I didn't make anything too fancy today. We ate the leftovers of Thursday's red beans and rice and I had some chicken salad with crackers. We had salmon from the freezer for dinner with no side dishes. I made cupcakes for my little boy on request and I did use some old millet flour in them to try to use it up. Recipe as follows:
1 c. millet flour
1 c. white rice flour
1 c. tapioca starch
1.5 c. sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 eggs
3 tbsp apple sauce
1 tbsp peanut oil
enough water to make a batter
I am a bit concerned that we are only on the 3rd and we are out of bread mix, very low on flour and have very few bars as snacks for the kids. These are some of our biggest expenses (per meal/item at least) and least healthy items. I am going to have to work hard to find replacements. Hubby has already requested pizza. I said no but since we already have mozzarella, tomatoes and pepperoni on hand I might give in toward the end of the month and make him some.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
September 2nd: Black Bean Burgers
I am not sure if my husband has ever eaten a veggie burger willingly in his life and I am almost certain he has never had seconds. Until last night.
Black Bean Burgers
Makes 8 patties
3/4lb dry black beans
2 eggs
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 onion minced + several slices for topping the burgers
2 eggs
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp tapioca starch (can sub corn starch)
salt & pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp old bay
1 tsp sambal olek
1 tsp oregano
shake of cayenne, to taste
Seasoned Mayo:
Mix mayonnaise with equal parts garlic powder and smoked paprika. Shake in ancho pepper to your liking. Stir and refrigerate to let the flavors come together before serving.
To Make the burgers:
Soak black beans overnight or hot soak (boil for 2 minutes and then allow to cool at least 1 hour). Rinse and drain. Cook until tender, even slightly over cooked. Rinse and drain well. Mix beans,vinegar, onions, garlic, corn and seasoning. Mash with a potato masher until well smushed but not completely lifeless. Allow to stand 1 hour or refrigerate up to 24 hours to let the flavors come together a bit. Just before cooking mix in the tapioca starch and eggs. Form patties and bake on an oiled sheet at 350. Time will depend on patty size. Flip about half way through. Optional: Pan fry cooked patties for some extra flavor.
Serve on buns (or in our case, fresh baked gluten free bread)with seasoned mayo, lettuce and onion. Roasted red peppers would be excellent as well if you have any.
These were really delicious. I can't believe what a hit this was. We will certainly be making this on a regular basis, but unfortunately not until next month as I used up the last of our bread mix and I am not sure these burgers will fly with no buns.
Black Bean Burgers
Makes 8 patties
3/4lb dry black beans
2 eggs
1/2 c. frozen corn kernels
1/2 onion minced + several slices for topping the burgers
2 eggs
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp tapioca starch (can sub corn starch)
salt & pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp old bay
1 tsp sambal olek
1 tsp oregano
shake of cayenne, to taste
Seasoned Mayo:
Mix mayonnaise with equal parts garlic powder and smoked paprika. Shake in ancho pepper to your liking. Stir and refrigerate to let the flavors come together before serving.
To Make the burgers:
Soak black beans overnight or hot soak (boil for 2 minutes and then allow to cool at least 1 hour). Rinse and drain. Cook until tender, even slightly over cooked. Rinse and drain well. Mix beans,vinegar, onions, garlic, corn and seasoning. Mash with a potato masher until well smushed but not completely lifeless. Allow to stand 1 hour or refrigerate up to 24 hours to let the flavors come together a bit. Just before cooking mix in the tapioca starch and eggs. Form patties and bake on an oiled sheet at 350. Time will depend on patty size. Flip about half way through. Optional: Pan fry cooked patties for some extra flavor.
Serve on buns (or in our case, fresh baked gluten free bread)with seasoned mayo, lettuce and onion. Roasted red peppers would be excellent as well if you have any.
These were really delicious. I can't believe what a hit this was. We will certainly be making this on a regular basis, but unfortunately not until next month as I used up the last of our bread mix and I am not sure these burgers will fly with no buns.
Friday, September 2, 2011
September: A Month of Inexpensive Meals
In an effort to control our budget and use up those stray ingredients tucked away in the pantry far too long, I have decided that for the month of September we will be eating out of the pantry and eating as inexpensively as possible. Now, we live in Alaska and I am going to use all means at my disposal so I am not pretending that my recipes and menus will be equally inexpensive and practical to others. Hopefully they will be useful to some (maybe just me in the future) and interesting to others (who am I kidding, I'm just talking about myself again).
To start the month off I made Red Beans and Rice. Traditionally, this dish is slow cooked with big hunks of meat seasoned with more meat, but today I just used two Italian sausage links out of the freezer along with the beans and vegetables.
Red Beans:
2c dry kidney beans
2 links Italian pork sausage
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp ancho pepper
2 tsp oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil
Cooked white rice.
Soak the beans over night or "hot soak" by boiling for 2 minutes and allowing to cool for 1 hour. Rinse and drain. Cook the beans with the bay leaf until almost tender. Meanwhile, chop onion and celery. Bake the sausage, transfer pan to stove top, remove the cooked sausage and cook the onion and celery in the grease until soft, adding additional oil if necessary. Drain off the beans again. Add sausage, veggies and seasoning plus water to cover. Allow to simmer together until very tender, adjusting seasoning toward the end. Mash 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot and simmer a little longer until creamy. Add more water if things start to look dry. Serve over rice
To start the month off I made Red Beans and Rice. Traditionally, this dish is slow cooked with big hunks of meat seasoned with more meat, but today I just used two Italian sausage links out of the freezer along with the beans and vegetables.
