<p>AND LEANNE BROWN EAT WELL ON $4/DAY GOOD CHEAP Introduction ....................5 A Note on $4/Day ...........................................6 My Philosophy ................................................7 Tips for Eating and Shopping Well ...................8 Pantry Basics .................................................12 Breakfast ..............................14 Tomato Scrambled Eggs .................................15 Broiled Grapefruit ..........................................16 Omelette ........................................................17 Banana Pancakes ...........................................18 n e w Chocolate Zucchini Muffins .....................21 Whole-Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones..........22 n e w Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars .......25 n e w Egg Sandwich with Mushroom Hash ......26 i d e a s Oatmeal 6 Ways ....................................28 i d e a s Yogurt Smash! .......................................32 Soup ..................................................34 Dal ................................................................35 Corn Soup .....................................................36 n e w French Onion Soup ..................................39 Lightly Curried Butternut Squash Soup ..........40 Salad ...............................................42 Broiled Eggplant Salad ....................................43 Kale Salad ..................................................... 44 n e w Ever-Popular Potato Salad ........................46 n e w Spicy Panzanella......................................49 Cold (and Spicy?) Asian Noodles .....................50 Taco Salad ......................................................52 Beet and Chickpea Salad ................................53 Broccoli Apple Salad .......................................54 n e w Charred Summer Salad ............................55 Snacks, Sides & Small Bites .........................56 Jacket Sweet Potato ........................................57 Smoky and Spicy Roasted Cauliflower ............58 Spicy Green Beans ..........................................59 Mexican Street Corn ......................................60 Green Chili and Cheddar Quesadillas ..............61 Cornmeal Crusted Veggies .............................62 Brussels Sprout Hash and Eggs.......................65 Poutine ..........................................................66 i d e a s Toast 8 Ways .........................................69 i d e a s Popcorn 8 Ways .....................................74 Handheld ..............................76 Cauliflower Tacos ..........................................77 Potato Leek Pizza ...........................................79 Broccoli Rabe and Mozzarella Calzones ..........80 n e w Broccoli, Egg, and Cheddar Empanadas ....83 Potato and Kale Rolls with Raita .....................84 i d e a s Leftovers ................................................87 3 Text, recipes, and most photographs and design by Leanne Brown, in fulfillment of a final project for a master’s degree in Food Studies at New York University. This book is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial ShareAlike 4.0 license. For more information, visit www.creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc-sa/4.0 You may freely distribute this book electronically. To download a free PDF or buy a print copy, visit www.leannebrown.com Brown, Leanne Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day ISBN: 978-0-9938448-2-9 Version 1.1, August 2014 Version 1.0, June 2014 Version 0.9, December 2013 First, I’d like to thank my husband, Dan. Without him this book would not exist. Thank you also to my wonderful family and friends, who believed in this idea before anyone else. And thank you to everyone who has taken the time to tell me what Good and Cheap means to them. I heard from thousands of people throughout the course of creating and distributing this book. The outpouring of love and support I’ve received is probably enough for several lifetimes. To those who told me this book has given them hope, inspired them, or otherwise brought them pleasure: I don’t deserve so much gratitude for so little, but doing work that matters is all I have ever wanted. Dinner .........................................88 Creamy Zucchini Fettuccine ...........................89 Pasta with Eggplant and Tomato ....................90 Chana Masala ................................................93 Black-Eyed Peas and Collards ..........................94 Vegetable Jambalaya ......................................97 n e w Filipino Chicken Adobo ............................98 n e w Baked Beans 2 Ways ..............................101 n e w Half-Veggie Burgers ...............................102 n e w Beef Stroganoff ......................................105 n e w Tofu Hot Pot ..........................................106 n e w Deconstructed Cabbage Rolls .................109 Savory Summer Cobbler .............................. 110 Cauliflower Cheese ....................................... 113 Vegetable Quiche, Hold the Crust .................. 114 Shrimp and Grits ......................................... 117 Spicy, Crunchy, Creamy Polenta ................... 118 Roast Chicken ..............................................121 m e t h o d Roasted Vegetables .............................122 Roasted Potatoes with Chilies .......................125 Spicy Broiled Tilapia with Lime ....................126 Big Batch .............................127 Spicy Pulled Pork .........................................129 n e w Deviled Eggs 6 Ways .............................130 Perogies .......................................................132 n e w Dumplings 2 Ways ...............................134 Staples .......................................136 Flour Tortillas .............................................. 137 Roti .............................................................138 Pizza Dough 2 Ways ....................................139 n e w Fresh Pasta ............................................ 141 Best Tomato Sauce .......................................142 n e w Chorizo and White Bean Ragu ...............143 n e w Rainbow Rice 3 Ways ............................144 m e t h o d How to Cook Dried Beans..................145 m e t h o d Croutons or Breadcrumbs .................146 Drinks ........................................148 Agua Fresca .................................................149 i d e a s Smoothies 4 Ways ...............................150 Desserts ..................................152 Caramelized Bananas ...................................153 Coconut Chocolate Cookies ..........................155 Peach Coffee Cake ........................................156 Fast Melon Sorbet ........................................158 n e w Avocado Milkshake ...............................159 Flavor ............................................160 Peanut Sauce ................................................ 161 Spice Oil .......................................................162 Salsa ............................................................163 Raita ............................................................164 Tzatziki .......................................................165 i d e a s Spices and Aromatics ...........................166 Thanks .....................................168 Index .............................................172 Introduction Eating is one of life’s greatest pleasures. In a perfect world, healthy and delicious food would be all around us. It would be easy to choose and easy to enjoy. But of course it’s not a perfect world. There are thousands of barriers that can keep us from eating in a way that nourishes our bodies and satisfies our tastes. Money just needn’t be one of them. Kitchen skill, not budget, is the key to great food. This cookbook is a celebration of the many delicious meals available to those on even the most strict of budgets. Eating on a limited budget is not easy, and there are times when a tough week can turn mealtime into a chore. As one woman told me, “I’m weary of the ‘what’s for dinner?’ game.” I hope the recipes and techniques in this book can help make those times rare and the tough choices a little more bearable. At the same time, this book is not a meal plan—those are much too individual to share on a wide scale. Every person and every family has specific needs and unique tastes. We live in different regions, different neighborhoods, and with varying means. One book cannot account for all of that, but I hope it can be a spark, a general strategy, a flexible set of approachable and cheap recipes. The rest is up to you. I think you’ll find (or perhaps have already found) that learning to cook has a powerfully positive effect. If you can become a more skilled, more conscious cook, you’ll be able to conjure deliciousness in any kitchen, anytime. Good cooking alone can’t solve hunger in America, but it can make life happier—and that is worth every effort. Just as a good meal is best shared with others, so is a good recipe. I may not be able to share a meal with you, but I’d love to offer a few ideas. What’s for dinner? Here’s my answer. 4 5 A Note on $4/Day I designed these recipes to fit the budgets of people living on SNAP, the US program that used to be called food stamps. If you’re on SNAP, you already know that the benefit formulas are complicated, but the rule of thumb is that you end up with $4 per person, per day to spend on food. This book isn’t challenging you to live on so little; it’s a resource in case that’s your reality. In May 2014, there were 46 million Americans on food stamps. Untold millions more—in particular, retirees and students—live under similar constraints. The costs for each recipe are based on two sources. For the pantry items on the following pages, I collected prices from four grocery stores in Inwood, a relatively low-income neighborhood on the north tip of Manhattan. For specific spices and a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, I looked at online grocery stores or nationwide averages collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The prices for fruits and vegetables assume that they’re roughly in season, when you can get the best deals. This means, unfortunately, that you’ll pay a lot more if you want to make peach coffee cake in February. I talk more about shopping in season on the following pages. The estimates are, by necessity, a snapshot of place and time. Costs will vary in other cities, other neighborhoods, even just other stores. Please think of the numbers as a guideline, not a guarantee. More than in most cookbooks, my recipes are flexible and encourage substitution based on availability, price, and personal tastes. A strict budget requires flexibility and a willingness to say, “that’s a good deal this week, so it’s what I’ll be cooking!” Don’t worry, you’ll pick up the tricks quickly. A few recipes call for fancy kitchen equipment, but in my work with low-income families in New York, I’ve found that items like blenders, food processors, and electric mixers are fairly common. I did not, however, attempt to tackle the very real situation of people who have no kitchen, no equipment, and no space to prepare food. I simply cannot hope to do those issues justice within the bounds of one cookbook. Let’s all agree that we need to keep striving to address those other issues that make it difficult for so many people to eat well. i n t ro 6 i n t ro 7 My Philosophy The best health advice is simple: eat fruits and vegetables. Many American cookbooks rely on meat as the central feature of a meal. My recipes celebrate the vegetables rather than the meat. My intent was to create satisfying food that doesn’t require you to supplement your meals with cheap carbohydrates to stave off hunger. I strove to create recipes that use money carefully, without being purely slavish to the bottom line. For example, many recipes use butter rather than oil. Butter is not cheap, but it creates flavor, crunch, and richness in a way that cheap oils never can. I’m not a dietician, and this isn’t a diet book. I’m just a home cook, like you. If you have dietary restrictions, some recipes won’t work for you as-is, but that’s fine—you can try to adapt them to your needs, or just turn the page and keep looking for inspiration. More than a book of recipes, this is a book of ideas. I want you to tailor things to your taste. Improvisation is the soul of great cooking! If it doesn’t work out every time, I hope you’ll forgive me. More importantly, forgive yourself, and try again. About this Book I created an earlier version of this book as the capstone project for my MA in Food Studies at New York University. After I posted a free PDF on my website, it went viral on Reddit, Tumblr, and elsewhere, racking up almost 100,000 downloads in the first few weeks. That support gave me the courage to launch a Kickstarter campaign to get printed copies of Good and Cheap into the hands of people who don’t have computers or who wouldn’t otherwise see it. Thousands of generous supporters contributed to the campaign, donating more than 8,000 free copies of the printed book and sponsoring 20 new recipes. Now, just five months after first posting the PDF, it has been downloaded about 500,000 times. The experience has changed my life. 8 Tips for Eating and Shopping Well b u y fo o ds t h at c a n b e u s e d i n m u lt i p l e m e a l s Versatile ingredients save meals. If you buy flour, you can make tortillas (p. 137), roti (p. 138), scones (p. 22), and pancakes (p. 18). If you buy yogurt (or make your own), you can have it with fruit (p. 32), make raita (p. 164) and tzatziki (p. 165), or use it in a drink (p. 150). Need I even mention the versatility of garlic or lemons? If you always keep them around, you can make anything else taste fantastic. b u y i n b u l k Buying larger amounts usually brings the price down. When you’re working within a tight budget, you won’t always be able to afford to shop for the future, but do it when you can. And, of course, keep storage in mind: If the item will go off before you can finish it, get the smaller size. If you buy versatile ingredients in slightly larger amounts, you’ll be able to use them quickly but still make diverse meals. s ta r t b u i l d i n g a pa n t ry If possible—and admittedly this can be difficult for people living on their own—reserve part of your budget to buy one or two semi-expensive pantry items each week. Things like olive oil, soy sauce, and spices (p. 166) are pricey at first, but if you use just a little with each recipe, they go a long way. With turmeric, coriander, cumin, and fresh ginger root, you’ll suddenly have a world of flavor on your shelf. In a few pages, I’ll suggest specific items to add to your pantry. i n t ro 8 t h i n k w e e k ly Each week, mix things up by buying different varieties of staple foods like grains and beans. This week, you might have oatmeal every morning (p. 28) with black bean chili or black bean tacos later in the day, but next week you’ll have yogurt for breakfast (p. 32) and hummus or chana masala (p. 93) for lunch and dinner. If you have time to shop frequently, pick up smaller amounts of produce every couple of days to ensure everything is fresh. It’s a lot more inspiring to pull crisp greens out of the fridge than to unstick a wilted mess from the bottom of the veggie drawer. If you can’t shop as often, consider getting canned or frozen versions of whichever vegetables you won’t use immediately. t h i n k s e a s o n a l ly During their local growing season, fruits and vegetables are generally cheaper and definitely tastier than outside of season. You’ll