Aloo Gobi

I love this stuff. It recently occurred to me that I've never posted the recipe. So here it is:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/saras-secrets/aloo-gobipunjabi-style-cauliflower-and-potatoes-with-ginger-recipe/index.html

It's from World Vegetarian by Madhur Jaffrey.

I got a 10-lb bag of potatoes 2 weeks ago for $0.99, so we've eaten this twice since then. Hmmm... I should check and see how those last few potatoes are doing.

SUPER bowl Chili

Yes, I'm a Steelers fan.

Chili
1 c. dried kidney beans, cooked: 0.55
3/4 c. dried black beans, cooked: 0.21
1 c. dried pinto beans, cooked: 0.34
2 cans diced tomatoes, pureed: 1.20
1 green bell pepper, chopped: 0.79
2 onions, chopped: 0.80
1.5 lb ground beef: 3.00
2 T. pureed chipotle in adobo: 0.20
garlic powder, pepper, salt, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder to taste: 0.40
1 carrot, shredded: 0.13
1/3 6-oz can tomato paste: 0.11
Total: $7.73 for about 16 cups, or $0.48 per cup. Plus 0.10 for a little bit of cheese and sour cream.

I usually make it with less meat (about 1/2 lb total). I used more this time because we had meat-eating guests, but they didn't eat it anyway (too early for their dinner).

I cooked up the beans on Saturday in the pressure cooker (three separate batches). I used frozen chipotle (open a can, puree, freeze in ice cube trays. A little goes a long way.)

Today I just browned the meat, added the carrots, onion, pepper and cooked until soft. Then added spices and tomatoes and cooked a long time.

Spouse is on a business trip again this week, so lunches and dinners will be chili and corn muffins, plus tomorrow's dinner of Mediterranean chickpeas and rice. (Man I love that stuff.)

I also have brussels sprouts for tomorrow (from the CSA), and broccoli for Tuesday and Wednesday (also CSA).

February's Grocery Goal

My original grocery plan for Feb was going to be $400. If you've been reading that long, you see this post that says I'm going to shoot for $160/month on the odd months and $400/month on the even months.

I've decided to drop that down to $320, so $80/week. However, I've decided to cheat a bit for Feb. Feb doesn't start until tomorrow. But I do the bulk of my grocery shopping on Saturday, which is today. Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal to just wait a day.

BUT, unless you hate sports or live under a rock, you realize that tomorrow is the Super Bowl. So, my plan is to first run a 4-mile race in the morning. Then we are having Arizona (boo!) friends over for chili. So that means if I wait till tomorrow to go shopping, I race from 9 to 9:45, shop from 10:15 to 11:15, shower, eat lunch, and start cooking. I'd rather just shop today. And my husband agreed it's dumb to drive myself crazy tomorrow "just because".

I figure it doesn't really count if we don't eat any of it today, right? And the only thing I need for today is a little bit of fresh ginger, probably even less than 0.23 worth (the leftover from Jan).

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I made these tonight to go with the leftover Indian food. I've made these twice before. Once, yummy. Second time, when mom was in town...yuck. What did I do wrong?

Well, I think I figured it out. See, most roasted brussel sprouts recipes call for roasting at 400F for 35 to 40 min.

Here's the thing. #1, the sprouts from the farm are smallish. #2, they end up smaller when I pull of the outer leaves to get rid of the little shiny bugs. #3, I cut them in half. So I probably overcooked the heck out of them at 35 mins, which is why they got all disgusting.

So, tonight, I found this recipe. I just used salt, olive oil, pepper, and garlic. And roasted for only about 13 mins. Roast for 11, turn, roast for two. Perfect.

Also, my big plan of meals for the week had a kink or two. #1, there's leftover Indian food for lunch tomorrow. #2, hubby has a business meeting Weds, will stay late, get free food, and won't need dinner. That's okay. It will all work out in the end.

January's tally

But wait, you say - it's only the 26th! Yep, but I've spent all my January budget. Last $5 went on applesauce, of all things. This means: boo, I can't go grocery shopping until Sunday, and Yay! I can't go grocery shopping until Sunday! (Fewer receipts to enter.)

