Lentils and Rice = Mujadarrah = Cheap, Middle Eastern Comfort Food

That's right. Tonight's supper has an exotic, foreign sounding name. And basically, it's just cheap, filling, nourishing-and-SOO-delicious lentils and rice.

Google "Mujadarrah" recipes and you'll find a million variations and almost as many spellings, make yours however you want. Tonight's version came about by accident and inspiration from friends. I had a pot of brown rice cooked up and waiting after work, thanks to my trusty rice maker, but was stumped for a topping. Keep in mind I had NOTHING in my fridge or freezer, after cleaning out the storm-damaged spoils yesterday. (Yes, once again, setting this months budget into a tailspin - sigh)

So I whined a bit about my dilemma and lack of ingredients and inspiration on FaceBook and immediately got some great feedback from far more creative friends and fellow cooks! Someone suggested lentils and (duh!) that was one ingredient I had and could cook quickly. So here's the basic recipe:

Mujadarrah: 

Middle Eastern Lentils and Rice

~~ Brown rice - as much as you want, cooked however works for you.
~~ Brown or green lentils - as much as you want, cooked soft but still holding their shape. (Season with cumin, salt and pepper)
~~ Two yellow or white onions, sliced in thin rings and slow cooked/caramelized in olive oil or Earth Balance until brown and soft. 

 Top a scoop of cooked rice with a scoop of cooked lentils. Add several spoonfuls of browned onions. Enjoy.

Yep. That's my fantastic and frugal meal for tonight. (And since several of you have asked, here is a post from several years ago where I go into more detail about my menus, my typical budget and some meal plans.).

Have a great week!
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Storm; And Simple, Sweet Cornbread

Well, right after my resolution to blog in sickness and health, through good times and bad -  we were hit with the storm of the century... OK, of the year... Whatever.
We still lost power (and obviously Internet) for five days. I didn't like it.

Trees fell and blocked roads, ice made things impassible, not fun! Even cell towers were damaged, so my poor little cell phone was useless half the time! How inconvenient is THAT?

Amidst other, more important events, you may have heard about it on the national news; "Record Snowfall Followed By Ice Storm Disables Pacific Northwest - blah-blah-blah" - yes, that was our backyard.
And as one of the folk without gas or wood stoves, outdoor BBQ grills or generators, can I just whine a moment and say IT.WAS.MISERABLE! Keep in mind, I don't enjoy camping in the best of conditions.

     I'm not complaining though, really. We were together, we were dry and safe, there WAS a Starbucks open (but nothing else, not even McDonalds had power) and we had plenty of sandwich fixin's. I am sure there were others far worse off than us, and I hope they all weathered the storm as well!
At any rate, power is restored, my house is warm, my Internets work. I can blog again. So here we go.

My penny-pinching recipe of the day is a fabulously moist and sweet cornbread - one of my children's FAVORITE.

None of them are fans of the (probably more typical) savory, slightly drier cornbread, (though I do have a recipe for Confetti Cornbread that I LOVE - if you want savory, check that one out).

This recipe is an "all recipes.com" re-make and probably isn't packed with super-healthful properties; chia, twigs and wheatgerm. Add those ingredients if you're lucky enough to have them, then enjoy with some soup, or topped with maple syrup for breakfast!

Sweet Cornbread

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal (I like a fine ground cornmeal personally)
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup plain non-dairy yogurt or blended silken tofu
1 Tbsp flax-seed blended into 1 cup vanilla plant milk
1/4 cup coconut oil (or margarine) melted

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Liberally grease a 9 X 9 pan or 9-inch cast iron skillet.
In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Blend yogurt, plant milk/flax and margarine into dry ingredients until well combined.
Don’t over mix, the batter will be a little lumpy.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Sprinkle top of cornbread with additional 1 Tbsp+ (more if you like that sugar-crunchy topping) of granulated sugar.
Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Let cool 10 - 15 min before cutting.
Drizzle with maple syrup when serving, if desired.

