Many people don't use tofu and that's a shame. I buy a $2. package of extra firm tofu and use it with all my cooking. Tofu is so healthy, prevents cholesterol and is recommended in most healthy diets.
I open the package and slice the tofu in 1/8 to 1/4 in thick slices.........then chop into 1/4 inch squares and use them in soups, spaghetti sauces and salads. Don't taste the tofu right out of the package. It has a very bland nothing taste at that stage but as you prepare it in your food it takes on the flavour of whatever it is being cook in and will seem like small squares of cream cheese in your food.
I also take the 1/4 inch slices and add them, along with kraft cheese slices, turkey slices, or salmon and quartered dill pickles to roll in a tortillia. After the tortillia is rolled I cool it in the fridge for a few minutes and slice into rounds for serving. Again the tofu tastes like everything else in the tortillia........only the lovely cool texture is left to increase the enjoyment of your lunch.
Any tofu left over I place in a small bowl, cover with water, seal with saran wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days. Soft tofu can be used in desserts and although I don't have as much experience with using it I know it does make a lovely texture.
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Cooking with Chicken
Chicken with Rice
1 chicken breast, halved, skinned and boned (or use boneless)
1 cup chicken broth
2 T chopped onion
flour for dredging
1.5 T oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup uncooked white long grain rice
salt and pepper
2 T butter
mushrooms, halved
Salt and pepper chicken and dredge in flour. Sauté in hot oil for a minute or two on each side.
In another pan sauté onions in the butter; add rice and mushrooms and stir until rice is completely coated with the butter. Add the broth and the chicken breasts. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
If you purchase a whole chicken and remove the breasts yourself you can use the legs and thighs for other meals and use the bones and remaining meat to make a broth. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the bones and add the meat to the broth before using for soups or freezing for future use. In this way one chicken can provide two people with up to 5 meals.
1 chicken breast, halved, skinned and boned (or use boneless)
1 cup chicken broth
2 T chopped onion
flour for dredging
1.5 T oil (I use olive oil)
1/2 cup uncooked white long grain rice
salt and pepper
2 T butter
mushrooms, halved
Salt and pepper chicken and dredge in flour. Sauté in hot oil for a minute or two on each side.
In another pan sauté onions in the butter; add rice and mushrooms and stir until rice is completely coated with the butter. Add the broth and the chicken breasts. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.
If you purchase a whole chicken and remove the breasts yourself you can use the legs and thighs for other meals and use the bones and remaining meat to make a broth. Remove the meat from the bones, discard the bones and add the meat to the broth before using for soups or freezing for future use. In this way one chicken can provide two people with up to 5 meals.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Using cheaper cuts of meat
Pork Neckbones are extremely cheap and can be used in many recipes. Everytime we see them on the meat counter we buy almost every package there. Some we feed to the fox who has adopted us and the rest I use to make soup broths and also with the recipes below.
PORK NECKBONES with RICE
Use a large Dutch oven.
Feeds 6 to 8 people. Costs about $2
It don't get any cheaper or more authentic than pork neckbones ‘n' rice.
Cooking for a large crowd of 40 to 50 people this recipe can easily be doubled. On the side easy servings of cornbread and a large tossed salad will complete your day.
Here's what you'll need:
about 2½ pounds of fresh pork neckbones If your supermarket doesn't carry fresh pork neckbones don't shop there. Change supermarkets or move to a better neighborhood.
½ cup cooking oil
2 cups rice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 cups of water
1 onion, sliced
½ bunch of chopped green onions, about 4
Directions:
Use the ½ cup of cooking oil and brown the neckbones, turning them frequently.
When the neckbones are browned, add the chopped green onion, the sliced onion and the spices.
Add water and bring to boil.
Cover pot with tight-fitting lid and simmer on low for 1½ hours. Stir once or twice.
After 1½ hours of simmering, add rice. Skim fat if desired.
Simmer 15 more minutes and turn off fire. Stir once.
Wait 15 more minutes and eat.
2 hours later: ready to eat!
Pork 'n' gravy:
cook pork neckbones same as in Pork'n'gravy above.
Cook rice separately and completely (20 minutes for white rice, 45 minutes for brown rice)
Thicken liquid in pot with flour.
Add a "dash" of Kitchen Bouquet® Browning & Seasoning Sauce to "give the gravy a dark color."
Serve over rice.
Pork neckbones ‘n' rice is cheap:
To feed 6 to 8 people for $2.50 cannot be beat and it's good besides!
Pork neckbones for soup
Add two or three neckbones to a stock pot with 10 cups of water, 2 carrots, 1 lge onion, 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, 1 med potato, 2 stocks celery.........all just cut in very large chunks. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 or 3 hours to let the flavours blend and develop.
Strain and removed meat from bones separating the fat as you go. Add meat pieces back to the strained broth and either commence to make a Barley Soup or freeze the broth in a zip lock bag for using later.
PORK NECKBONES with RICE
Use a large Dutch oven.
Feeds 6 to 8 people. Costs about $2
It don't get any cheaper or more authentic than pork neckbones ‘n' rice.
Cooking for a large crowd of 40 to 50 people this recipe can easily be doubled. On the side easy servings of cornbread and a large tossed salad will complete your day.
