Cheap Healthy Good

Dinner, Reign O’er Me: Noodle Salad with Shrimp, Chicken and Mint

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:12:00 +0000

First, Pearl Jam covering The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me” at last night’s VH1 Rock Honors:

The only way that could have been better was if zombie Keith Moon sat in on drums, downed a fifth of ghost brandy, and drove a phantom Benz into the Waldorf pool. For old times sake, y’know. Woof.

After the Quadrophenia excerpt, I’m hesitant to even get into food. I don’t know if mere victuals can live up to the sheer awesomeness of Eddie Vedder doing his best Roger Daltrey backed by a full orchestra. I’m aflutter. But I shant cry, or raise my eye. Because Cooking Light’s Noodle Salad with Shrimp, Chicken, and Mint ~~is only teenage wasteland~~ ain’t too shabby, yo.

To be honest, when I first bit into this light, Asian-inspired dinner, my reaction was “Meh.” The few ingredients and minimal prep didn’t seem to merit an “OOOO.” Uh … as it turns out though, I was incredibly wrong. Three helpings later, I had to remove the serving bowl from my presence, lest I scarf the whole dang thing. Whether it was the limey, sesame-infused soy sauce or the moist, flavorful chicken or the sprinkling of green onions was immaterial. All I knew was I wanted more. In fact, I want some right now, but it might not go so well with my coffee.

There were a few changes to the initial recipe – I cut some salt because there was no low-sodium soy sauce on hand, and substituted much of the shrimp for chicken. Poultry’s less expensive than shellfish, and there was a heaping mound I had to use before it freezer burned to death. (Also, I ran out of shrimp. But we won’t mention that.) If you make Noodle Salad, feel free to dump in chicken, shrimp or a combination of either. Chicken will keep the cost down and make it into something more befitting a main meal. Shrimp will be lighter, but pricier and side dishier.

Oh yeah – AND I got the mint for free. This is because:

A) It grows like crazy in our backyard, and

B) Is the only food I’m comfortable eating out of our Gowanus Canal-infused Brooklyn soil.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Gowanus … remember the first Batman movie? (Not the Christian Bale one, the Michael Keaton one.) You know how Jack Nicholson’s bad guy fell into that steaming, bubbling vat of acid, and it gave him his Joker face? The canal is kind of like that, only really, really stinky and lined with concrete-shoed mob informants. Good times.

Anyway, where was I? The Who … freezer burn … canals … wow. I seem to have gotten away from food a bit. But anyway. Try the Noodle Salad. You’ll like it. I promise.

Noodle Salad with Chicken, Shrimp and Mint
Makes 3 servings

1 (7-ounce) package uncooked vermicelli (I used thin spaghetti and it was fine – Kris)
12 ounces chicken breast (about 1/2 one large breast - Kris)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 large lime – Kris)
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounces medium cooked shrimp
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
Lime wedges (optional)

1) Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2) Slice chicken breast into ½-inch filets. Generously salt and pepper every side. While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in medium pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken in pan for about 4 minutes on each side, flipping once. When finished, remove chicken from pan, let sit a minute or two, and chop into ¾-inch pieces.

3) Combine lime juice and next 6 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl, stirring to combine.

4) Combine pasta, shrimp, and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing; toss to coat. Sprinkle with onions. Serve immediately with lime wedges, if desired.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
463 calories, 7.2 g fat, $1.11

Calculations
1 (7-ounce) package uncooked vermicelli: 738 calories, 3 g fat, $0.21
12 ounces chicken breast: 375 calories, 4.2 g fat, $1.49
1 teaspoon olive oil: 39 calories, 4.5 g fat, $0.04
Salt and pepper: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
2 tablespoons lime juice: 8 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce: 17 calories, 0 g fat, $0.19
1 tablespoon honey: 64 calories, 0 g fat, $0.09
2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint: 1 calorie, 0 g fat, $0.00
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil: 80 calories, 9 g fat, $0.12
1/4 teaspoon salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
2 garlic cloves, minced: 9 calories, 0 g fat, $0.06
2 ounces medium cooked shrimp: 56 calories, 0.6 g fat, $0.90
1 tablespoon chopped green onions: 2 calories, 0 g fat, $0.10
TOTAL: 1389 calories, 21. g fat, $3.33
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): 463 calories, 7.2 g fat, $1.11

Veggie Might: When I Want Something, DIM

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0000

by Leigh

Whenever I see some handmade wonder light years beyond my budget, I don’t sweat it. Instead of “Dang, I wish I could afford that,” I think, “I can make that better and cheaper.” It may take awhile, culling instructions and patterns from multiple sources, experiencing minor and major disasters, but the end product will be awesome, because it will be uniquely mine. Or at least I’ll have had fun trying.

Part of my urge to craft is genetic. My southern grandmother was famous for her tole painting, French knot needlework, and Easter egg dioramas. The other part of my crafty tendency is a combination of frugality and the aforementioned hubris.

I apply this same ethos to cooking. Following a recipe often means buying new stuff when I have a plenty to work with in my cabinet or fridge, or going back out once I’ve gotten home from work. And I am, above all things, a lazy gal.

In true DIY-style, I improvise most dishes I make. Recipes are like a jumping off point, the suggestion from the audience at the beginning of a comedy show.

Tuesday night, I knew a few things: I absolutely had to have for dinner this pasta and potato dish that I vaguely remembered reading about; I had about 4 cups of amaranth greens from the CSA that must be used or else; I really wanted this fantasy pasta dish to have a lemon sauce; and I couldn’t bear to be on the computer another second.

Scouring my cookbooks for a recipe that probably didn’t exist within the four walls of my apartment, I came upon one that at least answered the essential question in my mind. How do you cook potatoes you plan to put with pasta? Do you boil them first? Do you cook them in the sauce? Moosewood to the rescue!

Every vegetarian has at least one Moosewood cookbook. They’re given out when you recruit other vegetarians, kind like how Ellen’s “friend” got her toaster oven. Smack in the middle of the pasta section of Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, hiding under the nonpotatoey name of Trenette al Pesto, was my savior.

The recipe itself was nothing like I wanted or had ingredients for—it was after 8 p.m., the All-Star Game was starting, and my tummy was rumbling—though it sounded great for another time. It did have, however the instructions for preparing and cooking the taters.

Peel the potatoes. (Okay, I didn’t. I like my taters with the skins on.) Cut them lengthwise into quarters and then crosswise into 1/4”slices to make about 2 cups. (I didn’t measure. I had four potatoes; I used four potatoes) … When the water is boiling vigorously, add the potatoes and then the pasta. Stir well and cover. (That’s it?) … When the pasta is al dente, drain. (That’s it.).

The rest was DIY magic. With the game on in the background, I chopped and stirred and sautéed until viola! It was exactly the dish I wanted it to be. I’ve been experimenting with a lemon pasta dish, and it’s never been this good. Last time, it wasn’t saucy enough. Somehow it was oily and dry at the same time. This time, it was flawless.

The pasta and potatoes cooked perfectly together. I was so surprised they were done at the same time. The Moosewood Collective knows its stuff. For the sauce, I cut back the oil and added stock, which I didn’t do last time. It was the missing piece to the puzzle.

If you’re hesitant to stray from recipes, I hereby release you from your fear. Ruining one batch of pasta is no reason not to experiment a little. That too-dry pasta…I threw some tomato sauce on it and ate it anyway. Unless something is burnt beyond recognition, it’s probably salvageable.

Take this recipe and change whatever you want: the basil to thyme, the lemon to tomato, the penne to …well that’s too easy. But be creative, do it yourself, and have a blast.

