Real Men Do Eat Quiche! and the Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Aldi has grape tomatoes for 99 cents a pint and cauliflower for $1.29 a head. Don’t know how big the heads are. Red and green grapes are $1.78 for two pounds, or 89 cents a pound. 85% lean beef burgers are $8.99 for three pounds, or $3.00 a pound.

Marsh has ground chuck for $2.99 a pound in the family pack and bacon for $2.99 a pound. There’s a limit of two pounds of bacon, which isn’t surprising since that’s a great price.

Kroger has eggs for $1.25 a dozen (four dozen for $5.00). Cheese is three packages for $10.00, or $3.33 per package. The packages range from twelve to sixteen ounces. That’s $4.44 a pound for the twelve ounce packages or $3.33 for the sixteen ounce. It’s an ok price for the twelve ounce and a good price for the sixteen ounce. Broccoli crowns, Bartlett pears, romaine, red and green leaf lettuce, and tomatoes on the vine are all 99 cents a pound.

I wasn’t really checking prices at the Farmers Market on Saturday, but here are a few of the prices that I noticed. Some vendors had tomatoes for $1.00 a pound, and they went up from there. Zucchini were 75 cents each (I got a great big one at that price). Seedless cukes were 40 cents each. Eggplant was $1.00 each. Huge heads of cabbage were $3.00 each.

Don’t forget that you can exchange your food stamps for Market Bucks, which basically means you can buy produce, dairy, eggs and meat for half price.

Bacon and eggs are both on sale this week. Let’s work with that.

The problem with bacon is that it cooks down so much. It never really seems like a protein source; it’s not satisfying like meat usually is. It’s more of a flavoring. It does have a lot of flavor, though. You can take advantage of that by using all of the bacon. Save the bacon grease and use it later to fry or scramble eggs, use it to cook the onion and pepper for a Denver omelet, or use it pretty much any time you need oil to cook something. It adds a great flavor.

BLTs are great summertime food, when the tomatoes are garden fresh. When you don’t eat bread, you make BLTS’s instead. That’s Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salads. It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Just bacon, lettuce and tomato with a mayo dressing. And very good. A pound of bacon, a head of lettuce, a pound and a half of tomatoes, and a cup of mayo will run $6.03. You shouldn’t need anywhere near a cup of mayo, though, so it should stay under $6.00 for four big main dish salads. You can get other salad dressings for about the same price.

I like breakfast food any time of the day. Not cold cereal, but real food. Omelets or quiche or scrambled eggs. Things like that. I make a lot of quiche because it’s good, it’s easy, and it’s cheap. Well, the basic quiche is, though it can get pricey depending on what you put in it. My BASIC QUICHE recipe calls for six eggs, half a pound of cheese, and two cups of cream or milk. Using half and half, it comes to $3.35 and makes anywhere from four to eight servings. Let’s call it four. You could stop with this basic quiche (a blob of mustard is good in it and practically free) or you can start adding extras. A pound of broccoli would bring it to $4.35, leaving plenty of room for a lettuce and tomato salad while staying under $6.00. Or make six servings at 75 cents per serving ($2.90 for four servings) and add some grapes, too.

One of my favorite main dish salads is a big CABBAGE SALAD. I’ve talked about them before, and probably every time I do I give a different recipe. That’s because it’s so versatile. The base is cabbage and onion in a mayo dressing, but then I add eggs and/or cheese and/or meat of some kind (bacon, smoked sausage, ham, etc.) and/or sunflower seeds. Half of one of the huge heads of Farmers Market cabbage is plenty for four big servings. Add a third of a pound of bacon, half a pound of cheese, and six hard-boiled eggs and you’ve got a wonderful supper for four for under six dollars. Worried about all the cholesterol in that salad? One of the great things about eating low carb like I do is that you don’t have to worry about cholesterol. (There’s a lot of research that says that cholesterol is not an issue for most people who eat a low carb diet. If you are concerned about it, you should of course talk to your own health care provider.)

For more recipes using eggs in a starring role, check out the after Easter blog post and the EGGS category under the Cook tab.

Eggs keep in the fridge for a long time. I’ve kept them up to three months and they were still fine. Use your own judgment, but remember that the date stamped doesn’t mean that you need to use them by that date or toss them.

Eat well!

Mary Anne

Do You Carry?

Salads make great lunches, but they’re hard to carry with you to work or to school, even if you have a fridge when you get there. The salad dressing gets on the lettuce and other veggies and you can end up with a yucky slimy mess by the time you get around to eating lunch. It’s not so bad if you have a place where you can store things like an opened bottle of salad dressing, but many of us – especially students – don’t have that luxury. So what’s a body to do? Go without salads?

