I've learned some important things about cooking from doing this blog.
1) The first is that you have to have good recipes. I adore Smitten Kitchen and the incomparably wonderful Skinnytaste.com for this reason. Nothing makes me so cross as spending money on lots of ingredients and following a recipe to the letter, only for it not to work. Quiches that won't set; dry, flavorless cakes; bland pasta sauces; etc etc. So I've learned that to be economical, I'm going to stick to tried and true recipes from sources that I know won't let me down, such as the sites mentioned above, Fine Cooking magazine, America's Test Kitchen, etc. I used to go to the library and check out recipe books, but I had so many bad experiences with certain celebrity TV chefs that I've stopped doing it.
2) How to bring out flavors. The above sources taught me a few things I hadn't known before. One is the use of a mirepoix. I've always been a fan of carrots and celery cut up raw as snacks, but who knew these humble vegetables could so drastically improve the flavor of pretty much any savory dish? They've transformed my tomato pasta sauce into something wonderful, and I use them all the time in casseroles and soups. Another thing I've learned is to use my homemade chicken broth in more recipes--Skinnytaste.com uses broth in the place of part of the milk for creamy sauces, for example--I absolutely love this, because it's a much more complex flavor than plain old béchamel. Another thing is to season as you go when cooking so that you flavor all the ingredients--a pinch of salt in your mirepoix before you add other things, and so on.
3) Not so much a thing I've learned as a thing I want to try. I want to learn how to make Indian food, because I don't really know how. I have a variety of "curries" that I make, but I suspect an Indian person would laugh their head off at my idea of what constitutes a curry. We don't have any Indian restaurants here, and I've been craving it recently. I'd like to learn to make a decent dhal, for example. I used to try to make it when I was a vegan in grad school, but it was always a bit bland no matter how much I tried to flavor it with spices. I'm looking around for a good website or recipe book. If anyone could suggest one, that'd be fabulous, thank you!
Friday, November 29, 2013
Week's meal plan, November 29, 2013
Ah, the post-Thanksgiving carb crash. We woke up feeling decidedly out of sorts from eating so much! If nothing else, my recent drive towards eating healthy, vegetable-rich meals seems to have put us off wanting to eat lots of high-calorie foods and desserts. Oh well, there are worse things, right?
We also had the strange problem of having a refrigerator full of leftovers--turkey, bread rolls, mashed potatoes, and all sorts of desserts--but feeling like we had no food. We had no milk, sandwich bread, steel cut oats...or, I might add, vegetables. I had to brave the Black Friday crowds and get some groceries! We were all craving simple meals like soups, and vegetables. Lots of vegetables. And detoxing by drinking a lot of water, and, to mix things up, some of our homemade iced tea, using a delicious brand of green tea that we've discovered.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats, plain unsweetened yogurt, frozen blueberries.
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, carrots, celery, apples, cheese.
Dinners: Skinnytaste.com slow cooker tomato soup (makes lots) with grilled cheese sandwiches, Skinnytaste.com turkey pot pie soup (also makes lots, doesn't need a side), Smitten Kitchen black bean and pumpkin soup with toast, whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and Italian sausages, and meatloaf. (I don't have a recipe for the meatloaf--that's Mr. B's domain. I am reliably informed that he makes it with 90% lean beef, mild Italian sausage meat, fresh white breadcrumbs, a grated zucchini, a grated carrot, a minced onion, and an egg.)
Sides for dinners: steamed broccoli and carrots; sauteed zucchini
Drinks: homemade cold-brewed iced tea--this week's flavor will be green ginger-peach tea, which is just gorgeous.
Desserts: grapes
Oh, and I began our day with some bubble and squeak made with the leftover mashed potatoes, and fresh white breadcrumbs from yesterday's dinner rolls.
