Buffalo Cauliflower ‘Wings’

Did you know today is allegedly the 50th anniversary of the creation of Buffalo Wings? Neither did I until I was skimming through The Gothamist and came across an article to celebrate the occasion. I knew it was a sign that I needed to post on Thrifty Foodies. I’ve been sitting on this recipe since the super bowl and have made it multiple times.  As a mostly vegetarian household we can’t have traditional buffalo chicken wings. In my food journey I’m amazed that there are so many different ways to cook veggies beyond roasting them. Often I find that I need to remind myself of this because I’ll usually roast, season, and call it a day. Here’s a vegetarian take on Buffalo Chicken Wings which prove that a little bit of preparation can turn something that’s supposed to be unhealthy into an absolutely fantastic and healthy treat. I found a variation of this on the PETA website but have edited it to my needs. I’ve was so pleased with the satisfying crunch that accompanied my faux buffalo wings.

Buffalo Cauliflower ‘Wings’

1 head of cauliflower
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp poultry seasonings
1 tsp crushed red pepper

1.5 cups Panco bread crumbs

Separate cauliflower into small pieces. Whisk together spices, flour, and milk. It will be the consistency of pancake batter. Pour panco in a separate bowl.

Dip cauliflower pieces in batter, roll in breadcrumbs, then place pieces evenly spaced onto a baking sheet. Repeat with each piece of cauliflower. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and toss pieces in buffalo sauce. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with ranch or blue cheese dressing!

Enjoy
-Charlie

Chewy Banana Granola Bars

There is a granola bar thief in our midst!?

At least that’s what I was thinking as I reached into the box to find only one bar remaining. My mind was blown on how an apartment of three people could go through a giant Costco sized box of granola bars within a few days. Upon investigation it was the visiting hungry boyfriend, long workdays, and needing quick snacks on the go that caused our supply to dwindle so quickly.  Needless to say, we had a granola bar problem and needed a thrifty way to fix it. In NYC a 6 pack box of Nature Valley granola bars can put you back close to six dollars. Sure they’re tasty, but they are also not that great for you.  Putting on my Martha Stewart hat, I set out to find my perfect recipe for a healthy granola bar that I could make in bulk to satisfy my snacking needs.  I found a great resource list of 20 granola bar recipes on another food blog that gave me insight on different versions and what they entailed. The first thing I noticed in the recipes were all of the frou frou crazy weird ingredients. Let me tell you a thrifty secret for all of those crazy healthy add ins- the whole foods bulk bins. All of my flax, chia, nut, oat needs are for sale by the pound relatively cheap because I wouldn’t be buying a whole pound(sometimes only $0.25 worth of an ingredient). After combining several recipes I think I hit the nail on the head with a filling healthy chewy granola bar.

Chewy Banana Granola Bars

1 very ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce(I used cinnamon) 

2 tbs honey

1 heaping tbs peanut butter

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg white

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs brown sugar

2 cups rolled oats

2 tbs flax seeds

1 tsp chia seeds

1 tbs nutritional yeast (you can leave this out, but I figured ‘why not ‘since it was hanging out)

2 tbs shredded unsweetened coconut

1/2 cup raw nut mix(i used almonds, walnuts, and cashews)

 

Preheat the oven for 350 degrees and spray a square baking dish with non stick baking spray. In a large bowl mix together banana, applesauce, egg white, honey, peanut butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar. The mixture will still be a little clumpy. The important thing is to have a very ripe banana- almost to the point of becoming mush- because it fills in for the oil of the recipe.  In a smaller bowl combine the rolled oats, flax seeds, chia seeds, nutritional yeast, coconut, and nuts. Slowly stir dry mixture into the wet mixture. It will be tough to stir and similar to mixing up rice crispy treats. Give it a good couple of minutes to make sure everything gets coated.  Press mixture into the baking dish and cook for 35 minutes.  Let cool completely before slicing into bars. 

 

Enjoy!

~Charlie

The Thrifty Holiday Party: Thrifty Tips & Snacks

Today’s post in the Thrifty Holiday series is a random hodgepodge of ideas and dishes I made at this years holiday party. I hope you find them helpful, simple, and tasty enough to include in your Christmas gatherings!

Chocolate Drizzled Popcorn

1 bag Hershey kisses- I used the pumpkin spice ones

2 bags microwave popcorn, popped

Cook popcorn as directed. Using a double broiler melt Hershey’s kisses. Spread popcorn out over a cookie sheet on top of some parchment paper. Using a whisk drizzle chocolate candy mixture over the top of popcorn. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden the chocolate.

