One Frugal Foodie

Today, we were running out of food.  Ever been there? With no time to make it to Trader Joe’s or the main market we shop at, one of those market and produce type places, I scrounged the fridge for any remaining items that might make for a hearty lunch.  I found some leftover coconut milk from a prior meal, two broccoli crowns, a bag of baby carrots … hmm, it was looking promising.  A couple of pantry items and viola!  Lunch was served. 

I really wasn’t expecting my husband to like this throw together meal (even though it did taste much better than it looks), but to my great surprise, he said it was great.  So, with both his and my approval of the dish, possibly out of starvation, I will put up the recipe just in case someone else should like to make their own version:

Lunchtime Leftovers Rice (vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free … bad stuff-free)

• 1 cup brown rice (I used jasmine brown)
• 1 cup regular coconut milk
• 1.5 to 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1 large broccoli crown
• 1 to 2 cups baby carrots
• 3/4 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - I used the organic ones, they are littler and more nutty, not quite as potent in flavor
• fresh ground pepper

I have one of those wonderful inventions, the rice cooker.  I put the rice, coconut milk, water, turmeric, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in the rice cooker and clicked “on.” I used 2 cups of water, but you may need a little less depending on the rice you use. 

Cut the broccoli into florets, and place the florets and the baby carrots in the steamer basket that goes atop the rice cooker (or steam atop the stove).  If using the rice cooker to steam, allow the rice to cook for ten minutes before placing the vegetable steamer atop them. 

When the rice cooker goes “click.”  It is all done.  I chopped up the cooked vegetables into smaller bites, and tossed them into the rice cooker along with the garbanzo beans. I gave the whole thing a good stir to mix all of the ingredients together, added some fresh ground pepper and a touch more salt to taste, and served!  It wasn’t pretty, but really it did taste pretty darn good. 

On another note that darn cat of ours sneaks into the closet and sleeps on my clothes every time we leave the closet door open.  Today, I was once again haphazard.  With the lower shelf packed to the brim with T-shirts, the little monster decided to make that extra effort to jump up to the next shelf and make herself at home.  Finding several items pushed onto the floor and a tubby house cat who knew she was busted, one might think I would be mad.  But, all I could do was smile and giggle at the site of my fuzzy friend, and of course… take a picture….

Okay, I couldn’t resist picking up another eggplant this week. Though it seems my subconscious was working in my favor, as when I returned home with my loot, I discovered a wonderful aubergine recipe on Pig in the Kitchen (yes, I always jump on my computer the second I get home, it’s a sickness really). 

There was just one catch, I have never fried anything, I mean anything, before.  Oil and I aren’t good friends.  As long as I can lightly drizzle it or pop it in an enclosed pan while still cool, we are okay.  Really, since frying is not considered healthy, I felt no reason to train myself in this art form.  But who can resists Pig’s recipes?!  I was especially intrigued by the coating of quinoa, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.  Aha, the elusion of health!

Alas, my pumpkin seeds seem to have met with a very tragic fate, some moisture snuck into the container, the results of which nearly causing me to lose my appetite.  Luckily, I have yet to find anything that fully succeeds in killing my appetite.  So, to adjust for my ingredient deficiencies, and because I was feeling too lazy to make homemade sauce, I modified the recipe a bit.  If you are ready for the full experienc, try Pig’s recipe, she even ventures a dollop of dijon mustard in the sauce.  I was intrigued, but still too lazy, so out came the jar of pasta sauce… but hey, one new cooking adventure at a time right?

Quinoa Crusted Eggplant

(Vegan, Gluten-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Nut-Free)

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• Tomato Sauce (your choice, I used a jar of Classico with mushrooms and olives that was on sale for $1 a jar!)
• 1/2 cup dried quinoa
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• Cooked Rice, Brown or White (I put the rice in the rice cooker to prepare while making the rest) (optional)
• Oil for Frying (regular refined olive oil, peanut, or other high heat oil)

Slice the eggplant to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.  Pour the sauce in a large skillet over medium heat, add 1/4 to 1/2 jar of water, and add your eggplant to simmer.  Allow the slices to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes while you move on to prepare the rest. If the sauce becomes too thick during the simmering process, just add a little more water.

You might use a food processor or blender for this step, but I found a spice grinder to be very efficient and clean.  So, place the quinoa, sunflower seeds, crushed red pepper and salt in your spice grinder and give it a good whirl.  If using my mini-appliance method, then you may need to do it in two or three batches.  It is still very quick with no clean up though! 

