Saturday Dinner - New England Chowder (July 17)

On Saturday Nights we eat 'local' - in other words, we eat American or Mexican or, if there is such a thing, Canadian. If anyone knows of any Canadian-based food, lmk.

Tonight I made something Mikel has been requesting for a while, but I haven't been able to make because of the lack of oyster mushrooms at my local market. Luckily, there are times when I will be able to order if from my CSA. Mikel was very grateful that I did not substitute for the oysters - they are his favorite - and the only mushroom he likes. Luckily, if you are not a fan of fungus, you may replace them with anything, really - roasted corn, roasted peppers, turnips, seitan, baked tofu, cauliflower, the list goes on.   

The soup is thickened with arrowroot - which is not only better for you but is also a more stable thickener than cornstarch. I made homemade stock to which I added some seaweed, too. I seasoned the soup with Old Bay, Tabasco, Worchestire sauce, salt and pepper.

When I was growing up, my parents owned a seafood restaurant and this was one of those dishes that I really loved, but couldn't really have; we weren't well off and the clams were for the paying customers.

Everyone loved this (but Cat) and serving it in a bread bowl adds mightily to the appeal.

Cost Breakdown:

mushrooms: $5

bread: $5

almond milk: $1

homemade stock: $.75

onion, garlic, pepper, spices: $1

Tabasco, arrowroot, worshech...sauce: $1

potatoes: $2

Total to impress 5 people:

$15.75

Total to make 6 servings without bread bowls:

$10.75

New England Chowder Recipe

Saturday Lunch - Blueberry Waffles (July 17)

Brunch

My kitchen is full of waffles!

Strawberry, blueberry and regular. I made some blueberry syrup, too. I suppose by now it is somewhat telling that I have a bunch of berries.

And I do! Thanks to my CSA box.

Berries, berries everywhere! This is the first time I made a fruit syrup, and it was as easy as, well..., pie. Actually, it was easier; pie is more difficult. Just plop two cups of berries on your stove, add a few Tablespoons of sugar, which I am certain is optional, and cook them on low for 15 minutes. Oh, were they ever good!

To make waffles, it is quite useful to have a sink full of dirty dishes, because those little suckers can each take about 10 minutes to cook. Even though I have two waffle makers, I still have a family of five, do not make waffles all that much, so freezing some is an awesome idea, so my kids tell me, it still took me about an hour to make three batches of these goodies.

There was definitely a basic formula to follow, I was sure, and since I am - was- quite in fear of waffles, I had to find it. It really is pretty simple, and there is nothing to fear but fear itself, so the saying goes.

I now have waffles ready to be devoured for at least... a few days?

 With kids, you never know.

Cost Breakdown:

flour: $.50

almond milk: $1

berries: $1

baking powder, salt: $.10

sugar: $.25

Total to make 6 waffles:

$2.85

 

Waffles, template Recipe

Friday Lunch - Stacked Mediterranean Sandwich (Kate) (July 16)

Picnic

It is Friday and during the summer the kids and I are hitting the trails.

This has to be one of the most perfect picnic foods to take with you because the sandwich gets better while sitting, not soggier. Kate was responsible for today's lunch, so what went into it were all her preferred flavors. We made the spread using cannellini beans, roasted pepper, olive oil and almonds. That is right - almonds. Oh, it it something you have to try! They added a wonderful flavor and a needed texture to the spread since cannellinis are very smooth when processed. Leave the almonds big enough to bite into, so put them (1/4 c) in the food processor first and pulse a few times, then add the roasted pepper, a can of beans, a little olive oil, a garlic minced and pulse until you get a nice consistency. Do not over process. Taste for salt and pepper.

Now, a pressed sandwich has to have some good vinaigrette. This is paramount. I made a Mustard-lemon dressing. Mixing 2 T lemon juice, 2 t Dijon mustard, 2 T olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 1 t agave (or sugar), gives you a slightly sweet, yet tangy dressing that complements the vegetables. Taste for salt and pepper.

Load your spread into a hollowed out round bread, top with sliced olives, tomatoes, peppers, basil leaves, red onions and some greens - I used broccoli slaw we had left over. Pour enough dressing to coat nicely. Add a little more spread, top with the bread top, wrap in plastic wrap (I wrapped it in a parchment paper first - you know, plastic and all that.) and pack it in your backpack. Cut at the site to avoid the dressing from dripping out.

Woo-hoo! The kids loved it! Cat even had two slices and we shared with a friend who seemed quite surprised that even though 'we are missing out on so much good food (read: animal products)' this was, hmm,  pretty good.

