Category: Food

Haiti Hotdish Recipe

This one is a classic my mom makes every now and then. It’s basically a fancy and very tasty rice and beans, and would be great as either a side or main dish. If you’re a fan of spiciness, this one’s for you (go ahead and jack up the amount of red pepper flakes if you’re real).

Haiti Hotdish

Ingredients:

  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 green bell peppers, diced (feel free to switch up the color of the bell peppers if you want)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (or a spoonful from a jar of minced garlic)
  • 2 whole organic carrots, thinly sliced (trust me, organic carrots taste waaaaay better than non-organic)
  • About 10 oz of fresh spinach, chopped (just grab a bag at the grocery store and use the whole thing)
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil works well too)
  • 4 cups dry brown rice
  • 2 – 15.5 oz cans of dark red kidney beans
  • 1 – 15.5 oz can of black beans
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes (again, add more if you’re a spice-a-holic)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 8 cups of water (or you can use vegetable broth if you’d like)

Directions:

  1. Put olive (or coconut) oil in a large pot on medium heat. Once oil has warmed up, toss in diced onions, sliced carrots, garlic and diced bell peppers. Sauté for 5ish minutes or until onion turns translucent.
  2. Add chopped spinach and spices (cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt). Stir for roughly 30 seconds or until spices are fragrant.
  3. Add rice and water. Cover pot, bring water to a boil, then simmer until rice is cooked and water is gone (typically 30 – 40ish minutes)
  4. Rinse kidney and black beans. Add to cooked rice and stir to mix.
  5. Serve warm (it’s also great leftover cold in my opinion)

 

Happy cooking! #MoneyGoals

The Best Pesto Recipe Ever

Ok maybe an exaggeration, but my dear brother claims he doesn’t normally like pesto but enjoys this version so perhaps it’s accurate.

Regardless, this is a quick, easy and cost-effective recipe that you can throw into your cooking arsenal. It’s dairy-free, and can be made gluten free by simply using gluten-free noodles.

Best Pesto Ever

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1 cup packed fresh spinach leaves
  • 1/2 cup raw almonds (feel free to use roasted almonds too, or pecans, or walnuts, or pine nuts)
  • A lil bit of garlic (1-2 cloves, or one spoonful from a jar of minced garlic)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (feel free to add a bit more to achieve your desired consistency)
  • 1 ripe avocado (this is the secret ingredient – adds some creaminess and depth to what would be a pretty standard pesto concoction)
  • 2 pounds of pasta noodles (I usually use penne, pictured, but feel free to use whatever type of pasta you prefer)

Directions:

  1. Put all ingredients except the pasta into a blender (just the flesh of the avocado, might be obvious but don’t throw the skin or the pit in there). Blend it until all ingredients are well combined and the pesto has a smooth consistency. Add more salt/pepper/olive oil as needed.
  2. Prepare the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
  3. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the water and put pasta back into the same pot.
  4. Add your pesto, stir around so the pasta is evenly coated, and if the pasta has cooled off, leave the heat on low to warm it up, stirring occasionally.

 

I typically make a full batch of pesto, and use half of the pesto for one pound of pasta now and keep half for another pound of pasta later. The full batch of pesto will fill up one standard mason jar and will last forever in the freezer so it’s a great option for a quick meal on hand whenever you need one.

Feel free to serve with parmesan, some garlic bread on the side or some wine if you’re fancy. Let me know if you end up making it!

#MoneyGoals

 

Pictured: A three-person quarantine pesto pasta dinner party, April 2020 in Dallas, TX.

Moroccan Stew Recipe

The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, my mom tried to teach me how to cook as I was moving off campus and would no longer have a meal plan. This was the first and only recipe she guided me through. My impatient 19 year old self was frustrated by having to take instructions from my mom again (sorry mom!) and my inability to chop vegetables efficiently.

When I went back to school, I promptly ate a month or two of PB&J and PB&Banana sandwiches, but eventually came back to this easy and delicious recipe. Now cooking is one of my favorite things to do, and this dish is one I have made for many dinner guests. As what seems to be a recurring theme in life, I should’ve listened to my mom earlier.

The mellow vibes of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and the heartiness of russet and sweet potatoes come together to make this Moroccan Stew a perfect cold weather dish. It is also great for family and friends who might not be the biggest fans of spiciness (@ my fam).

Ingredients

Spices:

  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Feel free to increase amounts of any spices you are particularly fond of. I typically go heavy on the cinnamon, nutmeg and curry powder.

Everything else:

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 thing of kale (I just grab a fresh bunch at the grocery store) chopped
  • 2 cans chickpeas, drained
  • 2 cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 3 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 (or 3) cups dried lentils, rinsed
  • Enough water to cover everything (or vegetable broth)

Directions

  1. Combine all spices in a bowl. Take a sniff of the mixture, it’s an awesome combo.
  2. Warm up coconut or olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Cook the onion in the oil until soft/golden brown (5 to 10 minutes). Stir in kale and spice mixture, cook until kale begins to wilt and spices are fragrant (maybe 1 or 2 minutes).
  3. Pour all the other shit into the pot (chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, lentils) and pour enough water/broth in to just barely cover everything. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until vegetables are cooked, stirring occasionally for roughly 30 minutes (I usually grab a chunk of potato and try it, if it’s too hard keep cooking).
  4. Serve over brown rice (I typically make 3 cups dry. See Sweet Potato Chili recipe for rice cooking instructions.)

Moroccan Stew will last for about a week in the fridge, and longer if you freeze it so it’s great for meal prepping for the week. If you would like any further guidance I’m happy to answer any questions!