Pour the resultant crumbs in a shallow dish.  Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  The oil should be ready to sizzle, but not too hot, lest you get splattered with drops of hot oil (as I did).

Remove the eggplant slices from the sauce, and coat them in the quinoa/seed mixture (a good flip in the coating should do it).  Carefully place them in the hot oil, and cook about 2 to 3 minutes per side.  As Pig mentioned, there are a lot of little crumbs that disperse, but I tried not to let it bother me.

Remove the slices with a slotted spatula and place them on a wire rack or paper towels to drain and cool for about 5 minutes.  Serve with some of the tomato sauce you were simmering them in and rice or a salad, if desired.

Rational Jenn started a blog carnival for living with food allergies.  I write about food allergies and intolerances with great regularity for Go Dairy Free, yet my mind drew a blank when I was asked to join the carnival.  My scientific-style writing seemed to boring for a blog, and the ideas just weren’t churning. 

It wasn’t until I realized that the easiest ideas are usually the best.  I speak with many food allergy moms, from veterans to newbies, and the one difference I notice from the experience is simplicity.  We get so used to convenience foods and loading on the many foods that turn out problematic (wheat, dairy, soy, etc.) that when we are told we can’t have them, we run out to try to find every complicated substitute available.  I did it too.  My freezer was stocked with dairy-free “ice cream” to get me through those “tough times.” 

But, I later realized that it wasn’t about what I couldn’t have, but really what wonderful foods I could have.  I went back to basics, listing out fruits, vegetables, grains, spices, and proteins.  I started cooking with just a handful of ingredients, and low and behold, some of my favorite recipes turned out to be quite easy.

While it isn’t really a stand-alone dish, the other day, I threw together this simple grain that has turned out to be one of my favorites.  Close to hypo-allergenic (containing just millet and coconut) and mighty nutritious, this basic dish is excellent for breakfast when paired with some fruit, fresh or dried.  For other meals, it makes a pleasant side dish and can serve as the base for a main dish.  It isn’t injected with flavor, just pleasant… sorry, no photo, I ate it too quickly!  The portion below makes one large serving, or two medium sized ones.

Perfect Coconut Millet 

(Vegan, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, Soy-Free, etc…)

1-1/2 Cups Water

1/2 Cup Millet

2 Tablespoons Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

2 Teaspoons Coconut Oil

Place all ingredients in a rice cooker and click that baby to on.  When it clicks off, fluff and consume this nutty little grain.  No rice cooker?  Put all of the ingredients in a pot, bring the water to a boil, and simmer the millet (don’t touch!) until all of the liquid is absorbed.  It will take about 20-30 minutes.

P.S. - I included links in case you are not familiar with millet, but I do not typically buy it online, rather I get it in the bulk foods department.  If you are concerned about cross-contamination with nuts and other grains, I would check with the manufacturer and purchase in a package or online direct.  As for coconut oil, I do buy it via the above link.  I love Nutiva’s flavorful coconut oil and it comes in a jumbo container that lasts quite a while.

P.P.S. - If you have any leftovers, reheat the millet with a bit of liquid to regain moisture. 

The other day, I spotted an old friend on sale.  Just $.88 for a large, smooth eggplant.  My husband often makes fun of my eggplant “addiction” as he calls it, so I quietly snuck one in the cart, hoping to go unnoticed.  Of course he caught me.  I quickly proclaimed what a great deal it was and promised to make a fabulous meal with it.  He just smiled.

I can’t say what it is about the giant purple fruit that attracts me so, but  I know that I am not alone…

Eager to prepare the perfect meal, I turned to the eggplant queen, Susan of Fat Free Vegan.  As a fellow eggplant-fanatic, but much more savvy in the kitchen than I, Susan would surely have a whole line-up of purple powerhouse meals. I must say that she did not disappoint.  Well over a dozen eggplant-centric recipes greeted me on a quick search. 

Susan’s Eggplant Paprikash was invented to create eggplant-loving converts.  If this wasn’t reason enough to pick this recipe, I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand!

I accidentally used double the cashew butter in the “sour cream,” and since I didn’t have any silken tofu on hand, I used extra-firm.  It actually worked out well, but I added a few tablespoons of rice milk to get the “sour cream” to the right consistency.  To keep the whole dish vegan and gluten free, I served it atop a bed of wide rice noodles. 

