Almost Meatless Meals

I was interested to read the New York Times covering frugal meal tips in this week’s Wednesday food column. I normally think of the Times food section as having recipes with a couple of exotic ingredients like truffle oil or cheeses I have trouble pronouncing or kitchen gadgets like a mandoline that I don’t have.  So, hopefully the economic downturn will mean that upcoming recipes in the NYT and some of the food magazines will be more accessible and replicable.

One trend that frugal cooks pick up early on is to shift to meatless meals, a shift that can be better for the wallet, the waistline, and the planet.  I have mentioned before that my husband calls my style of cooking “Lizzie vegan” which is vegan plus meat.  I use meat as a flavoring and condiment, but not the major part of the meal.  Examples include stir frys with lots of veggies and a small amount of meat or shrimp; bean dishes (like red beans and rice) full of delicious spicy red beans, peppers, onions, and flavored with a spicy (nitrite free) sausage, or soups, such as my hamburger stew or Mexican chicken soup where the meat has been reduced substantially from the original recipe.

Another trend that I love is to have breakfast for dinner.  From both a time and budget standpoint, having dishes that might be part of a breakfast or lunch is a great option, and one that I sometimes turn to if I am missing a key ingredient to a planned dish or need to whip up something unexpectedely.  Many traditional breakfast dishes are loaded with sugar and fat and skip vegetables entirely.   Fortunately, there are options to make breakfast for dinner a lot healthier.  The following is a dish that incorporates both vegetables and meat as a condiment idea.  If you don’t cook with tofu, this is a good basic starter dish.  I serve this with spicy sweet potato wedges, and a big winter fruit salad.

Eggless Joe

1 package firm tofu, (14-16 oz.) drained
1/2 pound of mushrooms sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bag baby spinach (or equivalent frozen spinach)
pinch of turmeric (optional, for coloring)
1/4 pound of ground beef or turkey
1/4 t dried basil, or several leaves of fresh basil slivered
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Drain and press the excess water out of the tofu and set aside.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef or turkey with a small amount of olive oil or cooking spray, drain oil.  Add the chopped onion, garlic and mushrooms and saute over medium heat until onions are translucent.  Add the spinach in batches and saute until it wilts down. Add turmeric, basil, and salt and pepper to taste, stir well.  Take the tofu and crumble into the pan, break up the lumps of tofu until the mixture looks like scrambled eggs (turmeric will turn the tofu from white to yellow).  Heat through thoroughly. Sprinkle cheese, if using, stir to combine and serve.

see also my post on Emergency Pantry Meals and more frugal ideas at Frugal Friday