Meet Your New Friends: Legumes

photo: all over

Lately I've become quite the lazy cook. After years of preparing dinner, I just don't want to wash a sink full of pots and pans on a daily basis. Most of the people I know prewash greasy pans by hand before loading them into a dishwasher. I do the same when I have access to a dishwasher. In Manhattan I don't wish to lose a cupboard to install a dishwasher. Also I have a big sink so if I start a prewash, I might as well finish the job with an extra wash and multiple raises.

 

Lately Legumes have become my easy-peasy dinner staples. Into the CrockPot they go. I've started to toss in brown rice and mixed vegetables for a complete dinner. A stock pot on a stovetop works equally as well. You just can't forget about the latter!

Although rice combined with legumes (beans, split peas or lentils) form a complete protein, meat eaters can top the chunky-stew-like-soups with diced smoked ham or smoked turkey. A side of whole grain crackers or crusty bread can complete the meal. Texture is as important as spices in dishes to make food more satisfying. A few sides or condiments of choice are the way to go!

According to Healthline, here are 9 Healthy Legumes to Eat - Be sure to click on the link to read the full nutritional value of each legume. You'll learn that legumes are good sources, not only of protein, but fiber and minerals too. What's more, I'll link you to recipes in how I often eat each legume.

1) Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans - 269 calories per cup with 14.5 grams of protein. I don't make this one homemade but buy it: hummus. When I can't make a dish better or cheaper than readymade, I buy it.

2) Lentils - 230 calories per cup and 17.9 grams of protein. 

Lentil soup recipe here. An alternate recipe is: 16 oz dried lentils, 1o cups water, 4 large chicken bouillon cubes, 1 cup brown rice, 12 oz mixed vegetables, chopped celery, and chopped onion. Spice to taste - garlic, smoked paprika, bay leaf, soy sauce, etc. 

3) Peas - 134 calories per cup with 8.58 grams of protein. Split pea soup. You can also make split peas using the hearty lentil soup recipe in #2. It's as delicious yet creamier.

4)  Kidney beans - 225 calories per cup with 15.3 grams of protein. I like to use kidney beans in chili. 

5) Black beans - 227 calories per cup with 15.2 grams of protein. Here is a no name salad I make. Feel free to name it.:)

6) Soybeans - 298 calories per cup with 31.3 grams of protein. For soybeans, I buy tofu to add to miso soup or another meatless dish. Tofu has no flavor of it's own which makes it versatile.

7) Pinto beans - 245 calories per cup with 15.4 grams of protein. I like pinto beans, but frankly use beans interchangeably: kidney, pink, pinto, roman, or navy. My Mother's bean soup was always navy bean soup, but I'm not faithful to one bean.:) Whatever's in my cupboard goes into the pot. Bean soup. Pasta e Fagioli.

8) Navy beans - 255 calories per cup with 15 grams of protein.

9) Peanuts - 414 calories per cup with 18.9 grams of protein. Sometimes we do eat peanuts as a snack, but more often in the form of peanut butter. Here's how I make peanut sesame noodles, a popular quick dinner in my home.

Additionally, I toss lima beans into beef stew, and I like butter beans. My mom didn't make butter beans for dinner. Country people did. Good with potatoes or cornbread! Cornbread and butter beans are a complete protein. 

Take it from me -- a lazy cook need not turn into an unhealthy cook. Legumes are packed with nutrients and are relatively inexpensive. Add some to your diet with the guaranteed approval of both your doctor and your wallet.

 If you, too, are sometimes a lazy cook, save the meat as a topper for your soup: The payoffs: 1) You won't have to wash a greasy pot; 2) you can serve vegetarians and carnivores from the same batch; 3) leftover meatless dishes have a longer refrigerator life. Of course you can also freeze your leftovers. 4) I like to buy smoked deli ham or turkey to top soups and you save the flavors which don't disperse into your batch of soup.

In the USA our recent tariffs --  extra taxes on all consumer goods -- are driving up the cost of food and everything else not made in the USA. Retailers must now pay an extra tax (or tariff) when goods enter the country then they pass the tax onto customers in the form of higher prices. What? You think merchants are going to absorb extra taxes? Often small businesses can't afford to and will close if customers won't pay more either. Small businesses don't have the capital (or time it takes) to build factories to make the cheaper goods we get from China or Southeast Asia. Moreover the USA doesn't have the climate to grow certain food like bananas or coffee, or cocoa beans (chocolate) -- the reason we import them. Trade is what makes the USA prosperous, and consumers are great at setting prices. It's the cost we are willing to pay at the supermarket or elsewhere.

