The Cheapskate Cook » The Cheapskate Cook

Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Bars

Steph — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 02:24:37 +0000

They look like brownies, don’t they?

For vegans and those of us going dairy-free, they might as well be, because I have not craved egg-and-butter-brownies since I started making these. The warm, chocolatey gooeyness hit my sweet tooth in the just the right spot, and the brown sugar adds a depth of flavor that makes me think regular brownies could use a little molasses as well.

The other thing I love about these Chocolate Banana Bars is that the ingredients are simple. No expensive trips to the health food store to buy obscure vegan substitutes. All they require is the brownie basics, minus the eggs and butter, plus a little bit of ripe banana and vinegar. And if you’re a food nerd like me, you’ve already calculated it and realized that makes them even more frugal than a regular batch of homemade brownies.

But no less decadent, in my humble opinion.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Bars

From Love Food Eat

Makes one 9×13-inch pan

INGREDIENTS:

2 ¼ cups flour (whole wheat works great)
2 cups brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup olive oil (or other oil)
1 ½ cups water
4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
½ cup very ripe banana, mashed until there are no lumps*

DIRECTIONS:

Stir together dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl
Add chocolate chips and stir
Thoroughly combine wet ingredients in a smaller bowl
Pour wet into dry ingredients and stir well
Pour and evenly spread the batter into a greased 9×13-inch pan and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Note: (Thanks to Love Food Eat for pointing this out) The beauty of not using any eggs means you don’t have to wait for a knife inserted in the center to come out clean to call your dessert done. You can let them be gooier than normal if you wish

*If there are any lumps of banana your bars will have more of a banana bread texture, which you want to avoid in this fudgy delight

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you a brownie person or no?

Cheers,

P.S. For more dairy-free and other allergy-free recipes, check out Allergy-Free Wednesday!

On the Menu: Suspiciously Similar

Steph — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 23:35:21 +0000

{Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites}

This week’s menu is going to look suspiciously similar to last week’s. We’ve had dinner with friends, Chris came home super late one evening and we slurped down green smoothies and muffins instead of making a full dinner, and at least one day entailed 6 hours of no running water and plumbers traipsing in and out.

So all in all, it was a great week with very little consideration for the planned menu.

Which makes this week’s menu especially easy.

On the Menu:

Breakfast

Soaked Oatmeal Porridge
Whole Grain Waffles, Homemade Beef Sausage & Orange Juice (our weekend morning tradition)
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Green Smoothies
Scrambled Eggs

Lunch

Leftovers
Salad
Broccoli Slaw
Homemade Yogurt, Fruit, Nuts & Olives
Beef Summer Sausage, Cheese, Crackers, Fruit & Carrots

Dinner

Maple-Glazed Salmon & Salad
Homemade Pizza

Steak, Salad & Glazed Carrots (Might try Beef Wellingtons instead)
Pasta, Salad & Garlic Bread
Soup & Bread

Snacks

Sliced Fruit
Carrots
Homemade Juice
Homemade Ice Cream
Leftover Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes
Cereal & Milk
Granola Bars (Chris)
Amish Friendship Bread
Chocolate No-Bake Energy Bites

Prepare

1-3 Quarts Brainless Homemade Yogurt
2-3 Loaves Soaked Whole Wheat Bread
1 Loaf Sourdough Bread (using Amish Friendship Bread starter)

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What do your forget-the-menu-plan weeks look like?

Cheers,

P.S. For more inspiration, visit Menu Plan Monday!

Bacon & Cheese Lentil Pie (with Vegetarian Option)

Steph — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:11:39 +0000

Last year I shared a recipe called Mush, a glorious frugal concoction of cheese and lentils that permeates my childhood and was probably named by some disenchanted husband who wondered what the heck his wife was trying to serve for dinner.

Well, as much as I love that old faithful recipe, it’s nothing compared to this one. Seriously. I didn’t know lentils could taste this good, and I venture to say that even those of you who shy away from these legumes might like this dish.

Because who doesn’t like cheese and bacon?

I mean seriously, melted cheese by itself is wonderful enough, and if you are vegetarian I encourage you to try this dish sans meat. It’s delicious.

But if you like bacon as much as I do, you should follow the recipe as is. Chris and I don’t really eat pork, so we tend to purchase turkey or beef bacon. If we feel healthy and wealthy we buy the kind that doesn’t have nitrates, nitrites, or added sugar. However, more often than not, Aldi brand turkey bacon works fine.

Bacon & Cheese Lentil Pie

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1½ cups lentils, soaked 24 hours*
2 cups stock (chicken, vegetable, beef) or water
1/4-1/2 medium–sized onion, finely chopped (to taste)
1 bay leaf
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (we use beef or turkey) (optional)
1½ cups cheddar (or other cheese), shredded

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan, combine lentils, stock, onion and bay leaf
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally
Drain excess liquid
Turn off heat, remove bay leaf and add salt, pepper and 1 cup cheese into lentils, stirring until cheese melts
Evenly spread lentil and cheese mixture in a lightly greased pie plate or small baking dish and top with remaining cheese
Bake 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until golden and bubbling

* Soaking the lentils is an optional step. It’s a frugal, easy way to help your body digest the nutrients found in the lentils. The day before making this pie, pour the lentils into a strainer, rinse them with water, then pour them into a medium-sized bowl. Fill the bowl with filtered water to 1 inch above the lentils. Allow them to soak for 24-72 hours, changing the water ever 12 hours. Drain the soaking water before using them in this recipe. If you choose not to soak the lentils, simply rinse them in a strainer and increase the stock/water to 3 cups.

You can serve this with steamed veggies and buttered bread, or just enjoy it as is for an easy, frugal, whole foods based meal.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Would you try this with bacon or without?

Cheers,