One Frugal Foodie

I am one of those rare people who’s hair color has never changed.  In fact, the color and texture could easily be mistaken for my 4 year old photo.  Not so bad, one might think, but my hair color is what many so kindly like to call “dishwater” or “dirty” blond.  Many shades short of a brunette, yet occasionally told that I am not a “real blond.”  Lacking a hair color identity, and not willing to resort to the bleach bottle, I was once again upstaged by a “real” blondie…

Yet somehow I was not threatened by this attractive blondie, who spun for the camera to show off its sugary sweet side …

Sure, at first, feeling smug, I noticed that this blondie was a bit thick through the middle…

… and as my suspicions proved, this was indeed a “packaged” blondie, not homegrown by any nature.  I could even see the dark chocolate colored roots showing through…

Nonetheless, as my jealousy wore off, I felt for this blondie … so seemingly perfect yet obviously striving to be noticed.  After finally letting my guard down and approaching the blondie, my prejudgements were quickly cast aside as I discovered that this was in fact the sweetest blondie I had ever come across!

I hate to admit it, but polenta is a new food to me.  While out at an Italian restaurant for a friend’s birthday, I picked a polenta entree for something different.  It was delicious!  When a spotted chubs of polenta on sale this week, I had to have some.  Since I had no idea what polenta entailed, I showed some restraint and selected just one flavor, the Garlic and Basil from Food Merchants.  As you all probably know, but was new to me, this stuff is precooked, ready to go … my kind of all natural food!  Okay, I do prefer food made from scratch, but as a polenta intro, this was pretty close to homemade.

I sliced, heated in a fry pan, and topped with a chuunky marinara (meat sauce for the husband).  A side salad rounded out the color profile for an amazingly professional look (if I do say so myself).  I have been working on my presentation a bit…

… and it seems to be working thus far, as my husband came in and proclaimed that he felt like he was eating in a fine Italian restaurant.  Even better, he loved it!  Polenta really isn’t something I expected him to like, but he gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up.  Is there anything better than adding another 10-minute meal to your repertoire, really?  Did I mention that this stuff is organic - that’s right, corn without the GMO’s, yeah!

The chub lasted us for two meals, one dinner, one lunch.  My favorite store-bought marinara is the Tuscano (in a can) at Trader Joe’s.  It has no added sugars, but uses a bit of carrot puree for a light sweetness.  It is simple, and well worth the low price tag for the over-sized can.  I added sliced mushrooms, onions, and some ground turkey (with splash of worcestershire sauce for the “beefy” taste) for the meat-lover in our house.  I kept mine vegan, just because.  Not quite homemade, but it sure tasted like it!

Healthy Frugal Tip: Never skip that expensive natural food department at your local mega-grocer. 

Why? 

Your Albertson’s, Krogers, Safeway, whatever-you-call-it-chain has likely inserted a highly overpriced natural food aisle or two into its store within the last few years.  While my family does not consume hydrogenated or high fructose anything, dropping a small fortune in these specialty aisles is just not in my budget either.  In fact, if you do some comparison shopping on those regular natural food necessities (like almond and rice milk in my case) you will typically find that Whole Paycheck is actually cheaper.  For example, a box of cereal we enjoy is just $2.49 at Whole Foods, yet at my local mega-grocer it is $5.00.  My favorite almond milk is $2.29 at Whole Foods (just $1.99 at Trader Joe’s though!), but it is nearly $4.00 at my local grocer. 

Nonetheless, it is for this very reason that on occasion you may strike gold in those lone natural food aisles.  For these grocers who have long known the demand for Nabisco crackers, the natural food section is still an area of trial and error.  Some products just don’t sell (especially when they are marked up so highly!).  Almost every week I find a new discontinued item on their shelves (discontinued by them, not usually the manufacturer), and quite often it is something that appeals … and discontinued items are often marked down quite substantially…

Case in Point: A Stash Organic Tea Review

I rarely purchase Stash Organic Tea.  Their pretty labels are just not enough to warrant the price tag.  But as an avid tea fan, I was stoked when I spotted two flavors of Stash Organic Tea marked with a huge discontinued tag at the Albertsons just down the road.  For just $1.44 each, I picked up a package of the Organic Breakfast Blend (if its black and labeled as breakfast tea, then my husband will drink it) and the Organic Cascade Mint.  That’s ORGANIC, not just the regular Stash brand.  In the past I would never have touched a tea labeled with mint.  I do love chocolate and mint, but tea always sounds weird.  Yet, just a few weeks ago, some spearmint was slipped into a tea I ordered when we were traveling (okay, I just didn’t read the full description before ordering) and it was really good!

