Food for thought: Recipes for budget-minded bon vivants

Cheap comfort foods

A lot of my favorite cheap comfort foods hail from Africa. If you think about it, what better source for making something good and plenty when families are often huge and wallets are often thin?

Binch akara-amazing fried black-eyed pea fritters
You can also save lots of time by not removing the "eyes" or only waiting 10 minutes before frying the akara like this. But don't tell my mom that I said that...
Binch akara taste so much better with onion gravy (a fried onion and pepper sauce) included in the second recipe. Don't skip it!


Tiakry/dege
I love this rice-pudding style dessert served cold, with orange blossom water and shredded coconut mixed in.

Black-eyed peas with palm oil sauce--I could eat my weight in this. I occasionally add dried fish instead of bouillon or salt, never take off the skins and make the sauce as soon as the beans start cooking to save time. Also, try adding a chopped bell pepper with the sauce. Oh, and I use 1/3 cup palm oil and 1/2 to 2/3 cup canola oil instead of 1 cup palm oil.

Cheeseburgers
OK, so these aren't always cheap in total cost by the time you add all the fixings, yet a good quality burger at home is cheaper than a good-quality burger at a restaurant when you count all the servings left over. I figured out a way to make hamburgers using stew beef that came out tender, cheaper, and of better quality meat than the ground variety. Plus, there's only a fraction of the fat of a regular hamburger in this version. As good or better than many restaurants, too. You will need a food processor for this. It will be hard for me to go back to using regular ground beef now!

1.5 lbs. lean stew beef, cubed (the smaller the pieces, the better)
4 slices turkey bacon
1 slice bread
1/3 cup milk
1/3 medium or large onion
Salt and pepper to taste

Set oven to broil or 500 degrees. Mash bread & milk together in a small bowl. Set aside. Pulse stew meat in food processor with onion. Tear turkey bacon into chunks. Add to processor when stew meat is almost free of chunks. Add in bread paste. Add pepper to taste. Pulse until just about uniform (maybe 5 more times.)

Make large patties (4 or 5) and put on a greased oven-safe pan. Shake a little salt on top, if desired. I also sliced the remaining onion and put in the pan. Spray meat and onions with nonstick spray, if desired. Broil for 3 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and cook 10 minutes longer, until juices run clear for a well-done burger. The great thing is that you grind the meat at home and use right away, so there are a lot fewer bacteria on freshly-ground beef than the ground beef from the store. So, the hamburgers don't have to be well done at 160 degrees to be safe. Melt your favorite cheese, fix it the way you like and enjoy!

A plug for food processors: a budget-friendly friend for those with expensive tastes
A lot of my friends and acquaintances who want to cook more don't have food processors. I cannot stress enough that a food processor cuts time and saves money int the kitchen. You can make all kinds of quick things that have five ingredients or less like sorbet, Dijon vinaigrette, dough, tapenade, nut butters, hummus and pesto. If you eat pasta and spaghetti sauce from a bottle or can every night for dinner, you probably are not a candidate for a food processor. For me, it improves my creativity by allowing me to mix all kinds of stuff, especially some foods that are on the pricey side in stores. Unlike a blender, the mixture doesn't have to be too wet. Not to mention the money saved chopping, slicing and shredding compared to prepared produce or cheese at the supermarket or the time saved instead of cutting with a knife or grater. Some people prefer cutting up veggies and herbs themselves. I do that sometimes, but a food processor has helped me shave a lot of time off of food prep. And if you're buying pre-cut stuff at the market and think a food processor is expensive, think again. For the extra dollars per pound you pay for pre-cut produce, a food processor could pay for itself in a couple of months. I use just a basic Cuisinart that cost $90 on sale at the department store. I got it 7 years ago, and it's still going strong. It's not amazing in terms of what it can do, but it functions well and dependably. That's all I ask.

Goddess sundae
This is my sundae of milk & honey plus fruit. It is one of my main dessert cravings besides Nutella!
1 cup frozen fruit (usually use wild blueberries or mango chunks)
1/4 cup half & half (or coconut milk, soy creamer or evaporated milk)
1 Tbsp. honey

Arrange frozen fruit in bowl or cup. Pour half and half over fruit. Then drizzle honey over. If the fruit is really sweet, use 1 tsp. honey. Mix around a little to cover all of the fruit. This will make a nice slushy cream. Enjoy and wonder why you haven't been eating this your whole life!

Hopefully we'll all be inspired to cook things other than lentils, gruel and watery soups when times get a little rough. Food can be a real comfort when other sacrifices have to be made. It starts with not feeling sorry for one's self and making lemon granita when life hands out lemons.

Food for thought: Back with a vengeance to bring a budget meals bailout!

Dear friends in blogosphere,
It's been ages since I've blogged, and with good reason: our six-week old darling girl was worth the wait! It was near impossible to think about loving food when I was pregnant. I only wanted to eat one thing, whether eggs, cheese and tomatoes; almond butter, blueberry and banana smoothies; or fried tofu with wasabi, ginger and cucumbers. Not so inspiring day after day. And anything I wasn't eating would make me literally gag.