Penne with Lemon, Potatoes, and Cannellini
Yields 8 servings

Pasta/Potatoes
1 1/2 vegetable bullion cubes
16 oz whole wheat pasta
4 small caribe (or any potatoes (about 1 lb)

Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dried basil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegetable broth/stock
1 lemon juiced
4 cups amaranth or fresh spinach
1 15 oz can cannellini beans
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp fresh basil (optional)
2 tbsp fresh chives (optional)

Instructions
1) Bring large pot of water to a boil.

2) Slice potatoes a lá Moosewood instructions: quarter, then slice lengthwise, 1/4”.

3) When water boils add bullion cubes and stir until dissolved. Add potatoes and then pasta. Cover and boil until pasta is al dente and potatoes are cooked through.

In the meantime...

4) Mix dried basil and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

5) Wash (and chop into medium pieces if using spinach or large leaf) greens and set aside.

6) In large skillet, warm basil and oil over medium heat. Add garlic and sautee for a minute or two—just until it starts to brown.

7) Add vegetable broth and lemon juice, scraping bottom of pan to get all the good stuff mixed in.
8) Add greens and stir until just wilted. Add beans with just a bit of the bean water. Stir and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Somewhere in here you will have remembered to check the pasta/potatoes and miraculously not let them overcook. (Did I say “you”? I meant “I”.)

9) In the large pasta pot (assuming it will leave room for you to stir), add the sauce to the pasta/potatoes and mix it all together.

10) Garnish with fresh basil and chives if you have them lying around. I had just a few leaves of basil and barely an ounce of chives I needed to use. That’s why they’re in there.

11) Chow down and cry with love.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
316 calories, 4g fat, $0.66

Calculations
1 1/2 vegetable bullion cubes: 30 calories, 2g fat, $.45
16 oz whole wheat pasta: 1440 calories, 12g fat, $1.99
4 small potatoes: 524 calories, .6g fat, $.40
1 tbsp olive oil: 120 calories, 14g fat, $.08
2 tbsp dried basil: 10 calories, 0g fat, $.10
5 cloves garlic, minced: 21 calories, 0g fat, $.06
1 cup vegetable broth/stock: 15 calories, 0g fat, $.25
1 lemon juiced: 12 calories, 0g fat, $0.25
4 cups amaranth: 24 calories, 0g fat, $.75 (fresh spinach: 28 calories, 0g fat, $0.75)
1 15 oz can cannellini beans: 330 calories, 3g fat, $.79
salt and pepper: negligible calories and fat, $.04
1 tsp fresh basil: .5 calories, 0g fat, $.05
1 tbsp fresh chives: 1 calories, 0g fat, $.07
TOTALS: 2528 calories, 32g fat, $5.28
PER SERVING: 316 calories, 4g fat, $.66

CHG Favorites of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Food Blog of the Week
Waiterrant.net
Beautifully written vignettes about life as a server, penned completely by the mysterious Waiter. If you’ve ever wanted a personal account of behind-the-scenes restaurantary, but don’t have the patience for a self-aggrandizing owner’s biography, this is the place to be.

Food Book of the Week
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
TGC is much like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: a stunning, bittersweet memoir about a resourceful little girl brought up in total poverty by charismatic, flawed parents. In both cases, Jeannette Walls and Francie Nolan go hungry for days at a time. When they do scrounge up food – whether its sifted from a garbage pail or earned through Katie Nolan’s hard-won salary – it’s a minor miracle. It makes me grateful for the eats I have.

Food Comedy of the Week
"Western Spaghetti" by PES
Really, really neat stop-motion meals made out of inanimate objects. (Speaking of, I was cleaning my office for a move today and found a tsai. Last time we moved, it was nunchuks and a Night Ranger album. I think I’m being stalked by very patient workplace ninjas.) (Thanks to Onion AV Club for the link.)

Food Organization of the Week
Treats for Troops
In their words, “Thousands of men and women from every branch of the service are registered with Treats for Troops. If you want to send a care package to show your support, we’ll match you with a soldier who’d love to hear from you.” The packs are a tad expensive, but totally worth it. And if you’d just like to drop a line to say thanks, don’t forget Operation Dear Abby.

Food Quote of the Week
“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.” – Mark Twain

Food Video of the Week
“I Want Candy” by Bow Wow Wow
Three things you might not have known about “I Want Candy”:
1) Lead singer Annabella Lwin was 15 when she posed naked for the album cover. Many were not pleased.
2) It’s a cover. The Strangeloves sang the original.
3) Former Spice Girl Mel C did a version. Good Charlotte did as well, for the totally underrated Not Another Teen Movie (in which Jamie Pressley is the funniest thing, ever).

Totally Unrelated Extra-Special Bonus of the Week
I have a secret, terrible weakness for commencement speeches. They’re so profound and meaningful. I love that they’re all like, “Hey kid. Your real life is about to get started. I’ve been there, so lemme tell you how it's gonna be.” So, here you go - four STELLAR graduation orations from four funny dudes. Every single one is tremendous, I swear. The Patton Oswalt speech is the newest, and it absolutely blew me away.

Patton Oswalt: And Now, The Actual Speech

Conan O’Brian: Commencement Speech to the Havard Class of 2000

Jon Stewart: Commencement Address at The College of William & Mary

Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes): Some Thoughts on the Real World by One Who Glimpsed it and Fled

The Booze of Summer: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Lighter, Cheaper Drinks

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:46:00 +0000

As the warm, hazy days of early summer give way to the scorching, sticky, I-didn’t-think-it-was-possible-to-sweat-this-much months of July and August, there’s never been a better time for drink. Crisp wines, frosty pints, and the occasional Vodka Club are hallmarks of hot weather, and in moderation, they both relax and cool, like vacation weekends in a glass.

Alas, alcohol is expensive, and certain beverages come with calorie counts you’d expect only from a Double Whopper. So, how can one quaff without ending up as nutritionally and financially bankrupt as 70s-era Meat Loaf? Read on…

CUTTING CALORIES

For starters, to chop your caloric intake, avoid these 13 drinks:
(Note: all serving sizes standard)

Regular Beer (140–180 calories)
Malt beverages (Mike’s Hard, Bacardi, etc.) (190-240 calories)
Melon Ball (~300 calories)
Sex on the Beach (~300 calories)
Mai Tai (~350 calories)
Rum and regular Coke (~350 calories)
Mudslide (~ 400 calories)
White Russian (~400 calories)
Chocolate Martini (~450 calories)
Hurricane (~600 calories)
Pina Colada (~600 calories)
Frozen Margarita (~700 calories)
Long Island Iced Tea (~750 calories)

And drink these 13 instead:

Bellini (~65 calories)
Mimosa (~80 calories)
Light Beer (95-110 calories)
Scotch, vodka, gin, or bourbon (~100 calories)
Red, white, or sparkling white wine (100-120 calories)
Bloody Mary (~110 calories)
Rum and Diet Coke (~115 calories)
Tom Collins (~120 calories)
Sloe Gin Fizz (~120 calories)
Vodka Martini (~125 calories)
Guinness (12 oz = 125 calories)
Mojito (~160 calories)
Cosmopolitan (~160 calories)

Once you’ve got that memorized, try these tips, some of which (nursing, drinking water) coincide nicely with the whole “save money” thing:

Plan ahead. Before going out, spend some time researching the nutritional aspects of certain beverages (and yes, the term “nutritional” is being used loosely here). Dottie’s Weight Loss Zone and Recipe Circus both have comprehensive calorie-per-serving listings that'll give you a good idea of what you’re guzzling. For even more information, check the source listing at the bottom of this article.

Know your ingredients. If you don’t have time set aside to research (and really … I understand), keep these in mind:

To better your chances of scoring a low-calorie mixed drink, watch out for milk, coconut milk, heavy cream, Red Bull, Crème de anything, premade mixes, regular soda, lemonade, sugar, and full-sugar fruit juice.
Instead, look for diet sodas, diet mixes, club soda/seltzer, ice, tomato juice, champagne, prosecco, cava, and fruit purees.

