[sadgpokx]

I'll have to haul out my recipe for brown rice and lentil casserole! I know I had posted it back @ and at least one or two people had tried it out. It's not only freaking cheap, but it's fairly healthy, as well. (Well, except the cheese. But I cheese.)

[SkatrySkith]

I remember we had one of these back on @. Post cheap recipes! Quick and easy weeknight dinners, big casseroles and stews and soups that yield multiple servings, things that freeze well, things that utilize cheap cuts of meat, etc.

The healthier the better, obviously - everyone loves a cheap meal that's also nutritious - but I will most definitely accept more """hearty""" and comforting recipes as we head towards colder weather.

Bonus points for use of beans. I feel a bean obsession coming on. Today I bought haricot beans because I just felt like I should. I felt like I should. I need to figure out a haricot and pumpkin soup recipe, Covent Garden Co did one a few Octobers ago and it was so beautiful to me.

[Grenader]

as i started reading this i thought "beans" then there they were. right there in paragraph 3!

im lazy so i love things that are dead easy like:
black beans ( i use whole paycheck's 365 canned no salt black beans)
salsa (i also use whole paychecks 365 chipotle salsa)

i heat those 2 things up whilst microwaving (yup lazy) green giants steamed brown rice

after everythings sorted, i mix it all together and put shredded cheddar on top. if im feeling posh, i might slice up some avocado as well. this meal is

[UriyVlasov]

I got this one from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook. I've been finding balck-eyed beans really cheap (like 40 for a 1/4 kilo) on sale here recently so I've been making it a lot. sorry about the general lack of weights and measures - I cook almost entirely by eye and don't really know what stuff weighs on the whole.

Black-eyed beans with mushrooms

Ingredients:

250g of dried black-eyed beans, soaked (I use the one-hour soak in boiling water method because I can't be bothered to soak in cold overnight).
Can of crushed tomatoes
10-15 decenbt-sized mushrooms (I use chestnut mushrooms but the normal white ones will do fine), sliced.
One largish white onion, diced.
Olive oil
Spices: cinammon stick, cumin seeds, tumeric, ground coriander, cayenne pepper, black pepper

Method:

1)Put soaked beans in pan, cover with water, bring to the boil, turn down heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Water should turn blackish.
2)Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in pan, drop in one teaspoon of cumin seeds and half a cinnamon stick, and fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the fragrant oils are released.
3)Add diced onion, fry until transparent and soft.
4) Add sliced mushrooms, fry until wilted.
5)Add whole can of crushed tomatoes, stir in.
6)Add two teapsoons of ground coriander, one teaspoon of tumeric, a pinch of cayenne pepper (more if you like heat in your dishes) and black pepper. Stir in, cover pan and allow mixture to cook for 10 minutes or so.
7)Add cooked beans and remaining cooking water, stir in, then leave to cook and thicken, uncovered, for around 40 minutes.

I serve this with any kind of rice (white, red, brown, wild) and some yoghurt. It's really yummy and freezes well in portions for lunches and dinners.

[SkatrySkith]

That sounds amazing, Helen. And Foxy, avocados are a 'luxury' I'll happily pay for. I get through two or three a week at the moment, I just love them so much.

Really dumb question, because I've never used dried beans before (!) - you drain them after soaking, then add fresh water when it comes to cooking it, right? I mean that just makes sense but I wanted to check.

[UriyVlasov]

^Yes, that's what I do.

I love avocados too.

[MikeGotTalentz]

If I make a basic, from scratch, bolognese mix (sometimes Quorn, sometimes extra lean mince) I usually make far more than I need. I freeze a few separate portions just as they are and then when I defrost a portion I add either curry powder, bovril or chilli powder to it. That way I can make it into a curry, chilli or a gravy based mince. It works because my base mince generally consists of the same ingredients. I got this idea from someone I went to uni with but didn't start utilising it until I started making an effort with food - I just used jar sauces before. I sometimes throw jalepenos in the chilli, too.

