Friday, February 27, 2009

Tacos And The Need To Love What You're Eating.

You know what's a cheap and delicious vegan beer? Session Lager. 9.99 for a 12-pack at the Holiday Mart.

So my confession is that I bought beer. I am going to sit in the yard and drink beer and give the world the finger tonight. I know. I effed up my budget but I still have almost 200 bucks to make it until next payday, and I have a pantry full of bulk goods.

I welcome cauliflower recipes, too- I suppose I can turn them into curry and caulihummus, but I do that ALL THE TIME and it waxes dull. My other thought was to steam them all and mash them and freeze bags of that- I can reheat them for sides throughout next week. Otherwise, I guess I could try to find an Italian dish that uses them, and serve it over pasta? I am exceedingly fond of broccoli cooked with garlic and chiles- maybe I will try that with the cauliflower (and add in that beautiful yellow squash I bought on Wednesday) and serve it over some of my Grocery Outlet De Cecco tri-colour penne.

I'm eating a half pound of ripe and perfect local tomatoes for dinner, as a side to my left over mac and cheeze and stuff.

Tonight's Cheap Bastard Recipe:
Soak some TVP in beer (or whatever else you want- tomato juice or veggie broth is always nice)
Fry up some onion and garlic and peppers, if you found them for cheap. A serrano chile is always nice, and cilantro, if it's on sale.
Add that tvp and its soaking liquid. Fry fry cook.
Serve this in corn tortillas with a little chopped something over the top- lettuce if you have it, or cabbage, if you're awesome. Just about any fresh veggie tastes delicious over this and it will feed an army. That army will have gas, most likely, later on- but. I think you know about vegans and gas and not giving a damn.

It's hard to be cheap and eat well when you work and you have animals and obligations and books to read and friends to gossip with. A lot of my cheap fixes take time, because what you're paying for when you buy prepared food is the time you're saving, more than the ingredients that went into it. I like sautes and stir fries and things like tacos and fajitas because they take virtually no time, and they feed your eye and your palate as well as your tummy.


3 comments:

  1. You have tomatoes, too, right? Aloo Gobi. It technically calls for potatoes, too, but I think it would be like Indian spiced Cauliflower without. Just goggle a recipe.

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  2. Brilliant. I have six pounds of potatoes that want to be cooked. And the bible of Indian cooking on my cookbook shelf...
    Generally, I need to make dinner to feed the three people who live in my house and at least a few extra plates for others in Xanadorm; I like my meals to feed 6 people for less than 6 bucks.

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  3. The aloo gobi I make often lasts Minku and I three days (dinner one night and lunch the others), it's pretty cheap and filling. Put it over some rice or pair up with bread.

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