Frugal Foodie on a British Pound: Efficiency

One of the economic principles often thrown around, even in everyday parlance, is "economies of scale." The idea, whether in manufacturing cars or growing food, is that once there is a system in place to produce something (let's say an assembly line for a Chevy Volt), the added cost of producing an extra unit is minimal. Those large, upfront capital expenses have already been spent, so each extra car you churn out just makes each extra car more profitable. Ok, now this is grossly simplified, and there is a point at which this concept no longer holds, but you get the idea.

So, why on earth am I giving you an economics lesson? Well, this idea holds some water when you try eating on a budget. First of all, there are the economies of scale in purchasing food. You are going to spend more money buying a sandwich everyday from a local shop than if you purchased a loaf of bread, some peanut butter (don't get me started about the UK and PB...), and a jar of jam to last you a week or two. It's also generally cheaper to purchase 2 kg of beans than 250 g. Now, if you have a short attention span or tire of the same or similar foods quickly, then skip to the end of make some mung beans.

If you are like me and don't mind reruns throughout the week, then consider how economies of scale can apply to meal preparation. I can spend an hour and a half or two cooking up some barley, mung beans, and roasted cauliflower, stow it away in Rachel-sized tupperwares, and be set for the next four days. As a student (or a busy working professional, or a parent, or almost anybody really), where other food options are dishearteningly costly and/or unhealthy, there is great utility in this. Don't get me wrong; I am fully supportive of non-economic meals, where solo or with a group, one can spend hours crafting a delicious dinner, sit down and eat at a leisurely pace. But sadly, this is not always possible in our modern society, and sometimes we just have to fall back on industrial revolution thinking.

All of this, though, is just to preface a tasty bowl of tandoori-spiced mung beans and barley, with a side of oven-roasted cauliflower! Easy meal to prep in larger quanities (this amount usually is good for 3-4 lunches or dinners for me, but you could definitely scale up). If you get bored easily, try changing this up by lining up a side veggie, topping a salad green, or adding in some vegetable stock for a soupy transformation.

A Practical Pulse
1 cup dry mung beans, soaked overnight
1 cup dry hulled barley, soaked overnight
3-4 cups water
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp coconut oil
3 tsp tandoori spices (mix ginger, cumin, corriander, paprika, turmeric, and cayenne in equal parts, or go fancy and try this!)
Salt to taste

1. Heat oil over medium-high in a pot. Once melted sautee onion until starting to become translucent, then add in carrots and garlic. Cook for another five minutes.
2. Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil before throwing in the mung beans and barley. Cook covered for about 15-20 minutes, until tender, checking every five minutes or so and adding water as needed.
3. Once liquid has all been absorbed or evaporated, season with spices and salt. Serve with some roasted cauliflower or on top of a bed of kale.

Enjoy! Sub in some short-grain brown rice instead of barley, if going gluten-free. And make sure to check out other tasty meals at Wellness Weekends!

Best of MMM: New Year, Empty Fridge

Happy last day of 2012. I thought I would end a year as it began, with the tasty winter veggie curry recipe that started out my 2012. Happy Old Year, and see you in 2013!

First of all, happy 2012! To a fantastic 363 days that stand ahead of us. You were probably expecting some new produce item or an elaborate meal concocted for New Year's Eve. However, after a busy week and a bare bones farmers market this morning, I have been left with a pretty darn unexciting refrigerator.

I have been waiting for my chance to make a coconut milk curry, and working from home today provided the perfect opportunity! So I rummaged through the fridge for whatever had been left from last week's produce exploits (or rather, the week before...), in order to make a warming dish for cold winter night. Though, it has been unseasonably warm here this weekend...cherry blossoms, anyone?

Kitchen Sink Curry

1/2 medium butternut (or other winter) squash, cubed (bite-sized)

1 cup cauliflower, cubed

1 carrot, chopped

1 apple, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup lite coconut milk

1/4 cup plain soy or almond milk

1 tbs curry powder

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2-1 tsp salt

1 cup cooked mung beans

Olive oil for sauteing and roasting

1. Roast cubed squash in a greased glass dish at 400F for about 30 minutes, until soft.

2. Meanwhile, cook onions in an oiled skillet, until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, and cauliflower. Continue to cook until carrot just tender.

