Frugal Feeds | 9 Recipes for White Sauce Creates Endless Diversity in your Dishes

Understanding white sauce will open up a tremendous amount of options for your recipes. Although called a sauce, and in some cases used as a sauce, white sauce is actually more of a binder. Think of it as either a thin, liquidy glue, a standard white glue, a paste or a caulk. When thought of in these four terms it is closer to how we use it.

Today we will focus on white sauce number one--thin, liquidy glue.

For White Sauce #1 you will need:

1 T. fat--olive oil, coconut oil, nut butter
1 T. starch--white whole wheat flour, whole wheat flour, whole oat flour, 3/4 T. brown rice flour or 3/4 T garbanzo bean flour
(Pan browned flour makes it less thick but more flavorful.)
1 c. liquid--2% milk, plain milk alternative, low sodium broth, wine, juice or water
1/2 t. seasoning--salt, pepper, herbs, spices, low fat cheese, bacon

Makes 4, 1/4 cup servings, or about one ladle-full each


For the Traditional White Sauce #1 that works out to be:

1 T. olive oil
1 T. white whole wheat flour
1 c. 2% milk
1/4 t. salt

You will need a whisk, a pouring cup and a saute pan.

In a medium sized saute pan over medium-high heat (usually 7 on the dial), melt the fat, if using coconut oil, and bring to a low simmer. If using nut butter add a bit of water to the nut butter before bringing to a simmer. Sprinkle the starch (white whole wheat flour) over the simmering fat and whisk it until it is very smooth, bubbly and fully mixed. Allow it to simmer for five minutes. You have just made a Roux. Using about one third of the liquid (2% milk) at a time whisk it into the Roux--fat-starch mixture.

Have the liquid fully whisked in before adding the next third of liquid. By this careful process you end up with a sauce that is free of lumps.

Once all of the liquid is whisked in--drop the temperature to medium low (usually a 4 on the dial) and let it simmer until it thickens slightly. Add the seasoning (salt) to taste and serve.

This is the sauce you would use for making a thin white sauce for left-over chicken, a cream-of-something soup, a creamy wine sauce, and a bechamel. One serving of White Sauce #1 gives you 70 calories.


For the White Sauce #1 using Corn or Potato Starch:
Melt the fat in the pan. In a bowl whisk together the liquid and the starch until fully smooth and lump free. Add liquid to pan, whisking regularly. Add seasoning and allow to thicken.


For the Thin White Sauce for Chicken
Change it up from plain white sauce to something different every time.
Things to change:
Add mustard (be sure it doesn't contain vinegar, lemon or other acid or your sauce will curdle) or use mustard powder
Add some grated low fat cheese once you remove the sauce from the heat, and stir to melt
Add Summer Savory
Add Rosemary
Add Thyme



For the Cream-of-Something-Soup
Recipe, as it is, is one serving for a soup. To make it a family sized four serving soup change the ingredients to:

4 T. fat
4 T starch
4 c. liquid
2 t. seasoning

This change to the serving size for Basic White Sauce #1 makes each serving of Cream of Something Soup provide 281 calories and 16% of your daily fiber.

Veggie Soup: Add leftover cooked vegetables at 1/2 cup per person
Broccoli Cheese Soup: Add 1/2 c. broccoli and 1/4 c. shredded low fat cheese per person--add the cheese after you remove it from the stove but before you serve. Stir until melted through.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Add 1/3 c. sauteed mushrooms and some garlic to taste.
Cream of Tomato Soup: Whisk in 3 c. tomato puree, 2 T. tomato paste and 1 tsp. black pepper.
Cream of Potato Soup: Add 2 diced, cooked, medium sized potatoes and 1/2 cup crumbled bacon or imitation bacon bits.

Adding vegetables increases the nutrients. Adding cheese increases the fat and calories.

 
For a Creamy Wine Sauce:
You will need to replace at least 1/2 of your liquid with red or white wine, depending on how strong a wine flavor you are seeking.

For a Creamy Bechamel Sauce:
You will need to replace 1/2 of your milk with low sodium beef or low sodium chicken broth, depending on how strong a meat flavor you are seeking. Low fat broth reduces the calories in the White Sauce #1 recipes.

You now have a simple sauce that can be used to enhance flavor, mask left over meats, add variety to dishes or to take small amounts of left overs and turn them into filling soups. Add a few croutons from last week and the taste and texture will be outstanding.

Tomorrow we will cover White Sauce #2.

Frugal Feeds | Leftover Tortillas 3 Ways , Biscuits 5 Ways and 3 Uses for Variety Breads

Not all left over bread easily lends itself to your regular rotation of dishes. Today we cover your less common left over breads and three ways to use them up.