Well, let me say that this tea was indeed fantastic.  Warm, soothing, and minty, it was like a wonderful caffeine-free wake-up call in the morning.  I have heard that mint also satiates, so this may be an excellent after-dinner tea as well to prevent further nibbling.  This tea was a nice blend of organic peppermint and organic spearmint leaves.

Would I purchase again?  I will be heading back to Albertson’s to see if there is any left, definitely.  Otherwise, I might pay up to $2.50 to have this on hand as a special treat, but really, that is my absolute limit for tea.  Particularly considering it only has 18 tea bags.  But, it would be a wonderful holiday tea… perhaps I should stock up on the discontinued for gift baskets?

The moral: A quick minute-long stroll through the natural food aisle can often reveal a treasure or two.  Happy grocery shopping!

They had an awesome sale on bananas this past weekend at a Grand Opening Albertson’s sale, just 25 cents per pound, so it was time to stock up!  Bananas are a mainstay in my smoothies, which gives me an excuse to buy … oh … about eight pounds of them.  I sliced them up, flash froze them on a cookie sheet (in batches of course) for about an hour at a time, and then put them into baggies in the freezer for later use. 

Of course, I left a bunch out to enjoy fresh, and a few extras for banana bread. Undeterred from my first vegan baking attempt at brownies, I jumped into the opportunity to remake my favorite banana bread sans eggs.  Sure, there were many vegan banana breads on the net, but not a one compared to my hearty version.  I have never been a fan of dry and cakey.  My desserts must be moist and dense (crumb topping always helps too), and quick breads should have enough in them to make a good breakfast. 

While my recipe still needs a bit of refining, it was really pretty good.  The loaf was moist, with a light sweetness that my husband really enjoyed (he snuck back for seconds, and thirds, and… well you get the picture). It didn’t rise too much, but just enough.  To get a taller loaf, I think just a bit more flour would do.  Oh yes, and I did sway a bit from my old recipe, which is a banana whole wheat bread.  I used coconut rather than flaxseed for a lighter more dessert like taste (I will pursue a heartier loaf on the next batch).  Anyway, without further ado, here it is…

Banana Coconut Loaf

• 2 cups flour (whole wheat, white whole wheat - for a lighter bread) or all-purpose)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup oil (I used coconut)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (may use honey for non-vegan or agave nectar)
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)

Preheat oven to 350º and lightly grease a loaf pan (I used a 9 x5, though a smaller one will likely create a taller bread)

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and coconut (see notes below) in a large bowl.  Set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  Mash up those bananas, and add them to the small bowl of liquids.  Going back to the large flour bowl, make a well in the dry mixture and pour your liquid mixture in.  Gently fold the batter until everything is well combined, but be careful not to overmix.  A few lumps are okay.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan.  It is a bit thick, so you may have to coax it into place a bit.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Notes: For the quick bread pictured, I used white whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand) since I was out of whole wheat bread flour.  I also whizzed 3/4 of the coconut (6 Tablespoons) in my spice grinder for a few quick whirls.  I wanted to have a denser loaf with more of an infused coconut taste, which it seemed to do.  The remaining 2 Tablespoons I threw in as is, in shredded fashion.

Feeling overwhelmed with to do’s this past week, I finally realized that my surroundings may be the culprit rather than the tasks at hand.  So… I squeezed in some time this weekend to organize a bit.  Starting with the long neglected cupboards and fridge, I got to work (now what to do with the stuff left on the counter?!).  Just a little preface, since I can’t consume any milk products, I really got into baking a few years ago (many bread products contain dairy).  In keeping with my Frugal Food self, I took up shopping in the bulk foods department for flours, sugars, grains, etc.  Hence, the array of labeled tubs:

However, I had a few bulk baggies of grains that had not yet made it into a nicely labeled container.  Feeling like a complete idiot, I have no idea what these grains are now.  I think one is cracked wheat or wheat berries, but really, I am not sure.  Any guesses?  I could use some help here!