Establish boundaries. Give yourself a pre-set limit and stick to it. No more than two beers at a picnic, three glasses of wine at a wedding, etc. To make this strategy doubly effective, enlist a partner and help each other keep track.

Order a bigger drink. I don’t know about y’all, but I can knock off a standard-sized Cosmo during a commercial break. If that’s your situation as well, it might help to choose a larger, lighter beverage with less alcohol content. A 12-oz Beck’s Premier Light (only 64 calories) can take a full hour to imbibe, which contrasts nicely to those three-minute martinis. Speaking of…

Learn to nurse. Note: A beer, not a baby.

Hit the web. If you’re preparing drinks at home, look for websites that specifically cater to light beverage seekers. Hungry Girl is excellent, as are Cooking Light and the Weight Watchers boards.

Embrace agua. Sipping a glass of water between drinks will:
A) keep you hydrated in the heat,
B) keep you sober, and able to regulate your cash flow better,
C) chop your caloric intake in half, and
D) chop your spent dollars in half.

Flip a brain switch. Try to think of liquor as a treat (like ice cream or bacon) rather than an everymeal event (like water or vegetables). With practice, the distinction could become a habit, saving oodles of calories (and cash) in the long run.

Ignore peer pressure. Dude. Drinking is not a requirement for social events. If you like soda better, that’s completely fine. Get down with your teetotaling self.

CUTTING EXPENDITURES

Of course, price is another matter entirely. Unless you’re drinking it out of a king-size plastic flagon (Which … no judgment. Been there.) hooch costs add up quickly – especially if you’re sating a party. These tips should help to slash some costs.

Go bargain hunting. Look for happy hours, drink specials, and brunch menus with drinks included. Sites like Unthirsty and Happy-Hour are great resources, and folks in metro areas can Google some pretty decent city guides, as well. Always remember, though: if you can’t afford to tip the bartender/waitress, you can’t afford to go out.

Keep it simple. Mixed drinks are sometimes priced by their degree of prep difficulty and/or the amount of alcohol contained within. Fortunately, lots of lighter drinks are fairly unfussy that way. So, next time you’re deciding between a made-from-scratch Frozen Strawberry Daquiri and vodka with club soda, go with the latter.

Mix intelligently. Don’t use or ask for high-quality alcohol in mixed drinks. Stuff like Macallan is meant to be savored on its own or with very little enhancement. Combining it with lesser liquor misses the point.

Purchase wine wisely. According to studies, the vast majority of vino chuggers can’t tell the difference between a $6 bottle of Trader Joe’s Cabernet and a $50 jug of the upscale stuff. Ask the clerk for his/her best lower-range suggestions, and when in doubt, go for the less-expensive (but not bottom-of-the-barrel) brand. I find that Cavit, Fetzer, Ravenswood, Yellow Tail, Veramonte, and Charles Shaw (a.k.a. Two Buck Chuck) are all pretty reliable, fairly economic labels.

Abandon your brand loyalty. Dropping your allegiance to certain labels opens up a whole new world of bargains and flavors. Why? Well, oftentimes, the stuff you like won’t be on sale, but a similar-tasting item will be. Give it a shot, and you might be pleasantly surprised. (Note: This doesn’t mean you have to forgo Smithwicks for Schlitz. It means that if there are two six-packs of similar Hefeweizens, and A’s on sale for $2 less than B, choose A.)

Buy in bulk. Almost without fail, alcohol is cheaper in bigger packages – beer especially. What’s more, certain wine and liquor stores give 10% case discounts, so don’t forget to ask the cashier. (Of course, some may argue that having so much booze lying around might tempt you to drink more often. If that’s the case, please only buy in bulk for gathering-type situations.)

Order online. Sites like Wine.com and My Wines Direct offer a wide selection of highly-rated, deeply discounted wines that can be shipped anywhere. Look for Clearance or Under $20 sections, and be sure to check RetailMeNot for bargain codes before purchasing.

Go beyond the norm. Beer barns, airports, Trader Joe’s, breweries, and wineries are just a sampling of the locales where intoxicants can be purchased at a less-than-soul-crushing price. Next time you pass one, step inside and consider.

Stay at home. If you’re really looking to get your drink on, consider inviting a few friends over instead of going out. Bars and restaurants make mad cash on alcohol, and tippling at either can cost you 500% more than if you set up shop in your own kitchen. If you do head out to an eatery, consider one with a BYO policy.

And that’s it. Readers, do you have any suggestions on either the health or cash front? What are your favorite low-cal drinks? How do you save a bundle when buying liquor? Bring it!

Sources for calorie information:
Calorie King
Divine Caroline
Dottie's Weight Loss Zone FitSugar
Forbes
Glamour
Men's Health
Recipe Circus
Washington Post

(Photos courtesy of Corbis, Stuff Educated Latinos Like, and Wine and Words.)

Mo’ Better Blueberry Muffins

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:00:00 +0000

(Hey folks – before we get into today’s post, be sure to check out this week’s Festival of Frugality, hosted by On Financial Success. There’s a ton of apropos personal finance and savings information, along with some nifty food posts like How Shopping for Groceries Online Can Save You Money as Well as Time by the Personal Financier, Living Almost Large’s meditation on Hillbilly Housewife’s $70/week Menu, and CHG's own 20 Cheap, Healthy Dishes Made From 10 Pantry Staples. Now, on to today's recipe.)

Between months of ovenless meals and this weekend’s no-cook/wallpaper debacle, I desperately needed to get my gourmet on last night. So, I hit the supermarkets, whipped out my power mixer, and started my own mini-cookoff. (Oh, I also jacked the stove to 425°F in our breezeless, already-90°F kitchen. My roommates loved that.)

For dinner, it was Better Homes and Gardens’ South-of-the-Border Pie. Quick cooking and relatively inexpensive, the dish ultimately didn’t prove to be anything special. Edible, yes. Special, nuh-unh. Kids might like it more than we (me and The Boyfriend) did, especially if they’re big fans of the musical fruit.
Verdict: Three stars out of five, unless you’ve not yet hit puberty.

For dessert/breakfast-the-next-day, I tried Cooking Light’s Spiced Blueberry Muffins, and was pleasantly surprised. Though they didn’t quite measure up to regular ol’ cake-type dealies, they were moister (Hate. That. Word.) than most light muffins and had a good blueberry-to-batter ratio. Delicious when warmed, I popped one in my bag for this morning’s meal, and it substituted nicely for my regular Honey Nut Cheerios. (Which I love like a lover.)
Verdict: Four out of five stars, with a possibility of the full five after some alterations.

I was all set to attempt Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Mint or Couscous and Feta Stuffed Peppers, but risked driving my badly-perspiring roommates to the brink of insanity (and/or homicide). So … yeah, that’ll happen later in the week. In the meantime, should you try the muffins yourself, here’s what you might wanna know:

1) If I made these again, I’d sprinkle larger sugar crystals on top and double the spices. My cinnamon’s shamefully old, and the muffins weren’t as pungent as they should have been.

2) The muffins are the size of a really big cupcake, and you don’t need CL’s “muffin cups” to make ‘em – a standard muffin pan will do. Also, they’ll look curiously pale when they’re finished, but will be cooked through just the same. Don’t panic.

3) These babies are pretty cheap, but you could probably cut the price a full 33% by buying the cream cheese on sale. It’s by far the most expensive ingredient.

4) Blueberries are peaking right now in the Northeast. I nabbed three pints for $1.50 each at Key Food, and that’s unheard of any other part of the year. And? They’re big, beautiful, juicy, and blue - not those crappy, still-unripe little green ones that look like Smurf poop. So – run! Getcher blues!

