The frugal gourmet

Ursy · 05-20-2010, 04:51 AM

Cool, Chancie! I wish we had something like that local to us.
I'd like to get into canning... maybe one day I will explore it.
I hope your ouch-y back gets better xx

Ursy · 05-20-2010, 05:03 AM

This recipe makes the BEST hommus I've ever tasted!

It's taken from >>here<< (but I'm cutting and pasting the text below in case the web page ever moves)

Creamy Hummus
1 15 oz can of organic chickpeas (I use dried chick peas. They taste better and you can control the salt content, and I think they end up cheaper than canned. See below for prep for dried chickpeas)

1/4 cup organic tahini (I might up it to 1/3 cup next time)
Juice from 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sea salt
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp water

Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. You can spend the time taking the little skins off each chickpea but it's pretty time consuming and not so much creamier that I think it's worth it. This recipe gets pretty creamy even without that step.
Combine the tahini and the lemon juice and blend until smooth and frothy. This is the key to getting it creamy, by the way. You have to combine these 2 ingredients first, essentially cream the tahini, or it just won't blend perfectly with the chickpeas.
*Note: I use a blender because I have a rockin' good oneand only a little mini prep food processor. The down side is there's always a little of the good stuff down at the bottom that's impossible to get out. You should use whichever appliance you have that you feel is best suited for this.
Add the garlic and salt and blend again.
Now add in the chickpeas about 1/3 of the can at a time and blend until smooth. Try to get as few skins as possible, this will also help with the texture. Scrap down the sides of the blender and push the chickpeas down to the bottom as needed. Once you've got all the chickpeas blended in, add the olive oil and turn on the blender and just leave it for a few minutes. I like to add in a little water too, to get the consistency just how I like it.
That's it. I'm sure that using dried chickpeas (soaked overnight then simmered until tender) would make this even better, but I am still after some level of convenience. Knowing that I can keep canned chickpeas in the cabinet means I'll usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip this up with no advance notice. That's perfect for us.
For a fancy plate you can garnish with extra chopped garlic, olive oil, cumin, even pine nuts or slivers of roasted red peppers. Or you can take a page from my book and just eat it with pita chips straight out the damn blender. We like ours with pita bread, pita chips, blue chips, wheat crackers, our fingers, or even spread on toasted whole wheat English muffins.

-------------------------

Prep for dried chick peas (I used about a cup of dried chick peas - that's before soaking)

(taken from here http://humus101.com/EN/2006/10/14/hummus-recipe/)

1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate.
2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume.
3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add 1/8th - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water.
4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

Bit · 05-20-2010, 08:44 AM

Bless you Ursy, and thank you for finding Gram's noodle recipe! It would take me an hour or more to find it right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In general for diabetic cooking, bananas and dates are not allowed, nor is honey--and since fat converts to sugar in the body, too much fat isn't allowed either. But you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for butter or shortening in most quick-bread recipes, and grated zucchini for bananas.

I sometimes make home-made applesauce for dessert. It's pretty easy to make. Here's the technique for Spicy Applesauce.

Gather several kinds of apples (you can use just Red Delicious, but it's a little blander), wash them, and peel them if you like or leave the peels on. Cut them into chunks or slices--thinner slices cook faster--put the seeds and cores in your compost pile, and put the apples in a saucepan with one tablespoon of melted butter in the bottom. If you are cooking entirely fat-free, you can use water--but the butter makes a big difference, and is a small amount for that many apples.

Cook them on medium heat, stirring often, until they start to soften.

For every six to eight big apples, add in one teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (you can easily adjust these amounts up or down). Stir well and continue cooking. The apples will continue to soften. Add just a little more water if needed to keep them from sticking, but be VERY cautious--it won't cook out very easily if you put in too much; better to turn the heat down and just keep stirring. Mash the apples as you go (a handheld potato masher works for this); they'll get easier to mash as they cook.

When most of the apples have cooked down and been mashed, stir in two teaspoons of vanilla (optional but oh, so good!). Finish cooking and mashing. Serve warm--don't burn your tongue!<---voice of experience, lol--or cold.

Apple suggestions:
Red Delicious
Golden Delicious
Jonathan
Rome Beauty
MacIntosh
Gala
Any other sweet eating apple

Avoid Granny Smith apples for this recipe unless you like tart desserts.

Here's the recipe.

Spicy Applesauce

6-8 big apples, washed, peeled if you like, cored and sliced
1 Tbsp butter or water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan, pour in apples. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until apples start to soften. Add cinnamon and pie spice. Continue cooking, stirring and mashing often. When most of the apples are mashed, stir in the vanilla. Cook until all the apples mash down. Serve warm or cold.

Ursy · 05-20-2010, 08:17 AM

Thanks June! I love egg noodles, will have to give your Grandma's recipe a try. I was just saying to Cath yesterday, there's something special about Grandma recipes...