Today's groceries:
Vegetables and fruits:
Parsley 0.58
Broccoli (lots) 1.86
16 oz spinach 1.38
Shallots 0.47
5 lbs onions 2.48
8 oz cremini mushrooms 1.88
4 large zucchini 1.62
Red grapes 4.88
3.7 lbs Jonagold apples 3.25
Bulk:
1.22 lbs arborio rice 2.07
1.16 lbs steel cut oats 0.73
Dairy:
Sargento reduced fat sliced provolone 2.68
Sargento reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese 1.98
Organic Valley 1/2 gallon skim milk 3.47
Organic Valley 1/2 gallon whole milk 3.47
Frozen:
16oz frozen peas/carrots mix 0.98
Meat:
1/2 lb organic ham 3.99
1 lb free range Italian sausage links 4.27
1 lb 85% lean grass-fed ground beef 4.50
1 lb Italian sausage meat 2.68
Etc:
Tisdale Chardonnay 3.08
Stash ginger-peach green tea 2.25
Free range beef broth 1.78
Total: 56.33
Observations: I'm a little stunned at how incredibly, irredeemably middle-class my shopping list looks. I feel like a bit of a fraud, or at least a twit, for writing a blog called The Penurious Kitchen and then filling my shopping list full of organic this and free-range that. Arborio rice! Chardonnay! Shouldn't a person trying to save money be living on gruel, or at least lentils? (In my defense, I am having beans this week--I had a bag of dried black beans and a can of pumpkin in the cupboard, hence the bean and pumpkin soup recipe).
In my defense, the organic and free-range and grass-fed things weren't any more expensive than their non-organic, non-free-range, corn-fed counterparts. I had a little extra time today, so I went to our local organic supermarket, where I don't normally allow myself to go because it's expensive, because the one thing there that isn't expensive is locally grown and butchered meat. Strange--the vegetables are hugely expensive and the dairy, though wonderful, prohibitively so.
Same deal with the milk: it's expensive even if you buy the conventional kind, so I'd rather have some from a cow that might have had a bit of grass to eat and, I hope, not a totally miserable life. We go through a lot of milk because Baby B chugs two large glasses every day, although Mr. B and I tend only to use it for cooking.
...And the Chardonnay? Well, we aren't going to drink it. It's for cooking. I tend to get the cheapest possible bottle of plonk I can find. I'm using it for my risotto, and in place of sherry in another recipe because I don't like sherry and resent buying something I wouldn't use for anything else.
We also had the strange problem of having a refrigerator full of leftovers--turkey, bread rolls, mashed potatoes, and all sorts of desserts--but feeling like we had no food. We had no milk, sandwich bread, steel cut oats...or, I might add, vegetables. I had to brave the Black Friday crowds and get some groceries! We were all craving simple meals like soups, and vegetables. Lots of vegetables. And detoxing by drinking a lot of water, and, to mix things up, some of our homemade iced tea, using a delicious brand of green tea that we've discovered.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats, plain unsweetened yogurt, frozen blueberries.
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, carrots, celery, apples, cheese.
Dinners: Skinnytaste.com slow cooker tomato soup (makes lots) with grilled cheese sandwiches, Skinnytaste.com turkey pot pie soup (also makes lots, doesn't need a side), Smitten Kitchen black bean and pumpkin soup with toast, whole wheat spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and Italian sausages, and meatloaf. (I don't have a recipe for the meatloaf--that's Mr. B's domain. I am reliably informed that he makes it with 90% lean beef, mild Italian sausage meat, fresh white breadcrumbs, a grated zucchini, a grated carrot, a minced onion, and an egg.)
Sides for dinners: steamed broccoli and carrots; sauteed zucchini
Drinks: homemade cold-brewed iced tea--this week's flavor will be green ginger-peach tea, which is just gorgeous.
Desserts: grapes
Oh, and I began our day with some bubble and squeak made with the leftover mashed potatoes, and fresh white breadcrumbs from yesterday's dinner rolls.
Today's groceries:
Vegetables and fruits:
Parsley 0.58
Broccoli (lots) 1.86
16 oz spinach 1.38
Shallots 0.47
5 lbs onions 2.48
8 oz cremini mushrooms 1.88
4 large zucchini 1.62
Red grapes 4.88
3.7 lbs Jonagold apples 3.25
Bulk:
1.22 lbs arborio rice 2.07
1.16 lbs steel cut oats 0.73
Dairy:
Sargento reduced fat sliced provolone 2.68
Sargento reduced fat shredded Mexican cheese 1.98
Organic Valley 1/2 gallon skim milk 3.47
Organic Valley 1/2 gallon whole milk 3.47
Frozen:
16oz frozen peas/carrots mix 0.98
Meat:
1/2 lb organic ham 3.99
1 lb free range Italian sausage links 4.27
1 lb 85% lean grass-fed ground beef 4.50
1 lb Italian sausage meat 2.68
Etc:
Tisdale Chardonnay 3.08
Stash ginger-peach green tea 2.25
Free range beef broth 1.78
Total: 56.33
Observations: I'm a little stunned at how incredibly, irredeemably middle-class my shopping list looks. I feel like a bit of a fraud, or at least a twit, for writing a blog called The Penurious Kitchen and then filling my shopping list full of organic this and free-range that. Arborio rice! Chardonnay! Shouldn't a person trying to save money be living on gruel, or at least lentils? (In my defense, I am having beans this week--I had a bag of dried black beans and a can of pumpkin in the cupboard, hence the bean and pumpkin soup recipe).