notice that orange prices shoot up during the summer, yet what’s available is drab and flavorless. But oranges are abundant in December and January, the peak of their season, and that’s reflected in the price. At the end of summer, you can get bags of zucchini for next to nothing. Brussels sprouts are also very seasonal, coming on sale around Thanksgiving. Enjoy as much of the summer and fall produce as possible, because you’ll be more limited in the winter. Then again, simmering and roasting winter vegetables is a fine way to warm up your house, and tough winter roots are easy to store. In addition, winter is a great time to search for deals on canned and frozen produce. Seasons for fruits and vegetables vary depending on where you live, so consult a local guide to growing seasons and use it to shop for the best deals. m o r e v e g e ta b l e s m e a n s m o r e f l avo r Nothing livens up a bowl of rice like summer squash and corn! Vegetables make the best sauces: they’re earthy, bright, tart, sweet, bitter, savory, rich. Give them a treasured spot at the top of your grocery list and you’ll never be bored. i n t ro 9 More Tips! a lways b u y e g gs With these babies in your fridge, you’re only minutes away from a satisfying meal. Scramble an egg with leftovers or drop an egg on top of a salad or a plate of stir-fried vegetables, and deliciousness is guaranteed. b u y e x p e n s i v e e g gs i f yo u c a n More expensive eggs are usually worth the money—they taste so much better than cheap eggs. Even at $4 a dozen, you’re still only paying 33 cents an egg. Really fresh eggs, like those from a farmers’ market, also make a big difference in flavor. b e c a r e f u l w i t h u n d e rc o o k e d e g gs Very rarely, raw eggs can be infected with salmonella. Many classic recipes, from mayonnaise to eggnog to Caesar dressing, are prepared with raw egg yolk, but technically only a hard-cooked egg is guaranteed to be free of salmonella. Consequently, raw or runny eggs are not recommended for infants, the elderly, pregnant women, or anyone with a weakened immune system. b u y f r e s h b r e a d Try to buy fresh loaves of interesting bread from an independent bakery or the bakery in your grocery store. Although fresh loaves don’t last as long as sliced bread, they’re much more enjoyable, and you can use the old stuff to make panzanella (p. 49) or croutons or breadcrumbs (p. 146) to top other dishes. Later in the day, many independent bakeries offer deep discounts on bread they would otherwise have to throw out. d o n ’t b u y d r i n k s All the body needs drink-wise is water. Except for milk, most packaged drinks are overpriced and deliver a lot of sugar without filling you up the way a piece of fruit or a bowl of yogurt does. If you want a special drink, make agua fresca (p. 149), a smoothie (p. 150), or tea. i n t ro 10 g e t c r e at i v e w i t h w i lt e d v e g e ta b l e s Sometimes you forget a pepper or bunch of spinach in the back of the fridge. Although wilted veggies might not remain fit for a salad, they’ll still be wonderful in any dish that calls for sautéed, grated, or baked vegetables. Just cut off any actual rot. You can also use them in broth. m a k e yo u r ow n b ro t h a n d s t o c k In almost any savory recipe that calls for water, homemade broth or stock would be better. To make broth, start by saving any vegetable bits that you chop off and would normally throw away, like onion tops, the seedy parts of peppers, and the ends of carrots. Store them in the freezer until you have a few cups, then cover them with water, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for a few hours. Add salt to taste, and you have broth! To make a hearty stock, do the same with leftover bones or scraps of meat (preferably all the same kind of meat). Since you’re using stuff you’d otherwise throw away, broth and stock are effectively free. t r e at yo u r f r e e z e r w i t h r e s p e c t A freezer can be a great friend for saving time by letting you prepare large batches of food at once. Cooking dried beans takes a while (p. 145), so make more than you need, then freeze the rest. Another great trick I learned from a reader is to dice a whole package of bacon, fry it, then freeze it in small parcels. This makes it easy to add a small amount of bacon to a dish without the temptation of using the whole package. t u r n c h i c k e n s k i n i n t o s c h m a ltz Schmaltz is rendered chicken fat that you can use like butter. Buy chicken that still has its skin, then trim the skins and lay them in a pan on low heat. Add a cup or so of water and simmer until the fat releases from the skin and the water cooks off. Let the fat cool, then throw away the skins and pour the fat into a glass jar. Store in the fridge. b u y a p e p p e r g r i n d e r Seriously, banish pre-ground pepper from your life; it loses all flavor when it sits around. Fresh pepper creates pops of intense flavor on the tongue and lights up bland dishes. One of the most popular dishes in Rome is just pasta with butter and pepper: give it a try! i n t ro 11 Pantry Basics With these commonly available items in your pantry, you can have a wide variety of meals on the table within minutes. Keeping a well stocked pantry is the key to easy, fast cooking at home. When you’re living on a budget, building up supplies does take time, but just keep adding each week and you’ll get there in time. v e g e ta b l e s Vegetables can (and should!) be the base of most meals. Other than greens, which should be used quickly, these can be stored for a few days to a few weeks. Try each vegetable as it hits peak season and goes on sale. garlic, onions, carrots, celery, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, hot peppers, hardy greens, salad greens, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, winter squash f r u i t s Citrus fruits are cooking essentials and they keep well. The zest and juice can liven up just about any dish and they always make a great dressing. Bananas, apples, and melons are great quick snacks, but try every fruit you can afford! Remember, almost all fruits and vegetables have a season, so savor them at their freshest and cheapest. apples, melons, oranges, limes, lemons, bananas da i ry Butter is just as good to cook with as it is on toast. These are the cheeses I like, but buy what your taste, budget, and local availability alllow. butter, milk, yogurt, queso fresco, Romano or Parmesan, sharp cheddar, mozzarella p ro t e i n Meat isn’t the only protein! The items below are cheap, easily stored, and have multiple uses. Be aware that most fish at the grocery store has previously been frozen and was merely thawed for display. There’s no harm in buying it frozen and thawing it yourself. eggs, dried beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, peanut butter i n t ro 12 g r a i n s Flour is so inexpensive, and once you have a few basics at hand, most baked goods are a cinch to make. There’s great variety in whole grains. Substitute them for rice, toss them in a salad, or add them to soup. bread, tortillas, pasta, all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, oats, popcorn, short-grain rice, long-grain rice, brown rice, cornmeal, dried whole grains c a n n e d v e g e ta b l e s Plenty of vegetables are good when canned, so remember to compare prices between fresh, frozen, and canned. The canned versions are fantastic in sauces. Just be aware that canned foods are often very salty, so you might want to rinse them, except for canned tomatoes. whole tomatoes, tomato paste, whole corn f roz e n f r u i t s a n d v e g e ta b l e s Fresh berries can be expensive, but the frozen ones often go on sale and are great for smoothies. Frozen veggies are quick to add to soups and rice dishes. Again, compare prices to see whether frozen is the best value. berries, peas, green beans, corn