Make the most out of meals
Well timed and packed with 300 recipes, Linda Larsen’s “The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook” (Adams Media, 2008, $14.95) has landed atop our cookbook pile. With food costs on the rise, the volume warranted a thorough examination.
It would be easy to dismiss a paperback with chapter headings such as “Chicken Cheap Cheep!,” but there are family-friendly dishes worth making in this book, and plenty of tips.
Larsen is a Minnesota home economist with a degree in food science and nutrition, and this is the latest food-related addition to the publisher’s “Everything” series of books that cover 21 subject areas. Her recipes come with cost-per-serving price tags, and all but seven of the recipes total less than $2 per serving. (The cost analysis was done using NutriBase Clinical Version 7.0, based on January-February 2007 prices gathered from SimonDelivers.com and Peapod.com.)
Others may brag about devising meals for as little as 50 cents per serving, but Larsen contends that her recipes contain the right amount of calories (300 to 600 for entrees, for example) to satisfy family appetites.
This is plain cooking, using slow cookers and canned fish; you may wish to add spices or seasonings you have on hand. But it’s easy to see how making one or two low-budget meals every week could be more than a novel exercise, especially using Larsen’s planned menus and space for shopping lists in the back of the book.
Pesto Rice Meatballs
Partially cooking the rice adds moisture to the meatballs and ensures that the rice becomes nice and tender, even on the inside of each meatball. According to cookbook author Linda Larsen, the meatballs can be made at a cost of $1.27 per serving.
The Spinach Pesto called for in this recipe is made with frozen, chopped spinach that has been defrosted. Using a fresh-pesto spinach (if it’s feasible, budgetwise) may lend a bit more flavor to the meatballs.
Adapted from Larsen’s “The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook” (Adams Media, 2008).
1/4 cup (uncooked) long-grain rice
1 3/4 cups water
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup Spinach Pesto (see related recipe)
2 tablespoons low-fat milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound 80 percent lean ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
10 ounces (1 can) low-sodium condensed tomato soup
Combine the rice and 3/4 cup of the water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes; the rice will not be cooked through. Drain the rice, if necessary, and let it cool.
Meanwhile, have two plates ready. Combine the rice, egg, pesto, milk and cheese in a large mixing bowl; mix well. Add the ground beef, using your hands to combine gently but thoroughly. Form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, placing them on the plates as you work. Cover the plates of meatballs with plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for 10 to 15 minutes; that will make the meatballs easier to work with in the next step.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add half of the meatballs; use two spoons or forks to turn them frequently as they brown lightly; that will take about 5 minutes, and the meatballs will not be cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate.
Remove any stray bits of meatball from the skillet, then repeat the cooking with the remaining meatballs. When they are done, drain the skillet and add the soup and the remaining 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high, stirring just until well combined (but keeping the contents just below a boil). Carefully return all of the cooked meatballs to the skillet; reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 30 to 35 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot.
Yield: About thirty-six 1 1/2-inch meatballs (4 to 5 servings)
Approximate nutrition per serving (based on 5): 398 calories, 31 grams fat (10 grams saturated, 70 percent fat calories), 20 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 111 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 198 milligrams sodium.
Spinach Pesto
Using frozen, chopped spinach reduces the cost of making this pesto. The lemon juice keeps it a nice, bright green color. According to cookbook author Linda Larsen, the pesto can be made for 33 cents per serving.
It can be covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen.
1 10- to 10 3/4-ounce package frozen spinach, defrosted
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Drain the spinach in a colander, pressing it down with your hands to remove excess water. Place it in the bowl of a food processor with the basil leaves, dried basil, lemon juice, walnuts, salt, pepper and cheese. Pulse until finely chopped.
With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil to form a smooth, thick paste. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate.
Yield: 2 cups
Approximate nutrition per 2-tablespoon serving: 97 calories, 10 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 93 percent fat calories), 2 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 1 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 111 milligrams sodium.
Zucchini Picadillo
Picadillo is a Latin dish typically made of ground beef, tomatoes, raisins and olives. This complex vegetarian variation is great as a side dish with broiled steak or as a main dish for lunch. According to cookbook author Linda Larsen, it can be made at a cost of 96 cents per serving.
Adapted from her “The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook” (Adams Media, 2008).
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini (ends trimmed), cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/4-inch half-moon slices
1 (14- to 14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
2 cups cooked brown rice or white rice
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup pitted and sliced green olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic; cook for about 4 minutes, stirring; the onion should be crisp-tender and not translucent. Add the zucchini and tomatoes with their juices. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook just until the mixture starts bubbling at the edges, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the rice, raisins, olives, salt and pepper, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high just to bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until well-blended. Serve hot.
Yield: Makes 6 1/2 to 7 cups (6 to 7 servings)
Approximate nutrition per 1-cup serving (based on 7; using brown rice): 146 calories, 5 grams fat (1 gram saturated, 31 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 408 milligrams sodium.
3 questions
Linda Larsen’s book, “The Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook,” asks which is more expensive?
1 Cake mix or cake ingredients?
2 Prepared guacamole or homemade guacamole?
3 Shredded cheese or block cheese?
See answers on page D5.
Quiz answers
Here are the answers from Larsen’s book.
1. Cake ingredients; $1.44 vs. 94 cents.
2. Prepared guacamole; 58 cents vs. 33 cents per serving.
3. Trick question! Shredded cheese and block cheese cost the same: $2.79 for eight ounces.