Corinne's Kitchen: Cooking Healthy On A Budget

With today's economy and financial stresses, unfortunately, many of us have to live frugally at times. I, personally, hate cutting corners when it comes to what I eat. If I could, I'd shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's 100% of the time. Sadly, this is not my reality. Cooking is a passion of mine, as well as eating healthy. I decided to spend the past few weeks experimenting with preparing healthy meals on a budget. Another goal was to choose recipes that would feed my family of three not once, but multiple times, I'm a believer in leftovers! Here are a few of the recipes I have made that have passed the test.

Glorified Tomato Soup

serves 6-8

 I discovered this recipe in one of my Whole Living magazines. It is officially called White Bean and Mushroom Stew, but I like to call it a "Glorified Tomato Soup" because, frankly, that's what it tastes like. It is quite a hearty soup and is very filling.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 (28oz) can whole tomatoes, pureed in a blender
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 cups cooked white beans (equivalent to one 16-ounce can), drained
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, and carrot until tender, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add mushrooms, and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes.
   
2. Deglaze with wine, scraping up any brown bits with a wooden spoon.
   
3. Add tomatoes, rosemary, beans, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
   
   *Personal Notes:
   
   • I substituted dried rosemary for the fresh, it was in my pantry and eliminated an additional purchase from the grocery store. I used roughly 1/2 teaspoon or so. 
   •  If possible, purchase jarred tomatoes instead of canned (although this is not always possible, depending upon where you shop). Tomatoes are naturally acidic and eat away at the lining of the cans, which contain BPA (bisphenol-A), a synthetic estrogen that may be harmful. The BPA's leach into the tomatoes. Another option is pureed fresh tomatoes. Also, choose sodium free or low sodium canned tomatoes when possible.
   • I purchased pureed tomatoes instead of whole to eliminate the blender step.
   • Serve with toasted whole grain baguette or favorite bread, lightly drizzled with olive oil. I chose a spicy cheese bread from a local bakery.  
   
   
   
   
   Hawaiian Tortilla Pizzas
   serves 8-10
   
   This is my own concoction. I've been making tortilla pizzas, using various ingredients, for some time. I appreciate the thin, crispy crust you get from the tortillas, and skipping the additional carbs that classic pizza dough packs on.
   
   
   Ingredients
   

   • one package of large tortillas (8 to 10 count)
   • one 32.5oz jar marinara sauce
   • one 8oz package natural nitrate/preservative free deli ham, chopped
   • one can pineapple tidbits in juice, drained (save juice for another use)
   • one bunch fresh scallions, chopped

    Directions

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   2. On large cookie sheets, lay out the tortillas.
   3. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce on each tortilla.
   4. Sprinkle ham, pineapple, and scallions evenly over tortillas.
   5. Bake about 7 minutes, or until tortillas are nicely crisp (keep an eye on the tortilla pizzas, they don't take long).

   *Personal Notes:

   • Choose healthy tortilla options, such as whole grain.
   •  Choose low sodium or sodium free marinara sauce. You likely won't use the entire jar of marinara sauce. I like to buy large jars and keep them in the fridge for future use.
   • You may vouch for fresh pineapple, or even frozen, however canned is usually less expensive. Choose canned pineapple in it's own juice rather than syrup. The syrup adds unnecessary additional sugar.
   •  One tortilla pizza sliced into quarters usually is a sufficient meal for one person.
   •  I like to prepare only enough tortilla pizzas that my family will eat in one sitting (typically 3). Leftover tortilla pizzas tend to get soggy in the fridge. I make a new batch each time we eat them. If you make them all at once, you may have to do them in batches, depending upon your cookie sheet/oven size.
   • I love to make tortilla pizzas using whatever ingredients I have on hand, leftover shredded chicken, mushrooms, spinach, etc. Use your imagination!

   
   
   

   Tuna Melts With Avocado

   serves 8

   This delicious nutritious recipe is from Cooking Light magazine, which I tweaked ever so slightly. I wasn't sure what to expect with the unusual combination of ingredients, however, it was fabulous! Tuna and avocado are a match made in heaven!

   
   

   Ingredients:

   • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
   • 2 tablespoons thinly sliced onion
   • 1 tablespoon Dijon or brown mustard
   • sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
   • 1 (6oz) can tuna in water, drained and flaked 
   • 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
   • 1 avocado, skinned, pitted, and chopped
   • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
   • 1/3 cup shredded Swiss cheese
   • 1 (8 count) package whole grain deli rolls, halved

   
   
   Directions:
   

   1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   2. Toast whole grain roll halves in toaster and lay out cut side up on a cookie sheet.
   3. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well to combine.
   4. In a seperate bowl, combine lemon juice and avocado.
   5. Add avocado mixture and tomatoes to the tuna mixture, gently mix until combined.
   6. Spread even amounts of tuna avocado mixture over each whole grain roll half.
   7. Sprinkle cheese evenly over each tuna topped roll.
   8. Bake approximately 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

   
   
   
   

   Chili with Chipotle and Chocolate

   serves 8-10

   

   Another recipe from Cooking Light magazine, this is quite possibly the best chili I have ever made, the best I've ever tasted! It is the perfect amount of spiciness. Once again, I made a few subtle changes to this recipe.

   
   

   Ingredients:

   • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
   • 2 cups diced onion (about 1 large)
   • 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
   • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
   • 1 1/2 lbs lean ground turkey
   • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
   • 2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
   • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa
   • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
   • sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
   • 2 (15oz) cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
   • 2 (14.5oz) cans low sodium diced tomatoes, drained
   • 1 (14oz) can low sodium chicken broth
   • 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, minced
   • 2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
   • 1 cup natural sour cream
   • chopped scallions for garnish (optional)

   
    Directions:
   

   1. Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a large pot or dutch oven.
   2. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and turkey to pot and saute' about 8 minutes or until turkey is browned and veggies are tender.
   3. Add sugar and next 8 ingredients (through chipotle) to pot, stirring to blend, bring to boil.
   4. Reduce heat, simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
   5. Add chocolate to pot, stirring to melt.
   6. Ladle chili into bowls and serve with a dollop of sour cream and chopped scallions.

   
   *Personal Notes:
   

   • I opted for a green bell pepper instead of red since red peppers are more expensive.
   • If you don't like too spicy, opt for regular chili powder instead of ancho chile powder, or use one tablespoon each. 
   • I keep extra chipotle chiles in adobo in a jar in my fridge. I like to add a little of the adobo to the chili as well, it has a great smokey flavor.
   • You may also serve this chili with whole grain saltines, or toasted baguette or your favorite bread.