Bit · 05-20-2010, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by June

My Grandma's Noodle Recipe

I may have posted it before, I have never tried milk, but this is what I do, except I use a food processor, which Grandma didn't have.

3 Eggs
Salt - about 1/2 t
About three cups of flour

How interesting, June! Do these come out tasting more like the egg noodles in the store? And does the recipe make a lot of noodles? It looks just from the flour amount like it's double my Gram's recipe, which makes enough noodles for a HUGE pot of soup that lasts two hungry people several days.

Anyhow, if it does make loads of noodles, have you tried drying them? How well does it work?
~~~~~~~~~~

Ursy, I hear you about ravioli being fiddly. Have you tried a ravioli press? I saw them when I ordered my pasta machine. There's even a ravioli rolling pin, and a ravioli stamp like a cross between a biscuit cutter and a cookie stamp! Here's a link to an amazon page. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Ravioli-Maker-and-Press/dp/B000BBGV0G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1274371466&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Norpro Ravioli Maker and Press: Home & Garden[/ame]
Someday after everything has settled down financially, I want to try one, probably one of the mold-type pans that makes a bunch at once.

edited to correct the link, again and again... oy... maybe this last one will go somewhere.... *crossin fingers*

Ursy · 05-20-2010, 03:03 PM

How cool is that ravioli press?! I am going to keep an eye out for one of those!
Thanks Catie! xx

Ursy · 05-20-2010, 07:03 PM

Oooh, ooooh, OOOOH!

I just came across this and I had to share it -
http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/03/f...g-horrors.html

Bit · 05-20-2010, 07:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by urs

Oooh, ooooh, OOOOH!

I just came across this and I had to share it -
http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/03/f...g-horrors.html

AAACCCKKKK!!! My eyes, my eyes!!

My "favorite" (NOT) was the armadillo.

Ursy · 05-21-2010, 07:20 AM

I just discovered this tomato sauce recipe and I'm dying to try it.
Just 3 ingredients - a can of tomatoes, butter, and an onion (ok, 4 if you count salt).

It sounds too simple, but so many people are just raving about it (for example, the 3 links below - not to mention the accompanying comments on each post), I have to give it a try -

http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/to...er-and-onions/
http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/0...ato-sauce.html
http://racheleats.wordpress.com/2010...e-of-the-year/

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Basically, you simmer it for 45 minutes, then you throw away the onion.

Gryph · 05-23-2010, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bit

AAACCCKKKK!!! My eyes, my eyes!!

My "favorite" (NOT) was the armadillo.

It doesn't look like an armadillo to me! Put some cheese on it and it would be really good. Just have to keep napkins close by and then when finished wash hands in hot soapy water.

05-20-2010, 08:44 AM	#3
Bit Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Stonefemme Relationship Status: married to Gryph Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 2,177 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,126 Thanked 3,770 Times in 1,264 Posts Rep Power: 10778870	*waves hello to everyone* Bless you Ursy, and thank you for finding Gram's noodle recipe! It would take me an hour or more to find it right now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In general for diabetic cooking, bananas and dates are not allowed, nor is honey--and since fat converts to sugar in the body, too much fat isn't allowed either. But you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for butter or shortening in most quick-bread recipes, and grated zucchini for bananas. I sometimes make home-made applesauce for dessert. It's pretty easy to make. Here's the technique for Spicy Applesauce. Gather several kinds of apples (you can use just Red Delicious, but it's a little blander), wash them, and peel them if you like or leave the peels on. Cut them into chunks or slices--thinner slices cook faster--put the seeds and cores in your compost pile, and put the apples in a saucepan with one tablespoon of melted butter in the bottom. If you are cooking entirely fat-free, you can use water--but the butter makes a big difference, and is a small amount for that many apples. Cook them on medium heat, stirring often, until they start to soften. For every six to eight big apples, add in one teaspoon of cinnamon and one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (you can easily adjust these amounts up or down). Stir well and continue cooking. The apples will continue to soften. Add just a little more water if needed to keep them from sticking, but be VERY cautious--it won't cook out very easily if you put in too much; better to turn the heat down and just keep stirring. Mash the apples as you go (a handheld potato masher works for this); they'll get easier to mash as they cook. When most of the apples have cooked down and been mashed, stir in two teaspoons of vanilla (optional but oh, so good!). Finish cooking and mashing. Serve warm--don't burn your tongue!<---voice of experience, lol--or cold. Apple suggestions: Red Delicious Golden Delicious Jonathan Rome Beauty MacIntosh Gala Any other sweet eating apple Avoid Granny Smith apples for this recipe unless you like tart desserts. Here's the recipe. Spicy Applesauce 6-8 big apples, washed, peeled if you like, cored and sliced 1 Tbsp butter or water 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice 2 tsp vanilla extract Melt butter in saucepan, pour in apples. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until apples start to soften. Add cinnamon and pie spice. Continue cooking, stirring and mashing often. When most of the apples are mashed, stir in the vanilla. Cook until all the apples mash down. Serve warm or cold.

