Crock Pot Fall Stew with Butternut Squash and Vegetarian Sausage

I’ll admit that I got a little cocky this week when I *thought* I had miraculously been able to meal plan my entire weeks worth of meals and been able to prep/precook most of them on my Monday afternoon off. Best laid plans always go astray right? The week ended up being a lot busier than I anticipated with dress rehearsals for Midsummer Nights Dream and my body getting used to the late night hours/early mornings. For the most part I would forget that I even had food prepared and ended up scrambling just to get it cooked in time to head back to Lincoln center for the evenings performance.

When I was shopping for the week I noticed beautiful butternut squashes had shown up at Trader Joes. They were a totally reasonable price too- proving that sometimes their not by weight pricing system can work in favor of the thrifty foodie. I bought an extra large one remembering some wisdom from the farmers market that the larger the squash, the sweeter the flesh.

The longest most tedious part of this recipe is getting the butternut squash prepared. Using a serrated knife cut the squash in half longways. This will make it easy to crack in half. Use a spoon to scoop out the inner guts just like you were carving a pumpkin. After the inside is scraped clean, use a peeler to remove the outer skin. Cut off 1 inch of the top where the stem is with a knife. Next I find it easiest to cut the squash into four pieces by slicing right where the squash starts to get wider below its neck. After making the pieces smaller it’s more manageable and you can cut it like you would cannelope.

Crock Pot Fall Stew with Butternut Squash and Vegetarian Sausage
1 package of Trader Joes Italian Sausage-less Sausage, cut into small rounds
1 small butternut squash, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, rough chopped
5 small red potatoes, diced
4 large carrots, cut into small rounds
4 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz mushrooms, cut into small slices
3 tbs all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Spray a 8 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Chop the vegetables and pile into the crock pot. In a small bowl stir together all of the dry spices, sugar, and flour. Add chopped ‘sausage’ to the crock pot and sprinkle half of the spice mixture on top. Stir then sprinkle the remaining spice mixture. Pour vegetable stock, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into the crock pot and stir a few more times. Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours until the veggies are tender.

I found this recipe to be seriously tasty and better than canned stews. The flavors only further developed as leftovers sat in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!
-Charlie

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups

Y’all it’s almost October! I love October the most. It’s the perfect time of year for seasonal ingredients, tasty treats, and PUMPKIN. I’ve been holding off on posting pumpkin spiced anything until we got closer to Halloween but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been cooking up my fall favorites. In Fact- some of Thrifty Foodies most popular posts are pumpkin themed. Pumpkin Hummus and DIY Starbucks knock off pumpkin spice syrup anyone??

Anyways, as many of you know I started full time in the wardrobe department of the Metropolitan Opera this season. We just started performances this week but what people don’t realize is that we are still in rehearsals every morning. After getting home late the last thing I want to think about is breakfast or snacks for the the next day. I adapted this recipe using leftover ingredients from my granola bars to make something healthy and quick to grab for my on-the-go mornings.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups
1 can of pumpkin
1 egg
1 very ripe banana
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups rolled oats
¼ cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pumpkin pie spices
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped raw almonds
Chocolate chips, candied ginger, and brown sugar for topping

In a large mixing bowl mash the ripe banana with a wooden spoon. Add egg, canned pumpkin, vanilla, and milk. Whisk together until the mixture is consistent. In a separate bowl stir together oats, flaxseed, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spices, sugar, and almonds. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together until everything is evenly coated. Ration out the mixture into a cupcake pan lined with paper cups. I used an ice cream scoop and managed to get 21 full cups. Top each cup with a sprinkle of brown sugar, chocolate chips, or candied ginger. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I found that they tasted better after they had cooled fully and didn’t stick too much to the baking liners. I’m excited to grab one of these on the way to work in the morning this week. 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

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 Thrifty Thanksgiving Day #1: Citrus Crock Pot Turkey Breast

Happy Thanksgiving week everyone! Seeing as this is such a food-centric holiday, I’m working on quite a few posts to roll out over the week. I’ll be posting a main course(today), dessert dip(tomorrow), adventure(Wednesday), and cocktail (Thursday)—so keep your eyes out for our thanksgiving week!  This first post is a simple thanksgiving meal in a crockpot. I made it on one of my first thanksgivings on my own away from my big southern family. It’s simple to assemble and really tasty.