While I don’t think I achieved an eggplant convert, my husband said the meal was quite good.  We were both surprised by how filling it was; this recipe makes a generous 4 servings.

Eggplant Paprikash from Fat Free Vegan

(Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free)

• 1 large onion, halved and cut into thin wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. eggplant (about 2 medium) cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 bell peppers, any color, sliced (I used red)
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1/8 tsp. Liquid Smoke flavoring (I omitted to no major loss)
• 1/2 cup tofu sour cream (see below)

Tofu Sour Cream:

• 1/2 package (about 6 ounces) lite silken tofu
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon cashew butter or tahini
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend all the ingredients for the tofu sour cream until completely smooth, and set aside in the refrigerator until needed.

In a large, non-stick saucepan, sauté the onion in a small amount of water until it begins to brown, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, and red pepper (optional), and stir for one minute. Add the salt, eggplant, peppers, vegetable broth, and tomatoes. Cover and simmer until the eggplant is tender, about 15-20 minutes.

When the eggplant is done, check the seasonings and add more salt if necessary. Stir in the Liquid Smoke (optional) and the sour cream, and cook for another minute, until warmed through. Serve over pasta or rice.

Serves 4

Yesterday as I pondered over what ginger-inspired dessert I might concoct for my own birthday treat, I kept coming back to my favorite pair, ginger and chocolate.  That being said, cookies really are the unanimous sweet of choice in our house.  While it may not be an extremely daring venture, I must say that a dairy-free version of those good old tollhouse cookies, with a generous amount of gooey chocolate chip morsels and spiked with bits of sugary ginger is a winner! 

My typical chocolate chip cookie version uses oil, but since it was my birthday, I splurged and used Earth Balance buttery sticks.  You can use any dairy-free margarine you like.

Now, I can’t say exactly how much ginger to use in the whole batch, as I divided up the batch leaving some ginger-free for my cookie-loving, ginger-averse husband. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies with a Ginger Surprise

• 2-1/4 Cups Flour (All-Purpose, White-Wheat, or a Gluten-Free blend with xanthan gum - I successfully tried one from Authentic Foods in this recipe)
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 Cup White Sugar
• 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
• 3/4 Cup Margarine (Really, those Earth Balance Buttery Sticks are the best… and no trans fat!)
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs
• 12 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (I love the ones from Trader Joe’s that are rather generous in size, but those are subject to cross-contamination.  Check with the Enjoy Life or Tropical Source brands for severe allergies)
• 1/4 to 1/2 Cup Finely Diced Ginger (I diced it very fine to keep the ginger from overpowering the cookies, see the picture below of a whole cube next to a diced one.  However, I love ginger, so I may double the size of my bits next time).

Preheat oven to 350º

Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, and set aside.  In a mixing bowl, cream together the margarine, sugars, and vanilla.  Add the eggs, and mix them in to make a nice creamy dough.  Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until everything is well combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips and as many ginger bits as you would like, by hand.  [If you have some ginger-averse taste buds in your house, just divide up the dough and make a ginger loaded batch for yourself.]  Drop globs of the dough by the tablespoonful onto a cookie sheet.

 Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, or until they are no longer doughy in the center and are just turning golden around the edges.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Inhale while warm as the gooey melting chocolate coats the ginger bits with each bite… yum!

I have some Ginger-Spiked Molasses Cookie Dough chilling in the fridge, to be baked up tomorrow. That one is even vegan (egg-free), we shall see how it works out!  I will keep you posted.

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!

I don’t know why I do it, but every few months I forget my prior experiences and decide to pick up a new tea flavor at Trader Joe’s.  Their prices are always so great, and the flavors of the Trader Joe’s brand of tea always sound a bit exotic.  Let it be known that I am a huge fan of Chai tea, even without the milk and honey added, and I recently discovered a love for Rooibos tea.  So when I spotted their Rooibos Chai, I thought, “That sounds too perfect, maybe this one is different.” 

Drats, they captured me once again!  You see, the Trader Joe’s brand of tea is horrible.  Perhaps it is just my personal taste buds, but they seem to produce almost lifeless tea.  No spark, no zest, no nothing really.  It was most certainly the most bland Chai or Rooibos (let alone a combination of the two) that I had ever tasted. 