5) This is not my picture. It’s Cooking Light’s. Mine appears at the very bottom of this post, to warn other bloggers of the dangers/idiocy of taking food photos with a camera phone. Ansel Adams has nothing to fear.

Coming tomorrow: The Booze of Summer! Stay tuned!

Spiced Blueberry Muffins
Makes 14 muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1) Preheat oven to 425°.

2) Lightly spoon 2 cups of flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine 2 cups flour and next 6 ingredients (through cloves) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.

3) Place blueberries in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon flour over blueberries; toss to coat.

4) Place butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed 1 minute or until blended. Add milk, eggs, and vanilla to butter mixture; beat to combine. Add butter mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moist. Gently fold in blueberry mixture. Spoon batter into 14 muffin cups (a muffin pan will work fine – Kris) coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar evenly over batter. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Cool in pans 5 minutes on a wire rack. Remove muffins from pans; place on a wire rack.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
192 calories, 5.5 g fat, $0.41
(Nutrition info provided by Cooking Light.)

Calculations
2 cups all-purpose flour: $0.19
3/4 cup sugar: $0.24
1 tablespoon baking powder: $0.10
1/2 teaspoon salt: $0.01
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon: $0.01
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg: $0.01
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves: $0.01
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen wild blueberries: $1.13
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour: $0.01
1/3 cup butter, softened: $0.31
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened: $2.99
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk: $0.15
2 large eggs: $0.38
1 teaspoon vanilla extract: $0.12
Cooking spray: $0.05
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar: $0.03
TOTAL: $5.74
PER SERVING (TOTAL/14): $0.41

See? (*Shudder*)

Monday Megalinks: The Wallpaper Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:25:00 +0000

In December of 1988, right around my 11th birthday, my family moved into a new house. We (me and our home) were about the same age, and had apparently taken our fashion cues from the same Seventeen magazine – lots of flowers and geometric prints, with dark brass engraved accessories for contrast. (Our abode didn’t have my coveted “COOL” shirt or two rows of shiny orthodontia, though. HA! Loser.)

Since that hallowed year, I’ve upgraded my wardrobe somewhat. The house has, too … mostly. While the bathrooms, bedrooms, and living room are all luxuriating in the latest shades of Benjamin Moore, Ma and Pa's kitchen is still rockin’ a look from the heyday of Bon Jovi. My sister’s summer project is renovating the room, and this weekend, I decided to pitch in. Y’know, for the good of the family.

So, uh … what I’m trying to say is this: I spent the last two days washing 30-year-old wallpaper glue off a billion square feet of sheet rock. No cooking happened at all, and my arms are seconds away from involuntarily detaching themselves from my body. I suck.

HOWEVER, this will be remedied tomorrow, when a brand-spankin’ new recipe will be posted on this very site - one guaranteed to tickle your taste buds until they’re all like, “Seriously, stop tickling me. I hate that.”

Until then, here are 30,000 links to keep your interest, with excerpts straight from the sources themselves.

At Home Laurel: Eating Well in Lean Summer Times
“Summer is always an economically lean time for our family … This summer, we have eaten the healthiest we ever have. Lots of fruits and vegetables. We are eating a high-vegetarian diet, when we are at home. I am amazed at how little I am spending on food.” (Thanks to Like Merchant Ships for the link.)

Casual Kitchen: What's the Most Heavily Used Tool in Our Kitchen? Our Rice Cooker.
“If you don't already own one of these, consider getting one. Rice cookers are 100% idiot-proof, and making rice with them is such a snap that you'll want to have rice with practically every meal.”

Carnival of Personal Finance #161: The Budgeting Babe
“Happy Monday and welcome to the 161st Carnival of Personal Finance! This week’s theme is renewal, because I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately … Just because you’re fiscally fit today can’t predict who or where you’ll be in five years. Picking yourself up after a long slump, or reevaluating yourself to manage life’s changes are key to your ability to succeed financially.”

Chow: Audible Edibles – 10 radio food shows that will leave you salivating
“In recent years, however, as the hosts on the idiot box have become more interested in sizzle than substance, radio and podcast food shows have flooded the airwaves. Here are some of our favorites.”

Chow: Why Do You Need a Nonreactive Bowl for Some Recipes?
“Many foods—especially salty or acidic ones—react with untreated surfaces such as iron, copper, and aluminum. When the foods react, the metals dissolve, and the foods pick up a metallic taste.” Consumerist: Eat Less, Live Longer
“Scientists say that if you start eating 15% less food by age 25, you could add 4.5 years to your life.”

Divine Caroline: The 20 Healthiest Foods for Under $1
“At the grocery store, getting the most nutrition for the least amount of money means hanging out on the peripheries—near the fruits and veggies, the meat and dairy, and the bulk grains—while avoiding the expensive packaged interior.” (Thanks to Get Rich Slowly for the link.)

Epicurious: Danny Meyer to Serve Up at New Mets Stadium
“[Meyer’s] transplanting Shake Shack (burgers, hot dogs and shakes) and Blue Smoke (barbecue) to Citi Field. He's also adding new concepts, for him, like Pop Fries, a Belgian frites stand; and a taqueria (no name yet). He's additionally going to be in charge of fancier eats at a 1,600-seat restaurant right behind home plate, including a beer-and-wine bar and a truly upscale, reservations-only venue.”

Gawker: Wall-E’s Big Fat Offensive Problem
“Pixar's new movie, about the robot from Short Circuit falling in love with a mechanized tampon and exploring a universe which has ruined and been ruined by humanity, has some people upset. Specifically, the overweight.”

Get Fit Slowly: Can Dieters and Non-Dieters Coexist?
“I think it’s very reasonable (if not an absolute necessity) to ask the people in your family and the people you live with to commit to making your diet the best it can be. Otherwise, how do you expect to be successful?”

Get Fit Slowly: Fruits and Vegetables: Fresh, Frozen, or Canned?
“What about the nutrition of these frozen vegetables? Are they just as healthy as their fresh counterparts? And what about canned veggies?”

Get Rich Slowly: Easy and Cheap No-Knead Bread
“For a little more than the cheap bread in the grocery store, you can have a loaf of actual artisan bread.”

Jezebel: Sometimes a Parents Words Can Bear the Weight of the World
“In this month's O: Oprah Magazine, writer Lisa Dierbeck talks to comedian Margaret Cho, pro basketball player Tiffany Jackson, opera singer and controversial gastric bypass recipient Deborah Voigt, and actress Cindy Cheung about how their parents' actions and words impacted their body image.”

The Kitchn: Seven Tips for Managing Your CSA
“Our fridge is filled to capacity and we can see that it will soon become challenging to keep meals interesting when we're having zucchini for the fourth night in a row.”

New York Times: Cutting Out the Middlemen, Shoppers Buy Slices of Farms
“In an environmentally conscious tweak on the typical way of getting food to the table, growing numbers of people are skipping out on grocery stores and even farmers markets and instead going right to the source by buying shares of farms.”

New York Times: Out of the Kitchen, Into the Field
“Whether raising heritage livestock, combing the woods for exotic morsels or coaxing delicacies from the ground, these women forge new bonds between field and table, strengthening the connection between things we love to eat and the stewardship that makes them possible.”

New York Times: That Costs WHAT?!?
“It’s not cheap.
Especially not the hot tea.
Which costs $7.”

Serious Eats: In Season – Summer Squash
“Here are a few recipes we think are worth trying this season.”

Slashfood: Chocolate may be headed toward “delicacy” status
“John Mason, of the Nature Conservation Research Council (based in Ghana), says that ‘in 20 years chocolate will be like caviar.’”