So my dear peeps, hang in there, and bon appetite on the cheap!😉😋😂

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I Love My New Bowl Cozy

Despite her busy life, my friend and schoolmate, Teresa, sews Bowl Cozies in her spare time. Recently a group of us classmates had a fun Saturday lunch chatting and catching up in her beautiful home. When we were leaving to return to our homes, she gave us one of her Bowl Cozies. Perhaps I'm the last person on earth who didn't know of their existence, but instantly I fall in love with them! They are so darn cute and useful. In addition to preventing burns while carrying a hot bowl of soup, the cozy keeps the soup warm for a longer period of time. When not in use, bowl cozies look super adorable sitting on your kitchen counter. Your house, co-op, or apartment becomes a home!

In life there are always new things for me to discover, but the knowledge that my friend, Teresa, is a women with many talents and a warm heart, is not one of them! The old saying, "If you want something done, ask a busy person," applies to her.

Our school must have done many things right. My schoolmates are a cool bunch of women. You feel proud to know them!😍😎

🥕🥕🥕My Impromptu Crock-Pot Soup🧅🧅🧅

Ingredients: 

frozen butternut squash, 10 oz 

frozen mixed vegetables, 12 oz

1 large onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 can pinto beans (Use any bean.)

7 cups water

2 large chicken-tomato bouillon cubes (Use any bouillon flavor or stock. If you use bouillon cubes, no need to add salt.)

1 teaspoon dried garlic
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf
1/4 cup of organic cider vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
a sprinkle Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cups of brown rice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

This is a forgiving soup, use vegetables and the starch of your choice. Feel free to make the soup with whatever you happen to have, fresh, frozen or leftover. Spice as you like it, and the soup cooks as well on a stovetop.

Directions:

1) Toss everything but the brown rice into a Crockpot and let cook on high for 4 - 5 hours.

2) Add the brown rice and cook for another 2- 3 hours. Although I didn't time it, avoid over cooked rice by tossing it in later. I also thought about diced raw potatoes, but went with the rice. Less work! :)

3) After the green beans, celery and rice are tender, dip some of the liquid out into a cup, let it cool, and mix it with 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour to add back into the Crockpot and cook for a final hour.

After thickening, it is ready to eat. You can top the soup with diced smoked ham if you wish. Brown rice with beans are a complete protein if you decide to eat lighter by skipping the meat.

 Bon appètit!

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How Many Grams Of Protein Should You Eat?

Photo: iStock free images

Since childhood, we've been told proteins are the main building blocks of the body. Every body part you can think of from muscles and organs to skin, nails, enzymes, and hormones is made of protein. And, what makes up protein? Smaller molecules called amino acids that link up to form chains. These chains of proteins link into longer chains to fold into complex shapes forming organs, muscles, hair, etc. (Source: Healthline.)

According to Healthlne, the best sources of protein are meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, quinoa, legumes, and nuts.

Aminal sources of protein are complete proteins as they contain all 20 amino acids. Many plant sources like legumes have some, but not all 20 amino acids and need to be combined with whole grains (or a glass of milk) thereby also becoming excellent sources of complete proteins. Bean soup with cornbread, peanut butter on slices of whole grain bread, and hummus on pita bread are tasty combinations forming complete proteins. 

So how many grams of protein do people need to eat each day to stay healthy? Well sources differ on the amounts, but a general consensus seems to be to get at least .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight; therefore a 130 pound woman would need about 46 grams of protein, while a 160 pound man would need about 57 grams of protein per day. Another recommendation is to eat 3 meals a day with each meal consisting of 30% - 35% of your daily protein requirements.

Doctors also note: A high protein diet can help dieters by decreasing their hunger and thus food intake and calories per day. Older people may benefit by eating as much as 50% more than the recommended daily grams for an average man or woman. Pregnant women and people recovering from injuries also seem to need more protein than the average person.

Although it was once speculated that too much protein could damage one's kidneys, this notion was never supported by science, and the benefits of consuming more protein far outweigh any feared harm.