3. Add milks, spices and salt to taste, squash, and mung beans. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, but that let sit for another 30 or so to let the flavor meld! Perhaps it will be even better tomorrow...

This puppy is sneaking into the first Wellness Weekend of the year!

What's Cooking? New Year, Empty Fridge

First of all, happy 2012! To a fantastic 363 days that stand ahead of us. You were probably expecting some new produce item or an elaborate meal concocted for New Year's Eve. However, after a busy week and a bare bones farmers market this morning, I have been left with a pretty darn unexciting refrigerator.

I have been waiting for my chance to make a coconut milk curry, and working from home today provided the perfect opportunity! So I rummaged through the fridge for whatever had been left from last week's produce exploits (or rather, the week before...), in order to make a warming dish for cold winter night. Though, it has been unseasonably warm here this weekend...cherry blossoms, anyone?

Kitchen Sink Curry
1/2 medium butternut (or other winter) squash, cubed (bite-sized)
1 cup cauliflower, cubed
1 carrot, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup lite coconut milk
1/4 cup plain soy or almond milk
1 tbs curry powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2-1 tsp salt

1 cup cooked mung beans
Olive oil for sauteing and roasting

1. Roast cubed squash in a greased glass dish at 400F for about 30 minutes, until soft.
2. Meanwhile, cook onions in an oiled skillet, until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, and cauliflower. Continue to cook until carrot just tender.
3. Add milks, spices and salt to taste, squash, and mung beans. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, but that let sit for another 30 or so to let the flavor meld! Perhaps it will be even better tomorrow...

This puppy is sneaking into the first Wellness Weekend of the year!

Cookbook Mondays: A Taste of Veganopolis

Once upon a time there was a fantastic vegan restaurant in Downtown Portland. I know, not all that unheard of. But, this was the lunch spot my mother, sister, and I frequented every year around New Years. We'd usually split a tempeh sandwich or salad with seitan chicken. At one point, we sampled the mac 'n' cheeze with peas, only to miss all the days they served that delectable dish from that point forward. And then one year it was gone. The cafe up and moved to Chicago. Well, I don't know how well it fared out in the Windy City, but I do know we sorely missed it in Portland. Luckily, I finally came across The Veganopolis Cookbook and now can make cheezy macaroni to my heart's content!

Ok, so maybe not. Instead, this weekend I cooked up an exotic soup and some down-home greens!

Curried Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Green Peas (adapted for a large single serving)
1 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 tbs garam masala
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1 1/2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1 1/2 tbs white spelt flour
1/2 cup peas

1. Massage 1/2 tbs olive oil, salt, and garam masala into cauliflower. Spread on baking pan and roast at 450F for 30-45 minutes until well-browned.
2. Meanwhile, heat rest of oil and flour in a saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking until color begins to darken. Add milk and stir until the mixture thickens. Turn off heat until cauliflower finishes.
3. Once roasted, add cauliflower to saucepan and puree until smooth. Return to heat to reach a simmer and add peas. Cook until peas are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve!

Cajun Slow-Cooked Greens (I also halved this recipe)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced sweet peppers
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs onion powder (omitted)
2 tsp ground white pepper (omitted)
2 tsp ground black pepper (omitted - ok, I don't like pepper. So sue me)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 bunches of collards (or mustard greens), chopped
1 cup tomato stock (liquid from roasted tomatoes, or vegetable stock)
salt to taste
seasoned rice vinegar, to taste (omitted)

1. Heat onlive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add celery, onions, and peppers. With dry spices, sautee until onions are soft and translucent.
2. Add chopped greens. Cook everything at least 30 minutes.
3. Add salt and vinegar to taste. Easy peasy!

The Homeland

The Mediterranean is a very diverse region. While my entries have mainly targeted the olive-growing areas, the sea itself, and of course Italy, there are so many other facets one could tackle. It is a big sea, after all - from the European north, to the African south, and the Asian east.

This map is sweet! It shows the different land uses in the country. Note the desert.

