more time-consuming than others, but hopefully, you‟ll find the results well worth the commitment. When you‟re stepping into this Frugal state of mind, please remember some of the things we talked about in class last year to prepare us for today: how singing and dancing in the kitchen with your children creates beautiful memories; how we‟re going to feed our bodies nourishing, whole food that more closely resembles the way it comes out of the ground; how we‟re changing our relationship with food by realizing that food is not the enemy, especially when we make time to prepare it with love and respect; and how we‟re ready to practice taking control of and accountability for what we‟re putting down our pie-holes. If you‟d like to share recipes, please send them to me by email, neatly typed in a Word document. I‟ll make sure they are posted on this site, and that you get a byline! Please remember: all recipes are made with whole foods - organic when the budget allows. No recipes with cream of mushroom soup, cornflakes, or other processed ingredients, and no artificial ingredients of any kind, including sweeteners like Splenda, are accepted for this challenge. Please have fun with this; stay loose, save some money, and see what happens next! Remember to follow the budget parameters as closely as you can, and report in. Feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. Thank you, and here‟s to a healthy way of living in 2009! Patricia Lynn Byrd, your SRMC Community Health Educator
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Frugal Black Beans (approx. $.48 per serving)
calories 160; calories from fat 15; total fat 1.5g; total carbohydrates 29g; fiber 10g; sugars 7g; protein 9g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS 2 C dried black beans and water as directed in the instructions 1 large onion, chopped 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced (finely chopped) or crushed 1 T olive oil 2 - 3 T apple cider vinegar Salt to taste INSTRUCTIONS Clean the beans to remove small stones (no broken teeth!). soak the beans for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, in about 6 cups of water. Drain, rinse, and place beans in a large pot with about 7 to 8 cups of water. DON‟T ADD SALT YET or your beans will be tough. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover, and simmer until tender – about 2 ½ hours. The water should just cover your beans. If you need to add water at any time during the cooking process, add boiling water. Adding cold water to a hot pot stops the cooking, and your beans will be tough. Tough beans are a hard sell. Before serving: In a frying pan, sauté the onion in the oil over medium heat until clear, about 7 minutes or so. Add the fresh garlic to the onion after about 5 minutes. Garlic cooks more quickly than onion, and you don‟t want it to burn. Add this mixture to your beans. Now, add 2 to 3 T of apple cider vinegar to your beans. Add a little salt, taste, and adjust your seasonings…add more salt and vinegar if needed. YUM!!! STEP IT UP Make Cuban Black Beans by adding cumin or chili powder to taste – 2 t is a good place to start, sautéing a green pepper with the onion and garlic, and using fresh squeezed lime juice instead of vinegar for a really fresh taste; you can also add lime juice to the onions, peppers, and garlic as they cook MENU IDEA Black beans are GREAT on the plate with a baked sweet potato and healthy green salad LEFTOVERS heat as soup, put a little sour cream on top spoon over brown rice, add some leftover veggies, and wrap in tortilla make black bean burgers (recipe included) (PLB JAN 09)
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Frugal 15 Bean Soup With Smoked Turkey Sausage (approx. $1.00 per serving)
calories 300; calories from fat 70; total fat 8g; sodium 760 mg; total carbohydrates 37 g; fiber 2g; sugars 3g; protein 24g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 12 SERVINGS 2 lbs Smoked Turkey Sausage 1 bag (approx. 20 ounces) 15 bean dry soup mix 4 or more fresh garlic cloves, minced or crushed 1 large onion, chopped 1 can (approx. 15 ounces) crushed tomatoes Juice of ½ lemon to start Water as directed INSTRUCTIONS Follow the package directions for bean soup preparation. The tomatoes are listed as an ingredient here. When bean soup begins to boil, add chopped onion and garlic…you don‟t have to sauté them first. Prepare your turkey sausage by cutting ½” thick rounds and sautéing in a frying pan until brown. Add to the bean soup while it‟s cooking. It‟ll add lots of flavor. At the end, add a little lemon juice to “brighten” up your taste buds. Serve it up, and make sure the hot sauce is on the table! STEP IT UP Use the tomatoes you put up! Cut back on the salt by using chicken instead of turkey sausage. Use your homemade chicken broth to cook the beans instead of water, or mix it ½ and ½ . MENU IDEA A bowl of 15 bean soup with a side of health slaw and a piece of dense, crunchy cornbread makes a satisfying dinner LEFTOVERS Serve 15 bean soup to your family one more night this week. They won‟t complain because it‟s so good! Have it with a little steamed broccoli on the side this time.