Here's what you'll need:
about 2½ pounds of fresh pork neckbones If your supermarket doesn't carry fresh pork neckbones don't shop there. Change supermarkets or move to a better neighborhood.
½ cup cooking oil
2 cups rice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsps salt
1 tsp black pepper
6 cups of water
1 onion, sliced
½ bunch of chopped green onions, about 4
Directions:
Use the ½ cup of cooking oil and brown the neckbones, turning them frequently.
When the neckbones are browned, add the chopped green onion, the sliced onion and the spices.
Add water and bring to boil.
Cover pot with tight-fitting lid and simmer on low for 1½ hours. Stir once or twice.
After 1½ hours of simmering, add rice. Skim fat if desired.
Simmer 15 more minutes and turn off fire. Stir once.
Wait 15 more minutes and eat.
2 hours later: ready to eat!
Pork 'n' gravy:
cook pork neckbones same as in Pork'n'gravy above.
Cook rice separately and completely (20 minutes for white rice, 45 minutes for brown rice)
Thicken liquid in pot with flour.
Add a "dash" of Kitchen Bouquet® Browning & Seasoning Sauce to "give the gravy a dark color."
Serve over rice.
Pork neckbones ‘n' rice is cheap:
To feed 6 to 8 people for $2.50 cannot be beat and it's good besides!
Pork neckbones for soup
Add two or three neckbones to a stock pot with 10 cups of water, 2 carrots, 1 lge onion, 5 or 6 cloves of garlic, 1 med potato, 2 stocks celery.........all just cut in very large chunks. Bring to boil and then simmer for 2 or 3 hours to let the flavours blend and develop.
Strain and removed meat from bones separating the fat as you go. Add meat pieces back to the strained broth and either commence to make a Barley Soup or freeze the broth in a zip lock bag for using later.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Shopping tips
Watching prices and shopping carefully is an art. I find there are many ways to obtain information helpful to my plans.
Testing on dishwasher soap was reported on 'The Shopping Bags' and they found there is not much difference among the many soaps and you are as well off to buy the cheapest no name product. They also report that you should not buy the giant economy sized because moisture and sitting after being opened reduces the cleaning components in the soaps.
I have therefore started to save money and buy the cheapest soap whether it's a no name product or the sale of the week.
Testing on dishwasher soap was reported on 'The Shopping Bags' and they found there is not much difference among the many soaps and you are as well off to buy the cheapest no name product. They also report that you should not buy the giant economy sized because moisture and sitting after being opened reduces the cleaning components in the soaps.
I have therefore started to save money and buy the cheapest soap whether it's a no name product or the sale of the week.
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Learning to Shop and Cut Expenses
I never had to worry about a grocery budget. We enjoyed food and I always cooked from scratch but I could buy anything that caught my fancy and never think twice about it. Now with retirement and wanting to spend more on doing things and less on eating I find myself needing to learn new techniques to cut costs.
I've enjoyed the challenge and it's become a second hobby in my life. I haven't moved into coupons yet and I don't know if I will because I hesitate to hold up the people behind me in line in order to put through coupons but that may change depending on the deals I find. :)
There are many interesting and fun ways to cut your expenses. Of course being there for the sales and buying a little extra of what is on sale is one obvious way. Testing the 'No Name' products to see which are of high enough quality that you might substitute them for the more expensive Brand Name products.
Another very good trick is to plan a menu for the week and make a list of your grocery needs from that menu. If you make a list and stick to it you will throw away far less food from spoilage. I take the flyer from the Super Market and plan my menu around the sales for the week so what I'm putting on my list I know is already on sale.
We have moved away from the Giant Economy sized purchases in most cases but if they have canned tomatoes on sale I will buy as much as a case of them at the sale price. The same is true of other products that you use in many recipes. I keep extra bags of navy beans, red lentils, green and yellow beans in the cubboard so I can always whip up a soup in an hour or so.
There are many ways to cut expenses and for me it's a challenge I enjoy. I find satisfaction from not spending more than I need to and still having interesting, healthy and varied meals which include all points of the Canada Food plan.
I've enjoyed the challenge and it's become a second hobby in my life. I haven't moved into coupons yet and I don't know if I will because I hesitate to hold up the people behind me in line in order to put through coupons but that may change depending on the deals I find. :)
There are many interesting and fun ways to cut your expenses. Of course being there for the sales and buying a little extra of what is on sale is one obvious way. Testing the 'No Name' products to see which are of high enough quality that you might substitute them for the more expensive Brand Name products.
Another very good trick is to plan a menu for the week and make a list of your grocery needs from that menu. If you make a list and stick to it you will throw away far less food from spoilage. I take the flyer from the Super Market and plan my menu around the sales for the week so what I'm putting on my list I know is already on sale.
We have moved away from the Giant Economy sized purchases in most cases but if they have canned tomatoes on sale I will buy as much as a case of them at the sale price. The same is true of other products that you use in many recipes. I keep extra bags of navy beans, red lentils, green and yellow beans in the cubboard so I can always whip up a soup in an hour or so.
There are many ways to cut expenses and for me it's a challenge I enjoy. I find satisfaction from not spending more than I need to and still having interesting, healthy and varied meals which include all points of the Canada Food plan.
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