In my defense, the organic and free-range and grass-fed things weren't any more expensive than their non-organic, non-free-range, corn-fed counterparts. I had a little extra time today, so I went to our local organic supermarket, where I don't normally allow myself to go because it's expensive, because the one thing there that isn't expensive is locally grown and butchered meat. Strange--the vegetables are hugely expensive and the dairy, though wonderful, prohibitively so.
Same deal with the milk: it's expensive even if you buy the conventional kind, so I'd rather have some from a cow that might have had a bit of grass to eat and, I hope, not a totally miserable life. We go through a lot of milk because Baby B chugs two large glasses every day, although Mr. B and I tend only to use it for cooking.
...And the Chardonnay? Well, we aren't going to drink it. It's for cooking. I tend to get the cheapest possible bottle of plonk I can find. I'm using it for my risotto, and in place of sherry in another recipe because I don't like sherry and resent buying something I wouldn't use for anything else.
Bubble and squeak
I'm told this is supposed to be made with potatoes and cabbage if you're to be authentically Irish, but I'm not Irish so I'll transgress. I think any kind of cooked vegetable would be great--peas, corn, spinach, green beans, etc.
Ingredients:
leftover cold mashed potatoes (any quantity: I had lots and lots left over from Thanksgiving)
1 cup of fresh white breadcrumbs (pulse a few rolls or slices of bread in the food processor until they're finely crumbled)
Optional additions: leftover cooked vegetables, or finely grated raw vegetables such as carrot or zucchini
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 cup grated parmesan
1 egg, beaten
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. I used a cast iron one, but non-stick would work fine.
Mix breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste on a dinner plate.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop mashed potato up in round patties. Dip each one in beaten egg, then coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry in the oil for approximately five minutes on each side, turning the heat down if the oil starts to smoke, until the coating is golden and the potatoes are heated through.
These are heavenly served with a poached egg on top.
Ingredients:
leftover cold mashed potatoes (any quantity: I had lots and lots left over from Thanksgiving)
1 cup of fresh white breadcrumbs (pulse a few rolls or slices of bread in the food processor until they're finely crumbled)
Optional additions: leftover cooked vegetables, or finely grated raw vegetables such as carrot or zucchini
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 cup grated parmesan
1 egg, beaten
salt to taste
pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil for frying
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. I used a cast iron one, but non-stick would work fine.
Mix breadcrumbs, garlic powder, parmesan, and salt and pepper to taste on a dinner plate.
Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, scoop mashed potato up in round patties. Dip each one in beaten egg, then coat in the seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry in the oil for approximately five minutes on each side, turning the heat down if the oil starts to smoke, until the coating is golden and the potatoes are heated through.
These are heavenly served with a poached egg on top.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Week's meal plan, November 22, 2013
Today's grocery bill was larger than it's been recently, partly because it's Thanksgiving week. We usually host a giant Thanksgiving party and invite lots of friends, and it costs a couple of hundred bucks once you factor in a turkey that hopefully isn't full of junk and hasn't lived a miserable life, plus booze. This year, we decided to host a potluck instead, so that we can save a bit and so that we don't spend days cooking and baking.
This year, we decided that we'll take charge of the desserts. I'm not really a fan of the traditional pumpkin pie or sweet potato pudding, so I'm making two rather different ones. One is a (double recipe of) caramel-bourbon croissant pudding from a Nigella Lawson recipe that I've made several times, at the request of several friends. This is a truly brilliant dessert that always elicits reactions of "Oh my God" from people tasting it for the first time. It's absolutely gorgeous. The other, which is kind of my pièce de résistance, is a gingerbread trifle from last year's holiday edition of Fine Cooking. This is a very high-maintenance recipe, which takes several days of preparation (or hours and hours on a single day). I made it for my family last New Year's Eve, and it was probably the most delicious thing I've ever made. Don't even look at the nutritional information--it's about the unhealthiest thing you'll ever eat.
