Beans and Rice

I've been wondering what all the hype was about regarding beans and rice.  But I love beans, I love rice, why not love them together?  I realized also that one of my favorite prepackaged frozen meals is Santa Fe Style Rice and Beans.  Well, favorite is maybe an overstatement.  It's good for a frozen diet entree.  Anyway, Dan's mom gave us some gourmet heirloom beans for Christmas, and I had a ton of rice, and I didn't have much of anything else in the house, so tonight we ate Beans and Rice.  It was pretty damn good--and CHEAP.  Here's the recipe:

Serves about 4

• 1 cup dried beans (small red beans, black beans, kidney beans, navy beans, cranberry beans, black eyed peas, etc.   We used Rio Zape beans tonight, which are similar to pinto beans)
• 4 cups cold water
• 2 tsp. salt

1. Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl or a saucepan before you go to bed.  If you're thinking that the salt is going to make the beans tough, I assure you they won't.
2. The next night, when you're ready to cook, drain and rinse the beans, discarding the soaking water.  Then place the beans into a medium saucepan and add about 6 cups of water.  Also add 2 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces.  If you are cooking black beans, add a pinch of baking soda to keep them from changing color.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 40 minutes to an hour; until the beans are tender.  Since the pan is covered, you shouldn't need to add any more water, but if you notice that it's getting low or the beans are sticking to the bottom of the pan, it's OK to add more.
3. While the beans are cooking, chop 1/2 a red onion, and mince 2 cloves garlic.
4. When the beans are done, set a strainer into a large bowl and strain the beans out, but save about 2 cups of the cooking liquid.  You will use this for the sauce.
5. Return the saucepan to the stove, put over medium heat, add about 1 tsp. vegetable oil and saute the onion until soft.  Then add the minced garlic, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, 1/2 tsp. dried oregano, 1/4 tsp. ground coriander, 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste.  Cook until fragrant.  Next add 2 Tbsp. tomato paste; stir to combine.  Add some of the cooking liquid and stir, scraping up anything that might be stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Add the beans back to the pot, and then add as much or as little liquid as you'd like.  Simmer covered for about 10 minutes, then uncovered for another 10 minutes.  You want the flavors to concentrate and the sauce to thicken a bit.  How thick is up to you.  Don't forget to taste the beans and adjust the salt!  While the beans and sauce are simmering, cook your rice.  When the rice is done, it's dinner time. 

To serve, top a portion of rice with the beans and sauce.  Then top with sour cream and lime juice or a little vinegar to taste.

Seriously folks, this stuff was good.  The beans we had were from a company called Rancho Gordo.  I'd check them out if you're interested in eating some beans you've possibly never heard of.  A pound of beans runs about $4.95, but it's still a cheap meal, since you're only using about 1/3 of a pound of beans.  Also, the oregano I used is from this company also, and it was amazing.  I'm officially a fan! 

Happy Cheap Cooking!

Big Ol' List of Pizza Toppings

Just in case you need some ideas for your homemade pizza.  In no way is this list inclusive of all the things you could put on a pizza, I'm just trying to get you to think outside the Pepperoni and Hawaiian box.


Cheeses: 

• Mozzarella (Naturally.  I recommend using some mozzarella no matter what)
• Fresh mozzarella
• Provolone
• Parmesan
• Grana Padano
• Asiago
• Fontina
• Cheddar
• Feta
• Blue/Gorgonzola
• Pepper Jack
• Meunster
• Gruyere
• Anything else you have around

Meats (meats should be cooked prior to using as pizza toppings):

• Ham
• Canadian Bacon
• Bacon or pancetta
• Grilled or barbecued chicken 
• Grilled or barbecued pork
• Ground seasoned beef
• Ground seasoned lamb
• Italian sausage (spicy or sweet)
• Any other kind of sausage
• Shrimp
• Anchovies
• Pepperoni
• Salami
• Prosciutto
• Any other kind of cured meat
• Leftover meat: Thanksgiving turkey, Sunday pot roast, Easter ham, etc.

Veggies:

• Onions/shallots/scallions, raw or cooked
• roasted garlic
• sauteed zuccini
• sauteed spinach
• sauteed mushrooms--any kind
• artichoke hearts
• sundried tomatoes
• fresh tomatoes (put these on after the pizza is baked)
• roasted tomatoes
• arugula (most people put it on after it's baked, but I kind of like it when it gets all crispy and dried out in the oven.  Just make sure it's on the absolute top of the pizza to avoid soggy crust if you're going to do that)
• capers
• olives--any kind
• bell peppers
• pickled jalapenos
• habanero (Scotch Bonnet) peppers
• sauteed broccoli
• roasted eggplant
• cooked potatoes
• fennel

Sauces (use with or instead of classic tomato sauce):

• Pesto
• Bechamel (AKA white sauce)
• Papa Murphy's creamy garlic sauce rip-off: ranch dressing, minced garlic (My sister used to work there.  That's the recipe)
• Tapenade
• Garlic-infused olive oil (great on the edge of the crust)

Herbs--any and all, but especially:

• basil
• parsley
• sage
• rosemary
• fennel seeds
• oregano
• chives
• thyme
• red pepper flakes
• freshly-ground black pepper
• fancy finishing salt (especially on the edge of the crust)

Homemade Pizza - The best pizza you'll ever have!