Baked Brie with Berries

1 wedge of Brie Cheese

1 container Crescent rolls

1 /2 cup fresh berries

Roll out crescent dough and use your fingers to smooth out the perforated lines where you would usually separate out the rolls. Place Brie in the center of the dough, top with berries, and wrap the entire thing up in dough. Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes until browned.

Recipe Remix: Baked Spinach Dip

A few weeks ago we posted a Baked Spinach Dip that is absolutely amazing on its own. This time around I added a can of drained fire roasted tomatoes with chills(Hello Trader Joe’s) and a can of diced artichoke hearts. It was such a great addition the the dip that I had to share it with you!

Enjoy!

~Charlie

The Thrifty Holiday Party: Vegetarian Meatballs in a BBQ Cranberry Sauce

Its pretty much a safe bet that if you have meatballs out in a crockpot at your holiday party the container will basically be licked clean by the end of the night. I would say that about 80% of my friends in NYC are vegetarians which poses an interesting roadblock to my love of meatballs. I tested out and figured out a vegetarian meatball recipe that gives ol’ fashioned sausage meatballs a run for their money. Try it with cranberry-bbq simmer sauce and you’re in for a treat!

Vegetarian Meatballs

4 eggs

2 containers dry French onion soup mix

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, minced

2 tbs Italian seasonings

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs dried basil

1 cup dry Italian style breadcrumbs

In a large bowl whisk together eggs, French onion soup mix, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, and basil. Add in cheddar cheese, breadcrumbs, minced onion, and black beans. Using a wooden spoon mash ingredients together for about 5 minutes. The beans should mush together and the mixture will be pretty dense. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-35 minutes, flipping every 10 minutes, until browned on all sides. At this point you can freeze the meatballs or move onto adding them to the sauce of your choice.

BBQ Cranberry Simmer Sauce

12 ounces of Barbecue sauce

1 can cranberry sauce- whole berry

In a medium pan combine BBQ sauce and cranberry sauce. Stir and break up the cranberry sauce until they are combined. Add in frozen veggie meatballs and pour into crock pot to simmer for 2 hour(or 4 if frozen)

As freaky as vegetarian meatballs sound, trust me and give them a try. You’ll be very surprised at the big taste these guys pack. Enjoy!

~Charlie

The Thrifty Holiday Party: Rosemary White Bean Dip

Hello friends! We had such a great response with the multiple Thanksgiving posts that we’re going to post a bunch of Holiday-centric posts to gear you up for the onslaught of christmas gatherings. I’ve been taste testing and figuring out the perfect dishes to keep your party guests happy and full! What’s a holiday party without a delicious dip accompanying your food? We made this rosemary bean dip for our holiday party this year and it was a perfect new spin on a classic bean dip. It had the texture of hummus with an herby taste. Try serving it with warm pita chips or even placing the dip in a small crockpot and serving warmed.

Rosemary White Bean Dip

1 can of your choice of white beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ a lemon’s juice and zest

2 tsp dried rosemary

1 tbs olive oil

½ tsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth, adding more olive oil or lemon juice if you would like a smoother consistency.

Enjoy!

~Charlie

Cranberry Orange Scones

We all know how to deal with cranberry sauce and crasins but I bought a bag of fresh cranberries and had no idea what to do with them. I decided to make some cranberry scones for my friend Hannah’s thanksgiving brunch in order to experiment with fresh berries.

Cranberry Orange Scones
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup cold butter
6 oz- nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 cup cranberries
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Zest from 1 orange
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine brown sugar, flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter and cut in until it resembles a course sand like mixture. In a smaller bowl toss cranberries, walnuts, orange zest, and white sugar together. Stir cranberry mixture into larger bowl until dough forms. Divide dough into two medium balls and roll out into 6 inch wide circles. Cut like a pie into scone shapes. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 25-30 minutes until golden.

You can even make tiny bite sized scones with this recipe! Enjoy
-Charlie

Baked Spinach Cheese Dip

Hey friends- I hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend and have recovered from your turkey food comas. I know I had a blast entertaining and hanging out with friends all weekend. I feel like the time between thanksgiving and christmas holds so much potential for lovely gatherings of friends. My roommates and I decided to have a mini house warming party Saturday and I whipped up a spinach dip to share with everyone. I had made this dip last year for my Christmas party and haven’t made it since. Like anything delicious and southern it’s built upon wretchedly unhealthy ingredients. In order to lower the trams fat levels this time I opted for nonfat cream cheese spread, light mayo, and nonfat sour cream.