In my family we eat a lot of Mexican food. We love it. Inevitably we end up with stacks of stale tortillas that haven't been cooked, or stacks of tortillas that have. Both need to be thought of differently when it comes time to make something new from them.

When using uncooked tortillas you need to recognize that they will absorb moisture easily and the texture will resemble cooked cornmeal (or other hot cereal). Make this work for you. Add highly seasoned sauce to the dish and the tortillas will help extend that flavor and bulk up the contents.

When using fried tortillas you need to recognize that it won't easily absorb moisture and it will be chewy in texture, meaty in flavor. You won't need highly seasoned sauces, in fact onions, tomatoes and green chiles is often all you need.

For example; you want to make a breakfast dish to use up your left over tortillas from the night before. Chilaquiles comes to mind. Two outcomes are outlined below. The same ingredients are used with the exception of whether the tortillas are fried or not.

Chilaquiles Two Ways
Take 12 whole grain corn tortillas and tear or cut up into chips (or use commercial tortilla chips)
Add 1 Tablespoon low sodium broth to a large skillet set over medium high heat.
Saute 1 onion. When lightly browned add 5 ounces diced green chiles and 10 ounces stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes. Add 1/2 cup of low sodium broth, any flavor. Reduce heat.
Add tortillas. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the liquid has mostly absorbed.
Top with grated low fat cheese and serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream.

Using fresh tortillas results in a pudding like dish. For this result I recommend serving with a bottled hot sauce on the table for each person to season to their liking. Using fried tortillas results in a dish that is both chewy and meaty. Neither one tastes much like the other.

Now, you can doll up this basic recipe by adding eggs, diced lean meats, more vegetables, salsas, tomato sauce instead of diced tomatoes, chiles, spices, tangy low fat cheeses, dry cheeses, creamy low fat cheeses, etc. As it is, it is really good. Adding to it keeps it from getting repetitive.

Now, lets find a good lunch option. Nachos are always easy for fried tortillas. So is adding powdered sugar, plain sugar and cinnamon. Or plain brown sugar, cinnamon and anise. But, those add to a lunch, they aren't quite a lunch. Lets use the same ingredients as breakfast with a few changes to quantities.

Tortilla Strip Casserole
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Take 6 whole grain corn tortillas and cut into 1 inch wide strips. These can be fresh, fried or day old fried, each results in a different texture. Lightly butter the bottom of a casserole dish. Place one layer of strips on the bottom of the casserole. Add one layer of onions, one layer of chiles and 1/4 c. stewed, diced, tomatoes. Top with some tangy low fat cheese and some creamy low fat cheese. Repeat. Bake for 45 minutes. Let rest for five minutes. Serve with a dollop of fat free sour cream or plain yogurt. Makes four hearty servings.


BiscuitsBiscuits dry up fairly quickly so they are great for topping with saucy things. Here are three quick and easy ways to use them.

Biscuits and Gravy
Make a simple meat gravy with leftover minced or ground lean meat and white sauce. Split your biscuits in half and pour the hot gravy over the top. Let sit for 2 minutes and enjoy. With chipped beef, this is SOS. With lean cooked and drained pork breakfast sausage it is traditional Biscuits and Gravy. With poultry it is Chicken and Biscuits.

Biscuit Shortcake
Take 2 cups fruit, 1/4 c. liquid (water, juice, wine, etc) and 2 Tablespoons raw honey (more or less to taste) and bring to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Allow to simmer on low until the fruit is tender and mashes easily with your spoon. This could take two minutes or 20 minutes depending on the fruit you are using. Keep an eye on the temperature and stir often. Pour over biscuits and dollop with honey sweetened plain yogurt.

Chicken and Dumplings, Biscuit Style
Crumble biscuits into each persons bowl. Add a serving of hot chicken soup on top. Serve right away. Resembles Chicken and Dumplings.


Using up Pitas, Naan, English Muffins and Buns
Using these rounds as a base for pizza is very simple but you want to do one thing that will make a huge difference in how it turns out. If you skip this step it will usually not be as satisfying a dish. Add butter or oil. Let me repeat that in case you missed it. Add a brushing of butter or oil to the surface of your round. If you are using buns brown them under the broiler or in a skillet on the stovetop. If you do this you will find that these rounds are moist and flavorful. If you don't they may very well be too dry to enjoy. Okay?

Personal Pizzas
Take 2 whole wheat english muffins, 1 naan, 1 pita, 2 hamburger buns, 2 hot dog buns or 1 french roll per person and brush lightly with softened butter or olive oil. Add one Tablespoon (or two for the larger rounds) of tomato sauce, pasta sauce, pizza sauce, pesto sauce or carmelized onions, and spread to edges. Top with low fat cheese, bits of leftover veggies, bits of leftover lean meat, olives, pineapple, etc. Broil until just barely starting to brown, then turn oven to 350 degrees for about 10 minutes--or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Tortas
Following the same pattern as above, spread butter or olive oil on your round. Add 2-4 Tablespoons refried beans and spread to edges. Top with left over veggies and bits of left over lean meat. Top with low fat cheese. Broil until just barely starting to brown, then turn oven to 350 degrees for about 10 minutes--or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Top with shredded lettuce, a small dollop of fat free sour cream and a small dollop of salsa.