So this week's food shopping cost a bit more than usual, but it was a lot less than last year when we insisted on making everything ourselves. For the rest of the week, we're going to make do with some pretty simple, small, low-calorie meals to prepare ourselves for the giant calorie fest that is Thanksgiving.
This week's meals: (I already had various staples such as oats, carrots, rice, potatoes, white wine for cooking, etc)
Breakfasts: steel cut oats porridge with plain yogurt and fruit; eggs on toast or in tortillas with salsa
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, fruits, carrot sticks, string cheese
Snacks: fruit, and probably some baking (as yet undecided)
Dinners: roast chicken, sandwiches made with roast chicken leftovers, Skinnytaste.com tomato soup, Skinnytaste.com butternut squash soup (both soups made with homemade stock from the chicken bones), sides of broccoli, baked potatoes, rice, etc.
This week's groceries:
Dairy/eggs:
18 eggs 2.55
String cheese 2.48
Mascarpone 3.58
Heavy whipping cream 2.98
1 lb unsalted butter 2.74
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk 5.96
Nancy's low fat yogurt 2.37
Fruits and vegetables:
3 lbs apples: 3.92
5 lbs oranges: 2.56
3 broccoli crowns: 1.64
Fresh ginger root 1.17
1 lemon 0.38
6 lbs butternut squash 5.82
Bulk:
Ground ginger 0.30
Candied ginger 0.48
2.27 lb flour 0.73
Baking things:
Molasses 2.74
3 lbs sugar 2.67
1 lb brown sugar 1.24
Meat:
1 whole chicken 6.25
Other groceries:
Organic whole wheat bread 2.78
Stash ginger-peach green tea 2.25
Sparkling wine 4.48
Total: 62.07
This year, we decided that we'll take charge of the desserts. I'm not really a fan of the traditional pumpkin pie or sweet potato pudding, so I'm making two rather different ones. One is a (double recipe of) caramel-bourbon croissant pudding from a Nigella Lawson recipe that I've made several times, at the request of several friends. This is a truly brilliant dessert that always elicits reactions of "Oh my God" from people tasting it for the first time. It's absolutely gorgeous. The other, which is kind of my pièce de résistance, is a gingerbread trifle from last year's holiday edition of Fine Cooking. This is a very high-maintenance recipe, which takes several days of preparation (or hours and hours on a single day). I made it for my family last New Year's Eve, and it was probably the most delicious thing I've ever made. Don't even look at the nutritional information--it's about the unhealthiest thing you'll ever eat.
So this week's food shopping cost a bit more than usual, but it was a lot less than last year when we insisted on making everything ourselves. For the rest of the week, we're going to make do with some pretty simple, small, low-calorie meals to prepare ourselves for the giant calorie fest that is Thanksgiving.
This week's meals: (I already had various staples such as oats, carrots, rice, potatoes, white wine for cooking, etc)
Breakfasts: steel cut oats porridge with plain yogurt and fruit; eggs on toast or in tortillas with salsa
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, fruits, carrot sticks, string cheese
Snacks: fruit, and probably some baking (as yet undecided)
Dinners: roast chicken, sandwiches made with roast chicken leftovers, Skinnytaste.com tomato soup, Skinnytaste.com butternut squash soup (both soups made with homemade stock from the chicken bones), sides of broccoli, baked potatoes, rice, etc.
This week's groceries:
Dairy/eggs:
18 eggs 2.55
String cheese 2.48
Mascarpone 3.58
Heavy whipping cream 2.98
1 lb unsalted butter 2.74
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk 5.96
Nancy's low fat yogurt 2.37
Fruits and vegetables:
3 lbs apples: 3.92
5 lbs oranges: 2.56
3 broccoli crowns: 1.64
Fresh ginger root 1.17
1 lemon 0.38
6 lbs butternut squash 5.82
Bulk:
Ground ginger 0.30
Candied ginger 0.48
2.27 lb flour 0.73
Baking things:
Molasses 2.74
3 lbs sugar 2.67
1 lb brown sugar 1.24
Meat:
1 whole chicken 6.25
Other groceries:
Organic whole wheat bread 2.78
Stash ginger-peach green tea 2.25
Sparkling wine 4.48
Total: 62.07
Friday, November 15, 2013
Week's meal plan, November 15, 2013
We're only now using up the last of the many hunks of meat placed in our freezer by my bounteous mother-in-law, so next week the grocery bill will be much higher. I've enjoyed this while it lasted. I still had a few pantry staples, such as brown basmati rice, whole wheat pasta, tortillas, and so on, and a loaf of whole wheat bread in the freezer that I can defrost.