#MoneyGoals

Other Recipes:

Sweet Potato Chili Recipe

As I’ve said before, all recipes I make on a regular basis must be inexpensive, healthy and easy to make. Today’s recipe checks all those boxes, and is one of my all-time favorites.

Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients:

3-4 medium sized sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or olive oil)
1 yellow onion, diced
4-5 jalapeños, diced (more or less depending on how spicy you like your chili)
Some minced garlic (however much you’d like)
One 28-ounce can of Rotel Original Tomatoes & Green Chilis (this is what to look for)
One 10-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3-4 teaspoons ground chili powder (more or less depending on how spicy you like your chili)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Two 15-ounce cans of black beans, rinsed (can definitely add an extra can if you’d like)
3 cups dry brown rice, cooked

Directions:

  1. Start rice cooking in pot. Add 3 cups dry brown rice and 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 30-40 minutes (until rice has absorbed all water).
  2. Peel and dice sweet potatoes into large chunks (see pic). Put diced sweet potatoes into a large bowl, sprinkle a small amount of water on them, and throw em in the microwave for 6-8 minutes. Take them out and try eating a chunk, if it’s too hard/does not taste sweet, then microwave for another 2 minutes and test again, repeating until they are cooked.
  3. Dice onion and jalapeños. Place onion, jalapeños, garlic and oil into a large pot, and turn on medium heat. Stir occasionally until onions/jalapeños start looking nice and golden brown.
  4. Throw the cumin/chili powder/oregano in the pot with the onions/jalapeños. Stir for about 30 seconds until you can really start smelling those spices.
  5. Throw your tomatoes in the pot, and stir around until they are mixed well with onions/jalapeños and spices.
  6. Add your sweet potato chunks to the pot once they are fully cooked, mix in with tomatoes.
  7. Once your rice is done and ready to serve, throw your rinsed black beans into the pot with the tomatoes/sweet potatoes and mix around. I’ve made the mistake of putting the black beans in too early, and they tend to fall apart if cooked/stirred for too long.
  8. If you are serving immediately, make a lil bed of rice and throw the chili mixture on top of it. This is far more aesthetically pleasing than what I do when I make a large batch of this for the week, which is mix it all together (as in the picture).

This sweet potato chili easily lasts for a week in the fridge, and I’m guessing you could freeze it for longer but I have never tried ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you are trying to make food for a large group of people, or meal prep for the week, you can always up the amount of the rice, sweet potatoes and black beans. I would recommend adding more cumin/chili powder/oregano if you are going with a bigger batch as well.

Optional additions:

Spinach/kale/other greens – I’ve added spinach to this one many times, and you hardly notice it in the flavor/texture, but it adds some extra color and nutrition

Curry powder/turmeric/other spices – If there are any spices you enjoy, feel free to throw it in and see how it works!

Chicken/ground beef – I’ve never put meet into this recipe, but it would certainly go well with it, although it may cause the overall price of the recipe to increase substantially. If you’re looking for more protein and more bang for your buck, I’d recommend another can of black beans or two.

Let me know how it goes if you make it!

#MoneyGoals

 

How to Eat Like a Superathlete on $130 a Month

I have three priorities when it comes to my food. It must be:

  1. Healthy
  2. Inexpensive
  3. Easy and quick to make

There is a widespread misconception that healthy food must be expensive, but I eat about as clean as it gets and my average grocery costs for the last two years has been a little under $130 a month. How can someone do that without eating off the dollar menu at McDonalds you ask? Here’s how:

My go-to meal for a fair amount of lunches and dinners has been named “The Mix” by adoring fans. It’s main component is lentils, which are the most underrated food on the planet. One serving of lentils contains 10 grams of protein and other great stuff like fiber and iron. When you buy a 4 lb bag, that is 52 servings for $4.88 aka 9.4 cents per serving.

Second is brown rice. Adding some more protein, fiber, and most of the carbs that I eat, I buy brown rice in 5 lb bags for $3.88. With 50 servings per bag, that boils down to 7.8 cents per serving.

Lastly, I add beans and vegetables to The Mix, usually adding on another 10-20 cents per serving depending on how fancy of veggies I use. Season with your favorite spices (my favorites are cumin and chili powder) and you’re good to go. A complete meal with lots of nutrients for 30-40 cents per serving, keeps well and reheats well, and can be customized to taste however you want. This is how I prepare it:

  • 2.5 cups dry brown rice, 5 cups water, cook dat rice following instructions from the package or  the internet
  • 3 cups dry lentils, 7 cups water. Rinse lentils, then cook them, and rinse again when cooked. Again, follow instructions from the package or the internet
  • 1 or 2 cups of whatever kind of vegetables you like (I like frozen mixed veggies, broccoli, or peas). You can either microwave, sauté, or just throw them in your final bowl depending on what veggies you’re using and what you prefer.
  • 1 or 2 cans black or kidney or pinto or *any other kind of* beans. Rinse beans. (I’ve actually started making big batches of dried beans, which cost roughly half as much as buying them in a can)

Throw everything in a big bowl, mix it around, season it. You now have a week’s worth of meals done in 45 minutes. I eat it warm, but I know other people have eaten the mix cold as well.

Honestly, I have not found a more efficient way to get eat healthy, cheap, and easy-to-make food than the legendary Mix. If you know of anything better, please let me know!

I’ll be detailing more of my food habits soon, stay tuned.

#FoodGoals

 

(Picture has been edited to show texture)