Entertaining On The Cheap Part II

Angie Says:

Earlier I told you about a little get together that I was having. Everything went over really well (as long as you don't as about the pie. Just don't ask). In a couple of weeks I'm having another little crafty get together and thought that I should start thinking about what inexpensive but fantastic foods I might whip up.
It got me thinking about a certain recipe. I don't think that the show is on anymore but on the Food Network there was a show called Good Deal with Dave Lieberman where he showed you how to entertain on a budget. Even though his budget was often larger than what I would spend his ideas were fantastic. The following is an adaptation of one of his recipes.

Cannellini Bean, Red Onion, and Basil Salad

4 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 bunch arugula, thick stems removed, washed and dried
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Handful washed basil leaves, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt 20 grinds black pepper

Empty the cans of beans into a colander and rinse them briefly under cold water. Drain thoroughly and empty the colander into a large serving bowl. Toss the beans together with the red onion and arugula. Shake the olive oil, vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper in a sealable container until the salt is dissolved. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. It's best to make and dress the salad about an hour before you serve it. Let it stand at room temperature, tossing every time you think about it. Just before serving, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste.

So that is EXACTLY his recipe. You know that here in Alaska it's often hard to find certain food items. I hardly ever make this recipe with Cannellini beans because they're hard to find. I use navy beans and it's just as good. I also hardly ever find arugala so I just skip it. It's still very tasty and pretty inexpensive to make.

His recipe makes a lot (because it's for entertaining) so you can halve it, or quarter it really. In my book, it's just plain tasty.

A few things:

1. Make sure you rinse the beans and drain them well.

2. Make sure you're using a brand of canned beans that are still firm when you open them. Canned or not, they should still be fairly firm.

On Splurging

Angie says:

I agree with Molly on the meat issue. My husband feels that he NEEDS meat but fortunately he will eat tofu and veggies if they're sufficiently altered to form more than something that looks like just a side dish. If you're splurging on meat, you might be able to have less of it in a week. Still, you want protein in your diet. The following is a recipe that I altered from 101 Cookbooks and it is VERY filling as a breakfast. It's got a ton of good things in it and the portions are easily altered.

Brown Rice Bowl
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion finely chopped
2 pinches of salt
1 pinch of chili powder (adjust to taste)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
3/4 cup extra-firm tofu (1/4 inch dice)
1/2 cup-1 cup chopped fresh cilantro ( I love cilantro so I add a full cup).
2-3 cups pre-cooked whole grain rice (I make a lot of this and freeze it in small bags)
4 eggs

Fill a wide mouthed sauce pan with 3-4 inches of water and bring to a simmer

Separately, warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Stir in the onion, salt, cumin, and chili powder. Let the onions soften up a bit. GENTLY stir in the tofu- let it heat up and brown a bit. Now stir in the garlic. Cook a few minutes. Stir in pre-cooked rice and saute until hot. Remove from heat. Add cilantro. Taste for seasoning as well, you might want salt or more cumin.

Now gently crack each egg into a well oiled ramekin. Lower ramekin into simmering water. Lightly salt and pepper egg. You could use this time to add a tiny bit of garlic powder or chili powder if the rice mixture wasn’t seasoned enough. Cover pan with a translucent lid. Cook until the whites have become almost opaque. Cook longer if you like your egg a bit more done. Remove ramekin from water with tongs. Immediately remove with a small silicone spatula. Divide rice mixture into 4 bowls, place egg on top of each. Add more cilantro if desired. Let each person break the egg over their own rice.


What I do, because I don’t have time to make this before work, is to make everything the night before. Place rice mixture into small containers. Cook the eggs less than you would normally and place one egg on top of the rice. Refrigerate overnight. When I get to work the next morning I microwave it for about 30 seconds or less and it’s ready to eat.

On the Cheap

Angie says:
With the price of gas going up so quickly it's hard to budget, what items are one week, they aren't the next. We've noticed that many of the "budget" recipes out there are unhealthy as well. We're going to prove to you that you can cook on a budget AND be healthy at the same time. From time to time we'll post recipes that meet both of these requirements. If you have any of your own please feel free to send them along. Today I'll be sharing a meal that I like to make. This recipe might seem a little expensive but since it makes so much it goes a long way and can be frozen quite well. This stew has enough meat in it to fill anyone one up. Also, living in Alaska also means not always finding the exact thing that recipes call for. If you can't find cannellini beans use white navy beans. They're just as tasty but because they're smaller add them for just the last five minutes.



Chicken Stew with Tomatos and White Beans (adapted from epicurious.com)



4 bacon slices, chopped

6 chicken thighs with skin and bones (about 2 1/2 pounds)

All purpose flour

1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

5 garlic cloves, minced2 14 1/2-ounce cans stewed tomatoes

1 14 1/2-ounce can low-salt chicken broth

3/4 cup dry red wine

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 15-ounce cans cannellini (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed.



Here are the instructions that the recipe gives. Then I'll give you the way that I do it.



Cook chopped bacon in heavy large pot over medium-high heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel. Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess. Add to drippings in pot and sauté until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Using slotted spoon, transfer chicken to large bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add chopped onion and minced garlic to pot; sauté 4 minutes. Add bacon, stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, red wine, basil and oregano. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Add cannellini; simmer 10 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.



I make this on Sunday nights because Sunday mornings I make a big breakfast for my husband and it usually includes bacon. Also, then I don't have to cook on Monday night because it makes so much. I just cook four extra pieces of bacon and save 2 tsp. of the drippings to make this later at night. You could even make the bacon a day head. It's just flavoring and doesn't need to be crisp.



You don't have to get bone in/skin on chicken thighs. I buy them because they're often less expensive than boneless/skinless, however, I do recommend that you stick with thigh meat. It's just better in this. The recipe wants you to leave the bones in and skin on but it's a little to rustic for my taste. I debone and deskin and then save the bones in the freezer for soup later (because as my husband would say about me: you're a crazy lady; a real, live crazy lady). I also cut up the thighs into smaller pieces because it makes it easier to eat and also gives the illusion of there being more meat than there is.



Follow the recipe instructions after this, making sure to dredge the chicken as it makes a big flavor difference.

Tip: I also often add chopped red potatos to make it the meal seem heartier for my husband. And in the winter I swap the basil out for 1 TBS of dried rosemary. Also, because it's Alaska and fresh herbs are hard to find and expensive as well I often use dried basil and use 2 TBS.

I make biscuits to go with this and I think that in the end the entire meal cost me about 3-4 dollars per person.