Everyday Food magazine, one of my favorite publications, recently ran an article on 5 ingredient dishes designed to reduce stress and grocery bills. The recipe was fairly simple, so rather than follow the exact recipe I improvised with some of the ingredients.

The main idea here is to use what you have on hand (mushrooms and pears, for example). The recipe called for fresh thyme, but rosemary is what I had. Improvisation!

Pork Tenderloin with Mushrooms and Pears
adapted from Everyday Food

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 lb
2 Bartlett pears, ripe but still firm
16 oz whole mushrooms
1 small onion, diced
3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, minced 
olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over the prepared sheet.

In a large skillet, heat about 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onions and garlic with a pinch of salt, saute until onions are tender and translucent. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Rub tenderloin generously with sea salt and sprinkle with fresh ground black pepper. Drizzle additional oil into the skillet and sear the tenderloin 3-4 minutes on each side.

Placed seared tenderloin on the prepared sheet and arrange mushrooms around the tenderloin. Layer onion mixture over the pork and mushrooms. Place rosemary sprigs on top of tenderloin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until mushrooms are near done and tenderloin is almost cooked through.

Meanwhile, halve the pears and use a spoon or melon baller to remove the core and stem. Cut pears into slices and sprinkle slightly with black pepper.

Remove tenderloin and arrange pear slices around the pan. Return pan to oven and cook an additional 7-10 minutes until pears are warmed and pork is cooked through.

Once pork is done cooking, place on a plate and allow to set 5-10 minutes. Slice tenderloin, then add mushrooms and pears around the pork slices. Pour onions and any juices over top of the plate and serve.

After the tenderloin is sliced, I like to take some of the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and crumble in my fingers, then sprinkle over the pork slices. The sprigs could also be used as garnish.
 

Looking for cheap meal ideas? Wise Bread has the answer! One of my favorite sites, Wise Bread has an awesome archive packed full of frugal ideas for house and home. It is a treasure chest of goodies for those looking to save money and possibly help save the planet. Most of the articles have a green twist for those of us wanting environmentally friendly options for cooking, cleaning, and living.

Check out Lentil Love: How to Sex Up a Simple Staple and Save, loaded with recipes centered around the humble lentil. The author includes links to recipes for dips, soups, salads, and even lentil bread in a variety of ethnic cuisines such as Moroccan, Ethiopian, South African, German, and Mediterranean.

Once you’ve had your fill of lentils, hop over to Cooking with Cabbage: Ten Cheap Meal Ideas. This article includes ideas for slaws, soups, and Chinese favorites low mein and egg rolls. Also check out the author’s Survival Mode Produce List, which includes (what else?) cabbage.

Still hungry for more? Look up 8 Meatless Dishes for Meat-n-Taters Lovers, great recipes for those who favor meat and potato meals but are looking to expand their palates and shrink their grocery bills.

While there may be temptation to revert to Ramon noodles during these tough economic times, those inexpensive bricks of noodles are a nutritional landmine. Loaded with sodium, empty calories, and not much more, you really do get what you paid for at 5 for $1.

Instead, try this Econofest alternative: seek out sales on pasta (whole wheat, if possible) and jarred sauces. With a few adjustments, you can elevate a pasta dinner from just okay to pretty darn tasty.

The most important element is proper preparation. Here is a step-by-step process for making perfect pasta:

Start out with a large pot of cool water. Use more water than you think is necessary, this will prevent the pasta from becoming gummy.

Bring the water to a full, rolling boil and keep the heat high enough so the boil won’t die out completely when you add the pasta.

Add a generous amount of sea salt for flavor. Start with 1-2 tsp for half a box and 1 tbsp for a full box, adjusting the amount each time you cook pasta until you find the proportion that tastes best to you.

Cook pasta in boiling water until tender but still firm to the bite. Test the pasta at 6 minutes, if not fully cooked test again at 8 minutes. Continue in 1 minute intervals as necessary until pasta is no longer hard. The pasta will continue to cook slightly even after you remove from heat.  

Drain pasta completely and toss with 1-2 tbsp of olive oil to keep the noodles moist and prevent them from sticking together.