Baked Spinach Cheese Dip
3 packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
2 8oz containers nonfat cream cheese
8 oz nonfat sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
A few grinds of pepper

For topping-
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Remove spinach from packaging and squeeze as much excess liquid from it as you can. In a large bowl stir together spinach, mayo, mozzarella cheese, sour cream, salt, red pepper, and nutmeg. Add in cream cheese and stir until mixed thoroughly. Pour into a square baking dish. Make topping by combining Parmesan and breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Sprinkle across the top of the dip. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes then crank up the heat to 450 for another 10 minutes until top is golden brown.

This dip is so tasty that the dish was practically scraped clean within an hour of putting it out. If you’re more of a spicy dip person double the crushed red pepper. I also think it would be really tasty to add some chopped artichokes into the mix. It’s the perfect blank canvas to add your favorite favors to. Enjoy!
-Charlie

A Thrifty Thanksgiving Day #2: Cookie Dough Dip

Three days until Thanksgiving. Today we’re focusing on the pre or post meal treats. I’m a sucker for cookie dough. When I came home from work last week and went to grab for a piece of break and bake I was swatted away by Tom. Tom had gotten super culinary while I was at work and made the most interesting dip. Only after tasting it and agreeing it completely satisfied my cookie dough craving was I told the main ingredient…chickpeas. Who would have ever imagined that this tiny bean used for hummus could make such a savory treat. I think this quick and easy dip will be the perfect addition to my Thanksgiving day appetizers.

Cookie Dough Dip

1 can of Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup chocolate chips
2/3 cup brown sugar
3 tbs instant oatmeal
1/8 tsp kosher salt
Sprinkle of baking soda
Sprinkle of cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs peanut butter
1/4 cup nonfat milk

Combine all of the ingredients besides the chocolate chips in a food processor. Blend until smooth. If you prefer your dip to be a little smoother constancy add more milk. Stir in chocolate chips, pour in dish, and refrigerate until serving.

Let’s be serious- you will eat the entire batch by yourself, so why not double it to save some for your guests. It’s best served with graham crackers and cinnamon sugar pita chips.

Enjoy!
-Charlie

A Food Network Inspired Fall Feast

The air is crisp and cool, pumpkins pile in front of the local stores and markets, Food Network Magazine has sent out their Thanksgiving issue, and Charlie is posting a myriad of delicious recipe classics, fake-outs, and twists. It must be FALL! My absolute favorite season of all! (And probably the last time I contributed. I’m very sorry!)

In honor of this amazing season, we just purchased our pumpkins, and unlike last year’s pumpkins that were thrown over the porch of the deer to eat, this year, we carved them! In celebration of this traditional fall rite, the carving of the pumpkin, I decided to make a fall feast based on recipes from Food Network that screamed Fall comfort food! As always, I was looking for ways to cut calories and costs! Enjoy!

Appetizer: Pumpkin Hummus

Pumpkin hummus with sweet potato chips. Yummy!

Charlie has blogged about home made hummus before, and I don’t know why I did not start this sooner! Did everyone in the universe know how cheap and easy homemade hummus is to make!? I vowed after making this delicious recipe to never again buy hummus. (We’ll see if I stick with this, but truly, it’s almost too easy!)

Ingredients:

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas) drained
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (depending on how pumpkin-y you want it)
3 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste)*
4 Tbsp EVOO
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup water
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients in food processor or blender until smooth. You can add a little more olive oil, lemon juice, or water if you find the hummus is not smoothing out enough. Serve with your favorite dipping implement, Food Network suggested sweet potato chips which were DELICIOUS! You can buy these or make them by slicing sweet potatoes thinly, tossing with EVOO and salt, and roasting in the oven at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until crispy.

*A note about tahini, for those who do not know what it is, tahini is sesame paste and behaves a lot like all natural peanut butter. It usually comes in a can or a jar, and I find mine near the peanut butter at my grocery store, but some stores will keep it near the ethnic food. It is the only part of this recipe that cost more than a few cents, but if you eat as much hummus as we do, and plan on making hummus often, it’s worth the investment. If you choose not to get tahini, taste the recipe as your puree and balance the seasonings accordingly.

Entree: Cranberry Pot Roast

I’ve taken all kinds of fall inspiration from our loyal Charlie Duncan, and have fallen in love with the ease of cooking with a crock pot! This pork is SO simple, and very inexpensive! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Crock pot cooking is the way to go. It is quick, easy, and delicious!

2-3 lb. Pork loin or Pork Rib Roast (I chose rib because it was 1/2 price! Yay!)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 Tbsp corn starch
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/3 cup golden raisins (regular will do in a pinch and are much cheaper)
1 clove garlic chopped
1/3 cup cranberry juice (any juice will do; the thrifty foodie improvises to avoid purchases)
1/2 small lemon thinly sliced (I used the other half of the lemon from my hummus)

In a plastic bag (or bowl) shake (or toss) together the dry ingredients, including the corn starch, with your pork. Place all of this in the crock pot. Add the can of cranberry sauce and spread out in a thick layer over the roast then top with the remaining ingredients, placing the lemons on top and last. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 and enjoy! I served mine by shredding the pork and then scooping the juices, raisins, cranberries on top for a delicious gravy! (You’ll notice in the picture that I used a crock pot liner. You can buy these at the grocery store and they make clean up SOOOOO easy!)