Jan 1-9: $37.50
Jan 10-16: $36.29
Jan 17-23: $40.29
Jan 24-31 (hopefully): $45.69

Monthly total: $159.77

Leaving me $0.23 to put in the "extra" envelope to save for...whatever $0.23 will buy.

It shouldn't be too hard to stay out of the stores this week. My weekly lunch and dinner plans include leftovers, leftovers, and more leftovers. I'm not kidding. Leftover pasta bake, leftover Indian food (homemade), leftover split pea soup (from the freezer), leftover Thanksgiving turkey (from the freezer).

It will look something like this:

Mon: L: pasta bake. D: Indian food with brussel sprouts
Tue: L: pasta bake. D: split pea soup with roasted beets and potatoes (I bought a 10lb bag, 8.5 lbs to go)
Wed: L: pasta bake. D: turkey, mashed potatoes (yep, again), gravy, sauteed yakuna savoy
Thu: L: split pea soup. D: leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, and whatever vegetable is laying around that day (it's CSA day). Maybe spinach salad.
Fri: Yeah, we'll have to see what kinds of leftovers are still leftover at this point. Probably still two more servings of pasta and two more servings of soup. We'll just call it "smorgasbord" day.
Sat: Roasted acorn squash, potatoes, and salmon patties.

Sunday meal

Well, I've cooked 8 things this weekend. With all those dishes (I'd complain, but Mike did 3-4 loads of laundry), I'm too tired to post actual recipes of some of the stuff.

Yesterday: red lentil curry (recipe posted), collard chips (search for roasted kale for recipe), aloo gobi, and roasted chicken.

Today: pumpkin apple streusel muffins, syrian bread, italian pasta bake, and roasted delicata squash.
Italian pasta bake:
1/2 to 2/3 lb whole wheat pasta, cooked: 0.40
3/4 lb frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and chopped in food processor: 0.75
1 onion, chopped: 0.20
1/2 lb ground beef: 1.00
2 14-oz cans diced tomatoes, pureed: 1.20
2T tomato paste: 0.20
3 cloves garlic: 0.15
basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, oregano: 0.20
salt and pepper
1 bunch collard greens, steamed, squeezed dry, pureed: 1.50
1 cup cooked kidney beans: 0.24
some sliced kalamata olives: 0.30
4 oz shredded mozzarella (or so): 0.60
Total: $6.74 for about 10 servings, or $0.68 per serving.

Cook the beef and onion. Add the vegetables, tomatoes, paste, and spices. Basically making a chunky meat/veggie sauce. Add in the cooked pasta. Pour in a 13x9 pan. Top with cheese. Bake until bubbly. Like a lasagna but a little less work. This made probably 4-5 meals worth.

Red Lentil Curry

This recipe came from my friend Shithi, who is originally from Bangladesh. It was yummy, even though I forgot to remove the bay leaf before I pureed it.

Red Lentil Curry:
1 small onion, diced (0.20)
2 T canola oil (0.07)
1/2 tsp turmeric (0.05)
1/2 tsp coriander (0.10)
1/4 tsp cumin (0.05)
1/2 tsp fresh garlic, minced (3 small cloves) (0.15)
1 bay leaf (0.05)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 c. red lentils (1.50)
2.5 c. water
1 tsp salt
Total: $2.17 for about 4 cups, or $0.27 per half cup

Saute onion in oil until soft. Add garlic and saute one more minute. Add spices and saute one more minute. Add lentils and water.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 15-20 min. At this point I should have fished out the bay leaf. I got a smoother consistency by using the immersion blender a little bit. I still wanted a few chunks.

This was a little runny (it's supposed to be). I didn't make rice or naan, but it was still good (scooped it up with the aloo gobi and roasted chicken). I will maybe make some flatbread tomorrow to eat the leftovers with on Monday.

The roasted chicken was good. But it was a grocery store chicken ($2.60), not a farmer's market chicken ($12), so it wasn't THAT good.

The collard green chips were a success, like the kale chips. My son really liked the lentil curry and the collard chips, though he ate the chicken and aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower) too. He's a bit of a bottomless pit, and followed that up with some yogurt. Now he's eating carrots sticks.