When it comes to selecting foods to eat to meet your daily protein needs, follow your tastes and preferences and mix it up. Variety is the spice of life, and by rotating food you'll likely consume all the nutrients your body needs.

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Pasta e Fagioli

Photo: From America's Test Kitchen - not their recipe below, but it's what the soup resembled in the Time Inc cafeteria. It wasn't as tomato red as I sometimes see it elsewhere.

Years ago I discovered delicious Pasta e Fagioli at work in Time, Inc's cafeteria. I'd love to make it at home but never had a sure-fire recipe. Time's Pasta e Fagioli seemed to have bits of ham or Italian sausage in it, definitely not the ground beef used by a few cooks and closer to bean soup than tomato soup. Although I can't procure the exact recipe, I remember the taste and texture to this day. The following recipe comes close enough for now:

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

1 lb of spicy Italian sausage or Italian bacon (Ham or hot dogs work also, then spice to taste. Drop in a few red pepper flakes. Add some green Italian seasonings.)

2 medium onions, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

4 carrots, diced

1 garlic bulb, minced (or 2 teaspoons of dried garlic)

4 cups water

2 large chicken bouillon cubes (which contain salt, so don't add more until you taste it before serving.)

2-15-ounce cans of Northern white beans (Feel free to use pinto or pink beans, etc., if it's in the panty. It will taste good). 

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

2 cups macaroni (or similar smallish pasta)

Sprinkles of grated Parmesan cheese - Add a sprinkle when cooking the soup, then garnish with the cheese before serving the soup.

Optional: Olive olive if you need it to grill the meat and vegetables  (see step 1 below).

Directions:

1) In a stockpot, brown the sausage, bacon, (or ham, or hotdogs) as it brings out the flavor. Toss in the onions, celery, and carrots as the sausage is browning. Towards the end, add the fresh garlic if using it. 

2) Next add the water and chicken bouillon cubes. (You can substitute chicken stock and salt to taste if you wish. I rarely buy chicken stock, so use water and bouillon.)

3) Mash one can of beans only. Add both cans of beans and diced tomatoes into the pot.

4). Follow with the dried spices.

5) Finally add your pasta and bring to a boil for about 12 minutes until the noodles are al dante.

My leftovers for the week.

Don't forget to garnish with extra shakes of parmesan cheese. This soup is a balanced meal with your meat, vegetables, and starch in a delicious sauce. I was always delighted to go down to the cafe to see it on the day's menu. Buon Appetitio!

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Hearty Potato Soup

I used skim milk for this. Tasty, but next time I'll have cream on hand. Even better!

So, you are looking at my 1st attempt at potato soup. My mother made beef vegetable, chicken noodle, pea, lentil, and bean soup. Never potato soup. We only used potatoes as a side dish, not as the main ingredient of a soup. But recently, I tossed diced potatoes and ingredients into a pot and voilà! It got so many likes on Facebook, I decided to post it here on the blog, so I remember how to make it again. The next time, I will make it even creamier:

Potato Soup

Ingredients

4 medium potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
About 6 strips of bacon, fried in a pan
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large chicken bouillon cube (or you can use chicken stock and salt to taste)
Dried spices to taste - black pepper, garlic, rosemary, cilantro, Herbs de Provence, nutmeg, whatever you like. (If you use a chicken bouillon cube, remember to omit the salt.)
2 cups milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup cream)

Optional: Shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1) Toss several strips of bacon into a chef skillet (so you won't have to clean 2 pans). One-pan cooking rocks!🙂 Set the bacon aside.

2) Sautè the diced potatoes and onion in the bacon grease for 5 minutes or so, then drain the grease. (If too much grease to began with, pour some of it out first. You don't need much to grill the potatoes and onion.)

3) Next add the celery, carrots, milk (plus cream if you decide

to use it), chicken bouillon (or stock) and spices. 

You do need a fat (either bacon grease, or a couple of tablespoons of butter) to prevent the milk from cruddling while cooking. Therefore if you use skim milk and no bacon grease, 1st make a simple roux with butter and all-purpose flour in the pan, then add your soup ingredients.

4) Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook on medium-low until the potatoes, carrots and celery are tender. It's all you have to do.

