Just because you don't have all the ingredients..

Just because you don't have all the ingredients you need for a recipe, doesn't mean you need to go out to the market and purchase them, OR WORSE, scratch the recipe you were going to follow.

My husband and I receive a gift on Christmas from my Mother in law, and it's to a cooking class for two, and it's really one of my favorite things i've ever received. So far we've gone to two cooking classes, and it's such a great time together! I highly suggest it if you've never attended one - go for Hipcooks!
So the most recent class we took was Thai! I have to admit, i'm terrible about trying new foods, but Andrew's love for all things different & unpronounceable compel me to just go along with his ideas. So.. we signed up, and a month ago I found myself in the class, at a table with ingredients I've never seen or ever heard of in my life.
I didn't think i'd try anything - but 2 hours later, I was a Thai food loving girl. Thai food.. Simply put, is amazing. It's fresh, and Thai chefs are masters of layering elements to create truly spectacular foods & dishes out of only a few ingredients. How we went from Spring Rolls to curry with a lot of the same ingredients, my mind is still perplexed by it!

However, I get home, and after scouring the Internet, there are no Asian specialty markets and I know there won't be Thai Chilies, Fish Sauce and Tamarind at the the market down the street.
At first, this semi frustrated me, then I realized I am not going to let my love of the Thai food demolish because of my geographical issues (this is the first time i've missed Los Angeles because I can think of 3 Asian Speciality Markets off the top of my head from back home..) and make some serious alterations.

So this finally leads me to the point of this blog; that just because you don't have the ingredients.. This does not mean you have to call it quits.
Let me give you an example. In the class we roasted dark chicken meat in the oven... Yum... And made Peanut sauce. I'm trying to hold back from abandoning this blog to go make it again right now!
Here was the jiff of the recipe Veggie Oil, Fresh Ginger Knob, Garlic, Peanut Butter, Lime, Brown Sugar, Thai Chilies, Fish Sauce.. AND two of those pertinent ingredients, like I explained are unavailable.
I didn't panic, I just hit the pantry for the Ahhhh I have those ingredients, and scrambled my brain for things that could be substituted.

Here's what I found:

That Cayenne Pepper to the right should be turned the other way - good thing my profession is not a food photographer..

So here you see crushed jarred ginger, brown sugar, garlic, peanut butter, olive oil and cayenne!

Now, it's not the real thing - I can admit that, but my cravings and curiosity to cook new foods says that's OK! http://takingthecheaproute.blogspot.com/2011/03/dont-have-this-ingredient-use-this.html 

Remember, we talked about this already! (See above link)

You need everything in the picture above.

So here's what I do:

Dice 3 - 5 cloves of garlic. Put aside. 

Ginger? I had it jarred. Whatever you have - if it's fresh, peel the knobs with a spoon (magic..) and dice. We're looking for 1 - 2 tablespoons worth.

Next...

Add 3 tbsp of Olive oil into a heated pan. And garlic & ginger.

Now, scoop 1/2 a cup of peanut butter into the pan once the garlic & ginger start browning (Side note - our Thai teacher taught us that in the style of food, Thai people bring their garlic to a near burning point. Interesting, for those of you accustomed to Italian. Once you burn the garlic, the world is over for Italian food - so for this Thai inspired dish, get it very brown.. Don't panic, just trust!) 

Stir, stir, stir...

Add 3 - 4 tablespoons of brown sugar. Then 1/4 of a teaspoon of Cayenne.

Pull from the fire.

Now, you're ready to puree it. Some like it chunky, some like it smooth. Find your happy place.

For this job, I use the Magic Bullet from Mom for Christmas.

Once it's done, cook some chicken the way you like. As kebabs, strips.. However you like it.
Need some ideas? Jot me an email or message me on twitter.

Guys, with the stunning prices of Natural Chicken you can get at markets when you watch your ads, and the cheapness of almost all these ingredients you have in your pantry - try something new, and don't forget you don't need all the ingredients to make super dishes!




