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OP, I am not a vegetarian although I cook almost exclusively vegetarian at home (my wife eats fish occasionally but is otherwise vegetarian). It is simply not the case that vegetarian food is not filling. In Egypt they call ful medamas (delicious broad beans with garlic, onions and cumin) and hummus "the stone that sits in the stomach", as it is what labourers would eat for breakfast to provide nutrition for the day. Simple carbs like pasta, bread and pizza which are often eaten as vegetarian alternatives might not fill you up as well or for as long, but lentils, chickpeas, split peas, barley, etc, sure as hell will. Why is this relevant? We at GWS want you to eat well. That includes eating good-quality food. If you are buying meat and fish on a budget, especially if you aren't buying the cheaper cuts like people here recommend, chances are you are buying poo poo: factory-farmed, artificially-fed, hormone- and anti-biotic pumped meat, and destructively-harvested fish that is not so good for you, definitely not good for the animals involved, and bad for the environment to boot. I know it is easy for me to preach from a position of relative wealth and privilege, but I do believe that if you can't afford to buy "good" meat (i.e., meat that has been humanely reared and killed - usually but not always organic) then you shouldn't eat meat - well, not often. Rather eat better, less frequently, or buy cheaper cuts of decent meat and, with skill, make them into something delicious. Eating a more vegetarian diet is DEFINITELY cheaper, and better for the world - and for you. If you want the animal protein, do something like stir-fried rice and add a fried egg on top (the fried or poached egg on top can be used in a lot of ways, and adds some real heft to a dish if that is what you think is missing - but please try to get at least free-range if not organic eggs!) For recipe ideas check out the vegan thread in this here sub-forum. Although not intended as cheap recipes, many are - because vegetarian recipes often are. Someone mentioned no-knead bread: I've experimented with bread in my machine, breads with starters, poolishs, natural starters - I keep coming back to no-knead. If you time it right (make dry mix at night, add water before work, come home, shape it, have dinner, bake it) it doesn't take much time, and makes delicious bread - for less than store-bough, and so much tastier. Flour and yeast are cheap. It's loving delicious. People have mentioned getting a roast chicken. When I roasted a chicken, after the meat had been eaten I'd sweat some leeks, garlic and onions and add water, then boil the carcass with some carrots and barley and some herbs (like rosemary) to make delicious and dirt-cheap chicken soup. (You can do other stuff too; add potatoes, beans, lentils; other veggies - whatever you like). When I removed the carcass I'd scrape off any meat that still clung to the bones and add it to the soup. Once it has cooled, skim the fat off the top. Very good.
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Oct 10, 2011 17:08
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EgillSkallagrimsson posted:Um, am I the only one in here who just tosses a few bay leaves in with the flour/rice, etc and then gives no gently caress about super airtight containers? I assumed this was pretty common knowledge among bakers and cooks for keeping pests away. Never heard that before but I am not sure if I want everything tasting faintly of bay. I had an invasion of Indian meal moths and had to throw everything out and get sealed containers. Those fuckers get EVERYWHERE. Keep your cupboards clean. Also seconding the popcorn suggestion. In fact, I made some on Sunday! Knowing how little a bag of popping corn costs, and how qick and easy it is to make popcorn, I never buy popcorn now that I know how much I am being ripped off.
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Oct 20, 2011 12:34
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It is gratifying to read some of the changes this thread has inspired. Ghosts of Reagans Past, I use red lentils for soups, dals etc as they break down when cooked, unlike green/brown/puy which hold their shape. A more complex but delicious rice lentils dish is kosheri. I've made this version but I'm sure there are simpler ones. http://www.jpost.com/ArtsAndCulture/FoodAndWine/Article.aspx?id=169075 So delicious.
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Dec 4, 2011 12:43
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Neko Sou posted:Also delicious with plain yogurt, greek or non-greek. I like sweet American yogurt myself. A bit of crushed garlic added to yoghurt like that makes an awesome garnish/dressing/sauce
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Dec 5, 2011 12:39
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Last night we made dinner which, on reflection, is a very cheap and hearty meal. it made enough for three dinners for two people - vegetarian shepherd's pie. We fried some onions in a pan until soft and sweet, then added a clove or two of garlic until that was soft and sweet too. In went the green lentils which cooked for a few minutes. These was followed by a glug of decent sherry vinegar (balsamic will do too - this is about the only premium product in the whole dish). Stock was then added, along with diced carrots. While the lentils were simmering we peeled potatoes, cut them into chunks, and boiled them to make mash. Once the lentil mixture was cooked, it was placed along with a bit of the cooking liquid into an oven-proof dish, and topped with the mash, which was then topped with grated cheese. This was cooked in the oven until the top was golden. We ate it with some cooked frozen petit pois. Nothing in that meal is expensive at all (apart from good vinegar), it's pretty easy, and make an extremely hearty and tasty meal. This reminds me of something: if you can afford it, splash out on one or two expensive condiments: some really good balsamic or sherry vinegar, a good mustard, excellent olive oil, etc. They add so much to cheap ingredients and really lift a dish. A simple tomato salad with really good oil and vinegar becomes so much more than it might have been with a more basic dressing. I suppose it's the equivalent of having a really lovely scarf but otherwise a pretty plain outfit: the whole look is improved and brightened.
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Dec 5, 2011 18:12
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I freeze them in bag in containers to give them shape, then once frozen remove the container and I have nice, rectangular bricks.
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Dec 8, 2011 18:14
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Horrible Smutbeast posted:Depends. Here, any lettuce that's not iceberg crap is about 2$ a head. Or, you could spend 1$ to get the same in spinach or broccoli and make weird salads topped with cooked and chilled lentils, grated carrots (super cheap) and pickled onion slices. That reminds me. This is a recipe for romanesco broccoli, but it works well with regular or tenderstem too. Roast your broccoli tossed in some olive oil for 10-20 minutes, until stems just tender and florets slightly crisp. While the broccoli is roasting, toast some flaked almonds in the same oven until golden brown. Mix flaked toasted almonds in a food processor (I use the smoothie attachment to my immersion blender, which is ideal), with some good olive oil, some lemon juice, a clove of garlic, and S&P. pour dressing over broccoli. Really delicious.
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Jan 5, 2012 18:05
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I have a broccoli recipe that uses raw broccoli with a sweet balsamic-base dressing, finely-cut red onions and toasted flaked almonds. I wasn't sure about it when a friend first served it, but it is surprisingly amazingly good. We took it to a party recently and while people were initially trepidatious the whole large bowl full got devoured. Simply roasted broccoli tossed in a bit of oil first is good too, either on its own or with a yoghurt garlic dressing, or a dressing made up of pulverized toasted flaked almonds, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, S&P.
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Jan 19, 2012 12:01
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