Frugal Feeds | 5 Basic International Veggie Sofrito's

So far I have been covering a lot of pantry staples because it is an important part of frugal shopping but in order for your diet to be healthy you need to incorporate an abundance of fresh ingredients. Today we'll start looking at the fresh staples needed.

When you start to put fresh ingredients in your shopping list you want to mix the inexpensive staples with low cost seasonal produce. Certain staples are consistent throughout many cultures cuisines. By having them at hand you can create meals from many different cultures. Let's look at several cuisine basics to get you started.

French:
Carrots, Onions, Leeks, Celery, Thyme and Bay leaves

Called Mirepoix: Saute in a bit of butter 3/4 cup carrots, 1/2 cup onions and 1/4 cup celery. 3/4 cup lean ham is often added. Use with braised or pot roasted meats. For seafood dishes, eliminate the ham and replace the carrot with leeks.

Italian:
Onions, Carrots, Mushrooms, Celery, Basil, Parsley and Garlic

Saute in olive oil until browned 1 cup onions, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/4 cup celery, herbs and 2 cloves garlic. Used with meats and basis for sauce. 4 cups pureed tomatoes is often added.

Spanish:
Yellow Onion, Sweet Green Chile (like Anaheim), Garlic, Tomatoes and Paprika

Saute in a bit of olive oil until browned 1 cup onions, 1 chile, 1 clove garlic. Add 4 cups chopped tomatoes and 1 heaping Tablespoon paprika.

Mexican:
Yellow Onion, Bell Peppers, Chiles, Garlic, Tomatoes

Saute in a bit of corn oil until browned and blistered, 1 cup onions, 1 cup bell peppers, 1 hot chile, 1 clove garlic. Separately broil 4 tomatoes until blackened. Place tomatoes in a brown paper bag and close it. Let the tomatoes sit for five minutes. Remove tomatoes from bag and peel off the skin. Crush the tomatoes and add to the sauteed vegetables. If making a sauce from the vegetables, puree. Often served with cilantro.

Cajun:
Green Bell Peppers, Onions, Celery and Flour

Called the Trinity: Saute in a bit of butter 1 Bell Pepper, 1 onion and 2 stalks of celery. When the vegetables are browned add 2 Tablespoons of flour and allow it to brown lightly. Use for gumbo and with braised meats and vegetables.

As you can see, with just a handful of staple vegetables you will have the basis for several different cuisines. With each of these types of sofritos you can make them ahead of time in larger quantities and just measure out one cup of the sofrito into each freezer bag. Label it and date it. Then you will have handy, versatile starters to many recipes.


Keep the following vegetables on hand and you can always throw these together with a few spices:

carrots
onions
leeks
celery
mushrooms
green chiles
garlic
tomatoes
bell peppers

Frugal Feeds | The Basics of Casseroles Made Easy with Eleven Recipes to Start With

Easy One Dish Meals

One dish meals make the dish cook with less hassle and create fewer dishes to clean up. The reason casseroles exist is to use up little bits of food that would likely otherwise get thrown out. Not only can they use up lots of odds and ends, they can taste really excellent. A few days after a taco meal you might find that you have scraps of meat, beans, cheese, tortillas and salsa--mix them into a casserole. After the third day of turkey around the holidays you might have turkey, sweet potatoes, corn, gravy and stuffing. Layer the turkey, potatoes and corn, pour the gravy over and use the stuffing to top it. It will be much more palatable than another plate of dried out leftovers. First let’s look at what proportions you use to make four servings.

Protein (2 Cups)        Starch (2 Cups)          Vegetable (2 Cups) 

(cooked)  

Chicken                         Brown Rice             Frozen Mixed Veggies

Turkey                          Potatoes                                         Carrots

Lean Beef                     Whole Wheat Pasta                            Peas

Pork                             Whole Wheat Bread               Green Beans

Fish                              Corn                         Frozen Asian Veggies

Clams                           Beans                                                 Kale

Oysters                        Peas                                               Spinach

Eggs                            Tortilla chips                            Bell Peppers

Low Fat Cheese          Quinoa                              Onions (Sauteed)

Ham                            Kamut                                          Tomatoes

Sausage                       Whole Grain Crackers        Celery (Sauteed)

Nuts                            Couscous                                  Green Peas 

Beans                           Corn Meal                     Edamame (Cooked)

Lamb                            Millet                                  Squash (Cooked)

Tofu                              Wild Rice                          Eggplant (Cooked)

Ground Meats                Sweet Potatoes             Mushrooms (Sauteed)

Buffalo                           Pumpkin                                            Zucchini 

Binder (2 Cups)                              Topping (1-2 Cups)