I pondered iced tea, but this often requires a stronger tea if anything.  Then, I thought maybe, just maybe, I could chill the tea and use it in smoothies?  After all, the package referred to their Rooibos as antioxidant rich, it would be such a shame to waste it.  Curious if anyone had trialed tea smoothies, I set out on an internet search.  I certainly found a few green tea concoctions, but those used mostly green tea powder.  Slowly, I began to unearth various creamy teas, and I was surprised by the method.  Rather than brewing and then chilling the tea, they just ripped those bags right open and tossed the contents in.  This sounded easy enough.

My cool and creamy beverage turned out to have more of a milkshake-like consistency, though the texture is inevitably up to the individual.  Honestly, it wasn’t bad.  It was still a weak bunch of spices, but at least their full essence was captured in this recipe.  The spicy twist to my otherwise ordinary shake was also a welcome enhancement.

Sugar-Free, Dairy-Free Chai “Milkshake”

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup vanilla almond milk
• 1 chai tea bag (I used the Chai Rooibos from Trader Joe’s, but I am sure there are better!)
• 1 frozen ripe banana, sliced
• 1 Tablespoon almond butter
• ice (optional)

Blend it all up!  If your mixture is too thick, add more almond milk.  If it is too thin, add more frozen banana or ice.

I think the perfect dairy-free / vegan “milkshake” would be a simple blend of the tea with some vanilla non-dairy “ice cream,” maybe Whole Soy & Co or Soy Delicious, some milk alternative, and your tea bag of choice.  However, since I am trying to keep added sugars out of the picture as much as possible, this banana and almond mixture seems to work quite well.  I even used unsweetened almond milk, but you don’t need to go that far.. I believe regular vanilla almond milk is still quite low in sugars, and it has a nice mild sweetness that will surely be welcomed by any beverage.

So sorry for the few days off from blog posts!  Today was the day for the Go Dairy Free monthly newsletter, which takes an insanely long time to send out, plus I was busy over the weekend putting it all together.  The August newsletter had a definite back to school theme, that I seemed to get quite into.  I couldn’t resist adding one more snack idea article to the website today … speaking of, thanks to my product review crew for the great suggestions!  Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys the info!

For the record, while many of the snacks in my dwelling are homemade munchies, such as trail mix, fruit, veggie sticks, and bread/rice cakes slathered with some nut butter… I always keep a stock of “bars” on hand for when we may be away from home for a while, and in need of some energy… such as hiking, running errands, or on a road trip.  Once or twice a week, at least one of us is caught reaching for these super-convenience foods.

Since the focus for Go Dairy Free was more so on kids, I didn’t mention our bars of choice, but will do so here, as we have definitely narrowed it down:

• As his taste buds have matured, my husband has graduated from Clif Bars to Odwalla Bars.  Still with the same sort of vibe, Odwalla Bars are less sweet, and my husband likes that they always seem to be on clearance.  He prefers the Chocolate Chip Peanut and Superfood varieties.  While I have never had a coupon for them, we pay anywhere from $.25 to $1.00 depending upon the sale.  They are often displayed in some part of the store no where near the other bars, interestingly enough. 

• He also likes Mojo Bars (made by Clif) which are like a trail mix in a bar.  Mambo Sprouts frequently has $.50 off coupons for Mojo Bars, and they often go on sale for $.99.  When I am in the mood, or see a good energy bar promotion, I stock up on Amazon.

• For myself, I am into those Clif Nectar Bars.  Remarkable similar to Larabars, but almost always lower in price, these bars contain a super-simplistic mix of dates, nuts, and spices that just work with my taste buds.  Likewise, I frequent the $.99 sale on these.  If you can find a good deal (I think Trader Joe’s has them for $1.29) I would recommend the Larabar as well, but only the ones with multiple ingredients.  Really, ones like their Pecan Pie or Cashew Cookie which are no more than a single nut and some dates seem to have no real zest, and make me feel really lazy for not just grinding up some nuts and dates myself.  So far, the Apple Pie and Ginger Snap are my favorites… but really, I haven’t had a Nectar Bar flavor that I didn’t like.

• If I were to really splurge, I would order Bobo’s Oat Bars.  But, I am still determined that I will one day remember to try making my own oat bars at home… hmmm, that sounds good!

Diet Notes: All of the above are vegan (dairy-free, egg-free) - wait, one of the Mojo’s contains honey; The Nectar and Larabars are also gluten-free and soy-free; The Odwalla and Bobo’s Oat Bars are made without wheat, but they do contain oats, and may contain traces of wheat.