f l avo r a n d c o o k i n g You can explore an extraordinary number of cuisines with these items. They add depth and excitement to the most simple dishes. olive oil or vegetable oil, wine vinegar, anchovies, sardines, olives, fish sauce, coconut milk, miso paste, mustard, soy sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, fresh herbs, dried spices (p. 166) t r e at s t h at g o a l o n g way Although these items can be expensive, a little goes a long way; when you can, pick up an item or two and enjoy the results. dried fruits, dried mushrooms, frozen shrimp, maple syrup, bacon, vanilla, cocoa powder s p i c e s I have a whole page on spices (p. 166), but they can be a sticking point: no food value, and they sometimes have a high sticker price. However, one small bottle lasts many meals, so invest in them whenever you can. i n t ro 13 14 Put a small pan on medium heat and melt the butter, then swirl it around to coat the pan. Add the tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes release their juice and most of the juice evaporates, about 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and add a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper. Beat the eggs lightly with a fork. Once most of the juice has cooked out of the tomatoes, turn the heat down to low and add the eggs to the pan. Using a spatula, gently mix the eggs and tomatoes. Carefully stir the eggs to keep them from forming chunks. Turn down the heat as low as possible; the slower your eggs cook, the creamier they’ll be. Once the eggs are done, turn off the heat and add any chopped herbs you have around. Basil is the best with tomatoes. If you have some around, serve over toast or a tortilla. ½ tbsp butter 4 cups fresh tomatoes or 2 cups canned tomatoes, chopped 4 eggs salt and pepper a d d i t i o n s fresh basil or other herbs, chopped For today’s breakfast, fluffy, creamy eggs hold together a mass of tangy, juicy, sweet tomatoes. Best enjoyed when tomatoes are in season. Tomato Scrambled Eggs fo r t wo Breakfast Fast, healthy, and cheap is usually the game plan for breakfast—with as much pleasing flavor as I can manage in my grouchy morning state. Whether you have hours or minutes, there’s a great breakfast to be had for little. $3.60 t o ta l $1.80 / s e rv i n g b r e a k fa s t 15 Crack the eggs in a bowl. Add the dill, salt, pepper, and beat with a fork. Put a big saucepan on medium-high heat. Melt a small blob of butter in the pan. Once the butter is sizzling, add the onion and sauté for about two minutes, until it’s translucent and smells great. Add the egg to the hot pan and swirl it around to coat the surface evenly. If the center of the omelette cooks more quickly than the edge, use a spatula to pull any raw egg into the middle. Then stop touching it. After about 30 seconds, toss the cheese on top along with any other raw or cooked vegetable you feel like adding. Once none of the egg remains translucent, fold the omelette in half with your spatula, then lift it out of the pan. You don’t want any brown on your eggs. If I’m serving two people, I usually cut one large omelette in half rather than making two omelettes. However, when you feel like being fancy, you can make a pair of two-egg omelettes simply by using half the ingredients for each. For extra fanciness, roll up the omelette instead of folding it—that’s how the French do it, traditionally. The result will be quite thin and tender. 4 eggs 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped salt and pepper butter for the pan 1 shallot or ½ small red onion, finely diced ¼ cup grated cheese Omelette fo r t wo I make this omelette at least once a week. It’s insanely delicious, whether laden with veggies or kept simple. I love it with dill, but it’s good with almost any herb or scallions. Once you are a pro at making this, add any other cooked veggies you have around. Broiled Grapefruit fo r t wo If your oven has a broiler, this is a fast and fun way to liven up a standard, healthy breakfast of grapefruit. This method produces a hot and sticky treat. Turn on the broiler in your oven. Split a grapefruit in half and place it on a baking tray or in an oven-proof pan. Sprinkle the pink halves evenly with sugar and top with just a tiny bit of salt to bring out the flavor. Place the grapefruit halves under the broiler until they turn bubbly and a little brown (or even black) around the edges. This usually takes about 3 minutes, but monitor it because every broiler is different. Don’t get distracted! Overbroiling ruins a good meal fast. If you have maple syrup on hand, use it instead of sugar for even more flavor. This breakfast will make a grapefruit lover out of you! 2 grapefruit 2 tbsp brown sugar salt $1.60 t o ta l $0.80 / s e rv i n g $2 t o ta l $1 / s e rv i n g b r e a k fa s t 17 b r e a k fa s t 16 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ cup brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 2 bananas, mashed 2 eggs 1½ cups milk 1 tsp vanilla 2 bananas, sliced butter for cooking With the creamy texture and delicious flavor of bananas, these pancakes are stunningly good. You will be seriously popular if you feed these to your family or friends. Another plus: this is a great way to get rid of mushy bananas (that doesn’t involve making banana bread). In a medium bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Mix thoroughly with a spoon. In another bowl, add the mashed bananas (or just mash them in the bowl), eggs, milk, and vanilla, then mix. Add the dry mixture from the other bowl into the second bowl. Gently stir it with a spoon until everything just comes together. Tender pancakes come from not over-mixing the batter. If there are still a few pockets of flour, don’t worry about it. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Place a non-stick or cast-iron pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, melt a small amount of butter, about ½ teaspoon, then ladle some pancake batter into the center of the pan. You can make your pancakes as large or small as you like. A normal amount is about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter. If it’s your first time making pancakes, make them smaller: they’ll be easier to flip. As soon as the batter is in the pan, place 3 to 4 banana slices atop of the uncooked side of the pancake. Once the edges of the pancake start to dry up and you can see the middle start to bubble, flip the pancake over. Cook until it is browned on both sides. Stack the finished pancake on a plate in a warm oven and repeat the above process until you run out of batter. Serve hot, with butter and syrup. Banana Pancakes m a k e s t e n t o fo u r t e e n pa n c a k e s $2.80 t o ta l $0.70 / s e rv i n g b r e a k fa s t 19 b r e a k fa s t 18 Chocolate Zucchini Muffins m a k e s t w e n t y- fo u r s m a l l m u f f i n s Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Cut off the round end of the zucchini (which is a little tough), but keep the stem to use as a handhold. Shred the zucchini with a box grater, stopping when you get to the stem. Butter or oil 24 muffin tins, or just line them with muffin cups. Measure the dry ingredients (flour, oats, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt) into a medium bowl. Mix the zucchini, eggs, and yogurt in a larger bowl. Add the dry ingredients, then mix until everything is just combined. Add the chocolate chips if you’re using them, then stir once. With a spoon, dollop the batter into the muffin tins until each cup is about ¾ full and bake for 20 minutes. Pull the muffins out and poke with a toothpick or knife. If it comes out wet, bake the muffins for 5 more minutes. Let the muffins cool in their tins for 20 to 30 minutes, then eat them warm! $4.80 t o ta l $0.20 / m u f f i n When my friend Michael challenged me to create a recipe that used dark chocolate, I got a little worried: dark chocolate is expensive! But then I remembered that cocoa powder is deeply, darkly chocolaty, without the expense. I thought of the chocolate zucchini cake my mother made when I was growing up and knew I had something. This is a great breakfast treat that uses staples you should generally have on hand like flour, oats, and yogurt. The yogurt and zucchini make these muffins super moist and yummy, but still a reasonably nutritious (if slightly sugary) choice for breakfast. Make these in mid-summer, during the height of zucchini season, when larger zucchini are really cheap. Big zucchini are generally a bit woodier, but they’re still great for baking. 