Moujadarah Lettuce Wraps

When Bill and I were invited to a plant-based dinner hosted by my friend Sue over at Stirthepotgr.com, I definitely felt challenged to find a recipe that qualified as vegan but was also something Bill could eat. Because, when you’re allergic to wheat, corn, and cow dairy like he is, meat is an ingredient that helps you get through the day.

For some reason I had it in my head to make lettuce wraps–probably because I had never made them before and wanted to try them. There are a lot of great Asian lettuce wrap recipes out there but many of them have meat in them. I also found some with rice and beans, but finally I settled on Lebanese Mjadra – Lentil & Rice Lettuce Cups. When I read through the recipe I realized it was basically the same as Moujadarah with Curry, one of our favorite legume recipes. The one on Food.com simply uses lettuce as a vessel for serving it.

So I followed the recipe on my blog instead, which also includes a garnish of tomatoes, green onions, and parsley.

The legume mixture can easily be made a day ahead. I mixed the caramelized onions right in with the rice and lentils for this appetizer so it’s easier to eat.

Then I stuck it in the fridge overnight.

After heading to the Holland Farmers Market (on opening day!), I found Bibb lettuce from Visser Farms, which I washed and laid out stacked between paper towels in the fridge until I was ready to assemble the wraps.

I took everything out of the fridge a couple hours prior to assembly.

Then I made the tomato garnish and sliced up some lemons to serve with the wraps.

I had to warm the moujadarah slightly in the microwave so it would be soft enough to spoon into the lettuce. Then I packed them closely into a serving dish for the trip to Grand Rapids, where the dinner was held.

They survived the trip and I think they were the right temperature–room temperature, but slightly on the cold side to keep the lettuce crisp.

Bill and I enjoyed the variety of creative plant-based dishes that the guests–about 30 people–brought to the event. We made some new friends and spent a lovely evening at a beautiful location in Grand Rapids!

How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day: Day 5

Well, we made it to Friday. Were we hungrier than usual during this experiment? Yes. However, I didn’t think about snacking in between meals….it’s just that I was famished when it came time to make each one.

I’ll admit, this was a brain drain. I enjoy planning menus and recipes but weighing quantities and doing the math, that’s what hurt my head so much! Still, Bill and I made it through our challenge of trying to spend only $5.00 per person, per day, except where we went over budget. After all, as I disclaimed in my introductory post, this was an experiment.

While we may not have eaten as much in quantity that we usually do, and we certainly missed enjoying wine with dinner, I think we ate pretty well overall. For a recap of each day, check out the results from Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4.

Here’s what we ate on Day 5:

Split Pea Soup in a Crock-Pot

It doesn’t take much to make Split Pea Soup, especially if you have a slow-cooker, such as a Crock-Pot. If you work full-time, you can throw all the ingredients into the pot in the morning and have dinner on the table when you get home.

Seriously, it doesn’t take long to chop up a few veggies, but if you really don’t have much time in the morning, you could chop them the night before and then combine everything in the morning.

I found my trusty Crockery Cookery book to be very helpful with recipes that I can make in the pot, which I’ve had for more than 30 years.

For split pea soup, all you need is an onion, a carrot, and a stalk of celery. Chop each one and add it, along with the dried split peas and 8 cups of water to the pot. Turn it on  low for 8-10 hours. (You may need to change the temp. to high at the end if the peas aren’t falling apart.)

This soup makes a good one-dish meal and it’s a great choice for vegetarians.

How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day: Day 4

Day 4 of “How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day” was somewhat labor intensive and I don’t recommend this combination of meals in a single day. I prefer to make soups, stews, and roasts on weekends—sometimes multiple dishes at the same time—and then use portions of them throughout the week. Each of today’s meals included more cooking than I would usually do and it’s only because I work at home that I could get away with it.

Here’s what we ate today:

How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day: Day 3

I love eggs. They’re versatile, portable, and they keep hunger at bay. If you boil up a batch ahead of time, you’ve got quick snacks on hand, or a protein source to add to salads, lentil dishes or rice. Sometimes Bill and I simply have a frittata for lunch or dinner, featuring seasonal vegetables or garnished with nitrite-free bacon. But one of my favorite standbys is the ol’ fried egg sandwich. It’s filling and warm, offering protein to get your day started. That’s what I had for breakfast today.

Check out the rest of the menu for Day 3 of “How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day,” the experiment Bill and I are conducting for five days this week.

Quinoa Wrap with Olives, Chick Peas, and Sprouts

Here’s an easy lunch idea if you have leftover quinoa or a quinoa dish such as the one I made on Day 1 of my food challenge this week, How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day. Based on a quinoa pilaf recipe that includes lacinato kale, my version omits the goat cheese, walnut oil, or pine nuts since the whole point of Bill’s and my experiment is to spend less money.