Slashfood: FDA Rules that high fructose corn syrup is natural
“Recently, the Corn Refiners Association announced that they are launching a $30 million advertising campaign that is aimed at convincing consumers that HFCS is a natural compound, fundamentally the same as honey. Of course, unlike honey, HFCS is the product of a complex, chemical-intensive refining process that takes place in an industrial setting, but why quibble? Strangely, the FDA has agreed with them.”

Wired: Top 10 Wired.com Food Photos, Decided by You and by Us
“After two weeks of being either tantalized or disgusted by the submissions in our food photo contest, Wired.com readers have selected 10 winners … [Also,] Here are our 10 favorite submissions that we think deserved more attention.”

Wise Bread: Chill Out with These 6 Simple DIY Freezer Treats
“With ice cream bars running $5 a small box locally, I went on a search to find inexpensive, alternative recipes to feed our family.”

Zen Habits: Living Life Overweight – 10 Reasons Why You’re Not to Blame
“If you’re overweight then you’ve probably experienced the sharp end of the ridicule stick from many people in your life … This is all part of the vicious cycle and part of the reason why being overweight, especially in America, is not just a lack of motivation.”

(Photos courtesy of MorningStar, compound-eye, pandagon.net, and enegue.net.)

The Brain of J: Summertime Gazpacho

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:19:00 +0000

(Note: Lately, I’ve noticed that my writing tends to mirror whatever book I’m reading at the time. When it’s Philip Roth, the sentences are much longer, with occasional nods to Judaism in 1950’s New Jersey. When it’s Jennifer Weiner, there’s a lot of dialogue and inevitably a crack or two about my ever-expanding booty. Right now, I’m knee-deep in John Irving’s The World According to Garp, so I apologize in advance for matter-of-fact whimsy and hooker references.)

For the last three years, my sister from another mother Rachel (seen on this site many times) has been dating J, a 30-something media dude and comedian. They’re wonderful for each other, not least because he's hilarious, kind, and totally frigging brilliant. To wit: he’s the best-read person I’ve ever met. He speaks Esperanto. His music knowledge rivals that of Matt Pinfield and Robert Christgau put together. He solves crossword puzzles faster than most people can say the words “crossword puzzles.” He’s a walking Wikipedia – the guy you go to when you need to know something NOW, and don’t have access to a computer. I think he’s in Mensa, and if he’s not, he should be. He could run their meetings.

J’s blanketed the U.S., trekked across Europe, and made his home for years in Japan. In 2006, he patiently guided a group of us through London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dublin while we were jet-lagged, sleep-deprived, and absolutely clueless as to whether or not we should tip the bartenders. (Answer: no.) He runs. He writes. He does graphic design in his spare time. He is an expert at Guitar Hero and Vonnegut alike. In sum, J’s up for whatever challenge that great softball pitcher called Life chucks at him.

However.

J does not cook.

Living with Rach, he doesn’t really have to. Many a time I’ve visited their apartment (my old one), and smelled her delectable offerings wafting up and down the three-story stairwell. It’s all I can do not to eat the door, and frankly, I’m surprised J isn’t 1400 pounds by now.

So, this past weekend, when he prepped Summertime Gazpacho for our super-modest Day of Indeporkdence barbecue, I was way proud. (In a fun “WOOO this rules” way, not in a condescending “Oh, men are so CUTE” way.) The chilled, chunky, tomato-y soup was just the right topper after a long day of meat, more meat, and meat with meat on top. I unabashedly loved it, and best of all, it’s very light (but still filling) for a soup of its kind.

Of his creation, J says:

“This combines two different Moosewood recipes. It's mostly the chunky gazpacho from Sundays at the Moosewood, which I have made before and loved (basically, an avocado and cucumber delivery device), but I saw another recipe from one of Molly Katzen's original Moosewood cookbooks and decided to add some of the more sophisticated flavorings and extra vegetables from that recipe. I made a double batch, and was very pleased with the result. Most important: no cooking!”

In sum, if you should ever see J on the street, give him a pat on the back for the gazpacho. Then, hand him your hardest Sudoku. If he doesn't finish it inside a minute, the soup's on me.

J and Moosewood's Summertime Gazpacho
Makes 6-8 servings

2 cups corn, fresh or frozen (I used frozen this time. – J)
4 cups tomato juice
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 ripe avocados, peeled and cubed (More like cubed in their skins and scooped out. – J)
4 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground (toasted) cumin
1/4 teaspoons cayenne
salt to taste
1 bell pepper, minced (I used red. – J)
1 teaspoon honey
4 scallions, minced
1 teaspoon tarragon (or 1 T. fresh chopped tarragon - J)
1 teaspoon basil (or 1 T. fresh chopped basil - J)

1) Combine and chill.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
176 calories, 9 g fat, $1.38

Calculations
2 cups corn, fresh or frozen: 305 calories, 2.4 g fat, $0.69
4 cups tomato juice: 165 calories, 0.5 g fat, $1.25
1 cucumber: 24 calories, 0.3 g fat, $0.66
2 ripe avocados: 643 calories, 58.9 g fat, $4.00
4 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice: 19 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.33
1 large garlic clove, minced: 4 calories, 0 g fat, $0.03
1 1/2 teaspoon ground (toasted) cumin: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1/4 teaspoon cayenne: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
salt to taste: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
1 bell pepper, minced: 31 calories, 0.4 g fat, $1.72
1 teaspoon honey: 21 calories, 0 g fat, $0.03
4 scallions, minced: 19 calories, 0.1 g fat, $0.38
1 teaspoon tarragon (or 1 T. fresh): 2 calories, 0 g fat, $0.50
1 teaspoon basil (or 1 T. fresh): 2 calories, 0 g fat, $0.02
TOTAL: 1235 calories, 62.7 g fat, $9.64
PER SERVING (TOTAL/7): 176 calories, 9 g fat, $1.38

Veggie Might: Any Green Will Do

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 19:00:00 +0000

by Leigh

Of all the vegetables on this big blue orb, the leafy greens are my favorites. So versatile, so delicious, and undeniably good-for-you, greens win. Dear sweet corn of the heartland, I love you dearly, but nutritionally, you just can’t compete with your chlorophyllic counterparts kale, mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard, collards, arugula... I could go on and on.

But as much as I love the greenies, it’s easy to get in a culinary rut. When I discover something I like, I make it over and over until I can’t stand it anymore, stop eating it for a while, then rediscover it and start the cycle again. Kale sautéed in garlic, broccoli with pasta and tomato sauce, and spinach salad are on the out right now. Enter some forced inspiration.

A group of friends gathers for a monthly potluck; the hostess chooses the theme. For June, our dishes were to be Mediterranean influenced. Easy. I had just gotten a cartload of grape leaves from the CSA. But somehow rolling 36 grape leaves seemed too easy. The Mediterranean is a pretty big sea with countries on either side.

I wanted to stretch a little, use some spices I don’t normally use, but I also wanted to keep it simple: veggies, beans, or grains. My only other rule for the recipe was to use as many items from my pantry as possible.

The International Vegetarian Union website has an extensive recipe section divided by continent. In the Africa section, I found my heart’s desire: Tunisian-style Greens and Beans and Garbanzos and Swiss Chard in the Style of Tunisian Sahel. (I also chose an Egyptian version of stuffed grape leaves, since I needed to use those bad boys up, but we’ll talk about that another time.) The two Swiss chard recipes are nearly identical but for two important factors; the first one has simpler instructions and the second one calls for one small dried chili. La la la la lightbulb!

The other week, going through my cupboards, I wondered if I would ever use the giant bag of dried chilis a friend of mine gave me when she cleaned out her cupboards before moving to Wyoming. It’s been staring at me for almost a year. The bag of chilis lives in on a shelf with a bunch of other spices I hardly ever use, including coriander, a key ingredient in the Tunisian dish.