2 cups grated zucchini 1½ cups all-purpose flour 1½ cups oats ½ cup cocoa powder 1½ cups sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon (optional) 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 4 eggs 1 cup plain yogurt ½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional) b r e a k fa s t 21 b r e a k fa s t 20 Whole-Wheat Jalapeño Cheddar Scones m a k e s s i x These are delicious for breakfast or with a plate of beans, a pile of vegetables, or alongside a chili or stew. Spicy, cheesy, flaky—these are best eaten straight out of the oven. ½ cup butter 2½ cups whole-wheat flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 4 oz sharp cheddar, diced 1 jalapeño, finely diced 2 eggs, lightly beaten ½ cup milk e g g wa s h 1 egg salt and pepper Place the butter in the freezer for 30 minutes. Turn the oven to 400 °F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease the pan if you don’t have the paper. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Prepare your jalapeño and cheese. Cutting the cheese into cubes rather than grating it means you’ll have pockets of gooey cheese that contrast nicely with the scone. If you want the spice of the jalapeño, leave the seeds and membrane; if you like it milder, remove them and chop up only the pepper itself. Remove the butter from the freezer and grate it directly into the flour mixture. (Use a cheese grater—it’s the best way to break up butter without melting it.) Using your hands, gently squish the butter into the flour until everything is incorporated but not smooth. The chunks of butter will create flaky scones. Add the jalapeño, cheese, eggs, and milk to the bowl, then use your hands to gently mix everything until it just comes together. It will probably be a little shaggy, but that’s just fine. Sprinkle flour on a clean countertop and dump the dough onto it. Gently shape the dough into a disc about 1½” thick. Cut the dough into six triangles, like a pizza, and move them to the cookie sheet. In a small bowl, gently beat the egg for the egg wash. Brush it over the scones, then sprinkle salt and pepper over each one. Bake for 25 minutes or until the scones are golden brown. $4.50 t o ta l $0.75 / s c o n e b r e a k fa s t 23 b r e a k fa s t 22 Peanut Butter and Jelly Granola Bars m a k e s t w e lv e Heat the oven to 350 °F. Butter or oil an 8” x 11” baking pan. If you have a different size pan, that’s fine—it’ll just change how thick the bars are. Pour the oats into a large bowl. You can use quick oats if they’re all you have, but I prefer the bite and chew of rolled oats. For a different texture, you can also substitute a cup of oats with a cup of Rice Krispies, but the bars are great either way. Add the peanut butter, half the jelly, the water, and the salt to a small pan. Stir over low heat until it’s smooth. Mix the peanut butter and jelly concoction into the oats until all the oats are coated and you have a sticky mass. Dump the mixture into the oiled pan and press it into an even layer. Spread the remaining jelly over the top. Pop the pan into the oven for 25 minutes, until it’s toasty and brown around the edges. Mmm. Crunchy. Leave the bars in the pan until they cool completely, about an hour, then slice into 12 bars. $3.60 t o ta l $0.30 / ba r Tired of endless PB+J sandwiches? Give these bars a try instead! I designed them for my friend Alex, who is allergic to gluten and is the best long-distance runner I know. I wanted to create a simple but nutritious breakfast that he could grab on his way out for a run. They are a little more crumbly than a store-bought granola bar, however. As a bonus, these are made entirely from ingredients that you can find in any corner store or food pantry. Any kind of jam or jelly will do; I used blueberry, but grape or strawberry or any other flavor would be tasty. 3 cups rolled oats (or 2 cups oats and 1 cup Rice Krispies) ½ cup peanut butter ½ cup jelly or jam ¼ cup hot water ¼ tsp salt butter or vegetable oil a d d i t i o n s nuts coconut dried fruit honey b r e a k fa s t 25 b r e a k fa s t 24 Egg Sandwich with Mushroom Hash fo r t wo Egg sandwiches are a mainstay of every corner deli in NYC, and for good reason: they’re cheap and easy, fast and delicious. I knew I had to include one when Charlene, one of my early supporters, asked for a recipe with eggs and mushrooms. (I’m thankful she did! Because I don’t really like mushrooms, they’re scarce in this book, even though plenty of people love them.) Like most sandwiches, this recipe is really flexible. In particular, you can change the hash to use whatever you have around. Sad leftovers can take on new life when turned into a hash and matched with the rich fattiness of a morning egg. $3.60 t o ta l $1.80 / sa n dw i c h 2 tsp butter 1 small potato, diced ½ lb mushrooms, sliced 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 eggs salt and pepper 2 rolls, 2 English muffins, or 4 slices of bread a d d i t i o n s tomato, sliced avocado cheese va r i at i o n s potato and onion potato and pea collards and bacon zucchini chorizo and green chili Melt half the butter in a pan on medium heat, then throw in the potato and cook for 5 minutes, stirring minimally. Season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms and garlic, as well as a splash of water if the potatoes are getting stuck to the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are brown and have shrunk down. Test the potato by piercing one piece with a fork. If it goes through easily, you’re done. If not, cook for a few more minutes. (The smaller the potatoes are chopped, the quicker they’ll cook.) Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preferences. Melt the other teaspoon of butter in another pan on medium heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and dust with salt and pepper again. Salt and pepper are critical to these ingredients, so don’t worry about overdoing it. If you like your eggs sunny-side up, place a lid over the pan to ensure the whites will cook through without making the yolks hard. Once the whites are no longer translucent, take them off the heat. If you like eggs over-easy (my favorite), wait until the yolks are cooked but still look runny, then flip each egg with a spatula and let the other side cook for about 15 seconds. That’ll get your whites fully cooked, but keep the yolks runny—the best. If you prefer hard yolks (please no!), then cook for a little longer. Toast the bread or bun, then assemble it into a sandwich, using any condiments you like. Way better than what you’ll find at the corner deli. b r e a k fa s t 27 b r e a k fa s t 26 This basic recipe can be dressed up in so many ways, you’ll never get bored. Oatmeal makes a hot and comforting breakfast; it’ll give you energy for a great morning. It’s also extremely inexpensive, so you can spend a bit more on lunch and dinner. In a small pot, add the oats, water and salt. Place it on medium-high heat, just until the water comes to a boil. Immediately turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, until the oats are soft and tender and most of the water has cooked off. You can add more water if you like your oatmeal smooth and thin, or use slightly less if you want a