The Frugal Foodie Cookbook (19 page)

W
hen Alanna’s best childhood friend came home from winter break during her postgraduate year in Japan, she brought this recipe with her. It’s just sweet enough and has the perfect amount of spice and salt. While Japanese eggplants work well, we use whatever we can find inexpensively at the farmer’s market or grocery store.

2 eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1½" thick slices

3 tablespoons peanut butter

1½ tablespoons soy sauce

1½ tablespoons sake or dry white wine

½ tablespoon sugar

teaspoon chili powder

Steam eggplant slices in microwave 2–3 minutes, or over small amount of boiling water. When tender, quickly rinse under cold water to prevent discoloration. In small saucepan, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, sake or wine, sugar, and chili powder. Simmer on medium heat 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth. Spoon sauce over eggplant slices and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Veggies over Rice

price
$18
servings
6
price per serving
$3

W
hen we crave the flavors of Chinese food, we’ll whip up this mock-Chinese dish. It contains all of the flavors with none of the fat—just steamed vegetables in a syrupy sweet and sour sauce over perfectly cooked white rice.

½ head napa cabbage, cut into 2" pieces

3 carrots, sliced

2 cups snow peas

2 cups shitake mushrooms, sliced

1 head broccoli, cut into 2" pieces

6 eggs

2 cups rice, cooked according to package directions

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¼ cup sweet and sour sauce

1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce

2 green onions, sliced

1 cup bean sprouts

In a large pot, steam cabbage, carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, and broccoli 6–8 minutes, until vegetables are tender. In a skillet, fry each egg over easy and set aside. Divide rice into bowls; spoon vegetables over rice and top with fried egg. Mix together soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, and Sriracha sauce in small bowl; spoon sauce over rice and vegetables. Top with green onions and bean sprouts. Serve warm.

White Pizza with Spinach and Artichoke Hearts

price
$16
servings
4
price per serving
$4

T
his pizza is our attempt to recreate Alanna’s favorite pizza from a pizzeria in her hometown. If you don’t want to buy roasted artichoke hearts, you can steam and roast your own.

2 medium Homemade Pizza Crusts

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded

9 ounces spinach, steamed and chopped

1 tomato, thinly sliced

1 jar roasted artichoke hearts, drained and sliced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500°F. On flour-dusted baking sheet or heated pizza stone, roll out pizza dough to desired thickness. Brush dough with olive oil. Cover crust with mozzarella, spinach, tomato, and artichokes. Sprinkle with oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bake 10–15 minutes. Serve hot.

PART II: BIG DISHES

SiDE DiSHES

Asian Green Bean Salad

price
$12
servings
4
price per serving
$3

T
his is a recipe that Alanna invented on the spot for a picnic, and it quickly entered the regular rotation of recipes. The tartness of the tomatoes cuts the sweetness of the sauce, and you can throw in other vegetables like cucumbers or peppers as well.

1 pound string beans, trimmed and steamed

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

½ cup peanut butter

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup hot water

2 tablespoons honey

In large bowl, combine string beans and cherry tomatoes. In small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, soy sauce, hot water, and honey. Toss vegetables with dressing until coated.

Toasted Coconut Rice

price
$6
servings
4
price per serving
$1.50

T
his recipe produces amazing results for almost no effort, and it’s a great way to get the flavor of coconut rice without the weight of coconut milk or butter. We serve it as a side to numerous main courses, and always head back to the refrigerator to pick at leftovers for a late-night snack.

2 cups white basmati rice

2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

3 tablespoons ginger, grated

½ teaspoon lemongrass, dried

Cook rice according to package instructions. Gently toss in coconut, ginger, and lemongrass. Serve hot.

Baked Yucca Fries

price
$6
servings
4
price per serving
$1.50

I
n this recipe, we cut yucca into fry-sized wedges and roast them. There’s no grease and hardly any fat—just the sweet yucca, with a hint of garlic and salt.

2 pounds fresh yucca, peeled and cut crosswise into 3" sections

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place yucca in large pot; cover with water. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer 15–30 minutes, until just tender. Cut slices into ½" wedges. Toss with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Bake on nonstick baking sheet 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until browned.

