favorite things - chickpeas

Chickpeas are high in protein, iron and fiber, low in fat, and can help lower cholesterol. They're also kind of cool looking and have a nice texture, but maybe the most amazing thing about chickpeas is that this giant 6 lb., 14 oz. can only cost $2.69!!!

Are they kidding? That's like the price of a Big Mac (I think)!

Hummus and falafel aside, there are so many things you can do with them...marinate and eat them in wraps or as a salad, substitute them for pollo, use them in place of meat in tacos, make "chicken" salad out of them. I'm never tired of them!

They should make chickpeas the secret ingredient on Iron Chef :)

headbands

Today, I followed these free instructions, and made three pretty headbands for less than $3!

I'm definitely making more of these :)

hummus

I used to have a Trader Joe's hummus addiction. At $4/tub, it was starting to add up, so I decided to crack the recipe at home.

After much trial...and much error, I came up with this recipe that I like much better than any prepared hummus I've tried.

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or a 15 oz can, undrained)
1/2 cup chickpea cooking liquid (skip this if using undrained canned chickpeas)
3 - 4 roasted garlic cloves
1 T tahini
1 t lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/2 t citric acid
1/4 t white pepper
3 T olive oil

Blend everything together in a food processor outfitted with a blade. I like my hummus very smooth, so I let it run while I'm cleaning up, scraping the sides part way through.

If you can, refrigerate it for at least a few hours before you serve it. This is delicious in veggie wraps, but I devour it on Stacy's Naked Pita Chips!!!

Tracking down the citric acid may be a scavenger hunt, but it's worth the effort. I ordered mine online. It turned out to be the "something" that was missing in all of the recipes I'd tried. It gives the hummus a tartness that you just can't get with lemon juice alone.

seed watch '09

I started these seedlings on March 1, and here they are this past Sunday, 3 weeks post-planting. I'm pleased to report a 100% germination rate!

I had some mold issues early on, but removing the covers during the day cleared it right up.

The plants get some sun from outside, but I'm supplementing with a 45 watt LED grow light 12 - 14 hours a day.

This weekend, I'll transplant the strongest seedlings to pots and start more. My last frost date is 2 months from today :)

rice and bean casserole

I often cook this dish on Sunday afternoons so we'll have lunches for the week. It's delicious, inexpensive, nutritious, and reheats well.

I buy dried black beans and pressure cook them a pound or two at a time, then freeze them in 1 1/2 cup servings.

2 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or one 15 oz can drained and rinsed)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz; if you like heat, use tomatoes with chilis)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup salsa
1 cup plain yogurt, strained (or use Greek style)
1 cup shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar or jack)
1 small onion chopped (yellow or red)

Mix everything together in a large bowl and transfer to a 2.5 quart casserole dish that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

If fat content doesn't concern you, sprinkle more cheese on top and cook another 10 minutes, or run it under the broiler until the cheese melts. I'm also pretty sure that sour cream would be delightful in place of the yogurt ;)

This is delicious as-is, but is also wonderful wrapped in a tortilla for a low fat burrito!

If you're familiar with Weight Watcher's Santa Fe Beans and Rice, you might see a similarity here. This recipe was inspired by those over-packaged, over-processed, overpriced frozen meals.

This whole casserole made with dried beans and homemade yogurt costs about the same as one Weight Watcher's meal!

flatbreads

Tonight's falafel was almost a fiasco! Shortly before serving the falafel, I realized I was out of pita bread. Ack!

The grocery store is right up the street, but I did not want to disrupt my blissful Sunday afternoon by having to go there. It's small store, like what used to pass as a "supermarket" in 1965. The aisles are too narrow, they're usually out of (or don't carry) what I need, and it always seems uncomfortably crowded.

So, to avoid going there, I opted to make flatbreads from scratch!

My rolling technique could use some work, but I like these flatbreads better than the pitas, and I think I'll use them for other types of sandwiches.

Whole Wheat Flatbread Wraps

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1/4 baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lukewarm water

Add everything except the water to the bowl of a food processor outfitted with a dough blade. Pulse a few times, until the mixture forms pea-size balls.

With the food processor running, slowly add the water and continue to run until the dough is smooth. Let it rest for 30 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish towel.

Knead the dough , and divide it into 4 balls. Roll them out on a floured surface as thin as possible and cook on an ungreased, preheated frying pan until a bubble forms, then flip and cook another minute or so.
These cost pennies to make, but their soft texture and irregular shape say gourmet!