I love pizza--and who doesn't?  It's one of my favorite things to make at home.  I'll give you the recipes for dough and sauce, but you can put whatever you want on top of those.  There's really no limit to what you can put on there.  It's bread and cheese--almost anything will taste good on that!  Don't be scared to make your own dough.  This method is really easy and only takes about an hour.

Pizza Dough
Makes one large, two medium, or 4 small pizzas

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. instant yeast (this is about half of one envelope, but I always buy the jar of yeast)
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 tsp. table salt
1 cup warm water (not hot--hot water will kill the yeast)
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (put this in the water)

1. Preheat oven to 200 (or warm) for 10 minutes, then turn the oven off.
2. Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine.
3. Pour the water and olive oil into the food processor with the machine running until dough starts to form.  There should be a ball of dough and some little chunks.  You might not need all the water, so pour somewhat slowly.  If you pour it all in and it still looks like cereal, then add a little more warm water.
4. After your dough ball has formed, let it sit in the food processor for two minutes.  Then run the motor for another 30 seconds.  
5. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny (only takes about a minute).  Form the dough into a ball and place into a bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Then spray the top of the ball and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  Let rise (or proof, as they say in the baking/pastry circles) in the warm oven for about 40 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. "Punch down" the dough (note: do not actually punch the dough.  You just did all that work putting air bubbles in there!  Instead, gently lift up the dough around the edges of the bowl and let it relax.  I like to think of the dough sighing, as in "aaaah" not "Harrumph!")  Divide the dough in half or in quarters (or don't, if you're making one big pizza), and shape each piece into a ball.  Let these balls rest for 10 minutes on the counter covered with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel.  Now you're ready to shape into pizzas! 

I will readily admit that while I'm really good at making dough, I'm a lot less gifted at shaping it.  My pizzas never come out perfectly round, but I don't care.  If it tastes amazing and nourishes you, then what's the problem?  I'm naturally a perfectionist, but I've decided to let this one go.  Anyway, a good way to shape pizzas is to flatten the dough ball with the palm of your hand.  Then use your fingertips to press it out flatter, starting in the middle and working your way out to the edges.  Next, hold the dough with your "stupid hand" and gently pull it outward with your "smart hand."  Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat until you've pulled out all four corners.  Top it with your delicious toppings and bake it on a baking stone or sheet.

Bake at 500 degrees until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted:
Large pizza: from 7 - 12 minutes, depending on thickness
Medium pizza: from 3 - 6 minutes
Tiny pizza: 5 minutes

Caitlin's Zesty Pizza Sauce
1, 15-oz can of tomato sauce
2 tsp. olive oil
one clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste (for me, two good pinches of salt and a two good grinds of pepper)

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet or small saucepan.  Saute garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add all the other ingredients, and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly.  The idea is to concentrate the tomato flavor and let the flavors develop.  Done!

Tips for making good pizza totally awesome:

• Preheat baking stones or sheets for 30 minutes.  Use another baking sheet or a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal or semolina to transfer your pizza into the oven.
• Saute "wet" ingredients first to avoid soggy pizza.  This is usually veggies, like spinach and mushrooms.  Anything that gives up a lot of liquid when sauteed is best put on your pizza already cooked.
• Put the cheese on last, not first.  Somehow it all just stays put better that way.  I do like to put a little bit of cheese on the bottom, but very little.
• Use quality ingredients.
• Have fun and be creative!  My dad used to make a shrimp, mushroom and feta pizza that was pretty amazing, and I haven't been to any places around here that make anything like that.

Feel free to share your favorite pizza!

Spicy Shrimp and Rice

In spite of our being tightwads, Dan and I often eat shrimp.  We love them, they're low in fat, and they thaw out really quickly.  Plus, we usually stretch them into a whole meal by adding rice or pasta.  This is an Asian-inspired dish we make a few times a month.  If you're in a hurry you can use canned chicken broth instead of making your own shrimp broth.  I like to buy frozen shrimp since the stuff at the grocery store has been previously frozen.  I'll thaw them out myself, thanks.

This dinner serves 2 people.