Red Beans:
2c dry kidney beans
2 links Italian pork sausage
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp ancho pepper
2 tsp oregano
salt & pepper
olive oil
Cooked white rice.
Soak the beans over night or "hot soak" by boiling for 2 minutes and allowing to cool for 1 hour. Rinse and drain. Cook the beans with the bay leaf until almost tender. Meanwhile, chop onion and celery. Bake the sausage, transfer pan to stove top, remove the cooked sausage and cook the onion and celery in the grease until soft, adding additional oil if necessary. Drain off the beans again. Add sausage, veggies and seasoning plus water to cover. Allow to simmer together until very tender, adjusting seasoning toward the end. Mash 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot and simmer a little longer until creamy. Add more water if things start to look dry. Serve over rice
Monday, January 24, 2011
Coconut Celery Cream of Mushroom Soup
This a dairy-free vegan cream of mushroom type soup. It is absolutely stellar, especially the next day.
1 stalk to celery
1/2 a medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 large bag of white mushrooms*
1/3 c. assorted dried mushrooms
1/2 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch powdered cloves.
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans of coconut milk (or equivalent home made)
6 cups water
salt & pepper
*A large bag of mushrooms, to me, looks something like 8 cups, loosely packed and uncut.
Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a 2c. mason jar, keeping the liquid for the soup. Wash and prep the mushrooms, wiping dirt off with a dish towel. Pull the stems out, remove any very tough spots, and finely chop them. Slice the mushroom heads and set aside all the nice pieces - combine any broken bits back with the stems. Finely chop celery, garlic and onion.
In a good size pot on medium heat saute onions and celery until soft. Add garlic and mushroom stems and cook a bit longer, careful not to brown. Remove from heat, add coconut milk and re-hydrated mushrooms and blend thoroughly with a stick blender.
Return to heat, add water, bay leaf, thyme, ginger, clove, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, check seasoning and add large mushroom slices. Simmer on low 15-20 minutes until flavors have mingled and mushrooms are tender and chewy.
1 stalk to celery
1/2 a medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 large bag of white mushrooms*
1/3 c. assorted dried mushrooms
1/2 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
pinch powdered cloves.
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 cans of coconut milk (or equivalent home made)
6 cups water
salt & pepper
*A large bag of mushrooms, to me, looks something like 8 cups, loosely packed and uncut.
Rehydrate the dried mushrooms in a 2c. mason jar, keeping the liquid for the soup. Wash and prep the mushrooms, wiping dirt off with a dish towel. Pull the stems out, remove any very tough spots, and finely chop them. Slice the mushroom heads and set aside all the nice pieces - combine any broken bits back with the stems. Finely chop celery, garlic and onion.
In a good size pot on medium heat saute onions and celery until soft. Add garlic and mushroom stems and cook a bit longer, careful not to brown. Remove from heat, add coconut milk and re-hydrated mushrooms and blend thoroughly with a stick blender.
Return to heat, add water, bay leaf, thyme, ginger, clove, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, check seasoning and add large mushroom slices. Simmer on low 15-20 minutes until flavors have mingled and mushrooms are tender and chewy.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce & GF Pasta
This is my secret recipe tomato sauce. Pour the tomatoes with their juice into an oven-safe pan. Split the whole tomatoes open and arrange flat. Chop the garlic and sprinkle around the sides. Drizzle with EVOO & bake for ~1hr until bubbly, wrinkly, and just slightly browned. Optionally serve with ricotta or feta cheese to top.
1 (28-oz) can Muir Glen whole peeled tomatoes = $2.49
2 tbsp EVOO = $.27
3 cloves garlic =$.20
1/2 tbsp salt
optional: 1/2 cup ricotta =$1.94
1 (10-oz) bag gluten free pasta = $3.03
Total(with cheese): $7.93 or $3.96/person
1 (28-oz) can Muir Glen whole peeled tomatoes = $2.49
2 tbsp EVOO = $.27
3 cloves garlic =$.20
1/2 tbsp salt
optional: 1/2 cup ricotta =$1.94
1 (10-oz) bag gluten free pasta = $3.03
Total(with cheese): $7.93 or $3.96/person
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Shrimp Caesar Salad
Our favorite Friday dinner this summer is shrimp caesar salad. The dressing recipe comes from Martha Stewart. We add 1/3 bag of shrimp, seasoned with Penzy's Galena St. & some cayanne pepper. Friday dinner is costing us:
Box Earthbound Microgreens: 2.99
1 head organic Romaine Lettuce: 2.50
2 cloves organic garlic: $.80/5 = $.16
1/2 organic lemon: $.89ea/2 = $.44.5
1 tbsp. Annie's mustard: $3.98/15 = $.26
1c. Organic Parmigano: 15.99lb/(.5*1/4)=$1.99t
1/3 Organic Shrimp: 15.99/3 = $5.33
2 tbsp. EVOO: (.267/oz) = $.27
1tsp Galena St. Seasoning: --
1 pinch cayanne pepper: --
Salt&Pepper
Total: $13.95/2 = $6.97 per serving
Box Earthbound Microgreens: 2.99
1 head organic Romaine Lettuce: 2.50
2 cloves organic garlic: $.80/5 = $.16
1/2 organic lemon: $.89ea/2 = $.44.5
1 tbsp. Annie's mustard: $3.98/15 = $.26
1c. Organic Parmigano: 15.99lb/(.5*1/4)=$1.99t
1/3 Organic Shrimp: 15.99/3 = $5.33
2 tbsp. EVOO: (.267/oz) = $.27
1tsp Galena St. Seasoning: --
1 pinch cayanne pepper: --
Salt&Pepper
Total: $13.95/2 = $6.97 per serving
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