I have had the honor of previewing the many dessert recipes from the upcoming cookbook, My Sweet Vegan.  Of course, they must be trialed, and with a friend’s birthday approaching I knew some type of cake would be in order.  While I was tempted by the “cheese” cake recipes in the book, we were meeting at a restaurant, so something more transportable was required.  Since my friend is an avid sushi-goer, I lunged at the Wasabi Chocolate Cupcake recipe.

 I had every ingredient on hand, so making them was a snap.  Within 20 minutes the little pools of chocolate were in the oven.  If only I had set it on the right temperature!  Waiting the full 20 minutes before checking, I opened the oven and witnessed a rapid cupcake deflating.  Still several minutes from completion, I took a peak at the guage and discovered that I had set the oven temperature to low!  After turning the heat up, and another five minutes, the cupcakes were done, but not so pretty, considering the recipe called for a drizzling of wasabi glaze, not enough to cover up my concave results.

Thinking quickly, I jumped to another recipe in the cookbook and extracted the vanilla frosting recipe.  Quickly whipping up a small batch, I mounded the frosting into the center, and smoothed it over the top.  For a little extra visual insurance, I sprinkled the top with the mini-chocolate chips from Enjoy Life Foods (insanely allergen-free, even free of soy lecithin).

My husband graciously acted as the taste tester to ensure that they were still gift-worthy (since I was sugared-out from eating every list bit of the frosting, yum!), and he gave them a thumbs up.  As for my friend’s response … ”Mmm … good cupcake!”  She just reported back that they also make a good breakfast, lol.

While my friend is completely omnivorous, with no known allergies or intolerances, it seems these vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), nut-free, soy-free (I used rice milk) cupcakes passed the test!  I must agree, they were yummy… past tense of course.

If you do follow the recipe, using the right oven temp, your results should look more like this.

With the hot weather of our new locale, my summer was depressingly low on barbecue events, so it was impossible for me to resist a good Internet potluck.  Sarah over at No Whey, Mama put out the invite and posted her recipe offering for Aunt Ruth’s Stew.  She is even offering bonus points for dairy-free recipes!  Perfect for me, though I have no idea what I could actually cash in those bonus points for.

 Anywho, when I took on a strict dairy-free diet, I was amazed by the number of breads that contained milk ingredients.  From whey to caseinates to nonfat milk in all its foresaken glory, milk was certainly present in portions of the bakery that I had not anticipated.  Yet this is really what initiated my true love for baking.  My first mission became that loaf of bread.  I trialed many French bread recipes, but was elated to come across a good wheat bread recipe that I could use for everything from sandwich bread to a hearty slice of toast.  Really, there is nothing better than making a loaf of bread from scratch (kneading dough is a great way to get out some aggression!) and tasting how much more wonderful it is than store bought. 

I have often made a loaf of this go-to bread on a Sunday (halving the recipe) to last us the week.

Whole Wheat Bread 

Yield: 2 loaves

(Can be Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-free, and/or Soy-Free)

1 ½ T active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 ½ cups tepid plain or unsweetened milk alternative
¼ cup honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, or brown sugar
¼ cup olive oil plus extra for greasing
2 t salt
3 cups whole-wheat flour
¼ - ½ cup flaxseeds (ground or whole) or 7-grain mix (in the bulk department)
3 ½ - 4 cups whole wheat bread flour (plus extra as needed)

In a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water and stir to dissolve.  Let stand until foamy, about 5 to 10 minutes. 