I love to share our bounty with others :)

Cost Breakdown:

bread: $3

beans: $2

almonds: $.75

vegetables and basil: $2

olives and tomato: $2

dressing: $.75

Total to feed 5 people:

$10.50

Thursday Dinner - Cauliflower Hand Pies (July 15)

European/Potato Night

For tonight's meal, we nod to the British Isles. We had savory hand pies. I made it with cauliflower and some soy curls in a creamy gravy. The soy curls are optional here, in my opinion, since the cauliflower is the star. For hand pies to work, the gravy needs to be outstanding. If the gravy is insufficient or tasteless the whole pie is doomed. To make these pies more flavorful I added 1/4 c of Dijon mustard to the gravy which I made with almond milk and a roux. 

Do not be afraid of the pastry! As overwhelming as I've found it to be in the past. I guess my hesitation in making pastry lies in all the mess. Flour everywhere! Not anymore. I use a little oil spray instead of flour to roll my dough. The dough! It must be flaky! Cakes must be moist, doughs must be flaky. This must be why I am not a pastry chef- the dough phobia. I am happy to report that that is all in the past. My dough is flaky and since I like more bang for all my bucks, I use whole wheat flour and lace it with herbs. 

Delicious! ~ I type as I write this with a mouth full of creamy cauliflower wrapped in a flaky herbed -dough.

Cost Breakdown:

dough: $1
1/2 cauliflower: $2

onion, pepper, garlic, spices: $1.50

soy curls: $1

milk: $.50

Total to make 8, 4" pies:

$6.00

Thursday Lunch - Spaghetti (Cat) (July 15)

Pasta? Again? Yup.

Daughter Number One picked spaghetti to make for lunch.

Rules of the house:

(1) Kids have to cook one meal a week.

(2) Kids can cook what they want.

 (as long as it isn't caramel apples and such)

So, pasta it is. Besides, Cat knowing how to make a wonderful tomato sauce is not a hardship and in fact is essential - it being one of the mother sauces. Even if it is the second pasta dish in as many meals. In fact, I feel like we are in Italy!

Cost Breakdown:

pasta: $3

tomatoes: $4

onion, garlic, spices: $1

Total to feed a family of 8:

$8.00

Wednesday Dinner - Pasta with Artichokes and Peas (July 14)

Wednesdays are Italian/Pasta Night

Summer and spring elicit such an abundance of fresh vegetables that a simple pasta dish is an absolute must. This dish has artichokes, lemon, peas, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and pasta. It was fresh, and refreshing and delicious. You can almost taste summer in the dish itself. With simply few ingredients, cooking is also a breeze and quick - fabulous for warm summer nights when being in the kitchen is the last thing on your over-heated mind. 

The kids liked this, too. Too simple not to, really.

Cost Breakdown:

artichokes: $3

sun-tomatoes: $1

parsley and lemon: $.50

pasta: $3

peas: $2

wine: $.50

Total to feed a family of 5:

$10.00 

Pasta with Artichokes and Peas Recipe

Wednesday Lunch - Breakfast Burritos (Mikel) (July 14)

Mikel is the cook for lunch. He chose Breakfast Burritos. Super simple to make: soft tofu, pan sauteed with some onions, and then simmer, covered, (important! makes it taste better) with turmeric (color), nutritional yeast (flavor and B12), black salt (flavor), and some ground pepper. To accompany the burritos, some refried beans and Daiya on whole wheat, regular or chile tortillas.

Easy, quick, nutritious and flavorful. Have some salsa handy or guacamole to make it even tastier.

Cost breakdown:

tofu: $2

beans: $2

tortilla: $2

Daiya: $2

onions, garlic, nutritional yeast, spices: $2

Total to make 9 burritos:

$10.00

Tuesday Dinner - African Mofongo (July 13)

African/Asian Night

Since we went out to eat for lunch today, I wasn't really too keen on making dinner, but of course, the people in my house just insist on eating! This dish is Puerto Rican - a stew of fried plantains or yucca with poultry - an affordable meal to make. Well, they haven't heard of seitan, I suppose, because seitan is even more economical and it is more spiritually happy - no one had to die for the meal.

So, you might be wondering, where is Africa in this? Actually Mofongo has its roots in Africa and was brought to the Caribbean.

I did not fry my plantain, nor use plantain, for that matter. I used yuca (or cassava as it is also known as)! It was the first time for me with this tuber, and I must say it was anticlimactic. There was nothing difficult in peeling it or cooking it. I just boiled the sweet potato with the yuca and did a coarse mash. I had the seitan left over from last week, and I made a dark spice mix for it using habanero, fennel, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, mustard seed, poppy seed and black peppercorns. I coated the sliced seitan pieces with it and pan-fried them with lemon juice.

Tomato sauce is on the bottom, topped with the yuca/sweet potato mash and then the seitan. It is a deconstructed stew because I thought the picture would be more appealing and it would be more obvious what is in the dish.

So how was it? Fabulous! Only one child did not appreciate it (Cat). Although she did say her favorite part was the seitan, as she was picking them out of her plate. She was saying how the other parts of the meal are too spicy. She didn't realize the spice was in the seitan until I told her. But she kept on eating anyway. I guess deep down she liked it, too.