White Sauce #1                                        Bread Crumbs

White Sauce #2                                   Crushed Crackers

Brown Sauce                                              Ground Nuts

Mushroom Sauce                                  Low Fat Cheese

Cheese Sauce                                                  Parmesan

Mock Hollandaise                                             Croutons

Cream Gravy                                   French Fried Onions

Egg Sauce                                                  Potato Sticks

Veloute Sauce                                              Lean Bacon

Chaud-Froid Sauce                                     Raw Biscuits

Poulette Sauce                                       Raw Puff Pastry

Bechamel Sauce                                         Tortilla Chips

Onion Sauce                                                 Hasbrowns

Sauce Supreme                                              Tater Tots

Nut Sauce                                              Herbs and Nuts

Tomato Sauce                                   Herbs and Crumbs

               Pesto                                             Crumbs and Nuts               

You will want to take one item from each category, except the topping, add herbs and spices and layer in a medium-sized casserole dish. Cover with aluminum foil or a fitted lid. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, remove cover, and add the topping. Return to the oven without its cover for 10-20 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and crispy.

Now, here is the fun and challenging part. Not everything is going to taste right if you put them together so start off with things you are familiar with combining. I'll get you started:

Pizza Casserole: Browned and drained lean Sausage, Whole Wheat Pasta, 1/2 cup Onion, 1 cup Bell Peppers, 1/2 cup Mushrooms, Tomato Sauce, 1 cup low fat Mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan. Add garlic, thyme, marjoram, pepper and salt. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan in the last 10-20 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.

Chicken and Dumpling Casserole: Cooked Chicken, Whole Wheat Pasta, 1 cup Peas, 1 cup Carrots, White Sauce #2 made with Low Sodium Chicken Broth, Raw Whole Grain Biscuits. Add 2 Tablespoons Dried Parsley, black pepper and salt. Add the raw biscuits in the last 10 minutes. Serve with corn.

Mexi-Casserole: 1 cup browned and drained lean Ground Beef, 1 cup Beans, Tortilla Chips or torn leftover tortilla shells, 1/2 cup Tomatoes, 1/2 cup Onions, 1 cup Bell Peppers, Tomato Sauce, Low Fat Cheese. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, oregano, chili powder, black pepper and salt. Add the cheese in the last 10-20 minutes. Serve with salad.

Noodle Bake: Browned and drained lean Ground Turkey, Whole Wheat Pasta, Mixed Vegetables, Low Fat  Cheese Sauce and Herbed Crumbs. Add garlic, onion powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Add the herbed crumbs in the last 10 minutes. Serve with steamed carrots.

Ham and Potatoes: Cooked lean Ham, Sliced potatoes, Peas, Cheese Sauce and Potato Sticks (like PikNik brand). Add pepper. Add the potato sticks in the last 10 minutes. Serve with broccoli.

Green Bean: Diced browned lean Pork, Wild Rice, 1 1/2 cups Green Beans, 1/2 cup minced Bell Peppers, White Sauce #2, French's Fried Onions. Add salt. Add fried onions in the last ten minutes. Serve with potatoes.

Lasagne: Browned and drained lean Italian Sausage, Whole Wheat Lasagne noodles boiled and drained, 1/2 cup Spinach, 1/2 cup mushrooms, 1/2 cup onions, 1/2 cup sliced, sauteed eggplant, Tomato sauce, Mozzarella cheese. Add thyme, oregano, marjoram, garlic, onion powder, pepper and fennel seed. Add Mozzarella in the last 20 minutes. Serve with salad.


Stroganoff Casserole:  Sliced, browned lean Beef, Whole Wheat Noodles, 1 cup Mushrooms, 1 cup Onions, White Sauce #1, Parsley Herbed Bread Crumbs. Add garlic and salt. Add herbed bread crumbs in the last ten minutes. Serve with green beans.

Eggs Benedict Casserole: Boiled Sliced Eggs, Toasted, Sliced, Lightly Buttered, Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread, Tomatoes, Mock Hollandaise Sauce, Lean Crumbled Bacon. Layer toast on bottom, top with layered tomatoes and eggs, add sauce. Add bacon in last five minutes.

Pilaf: 1/3 cup browned and drained Ground Lamb, 1/3 cup Almonds and 1/3 cup Pistachio Nuts, Couscous, 2 cups peas, 1 cup Spinach, 1 cup Carrots, Onion Sauce, Herbed Pine Nuts. Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/2 cup raisins. Add herbed pine nuts in the last ten minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie: Cooked lean Chicken, Brown Rice or Barley, Mixed Vegetables, White Sauce #2 made with Chicken Broth, Raw Puff Pastry. Add dried parsley, onion powder, salt and pepper. Line the bottom of the casserole with puff pastry, making sure that it comes up the sides of the casserole and drapes slightly over the edge. Fill with mixture. Top with puff pastry. Roll edges inward to seal the top puff pastry. Make a small rectangular cut into center of puff pastry top.

Okay, so now you have some casseroles to play with. Try each as they are and then the next time change it up. If it calls for ham, try fish. If it calls for chicken, try tofu. Mix it up however sounds good. The first few times you do this it will probably just taste okay. As you get used to making casseroles you will start to find some combinations that are really good. Play away!