Needless to say, I'm pleased to be back in the saddle, reunited with all the wonderful things I can eat again. Only problem: times are a little bit harder, so I, like others, can't go all out like before. But we still need to eat! So, I've been thinking about how to scrimp without feeling it, and here's my edict from now until the New Year:

Continue buying good quality ingredients, mixed with more bargain produce, proteins & grains as a highlight, not a main ingredient. Avocadoes are a garnish, not guacamole. Good olive oil only comes in as a drizzle after I turn off the heat or on salads. Lean stew beef is my new best friend. I use a whole chicken and use extra portions for chicken taco salad. I eat really good cheeses with an apple, not just by itself.

Use cash at the supermarket when possible. That way I stay in budget and put stuff back until I really need it or can afford to get it. This week, I had to say no to another bottle of olive oil the second time in a row.

Buy "blank slate" ingredients and doctor them up myself. Well, I always did this to some degree, but now I'm trying to cut back on prepared foods. They can really add up. Plus, they give you less versatility. I used to by corn muffin or cornbread mix. Now I use baking mix (I will start making my own premixed at home with flour, baking soda, salt and dried buttermilk) and add in corn meal, sugar, and of course eggs and milk. Another thing I now do is buy a big tub of plain yogurt. I add in fruit and jam or honey to get the fruity effect. When it gets low, I make a yogurt dressing or use it to marinate chicken, tandoori style.

Which brings me to dried buttermilk. I used to buy fresh buttermilk all the time, until I discovered the powder form. We also have dried whole milk powder, which Nestle sells as Nido, in a yellow and red can, Int'l food aisle. Canned milk is great for baking, mac and cheese, and chilled desserts. I also have stocked up on frozen juices and mango and passion fruit concentrates. That way, drinks and desserts especially for a big family or entertaining, will stretch that dollar! If you are buying iced tea, lemonade and the like at the the store, strongly consider making them at home.

Here's a recipe for homemade ginger beer(a non-alcoholic infusion):
* fresh ginger roots, total size about as big as a hand (not ground ginger)
* juice of two limes (or similar amount of lemon, pineapple, or grapefruit juice)
* 3 cups sugar or 2 cans concentrated frozen pineapple, white grape or apple juice
* 1 gallon water

What you do

* Carefully peel and discard the ginger root's outer layer. Blend ginger root in two batches in the blender with 3 cups water (subtract amount form gallon) to a pulp and place in a large ovenproof glass mixing bowl or stainless steel container.
* Heat six cups of water to a boil. Pour water over the ginger, cover with a lid or a clean cloth.
* Place a clean cheesecloth or a paper towel in a strainer and pour the the mixture through it into a large jar or pitcher (or two jars or pitchers as necessary). Squeeze the cloth to extract all the liquid from the ginger root. Mix in the citrus juice, sugar/ juice concentrate. Fill the jar with lukewarm water to make a gallon.
* Refrigerate until chilled. Serve over ice.

Learn how to make more favorite foods from a cafe or restaurant at home. Making muffins, banana bread, biscuits, ice cream or sorbet, salad dressings, pizza, or your favorite restaurant meal saves loads of cash. I bought crab meat from Trader Joe's and made crab cakes for my parents and husband. Try it with remoulade sauce. I made enough to serve 3 for the price of one person in a restaurant. Plus, there's less incentive to go out. In most areas, eating at home saves a lot of money. Making all three meals without eating out keeps one way ahead of the game. Note to self: This also goes for hot chocolate, chai and snacks!

Study grocery store sale ads before shopping and plan meals around them. I save lots of money and still eat well! Plus, it's easy to tell ahead of time if coupons apply for what's on sale. I honestly don't use a lot of coupons, but I'm avoiding buying prepared foods in the first place.

Last, I try to use every last scrap. My hope is that when baby starts eating solid foods, the steamed carrots will become cream of carrot soup for my lunch; leftover fruit goes in yogurt or becomes chutney, salsa or a popsicle; meat is a chicken salad sandwich, a taco or soup, etc. It will also keep me from eating 2 meals at once. We'll see what happens, but that's what I try to do now: recycle food like the lunch ladies at school.

Meal extenders:
* Potatoes, white or sweet
* Lentils or any bean. Dried is a big money saver!
* Stew meat--beef, lamb, goat and pot roast. For both of these, cook the meat with oil on high heat on the stovetop with a pan that is NOT nonstick for a few minutes on all sides until brown areas appear, then cook at a low temperature on stove or in oven for 2-3.5 hours, depending on size/amount of other ingredients. African curries, stews, and soups are great ways to use stew meats. Pot roast is great in a slow cooker, they say, but I have yet to try it myself.
* Frozen veggies or big bags of your favorite frozen fruit
Brown (more nutrients) or white rice
* Dairy products or their substitutes (in their least expensive form)
* Chicken other than breast and wing. I now only buy frozen breast, since I buy organic/kosher, which is $$$$!!! On the upside, I cook the breast from frozen, which keeps it juicy.
* Local, in season foods tend to taste better and cost less.

Meal enhancers:
* Sliced almonds (you get the taste but can sprinkle and use less
* Great olive oil
* Butter, cooked over medium heat until brown bits appear. This will add tons of flavor to your food.
* Fresh herbs/spices. Parsley, cilantro, garlic, scallions, ginger, mint, lime zest/juice, hot peppers and rosemary add lots of flavor yet are really cheap
* Dried fruits, cut up or sprinkled, according to size.
* Molasses, brown sugar, sugar in the raw, and honey. These add a lot more flavor than white sugar to most sweetened foods.
* Really good cheese in small amounts

Happy cooking! More recipes to come!