Moosewood's Tunisian Vegetable Stew

Moosewood Cooks at Home has one of my favorite dishes of all time.  This stew has no meat, but is  filling because of the protein-laden chickpeas.  I'm generally not the biggest fan of veggies, but the tomato base and spices make this a dish I dig into.  As soon as you add the cinnamon you know the ingredients are all pulling together.  I've copied the recipe below from the International Vegetarian Union.  I leave out the raisins, but I don't doubt it's a great addition.  Some additional time simmering might be necessary and you will need a large pot to hold it all in.  I've previously substituted chicken stock for veggie stock when I don't have it on hand since I'm not a vegetarian.


Tunisian Vegetable Stew
from: Asha Dornfest 

1 1/2 c. thinly sliced onions(from Moosewood Cooks at Home)

• 1/4 c. vegie stock
• 3 c. thinly sliced cabbage
• dash of salt
• 1 large green pepper, cut into thin strips
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander (has a mild, nutty taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (adds golden color)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 28-oz can undrained chopped tomatoes
• 1 16-oz can cooked chick peas/garbanzo beans
• 1/3 cup raisins or currants (optional, but very good)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Saute onions in stock for 5 minutes.Add cabbage, sprinkle with salt, saute for another 5 min.
Add bell pepper and spices to skillet, saute another minute.
Stir in tomatoes, chick peas and raisins, simmer covered for 15 minutes till vegies are tender.
Add lemon juice and salt to taste.
Serve on top of rice, couscous or other grain.

I'm turning into a Chicken!

If you are what you eat, I'll be turning into a chicken very soon.  One of the Latin food stores was having a sale on whole chickens so I price matched my little heart out at Wal-Mart.  I'm set for protein for quite some time now.  Hopefully, all the stockpiling will tide me over for a while.  I also picked up a few freebies.  :)

Added to my kitchen:

• Barilla whole wheat pasta @ $0.45 after store savings and coupon
• 2 lb Ansera white rice @ $0.99 each on sale
• Post cereal price matched to Latin store ad @ $0.99 after matching and coupon
• 4 Hamburger Helpers price matched to Albertson's @ $0.67 after matching and coupon
• 5.5 lb whole chicken @ $3.73 after price matching
• 6.6 lb whole chicken @ $4.51 after price matching (I can't find the receipt, but I'm going off memory and that should be pretty close)
• Land O'Lakes butter @ $2.73 after coupon (I was just running out so I bought it without checking for the best deal)
• 2 boxes of South Beach bars @ FREE + money maker
• 2 Ultimate Flurry Protein bars @ FREE
• 1 Hershey's Bliss @ FREE + money maker after rain check and coupon

Rolling Total to Date: $66.30

I actually thought I was over budget, but I apparently didn't go shopping for a week going by the dates of previous posts.  I should be coming to the end of week 7 and still have a little under $4 to spare.  I think I'll go get some more avocados, oranges, and tortillas...although there's supposed to be a deal on Skinny Cow candy that sounds pretty good.  ; )

Use Overage to Pay for Food

This weekend I made a few stops to pick up a few staples and kept the prices down by using overage.  Overage is when you have a coupon for more than the price of an item.  Not all stores allow overage and most will not let your balance go below zero so it's good to have a few other items to make up the difference.

I picked up:

• 1 regular Twix @ FREE after ECB (extra care bucks)
• 2 Sun-Bird stir-fry seasonings (very excited to try) @ FREE after coupons
• 1 gallon Walmart brand milk @ $2.14 after taking into account the Overage from the Sun-Bird products
• 5 Chex Mix 8 oz@ $0.05 each after store and manufacturing coupons and catalina
• 2 Multi-Grain Cheerios 12.8 oz@ $0.98 each after store savings and coupons
• 3 Kikkoman soy sauce 5 oz @ FREE after coupons and catalina
• 4.6 lbs of chicken breasts with ribs @ $0.70 a pound after taking into account the Kikkoman Overage

Rolling Total to Date: $48.26

Half-way through the challenge and I'm under budget and probably eating better than I was before!  This challenge has forced me to think ahead for my meals, make an effort to cook (although I like cooking) and eat those items I have in my stockpile even if it's not my favorite.  I think I should try some new recipes to make it more exciting, but otherwise I'm pretty happy with where I'm at.  I know some people I've told about the challenge think I'm crazy or that it takes too much time to be worth the effort.  Other than reaping the benefits of home cooked food, I think it's important to have a firm grasp on my budget.  While I am blessed to have a good job that pays my bills, in this economy you never know when that may no longer be the case.  I know that if something happens I can survive a while without having to depend on loans from family and friends.  God has blessed me more than I can truly grasp and I can use this skill to help others.

Apple Rocks my Socks off

I got back an iPod nano...and not just any one, but the latest and greatest!  Woohooo!  I was so excited I actually started jumping around at work and telling everyone I came across about all the neat features.  I'm definitely loving the new radio and the Nike plus...which I need to find where I put mine now.  I'm like a kid at Christmas or set free in a candy store.  Thank you, Apple!!!

Turkey Taco Tuesday

It almost seems like I'm forgetting something I bought since it's been over a week, but the chicken really carried me through.  This time it's turkey!  Remember the turkey breast from Dec. 17th?  Well, I put it in the slow cooker and I have protein for the week.  All it needed was a few spices, a little butter, and a can of broth and it took care of itself.  I was craving some tortillas so it's now taco week...maybe this weekend some breakfast tacos too!

This is what I picked up:

• 16 count flour tortillas @ $1.98
• 5 avocados @ $1 for 5 (price matched at Walmart from El Rancho)
• Idahoan box of O'Brien Hash Browns @ FREE after All You coupon

Rolling total to date: $40.74

That means I'm almost through week four and right on target!!  I'll probably be picking up some of the healthy deals this week like granola and weight loss bars.  Great week!  :)

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

Like chicken tonight!  I picked up marked down chicken breasts at Target with a sell by date of tomorrow.  I'll definitely be cooking some up tonight and putting some in the freezer.  It took off a little under 40% off the ticket price.  Of course, I had to pick up some blackeye peas for tomorrow.  It seems like Christmas clearance at Walmart (non-food) is at 75% now, but candy is still 50%.  I still picked up a few more candy items because I love Butterfingers.  :)

What'd I pick up:

• 38 oz (2 lb 6 oz) chicken breasts @ $3.19 or $0.08 cents an ounce ($1.34/lb), after store discount and gift card
• can of blackeye peas, $0.09 after overage from another product
• 3 bags of Nestle Butterfinger Jingles, $0.57 per bag after coupon

Rolling total to date: $37.76

So almost through week three and I think I have a pretty good amount of food to take me into week 4 with all the chicken.

Christmas Clearance

Ohhh, I can't tell you how difficult it's been to not stock up on candy during the Christmas clearance while on this $10 challenge.  I would normally buy about a half dozen bags to take me to Easter.  I held back and only purchased two bags:

• Hershey's Kisses 8.5 oz 2 bags @ $0.75 each after discount, store and manufacturing coupons

Rolling total to date: $32.76

I guess I can make it work until Valentine's clearance.  :)  P.S. it's make-up clearance time at CVS!!!  Stock up on great items up to 75% off.