The only thing I needed to buy was the Swiss chard and the garbanzo beans. I’d just made hummus and used up the two cans I had in my pantry. Since I was cooking for 12 or so people, I tripled the recipe, but I’ve since made it again (the cycle continues) with more reasonable quantities and only a few adjustments from what you’ll find on the website.

For the most part, I followed the first recipe, reducing the oil, substituting the red pepper flakes for the small dried chili (woot!), and increasing most of the amounts by 1/2 to accommodate a whole can of garbanzos. The original recipe calls for one cup of beans, but a can equals about a cup and a half.

And depending what is in your fridge or at your local market, almost any green would work with this dish. Collards would be a little tough and need some extra cooking, but kale, turnip, or mustard greens would fit the bill nicely. Spinach would also be good, but it’s not as sturdy as the others. If you use it, be prepared for it to cook down quite a bit.

Timesaving Tip from Nurse Dale*: Mince** two or three bulbs of garlic at a time and freeze the garlic in an ice cube tray wrapped in plastic wrap. Then just pop out a cube whenever you need one. Brilliant!

*The nurse at my doctor’s office. We had a lovely chat about herbs the last time I was in for a check up.
**I use a mini food processor.

Tunisian-style Greens and Beans
Yields 3 1-cup servings–main
Yields 6 1/2-cup servings–side

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced (I used two frozen garlic cubes, and it worked like a charm.)
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 sm dried chili, chopped (or ¼ tsp red pepper flakes)
6 cups chopped Swiss chard
1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes with juices (I used fresh, but canned works just as well.)
1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
approx. 1/2 cup bean cooking water

Prep
1) Wash and remove stems from Swiss chard. Tear into pieces.

2) Slice onion, mince garlic, and chop tomatoes.

3) Mince chili pepper.

Cook
1) In a large skillet over medium heat, sautee the onion and garlic in oil until onion is soft.

2) Stir in salt and spices.

3) Stir in greens. It’s good if they are still wet from washing.

4) When the greens are wilted, add the tomatoes, beans, and some of the bean water. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. The finished dish should be a little saucy, but not soupy.
Add bean water or plain water accordingly.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price per Serving
260 calories, 7.4g fat, $1.41 per serving as main dish
130 calories, 3.7g fat, $0.71 per serving as side dish

Calculations
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil: 120 calories, 14g fat, $0.08
1 medium onion: 40 calories, .2g fat, $.50
4 cloves garlic: 16 calories, 0 fat, $.05
6 cups fresh Swiss chard: 210 calories, .5g fat, $1.67
2 small dried chilis: 12 calories, .5g fat, $.04
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans w/water: 350 calories, 7g fat, $.89
1 1/2 chopped tomatoes: 33 calories, 0g fat, $.75
2 tsp coriander: negligible calories and fat, $0.04
1 tsp salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.02
TOTALS: 781 calories, 22.2g fat, $4.22
PER SERVING: 260 calories, 7.4g fat, $1.41 (main dish)
130 calories, 3.7g fat, $0.71 (side dish)

CHG Favorites of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Blog of the Week
Photograzing
Oo! Serious Eats readers can now post their own food porn. A nice companion piece to the miraculously resurrected Tastespotting site.

Food Comedy of the Week
Matrix Food Fight
God bless the Japanese.

Food Organization of the Week
Ronald McDonald House
While there’s not much I dig about McDonalds, the RM House is an exception. Some branches are run much better than others (see this Charity Navigator page), but their mission – to promote childhood health and assist seriously ill kids – is a solid one. Check out their extensive website for more. (Now, if they could only update that terrifying clown...)

Food Quote of the Week
“So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” – Franz Kafka

Food Video of the Week
“Hey Food” by The Beetles [sic] with Cookie Monster
O captain, my captain.

Extra Special, Totally Unrelated Bonus of the Week
“Where the Hell is Matt?” (2008)
Half the world has seen this already, but it needs to be spread to the other half. So great.

20 Cheap, Healthy Dishes Made From 10 Pantry Staples

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Last week, to celebrate CHG’s first blogiversary, I asked readers what subjects they’d like to see tackled more often. Quite a few responded with along the same lines: inexpensive, healthy dishes made with stuff usually found lying around the house.

With this mission in mind, I immediately thought of my own pantry, a three-shelf, 10” deep cabinet currently shared by four people. Due to these space restrictions, I have to be judicious about my supplies, keeping only the most consistently useful on hand. Beyond the usual baking products, they are (in charming alphabetical order):

Beans (black, red, pinto, garbanzo)
Canned Tomatoes (diced, crushed, whole, paste)
Dried herbs & spices (all kinds)
Extra virgin olive oil
Garlic
Onions (yellow, red)
Pasta (thin spaghetti, rotini, elbows)
Rice (brown, white, couscous)
Stock (chicken, veggie, beef)
Vinegar (balsamic, white, red wine, cider)

Armed with a reasonable variety these ten basic ingredients, I can generally whip up a nice selection of main course, side dish, or snacky-time snack-type dealies. Bargains by nature, the food can be kept relatively healthy, too, if close attention is paid to the olive oil.

With this in mind, behold: cut-and-pasted below are 20 dishes made entirely from the aforementioned pantry staples. As always, there are some things to note:

1) I’ve only tried the Roasted Chickpeas and Sara Moulton’s dish, but nearly everything is either highly rated by site reviewers or given the Food Blogger Seal of Approval (meaning a respected culinary web writer’s tried it and liked it enough to post about it).

2) Nutritional calculations are from the original sites or my own math. (Some dishes couldn't be quantified because there were no serving sizes listed.) Please e-mail me if you see mistakes (cheaphealthygood@gmail.com).

3) Substitutions (canned tomatoes instead of fresh, etc.) are given in a number of dishes where it wouldn't affect the taste too much (i.e. they’re not a main ingredient). I know fresh foods will almost always be more flavorsome than canned/dried, but sometimes they can be switched without crazy damage.

Bonus: after the initial 20 dishes, there are nine more that only require one or two extra ingredients. If you have ‘em on hand, give ‘em a shot.

SPREADS AND SNACKS

All Recipes: Roasted Garlic
79 calories and 2.9 g fat per serving

All Recipes: White Bean Spread with Garlic and Rosemary
Use dried rosemary and reduce the quantity by 1/3rd.
48 calories and 1.8 g fat per serving

Cheap Healthy Good: Roasted Chickpeas
135 calories and 4.3 g fat per serving

BEANS AND RICE

A Year of Crockpotting: Crockpot Beans and Rice

All Recipes: American-Style Red Beans and Rice
517 calories and 5.1 g fat per serving

All Recipes: Black Beans and Rice
140 calories and 0.9 g fat per serving

All Recipes: Vegetarian Refried Beans
Sub in diced tomatoes for fresh.
159 calories and 3.1 g fat per serving

Eating Well: Easy Black Beans
117 calories and 1 g fat per serving

Food Network: Refried Beans
166 calories and 3 g fat per serving

SOUPS AND CHILIS

All Recipes: Fantastic Black Bean Chili
Leave out ground turkey and sub in another can of your favorite bean.

All Recipes: Garbanzo Tomato Pasta Soup
323 calories and 6.1 g fat per serving

Boston Globe: Pasta e Ceci
Sub 1/3 teaspoon dried rosemary for fresh.
504 calories and 18.6 g fat per serving

Cook Almost Anything: Roasted Garlic-Onion Soup
Use dried herbs for fresh ones and skip the parsley.

The Peppertree: Tomato-Rice Soup with Roasted Garlic and Navy Beans

What Geeks Eat: Black Bean Soup
Many black bean soups use bacon, ham, carrots, and celery as flavorings. If you have 'em in the fridge, go nuts.