This week's meals:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats with frozen fruit and plain yogurt OR eggs on toast
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, carrots, celery, apples, string cheese
Dinners:
Whole wheat spaghetti with pumpkin-lentil-tomato vegetarian spaghetti sauce
Slow cooker Filipino Adobo pulled pork from Skinnytaste.com (lots of leftovers), side of brown basmati rice and steamed broccoli OR wrapped up in a tortilla
Crunchy baked pork chops from Smitten Kitchen, sides of mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini
Mexican Adobo pork tenderloin from Skinnytaste.com, sides of brown basmati rice and steamed broccoli
Desserts:
Grapes
This week's baking:
Tea-infused apple-date loaf
This week's groceries:
Eggs and dairy:
12 eggs 1.48
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk 5.96
Sargento reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese 1.98
Cheese Heads reduced fat string cheese 2.48
Wedge Asiago cheese 4.48
Nancy's low fat plain yogurt 1.48
Fruits and vegetables:
1.68 lbs zucchini 1.08
0.84 lbs broccoli crowns 1.08
Scallions 0.58
Celery 0.98
2 lbs carrots 0.98
5 lbs onions 2.48
3.82 lbs Fuji apples 3.74
2.26 navel oranges 2.21
1 lb red grapes 1.98
Bulk:
1.36 steel cut oats 0.86
1.02 lbs flour 0.31
0.51 lbs dates 1.31
Cans:
1 can diced tomatoes, supermarket brand 0.58
1 can pureed pumpkin 1.88
Other:
1 jar supermarket brand organic peanut butter: 3.79
Total: 40.62
Observations: I'm annoyed that I can't buy cheaper peanut butter. Well, I could, but I don't want peanut butter that has sugar in it (why must everything have sugar? I feel that certain things like peanut butter, mayonnaise and so on taste far better without, and surely it's healthier that way too?), or palm oil, because of the environmental implications. I'm sure that most things I do are ruinous for the environment in some way, so if I can do one small thing, such as avoiding palm oil, it makes me feel irrationally virtuous. Virtue is a feeling I enjoy, and I don't get it very often, so there it is.
This week's meals:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats with frozen fruit and plain yogurt OR eggs on toast
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, carrots, celery, apples, string cheese
Dinners:
Whole wheat spaghetti with pumpkin-lentil-tomato vegetarian spaghetti sauce
Slow cooker Filipino Adobo pulled pork from Skinnytaste.com (lots of leftovers), side of brown basmati rice and steamed broccoli OR wrapped up in a tortilla
Crunchy baked pork chops from Smitten Kitchen, sides of mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini
Mexican Adobo pork tenderloin from Skinnytaste.com, sides of brown basmati rice and steamed broccoli
Desserts:
Grapes
This week's baking:
Tea-infused apple-date loaf
This week's groceries:
Eggs and dairy:
12 eggs 1.48
1 gallon Organic Valley whole milk 5.96
Sargento reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese 1.98
Cheese Heads reduced fat string cheese 2.48
Wedge Asiago cheese 4.48
Nancy's low fat plain yogurt 1.48
Fruits and vegetables:
1.68 lbs zucchini 1.08
0.84 lbs broccoli crowns 1.08
Scallions 0.58
Celery 0.98
2 lbs carrots 0.98
5 lbs onions 2.48
3.82 lbs Fuji apples 3.74
2.26 navel oranges 2.21
1 lb red grapes 1.98
Bulk:
1.36 steel cut oats 0.86
1.02 lbs flour 0.31
0.51 lbs dates 1.31
Cans:
1 can diced tomatoes, supermarket brand 0.58
1 can pureed pumpkin 1.88
Other:
1 jar supermarket brand organic peanut butter: 3.79
Total: 40.62
Observations: I'm annoyed that I can't buy cheaper peanut butter. Well, I could, but I don't want peanut butter that has sugar in it (why must everything have sugar? I feel that certain things like peanut butter, mayonnaise and so on taste far better without, and surely it's healthier that way too?), or palm oil, because of the environmental implications. I'm sure that most things I do are ruinous for the environment in some way, so if I can do one small thing, such as avoiding palm oil, it makes me feel irrationally virtuous. Virtue is a feeling I enjoy, and I don't get it very often, so there it is.