But, if the soup is not thick enough for you, thicken it by taking 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour dissolved into a little water and carefully add it to the soup. (To prevent lumps add a little hot soup to the mixture before dropping it into the pot.) Cook the soup for 5 minutes longer to thicken. (I didn't need to do this -- but it's an extra step I take if a soup, stew or gravy needs more thickening.)

5) After you put the potato soup into bowls, top with crumbled crispy bacon (and shredded cheddar cheese) if you wish. I tend not to put the cheese and bacon into the soup during the cooking stage because they dissolve and you can't taste them as well. (Plus you then need more of these calorie-rich treats for your dish. A garnish gives you the taste without the higher calories.) Better to enjoy cheese and bacon (so easy to do!😍) in moderation. 

The soup is on. Bon Appètit!


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Summer Skillet Cornbread

Photo: Serious Eats - Vicky Wasik

Food is a serious topic on THE SAVVY SHOPPER because as my Mama says, "We have to eat every day!" Hence, food is a huge part of everyone's budget, not to mention everyone's time and a source of entertainment and staying healthy. We all gotta eat! 

Tonight I made skillet cornbread. It is so moist and delicious, I will share the recipe so that I, too, can return here to make it again over the summer. Eat it with anything you like, soup, chili, fried chicken or pork chops. Southerners snack on cornbread washed down with a glass of buttermilk.

Summer Skillet Cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup whole corn (can, fresh or frozen)
1 cup corn meal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 large eggs
Up to 1 cup buttermilk ( I add a little bit more if the batter seems dry.)

2 tablespoons of butter
Butter to coat the pan

Optional: spices
1 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or 2 diced jalapeño peppers).
a sprinkle of parsley

Please note: Sugar does not belong in cornbread. If you're used to it, you may add a teaspoon.

Directions:

1) In a mixing bowl, add the above ingredients in order and incorporate with a fork. (If I don't have company, I reduce the butter in the batter. The other ingredients make the cornbread delicious without butter, and I generously coat the pan with butter for a butter taste.

2) Pour the batter into a well oiled, heated 10-inch skillet. After the pan is hot, I lower the heat, cover the skillet with a lid and let the cornbread cook on low until one side is brown (and the top solidifies from the steam). The cornbread rises in the hot pan. 

3) When the top is no longer runny, take a spatula to flip the cornbread over to brown the 2nd side. Skillet cooking is faster and ideal on a hot day when you don't wish to turn on the oven.

💙Alternatively, you can simply pour the cornbread batter into a baking dish to bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 35 - 40  minutes. (Some bakers like to toss butter into the skillet and heat it in the oven for 5 minutes, pull it out and then pour in the batter to bake. This will give the cornbread a lovely brown crust.)💚

After he cornbread is golden brown on both sides, remove from the skillet and slice. Eat hot. Tonight I paired it with smoked Virginia ham, vegetables and a salad.

I bought my cast iron skillet for cornbread and biscuits. 

Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to feed a crowd. If so, you probably need to bake it in the oven. More difficult to flip, plus you'd need the MOTHER of HUGE frying pans!


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10 Tastes Of Autumn

Photo by Bernadette Durham in The New York Times

Continuing on the subject of Autumn: Wow ... isn't the above photo, which recently appeared in the New York Times gorgeous? According to the paper, it was taken in Bedford, New York by Bernadette Durham. It makes me want to take a walk in the park.

Once Autumn arrives I can't get enough of certain foods. They scream HARVEST TIME ... THE FALL SEASON is upon us. Get your appetites ready for:

1) apples - My favorite apple variety is probably the tangy McIntosh. I also love a sour Granny Smith, or Empire, or Cortland ... there's no good reason not to mix it up!

2) butternut squash - So simple to cook too: Slit a few holes in the squash with a knife, then microwave until tender - about 8-10 minutes.

3) sweet potatoes - Either oven bake wrapped in foil (about 30 minutes at 350 degrees F), or microwave, rolled in a paper towel (about 8 minutes) until tender. At one time, I thought oven baked potatoes ruled, but I've gotten used to microwaved "baked" potatoes too.

4) pears - Softer than a crisp apple, but plump, sweet, juicy and scrumptious!

5) popcorn - A bowl of popcorn is so munchable!

6) peanut butter cookies - 3 ingredients: Mix 2 cups peanut butter; 2 eggs; 1 cup sugar in a bowl. Form the cookies, score the tops with a fork; bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 12-15 minutes. Easy!