Soup-er Cheap Split Pea Soup

It's been a while since I've blogged and I don't have any fantastic excuses except, well, life. I've felt less than inspired lately, I'll admit, because my normally strained budget has taken a major hit since the holidays.

My second job has pretty much hibernated for the winter and my regular paycheck was cut in half this month due to my employers year-end correction to tax miscalculations. Of course I don't want to be in trouble with the IRS, but eating a decent meal would be nice too!

Obviously no one's starving to death, but we have had to cut back in ways most people wouldn't actually believe if I wrote them all out.

Enough of the "poor-me" story though, I'm still rich in countless ways! I still have family and friends and hands to type with; Sharing warm, cozy meals and recipe ideas with family and friends makes me feel even better.
Things will be looking up soon; bills will be caught up, paychecks will be back to normal and cupboards will be stocked by the end of the month. Until then, enjoy a few of my go-to 'empty-pantry' favorites that are super-inexpensive but still yummy, filling and nutritious.

We should all make no-frills, basic meals like this more often!

 Basic Split Pea Soup

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
2 stalks chopped celery
 - - Use whatever vegetables you have in the 'fridge.
Turnips, sweet potatoes or parsnips work well, and they do NOT have to be in great condition, this is a great way to use up the older, dried out or tough, starting-to-wilt, ratty veggies; Obviously, as long as they aren't actually starting to spoil, mold or rot.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound dried split peas
6 cups liquid - any combination broth and water that you prefer (I often just use water and season with random herbs)
salt and pepper to taste
Lemon (optional)

In a medium-large, heavy-bottomed pot, saute vegetables in oil until tender-crisp.
Add the split peas and broth/liquid to cover ingredients; season with salt and pepper. (Or put everything in a crock pot).
On the stove, cover, bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer and cook until there are no peas left, just a green liquid, 2 hours, stirring from time to time.
In a crock-pot, cook on high for 4 hours or until done as described above.
You may need to add more water as the soup continues to cook.
Once the soup is a green liquid remove from heat, and let stand so it will thicken. (Optional) Stir in a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with lemon zest.

 Serve with toasted sourdough bread.

Vegan Pfeffernüsse; Merry Christmas!

These are a Christmas tradition in our house, one I grew up with and anticipated every year (and even now) practically drooling over.

My Grandma would bake and store  canisters full; My sisters and I thought we were being SO sneaky, heading casually off to the pantry when we thought she wasn't looking. I'm sure the powder-sugar trail gave us away every time. She just smiled and baked more...

I only "veganized" these a couple years ago and while I feel I got the recipe pretty spot-on, would love feedback if anyone makes them.

Pfeffernüsse (or "Pepper Nuts") are hard spicy German (or originally Dutch some food historians say?) cookies that were meant for dipping in coffee and wine (Not that my family drank coffee OR wine when I was growing up, we still found many opportunities to enjoy these cookies). The ones my Grandma made were soft and chewy as well, NOT the hard, crunchy little buttons you find in supermarkets now.

The anise mellows and the cookies soften and the flavors blend wonderfully if you keep these a good week or so before eating them.


Pfeffernüsse
4 c. flour
1/2 c. Earth Balance
1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder or crystals
1 c. molasses
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. anise extract (Get a good quality extract or 5 drops anise oil if you can find it - that's what my Grandma used)
1/4 tsp. finely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. Ener-G egg replacer and 2 Tbsp ground flax, dissolved in 4 Tbsp. soy milk

powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix shortening and flour together. Add remaining ingredients and mix well, the batter will be very thick.
Roll into small balls, about an inch in diameter. Put on a lightly greased tray; they don't expand much so you can fit a lot on there.
Let stand overnight without disturbing.
The next morning, bake for 10-12 minutes.
While still hot (as hot as you can handle), roll the pfeffernüsse in powdered sugar, then allow to cool. Once cooled, roll them again.

Pfeffernusse keep in an airtight container for a month, and are at their yummiest after about a week.

Kale, Apple and Tempeh Salad

First of all, I don't exactly have a picture of this salad; every time I make it, we end up eating it all pretty fast! Just know that it's yummy and perfect for winter! It keeps really well (OK, IF you can resist gobbling it all up), kale is practically indestructible and everyone in the lunch room always comments on how "colorful and healthy" my lunch is. (Yes, I think those are compliments!)