For those of your curious about the $5.50 a day - I am constantly working on a draft blog post because it's dense, and contains a lot of information, tips and hints. This dish is a perfect example of a perfectly budgeted meal; I had all of these ingredients, and not only that, but when I purchased them for my pantry months ago I shopped around and did my math. On top of that, the chicken I used was leftover from a dish I made the night before, and I gave it new life with creating a semi stir fry that you drizzle the Peanut Sauce over. Mmm..

In closing...
The Budget Conscientious thing to do of the day: Think about how fast you drive. As gas prices are creeping up on us, consider this fact...

"In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon."

See you guys soon! - BCB

Now let's get started - Cooking for $5.50 a day

So here's the essentials:

- Meal Planning

- Ad watching

- Coupons; when it's something I had originally intended on purchasing

- Freezing & storing food

- Making the most use out of leftovers

Initially, I was not sure that it's possible to work with around 5.50 a day, to feed two people 3 daily meals without those essentials. So here's what you need to do to get a little more confident: sit down and make a list of both of your favorite foods & meals.

My husband, loves chicken. And I do too, so this is a staple in our house. We buy from a large Warehouse Store chicken breasts, thighs & legs for less than a dollar a pound. That's a crazy great deal, especially since they carry natural chicken. This is where you'll see me buy most of my groceries; in big, large quantities because I do something I call 'Staple Cooking'. I went ahead & made up the term to encompass what I do. I have about 15 things I use to make a month's worth of meals that were mentioned in my Food Challenge Blog.

We both love, slow cooked home made tomato sauces that are actually cheaper to make, and have an indescribable level of complexity that is only experienced once you taste a homemade sauce. So, I buy a 5 lb can of tomatoes, nothing special done to them (the ones that are crushed, etc. tend to cost more from my experience) for about 2.20. It's crazy cheap - and I do so many things with it that I hope will influence you to try!

So once we sat down, I got a general grasp of what we both like, and from there, I can start. This is what you should do, too.

About once a month, we hit the higher end markets, to buy a big lamb leg to slow roast - and it's our treat that we financially account for through our 'fun funds' budget allowance. We know, it's costs us about 30 bucks, and that is really about 3/5ths of what we spend on food in one week, but i'm a firm believer in splurging to have fun - because you know what? Budgeting the whole way through, gives you the money & excitement of totally splurging on something you both love.

Things you're going to see here that are going to help you

- Meat reduction/reducing pricey ingredients from dishes. I do a stuffed cabbage, where I reverse how much rice & meat should be used. I do 3 cups of rice, instead of meat - and vice versa. So that automatically trims money from a dish, that ended up being far more heart healthy!

- Making big dishes at dinner to become leftovers for lunch the next day. I hardly pack my husband or myself lunches that weren't derived from dinner. For example, let's say we had Falafel's or Meatloaf the night before.. What I do is transform it for a yummy lunch that if I weren't to point it out to my husband that it was last night's dinner, he would have hardly a clue. I'll do something like Stuffed Falafel Pita Sandwiches, with Tahini, Hummus & a salad. Really yummy, and even the bread is cheap, if you'll remember from my Bread rant & rave Make your own baked goods! 

- Milk is amazing. Amazing, amazing and more amazing. From making plain & greek yogurt, to ricotta, to being used in baking, and making rice pudding creamy & delish. We'll be using it a lot, so make sure you have a place where it's decently priced for the gallon. I go for 2 gallons for 4.25 all total. (I'm telling you: WAREHOUSE STORES are amazing. Not for everything, but if you can do the simple math of pricing by oz, you are set. Email me or Twitter message & i'll give you the breakdown) Along with milk, we'll use staples like this to create a whole array of wonderful foods!

- When I say 5.50 daily - I am talking about as an average from an entire month. Weekly you'll spend anywhere from 40 - 55, and once you divide the days out of the week is once you get this average. I've seen blogs & sites where it's 5 dollars meals - but we're talking 5 DOLLAR DAYS! All meals included. It's all about smart shopping. Which is so much easier, than paying for premade foods that cost you extra time at work to pay for. And did I mention, it's not very good if you can't pronounce more than 5 things on the package!

Get your list together & locate the Warehouse Markets, Discount Stores & where the loss-leaders are (not sure what this is? weekly, stores post ads w/ specials on the front - this is where they are losing the most money, and it's the best time for you to take advantage).