(PLB JAN 09)
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Frugalicous Buttermilk Cornbread (approx. $.36 per serving)
calories 190; calories from fat 50; total fat 5g; sodium 630mg; total carbohydrates 31g; fiber 5g; sugars 5g; protein 5g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS 2 ½ T olive oil 2 t double acting baking powder 1 t baking soda 1 t sea salt 1 large raw egg 2 C yellow whole grain coarse grind cornmeal 1 to 2 T raw honey 1 ¾ C low fat, cultured buttermilk 1 cast iron skillet… a cast iron skillet makes the best cornbread! If you don‟t have one, request one for your birthday from your family and friends. INSTRUCTIONS Pull the egg out of the refrigerator first and let sit at room temperature. Get your other ingredients lined up before you start. It‟ll be easier than running around looking through your cabinets, trying to locate the baking soda. Put oil in a cast iron skillet in a 400 degree oven. Mix your dry ingredients (baking powder, soda, salt, and cornmeal) in a large bowl. Make a hole in the center and break your room temperature egg into the dry stuff; beat it just a little. Add your honey and buttermilk to the egg and mix all the dry ingredients in. Your batter will be good and thick. You can add a touch more buttermilk if you think it‟s a good idea. Now, grab your potholders. Carefully remove the skillet from the hot oven, and pour all that oil into the batter. Mix quickly, and pour the batter into the hot skillet. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick (or broom straw) comes out clean. Your crust will be crispy, and the inside will be dense and moist, if all goes well. STEP IT UP Add jalapeno peppers or sautéed onions to the mix, as many as you want! Use this same recipe to make fancy corn sticks or muffins. MENU IDEA Cornbread goes great with all kinds of soups. And if you have it, don‟t be shy with the blackstrap molasses! Go ahead and slather a little butter, too. LEFTOVERS Make croutons for bean soup or salads by coating leftovers with a little olive and baking in the oven…make cornbread dressing by mixing with some onions, celery, nuts, and chicken broth…freeze for later…feed the birds! (PLB JAN 09) 4
Why Would I Make Chicken Broth (approx. $.48 per serving)
calories 120; calories from fat 60; total fat 7g; sodium 350; total carbohydrate 6 g; fiber 1g; sugars 2g; protein 7g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 12 SERVINGS 4 chicken quarters 1 large onion, cut in half 2 whole heads of garlic (that means all the cloves) 4 medium potatoes - red or white - skin on, cut in half 4 large carrots, cut in half ½ T salt ½ T coarse ground black pepper if you have it, or regular pepper will do Approximately 2 quarts of water Optional: 1 bunch of fresh parsley INSTRUCTIONS Wash all the ingredients, place in a large stock pot, and cover with water. Put the lid on and bring to a boil, watching carefully so the pot doesn‟t boil over. Turn to low. After 2 or 3 hours, taste your broth. Add salt and pepper if you desire. Your broth is ready, but you can cook it longer if you desire. Let the broth cool, strain it and toss the vegetables in the compost bin, or mix with the chicken skin and feed to your dog along with her regular dry food. Please be sure to NEVER feed your dog chicken bones. They‟re small, they splinter when chewed, and they poke holes in the dog‟s intestine which can cause your beloved animal excruciating pain - or worse, a painful death (pork chop or steak bones are just as bad). But, a hambone as big around as your arm bone is cool! Ask your meat department manager to hook you up with a femur or humerus, or just say no to bones. STEP IT UP Add sweet potatoes, fennel, ginger root, leeks, and any other vegetable that appeals to you during the cooking process MENU IDEAS Use as a base for soups…or cook your rice, beans, or greens in broth instead of water…drink a cup of broth for breakfast instead of coffee…broth and brown rice will make sick people feel better…use in place of oil when you sauté your vegetables…pick your chicken and make chicken sandwiches for breakfast…or pick your chicken, put it in the broth, and serve homemade chicken soup for dinner! LEFTOVERS Freeze what you can‟t use immediately; chicken broth in the freezer is like money in the bank – you can‟t have too much of this good thing!