Tonight we head to a small country over which many battles have raged, to which many groups lay claim, and which has some fantastic food! Israel has a history of biblical proportions. Ancient people led pastoral lives, with herds of hardy sheep and goats, but they also engaged in agriculture appropriate to the climate. As part of the fertile crescent, Israel's traditional staple crops include emmer, rye, lentils, and other hardy grains and legumes. But, we also get figs, dates, and grapes. If I think too much about the country and region in general, I wonder whether I'm imagining this seemingly magical mix of wasteland and breadbasket (and, crazy enough, ever-growing forests!)

In fact, Israel's success in supporting human population has come to attention of other water-scarce nations. Today I was perusing the Worldwatch Institute's newsletter and what should they have but an article on Israeli drip irrigation technology. Seeing as 60% of the country is comprised of the Negev desert (see map above), irrigation is the only way to support agriculture in the region (and, might I add that many ancient civilizations had quite sophisticated irrigation systems). A leader in developing drip irrigation technology that is water and energy efficient, Israel is now under consultation about transferable methods for drought-stressed regions of Africa. This has huge implications for some of the world's most food insecure populations that live on the continent.

So, what did I make for you tonight? Not certain that it is Israeli in origin, necessary, but it was quite tasty!

Fall Colors Israeli Couscous

½ cup cous cous (Israeli are good, Lebanese are even better!)

3/4 cup diluted vegetable stock

1 delicata squash

1 cup purple cauliflower

1 clove garlic

1 tbs orange Muscat vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

salt to taste

1. In a 400F oven, roast cubed and seeded squash (you can eat the skin easily) and cauliflower for about 30 minutes, turning after 15. Roast garlic in some extra olive oil in a foil packet, at that time.

2. In a pot, heat olive oil. Toast couscous for about five minutes over medium heat, until starting to brown. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes until all liquid has been absorbed.

3. Toss cooked couscous with veggies, smashed garlic, orange vinegar or juice, and salt. Enjoy!

And, kids in DC, if you are craving some tasty falafels - cheap, convenient, and tasty pita pockets are up 18th street (and close to me, so come visit!)

Produce of the Week: Cauliflower

It has been quite an eventful weekend. Between the insane Rally to Restore Sanity, running club, and working the farmers market, there has been little time to veg (haha). However, between all the fun and games (and excessive chocolate eating/baking that we will discuss in upcoming blog entries), I managed to look into one of my favorite produce items.

Cauliflower, the brassica that stole my heart. Named for the latin terms cabbage and flower, cauliflower happens to be of the same species as broccoli, kale, and brussel sprouts. Cavofiore (same translation) is a Mediterranean veggie through and through, originating in Cyprus probably around the time of the Romans and settling very comfortably into Italian cuisine. Mid-16th century saw chouxfleur make its way in France, where it became quite a delicacy. By the early 19th century, the white heads of cabbage flowers had made it over to North America!

While a cold-weather crop (November 1st and chilly...), cauliflower is also extremely sensitive to weather conditions. It is hard to grow, which could be why it's not the cheapest veggie at the farm stand. That said, I am so much in love with this vegetable, I am willing to fork over the cash. So, what do I do with mon petit choux fleur?

As with most vegetables, I like to stick cauliflower - drizzled in a little olive oil and salt - in the oven on 375F for 30 minutes or so. But there are so many other wonderful uses for cauliflower:

101 Cookbooks presents a lovely sauteed simple cauliflower recipe.

Smitten Kitchen has a recipe for cauliflower, almonds, capers, and raisins.

Curried cauliflower and delicata squash...mmm.

Aloo gobi + peas from NY Times!

Cauliflower mashed is also fantastic.

Diet, Dessert, and Dogs has a really interesting Cauliflower Soup recipe.

And I have to say, I am exceedingly curious about these Cauliflower Cookies!

On a parting note, I wanted to let you all know that I am attempting to participate in Vegan MoFo 2010. This means that I will be attempting to post 5 times a week...eeps! I have some ideas, but beware that the posts may be slightly shorter and potentially less substantive than my usual posts (but collectively, they should be the same). Let me know if you have any requests or suggestions!