See you guys soon!

- BCB

Leftover Beans & Rice in the fridge?

Here's a dilemma I commonly run into being that one of my favorite food combinations (along with most of the world) is
rice and beans. The only problem, is that there's always some left over after you make them - which is not a problem to you anymore because I have 4 ideas of how to transform and reinvent your B & R - making them all the more economical and budget savvy.



1. South Western B & R Bake

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cooked rice (you could start w/ uncooked rice here, just make sure you cook then add it)
• 2 cups of cooked pinto beans (again, you could start w/ dry pintos, but make sure you cook then add)
• 1/2 cup of chopped yellow onion
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp olive/vegetable oil
• Around 4 finely chopped Garlic Cloves or 2 tbsp. Garlic Powder
• 8 oz. of canned, frozen or fresh corn
• 1/4 cup chicken/vegetable broth - or water
• 4 tablespoons of rough chopped parsley
• 1/4 Smoked chipotle salsa
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350. Start by adding your oil, and once heated, add the onions and cook until they are translucent. Add the garlic, salt, cumin & oregano, and keep stirring. Add the beans, corn, chicken broth, and rice. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. Take your pot away from the heat. Add your parsley.
•  In a medium sized baking dish, gently pour out the mixture using only half - and now add evenly as a layer, your chipotle salsa and about half of your cup of cheese. Resume pouring the rest of the mixture, and finish with the rest of your cheese!
• Bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes; you'll know it's ready when the cheese is browning & bubbly, and of course the smell of all those wonderful ingredients. 

2. The obvious: Bean & Cheese Burritos
The catch: to freeze & pull out when you're ready for them!

3. Serve B & R again - but with some attitude!
For Christmas Dinner this year, it was my first time cooking the special meal for my husband and I - so what I did was a whole Mexican American Food themed night. Long story short, I had all kinds of fresh ingredients left over that I decided to do the dinner again, very similar, but with some adjustments.
On a plate, I had fresh cilantro, finely chopped yellow onions, along with sour cream, fresh guacamole, spicy salsa and cheese - and it was arranged in rows, so it had  unique presentation.
For the beans, place them in a baking dish, and cover with tons of cheese. Broil at the last few minutes to get a bubbly crust.
For the rice, transform it to Cilantro Lime Rice by adding for every 1 cup of rice, 2 tbsp of Lime Juice freshly squeezed & 1 tbsp of Cilantro. Sprinkle in some salt!
Serve with hot tortillas!
A pico de gallo here would be real tasty, I just didn't have the tomatoes or the peppers.

4. B & R served along with 'Lentil Meat Tacos'

Lentils, along with all types of other legumes
& beans are a highly cost effective way to
achieve a healthy diet.

It sure sounds odd, but after my dying curiosity of all the fun things to do with Lentils because of their amazing Nutritional content and price - 1 lb is always around 1 dollar. So after some tinkering, and some inspiration of chefs who have done the amazing thing of transforming Lentils into a meat substitute (this recipe, is going to work for Burgers, Taco Meat - you name it! Whatever you can get creative with. I'm sure, if you increased the amount of binders, so maybe the eggs, you'd be able to achieve something like a 'Lentil Meat Loaf'



Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Lentils - cook them based on the instructions on the bag, but add 2 bay leaves to the water. Tip: I've been told many times to not add salt during the cooking process of many legumes & beans because they toughen them - so if you're going to salt your lentils, do it after they are cooked.
• Around 1 cup vegetable juice/tomato Juice 
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 egg
• 1/2 of bread crumbs, cracker crumbs, etc.
• 2 whole carrots - grated
• 4 tbps of fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except for the tomato juice and oil. You should use the tomato juice in small increments, adding it to the mixture as you need to to make it a ground beef consistency. Use the oil in your frying pan (I highly suggest non-stick) The mixture cooks very similar to preparing ground beef. 
• * If you were to do patties to make burgers, shape into flat spheres and cook for a couple minutes on each size then serve on buns with lettuce, guacamole, tomatoes - whatever you like on your burgers!

See you guys soon! - BCB