PASTA, RICE AND COUSCOUS

All Recipes: Pasta and Beans
Sub in diced tomatoes for fresh.
284 calories and 6.6 g fat per serving

Cookbook Catchall: Linguine with Garlic and Olive Oil (Aglio e Olio)
Much of the olive oil will pool at the bottom of the dish, so the fat and calorie content are estimated a bit high.
587 calories and 19.7 g fat per serving

Epicurious: Curried Couscous
Leave out the mint leaves and raisins.
219 calories and 5 g fat per serving

Epicurious: Curried Rice
224 calories and 5.5 g fat per serving

FatFree.com: Garlic Tomato Couscous
Use 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh.
115 calories and 0.2 g fat per serving

EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS DISHES
Though they require one or two more inexpensive ingredients, these dishes can be just as healthy, fast, and easy as the pure pantry meals listed above. The additional ingredient is listed after each name.

Book of Yum: All Purpose Pasta Sauce
Needs carrots.

Cooking Light: Cumin Curried Hummus
Needs lemon juice.
82 calories and 2.6 g fat per serving

Food Network: Pasta e Fagioli
Needs carrots and celery.

Orangette: Mujadara
Needs lentils.
259 calories and 11.2 g fat per serving

Recipe Zaar: Quick and Easy Garbanzo Bean and Tomato Pasta
Needs sugar and parmesan.
393 calories and 3.9 g fat per serving

Sara Moulton: Orecchiette (er, Macaroni) with Broccoli and Chickpeas
Needs broccoli.
324 calories and 7.8 g fat per serving

Serious Eats: Swiss Chard with Tomatoes and Chickpeas
Needs Swiss chard. Also, lots of leafy greens can be sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes for a quick and nutritious bargain meal. This is just one suggestion.
276 calories and 13.1 g fat per serving

Simply Recipes: Easy Black Beans and Rice
Needs bell peppers.
249 calories and 3.1 g fat per serving

Smitten Kitchen: Stewed Tomatoes and Lentils
Needs lentils and carrots.

And that just about wraps it up. Readers, if you have any suggestions for easy, healthy pantry meals, I'd love to hear 'em. Thanks!

(Photo courtesy of Closets Plus Metro.)

City Kitchen Chronicles: Three Frugal Rules I Break (and Three I Swear By)

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:36:00 +0000

By Jaime

A big part of my journey into living on the cheap is figuring out my boundaries. Everyone has to do this – determine what can be cut ($10 cocktails) and what can’t ($90 haircuts?). Could you do like this guy and live on $30 for 30 days? Well, sure, if you really like eggs, bread, and potatoes and don’t care so much for greens. (And maybe if you have a really great multivitamin.) It’s cheap, but not healthy or very good. Still, it’s good to see what’s out there, what other, crazier people are doing. (Hearing about other NYCers living without air conditioning was what inspired me to go for my unplugged, uncooled summer, and a month in, I and my spray bottle are going strong!)

The internet is full of these sorts of ideas. You can hardly sneeze in the frugal blogosphere without running into a list of ten or 25 or 101 tips/pointers/VITAL RULES for living on the cheap. I love these lists – there’s always something I haven’t thought of or heard before – but I also consistently run into a few Rules of Frugal Living that I consistently, willfully don’t follow. I am such a rebel. Check it out:

RULES I, BIG CRAZY REBEL, DO NOT FOLLOW:

1) Budget budget budget! Live and die by your budget! You know what? I tried going on a rigorous budget. More than once. I tracked every penny I spent, and in about three days I wanted to tear my hair out. That sort of precise monitoring drives me crazy, makes me desperate to break the rigid rules I've set. But I can’t just spend money willy nilly – that’s what got me into this mess in the first place. (Well, that and the awful dollar-Euro exchange rate.) So what do I do? I guess I still budget, but very roughly. I set an amount for groceries each week, and spend about that, give or take a few bucks. The important thing about this is that I’m not allocating every penny into this (or to bills or rent or whatever). I always leave a cushion so that, say, if I want a frozen yogurt or an occasional cup of coffee, I just do it – no checking with my budget, no counting pennies. I leave room for these small impulse purchases that normal people make, and when I run out of cash, I run out. And then I feel normal, and sane, and all is well.

2) Put your stimulus check/bonus/birthday money towards paying off your debt or building savings! I go eleven months of the year being rigorously frugal. I foodshop the bare minimums, I almost never eat out, I rarely buy new clothes, and every month, on schedule, I pay the same amount towards my debt – there just isn't room for big indulgences in my budget, and I accept that. So when the government wants to send me $600, or I work a freelance job that actually pays cash money, sure, some of that goes towards debt. But some of it also goes towards new jeans, or movie tickets, or a fun dinner out with friends. Constant tightwad living creates tension that can just build and build. This might be my particular psychology, but planned splurges make the rest of my life totally manageable. (And reasonable, because otherwise I would never have money for new clothes without not eating for a month.) When my hand-me-down iPod died last year, I lived without it for months, doing quite well for a while. But I got to really miss the music and listening to NPR on the subway, so when I got a freelance producing gig this spring, some money went to my credit cards, and some went my lovely new silver iPod. Could I have put it all to my debt, and paid things off a month earlier? Sure. Is that extra month worth the countless hours walking around the city with my own personal soundtrack? I know my answer.

3) Quit the gym! This seems like a small item, but I've seen it pop up on many lists. The gym is expensive, they say. The outdoors is free! Then they cite a statistic about how most people use their gym membership, like, twice a month, which works out to about $40/hour, which is ludicrous. So yes, those twice-a-month people shouldn't waste their money on gym memberships. But I know that my gym membership is a big part of what gets me exercising. I love the facilities and the myriad options the gym provides. I don't run – I lift weights and use machines and take advantage of lots of fancy equipment. Not only do I not have the money for even a solid set of freeweights, let alone the desire to lug 50 lbs of iron home from a store, but I don't have space for any of this stuff in my apartment. The gym keeps me healthy, keeps me strong, and since I go a few times a week, is, for me, a vital investment.

RULES I FOLLOW LIKE A LITTLE LAMB:

1) Cook your own food! I can't stress enough how crucial this is to me not being a big, broke, debt-ridden mess. If I'm really sneaky, I can buy a decent wrap at a place near work for $5. Or I can bring my own food from home – a sandwich, left-over stir fry, eggs, veggies, hummus, whatever – for usually under $1. Dinner? If I eat out, at least $10. Made at home? More like $2. This adds up so quickly. For a few extra minutes in the morning, I spend a fraction of what bought, prepared food would cost, and since I'm controlling the ingredients and avoiding processed foods, it's a ton healthier, too.

2) Ditch the cable/internet/air conditioning! I am lucky to live in an apartment building with several unprotected wireless networks. (Slightly unethical? Perhaps. But totally frugal.) When I moved into my own apartment, I couldn't imagine how I would live without cable, having previously been an unrepentant DVR junkie. Ten months later, I don't even think about it. Heck, I don't even watch regular, uncable TV. I get some shows online, and have TV nights to watch “The Tudors” at my plugged-in friends' apartments, but that $60 a month is totally worth the slight inconvenience. And a month into the summer, my AC-less lifestyle is going strong! I never thought I could manage without these expensive "necessities," but I read about how other people did, and got inspired and tried it myself, and am so glad. Thank you, internet! (And the unprotected wireless router you came from.)

3) Pay yourself first! You see this a lot around the frugal blogosphere, and at first it's hard to parse. Pay myself first? You mean buy myself that new dress right away? Sadly, for me and Urban Outfitters, no. It makes more linguistic sense when you're talking about saving, but it means that the first place my paycheck goes is to your debt. On payday I take a few minutes with my online bill pay and pay my credit cards, electric bill, and phone bill. (I'm not up to living cell phoneless just yet.) It's a sad-looking instant depletion of several hundred dollars on just the day the money came in, but once it's paid I'm sure not to run out of money for the vital stuff. Can I live off of pantry staples for a week? Yes. Can I miss a credit card payment? No. This makes sure that even my shoddy budgeting doesn't get in the way.