Sloppy Joes
1/2 c. minced onion
1-2 Tablespoons low sodium broth
1/2 pound cooked minced or ground lean meat
1/4 c. oatmeal
2 Tablespoons c. ketchup
1/4 c. sweet hickory BBQ sauce
1 T. A-1 Sauce
1/4 c. water

Saute onions in broth. Add meat and oatmeal.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Serve using a #20 disher. One scoop per bun, two scoops per larger round.
Serve with bread and butter pickles on toasted buns.
Makes 4 sandwiches.

Frugal Feeds | 15 Ways with Bread Crumbs

Continuing on the theme for the week, lets now talk about Bread Crumbs.

Bread crumbs are great extenders in so many dishes!

2 slices of whole grain bread will give you about 1 cup of dried bread crumbs. Because of weight differences in the type of bread you use and how dry your crumbs are, this number is an average from my experience--but modify as needed.

Going with the 2 slices=1 cup theory, you will want 1/2 cup of crumbs per person for a serving. That means that if you are doing a crumb topping for a casserole you would use 2 cups for 4 servings.

Meat Extenders. Any time that you have a little less meat than you need for a dish, add up to 1/2 cup crumbs per desired pound of meat plus 1/3 cup of liquid. For example, if you needed 4 servings (1 pound) of ground beef for a dish, but had about 3/4 pound of meat you can add that 1/2 cup of crumbs plus 1/3 cup of any of the following broth, wine, tomato sauce, 2% milk, vegetable juice, barbecue sauce or 1/2 cup of sauteed vegetables such as mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant or any other moist vegetable.

This works also to intentionally use less meat. Less meat consumed saves money, so if you are buying ground beef at $1.75 a pound and bread at $1.00 a pound, then you save over .17 cents per serving, or .68 cents per meal, or somewhere over $400.00 a year.


Lets take a basic list of ingredients and change it a few times over:

3/4 # 95% Lean Ground beef or turkey
1/2 c. Bread Crumbs
1/3-1/2 c. Liquid or vegetable

Method

Extended Meat Dishes--

Mexican Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, salsa (or canned diced tomatoes and peppers)--add to tacos or burritos

Stroganoff Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, mushrooms--add to whole grain egg noodles with a white sauce (add onions and parsley for Stroganoff)

Italian Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, peppers and onions--add to whole grain pasta with a tomato sauce

American Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, broth--add to brown rice with vegetables and/or cheese

SOS Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, 2% milk, white sauce--add to lightly buttered toast for SOS

Casserole Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef or lean ground turkey, bread crumbs, red or white wine--add to casserole, top with additional seasoned crumbs also

Sloppy Joes Style Meat Extender: 95% Lean Ground beef, bread crumbs, bbq sauce and ketchup--add to toasted buns for Sloppy Joes.

The combinations are endless already. But don't just think of ground beef here though, think of ground lean turkey, chicken, fish, lamb, buffalo, and even veggies and cheese.

Lean Meat Solution: Ground turkey breast is notorious for being very dry and tasteless but add seasoned breadcrumbs and some moisture and it suddenly becomes delicious. Same is true of lean ground buffalo or beef. Crumbs with some egg also help hold together lots of little bits of things into lumps of things that taste really great! They hold moisture, flavor and hold it together. But don't add too much or it will taste more like meatloaf.

Meat Cakes--
Basically, if you have 3/4 pound of cooked meat bits, you can add 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup of liquid, 1/2 cup of vegetables and one beaten egg. Mix well. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Using a #20 disher, dish out 8-12 patties. Flatten with the bottom of a cup. Cover and chill for at least one hour. Lightly butter a second cookie sheet, or use a non-stick cookie sheet. Invert and place on top of first sheet and then, holding pans together, invert and remove the parchment paper. Or, simply transfer meat cakes with a thin, flat spatula to the buttered cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through. Serve immediately and allow unused servings to cool in refrigerator. Place four patties each into three freezer bags. Write the date and name of the patties on the freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.

This is the basic recipe behind crab cakes, fish cakes, meat loaf and seasoned sausage patties. You can add herbs, spices or low-fat cheeses to change the flavors. Play around with different vegetables, different types of crumbs, use bbq sauce, tartar sauce, citrus juices, tomato juice, vegetable juice, gravies, sauces, etc...
Its your dish. Play around with it and make it unique to you.