Flour tortillas make great vehicles, but you could use any other kind of malleable flat bread for a wrap. Simply place some olives, halved, along the center, reserving some for another layer in the wrap. (I used a half-ounce of black cured and kalamata olives.) These really add a punch of flavor in this recipe.

Add about a half-cup of quinoa, then top with an ounce of chick peas and the rest of the olives.

Pile on about an ounce of sprouts, roll, and enjoy. To avoid spilling the chick peas and olives onto your plate when you eat, you could either use larger tortillas or divide the ingredients between two. This wrap would also keep well if you brought it to work or on the road. Just roll up tightly in aluminum foil or wax paper and keep cool until you’re ready to eat!

Note: I realized after I published this post that “chickpea” is one word, not two! But I can’t change the title or I’ll have broken links. Still, as a writer, I feel obligated to state that I do know better!

How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day: Day 2

It’s Day 2 of Bill’s and my experiment for this week: How to eat healthy on $5.00 a day. And I admit: I’m hungry. I couldn’t wait until tonight’s dinner, pictured above. This experience has been an interesting process so far in a number of ways:

1. Calculating quantities and prices per ounce really creates awareness for the food we’re buying and eating. Who knew our local CSA lettuce would be so expensive and that cumin from India would be so cheap?
2. It makes you think about how much you eat during the day just from habit. I’m not even talking about someone who has a bad day and binges on food, but just the idea that, oh, there’s a banana that’s ripe so I’d better eat it.
3. Sometimes it really does cost more to eat healthy, but sometimes it doesn’t. For example, check out the juxtaposition between today’s lunch and yesterday’s lunch.

Shourba Ads (Red Lentil Soup)

This is one of Bill’s and my favorite soups, which we often have for lunch. Besides being delicious, it’s filling, it’s easy, and it’s cheap (as we learned during Day 2 of our experiment, “How to Eat Healthy on $5.00 a Day.” The recipe comes from our friends Fadi and Carolyn, who have a Mid-Eastern cookbook they loaned me once. (If I had the name I would cite it here!) Called Shourba Ads in Arabic, it only has seven ingredients. I often make it with chicken stock but to keep costs down I used water and it was equally as good.

Shourba Ads 

1 1/2 cups red lentils (9 oz.)
6 cups chicken stock or water
1 medium onion, grated
1 tsp. cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 T. lemon juice
Optional: olive oil for drizzling

Place lentils in a sieve and wash under running water.

Bring stock or water to a boil in a large pot and add lentils and onion. (If you’re lazy like I am, you can chop the onion instead of grating it, but the flavor is definitely better if you grate it.)

Return to a slow boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for 45-60 minutes until lentils are tender. Do not stir during cooking.

The mixture will be a puree; for a finer texture pass through a sieve or puree in a blender.

Add cumin and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. For thinner consistency, add water. Stir in lemon juice and heat until gently bubbling.

Serve with lemons and drizzle with olive oil if desired.

Serves 6,

We added chopped fresh spinach to our soup to get our greens and legumes in a one-dish meal.

Sunday Night Is Pizza Night – Again

It’s another take on my lavash pizza….this time with avocados.

Spread some herb paste or pesto on spinach lavash flatbread. Add sautéed red onions, crispy fried bacon, sliced avocados, and grated pecorino cheese. Broil on low for 2-3 minutes. A simple, quick dinner for any night of the week!

Fassoulatha with a Twist

As Bill says, “anything is good with a ham hock.” Including Fassoulatha, or white bean soup. The ham hock is the twist to this Greek bean soup I made this week because it happened again: I had ham hocks in the freezer and used one in Split Pea Soup. But that was plenty of meat so I wasn’t sure what I’d do with the other hock.

Meanwhile, I’ve had this Fassoulatha recipe lying around and was looking for an opportunity to try it. Then it hit me: Why not throw the other ham hock in this soup?

Here’s the recipe I used, from a Middle Eastern cookbook my friend Carolyn loaned me. Of course, I improvised here and there, so this is the way it ended up.

Fassoulatha

2 cups dried navy, cannellini, or Great Northern beans
8 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
1 T. dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh, chopped)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. black ground pepper
1 ham hock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried ground oregano
2 tsp. salt

Wash and sort beans. (I used Great Northern beans.)

Place in stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, then remove from heat and leave pot covered until beans become plump, about 2 hours. (Time may vary depending on size of bean.)

Add remaining ingredients except for salt.

Bring to a boil, cover pot and boil gently for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove ham hock and cut meat from bone. Return meat to stock pot. Add salt and simmer, covered, about 30-60 minutes or  until beans are tender.

Serve with fresh chopped parsley. Of course, you could keep this a vegetarian dish and leave out the ham hock. I just didn’t want it to go to waste!