 Kale, Apple and Tempeh Salad

1 recipe Maple Glazed Tempeh, cooked and cooled (I used the one from Christy's beautiful book "Blissful Bites" but if you haven't gotten her book yet (why?), there's other sweet-savory glazed tempeh recipes that will work, just Google)
1/4 cup good quality olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp brine, from jar of capers
3 Tbsp maple syrup
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Granny Smith apples, cut into matchsticks
1/2 med-small head purple cabbage, shredded
1 8 ounce bunch kale, stems discarded, leaves finely shredded
1 bunch green onions, sliced small

 Preheat the oven to 350°. After making the tempeh however you prefer, crumble (or cube) onto a baking sheet and warm in oven 10 - 15 min.

In a bowl whisk olive oil, vinegar, capers. brine and maple syrup and season the dressing with salt and black pepper.
Add the apples, purple cabbage, kale, green onions and toss.

Mound the salad on plates, garnish with the tempeh and serve. SO yummy and pretty!

One-Potato, Two-Potato Latkes

I'm not Jewish, but on this "getting-close-to-Hanukkah" night, I thought I'd post another easy, yummy recipe my kids LOVE (and a great way to add a few veggies to their diet) and one that is rather traditional in many households at this time of year. I originally got this idea from a sweet-potato latke recipe, (we usually call them "Sweet-Potato Pancakes" around here) but found I liked adding other potatoes as well, and the recipe morphed into this.

If you're going to enjoy these, you're also going to be subjected to my short history of Hannukah, (don't roll your eyes) I'm a geek that way.
At least this is the 'history' as I know it to be. Different families have slightly different version. Let your eyes glaze over and skip the next paragraphs if you're not into trivia, history and winning at arm-chair Jeopardy:

"Hanukkah is an 8-day holiday celebrated in December. The dates differ somewhat every year. This holiday commemorates the victory of the Maccabees, a Jewish rebel army, over the Syrians in 165 B.C.E., as well as the subsequent rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem. When Jews came to rededicate the Temple-which had been defiled by those nasty Syrians-they found only one small flask of oil with which to light their menorah. This flask contained only enough oil for one day, yet the lamp miraculously burned for eight days (by which time a fresh supply of oil was obtained). Present-day traditions include lighting the menorah, exchanging gifts and enjoying treats cooked in oil. Oil is a staple of the holiday, it is said, because it commemorates the miracle of the oil burning for eight days."

Hopefully no one actually BURNS any oil making these...

In this recipe, if you want to be all traditional-like, use all white potatoes, or mix is up a whole lot more (like I often do!) with colorful shredded winter squash, parsnips, carrots, even some beets! Yummy with applesauce or vegan sour cream or cashew cream.

Sweet-and-White Potato Latkes

3/4 lb. sweet potatoes and

3/4 lb. Russet potatoes (or any combination of 1 1/2 lbs. other hard root/winter veggies)

1 small yellow onion

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (try and use fresh, it's so much better!)

1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten flour (optional but helps them hold together nicely)

1/4 cup Matzoh meal (you can be all non-traditional and instead use 1 additional Tbsp. gluten flour, flax seed meal or some besan/garbanzo flour)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Coconut oil, for frying (this works the best, but use another oil if you don't want the faint coconut flavor)

Peel and grate potatoes, then place in a colander and set over a large bowl. Rinse (but don't let shreds rinse out of the colander and down the drain, like I did once...)

Using your hands, squeeze out the excess liquid from the potatoes. Pour off the liquid and place potatoes in the bowl.

Grate the onion and add to the potatoes along with the parsley, Matzo meal, vital wheat gluten, baking powder, salt, and pepper, and mix well.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Take a heaping tablespoon of batter and gently place it in the hot oil, spreading and flattening as you go.

Make three or four more potato pancakes this way, and add to skillet (without crowding pan). Cover with a spatter-guard or a lid.