I'm going to play with this recipe and see if I can cut back on the oil. I'm also going to try making them fajita size.

homemade pizza

I can't remember the last time I ordered a pizza. I can make my own for under $5 in about the same amount of time it would take me to call it in, pick it up, and bring it home.

Let's face it, the best places usually don't deliver!

When I'm dreaming up pizza topping combinations, I try to think of it as a meal on a crust. This approach takes pizza to a whole new level!

My homemade favorite is a Hawaiian BBQ chickenless pizza topped with:

Homemade BBQ Sauce
Pineapple
Trader Joe's "Chickenless" Strips
Sliced Green Onions
Cheddar or Monterey Jack Cheese

We're still working on perfecting the crust, but I will share my favorite homemade barbeque sauce recipe:

1 cup ketchup
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup honey
1 t liquid smoke
1/2 t salt
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t garlic powder

In a saucepan, whisk together all of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium/high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, or until it's as thick as you'd like.

This sauce it so good it almost makes me crave ribs ;-)

Did I mention it's HFCS free?

happy spring

Finally... gardening, driving with the top down, picnics, bike rides, line dried laundry, and leisurely evening walks are within reach!

Beauty in my front yard last April :)

powdered milk

Since we've switched to soymilk in cereal and coffee, it's been inconvenient to keep milk on hand for cooking. I either don't use it before it expires, or I end up short of what's needed for a recipe.

Powdered milk has turned out to be a perfect solution and it's one of my favorite frugal cooking secrets. I use it in recipes as a substitute for regular milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and buttermilk. I even make yogurt with it! (but that's a future post)

This 4 lb. box makes 80 cups of milk, and it only cost $8.99!
(that's less than 12 cents a cup!)

Most powdered milk packages give instructions for mixing a quart at a time, but it's possible to mix exactly what you need:

1/4 cup milk = 1/4 cup water + 1 1/2 T milk powder

1/3 cup milk = 1/3 cup water + 7 t milk powder

1/2 cup milk = 1/2 cup water + 3 T milk powder

1 cup milk = 1 cup water + 1/3 cup milk powder

In my experience, lukewarm water works best. I whisk the milk powder into the water until it dissolves. Then I let it sit a few minutes and whisk again before adding it to my recipe.

Buttermilk Substitute Using Powdered Milk
The proportion here is 1 T white vinegar to scant 1 cup reconstituted dry milk. I add 1 T vinegar to a measuring cup, then fill it to the 1 cup line with the reconstituted dry milk. Give it a stir, let it sit for a minute or two to sour.

Where I shop, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk costs over $1 per can. Here's how I make my own for a lot less:

Evaporated Milk Substitute Using Powdered Milk
Whisk 1 cup milk powder into 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water. This is the equivilant of a 12 oz. can of standard evaporated milk.

I use this in place of half and half. It's wonderful in quiches, soups, and creamy pasta dishes. Not only is it less expensive, but it's practically fat free!

Sweetened Condensed Milk Substitute Using Powdered Milk
I've done this on the stove, but a blender is much easier. Blend together 1/2 cup boiling water, 1 cup milk powder, 2/3 cup sugar, 3 T melted butter or margarine, and a few drops of vanilla until smooth.

This is the equivilant of a 12 oz. can of standard sweetened condensed milk.

With the price of milk being out of control, why pay a premium where it's not needed? I used to look down on powdered milk, but now it's one of my most cherished frugal cooking secrets. I hope you find it helpful in your cooking :)

solar panels

We recently had a 16 panel 2.74 kWh solar electric system installed on our south facing roof.

According to our pre-installation assessment, it's supposed to generate an average of about 40% of our power.

The system has been running since March 6, and I can't wait to see how it affects our electric bills!


The rack and panel installation took all day:



We're planning to add 1-2 more panels to the empty space on the upper right hand side of the roof for solar hot water. That would likely generate about 50% of our hot water.

We chose the Andalay Sytem from California based Akeena Solar because the panels sit closer to the roof and are more attractive than most other systems.

Once the panels were installed, the electricians installed an inverter and DC/AC disconnects, and connected the system our existing electrical panel.

This is the Sunny Boy solar inverter box, which is in our basement, that's me ceremoniously turning on the system ;)

The inverter box toggles through system info telling us how much CO2 we've saved, how much power we've generated, and lots of other geeky green info.