(PLB JAN 09)
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Frugal Greens (Approx. $.25 per serving)
Calories 35; calories from fat 5; total fat 0g; sodium 25 mg; total carbohydrate 6g; fiber 4g; sugars 1g; protein 3 g (based on cooking in water; refer to chicken broth nutritional breakdown for information)
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS 2 pounds fresh seasonal greens (collards, turnips, mustard, creasies) Water or chicken broth INSTRUCTIONS Go to your daddy‟s back yard garden, your local produce stand, or the grocery store. Be strong and confident as you ask the manager or your daddy questions about the greens, or just go ahead and dive in. Mix„em up! Collards, turnips, and mustards all go well together. Mustard greens are the most bitter, so most people like to mix less of them into the pot. Back home, you‟re standing in the kitchen, looking at this big bag of greens. They may look daunting, but here‟s how to get that strong, confident mojo back: be the boss of those greens! Plug up your kitchen sink, dump your greens in all at once, and fill up the sink with cold water. Plunge your hands right in there and play with the greens. Push them under the water, toss them around…then drain. You‟ll most likely see a bunch of dirt or sand in the bottom of the sink. Give your sink a basic rinse and start all over. Rinse your greens four times, or more if they are really dirty. This should take you, oh, about 3 or 4 minutes. Now, for the time-consuming part: sort through your greens. Some will be tender and young, and some will be older with a tough stem, or spine. Just strip the leafy part off the tough spine, put the leaves in your pot, and toss the spine into your refuse container for the compost pile. Mostly, you‟ll be able to chop and cook your tender greens, spine and all. Don‟t spend a lot of time chopping the greens – just bunch them all up and chop them coarsely. It should take you about 15 minutes or so. Put the greens in a big pot with some water or chicken broth. Just stuff them in! The liquid should NOT come close to covering the greens, as the greens cook down very quickly. The more times you cook greens, the better you‟ll get at judging the right amount of liquid. It takes about 30 minutes, no longer, to cook fresh greens. Save the greens liquid. It‟s called “pot liquor,” and a warm, nutritious cupful is a wonderful way to jumpstart your day. Get creative! Add a couple of hot peppers while they‟re cooking…add a teaspoon of olive oil to the water (you won‟t do this if cooking in chicken broth)…add a touch of honey if the greens are too bitter…remember the apple cider vinegar!
(PLB JAN 09)
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Frugalnomayo Health Slaw (approx. $.75 per serving)
Calories 130; calories from fat 60; total fat 7g; sodium 200mg; total carbohydrates 17g; fiber 6g; sugars 2g; protein 3g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 12 SERVINGS 4 pounds fresh cabbage – any color, any kind. Choose your favorites! 1 small sweet onion 1 C freshly grated carrots ¼ C olive oil ½ C apple cider vinegar ½ t salt ½ t ground black pepper INSTRUCTIONS You‟re making crunchy coarse slaw, not hog dog slaw. Slice your cabbage coarsely and cut the long strips into thirds or halves. Use any type of cabbage you like – napa, red, green, or savory. They‟re all wonderful! Napa is really sweet and works especially well. Grate your carrots until you have a cup or more – you can add as much as you‟d like. Finely grate the onion – use as much or as little as you‟d like. Start with less, and add more to taste. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper; whisk it in a bowl, shake it in a jar, or stir it. Pour the liquid over the cabbage and carrots, and mix to coat. Add a little more liquid if it seems too dry to you, but this slaw isn‟t particularly wet or gooey. It keeps well in the refrigerator for five days. STEP IT UP Replace ½ apple cider vinegar with ½ balsamic vinegar for a sweeter slaw Add fresh cilantro or parsley, and any extra vegetable that sounds good to you (sweet bell peppers work beautifully) Add a little toasted sesame oil, fresh lime juice, minced or grated fresh gingerroot, hot chili paste and soy sauce (AKA tamari) for an Asian flavor MENU IDEA Roasted chicken quarters, health slaw, roasted turnips and carrots! Or how about some health slaw, cornbread, and 15 bean soup? LEFTOVERS Pack for lunch with some healthy crackers and raw cheddar cheese…you can eat this several days in a row without injury Wrap with brown rice and black beans for some knock-out tortillas
(PLB JAN 09)
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Frugal Roasted Chicken Quarters (approx. $1.00 per serving)
Calories 300; calories from fat 220; total fat 24g; sodium 370mg; total carbohydrates 0g; fiber 0g; sugars 0g; protein 19g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS 4 pieces of best quality chicken quarters (thigh and leg) 1 T olive oil ½ t salt INSTRUCTIONS Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash each piece of dark meat chicken quarters and pat dry. With your hands, rub olive oil and salt onto the skin of each piece. Place in a shallow baking dish or pan, on a rack if you have one. If not, no worries. Turn your oven down to 350 degrees, and bake until done (30 to 45 minutes, or until legs wiggle freely). Save the fat from the cooked chicken to put in your greens or beans, or mix it in with the dog‟s food, but don‟t toss it. You‟re frugal. You‟ll think of how to use it later. STEP IT UP Use organic chicken (you‟ll pay more…but it‟s worth it when you can) Find some fresh rosemary…somebody in the neighborhood probably has a big bush of it, or maybe you have plenty to share! Carefully place as much rosemary as you‟d like under the chicken skin before roasting Mix olive oil with lemon juice before coating the mix on your chicken MENU IDEA How about some roasted chicken with roasted vegetables? It doesn‟t get any better than this when the weather outside is dreary. Add some sautéed spinach, or steamed broccoli to the plate to cheer everybody up. LEFTOVERS Take a chicken sandwich to work or school, make a pot of chicken / rice soup on the weekend, make some easy chicken tortillas with black beans and health slaw…so many options for the frugal cook!