In a large bowl, combine the milk alternative, honey or maple syrup, oil, salt, and 2 cups of the whole-wheat flour.  Mix until creamy.  Add in the yeast mixture and remaining 1 cup of whole wheat flour, and mix until creamy.  Stir in the flaxseeds and/or 7 grain blend.  Add the whole wheat bread flour ½ cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl sides.  Knead, and continue adding bread flour 1 Tablespoon at a time if the dough sticks, until smooth but slightly sticky when pressed, about 5 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to an oiled deep bowl and turn the dough once to coat it.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1-1 ½ hours.
Lightly grease two 9 by 5 inch loaf pans.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide in half and pat each half into a long rectangle.  Fold 1 rectangle like a letter, overlapping the short sides in the middle; press to flatten.  Beginning at a narrow end, tightly roll up the dough into a thick log.  Roll the log back and forth with your palms until it is the same length as the pan.  Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal.  Place the loaf seam side down, in a prepared pan, tucking the end under to make a neat, snug fit.  Repeat with the second portion.  Cover loosely with greased plastic and let rise until about 1 inch above the rim of each pan, about 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 350.  Bake until the loaves are golden brown and pull away from the pan sides, 35 – 40 minutes.  Turn out onto racks and let cool completely.

This is a very versatile recipe.  Soy, almond, or rice milk will work great, depending on your dietary preferences, and your favorite cooking oil can be used in place of the olive oil.  Also, you may add raisins, dried blueberries, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, or other bonus add-ins of choice.

Let the truth be told that while I am not an award-winning cook, I have always loved baking.  I am one of those insane people who refused to purchase a bread maker just because I absolutely loved the process of preparing bread by hand.  Yet, while (almost) all of my baked goods taste quite delicious, they are all too often, ahem, not so pretty.  I have blamed it on my bakeware, exclaiming ‘if only I had the proper pans.’  But now, I must admit that perhaps the baker, not the tools, was the source of the problem.

I received some muffin mixes to trial out from a new food allergy-friendly baking mix company, Meraby’s.  I first had some of the mix sent to a food allergy mom I know, and she promptly whipped up two batches of perfect looking muffins.  Her photos put me to shame, not a ripped apart pastry in site.  I usually lose half of the batch image-wise to stickage.  Sure, they are edible (and get eaten), but they constantly adhere to the bottom of the pan, never retaining that perfect muffin look.  If you look closely at some of my muffin photos, you could easily play a rousing game of “spot the broken muffins.”

To vary my review from hers a bit, I decided to make quick bread. Yet as the loaf emerged from the oven, I suddenly became quite nervous.  This was it, I only had one shot for the photo.  Not a dozen muffins from which at least one or two would remain beautifully in tact and photo-worthy.  Barb had already shown how perfect this mix could look, I couldn’t mess it up at this point!  Truthfully, I had to recognize at that moment my own mental shortcoming, patience.  Just leave the bread Alisa, step away from the pan.  Within the next 15 minute I returned the kitchen twice, tempting fate ever so slightly as I lunged toward the pan, but I held off.  A half hour passed, and I rushed in to discover that the pan was almost fully cooled.  I gently smoothed a knife around the edges to loosen the sides, and slowly turned the loaf, gently tapping the bottom of the pan, and…

I know to some of you this may seem like the world’s lamest post, but I swear to you, when I saw that entirely smooth loaf of quick bread, a sight that I had never laid eyes upon, a rush of pride so great swept over me that I had to call my husband in and grab my camera.  I kid you not, I took nine different shots of the bottom of this blueberry bread (just a half dozen when I repeated this beautiful process with the cranberry orange bread).  So humor me just for a moment, as at times, it is the littlest things in life that give me the utmost joy!

Just in case you were wondering what the top looked like….

Oh, and yes, it did taste reeeealllly, reeeeallly, good.  Egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegan to boot!  Well, if you are curious, the full review is here.

Just a few weeks into my first “real” blog, and I already have two meme’s on my to do list!  I am so honored.  I actually received two tags for the same meme, one from AllergicGirl and one from No Whey Mama. 

Here are the rules:

1. Let others know who tagged you.
2. Players start with 8 random facts about themselves.
3. Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts.
4. Players should tag 8 other people and notify them they have been tagged.