Fry until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 8 minutes total.

Repeat with remaining potato mixture, adding more oil as necessary. Remove the cooked potato pancakes to paper towels to drain, then transfer to an ovenproof platter and keep warm in the oven until all pancakes are cooked.

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CONTEST WINNER:
Last week's winner of the lovely Libre Tea glass, by random drawing, is "Della" of the "Kitchen Aided" blog. Congrats! 

GREAT Gift Idea, Review and Give Away: Libre Tea Glass

Well my dear fellow bloggers - November COMPLETELY got away from me.
No, I didn't blog even once.
That happens sometimes, but with the holidays comes lots of experimenting and fussing around in my kitchen, so stay tuned, I have plenty to say in the near future!!

Today, however, I wanted to post a review I've had brewing (pun intended) for several months now. Someone asked me, somewhere around my birthday (back in SEPTEMBER) what one of the best "foodie" gifts was that I'd ever received.

Me, with my amazing friend,
Sunny; I blame my
Tea Glass addiction
on her! 

And while I'm grateful for, and thrilled with the many wonderful cookbooks, appliances, food items and aprons, I'd have to say unequivocally, my favorite, most practical, most used, most beautiful "food" related gift has been the Libre Tea Glass I received from my friend Sunny. Most everyone who knows me, knows I LOVE tea. And a pretty, and useful drinking/brewing container for my tea was the PERFECT, perfect thing!

 Like I said, I'd been meaning to do a review for ages and somehow it just hasn't happened, but with tea-drinking, gift-giving season rolling around, I thought it was a perfect time.

WHAT exactly is this tea glass, you ask? Well, a Libre Tea Glass is a beautiful, functional, lidded clear-glass cup for your tea.
It's see-thru, glass-lined and BPA-free polycarbonate something-something on the outside, with a strainer/filter top. You can brew loose-leaf tea or those awesome tea "blossoms" that I find so fascinating.

Simple, pretty, functional.
I discovered I cannot get a decent picture that even
begins to  do these glasses justice, so I've
borrowed this one from the Libre Tea website.

• If you're looking for the perfect gift for a tea lover, this is it.
• If you're looking for a gift for someone who "has everything", this is it! (I now have three and love ALL of them!)
• If you're shopping for a earth-saving-super-recycling-eco-warrior (aren't we all one of these?), this is perfect.
• If you're needing something innovative but simple - and pretty, this is a great option.
• If you know someone who likes brewing tea, but NOT the mess, this is it!
• Annnnnd, if you don't have a lot to spend? Again, this is a moderately priced, but amazingly practical, useful gift! (20% off thru December 4, too!)

Check out the instructional video on their website for better information, but what I love is that you can brew loose-leaf tea (which always used to be a messy struggle for me) right in the beautiful glass - no waiting, no straining or drippy tea balls. Then, a removable stainless-steel filter lets you drink your tea straight from the glass after brewing, keeping tea leaves in the glass and out of your mouth (it's removable for easy cleaning).

Also comes in a
"mug-with-handle"
model!

The polycarbonate insulates the glass so it's far less breakable AND you can hold your hot beverage easily. If you are the much more careful type (not me) there is also an exquisite all-glass model.
Oh, annnnd, there's a lid to keep it hot and contained, should you need to take your tea to yoga (not me, I don't do yoga) or in your bag to school (me).

Loose leaf tea tastes SO much better in my opinion, is infinitely cheaper and produces less waste than tea bags too, always a good thing!
So, if, after reading about my complete devotion to this product (absolutely true!), and poking around their website a bit, you are absolutely smitten, as I was, then by all means order one for yourself and for all those other people still on your Christmas list!

As an added bonus, the lovely people at Libre are going to let me give away one of their beautiful glasses:.
All you have to do is leave me a comment about your favorite tea.
As an additional entry you can either POST A LINK to this give-away on Facebook or Twitter, OR "Like" Libre Tea on Facebook OR follow on Twitter. (Post an additional comment if you do one of those.)
 I'll pick an entry by random drawing on Sunday, Dec. 4th about 10 PM.