(PLB JAN 09)
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World‟s Best Frugally Roasted Roots (approx. $.5 per serving)
Calories 45; calories from fat 10; total fat 1g; sodium 230mg; total carbohydrate 8g; fiber 2g; sugars 5g; protein 1g (nutritional content varies – but not much – depending on your roots)
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS 4 fresh turnips, carrots, potatoes, beets, onions, or parsnips, or a combination of any of the above 1 T olive oil ¼ t salt (Believe it or not, most kids really love roasted vegetables, especially turnips, because roasted root veggies are naturally sweet. Don‟t tell‟em they‟re eating turnips. They‟ll think they‟re eating potatoes! Hold the ketchup…) INSTRUCTIONS You may stick with one type of root vegetable at a time until you‟re comfortable with the roasting process. Roasting is easy, and even when you mess up, the food is still good and highly edible! Don‟t worry about peeling anything. Some people say it‟s easier to peel beets after roasting. This has not been my experience, so I just eat the skin, too. It‟s delicious! Also, beets will stain, so don‟t wear your favorite white shirt while preparing beets. If you‟re lucky enough to buy fresh beets with the greens intact, wash the greens and sauté them in a little olive oil and salt. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Wash well, dry, and cut your veggies into medium sized pieces (they‟ll shrink as they roast). Test-drive the process of cutting veggies for roasting. You‟ll know what works best for you next time. Place your prepared veggies in a bowl, pour the oil over them, and stir to coat. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet or baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 30 minutes or until fork tender, stirring once with a spatula. They should be lightly brown and crispy on the outside.
STEP IT UP Impress yourself! Mix up your root veggies. Roast potatoes, onions, and carrots together. After about 20 minutes, stir and
add fresh garlic to the veggies. Roast for another 20 or so minutes. This combo is really good hot or cold. MENU IDEA Roasted turnips, brown rice, black beans and greens will warm you up and fill you up with goodness. LEFTOVERS Add a little balsamic to cold roasted root vegetables for a real taste treat.
(PLB JAN 09)
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Frugal Forest Pasta (approx. $.88 per serving)
Calories 340; fat calories 60; total fat 7g; sodium 250 mg; carbohydrate 56 g; fiber 12g; sugars 3g; protein 18g
BASIC INGREDIENTS FOR 4 SERVINGS 12 ounces (1 bag) of whole wheat or rice pasta (rigatoni works well) 1 large head of fresh broccoli 1 T butter 1 T olive oil ½ C or more chicken or vegetable broth INSTRUCTIONS Wash broccoli in warm water, and cut into bite-sized pieces. You can use the stem. Simply trim off the bottom, peel it, and slice it. It‟s quite sweet! Steam broccoli for 4 to 5 minutes, but no longer; be very careful not to overcook it. Kids want broccoli trees to be crispy and bright green, and so do you. Set your broccoli aside, and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Add a pinch of salt to the water if you‟d like. Be careful not to overcook the pasta! Undercook it a little because it will continue to cook after it leaves the water. Drain your pasta, add it back to the pot you just cooked it in, and add the butter and olive oil. Gently stir. Add the broccoli trees and gently stir again. Add the chicken broth a little at a time. You many not need all the broth – add enough to keep it from being dry, but not gooey. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve. Go ahead; add a little more butter or olive oil if you want to. It‟s your pasta! But you‟ll add calories. If you‟re watching your waistline, add chicken broth instead. STEP IT UP Add freshly grated parmesan cheese and lots of fresh sautéed garlic Sauté a few raw walnuts and/or sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil and add to the pasta Add any fresh vegetable you have on hand – nothing is off-limits in the vegetable world! MENU IDEA Forest Pasta, a Clementine, and 4 gingersnap cookies LEFTOVERS Yeah, right. But just in case, eat it cold for breakfast or lunch.
(PLB JAN 09)
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