Pumpkin-lentil-tomato spaghetti sauce
This is a cheap, delicious recipe that makes enough for at least two family meals, and is substantial enough that one really doesn't miss the meat.
Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Brown lentils don't really need soaking, but if you want to do something in advance, pour some boiling water over them in a bowl and leave them for a few hours. Drain them and place them in a large pot with 4-5 cups of boiling water and a bay leaf, and simmer until tender, 15 minutes or so. If you haven't soaked them, simply rinse them and boil them a little longer, maybe 25-30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
When the lentils are cooked, drain them, removing the bay leaf. Add them to the sauce and season to taste.
Serve over whole wheat spaghetti or other pasta, with a sprinkling of grated parmesan or Asiago cheese on top if desired.
Ingredients:
1 cup brown lentils
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can pureed pumpkin
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
Brown lentils don't really need soaking, but if you want to do something in advance, pour some boiling water over them in a bowl and leave them for a few hours. Drain them and place them in a large pot with 4-5 cups of boiling water and a bay leaf, and simmer until tender, 15 minutes or so. If you haven't soaked them, simply rinse them and boil them a little longer, maybe 25-30 minutes.
While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or so. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or so until fragrant. Add the pumpkin, tomatoes, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes, pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
When the lentils are cooked, drain them, removing the bay leaf. Add them to the sauce and season to taste.
Serve over whole wheat spaghetti or other pasta, with a sprinkling of grated parmesan or Asiago cheese on top if desired.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Pumpkin spice muffins
Nothing feels quite so autumnal as pumpkin and spice, particularly consumed in muffin form while gazing romantically out one's window at the leaves falling off trees. This recipe is delicious and not too sweet--perfect for a morning snack with a latte or a mug of milky tea.
Ingredients:
3 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin (butternut or acorn squash would work well here too)
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened yogurt
2 eggs
4 oz melted butter
Heat the oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and whisk in pumpkin, yogurt, and melted butter.
Tip the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix gently only until just combined.
Fill the muffin cups with equal amounts of batter (the cups will be pretty full). Bake for around 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Ingredients:
3 cups white flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups pureed pumpkin (butternut or acorn squash would work well here too)
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened yogurt
2 eggs
4 oz melted butter
Heat the oven to 375F. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with paper liners.
Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs, and whisk in pumpkin, yogurt, and melted butter.
Tip the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix gently only until just combined.
Fill the muffin cups with equal amounts of batter (the cups will be pretty full). Bake for around 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Week's meal plan, November 8, 2013
If you can believe it, we're still living off the things my mother-in-law stocked our freezer with--particularly, a gigantic package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. So I haven't had to buy a whole lot of things.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats with plain yogurt OR eggs on toast
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, apples, carrots, string cheese
Dinners: (all recipes make ten tons of leftovers, provided you don't mind having the same thing several times)
1) Crock pot salsa verde chicken (no particular recipe; you just empty a jar of green salsa into your crock pot, place a couple of chicken breasts on top, and leave cooking on low all day), sides of brown rice and steamed kale or sauteed zucchini
2) Crock pot tomato soup from Skinnytaste.com, grilled cheese sandwiches, side of steamed kale or sauteed zucchini
3) Chicken pot pie soup from Skinnytaste.com, but with whole wheat toast instead of biscuits
Snacks: whatever I seem to be baking this week
This week's groceries (I went to a different supermarket from the one I usually go to, so the prices are all different):
Vegetables and fruits:
8 oz mushrooms: 1.88
Large bunch of kale: 1.24
4 zucchini: 1.81
Carton organic grape tomatoes: 2.88
3 lbs Fuji apples: 4.27
1 lb frozen mixed vegetables: 0.78
Dairy:
1/2 gallon organic whole milk: 3.98
1/2 gallon organic skim milk: 3.46
Mountain Life plain low fat unsweetened yogurt: 2.78
Frigo light string cheese: 3.48
Sargento reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese: 2.68
Other:
Sara Lee whole wheat bread (two loaves): 4.58
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, generic brand: 1.68
2 lbs plain flour: 1.50
Total: $37.00
Observations: I have a love-hate relationship with my crock pot. Sometimes it's just so utterly brilliant--for chicken broth, for example. Other times it's useful, but not amazing. I'd say throwing a piece of chicken in the crock pot with a jar of salsa falls into the category. It's pretty convenient to spend less than a minute assembling your dinner in the morning and come home to find it cooked, but the salsa chicken thing doesn't really warm my heart much. The tomato soup, however, is an absolute winner. I actually did the slow cooking of the vegetables overnight, then put them in the refrigerator all day. All I had to do when I got home was prepare the roux, blend the vegetables in the food processor, and combine them to make a deliciously creamy, more or less healthy soup, and whip up some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it.