Roasted Cauliflower with Marjoram

price
$4
servings
4
price per serving
$1

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e included a recipe for roasted cauliflower in our very first blog post. We roasted bucketfuls to bring to a picnic in Philly and ate it like popcorn. This recipe is a staple for us, and one that even the most vegetable-adverse will adore.

1 head cauliflower

cup olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons dried marjoram

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut cauliflower into individual florets. In large bowl, toss cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper, and marjoram. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet.

Bake 25 minutes, turning once, until cauliflower is lightly browned and slightly crispy.

Balsamic Grilled Artichokes

price
$18
servings
6
price per serving
$3

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e believe this is the best way to prepare artichokes, and we use this recipe all the time when artichokes are in season. The natural sweetness of the artichokes is balanced perfectly by the punchy cayenne aioli. You can use baby artichokes and serve them as appetizers, but we usually buy the biggest artichokes available because we can’t get enough of the great smoky flavors in this dish.

6 artichokes

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons Italian seasonings (or a mixture of dried oregano and fennel seeds)

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

AIOLI:

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons cayenne

1 clove garlic, crushed

Wash artichokes and clip off sharp tips of leaves with scissors. Boil in large pot of water, covered, 20–25 minutes, until leaves are soft enough to pluck easily. Remove from water and let cool. Whisk together oil, vinegar, seasonings, sugar, salt, and pepper. Once artichokes are cool, cut in half and divide between 2 large zip-top bags. Divide vinaigrette between bags; marinate at least 1 hour. Preheat grill to high; cook artichokes (reserve marinade) 3–5 minutes on each side, until slightly crispy. Pour extra marinade into bowl; combine with mayonnaise, cayenne, and garlic. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Festive Ravioli Salad

price
$20
servings
12
price per serving
$1.65

W
e used to roll our eyes at the mention of pasta salads, mentally grouping them in the category “Lame Potluck Dishes of the ’90s.” But after making one as a side for a large New Year’s Eve party one year, we now sing a different tune. This pasta salad is
anything
but lame and bland—it boasts a wide range of flavors and textures, with a tangy vinaigrette that enhances the flavors.

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1"–2" pieces

½ cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

3 pounds cheese ravioli, cooked

½ head radicchio, shredded

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

½ cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

½ cup yellow pepper, thinly sliced

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss asparagus with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper; roast 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add to ravioli. Add radicchio, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and pepper; toss to combine. In separate bowl, whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Dress salad and serve at room temperature.

Fresh-Baked Bread

price
$5
servings
5
price per serving
$1

T
his French bread recipe takes an afternoon to complete, but for just a few hours of effort, you can make fresh bread crumbs, croutons for a salad, a vehicle for mopping up gravy, or even sandwich bread for lunch or dinner. Given the low cost and easy effort (most of the “cooking” time is spent letting the bread rise), we think soft and rustic homemade bread is definitely worth it.

3½ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon instant yeast

Scant 1½ cups warm water

1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine flour, salt, and yeast in food processor; process 5 seconds. Slowly pour water in while machine is running. Process about 30 seconds, until dough forms a shaggy ball. Transfer to large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let rise 3 hours. Divide into 3 balls; let rise, covered, 30 minutes. Sprinkle a little flour on counter; flatten each ball into 8" × 10" rectangle and fold short ends to middle, sealing seam. Spread towel on counter; place on towel, seam-side down. Let rise another 1–2 hours. Preheat oven to 450°F; make cut along top of each loaf with sharp knife. Brush with olive oil; bake on lightly floured baking sheet 25–35 minutes, until crust is golden brown.

Mashed Asian Sweet Potatoes

price
$8
servings
4
price per serving
$2

W
hite sweet potatoes are an obsession. We like to consider ourselves white sweet potato elves, searching for this unique ingredient in Asian grocery stores and farmers’ markets and sharing it with everyone we meet. Whenever we encounter someone who hasn’t tasted them, we can’t resist whipping up a dish like this one to highlight this sweet ingredient. It goes wonderfully as a side to the Asian-Inspired Baked Cod. If you can’t find white sweet potatoes, it is possible to substitute regular sweet potatoes for a similar result.