Cheap Meal Ideas

Message from the Publisher & Founder of Silver and Gold Magazine:

Anyone who knows me, knows how passionate I am about good health and nutrition. At our home, this translates into healthy cooking, good quality vitamin supplements, exercise, and visits to the Naturopath to prevent taking the wrong path! It may not be easy to juggle when you have three children and a magazine to publish, but I fit it into a 'schedule' of sorts, and with a little help from those around me, it all works out.

Healthy cooking can be a challenge for many (busy schedules take their toll) so with this new 'Cheap Meal Ideas' series I will show you how fairly simple it can be to coordinate eating well, with not spending a fortune.

This first recipe is a favourite of mine. It can yield two, five, or ten – at one per person it's really up to you to decide on quantity.
Try it and let me know how you like it!  

Suzanne Soto-Davies
Founder & Publisher, Silver and Gold Magazine
suzanne@sngpublishing.com

  

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Mussels - $2 per person

Serves 16

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 tsp. olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 1 Cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 Cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp. capers
  • 1 Tbsp. hot red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 2 lbs. fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
  • 1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti (or alternative gluten-free spaghetti)
  • sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to directions, until al-dente, then drain and set aside to cool slightly and dry off.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat olive oil slightly and add garlic, onions for about a minute. Add the wine, raise the heat and bring to a slight boil. Add mussels and cook, stirring and tossing until all mussels have opened – about 4 minutes. Add capers and hot peppers & stir. (At this point you may de-shell mussels or serve in the shell, throwing out those which have not opened) Add the pasta to the mussel mixture and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Add parsley and season to taste, serving immediately. 

Healthy & Easy Turkey Chili - $2 per person

Serves 12 @ 1.5 Cups each

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped in chunks
  • 6 stalks celery, chopped in chunks
  • 2 medium coloured peppers, chopped in chunks
  • 3 Cups diced tomatoes (fresh or canned: if canned, unseasoned & unsalted!)
  • 3 cans (size irrelevant) of various beans (red kidney, pinto, black eyed, or mixed combo) drained, rinsed thoroughly to wash off foam.
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder (depending upon desired heat) or chili flakes
  • 1 lb. raw ground turkey, leftover turkey chunks (or alternative vegetarian tofu, crumbled).
  • 1 Tbsp. ground cumin (eliminates gas & bloating which beans may cause)

Method:

Sauté turkey in a large pan over medium-high heat, until cooked through & no longer pink. Drain excess fat and set aside. Heat large pot, add oil and sauté onions for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat, then add peppers, celery, and sauté for another 3-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, drained  beans, chili & cumin powders and turkey, and simmer on low for 1 hour, mixing occasionally.

 

Tender Turkey Legs - $3 per person

This Thanksgiving there will be no more fighting over the dark meat! Turkey legs are HUGE (one per person is perfect for a meal), healthy, easy to bake, and with this recipe they turn out fall-off-the-bone tender. They're also very inexpensive, with 2 legs costing approximately $3 at most supermarkets. If your supermarket doesn't carry turkey legs, simply ask for them.

Ingredients:

• turkey legs, rinsed, skin on (quantity of legs: approx 1 per person)

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 Tbsp. margarine

• salt, pepper, sage, garlic powder, thyme, to create a rub

• your favourite bbq sauce

• 1 lime


Method:

Preheat oven to 275F (low). Rub turkey legs with the rub mixture. In a large roasting pan, on the stove, heat to medium/low with margarine and olive oil. Brown turkey legs turning until desired browning. Turn stove off and cover legs with bbq sauce (1/2 bottle covers about 6 legs) then squeeze the juice of the lime overtop. Cover tightly with lid and bake in the oven for 2-1/2 hours. 

Note: turn turkey legs half-way through baking. Before serving, remove the skin off (what's left of it!) and serve with smashed sweet potatoes or alternate side dish (for a healthy and delicious Quinoa salad see Silver and Gold May/June 2011 issue). The remaining juices off the pan make a delicious gravy. Simply amazing!

 

 

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