For the shrimp:

12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells set aside for broth
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. canola oil
 freshly ground black pepper

Combine these in a bowl.  Let marinate while you make the broth.

Shrimp Broth
Shrimp shells
2 1/2 cups water
1 small clove garlic, sliced in half lengthwise
2 small shallots, sliced in half lengthwise (don't even bother peeling it)
1 small bay leaf
1/2 tsp table salt

Put all the above ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 10 minutes.  20 is better if you can wait.  Strain into a bowl or large measuring cup, pressing on the shells and such to get all the liquid out.


For the Rice:
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 1/2 cups shrimp broth

Combine in the bowl of a rice cooker or a saucepan, and cook as you normally would cook rice.

And now for the most important component:

Spicy Sauce
1/2 cup shrimp broth
1/2 tsp. (or more) chili-garlic sauce (the chunky kind from Thailand)
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
Juice of 1/2 a lime
1/2 tsp. cornstarch

Whisk these together in a measuring cup and put it near the stove. 

When the rice is about 5 minutes from being done, preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.  Add a little bit of canola oil or cooking spray, then stir fry the shrimp until pink and opaque (this doesn't take long, maybe 3 minutes for medium-sized shrimp).  Whisk the sauce to recombine, then pour over the shrimp in the pan, and heat until the sauce boils and thickens.  Serve immediately over the rice you just made.

Potato Soup with Chives

It just started to get kind of cold around here, so I've got soup on the brain.  Last night I made this soup, which is one of my favorite recipes.  The instructions from Cook's Illustrated say to blend this creamy soup, which I've usually done, but I think it comes out really thick and gluey.  This time, I just used my trusty potato masher to blend the soup, and I think it came out great.  Plus, I didn't have to clean the blender!  Try it yourself:

Potato Soup with Chives
Serves 4 to 6 (or two really hungry people)

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, olive oil or vegetable oil
1 Medium onion, 3 medium shallots or 1 medium leek (white & light green parts), chopped
2 Tbsp. white wine or dry sherry
2 large russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (one can is almost 2 cups; you can make up the difference with water or milk)
1 tsp. salt
ground white pepper (to taste)
1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
2 tsp minced fresh chives (or freeze-dried, but put it in with the broth)

1. Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, saute until golden, about 5 minutes.  Add wine and potatoes, stir-cook until wine evaporates, about 30 seconds
2. Add broth, salt and pepper (add the dried chives now, if you're using them) to the saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Using your trusty potato masher, mash up those potatoes.  There will still be some lumps, but this is good in this instance.  Just get it as smooth as you can.
4. Stir in the milk (start with 1 cup, then add more if you like your soup thinner), and heat through.  Stir in fresh chives, if using.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.  Serve immediately.

We ate this with the last of a loaf of Almost No-Knead Bread, which I made myself earlier this week.  I think I'm going to make another one tonight.  Do I smell another post?

Mexican Rice

Apparently it's Mexican week at my house.  After I made the guacamole yesterday, I ended up going to dinner with my family to a Mexican restaurant.  Here is a recipe for Mexican Rice that makes a TON of rice, tastes way better than the stuff in the box, and only costs about $3.50 to make.  It's even cheaper if you make your own salsa!  This recipe is based on one from Cook's Illustrated.

Mexican Rice
Serves 6 - 8 as a side dish

2 cups long grain white rice
2 Tbsp. canola oil
4  cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 tsp)
1 16-oz jar of medium salsa (My favorite brand is Herdez)
2 cups chicken stock (one can is almost 2 cups--you can make up the difference with a little water)
1 tsp. salt
Fresh cilantro and lime wedges for garnish (optional, but delicious)

Preheat the oven to 350F. 

Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water.

Heat oil in an ovensafe 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden, 6 to 8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in salsa, chicken broth, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes.

Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.  Pass the lime wedges at the table (or couch, if you're at my place).  Bask in the glow of appreciation.  Seriously, this stuff is goooood.

Enjoy!

Caitlin's Guacamole

I make some killer guacamole, if I do say so myself!  Here's the recipe:

3 small avocados
juice of one lime
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, or 2 Tbsp onion, minced
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. green jalapeno sauce (my favorite brand is El Pato)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Remove all the flesh from the avocados and place in a bowl.  Using a fork or a potato masher, smash up the avocados to the desired consistency (use a fork if you like chunky guac, use the potato masher if you like it smoother).  Add the other ingredients and stir.  Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.  You can eat it now, or let it sit, covered, for about an hour and let the flavors develop. 

Should you have any leftovers (we often don't), store it in a bowl with plastic wrap directly on the surface of the guacamole to keep it from turning brown.  That business about putting the pit in the guacamole to keep it green isn't true.  The lime juice does help a little, but the main idea is to keep air off the surface of the guacamole.