05-20-2010, 04:51 AM	#1
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	Cool, Chancie! I wish we had something like that local to us. I'd like to get into canning... maybe one day I will explore it. I hope your ouch-y back gets better xx

05-20-2010, 05:03 AM	#2
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	This recipe makes the BEST hommus I've ever tasted! It's taken from >>here<< (but I'm cutting and pasting the text below in case the web page ever moves) Creamy Hummus 1 15 oz can of organic chickpeas (I use dried chick peas. They taste better and you can control the salt content, and I think they end up cheaper than canned. See below for prep for dried chickpeas) 1/4 cup organic tahini (I might up it to 1/3 cup next time) Juice from 1 lemon 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp sea salt 1-2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp water Drain and rinse the chickpeas and set aside. You can spend the time taking the little skins off each chickpea but it's pretty time consuming and not so much creamier that I think it's worth it. This recipe gets pretty creamy even without that step. Combine the tahini and the lemon juice and blend until smooth and frothy. This is the key to getting it creamy, by the way. You have to combine these 2 ingredients first, essentially cream the tahini, or it just won't blend perfectly with the chickpeas. *Note: I use a blender because I have a rockin' good oneand only a little mini prep food processor. The down side is there's always a little of the good stuff down at the bottom that's impossible to get out. You should use whichever appliance you have that you feel is best suited for this. Add the garlic and salt and blend again. Now add in the chickpeas about 1/3 of the can at a time and blend until smooth. Try to get as few skins as possible, this will also help with the texture. Scrap down the sides of the blender and push the chickpeas down to the bottom as needed. Once you've got all the chickpeas blended in, add the olive oil and turn on the blender and just leave it for a few minutes. I like to add in a little water too, to get the consistency just how I like it. That's it. I'm sure that using dried chickpeas (soaked overnight then simmered until tender) would make this even better, but I am still after some level of convenience. Knowing that I can keep canned chickpeas in the cabinet means I'll usually have all the ingredients on hand and can whip this up with no advance notice. That's perfect for us. For a fancy plate you can garnish with extra chopped garlic, olive oil, cumin, even pine nuts or slivers of roasted red peppers. Or you can take a page from my book and just eat it with pita chips straight out the damn blender. We like ours with pita bread, pita chips, blue chips, wheat crackers, our fingers, or even spread on toasted whole wheat English muffins. ------------------------- Prep for dried chick peas (I used about a cup of dried chick peas - that's before soaking) (taken from here http://humus101.com/EN/2006/10/14/hummus-recipe/) 1. Poor the chickpeas over a large plate. Go over them and look for damaged grains small stones, or any other thing you would rather leave out of the plate. 2. Wash the chickpeas several times, until the water is transparent. Soak them in clean water over night with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. Then, wash it, and soak again in tap water for a few more hours. The grains should absorb most of the water and almost double their volume. 3. Wash the chickpeas well and put them in a large pot. Cover with water, add 1/8th - 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and NO salt. Cook until the grains are very easily smashed when pressed between two fingers. It should take around 1-1.5 hours, during which it is advised to switch the water once again, and remove the peels and foam which float over the cooking water. When done, sieve the grains and keep the cooking water. 4. Put the chickpeas into a food processor and grind well. Leave it to chill a little while before you continue.

05-20-2010, 08:17 AM	#4
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	Thanks June! I love egg noodles, will have to give your Grandma's recipe a try. I was just saying to Cath yesterday, there's something special about Grandma recipes...

05-20-2010, 03:03 PM	#6
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	How cool is that ravioli press?! I am going to keep an eye out for one of those! Thanks Catie! xx

05-20-2010, 07:03 PM	#7
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	Oooh, ooooh, OOOOH! I just came across this and I had to share it - http://www.aldenteblog.com/2009/03/f...g-horrors.html

05-21-2010, 07:20 AM	#9
Ursy Member How Do You Identify?: Femme Relationship Status: Engaged Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Australia Posts: 274 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 606 Thanked 661 Times in 206 Posts Rep Power: 2127933	I just discovered this tomato sauce recipe and I'm dying to try it. Just 3 ingredients - a can of tomatoes, butter, and an onion (ok, 4 if you count salt). It sounds too simple, but so many people are just raving about it (for example, the 3 links below - not to mention the accompanying comments on each post), I have to give it a try - http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/01/to...er-and-onions/ http://orangette.blogspot.com/2007/0...ato-sauce.html http://racheleats.wordpress.com/2010...e-of-the-year/ 28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)* 5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter 1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved Salt to taste Basically, you simmer it for 45 minutes, then you throw away the onion.