thick oatmeal. This is just the basic recipe; several ideas for how to make it your own follow on the next pages. Whether it’s milky and sweet or savory and salty, I’m sure you can find a favorite way to enjoy a hot bowl of oats in the morning! i d e a s Oatmeal 1 cup rolled oats 2 cups water ¼ tsp salt ½ cup berries, fresh or frozen 1 tbsp sugar c o c o n u t a n d l i m e oatm e a l: Add the coconut and sugar to the oatmeal, water, and salt. Cook as normal. Turn off the heat and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the top. ¼ cup coconut, shredded 2 tbsp sugar ½ lime, juiced b e r ry oatm e a l: Cook the oatmeal as usual, but 2 minutes before it’s ready, add some fresh or frozen berries and the sugar, then stir to combine. There’s nothing more to the recipe than that, but it’s surprising how many variations you can come up with just by trying a new type of berry or combining several varieties. $1.50 t o ta l $0.75 / s e rv i n g $1.10 t o ta l $0.55 / s e rv i n g $0.25 t o ta l $0.13 / s e rv i n g b r e a k fa s t 29 b r e a k fa s t 28 ½ cup canned pumpkin ¾ cup milk (or almond / soy milk) 1¼ cups water 2 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp cinnamon o p t i o n a l ¼ tsp ginger powder ¼ tsp clove powder maple syrup p u m p k i n oatm e a l: Whisk the pumpkin, milk, and water in a pot. Add the oats, salt, sugar, and spices, but use just 1¼ cups water. Cook on medium-low until it bubbles. Turn to low for 5 more minutes. Add syrup or more sugar to taste. 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp orange zest, finely grated 4 tbsp honey 2 tbsp almonds or pistachios, chopped ba k l ava oatm e a l: Before cooking the oatmeal as normal, add the cinnamon, orange zest and 2 tablespoons of honey. Once it’s cooked, top each bowl with another tablespoon of honey and a tablespoon of nuts. 2 cups apple juice or cider 1 tsp cinnamon 1 apple, cored and chopped a p p l e c i n n a m o n oatm e a l: Cook the oats in juice and cinnamon instead of water. Top with the apple. If you want the apple to be soft and warm, cook it along with the oats. 2-3 scallions, finely chopped ¼ cup sharp cheddar, grated 1 tsp butter 2 eggs savo ry oatm e a l: Cook the oatmeal with scallions. Just before it’s done, add cheese. Melt the butter in a pan on medium heat. Crack in the eggs, then cover. Fry until the yolks are runny but the whites are cooked, then top each bowl of oats with one fried egg! $1.50 t o ta l $0.75 / s e rv i n g $1.50 t o ta l $0.75 / s e rv i n g $2 t o ta l $1 / s e rv i n g $1.50 t o ta l $0.75 / s e rv i n g b r e a k fa s t 31 b r e a k fa s t 30 i d e a s Yogurt Smash! There are so many types of yogurt in the grocery store: some low in fat and high in sugar, some with cute animal pictures. Some are Greek. Some have chocolate shavings and candy. Some have names like “key lime pie.” Now forget about all of that. The best value for your money are the big buckets of plain yogurt. The fat content is your choice—just check that it doesn’t contain gelatin and you’re all set. Starting with plain yogurt, you can make super flavors in your own kitchen, where you know exactly what’s going into it. If you have kids, ask them what flavors they can imagine and go make it! It’s a lot more fun than letting the supermarket choose for you. Try something new and smash it in! Check out the ideas on the adjoining page. If you want a thicker Greek-style yogurt, all you have to do is strain regular American yogurt through cheesecloth to remove the extra water. Yogurt’s versatility makes it a great staple to keep in the fridge. Mix it with some of the items you see on the next page or turn it into a savory sauce like raita (p. 164) or tzatziki (p. 165). raspberry! coconut! honey! jam! yogurt b r e a k fa s t 33 b r e a k fa s t 32 Soup It’s a cliché, but as soon as the weather gets cold, my apartment fills with the smell of vegetables simmering for soup. Vegetable soups are so simple that you can easily invent your own, using the stuff you and your family like. Start with some onion, carrot, celery, maybe a pepper; then add broth and a large amount of, say, spinach, and suddenly you have spinach soup! It’s a great way for new cooks to gain some confidence. Just remember to season it enough. Dunk a grilled-cheese sandwich in it and even mediocre soup tastes great. Dal fo r fo u r You can use any type of lentil you like. If you’re using larger lentils (like chana dal, french lentils, or split mung beans), soak them for 30 minutes to start. If you’re using the small orange lentils, then don’t bother soaking them; they cook very quickly. Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion and let it cook for 1 minute, then add the cumin and mustard seeds and stir them around with the onions until they sizzle. Toss in the turmeric powder, garlic, and chili and cook for 3 to 4 more minutes. Add the ginger root and stir fry quickly for about 30 seconds. Add the lentils along with enough water to cover them, then place a lid on top. Let everything cook for 20 to 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Taste the dal and add salt and pepper. You’ll probably need a fair bit of salt to bring out all the flavors—a teaspoon or so. If you have them available, top the dish with a splash of cream or some chopped fresh cilantro. This thick lentil soup is a flavor-packed staple of the Indian table. There are a ton of ways to prepare dal, but the core—beyond the lentils themselves—is usually ginger, garlic, and chili, along with some dry spices. $2.40 t o ta l $0.60 / s e rv i n g 2 cups lentils 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1 tsp turmeric powder 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 green chili, finely chopped ½ inch ginger root, grated salt and pepper 34 s o u p 35 4 cups corn, fresh, canned, or frozen 1 tbsp butter 1 onion, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, finely chopped 1 green or red bell pepper, finely chopped 1 small potato, diced 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 chili pepper, finely chopped (optional) 1 tbsp cornmeal or flour salt and pepper c o r n b ro t h 4 to 8 cobs corn, with corn removed 2 bay leaves (optional) salt a lt e r n at e b ro t h 5 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock If you’re making this soup with corn on the cob, the first step is to make corn broth. If you’re using canned or frozen corn, you’ll also need chicken or vegetable broth instead. In that case, skip the next paragraph. To make corn broth, place the cobs and bay leaves in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and let the water boil for about 30 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper until it tastes lightly corny. Boil it down until you have about 5 cups of liquid. The broth will keep for several months if frozen, or a few weeks in the refrigerator. To make the soup, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, and potato, then stir. Cover the pot and let everything fry and steam for about 5 minutes. Take the lid off the pot and add the garlic and chili pepper, if using. Stir the vegetables, using a splash of water or broth to free any that get stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let the vegetables cook, stirring occasionally, for another 5 minutes. They should be lightly browned and soft, although the potatoes will not be fully cooked yet. Add the corn and cornmeal or flour to the pot and stir. Cover with about 5 cups of broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 30 minutes. The broth will thicken and become opaque. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you made your own corn broth, you’ll probably need at least a teaspoon of salt; if you used store-bought broth, you’ll need less. Serve with a slice of garlic bread or add a hard-boiled egg for extra protein. This thick, sweet, satisfying soup is a favorite of kids and adults. This is wonderful to make at the beginning of autumn when corn on the cob is at its peak, but canned corn can also make it a warm reminder of summer in the depths of winter. Corn Soup fo r fo u r t o s i x $5 t o ta l $1.25 / s e rv i n g s o u p 37 s o u p 36 French Onion Soup fo r s i x 4 lb onions, any type 4 cloves garlic 2 tbsp butter 2 bay leaves 1 tbsp vinegar, any type (optional) 3 tsp salt pepper 8 cups water 6 slices bread 1½ cups cheddar, grated a d d i t i o n s beef or chicken stock instead of water red wine chili flakes fresh thyme $9 t o ta l $1.50 / s e rv i n g Best if you accept it now: you are going to cry making this recipe, since the first step is to chop a mountain of onions. But crying is good for us from time to time. Soon you will be on to the magical part, watching a colossal pile of onions shrink and caramelize to make a sweet, flavorful, wonderful soup. Save this recipe for the winter, when other vegetables are out of season and you want to fill your home with warm aromas. As my friend Marilyn, who suggested this recipe, said, “the smell in your kitchen is absolute heaven.” Chop each onion in half lengthwise, peel them, then cut them into half- moon slices. These big slices are fine since you’re cooking the onions for so long. Slice the garlic as well. Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover the pot with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes. When you come back, the onions should have released a lot of moisture. Give them a stir. Pour in the vinegar and put the lid back on. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. When the onions at the bottom start to stick and turn dark, add a splash of water to unstick them. Don’t worry, the onions aren’t burning, just caramelizing. The water helps lift off the sticky, delicious, sweet part! Once the onions are very dark and about a quarter the volume they once were, add all the water and a bunch of salt and pepper. Cover the pot again, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for another hour. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls. Now it’s time to make cheese toast! If you want classic French onion soup— with the toast directly in the soup, which makes it a bit soggy—place a piece of bread on top of each bowl of soup, sprinkle with cheese, then heat the bowls under your oven’s broiler until the cheese is bubbly. If you don’t like soggy toast, just make the cheese toast on its own and serve it on the side to dunk. s o u p 39 s o u p 38 Lightly Curried Butternut Squash Soup fo r fo u r Squash is almost the perfect vegetable for soup: it’s flavorful and has a divinely smooth texture when cooked and puréed. Serve this soup to people who think they don’t like squash or curry, and you’ll change some minds. You can substitute any winter squash for the butternut; I just like butternut because it’s faster to peel and chop than its many cousins. 1 butternut squash or other winter squash 1 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 tsp cumin powder 1 tsp coriander powder 1 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1 can coconut milk 3 cups water salt and pepper o p t i o n a l sour cream scallions fresh cilantro To prepare the squash, peel off the tough skin with a potato peeler. Cut the squash in half lengthwise with a sharp chef’s knife, then scoop out the seeds and gloop. (You can save the seeds for a tasty snack later, if you like: just clean the gloop off, then toast them.) Next, slice off the stem and very bottom of the squash and throw them away. Take each half of the squash and place it face-down on a cutting board. Chop each into ½” slices, then turn each slice into cubes. Put a large pot or Dutch oven on the stove on medium heat. Melt the butter and let the pot get hot. Add the onion, pepper, and garlic, then sauté for two minutes. Add the cubed squash and spices and stir it all together. Put a lid on the pot and let it cook for another two minutes. Add the coconut milk and water and stir. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and let it cook for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Once the squash is tender, taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed. Soup usually needs a fair bit of salt, so be generous. If you have an immersion blender, you can purée the soup in the pot. If you have a normal blender, wait until the soup has cooled before transferring it to the blender. Purée until smooth, then taste again and add any more salt and pepper it might need. You can enjoy the soup as-is or serve it with another drizzle of coconut milk or a dollop of sour cream, plus some chopped scallions or cilantro. $6 t o ta l $1.50 / s e rv i n g s o u p 41 s o u p 40 Salad There isn’t much to a great salad: just fresh vegetables, anything crunchy, and one or two rich ingredients like cheese, nuts, a buttery crouton, or a creamy dressing. The dressing should be well seasoned with salt and have a nice hit of vinegar or citrus to bring out the other flavors. Don’t bother with store-bought dressing. It usually tastes lousy and is full of cheap oils and chemicals; you can make better and cheaper dressing at home with just a few pantry items. Salad shouldn’t be a side dish you grudgingly serve as an afterthought. Make it a meal you look forward to by building it around your favorite flavors. Broiled Eggplant Salad fo r t wo Turn on your oven’s broiler. Arrange the slices of eggplant on a baking sheet, then place them under the broiler for about 3 minutes. Watch them carefully. Once they begin to blacken, remove them from the oven and flip the slices over. Repeat the process on the other side. Once your eggplant is nicely charred, chop it into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the tahini, lemon juice, and chili flakes (if using), plus plenty of salt and pepper. Add the eggplant and stir it around. Add more salt or lemon juice according to your taste, then top it with dill if available, and serve! 1 medium eggplant, sliced into circles 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp tahini sprinkle of chili flakes (optional) fresh dill, finely chopped (optional) salt and pepper Even if you aren’t a big eggplant fan, you might enjoy this despite yourself. Broiled eggplant has a crunchy and meaty texture, and the tahini dressing makes the salad rich and creamy. $4.50 t o ta l $2.25 / s e rv i n g 42 sa l a d 43 $4.50 t o ta l $2.25 / s e rv i n g Start by making croutons (p. 146). To make the dressing, drop the egg yolk into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and anchovy. Whisk briskly until the dressing is light and frothy. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking the whole time. Once everything is incorporated, add the salt and pepper, then adjust to your taste. I like it very lemony. Cut the kale leaves to remove the large stem from the center. (Lacinato kale, sometimes called Tuscan kale, has the easiest stems to remove.) Slice the leaves in half lengthwise, then cut into thin ribbons. Chopping the kale into small pieces disguises its tough texture. Toss the kale in the bowl to coat it with dressing. Set aside for 10 minutes or leave in the fridge for a few hours. The kale will become tender as it marinates. Before serving, toss in the croutons and top with Romano cheese. Kale Salad fo r t wo, o r fo u r a s a s i d e This kale is treated like romaine lettuce in a Caesar salad. The bitterness of the greens is delicious alongside the rich, fatty dressing. You could also use Swiss chard. If you’re worried about the raw egg yolk in the dressing, feel free to omit it. 1 large bunch kale 2 cups bread cubes 2 tbsp butter (more as needed) salt and pepper Romano or Parmesan, freshly grated d r e s s i n g 1 egg yolk, raw, from a high-quality fresh egg 2 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp Dijon mustard 1 clove garlic, finely grated (optional) 1 anchovy, finely chopped (optional) 3 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper sa l a d 45 sa l a d 44 Smaller potatoes are best, but whatever you’ve got will be fine! If you’re using very large potatoes, chop them into halves or quarters to speed up the cooking—or dice them into bite-sized pieces if you’re really in a hurry. Otherwise, keep the potatoes whole. Cover the potatoes with water in a large pot with a lid. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn the heat down to medium and set the lid askew so that steam can escape. After about 25 minutes, try piercing the largest potato with a fork. If the fork pierces the potato easily, it’s fully cooked. If not, boil for 5 more minutes. It’s fine if they’re a little overcooked, but undercooked potatoes are awful. Drain the water. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle safely (but still warm), roughly chop them into bite- sized pieces, if you haven’t already. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, citrus juice or vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Whisk it briskly until the liquid is blended. If you don’t have a whisk, simply whip with a fork. Throw the potatoes into the bowl and stir to coat them in the dressing. Add a generous amount of salt as you stir. Potatoes are very bland without salt! Then let them marinate for 10 minutes. Chop a handful of scallions and sprinkle them over top. Toss the salad once more, then taste and adjust the salt, pepper, and vinegar as you see fit. This keeps very well and travels nicely to a picnic or potluck. Have fun! Ever-Popular Potato Salad fo r fo u r $3.00 t o ta l $0.75 / s e rv i n g I developed this salad because I’m not a big fan of mayonnaise-based potato salads. This is really the simplest thing: just potatoes in a regular vinaigrette. You can add all kinds of extras to it to make it more festive, but people always rave about the salad as is. The secret is that potatoes actually have really nice flavor— all you have to do is season them properly. Let potatoes be potatoes, no need to hide ’em! If you have leftover roasted potatoes or other root vegetables, the same idea works great. Just skip the cooking part and go straight to the dressing. 2 lb potatoes 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper scallions a d d i t i o n s fresh dill, chopped fresh parsley, chopped paprika fresh chillies, finely chopped pickles, finely chopped sa l a d 47 sa l a d 46 Spicy Panzanella fo r fo u r If you’re using field cucumbers—usually much less expensive than English cucumbers—peel them roughly to remove the tough skin. Keep about 2 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes aside to use in the dressing, but throw the rest of the tomatoes and all the cucumbers into a large bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper; the salt helps draw out the juices. Toss the vegetables quickly. Place a small saucepan on medium heat with a few drops of olive oil. Sauté the jalapeño for about a minute, then add the remaining tomato and a tablespoon of water. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the tomato juices release. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Once the water has evaporated, turn off the stovetop and dump the jalapeño-tomato mixture on your cutting board. Chop it very finely, then throw it back into the pan—with no heat—along with the lime juice and olive oil. Taste it and add more salt and pepper as needed. You’ve got dressing! Chop or tear the bread into bite-sized pieces, then toast it in a skillet over medium heat, tossing occasionally until the bread chunks are toasty on all sides. Alternatively, just toast full slices of bread in a toaster and tear them up afterwards, or skip the toasting entirely if the bread is already super-hard. Mix the bread and vegetables with the dressing. Taste and adjust salt and pepper once more. Let it sit for a few minutes so that the bread can soak up the juices, then serve! $5.20 t o ta l $1.30 / s e rv i n g A former classmate, George, likes salads with a little kick. (As you can maybe tell, I do too!) For inspiration, I turned to panzanella, a classic Italian bread-and-tomato salad. The Italians are true masters of making leftovers delicious. Here, old hard bread soaks up tomato juice and dressing for a super flavorful and filling salad. You can toss in any vegetable or fruit so long as it’s juicy. Bell peppers or carrots won’t work so well, but peaches, grapes, and zucchini all do. If you don’t like spicy salads as much as George and I do, feel free to replace the jalapeño with garlic or shallot. 2 small field cucumbers or 1 English cucumber, chopped 2 medium tomatoes, chopped salt and pepper 4 slices day-old bread d r e s s i n g 1 jalapeño, finely chopped 2 tbsp tomato, chopped 1 lime, juiced 2 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper a d d i t i o n s fresh herbs peaches, nectarines, or plums red onion, finely chopped zucchini or summer squash olives grapes sa l a d 49 sa l a d 48 Cold (and Spicy?) Asian Noodles fo r fo u r 12 oz dried spaghetti, soba, or any Asian noodles 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 bunch scallions, chopped 1 cucumber, finely chopped salt and pepper a d d i t i o n s spice oil (p. 162) peanut sauce (p. 161) grated carrot shredded cabbage bean sprouts hard-boiled egg chopped tomato Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions. Rinse them under cold water and put them in a colander to drain. Put the noodles in a bowl and add the soy sauce, spice oil if you have it, scallions, and cucumber (and any other additions). Mix it all together with a fork or a tongs. Taste it and add salt and pepper or more spice oil as needed. Let the noodles sit in the fridge for about an hour if you can. The flavors will mingle and become more intense. Think of this as a recipe that you can really make your own. Use whatever sauce or dressing you like and whatever vegetables you have around, or just a few scallions. On a hot day, this is all I want to eat. Cold but spicy food is refreshing and delicious in the summer. If you have some spice oil on hand, be sure to add it. It’s amazing in this. $5 t o ta l $1.25 / s e rv i n g sa l a d 51 sa l a d 50 Beet and Chickpea Salad fo r t wo 2 to 3 beets, peeled and grated 1 cup chickpeas, cooked or canned 3 tbsp peanuts d r e s s i n g 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp chili sauce 1 tbsp olive oil salt and pepper Peel the raw beets, removing the stems if necessary, then shred the beets with a box grater. Place the beets in a bowl along with the chickpeas and nuts. Mix up the dressing ingredients in another small bowl and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking. Add the dressing to the other bowl and mix up all the ingredients. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so that the flavors can soak into the vegetables and the beet juices can mingle with the dressing. This dish is spicy, crunchy, and almost certainly the pinkest salad you’ll ever eat! Don’t be scared. $5.20 t o ta l $2.60 / s e rv i n g $3.50 t o ta l $1.75 / s e rv i n g Taco Salad fo r t wo This salad is a great use for leftover beans (or pulled pork)—crunchy, fresh, yet satisfying enough to be a whole meal. I like to make taco salad in a week where I’ve made a large batch of beans and I’m craving something fresh. 4 cups lettuce, chopped 1 cup beans, pulled pork, or ground beef 2 small tomatoes, chopped ½ cup corn, canned or fresh 2-3 scallions, finely chopped 1 cup tortilla chips, roughly crushed sharp cheddar or queso fresco, for sprinkling d r e s s i n g ¼ cup sour cream or yogurt juice of one lime salt and pepper a d d i t i o n s cucumber jalapeño bell peppers grated carrots salsa (p. 163) Mix up the dressing and taste it. Adjust the salt, pepper, an</p>