7) cabbage - savory, boiled and eaten with white potatoes; or made into kimchi, the spicy, pickled, national dish of Korea; or prepared as cabbage-tofu soup. Voilà! One head of cabbage, 3 ways to eat it.

8) soups: pea, bean, lentil, egg thread, vegetable beef or miso. Soups are warm and soothing after strong winds blow you to pieces.

9) cornbread - Several years ago, I bought a 10 inch cast iron skillet just to make pans of cornbread, but the skillet is versatile for most baking and stove top cooking. Meatloaf bakes golden brown in a cast iron skillet. Mmm, follow up with gravy.

10) real apple cider -- As an adult, I discovered alcoholic apple cider in a neighborhood British pub. Up until then, I only drank an apple-juice-like-apple-cider. I didn't know what I was missing. Real apple cider is very refreshing! 

Ten tastes that ... well, um ... taste amazing at this time of year! Simple, inexpensive and healthy too. What would you add to this list?

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Czechoslovakian Cookies

Photo: © Barbara Rolek on About.com, Inc.

Years ago my Mom clipped this recipe out of the newpaper, and thereafter made them for Christmas and special occasions. We have no idea how they got their name, but everyone seems to love them. It's a luscious dessert for a dinner party or afternoon tea. Easy to make too!

Czechoslovakian Cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, soften (= 1 cup)
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks (Unless I'm also making coconut macaroons, I just use one whole egg.)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopper walnuts (or pecans)
1/2 cup strawberry preserves

Directions:

1) Add and mix the first four ingredients (one at a time) in a large bowl using an electric mixer until a dough forms.
2) Fold in the nuts.
3) Spread half the batter evenly into the bottom of a greased 8 inch square cake pan.
4) Spoon the strawberry preserves on top, avoiding the edges.
5) Top with the remaining batter, covering the preserves.
6) Slide the pan into a preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour or until lightly brown.

Take out of the oven. Allow to cool before cutting into 2 inch squares to serve. I like to sprinkle the top with confectionery sugar.

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My Best Bean Soup

Photo: FineArtAmerica

As temperatures fall, do you eat more soup? I certainly do ... and as mentioned, I don't buy canned soups anymore. Homemade soup tastes much better. It's chunkier and you know exactly what's in it. Plus, you can freeze leftovers in 16 ounce containers for quick lunches, or dinners. Simply pop a single serving into the microwave.

Recently I made the best bean soup ever! Although I used pintos, other beans will do. Mix it up each time you make a batch. Use navy, pink, pinto, or whatever bean you like. Also, the ingredients can change slightly, depending on what's in your refrigerator and cupboard. Sometimes I'll throw in carrots or ham, but this time it was vegetarian. If you don't have the Cajun seasoning (click below for recipe) I put in my soup, then season to taste with black pepper and the spices you like. 

Here is my tasty recipe:

Pinto Bean Soup

Ingredients:
16 ounces dried beans
(Soak overnight in water according to the package.)
8 cups water
2 large (or 4 small bouillon cubes)
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
spices to taste: I use --
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried celery
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
a dash of nutmeg
a dash of dried rosemary
a dash of dried thyme
12 turns of the black pepper mill

optional: 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 cups ham, sausage or hot dogs, sliced (or leave it vegetarian)

Directions:
1. Throw all the above ingredients into a big pot. 
2. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat.
3. Cover with a lid and simmer for 2 - 3 hours. How easy, breezy!

I often make corn bread to eat with bean soup. However, last night I served my pinto bean soup with Virginia ham sandwiches on hearty whole grain bread and a mixed green salad.

Another quick pairing is Cheesy Garlic Toast: Lightly butter slices of whole grain bread. Sprinkle with dried garlic, onion powder and parsley, then top with a generous amount of shredded, sharp cheddar cheese. Place on a cookie sheet: Bake in the oven at 350 degree F for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread is crispy and the cheese melted. If you have a whole loaf of unsliced bread, you can slice it in two ... lengthwise to get 2 long halves. Put the toppings on each of the loaf halves. Bake it on a cookie sheet until the bread is golden brown and the cheese bubbles (about 20-30 minutes), then cut the loaf halves into single portions. Either way works. Serve with your delicious soup. 

Bon Appetit!

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