Citrus Crock Pot Turkey Breasts
2 boneless skinless turkey breasts
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp oregano
1 large onion, diced
3 tbs garlic, finely diced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tsp butter(— it’s thanksgiving. Live a little)
3 tbs orange marmalade
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup baby carrots
1 small red potato, diced
1 box of stove top stuffing
2 cups veggie stock

In a small dish combine thyme, oregano, and marjoram with a few grinds of salt and pepper. Rub spice mixture over turkey breasts.Meanwhile, In a small skillet heat oil over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic until onions begin to turn translucent. Stir in orange marmalade until it just starts to bubble. Remove from heat and set aside.

Pour stuffing mix into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot and add veggie stock. Add carrots and red potato to the crock. Make a layer of sliced lemons and place seasoned turkey breasts on top. Spread orange marmalade/onion mix over the top of the turkey breasts and top each with a tsp of butter. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours.

It’s a little time consuming at the beginning but turns out to be a really interesting combination allowing you time to enjoy your day outside of the kitchen. I love this dish because it can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator until morning.

Enjoy!
-Charlie

Italian Wedding Soup with Kale

In case you’ve been living in a news-less world, we just had a nor’easter in NYC. Just a few days after sandy ravaged our city, we were graced with the first few inches of snow for the season. Needless to say, we’ve been dealing with some very chilly weather. Perfect weather for warm seasonal comfort foods. Here’s one of my favorite soup recipes. After making it for over a year, I’ve broken it down to the most simple version possible by using frozen pre-cooked meatballs.

Italian Wedding Soup with Kale
2 cans diced tomatoes(undrained)
2 cans veggie stock
1 tbs olive oil
1 onion- thinly sliced
3-6 cloves garlic- diced
1 bag of frozen pre-cooked meatballs (about 10)
3-4 cups chopped kale(1 bunch)

Heat oil in the bottom of a soup pan and sauté onions and garlic until onion begins to turn translucent. Add tomatoes and stock, bringing to a slow simmer over medium heat. Season with a few grinds of salt and pepper. Add frozen meatballs and let simmer for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chopped kale, cover, and cook down for about 5 minutes until wilted. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy and stay warm!
-Charlie

Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast Casserole

I had this morning off from work and decided it would be a good time to make something nice for breakfast beyond my normal coffee and cereal. Here’s a more unconventional use for quinoa in the form of a breakfast casserole. It is warm, nutty, and perfect for a chilly November morning. Upon further research, I learned that quinoa is one of the most protein rich foods that we can eat and is loaded with twice the fiber of other grains—so that makes this breakfast a super healthy and thrifty option!

Pumpkin Quinoa Breakfast Casserole
Filling:
1 1/3 cups nonfat milk
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
2 tbs sugar free maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp oil
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of ginger

Topping:
2 tbs whole wheat flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts(I used walnuts)
2 tbs melted smart balance butter
2 tbs sugar free maple syrup

Combine milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla extract, quinoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir together and pour into a medium round Pyrex baking dish. Cook at 350 for 30 minuted covered. While cooking, combine whole wheat flour, nuts, melted butter, and maple syrup in a small bowl. Drop topping into mixture and bake for 15 additional minutes uncovered. Serve with dried cranberries, a drizzle of syrup, and a sprinkle of brown sugar.

Enjoy!
Charlie

Honey Whole Wheat Cornbread

I had some friends over the other night for a mini fall party and to enjoy some chili. Everyone has their own ways to top off chili night but it seems as though everyone compliments a bowl with a piece of cornbread. Seeing as we’re deep into chili and stew season, now is the perfect time to post a cornbread recipe. This version is fluffy and tastes similar to the $0.99 jiffy knock off from the store.

Honey Whole Wheat Cornbread

2 cups cornmeal

2 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp kosher salt

2 eggs

2 cups milk

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup honey
1 tbs and 1 tsp baking powder

Combine cornmeal, baking powder, flour, garlic powder, and salt. Add milk, eggs, oil, and honey. I found that if you measure the oil and then use the same measuring cup for the honey it didn’t stick to the cup. Stir with a spatula until the mixture is throughly combined. Spray cooking spray onto a 9×9 square baking pan and spread mixture evenly in pan. Top the batter off with a few grinds of fresh pepper and a sprinkle of your choice of spices. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes until browned on the top.

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