While waiting for the pasta water to boil, warm the sauce slowly over low heat. Stirring occasionally, heat until the sauce just begins to bubble. Be careful not to over cook, it will burn to the bottom of the pan!

Look for sauces with meat, mushrooms, garlic, and other goodies to add flavor. Many brands now offer Alfredo, Vodka, and Cheese sauces as well. Find a good sale and stock up. Mix and match sauces with different pasta shapes. All pasta may have the same flavor, but different shapes hold sauces in different ways and add a different “body” to the meal.  

Sprinkle your pasta combinations with some high quality Parmesan cheese or Italian cheese blend (not anything that resembles freeze-dried powder, please). Mozzarella, Asiago, and Fontina are all good choices.

Another option: buy cans of tomato sauce and add your own extras. Try fresh chopped basil, sautéed onions and garlic, sliced mushrooms, diced tomatoes and peppers, or even add some browned ground beef or sausage.  

To complete the meal, add something colorful to the plate: fresh steamed broccoli, sautéed zucchini or squash, baked sweet potatoes, sugar snap peas or green beans.

As part of Econofest, I am going to analyze news stories and offer solutions in the form of recipes, shopping strategies, and other thrifty household tips.  

Back in September, when the stock market fell 700+ points in a few brief hours, the only stock on the S&P 500 that didn’t fall was Campbell’s (see WalletPop for details).

If you are pinching pennies to make it through the economic crisis, Campbell’s is ready to provide some soothing comfort on a cold day. Kool-Aid, Kraft Dinner, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Campbell’s Soup all made the list of “must haves” to help stretch food dollars.

Campbell’s Soup is also generous enough to post hundreds of recipes online along with Swanson Broth and other brand products. Check out Campbell’s Kitchen for quick and easy meal ideas. Most just require a few pantry staples and a can of Campbell’s soup!

My favorite “quick fix” from Campbell’s is an easy Alfredo-style sauce for pasta:

Campbell’s Easy Alfredo Sauce

1 can condensed Cream of Mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1/2 Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and warm gently over low heat. Do not boil. Can be made with low-sodium soup or try Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic. Cream of Mushroom and Chicken will also make a great tasting sauce. Spoon sauce over pasta for a quick and easy bowl of comfort food.

Another great recipe from the Jenn archives using condensed soup:

Creamy Cheese & Rice

2 cups cooked rice
1 cup milk
1 can condensed broccoli cheese soup
1/2 cup shredded cheese, plus more to top
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp paprika
fresh ground black pepper

Prepare rice according to package directions. Combine cooked rice, milk, soup, cheese, onion salt and paprika in a saucepan. Stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until cheese has melted and mixture reaches desired consistency. Top with fresh ground black pepper and additional shredded or crumbled cheddar cheese.

As I’ve already stated, this entire stock market/economic situation is becoming little more than a combination of fear mongering and unnecessary panic fueled by the media and political pundits. But even if we ignore the outrageous “news” coverage reporting the inevitable collapse of the worldwide economic system, it doesn’t mean we are not in crisis that will put a crunch on household budgets. Rising prices on everyday commodities like food and gas has put a strain on practically everyone, with little glimmer of relief in sight.

Above: Feeling like Mother Hubbard? Let me help you keep your cupboards from going bare.

Rather than succumb to the mass hysteria, I propose a little perspective and preparation to survive in this purported economic meltdown. Is now a good time to stock up on canned goods? Absolutely. Should you start hording cases of bottled water, dried beans, and toilet paper in your basement? Probably not.

During my Veganomics project, I shared some money-saving strategies to cut down the cost of food. Now, I am going to revisit and revamp some of those techniques, along with sharing some new information I have dug up from across the online universe. I will also be providing updates on the market situation as it relates to food preparation and grocery shopping, as well as highlighting interesting commentary and articles available on the subject.

This new project, dubbed Econofest, will be a combination of news and notes along with simple recipes and food ideas. My hope is to lend some stability to this crazy world and avoid turning my kitchen into a vast wasteland. So please, join me on this journey as I scour the Internet for the best advice, tips, and tricks for surviving in this supposed economic meltdown.

Above: It isn’t all coming up roses, but it isn’t all bad either.