Cheese Straws

1 cup bread crumbs, Pinch of cayenne, 1/2 cup grated cheese, 1/4 cup milk, 2/3 cup flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Mix all together. Roll it out fairly thin, about a 1/4 inch thick. Cut into strips about 6 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Place on cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes in moderate oven. 


Crumbs don't need to just be a small component to a dish though. They can be the dish. Here are some super simple ways to use up a bunch of crumbs quickly, and sweetly--

Pancakes--To the traditional custard:

(2 Eggs, beaten, 1 cup 2% Milk, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar, 1 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract)

add another 1/2 c. 2% milk
1 c. crumbs
1 c. whole grain flour
4 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt.

If crumbs are very dry you may want this to rest for 20 minutes before cooking. Pour by 1/4 cupfuls onto a moderately hot, lightly buttered, griddle. When edges of pancakes have dry bubbles, flip them and cook until they no longer send out any steam. Serve as usual pancakes.


Fridge pudding--This is not a blanc mange or a creamy pudding but more similar to a very moist bread pudding or English pudding. It is a super easy and breezy way to go through that bucket of fresh picked berries in the Fall.

Take 4 c. bread crumbs and mix with 2 cups pureed berries pureed and sweetened to taste with honey. Pour into a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Invert onto a plate. Slice. Serve with maple, honey or stevia sweetened plain yogurt. Simple and delicious!

Pie Crusts--

Pie Crusts Sweet Version--2 cups bread crumbs, 1/2 a cup of liquid coconut oil (warm briefly in a small pan on the stovetop or in a bowl in the microwave), 1/4 cup brown sugar or ground dates. Press into pie plate with the bottom of a glass. Use for fruit pies. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. To prepare for cream pies fill pie pan shield with dried beans then bake. Allow to cool thoroughly before putting the beans back into the pantry. Fill, chill and serve.

Pie Crusts Savory Version--2 cups bread crumbs, 1/2 c. nut butter (almond, cashew and pecan work well), 2 Tablespoons herbs. Press into pie plate with the bottom of a glass. Or, reduce the nut butter and add low fat cheese. Use for quiches, shepherds pie or top with unbaked biscuits for pot pies. Bake according to recipe or at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.


Crumb Topping For Desserts--
Combine 2 Tablespoons ground nuts with 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1/3 c. crumbs, 2 Tablespoons whole grain flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the remaining ingredients until all is the texture of crumbs. Top cakes, pies, bars and muffins with this before baking.

Frugal Feeds | Delicious French Toast Sandwiches

Now that you have the hang of French Toast, lets take it past breakfast. First up, keep the custard dip on the sweet side. But, instead of serving with powdered sugar or syrup, add a slice of lean ham and a slice of Gruyere between the still hot French Toast, or place a slice of each on the open sandwich and broil briefly to warm. This is your basic sweet Monte Cristo.

Now, lets change it up. This time, when you make the custard dip, don't add brown sugar or vanilla. Prepare the French Toast as usual on the griddle. When all are cooked, remove from griddle and turn griddle down to low. Spread a slice of lean ham with mustard and place a slice of low fat cheese on top. Place the ham/mustard/cheese on a slice of the French Toast and top with another slice of French Toast. Place back on the griddle. Put a lid over it and cook until the cheese is melted--less than five minutes. This is Croque-Monsieur.

You have two basic recipes here. Do them a few times and then try making them your own.

For the Monte Cristo try adding any of these to the sandwich--turkey, low fat breakfast sausage, different low fat cheeses, fat free cream cheese, cranberry sauce, preserves, no meat, several lean meats, a fried egg, apple slices, pear slices, cooked berries, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, or a sweet mustard.

For the Croque-Monsieur try adding any of these to the custard dip--grated cheese, different mustards (without vinegar or lemon in them or the custard will curdle) or powdered mustard, different herbs, different spices, some beer or some white wine. Or just prepare it as it is and add different lean meats, low fat cheeses, A-1 sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled peppers or sauteed mushrooms to the cooked French Toast slices.

So, you have a lot of variations now available to you. Lets think this through. You go to your kitchen and you have some stinky cheese, some dried up ham slices, stale bread, an egg and some milk. Sounds pretty depressing for lunch--but if you make a custard dip, dip your bread, cook it, put the stinky cheese on first, then the ham, top with another slice of French toast, cover with a lid and let it steam under that lid for less than 5 minutes you will have a delicious sandwich from things that you would have normally thrown away.

So, next time you see a tablespoon of preserves in the jar, now you have a plan for it. That bit of sauteed veggies that isn't enough for a whole dish? Make a Croque-Monsieur. The great thing about these sandwiches is that you can make different sandwiches for each member of your family, have each serving look similar, and be using up small amounts of odd leftovers--and they will thank you for such a fabulously yummy meal. :0)