More on Shopping Smart

The grocery bill is one of the largest expenses in any household.  Clearly, if you're a Tightwad Gourmand, you're going to have to learn to shop smart.  Here's what I do to get the most bang for my buck:

• I make a menu.  I plan what we're going to eat for the next two weeks and shop based on that.
• I make a shopping list and stick to it.  Sometimes I still go off the list a little.  No one is perfect, but if I fly blind, I will invariably forget something essential (oh no, I forgot to buy coffee!), and come back with a bunch of junk that sounded good at the time.  Kettle Chips may be delicious, but they don't make a meal.
• I use coupons, but only if they're for things I was going to buy anyway.
• Sometimes I shop at bargain places like Grocery Outlet, then plan the menu around the things I picked up there.  This takes up a bit of time, however, because I can't get everything I need at Grocery Outlet, which means I still have to go to my usual grocery store.  I make it out to the bargain place maybe every other month or so.
• I'm aware of what is actually a bargain.  Just because it's at the bargain outlet doesn't mean it's a better price than the regular grocery store.  Same thing goes for the dollar store.  You should be familiar with what you usually pay for items you purchase frequently.  Start paying attention if you haven't already.
• I shop for value, not just price.  If I know I like and will enjoy a certain brand, even if it's a little more expensive, I'm getting it.  Buying cheap stuff that you won't eat is a waste of money.  Sometimes my favorite brand is on sale, so I stock up when it is.
• I look at the unit prices on the price tags.  Not all grocery stores do this, but I think most do.  It's usually printed really small near the bottom of the tag.  Sometimes its actually cheaper to buy two small things than one big thing.  This happens at Winco a lot, for some reason.  Once I needed a quart of cream for a recipe, and it was cheaper to buy two pints than a one-quart carton.
• Most of my items are from the perimeter of the store.  Convenience foods are usually located in the middle of the store.  Ingredients for cooking from scratch are usually in the perimeter and are heaps cheaper than premade stuff. 
• I grate my own cheese, cut my own salads, and chop my own veggies.  Why pay a factory for this relatively easy labor?  It takes what, 30 seconds to chop up a head of romaine?  You can't afford NOT to do these things yourself.  I do have one exception though...I like to buy a certain brand of reduced-fat shredded cheese because the unit price is lower than a block of reduced-fat cheddar that I would have to grate myself.  This is highly unusual, but I wouldn't have known this if I hadn't looked at the unit price!

You may be wondering how much I spend on groceries.  There's only two of us living here, and we eat really well on about $60 a week for the both of us.  Not too shabby, when you consider that the average two-person family on a "thrifty" budget spends $78.70 per week (see this chart).

Good luck, and happy shopping!

The Tightwad Gourmand Philosophy

These are the basic principles of The Tightwad Gourmand:

1. If you want to eat well on a budget, you have to make some stuff from scratch.  Convenience food is really expensive for what you get.  For example, you can get prepackaged real guacamole (you know, the kind made from avocados, not soybean oil and green food coloring) for about $3.50.  Or, you could make twice as much yourself for around the same price, and it's fresher and probably tastes better.
2. Anyone can cook.  If you can follow directions, you can cook.  I don't know if people think that following recipes doesn't count, or what.  I've been cooking for as long as I can remember, and I started out by following recipes.  You might make mistakes (I still do), but that doesn't mean you're a failure as a cook.  It's a skill that needs to be practiced, like playing the piano or making jewelry.
3. Shop smart!  Go to the grocery stores with the best prices.  I live near Portland, Oregon, and I like to shop at Winco.  They have bulk bins with great deals.  For example, you could buy a 1-pound bag of beans for around a dollar, which is incredibly cheap, but a pound of beans from the bulk bins is only $0.59.  The biggest score is the cake flour.  A box of Softasilk cake flour costs around $3.00 and only has 2 pounds of flour in it.  In the bulk bins, cake flour is only $0.18 per pound.  Aside from the bulk bins, their regular groceries have the best prices in town.  If you can make it out to a grocery store like this once a month and stock up on essentials, it's probably worth it.
4. Have fun.  Cooking for me is a joy, not a chore.  I love that I can whip up delicious things and not have to pay through the nose to have them.  I love smelling what I'm cooking.  I love eating what I cook.  I love it when other people say, "Oh man, this is delicious!"  I don't really like doing dishes.  I wish there was something I could do about that.

If you can shop smartly and cook from scratch, you're golden!  Happy cooking!

I'm a Tightwad Gourmand

Under Construction -- Coming Soon!

I love food.  I love cooking it, eating it, reading about it, thinking about it.  I, like most people I know, am on a pretty tight food budget, but I still manage to eat well.  This blog is about sharing the recipes I use, as well as how I shop.  Enjoy!