Everyone figures out their own way to save money and cut spending. For some people, the gym is a waste and an expensive haircut is a stupid extravagance. For me, I know where I can cut down to bare minimums and what spending keeps me sane (and feeling pretty, dammit). And I work out my (rough, cushioned) budget to make room for what I need to do to make this lifestyle sustainable. As long as my friends stay subscribed to Showtime, I’m golden.

Readers, how about you? What rules do you break/follow religiously?

(All photos courtesy of Amazon.)

Tuesday Megalinks

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:17:00 +0000

amNewYork: New Yorkers altering eating habits
I strode into Starbucks last night for an impromptu early dinner, and they finally got around to posting the calorie counts for all their baked goods. OH MY WORD. There was nothing – NOTHING – under 430 calories. Most hovered somewhere in the 600 or 700 zone. It DEFINITELY changed the way I ordered, and I can only imagine what kind of impact it’s having on food joints’ bottom lines. Crazy. (Thanks to Eater for the link.)

Cash Money Life: The Other America – Commentary on Food Stamps and the Economy
Interesting insights on food assistance, the military, and the judgment we cast on folks whose situations are different from our own. Be sure to read the commentary for well-argued contrasting opinions.

Consumerist: 7 Most Unhealthy Carnival Foods
Cotton candy: not so bad!
Corn dogs: could be worse!
Deep fried candy bars: call a medic!

Consumerist: The 10 Healthiest Beverages
Water aside (because that would be cheating), these are the most nutritional drinks on the market today, according to Health Magazine. Pomegranate, apple, and blueberry juice all make the list, and RED WINE IS #2! WOOOOO! Methinks it’s time for a liquid lunch, ladies and gents.

Culinate: Greens galore – Deal with that CSA delivery
Fantastic post on what to do with the excess of leafy greens that comes with each CSA box. Soups, sautees, and spices abound, with nary a mention of the standard go-to, salad. Really nicely done.

Digerati Life: Lose Weight While Spending Less on Food and Exercise
While it’s worth a look for the pictures alone, TDL’s common sense guide to weight maintenance also contains quite a few health tips rarely addressed on frugality blogs. Take her first rule, for instance: “Don’t buy diet pills or diet drinks.” Simply, they cost a bundle and do not work in the long term. What’s more, the wrong pill can make mincemeat out of one’s cardiovascular system. Nice post.

Grub Street: Bourdain Set to Reconquer World in New Season of “No Reservations”
Um … I think, after you read this article, we can all agree on the following: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Kalyn’s Kitchen: Fourth of July Grilling Ideas 2008
Lots of out-of-the-box BBQ ideas suitable for the whole summer. (P.S. Did you ever notice that when your boss uses the phrase “think outside the box,” he/she's not thinking outside the box? Just something to ponder.)

The Kitchn: Tell us – is there an herb you can’t stand?
Wow. So much hateration for cilantro (“the Black Plague”). Rosemary (“it’s like eating pine needles”) and dill (“barf”) don’t fare much better. Thankfully, only one or two commenters are morally opposed to basil, the divinest of all in the herb kingdom.

Love Food Hate Waste: 5 Surefire ways to save money on your food bill
Age-old advice presented in a nifty, well-designed way. Be sure to flip through the rest of the site while you’re there, since it’s filled to the brim with great info. (Thanks to Get Rich Slowly for the link.)

New York Times: 101 20-Minute Dishes for Inspired Picnics
Another tour-de-force from How to Cook Everything’s Mark Bittman. For more of his minimalist series, check out 101 Simple Meals and 101 Simple Appetizers.

Serious Eats: Meet & Eat – Eric Ripert
Sweet little interview with Le Bernardin’s main man, an award-winning chef and hottie boombottie (or as they call it in France, l’hottie boombottie) if there ever was one.

The Simple Dollar: A Look at the Startup Cost and Why it’s Usually Good to Go Cheap at First
Trent makes a good point: if you’re commencing a new hobby, whether it’s cooking, crocheting, or ladies’ senior ice hockey, don’t go crazy buying equipment on opening day. Why? Well, “it’s usually a mistake to spend a significant amount on equipment until you’re sure that you’re actually going to use the equipment and it’s clear why the higher-quality version is actually better.” Good call.

Time: Fancy Names, Affordable Feasts
Columnist Joel Stein’s on a mission: with the help of several famous chefs including Tom Colicchio, Suzanne Goin, and Eric Ripert, he’s creating a slew of low-cost meals fancy enough to serve to company. Oustanding.

(Photos courtesy of Will Work for Food, Anthrodegree, and Bristol Farms.)

Easy, Delicious, Freaking Hot: Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping

noreply@blogger.com (Kris) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Every now and then, I make something so ridiculously easy, I'm almost embarrassed to post it, as if the use of a microwave somehow A) nulls the dish's natural glory and wonder, and B) turns me into Sandra Lee. But here’s nothing inherently wrong with simple food, and MY GOD it helps at 9pm, when I get home from work and there’s nothing in the fridge but belly lint and moldy capers. So … why do I feel guilty? I think it’s an Irish thing.

Anyway, Cooking Light's Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping is such a dish: mind-numbingly simple, yet crazy delicious. It even evoked a totally unsolicited, “Man, this is awesome!” from The Boyfriend, robbing me of the “So, whaddaya think? Huh? Huh? Tellmetellmetellme” routine that usually precedes every recipe post. And? All I needed to pull it together was 15 minutes, seven ingredients, and the wherewithal of a really dumb rock. Fortunately, I had the first two things.

See, last night, I learned a very valuable lesson, which is: do not, under any circumstances, stir hot, sugar-coated blueberries with a metal teaspoon, and then immediately lick the utensil. It not only cauterize your taste buds, but send you screaming for Mama to hold you, OH HOLD YOU, until the burny sensation finally, mercifully subsides.

Also, if you do it once, definitely don't do it again.

[NOTE: Because only an idiot would do that - a really big, dumb idiot. Specifically, a now-tongueless, Office-loving, lady-shaped idiot who loved WALL-E and thinks her Grandma (who has sadly passed on) could play better ball than the 2008 Mets.]

But enough with the whining and run-on sentences! It’s time for recipe tips!

1) As opposed to most Cooking Light recipes, this should actually make the allotted four servings. It’s a pleasant surprise.

2) If you make a half-batch (which is what I did), the pudding part should be done in about four or five minutes, as opposed to seven. Just look for the stuff to start bubbling like the blob in Creepshow II. (NOTE: Alas, it will not eat dumb teenage swimmers like said blob.)

3) The recipe calls for frozen blueberries, but I used fresh and it was aces. Who knew?

Cooking Light kindly provided the nutritional information, so only the prices are calculated below. Happy cooking, and remember – beware hot spoons, lest you burn your tongue like an idiot.

Polenta Pudding with Blueberry Topping
Makes 4 servings (1/2 cup pudding and about 3 tablespoons topping)

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

1) Combine the blueberries and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover with wax paper; microwave at HIGH 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated and sugar dissolves, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes.

2) Combine 1/4 cup sugar, milk, cornmeal, and lemon rind in a 2-quart glass measure; stir with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 7 minutes or until thick and bubbly, stirring every 2 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. Serve with blueberry topping.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
226 calories, 2.8 g fat, $0.51

Calculations
1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries: $0.75
1/2 cup sugar, divided: $0.08
2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk: $0.58
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal: $0.06
3/4 teaspoon lemon rind: $0.50 (for the whole lemon)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract: $0.06
1/4 teaspoon salt: $0.01
TOTAL: $2.04
PER SERVING: $0.51