Here's a shot of the AC disconnect (left), which as you can see, is outside next to our electric meter (fascinating!!!)....

Now, the part you really care about...

The cost of the installed system was $21,400. We will receive a federal tax credit of $3,600 and a state rebate of about $9,300, making our out of pocket expense about $8,500.

Since we live in the second most expensive electric market in the country, I call it money well spent!

favorite things - home

My kitchen in the morning, it's the heart of our home...

Last week was too long and I'm so happy to be home!

hello from denmark

I'm still recovering from losing a night's sleep. It'll be awhile before I pay back that deficit.

So far, my week has been hotel, office, hotel, office, hotel, office...you get the idea. I did go out on Sunday in search of photo ops, but didn't come up with anything worth posting.

I'm starving at the moment. I've consumed nothing today, except a gallon or two of Danish black coffee. My diet so far this week has consisted of croissants, yogurt, pizza, french fries, lots of black coffee and a respectable amount of red wine ;-)

Rumor has it that tonight, I'm going to a Mexican restaurant, I hope the rumor is true. I also hope that someone else in my group magically learns how to drive a stick shift Peugeot so I don't have to. Fat chance of that happening.

Well, it is hump day and that usually fills me with a joy only rivaled by that which I feel on Fridays. This week, it just reminds me that I've got another 2 long, boring days in the land of clouds and herring, and another inhumanely long travel day ahead of me. *sigh*

caretaker of happiness

As I read Frugal Luxuries by Tracey McBride, I find that I share many of her ideas.

She writes in chapter 7:

You are the caretaker of your own happiness. As such, you must discover the positive pleasure in performing the tasks that enhance the essence of life itself:

• Collecting, preparing, and preserving foods
• Feeding an empty stomach with wholesome, tasty, nourishing fare
• Relaxing in a thoroughly cleaned home (preferably your own)
• Settling to sleep on sweet-smelling sheets that have been freshly laundered
• Awakening your senses via working in your vegetable or herb garden
• Learning an interesting, useful skill

All of these humble activities offer, to the person who has the presence of mind to enjoy them, a touchstone of reality. It is this touchstone that allows you to unmask false pleasures, such as vanity and expensive luxuries (all of which tend to enslave the spirit). The true pleasures, found in performing the ordinary tasks, awaken us to a sense of homecoming and allow us to recover ourselves, our distinctness, and our sense of worth.

This is exactly what I meant when I identified "domestic bliss" as one of my personal values. I've realized that cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening, etc. are only drudgery if I make them so.

I look forward to weekends not only because I don't have to commute 50 miles and spend 8+ hours at work, but because it's my time to live, create, and tend to the things that matter most.

With this post, I'm off to Denmark, and begin a painful week far away from these simple pleasures and all that's important to me. If events and time permit, I'll post from across the Atlantic. If not, I'll be back next Saturday, hopefully with photos and a story or two to share.

Frugal Luxuries is not a Tightwad Gazette type "how to" book. It's more for people who are already living simply and would like to do so with elegance, style, and grace. Think Amy Dacyczyn meets Martha Stewart.

falafel

I've been wanting to make falafel, but I thought it required advanced deep frying skills, which despite 2 undergrad years as a Wendy's employee, are not my forte. I was also a little on edge about all of that saturated fat.

But, I love falafel and I decided to tackle it anyway. In the process, I was pleasantly surprised to find this easy and healthy recipe on the crockpot365 blog.

I made this delicious falafel in the crockpot with just a drizzling of heart healthy olive oil! I served it in whole wheat pitas with lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce, with a side of greek salad.

Tzatziki Sauce

1 cup plain yogurt (strain homemade, or use Greek, like Fage)
1/4 cup peeled, chopped cucumber
1 T finely chopped onion
1/4 t salt
1 t dried dill
1/2 - 1 garlic clove, pressed

Whisk together ingredients and chill for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

Even though I pressure cooked my chickpeas (from dried) and made my yogurt from scratch, this was still a quick and delicious version of falafel, and something I'll make often.

Did I mention that these falafel sandwiches cost less for four servings than one 6" sub?

denmark

I'm leaving Saturday on a business trip to Denmark. I'll be gone for a week. This isn't as exciting as it sounds. I've lost count of how many times my company has sent me over. I suppose I could count up my passport stamps, but I'm not sure I want to know.