Another very cheap dish is to mix mushy peas with baked beans and curry powder. It looks disgusting but it tastes so good. When I first made it I was ready to chuck it away because it didn't seem natural to be mixing that kinda thing. Very glad I tasted it first! I sometimes throw onion or mushroom in there too.

[SkatrySkith]

God Abi that's such a good idea. I can't believe I've never thought of it! Because yes, a lot of my mince-based recipes look similar up to a point. That would save so much time.

[Alina20100]

A cheap and fairly healthy favorite lunch of mine is chickpea salad on sprouted rye (or a wrap, or whatever you prefer).

Chickpea Salad:

12 oz of cooked chickpeas (or a whole 15 oz can if you're using canned beans)
1 clove of garlic, chopped or minced
1-2 teaspoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of plain yogurt (or add another teaspoon of mayo)
1 tablespoon of mustard (any kind works, but I like spicy mustard)
cayenne pepper to taste

If using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them. Mash them in a mixing bowl with a potato masher. (You can use a fork, but it takes forever. A potato masher takes just a couple minutes.)
If using dried chickpeas that you have already cooked, no need to rinse. Just mash.

Mix in the mayo, yogurt, and mustard. Once mixed, add the garlic and cayenne pepper. You're done. Serve it on your bread of choice, or just eat it as is.

You can do anything with it. Other than the mayo/yogurt, chickpeas, and mustard, I make it different ways all the time. You can do anything with it that you might do with egg salad.

This makes enough for three servings and tastes even better after it sits for a day. I estimate it costs around $1.50 for the whole batch if using canned beans and less if using dried beans you cooked, at ~ 50 cents per serving. I always keep cooked chickpeas in the freezer so it's a very convenient meal for me.

The whole thing takes about 5 minutes and is better (in my opinion) and more filling than egg salad, plus packed with fiber.

[barsikjal]

Yesterday I got The New Laurel's Kitchen cookbook in the mail and I already can't recommend it enough! I discovered it last week thanks to the connection the authors have to Eknath Easwaran. It's full of information, recipes, ideas and inspiration for those of us who want to eat healthy.. simply and affordably.

Here's the Amazon review that sold me:

Like many people, Laurel's Kitchen introduced me to vegetarianism as a way of life, not just a food style. But far from strident evangelizing, this hefty volume leads by example. The authors testify to their vegetarian path and how they learned to cook along the way.

When Laurel's Kitchen -- A Handbook for Vegetarian Cookery and Nutrition was first published in the 1970s, the world of healthy foods looked quite different than it does today. The bread was a fluffy, white balloon and beef was for dinner. Whole-wheat flour? Forget about. Soy milk? No way. Many products we now expect to see at any large supermarket could only be found at hole-in-the-wall natural foods stores in the student districts of large cities and college towns.

Nothing remotely like a healthy, vegetarian convenience product was available, so vegetarian who wanted to actually eat nutritious, balanced, and varied meals had to cook. And really cook, making everything from bread to peanut butter to yogurt from scratch. Laurel's Kitchen told them how to do it.

Do we still need Laurel's Kitchen? I think our wallets would say yes. Convenient foods are expensive, and the book's simple approach empowers the reader to say, "Yes, I can." I have made yogurt with powdered milk and an electric heating pad, using this book. I have baked whole-wheat, multi-grain nut bread in coffee cans, using this book. I have even sprouted seeds with wet paper towels and plastics bags, using this book.

In addition to yogurt making, bread baking, and mung-bean sprouting, Laurel's Kitchen features pages and pages of vegetarian versions of basic fare. A sprinkling of Indian and Asian dishes, as well as American southern cooking, adds variety. All recipes have clear directions and minimal ingredients (that are a lot easier to find these days). They also have an intangible quality, a gentleness and sense of peace, the authors have found as they walk, and cook, softly on the earth.

In addition to being a philosophy book and a cook book, Laurel's Kitchen is an extensive nutrition guide. All major macro and micro nutrients rank a chapter. Do you wish to understand how incomplete vegetable proteins can be combined into complimentary amino acids and thus be as complete a protein source as meat? Here is your teacher.

