Souped Up
Add a little meat or beans to your soup and make it a main course. You can leave some of the liquid out and call it a stew, even using it as a base on top of pasta.
I save some of the leftover meats I might have on any given night, wrapping them up compactly in some plastic wrap, and freezing. Otherwise, the meats can often get too old. We might tire of having leftovers the next night, but by freezing them, I can add them to a new dish later in the week. Much more appealing!
I save some of the leftover meats I might have on any given night, wrapping them up compactly in some plastic wrap, and freezing. Otherwise, the meats can often get too old. We might tire of having leftovers the next night, but by freezing them, I can add them to a new dish later in the week. Much more appealing!
From Soups...
I've mentioned keeping red lentils in stock, as they cook up so quickly. You don't want your efforts at reducing grocery costs to be sabotaged by your need to make the meal extra quickly on any given night. You can find my favorite recipe for the soup at pccuisine.com. The New York Times also has a version, well-touted for
being so quick and easy to make. My version's a little different, but
still quick and easy. Both the red lentils and the diced sweet potatoes
cook up quick--twenty minutes or so. And while the New York Times Red
Lentil Soup gets its bright color from some tomato paste, I use paprika
and curry powder in my recipe, lending a rich tone, and extra flavor
too. With a few recipes like this on hand, you can stay within your
budget, serving healthy food quickly, at no great expense. Hard to beat
that!To Salads...
I've mentioned on this site, that a few dried fruits and nuts can easily add
sweetness and texture to a salad. A popular salad for us is the Pecan
Pear Salad w/ Poppy Seed Dressing. (Check that recipe out at my pccuisine.com blog).
Fresh pears work, although I have substituted dried pears. The dressing
can be quick and easy, especially when you employ the microwave. I just
dissolve the sugar that's called for in the dressing, into a bit of
vinegar, microwaving it in a bowl for a few seconds. I stir the olive
oil, poppy seeds, and a bit of Dijon mustard into it and end up with a
home-made dressing that's super tasty. And cheap!Make Your Own
Making your own salad dressings isn't that complicated, and can save you money in the pocketbook. At our shop, we make "concentrates" of various dressings, freezing portions of the recipes before we add the extra oil.
You can check out my sample recipe for Lemon Caper Dressing, again, from my pccusine.com blog. I've also got recipes in my cookbook, From the Land of Milk and Honey.
Popular dressings from that book: Caesar Salad Dressing, Italian Dressing, and a Sweet n Sour dressing, made easy with a well-seasoned tomato paste mix. With the seasoned tomato paste on hand, you're close to throwing the whole dressing together, and you can save leftover seasoned paste for your next salad, mixing it up fresh and easy. The seasoned tomato paste keeps well, having plenty of spice and vinegar to preserve it. It comes in handy in other recipes too. I love using it to make home-made Thousand Island Dressing, and I add a touch to meatloaf and soups, for instant flavor.