Vegetable Side: Roasted Squash and Tomatoes

Fall is an amazing time to play around with the many different kinds of squash you can find at your local farmers market or grocery store. I suggest picking up a new squash at the store and looking up a recipe when you get home! This recipe uses acorn squash, which I had never worked with before, but it is delicious and buttery! Not only is this recipe affordable, it is extremely healthy, so eat as much as you want! : )

Ingredients:

The half on the left shows you what you’ll see when you open the squash, and on the right you can see how this will look before your start slicing. Common sense, I hope, but be sure to cut with the flat side on your cutting board!

1 small acorn squash
2 medium tomatoes
1 small red onion
2 smashed garlic cloves
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper

This recipe is great if you are entertaining because you can prep all the ingredients earlier in the day and then simply toss together the wet and dry ingredients just before you want to throw this in the oven. Start by halving and seeding the acorn squash and then cutting into thin slices. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, and thinly slice the onion. Toss all of the ingredients together in a large bowl and then roast in the oven on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet at 425 for 30-40 minutes until tender. Be sure to stir once halfway through the cooking time.

Starch Side: Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Apple Hash

Warning: This dish is the indulgence in the fall feast and is definitely not the lightest element. You can slim this down by using turkey bacon or eliminating the bacon all together, but try cooking this once as is because it is SOOO good! This recipe was inspired and only slightly modified from Anne Burrelli of Food Network. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Delicious!

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4-6 slices thick sliced bacon cut into cubes
1 medium onion cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 granny smith apples cut into 1/2 inch cubes**
EVOO
salt

Start by tossing your sweet potato cubes in EVOO to coat them and then salt to taste. Pour out on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until tender and slightly crunchy, but still firm because we will be cooking them more soon. When the sweet potatoes are out of the oven, set them aside. Coat a large saute pan with EVOO and heat the bacon over a medium heat until brown and crispy. Add onions and a dash of salt and cook until they are very tender. Add your apples and cook for 3-4 minutes before finally adding your sweet potatoes. Cook all of these ingredients together for another 7-8 minutes and then ENJOY!

**If your apples are the gi-normous ones you buy at many grocery stores, one apple should suffice in this recipe. However, there is no harm in adding two very large apples. You simply need to decide if you want the star of this recipe to be the apple or the sweet potato. There is no wrong answer.

Dessert: Apple Galette 

Ingredients:

1-2 peeled and sliced baking apples
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp jam (I used peach, Food Network suggests apricot, be creative!)
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pre-made pie crust

Preheat your oven to 350. Toss the apples with the brown sugar, jam, butter, and cinnamon until evenly coated. Place pie crust flat on a baking sheet, and layer the apple mixture in the center of the crust, leaving about 2 inches around the edges. Fold the edges in and make for 35-45 minutes until golden brown.

I hope you enjoy some or all of the recipes in this fall feast and take the time to go out and get inspired by all the wonderful fall ingredients this season!

Panera Fake Out: Tomato Basil Bread

This past summer when I was living in Princeton, NJ I spent way too much money eating at Panera. It was right down the street from the theater I was working at and had free wifi/iced coffee refills. Through my (almost daily *guilty*) lunchtimes there I fell in love with the tomato bread they serve Mediterranean veggie sandwiches on. Now that I have a fancy kitchen mixer I’ve been wanting to try my hand at making bread in order to save a few dollars. Here’s my knock off version of Panera’s Tomato Basil Bread…

Tomato Basil Bread

1 package of dry yeast

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tbs basil

3 tbs tomato paste

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tsp sugar or splenda

1 tbs olive oil

3/4 cup hot water

 

In a large mixing bowl combine yeast and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast has been activated and is foamy. Stir in tomato paste, cheese, basil, salt, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, sugar, and olive oil. In a stand mixer(or by hand) mix in two cups of the flour until a firm dough has formed. At this point if you’re making the bread by hand, knead with the remaining 1/2 cup of flour until dough is elastic. If you’re using a stand mixture add remaining 1/2 cup of flour and mix with the dough hook for 5-10 minutes on low until elastic. Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Remove dough and shape to place in a loaf pan(There is a wonderful post on Farmgirl Fare on how to do this). Let bread rise a second time for another hour. Use a knife to cut an X across the top of the loaf. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

~Charlie