When I sat down to re-read Laurel's Kitchen, I wondered if it would seem dated. But I still felt welcomed, and still felt I had a lot to learn there. I'm excited to try the vegetable-bean casserole. My local supermarket carries whole-wheat egg noodles now.
Here's what I made last night:

Creamed Spinach

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons powdered milk

1/2 small onion
1-3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
3 quarts fresh spinach, washed, dried, and chopped
(3 small bunches)
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
or 2 tablespoons Parmesan
or 1/4 cup cream cheese crumbled with a fork

Blend the milk and powdered milk and set aside. Chop onion fine and saute in the butter in a large, heavy skillet. When the onion is clear, stir in the flour and cook and stir it for about 2 minutes very gently. Don't let the flour brown. Add the milk and bring to a boil, stirring.

A handful at a time, stir in the spinach, adding more as the greens cook down. Simmer gently until tender, seasoning with salt and nutmeg. Add the cheese if wanted.

This recipe will make about 3 cups, enough for 4 generous servings. It is not a soupy creamed spinach but goes nicely on the plate by itself, or with mashed potatoes, or in crepes. I didn't have nutmeg, powdered milk or any of the cheeses listed on hand last night (I would've picked cream cheese, though, 'cause that sounds the yummiest), so I used a half cup or less of shredded Mozzarella, and I also added some organic garlic that needed to be used, sauteing it w/ the onion and butter.

Very creamy (surprise, surprise) and filling! I ate this and a bowl of watermelon for dinner and it was plenty.

One more:
Honey-Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cream peanut butter and honey together. Stir in egg and vanilla. Sift together salt, soda, and flour, and stir into peanut butter mixture.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto oiled cookie sheets. Mash each cookie slightly with the back of a fork, wetting the fork frequently to prevent sticking. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they just begin to turn golden brown on the rims. Keep a close eye on them! Cookies made from honey pass very quickly from golden brown to black.

Makes 3 or 4 dozen. Very good keepers. No-fuss, quick and easy! The honey makes for a different tasting peanut butter cookie but I approve! Soft, chewy and sweet! 9 minutes in the oven was just right for me.

Used regular whole wheat flour.

[Flikemommoilt]

I got this one from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook. I've been finding balck-eyed beans really cheap (like 40 for a 1/4 kilo) on sale here recently so I've been making it a lot. sorry about the general lack of weights and measures - I cook almost entirely by eye and don't really know what stuff weighs on the whole.

Black-eyed beans with mushrooms

I finally got around to making this a few days ago (I used this recipe so I'd have exact measurements for the spices), and it's really good -- so good I've almost finished off the 8-cup batch it made. Next time I make it, I may even double it since it takes a few hours to cook up.

[thighikergove]

^ take that and layer it on some tortillia chips and grated cheese, bake for 15min @ 350, and you're in the taco casserole business [with proper seasoning, of course].

[Qncvqpgfg]

This is something my Mum used to make a lot when I lived at home. She called it Potash. It's super tasty, cheap and very easy to make. I like it for lunch.

I don't do accurate measurements but it doesn't really matter for this.


Ingredients
Some potatoes (sliced)
Onion (chopped)
Marmite
Worcestershire Sauce (I use a veggie version)
Black pepper
Cup of boiling water
Oil

Method
Fry the onions in a little oil
Add teaspoon of Marmite, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and black pepper to cup of boiling water and stir
When onions start to brown add slice potatoes
Pour Marmite mixture over potatoes and onions
Cover frying pan with a plate
Stir occasionally

It might end up looking something like this:

[SigNeewfoew]

^I love pasta, but I've never been much for spaghetti. That recipe sounds good though!

I LOVE spaghetti and Mordecai that recipe sounds delicious.

[barsikjal]

^I love pasta, but I've never been much for spaghetti. That recipe sounds good though!

[TerriLS]

Being an American, I had no idea what Marmite is/was...lol

Marmite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For French casserole pot, see Marmite (cooking dish).