I find these trips desolate (not to mention at odds with my personal values). The 6 hour time difference makes me feel completely disconnected, and I don't like being a scary 45 minute propeller plane ride, a 2 hour layover, a 9 hour transatlantic flight, and 3 hours in a car away from everything that matters to me in life.

Everytime I leave on one of these trips, I worry that I won't make it back. I know that's a little irrational, but I really just want to come home, pay off the mortgage, and live a long and interesting life with my husband. If you're inclined, please pray or think positive thoughts for me in my travels. Thanks :)

bakery cookies

These cookies taste just like the ones I used to have as a child, they came from a small bakery in my Connecticut hometown. They're crumbly, and kind of taste like a salty sugar cookie. They're made with shortening (I used non-hydrogenated organic).

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable shortening
(I care about your heart, so please use non-hydrogenated)
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
scant 3 1/2 cups flour (I'll explain this later)
5 T cornstarch
1 1/4 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
pretty sprinkles

Using a stand mixer with a paddle blade on low speed, cream together the shortening and sugar. Add one egg and the vanilla, then beat on medium speed, until light and fluffy.

Combine the baking soda, flour, salt, and cornstarch in a separate bowl. To measure one cup of flour, add 2 T cornstarch to the bottom of a 1 cup measure, then fill the rest with flour. To measure a half cup of flour, add 1 T of cornstarch to the bottom of a 1/2 cup measure, then fill the rest with flour.

Set your stand mixer to stir, and mix the flour mixture into the shortening, etc. until combined.

Roll the dough into 2 logs, about 7-8 inches long (for smaller cookies, make them 10-12 inches long).

Beat together an egg and 1 T water. Brush it onto the outside of the logs and roll them in sprinkles. This will not take a lot of egg, so I usually make a coffee cake along with the cookies so as not to waste the egg ;-)

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

Unwrap the dough and cut it into 1/2" slices. If you refrigerated it for longer that 30 minutes, it may need to sit out for a bit before you can slice it without it crumbling.

Set the slices an inch and a half or so apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 - 15 minutes (shorter for smaller cookies), or until the middle has set.

Let them cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks.

greek salad

The number of food miles in this bowl is obscene, but I've been craving a Greek salad and it'll be almost 5 months before I can make one from my garden.

I used traditional feta here; I'm trying to perfect a tofu-based version.

Dressing
3/4 cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice
2 T red wine vinegar
3 t oregano (I used dried)
1 t basil (I used dried)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 t sugar
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 - 1/2 t black pepper

Salad
1/2 - 1 head romaine, washed & torn
2 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 cup black olives (or kalamata)
feta cheese

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, basil, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth and combined. Let it chill for a few hours, but preferably overnight.

Toss the vegetables, feta, with your desired amount of dressing in a large bowl.

This recipe makes enough dressing for 2-3 salads. I sometimes halve it, but generally like to have an excuse to eat it more than once ;)

OK, so I'm not going to win a frugal or green award for this one, but even out of season, the cost of making this salad myself was less than 1/2 of what I'd pay for one of comparable size at a local restaurant.

favorite things - nag champa incense

I've been burning Nag Champa in this little Buddha incense burner since 1993.

I'll never outgrow its earthy and exotic scent.

starting seeds

The last frost date is in sight! Actually, my last frost date isn't until May 26, so it's not really in sight, but the zone 5 planting calendar says I should get a move on.

This is my first year trying to start everything from seeds, so I'm using Bio Domes. Instead of worrying about getting the soil just right, I planted the seeds in these grow sponges. Then they'll hang out in little greenhouse-like things until they germinate.

I ordered most of my seeds from tinyseeds.com. They have a reasonably priced organic selection, and only sell non-GMO seeds. With them, there's no chance of unwittingly planting a Monsanto frankenfood garden :)

I seeded 120 plants, mostly veggies and herbs, and some stock, lavender, and marigolds.

Soon I'll begin the delicate dance of direct sowing outdoors. When exactly is "as soon as soil can be worked" and how do I know when the "soil temperature is warm"?

I set the bio domes on top of a heat mat, which is on top of a piece of insulation board. Once the seeds germinate (how's that for optimism?), I'll add a grow light.

How many plants will I get out of these two little trays? Stay tuned for a seed watch '09 update...