Recipes

Here are some of my favorite frugal recipes. Try them out; they’re all fairly easy and inexpensive to make. I also adhere to a strictly vegan diet, so they are all animal-product free (and well-flavored!) and, hence, dairy- and cholestorol-free.

Chili

Ingredients:

1/4 lb. soy meat (ground “beef” or “turkey,” depending on your preference)

1-8 oz. can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1-8 oz. can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1-8 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 medium onion, chopped

1-2 jalepenos, chopped (depending on how much spice you like)

2 tomatoes, chopped (or 1-16 oz. can of diced tomatoes)

1 chili seasoning packet

Instructions:

1. In saucepan, sautee onion and jalepeno.

2. Add in ground soy meat, until browned.

3. Add in canned beans and tomatoes, and chili seasonings. Stir and let simmer.

4. Serve alone or over rice.

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Vegan Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour

1 c. sugar

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

4 T. cocoa

5 T. olive oil

1 T. white vinegar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

1 c. water

Instructions: 

1. Sift the dry ingredients into a greased 9 inch square pan.

2. Mix in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water. Stir well.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

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Eggplant Cutlets

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal

1/2 c. wheat germ

1 T garlic salt

1 T dried oregano

2 T dried onion flakes

Soy milk

Instructions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients.

2. Slice the eggplant in thin slices. Dip each eggplant slice into soy milk, and then into dry batter.

3. Fry in olive oil until browned.

4. Serve with marinara. (Sometimes I substitute for marinara: 1 can of diced tomatoes, heated and seasoned.) You can also serve over pasta with marinara sauce.

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Tomato and Basil Risotto

Note: Most of these recipes are mine, by virtue of the fact that the original recipe has been altered so dramatically that it’s pretty unrecognizable. This one, however, is so perfect that I haven’t adapted it at all. It can be found in Carol Gelles’ 1,000 Vegetarian Recipes on page 158.

Ingredients:

2 c. vegetable broth

1 1/2 c. water

1 1/2 T margarine

1/3 c. finely chopped onions

1 clove garlic, minced

1 c. rice

2 c. chopped tomatoes

1/3 c. chopped fresh basil, or 1 1/2 t dried basil

1/4 t salt

1/8 t pepper

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan, heat the broth and water until simmering. Keep on low heat so that the liquids stay warm throughout the cooking time.

2. While the broth is heating, melt the margarine in a separate saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, about 30 seconds. Add the rice; cook, stirring, until the rice is coated with margarine. Stir in the tomatoes; cook, stirring, until the tomatoes are softened, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the broth to the rice mixture, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly, until the rice has absorbed the liquid. (You should make the next addition of liquid when you can draw a clear path on the bottom of the pot as you scrape through the rice with a wooden spoon. This will happen rather quickly at first and will take longer as you near the end of the cooking time.)

4. Stir in the basil, salt, and papper.

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Arrabiata Sauce

Ingredients:

3-4 cloves garlic, diced

1-24 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

2-T. dried basil

2-t. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less, depending on your tolerance for spice)

salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. In saucepan, sautee garlic in a little bit of olive oil.

2. Lower heat, and add crushed tomato, basil, and red pepper. Stir.

3. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. At end, add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Serve over pasta. (Particularly good with penne.)

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