Okay, onto my facts…

1. I don’t have a TV, cell phone, or any other electronic gadgets beyond my computer and a few small kitchen appliances…. oh yes, and a $25 digital camera.   We had a cell phone for six months many years ago, and quite frankly didn’t like anyone being able to reach us at any time.  That old cell phone is deactivated in the car in case of a 911 emergency of course. 
2. I am a Smallville addict.  I agreed to sacrafice the TV three years ago if my husband would find a way for me to watch Smallville, and he does.  I haven’t missed an episode yet!
3. My husband and I have worked together for almost exactly ten years.  The longest we have ever been apart is two days.
4. I met most of my closest friends in Lake Tahoe by having knee surgery.  It seems you aren’t truly a local until you have had some sort of orthopedic surgery.  That explains why my surgeon had an entire basketball court in his living room. Nice place.
5. I grew up hating hot dogs, potato chips, bologna, and mac & cheese (for obvious reasons of course), but loved broccoli, oranges, kiwis, spinach, carrots, and any other fruit or vegetable served to me.  Seriously.
6. My day jobs are as an editor and a financial analyst.  I like to be diversified.
7. My husband and I adhere to a 1.5 mile rule.  If the restaurant, grocer, or mail drop-off is within 1.5 miles of our home, then we go by foot.  The only time we compromise the rule and head for the car, is when a shipment weighs over 20 lbs (those books can get heavy) or it is over 90º out, and it can’t wait until dark or the next morning.
8. I have been to Europe twice, for a total of six months, but can’t get my husband to go, even though his parents are now living in England!  (a little venting on that one)

Well that part wasn’t too painful.  Now, finding eight other people who haven’t already been tagged, that is the real challenge.  I will just take my chances:

• Brownbag Blues
• Cookies Etc.
• VeggieGirl
• The Non-Dairy Queen
• Domestic Affair
• Pig in the Kitchen

Oh goodness, I will have to stop there for now, as the ones that come to mind I know have done this meme…

Okay, if you are like me, “ice cream” could make the menu when the snow is falling… but as summer unofficially comes to a close after labor day weekend, the hype for frozen dessert also winds down.  Before it escapes completely, I thought I would do a very quick dairy-free frozen dessert round-up just for fun!

Great Deal on Purely Decadent - I should have jumped on this one sooner (sorry about that!), as it is only good through Sept 4th.  But, if you live anywhere near a Wild Oats, head over quickly and stock up on Purely Decadent pints by Turtle Mountain.  Available in so many awesome flavors, this is the brand that saved me in my transition from ice cream addiction back to the dairy-free world.  Of course it is vegan and delicious.  Anywho, they are on buy one get one free, and in my Wild Oats that equates to just $1.75 per pint… take that Ben & Jerry’s!

“Ice Cream” Sandwiches on Trial - The people at the Vegetarian Site were kind enough to share their thorough review on the vegan “ice cream” novelty category.  Definitely worth a quick read.

Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Rankings from Dairy-Free “Outsiders” - Of course, I had to put in my 2 cents on their rulings.  Another quick overall review for anyone who is curious about dairy-free “ice cream.”

Hannah’s Awesome “Ice Cream” Reviews - In the midst of creating recipes for her new vegan dessert cookbook, Hannah went on a vegan “ice cream” frenzy.  After a horrifying trial last year, she daringly jumped back into the reviews this year and fell in love with It’s Soy Delicious and Blackwell’s Soy Gelato and Sorbetto.  Really, the pictures alone are worth a peek.  Here’s just one of them (copyright Hannah Kaminsky on the photo) …

My Top Picks - Hard to find, but tops on my list is Whole Soy & Co.’s Non-Dairy Frozen Yogurt.  Insanely low in fat (1g) yet the richest and creamiest of the soy ice cream bunch, this brand won over me, my family, and our Baskin Robbins going friends.  Second would be the massively tasty collection of Purely Decadent pints.  I like those “exciting” flavors, and they cover it well.  However, I am a sucker for “ice cream” sandwiches, and though it was a controversial brand (talk about a love-hate product!), something about Rice Dream’s Frozen Pies just worked for me.  You can pick up an individual one anytime at Wild Oats (and I presume Whole Foods) for just $.99 each (cheaper when on sale).  So they also slide in easily as a Frugal Foodie pick.  I haven’t trialed the Purely Decadent line of Sandwiches as of yet though.

Awesome Homemade Recipes - This summer has been packed full with great vegan “ice cream” recipes, but alas, I do not have an ice cream maker.  If you do, then try one of these out and tell me how they are, okay?:

• Maple-Pecan “Ice Cream”
• Chocolate Ice
• Peanut Butter “Ice Cream”
• Carrot Cake “Ice Cream”
• Mummy’s Best Vanilla “Ice Cream”