This week's meal plan:
Breakfasts: steel cut oats with plain yogurt OR eggs on toast
Lunches: peanut butter sandwiches, apples, carrots, string cheese
Dinners: (all recipes make ten tons of leftovers, provided you don't mind having the same thing several times)
1) Crock pot salsa verde chicken (no particular recipe; you just empty a jar of green salsa into your crock pot, place a couple of chicken breasts on top, and leave cooking on low all day), sides of brown rice and steamed kale or sauteed zucchini
2) Crock pot tomato soup from Skinnytaste.com, grilled cheese sandwiches, side of steamed kale or sauteed zucchini
3) Chicken pot pie soup from Skinnytaste.com, but with whole wheat toast instead of biscuits
Snacks: whatever I seem to be baking this week
This week's groceries (I went to a different supermarket from the one I usually go to, so the prices are all different):
Vegetables and fruits:
8 oz mushrooms: 1.88
Large bunch of kale: 1.24
4 zucchini: 1.81
Carton organic grape tomatoes: 2.88
3 lbs Fuji apples: 4.27
1 lb frozen mixed vegetables: 0.78
Dairy:
1/2 gallon organic whole milk: 3.98
1/2 gallon organic skim milk: 3.46
Mountain Life plain low fat unsweetened yogurt: 2.78
Frigo light string cheese: 3.48
Sargento reduced fat Mexican blend shredded cheese: 2.68
Other:
Sara Lee whole wheat bread (two loaves): 4.58
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, generic brand: 1.68
2 lbs plain flour: 1.50
Total: $37.00
Observations: I have a love-hate relationship with my crock pot. Sometimes it's just so utterly brilliant--for chicken broth, for example. Other times it's useful, but not amazing. I'd say throwing a piece of chicken in the crock pot with a jar of salsa falls into the category. It's pretty convenient to spend less than a minute assembling your dinner in the morning and come home to find it cooked, but the salsa chicken thing doesn't really warm my heart much. The tomato soup, however, is an absolute winner. I actually did the slow cooking of the vegetables overnight, then put them in the refrigerator all day. All I had to do when I got home was prepare the roux, blend the vegetables in the food processor, and combine them to make a deliciously creamy, more or less healthy soup, and whip up some grilled cheese sandwiches to go with it.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
What we're going to eat this week
We are still living off the bounteous contributions of my mother-in-law, so I don't have a priced menu plan this week.
What we plan to make:
Breakfasts:
Steel cut oats with plain unsweetened yogurt and frozen blueberries, OR breakfast sandwiches on whole wheat tortillas with scrambled eggs, salsa, and a pinch of grated cheese
Lunches:
Peanut butter sandwiches, carrot and celery sticks, string cheese, apples
Dinners:
2 x crock pot Santa Fe chicken, except using a jar of salsa instead of the recommended sauce, because that's what I had. Sides of brown rice and steamed broccoli.
2 x spaghetti Bolognese, using a recipe derived from America's Test Kitchen, sides of (previously frozen) green beans and peas
2 x boeuf Bourguignon, sides of whole wheat egg noodles and steamed broccoli and/or frozen vegetables
...and maybe a comforting autumn night meal of eggs on toast if we can't be bothered.
Desserts/sweet stuff:
There's something about colder weather that makes me want to bake, so I'm exercising more in the hopes of canceling out the extra calories. I plan to make the Skinnytaste.com pumpkin bread with pepitas (don't be put off by the "low fat" in the title; it's incredibly moist and spicy and delicious). Also, I'm going to use up the rest of the can of pumpkin I used for the bread making the Skinnytaste.com pumpkin pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning. Yum.