A jar of British Marmite
Marmite ( /ˈmɑrmaɪt/ mar-myt) is the name given to two similar food spreads: the original British version, first produced in the United Kingdom and later South Africa; and a version produced in New Zealand. Marmite is made from yeast extract, a by-product of beer brewing.
The British version of the product is a sticky, dark brown paste with a distinctive, powerful flavour, which is extremely salty. This distinctive taste is reflected in the British company's marketing slogan: "Love it or hate it." Other similar products are the Australian Vegemite and AussieMite, the Swiss Cenovis and the German Vitam-R.
The distinctive product is British, but a version with a different flavour[1] has been manufactured in New Zealand since 1919, and this is the dominant version in New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
The image on the front of the British jar shows a "marmite" (French: [maʁmit]), a French term for a large, covered earthenware or metal cooking pot.[2] British Marmite was originally supplied in earthenware pots, but since the 1920s has been sold in glass jars of approximately the same shape.[3] A thinner version in squeezable plastic jars was introduced in March 2006.

[Zarekylin75]

It sounds really good. I was thinking about adding Kalamata olives and white wine to the pasta as well.

Also I posted this recipe awhile back in the healthy eats thread. It's really good and relatively cheap. Plus it's a sweet potato recipe without marshmallows or maple syrup!


Light and Spicy Scalloped Sweet Potatoes


Ingredients

3 large sweet potatoes (5" long), peeled if not organic
1 large white onion
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup (6 ounces) skim milk
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
1 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Slice the sweet potatoes and onions as thinly as possible. Chop the garlic. (Tip: I put them all through the food processor using the slicing blade.)
Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer on half of the sweet potatoes, then sprinkle on a third of the spices. Layer on the onions and garlic, followed by a third of the spices. Finally, layer on the rest of the sweet potatoes and the remaining spices. Pour on the milk, sprinkle on the hot sauce and top the casserole with the cheese.
Bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then remove the lid for another10 minutes. The vegetables should be tender, and the cheese should be starting to brown.
Make six 1-cup servings.
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 140.2
Total Fat: 4.2 g
Cholesterol: 12.2 mg
Sodium: 116.3 mg
Total Carbs: 20.8 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 5.5 g

[G778G9P0]

^ That looks wonderful!

I think I calculated at some point in the past, and a 1/2-cup serving of the beans was ~$0.12.

Until my doctor told me to cut down on starch, including beans (!) I had a little brown rice and pintos every morning. We make a big pot pretty much the same way you do, and cook them down, sometimes I'll use the blender stick to mash them up a bit and turn them into refries. I then freeze them into useable portions, they freeze really well.

[DrCeshing]

Seriously, what's cheaper and healthier than a can of beans?

Dried beans?

I love taking a can of black beans and cooking them up with chopped up onions, scallions, tomatoes, etc...and just eat a huge bowl. Filling, delicious, nutritious. I don't have any fancy recipes to share, but I've always been a fan of tasty additions to canned beans. Ha. Hell yeah! There are a lot of variations. Cumin is a good spice for that and any kind of chili powder or hot sauce. Goya makes a whole lotta spice products (many have MSG unfortunately) that are good. Greek yogurt or sour cream go well with black beans. Citrus and/or vinegar can be added to brighten it up. If you want to get fancy, use a little chipotle in adobo. But only a little. That shit is potent.



One of my favorite very simple bean dishes is red kidney beans with plantains.



I know it from South American cooking but it seems like it originally came from West Africa, most likely brought by the slaves. Multicultural omnomnommnom.

http://globaltableadventure.com/2010...ith-plantains/

ngredients:
3 cups prepared red kidney beans (2 cans)
2 Tbsp red palm oil
1 onion, sliced
1 plantain, sliced
salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 cups water

[Fekliopas]

Seriously, what's cheaper and healthier than a can of beans? I love taking a can of black beans and cooking them up with chopped up onions, scallions, tomatoes, etc...and just eat a huge bowl. Filling, delicious, nutritious. I don't have any fancy recipes to share, but I've always been a fan of tasty additions to canned beans. Ha.