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

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

Fiesta Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

I’ve been on a bit of a salad kick lately. We had a ridiculously hot week this past week and the last thing I wanted to do was turn on the oven. Living with two vegetarians I’m always trying to make meals that have all sorts of alternative proteins to meat in them. This chopped salad with a Mexican flair uses chickpeas and black beans as a meat substitute and cuts down fat by substituting Greek yogurt in the dressing for mayo. I think this is a great jumping off place for any salad and is hearty enough to stand in for a meal. Feel free to substitute other fresh vegetables that may be available at your summer farmers market or to even top with some tortilla strips.

Fiesta Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

For the salad:
2 heads romaine lettuce
1 can of mexicorn, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1 tomato
1 red onion
1 cucumber
2 turnips
1 avocado
Feta cheese

For the dressing:
1 container nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs honey
2 tbs cilantro- about a handful
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Rough chop and wash vegetables and lettuce. A helpful tip for cutting romaine lettuce is to make long slits down the large middle ribs all the way around and then make 1/4 inch wide perpendicular cuts working from the top down. Combine in a large bowl with rinsed corn and beans. Place the bowl in the refrigerator while you prepare the dressing. To make dressing combine lime juice, yogurt, olive oil, honey, and spices in a food processor. Pulse blend a few time so the cilantro isn’t entirely liquified. The dressing will be more of the consistency of a vinaigrette than of ranch dressing. Drizzle heaping bowls of the lettuce mixture with the lime cilantro dressing and top with a sprinkle of feta cheese and some avocado.

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

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

Thrifty Tip: ‘Trader Joes’ Guacamole

Anyone that’s been to a Trader Joes has probably noticed that cute guacamole kit that they sell. It’s a little ridiculous how much they charge for ingredients that are much cheaper if bought on their own. My friend Hannah brought this to my attention at a margarita party a few weeks ago when she made her version of the guacamole kit. You see, Hannah has bought the kit so many times that she memorized what it contained and simply started to buy things separately. Be sure to pick ripe avocados by testing that they’re a little squishy and you’ll have tasty fresh guacamole with the perfect consistency.

Guacamole
1/2 onion (diced)
1/2 jalapeño(diced)
2 ripe avocados(insides cut into cubes)
2 limes
2 cloves garlic(diced)
1 plum tomato(diced)
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh cilantro(if you have any)

Combine diced onion, jalapeño, avocados, garlic, cilantro, and tomato in a bowl. Squeeze lime juice over ingredients. With a fork begin to incorporate everything together using a mashing motion until you get the consistency you’re looking for. I’m a big fan of a chunky almost salsa consistency for my guacamole. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!
-Charlie

Spanish Rice

The neighborhood I live in has a very large Dominican population. Naturally it always smells amazing in my building as they cook all sorts of yummy ethnic food. I’m always a little jealous of what they might be eating because I’ve got a huge soft spot for anything with a spanish/south american flavor. I made this rice to go with taco night this past week and it was so delicious, cheap, and easy to make. For once I feel like the smells coming from my apartment might have made the Dominicans jealous 🙂

Spanish Rice
2 cups whole grain rice
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 tbs Taco Seasoning
1 tbs Chili Powder

If you have a rice cooker put the rice, amount of water your machine requires, seasoning, and tomatoes with juices all into the machine. Stir and press go.

To cook via stovetop follow rice cooking directions for amount of water. Stir in seasonings and tomatoes(with juices). Simmer until rice is cooked thoroughly.

It would also be lovely to add some fresh chopped cilantro into the rice after its cooked.

Enjoy!
-Charlie

Mini Muffin Quiche

Oh hello friends! I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend with your families. I ended up going to Philly to spend the day with some family friends but a little problem was creeping up on me. You see when you’re an actor in NYC sometime the work is infrequent so you have to keep a survival job on the back burner. Most of us have a wretched survival jobs in retail. I have a pretty lovely one and am so thankful that they play nicely with my met opera and auditioning schedules BUT this past weekend was black friday…which means they OWN you all day friday. Someone high up in our store decided that a pot luck would be a great idea for the morning. In theory it was but in execution it was not. Having people with a commute of at least 45 minutes  and a 6 am shift lends itself to everyone bringing a dozen doughnuts and calling it a day. I knew that I would want something for breakfast but  it needed to be tiny so that you could grab it in between fighting off out of control black friday clothing shoppers. Here’s a recipe for quiches made in a mini muffin tin that worked so well for an early morning pot luck.

 

 

 

Mini Muffin Quiche

4 eggs

1/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 package crescent rolls

 

Whisk together your eggs and half and half until you have a consistent mixture. Season with a few grinds of sea salt and pepper. Roll out the crescent dough and press together where the dotted line seams for normal crescent rolls are in the dough. Using knife cut the dough into tiny squares that will fit into your mini muffin tin(about 1 inch x 1 inch). Grease a mini muffin tin and push each square into the muffin slots leaving an indentation for your quiche filling. Fill each “muffin” with a generous pinch of cheese and top off with the egg mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until eggs have set. 

 

Citrus Roasted Veggies

Things have been pretty busy lately up here in NYC…meaning I’m eating dinner at all sorts of random hours. Fortunately I’ve gotten really good at preparing quick meals for one. When I was visiting my family in Florida in September my mother’s best friend from college was telling me about a few of her favorite ways to cook veggies. She used to own a small catering business in Atlanta, GA, worked PR for a few big name cookbooks and clients, and actually indirectly gave me my first cookbooks. Needless to say she knows what she is doing with the kitchen is involved. I was warned that I would want to eat the entire pan when I made roasted veggies her way….and she was right. Last night with all the intentions of saving some for leftovers I ended up eating the whole pan! I paired them a few strips of my very first thrifty foodies post, Grilled Mojo Chicken. From Barbados, to NYC with love here’s a killer recipe for roasted veggies-

Citrus Roasted Veggies
1 Head of Broccoli
1 Head Cauliflower
1 Red Potato (diced)
2 Cloves of Garlic (sliced into little thin chips)
Salt/pepper
Olive oil for drizzling
Grated parmesan cheese
Lime

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop your veggies and put them into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt/pepper, and stir to make sure it’s evenly coated. Spread the whole thing out on a foil lined cookie sheet and cook for 30-40 minutes. When everything has started to get brown and crispy squeeze the juice of a lime over everything, grate some of the zest, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Place back into oven for 5 more minutes to melt cheese.