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $2

yucca and sweet potato: $2

tomato sauce: $2

habanero: $.10 (funny!)

spices: $ .50  

onions: $1

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.60

Monday Dinner - Raw Alfredo Primavera (July 12)

Raw Night

To the delight of my children, I made another raw meal. For us, Mondays are the ideal day to make raw because that is when I go to Whole Foods and the vegetables are extra fresh - very important when they are naked, so to speak. It is especially important that summer squash be fresh because the older they get the more bitter they become. Not a good thing.

I lost a part to my spiral slicer, so I just used my knife to cut the squash into thin, long strips. I tossed the slices in a little olive oil and dehydrated them for about an hour. Sort of the extent of my cooking tonight. I also tossed some spinach with diced red onion and dehydrated that, too.

The olive 'bread' I tossed in the dehydrator the night before; it didn't need to be crispy because I wasn't shooting for a cracker.

The Alfredo sauce was really excellent. I wouldn't say it is 'Alfredo' sauce, but calling it Macadamia Pasta Sauce fits better for how it tasted. The sauce had a little garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and coconut vinegar. Mixed with the squash strips, tomatoes, olives and the spinach, it tasted very flavorful and quite good. Another raw surprise for David. It was harder to sell to the kids, though, who passionately dislike squash of any season. This meal was inpired by recipes in the cookbook Eating Raw by Mark Reinfeld.

Cost Breakdown:

nuts: $4

vegetables: $6

olives, oil, lemon: $1

flax seeds, sunflower seeds, olives: $3

Total to annoy 3 kids and feed 2 adults:

$14.00

Macadamia Pasta Sauce Recipe

Sunday Dinner - Country Fried Steak (July 11)

Our favorite restaurant in Chicago is the Chicago Diner. Unfortunately, we don't live close enough to it to frequent the joint...wait, maybe that's a blessing in disguise :)  Everyone's favorite meal there is the Country Fried Steak. David will order two so he can take one home; invariably, though, it doesn't make it to his lunch box the next day. I even bought their cookbook hoping they included the recipe. Uh, no.

For years I tried recreating this dish only to fail miserably...the breading would fall off in the oil or burn or be soggy...ugh. I was disgusted. Until a little angel came whispering the secret...Paula Deen. OK, not exactly an angel. And not exactly the secret. But she did provide the spark that would be the answer to my Country Fried Steak Glory. You see, she used buttermilk to dredge her steak (real steak) in. Well, having been vegan for quite a long time and before that never having the inclination to use buttermilk, I hadn't realized the consistency of the stuff. Until Ms. Dean poured it in her pan. A light bulb went off: it looked like yogurt. Yogurt! That was my epiphany. And it works beautifully! Dredge your seitan in plain soy yogurt (you may add a smidgen of milk or water to make it thinner), then in seasoned flour and fry it in a cast iron pan with about a half inch of oil. 

No.. Not healthy. I know. The rule in my house is that I will deep-fry (because that is what this is tantamount to) once a month. No more. Go easy on me. This is really good stuff.

Cost Breakdown:

seitan: $3

flour, oil, yogurt: $4

potatoes: $4

almond milk: $2

Total to feed 6 people well:

$13.00

 

 

Country Fried Steak Recipe

Firm Seitan Recipe

Sunday Lunch - Hungarian Cream of Mushroom Soup (July 11)

Three-fifth of us love mushrooms. We love shiitakes, oysters, bellas, chanterelles, morel,  even the simple button. I suppose where ever a fungus can grow, and I believe that is on every continent but Antarctica, the people of that region have held a love of the 'flower' of the mushroom, because we do not actually eat the main part of the fungus, which is underground and can be miles and miles of tendrils of mycelium. Uh, perhaps a little too much botany...anyway, they are good as far as I am concerned.

This Hungarian soup would use sour cream, as Hungarians are wont to do, but we are leaving the milk for the cow's baby and using cashew cream, which is much better for you anyway. Almond cream or Brazil-nut cream would also would just fine. Nuts have this really cool property where they thicken the liquid they are in as they are heated, therefore helping to thicken and bind this soup. The Hungarian paprika from Szeged  (sold in any grocery store, please do not pay the price from the link) is a must. And if you also have the Hot Hungarian Paprika, this is where to use it - the kick from it is delightful after the sweetness of the mild paprika. Kate came into the kitchen yelling for water because it was so spicy! I thought, great, she didn't eat it. To my surprise, her bowl was empty.

I guess the spice was too nice to keep her from devouring it. 

Cost Breakdown:

Mushrooms: $7

cashew: $1

onion and paprika: $1

homemade stock: $.75

Total to feed 5 people:

$9.75

 

 

Hungarian Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe