Hello Everyone!

In case you were not aware, I have been out of town on vacation in Northern Michigan: land of pristine lakes, sandy beaches, too many mosquitoes, and no Internet access. Vacation aside, some other events have prevented me from my regular cooking and posting schedule, including the heat (if I turn on my stove or oven, the apartment might literally burst into flames).

There are some behind-the-scenes updates going on, which eventually will be a website redesign. We are also trying to update the software used on the site, which hopefully will lead to a better discussion board and a photo gallery.

Currently, I am brainstorms new projects to use in the kitchen – and I am always looks for ideas! If you have a great idea, please post to the discussion board. I hope to have a new project ready to launch for August. Keep checking for more details!

— Jenn 

Above: Chicken Teriyak Stir-Fry (chicken pieces marinated in teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes, stir-fried with green onions, mushrooms, matchstick carrots and zucchini, served over hot egg noodles).  

A note to those of you with other blogs/websites:

If you like my amateur photos, great! If you like my recipes, even better! If you want to post my material on your blog or website, awesome! Please do so, but give proper credit and appropriate links to my site (if you don’t, I get a little cranky…taking those pictures is hard work!).

Also, if you are going to link to my site, you should understand the context of these recipes. I am not a professional chef, nor am I any kind of food expert, dietitian, nutritionist, or medical doctor. My recipes are here because they are what I like to cook, not because I believe I have the answers to magic weight loss or disease-curing recipes. Please, consult an expert (might I recommend WebMD?).

Please note: some recipes are adaptations of published recipes, and I have given appropriate credit where necessary.

No-bake Cookies: More Than 150 Fun, Easy & Delicious Recipes for Cookies, Bars, And Other Cool Treats Made Without BakingBy Camilla V Saulsbury. Here is where some of the best no-bake recipes come from. Other notable books from this author are Cake Mix Cookies, Brownie Bliss Magic, and Cookie Dough Delights. The spirit of these books is to make great desserts in little time without the frustration of temperamental baking. This book is where the infamous Toffee Coffee Cookies appear, as well as many other favorites.

Well, I had decided to keep Veganomics going. Partly because last week’s spending was out-of-control, but mostly I want to continue this little experiment because it is starting to change the way I think about my lifestyle. When you add up all the little tips and tricks, it starts to become a big difference. And, truth be told, I find the project interesting and enjoyable.

Above: Fresh basil spruces up leftovers with a bright, earthy flavor.

Due to the holiday weekend and some outside circumstances, I am not tallying up the dollar amounts spent this week. Some nights were spent at home, others were spent out or making food at James’ house, so I am not even sure which reciepts go with what and decided to make this week a wash. I am still going to post recipes and tips in the veganomics category, but may not continue to track everything so closely.

I did notice, however, when I went grocery shopping today that my perspective has changed. I am no longer throwing things in to the shopping cart, but going in to the store with a plan and giving careful consideration to my puchases. This project has also showed me the potential my pantry has to help create a delicious meal without breaking the budget.

In the meantime, I am brainstorming and soliciting ideas for the next food project…stay tuned for more information! 

Veganomics Lesson Nine: Stop food waste by utilizing leftovers.

Above: Leftover Zucchini Chowder gets new life by adding pasta.

What are leftovers? Leftovers fall into two categories:

(1) when you prepare a meal and there is still food left
(2) when you buy a certain item for a recipe but do not use it all (a can of tomato paste is a good example)

There are several strategies for putting leftovers to good use, the first being prevention (or portion control). Prevent leftovers by making only the amount of food that will be immediately consumed. This is especially effective with side dishes such as rice or noodles, where it is relatively easy to measure and prepare proper potion sizes.

Another strategies is to look for “cook once eat twice” recipes that are designed to create leftovers, then give you a second recipe in which to use those leftovers. This method also saves energy because the second recipe rarely calls for additional heating. Check out Love Food Hate Waste for “cook once eat twice” recipes.

Substitutions are another way to prevent leftovers by avoiding extra food purchases. Rather than purchase a vegetable or spice that you rarely cook with, find a suitable replacement from your own kitchen. Many cookbooks will list common substitutions or use an online substitution guide, such as this Common Substitutions Chart from Allrecipes.com.

Over the course of the Veganomics project, I have discovered most of my food waste is in the form of leftovers. Part of it is cooking recipes meant for 4-6 people when there are only two of us, but I am just as bad with restaurant or take-out leftovers. To help combat food waste, I have developed my own method for rescuing leftovers from the trash bin: salads, sandwiches, soups, and side dishes.

Salads: Leftover fruit, vegetables, and meat are great for tossing in salads. This was the inspiration behind Spinach & Quinoa Salad.

Sandwiches: Leftover meat, especially poultry, is great for making sandwiches (think Thanksgiving leftovers: see my post on Turkey all the time! ). Get creative and create “hot” sandwiches with warmed up vegetables and potatoes.

Soups: Turning sauteed vegetables and/or pasta dishes into soup is a great way to use leftovers. A dish like Stoplight Pasta is easily made into soup by adding chicken or vegetable stock. 

Side dishes: Create a side dish by adding pasta to creamy soups such as Broccoli Cheese or Zucchini Garden Chowder (made with cheese). Prepare 2-3 cups of pasta or rice, then add leftover soup and reheat. Add torn basil and fresh ground black pepper to enhance the flavors. Another option: strain out some of the liquid of a broth-based soup and add sauteed vegetables.

Homework: Get creative and turn leftovers into new dishes!

A couple weeks ago, I bought over a pound of chicken breasts for $1.97 marked down because it was almost the “sell by” date. I promptly brought them home and popped them in the freezer. To take advantage of this purchase, I adapted a stir-fry recipe from Sunset magazine. This recipe combines a few simple ingredients to make a quick and easy sauce that tastes pretty darn good.

I added some vegetables to the recipe and reduced the amount of fresh basil (3 cups of basil leaves seems a little excessive to me). To round out the meal, I made some Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice. Despite the exotic sounding name, a bag of rice typically is $1.19 and usually I will take advantage of a 2 for 1 deal.

Above: Stir-fried chicken with snap peas served over saffron yellow rice.

Basil Chicken Stir-Fry
adapted from Sunset magazine

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp soy sauce
4-5 springs of fresh basil leaves, torn
1/2 lb sugar snap peas (or vegetable of your choice)

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into strips about 1/2 inch thick and 2 to 3 inches long. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken pieces and cook 3-4 minutes until just about cooked through and no longer pink.

Whisk together stock, cornstarch, and soy sauce. Pour into skillet and toss with chicken. Bring liquid to a simmer, reduce heat, and pour sugar snap peas over top. Cover skillet and allow peas to “steam” for 2-3 minutes.

Stir in basil until all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and serve, over rice or noodles if preferred.

Above: All gone!

Economically Friendly: Get a good deal by purcahsing meat close to the sell by date and putting in the freezer as soon as you bring it home. Substitute any seasonal vegetable to save money, and the rest of the ingredients are pretty standard staples of the kitchen. I buy bouillon cubes for around a dollar so I can make a simple cup of broth without wasting an entire can. It is much more cost effective and tastes the same as far as I could tell. I did purchase extra basil for this recipe, otherwise I would have picked my basil plant clean.

Environmentally Friendly: Use seasonal, local produce (organic if possible). The basil I purchased was both local and organic from a nearby farm that sells products at the grocery store. This recipe makes a good size meal, but not a huge amount to where food would go to waste.

Excellently Healthy: Nothing to complain about here: chicken breast, vegetables, and natural flavor from garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Keep rice or noodle portions in check and this is a pretty healthy meal.