What we plan to make:
Breakfasts:
Steel cut oats with plain unsweetened yogurt and frozen blueberries, OR breakfast sandwiches on whole wheat tortillas with scrambled eggs, salsa, and a pinch of grated cheese
Lunches:
Peanut butter sandwiches, carrot and celery sticks, string cheese, apples
Dinners:
2 x crock pot Santa Fe chicken, except using a jar of salsa instead of the recommended sauce, because that's what I had. Sides of brown rice and steamed broccoli.
2 x spaghetti Bolognese, using a recipe derived from America's Test Kitchen, sides of (previously frozen) green beans and peas
2 x boeuf Bourguignon, sides of whole wheat egg noodles and steamed broccoli and/or frozen vegetables
...and maybe a comforting autumn night meal of eggs on toast if we can't be bothered.
Desserts/sweet stuff:
There's something about colder weather that makes me want to bake, so I'm exercising more in the hopes of canceling out the extra calories. I plan to make the Skinnytaste.com pumpkin bread with pepitas (don't be put off by the "low fat" in the title; it's incredibly moist and spicy and delicious). Also, I'm going to use up the rest of the can of pumpkin I used for the bread making the Skinnytaste.com pumpkin pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning. Yum.
New, improved whole grain apple pancakes
I love it when, in the course of making a beloved recipe, I discover I don't have a key ingredient, substitute something else, and find that it tastes better than the original. Mostly my substitutions turn out terribly, but this one didn't.
I was making my whole grain apple pancakes for a family brunch, and realized I didn't have enough rolled oats. So instead, I made some porridge using steel cut oats and adjusted the ingredients accordingly. The pancakes came out deliciously! They have more "bite" to them than the previous version, and the taste and texture is vastly better, probably because steel cut oats are a very superior product to rolled oats. I took out the milk and added a smaller quantity of yogurt, which made the texture fluffier. I also love the tang of yogurt in any pancake or baking recipe. The batter is a little more liquid and finicky to work with than the previous version, but it will be fine, I promise.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup steel cut oats
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
2 eggs
2 apples, grated with the skins on
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Half a stick of butter (2 oz or ca. 55g), melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
First, prepare your steel cut oats. Mix them in a medium pot with the water, bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until cooked.
Transfer the oats to a large bowl and stir in the other wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Tip them into the oat mixture and stir gently with a fork until just combined.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. (A non-stick pan is fine too, but I'd steer clear of a stainless steel one.) Using a 1/8 cup measure (or a large spoon), drop up to five spoonfuls of batter onto the pan. When little bubbles start to appear on top, flip them over with a spatula and cook the other side until it's a light golden brown, pressing down on the pancakes with the spatula to flatten them slightly.
Serve plain or with maple syrup.
Serves 4-6
I was making my whole grain apple pancakes for a family brunch, and realized I didn't have enough rolled oats. So instead, I made some porridge using steel cut oats and adjusted the ingredients accordingly. The pancakes came out deliciously! They have more "bite" to them than the previous version, and the taste and texture is vastly better, probably because steel cut oats are a very superior product to rolled oats. I took out the milk and added a smaller quantity of yogurt, which made the texture fluffier. I also love the tang of yogurt in any pancake or baking recipe. The batter is a little more liquid and finicky to work with than the previous version, but it will be fine, I promise.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup steel cut oats
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup plain unsweetened yogurt
2 eggs
2 apples, grated with the skins on
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Half a stick of butter (2 oz or ca. 55g), melted
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
First, prepare your steel cut oats. Mix them in a medium pot with the water, bring to a boil, turn the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until cooked.
Transfer the oats to a large bowl and stir in the other wet ingredients.
In a separate bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Tip them into the oat mixture and stir gently with a fork until just combined.
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat. (A non-stick pan is fine too, but I'd steer clear of a stainless steel one.) Using a 1/8 cup measure (or a large spoon), drop up to five spoonfuls of batter onto the pan. When little bubbles start to appear on top, flip them over with a spatula and cook the other side until it's a light golden brown, pressing down on the pancakes with the spatula to flatten them slightly.
Serve plain or with maple syrup.
Serves 4-6
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