We all know how cheap eggs are. You might as well pay the extra buck for organic. It hardly breaks the bank, and you’re getting far better nutrition. Eggs are an awesome source of protein, and don’t listen to the naysayers who preach against saturated fat: we NEED saturated fat!
Everyone’s used to eggs in the morning, right? Scrambled. Fried. In an omelet. They’re a great way to sneak veggies in to your morning meal: I like to add mushrooms or spinach or zucchini. However, for the purposes of recession cuisine – expanding our minds about how to create the cheapest, healthiest and tastiest meals possible – I like to add them to an evening meal every so often. Here are a couple of creative ways I’ve used eggs for my dinner protein.
THAI INSPIRED EGG AND RICE
brown rice
Stevia
coconut milk
coconut oil
water
1-2 eggs
veggies of your choice – try bamboo shoots, green and red peppers, onions…
fish sauce
lime juice
1. Boil rice in equal parts coconut milk and water. Add a few drops of Stevia to make it sweet.
2. Saute veggies in coconut oil.
3. Fry egg(s) in coconut oil.
4. Combine, and drizzle with fish sauce and lime juice to taste.
5. Enjoy!
ITALIAN INSPIRED EGG AND PASTA
gluten free pasta
salt
pepper
garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
greens of your choice: I like beet greens or spinach with this dish
1 egg
1. Boil pasta
2. Saute greens in olive oil and garlic.
3. Fry egg in olive oil.
4. Combine. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Devour!
photo credit: Matt Callow
What’s more evocative of an American autumn than squash? Butternuts, kabochas, spaghettis…In October and November, visions of turkeys, horns of plenty, succotash and pumpkins bring to mind the abundant harvest we reap each year. Native to the Americas, squash were one of the crops so key to the indigenous food system and subsequently to the survival of the Pilgrims. An old colonial recipe for “stewed pompion” calls for a hollowed out pumpkin filled with milk, honey and spices, and baked in the ashes of a dying fire.
The unique, curvaceous shapes and vivid hues of squash stimulate both the eyes and the palate. It’s been proven that we digest better when we like to look at what we’re eating! Their often bright orange color signifies that they are rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to Vitamin A via many complicated enzymatic reactions in the body. They’re low-cal – 1 cup of pumpkin, for example, is only 49 calories. And yes, because they contain seeds, they are a fruit, not a vegetable.
The following recipe can yield up to five servings of an incredibly satiating and delicious stew, and even if you use all organic ingredients, it couldn’t be cheaper to make. I’ve indicated pumpkin, just cause it’s my favorite, but you can experiment with any squash, and a few of the roots too, for that matter! Try it on a Sunday afternoon when the cold wintry wind is howling outside. Try it any time, actually. This might become your favorite soup. It’s definitely mine.
SWEET SQUASH SOUP
1 pumpkin
1 can coconut milk
vegetable or chicken broth
seasonings: salt for sure. If you want sweet, try cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. If you want savory, try sage and rosemary.
1. Cut out the top of the pumpkin as if you were making a jack o’lantern, and scoop out the guts and seeds with your hands (this is my favorite part). Set aside.
2. Chop the pumpkin into quarters.
3. Peel the tough outer layer of skin from the pumpkin.
4. Chop the pumpkin again into smaller chunks.
5. Place the pumpkin chunks into a pot. Add coconut milk. The chunks will still not be entirely submerged in fluid, so to make up the difference, add the broth until it barely covers the top of the chunks.
6. Add salt and seasonings.
7. Simmer for 20-30 min until chunks are tender. Then remove from stove and allow to cool for ten minutes or so.
8. Pour your concoction into a blender and puree. You’ll probably have to do this in batches. It’s best to taste the result after blending but before pouring out, so that if you need to adjust the seasoning, you can just add it right there and re-blend.
9. Eat, remembering to chew. I know it’s soupy already, but chewing stimulates the digestive process.
Now for the seeds. I am going to share with you my favorite recipe for sweet, sour, spicy and salty pumpkin seeds. The more dimensions of flavor a dish has, the more satisfying the experience. This one should satisfy you.
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Wash your seeds off and boil them in a pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove, drain, and cool.
3. Grease a baking sheet with butter, coconut oil, or olive oil.
4. In a bowl, mix: sesame oil, stevia or agave, and cayenne pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Toss the seeds in it.
5. Spread the seeds evenly on the baking sheet and sprinkle with dulse flakes (dulse is a seaweed – possibly the most mineral-rich food in existence).
6. Bake for 10-15 minutes. At halfway, open the oven door and try to move the seeds around slightly to prevent burning and encourage even toasting.
7. Let cool and enjoy.
photo credit: conskeptical
“That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.” – Barack Obama, earlier today
Sure, Barack is talking about the dismal state of world affairs, but he’s also referencing the economic challenges plaguing Americans. In tough times, it’s best to pull inward, hunker down, and get to some serious grounding. And what’s more grounding than a hearty home-cooked meal? Food’s one of the easiest areas in which to scale back spending, with the added benefit that the simplest meals are often the most satiating (maybe that’s why, when you eat at that Noveau Japanese-Cajun-Antarctican fusion joint you always leave hungry…). Every week, on Recession Cuisine Tuesday, we’ll be exploring an inexpensive recipe that’s packed with nutritional power. Learn to stretch your dollar while fueling your body with the most micronutrients possible.
Today we are going to look at the ancient technique of sprouting, developed by the Chinese several thousand years ago. You know those organic broccoli sprouts you used to drop $7 per bag for at the Berkeley farmer’s market? The ones that turned brown in your vegetable drawer about two days after you got them home? Well, when you make your own, they’re far cheaper. And since seeds bulk up as they sprout, multiplying 8 to 15 times their weight, they’re a very economical choice. Rich with proteins, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, sprouts are one of the most nutritionally complete foods in existence. They’re a live food, which means they keep growing until the moment you bite into them – compare this with other vegetables, whose nutrients begin to oxidize (break down) the minute they’re harvested.
Sprouting is incredibly easy. All you need is a dark, cool place, a glass jar, a piece of cheesecloth with a rubber band, and the beans (mungs are a nice one to start with – be sure to get organic!). Put a ratio of 1 part beans to 3 parts water in the jar, cover with cheesecloth, secure with rubber band, and place in said dark cool place. After about 24 hours, drain off the water and add some fresh water to the jar, swirling or stirring a bit to rinse the beans. Then drain that off, still keeping the beans slightly damp. Re-cover, return to the dark cool place, and repeat the process every 12 hours. You’ll see the beans start to grow little tails. It’s your choice when to eat them – tails can be short, medium, or long.
The recipe below is by my friend and colleague Kelly Walker, a holistic nutritionist in San Francisco. It was my introduction to sprouting and it’s so delicious that if it’s your introduction, you too will become a sprouting groupie. Sprouts contains so much life force that you may feel bionic after consuming this salad.
MUNG SPROUT SALAD
2-3 cups mung sprouts
2 avocados, sliced
1 cucumber, diced
OPTIONAL: protein i.e. tuna, chicken, salmon, shellfish…
DRESSING: (to taste) salt, pepper, olive oil, cumin, paprika, either Balsamic Vinegar OR Apple Cider Vinegar OR lemon juice
Add everything together, stir, and eat. It’s fine to chill for an hour or so but will be soggy by the next day, so if you are stretching this out for a few meals, keep the dressing on the side…
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