Nope. You just have to plan a little bit differently. I have two suggestions for you. First, change the way you pack and carry your traditional lettuce based salad, and two, switch to different ingredients that hold up better to sitting for hours with dressing on them.

The first isn’t so much a recipe as a concept. Most salads are built with lettuce on the bottom, then other veggies, meat, etc., and salad dressing on top. The salad dressing works its way down through the other veggies and meat and ends up dressing the lettuce on the bottom. Which is great, as long as you eat the salad right away. Not so great if you’re not eating the salad for a few hours, especially if you’re carrying the salad so it gets bounced around the dressing reaches the lettuce even faster. The solution? Basically, just put the dressing in the bottom of a jar, then the meat, then the wet veggies like tomatoes, then dry veggies, and the lettuce on top. The lettuce stays nice and crisp and dry until you turn the salad upside down on a plate or bowl, and then you have the lettuce on the bottom and the dressing on top, just like usual. As I said, it’s more of a concept than a recipe, but there are some ideas at SALAD IN A JAR. By the way, they say that the salads keep for several days, so you can make a week’s worth at the beginning of the week and just pull one out each day to take. Don’t know, haven’t tried it, but that’s what they say.

I have a few actual recipes for salads using sturdier veggies like cauliflower, broccoli and celery instead of lettuce, or you can make up your own using your favorite ingredients. One of the best things about salads is that they are so adaptable!

The one I make most often is CAULIFLOWER AND EGG SALAD. Pretty much what it says. Cauliflower and hard-boiled eggs in ranch dressing, with some sunflower seeds if you happen to have them.

A close second is PACKABLE PORK SALAD, which is leftover pork (any kind – pork roast, pork chops, pork neck bones, whatever – boned, of course), cauliflower and celery in a mustard-mayo dressing.

One that I keep forgetting about for some reason, is PACKABLE CHICKEN SALAD. Leftover chicken and celery in a slightly teriyaki-mayo dressing.

And finally, CAESAR-STYLE SALAD, with broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots and peppers a Caesar-style dressing with parmesan cheese. It doesn’t have much protein, but you could add some chicken to it or have it as a side salad to some chicken or other protein that you carry with you.

Eat well!

---Mary Anne---

Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Salad

Lettuce, torn in bite size pieces

Tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Mayonnaise or other salad dressing

How you assemble the salad is up to you. For the prettiest presentation, put the lettuce in the bottom of a big salad bowl, then the tomatoes, and top with the bacon. Serve the dressing on the side. The problem with this is that the bacon all gets eaten first and the plain lettuce is left. I usually toss the lettuce, tomatoes and bacon, then add the mayo and toss again. It’s not nearly as pretty, but it’s easier to get that BLT combination.

Salad in a Jar

(The basic idea is all over the internet and in cookbooks. This is copied from http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pack-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174)

1-4 tablespoons salad dressing
Mix of raw and cooked vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, cheese, and other salad ingredients
Salad greens 

Wide-mouth canning jars with tight-fitting lids (pint jars for side salads, quart jars for individual meal-sized salads, 2-quart jars (or larger) for multiple servings)

Salad Dressing: Pour 1 to 4 tablespoons of your favorite salad dressing in the bottom of the jar. Adjust the amount of dressing depending on the size of the salad you are making and your personal preference.

Hard Vegetables: Next, add any hard chopped vegetables you're including in your salad, like carrots, cucumbers, red and green peppers, cooked beets, and fennel.

Beans, Grains, and Pasta: Next, add any beans, grains, and/or pasta, like chickpeas, black beans, cooked barley, cooked rice, and pasta corkscrews.

Cheese and Proteins: If you'll be eating the salad within the day, add a layer of diced or crumbled cheese and proteins like tuna fish, diced (cooked) chicken, hardboiled eggs, or cubed tofu. If you're making salads ahead to eat throughout the week, wait to add these ingredients until the day you're planning to eat the salad and add them on top of the jar.

Softer Vegetables and Fruits: Next, add any soft vegetables or fruits, like avocados, tomatoes, diced strawberries, or dried apricots. If you're making salads ahead to eat throughout the week, wait to add these ingredients until the day you're planning to eat the salad and add them to the top of the jar.

Nuts, Seeds, and Lighter Grains: Next, add any nuts or seeds, like almonds, walnuts, and sunflower seeds. If you're making a salad with lighter, more absorbent grains like quinoa or millet, add them in this layer instead of with the beans.

Salad Greens: Last but not least, fill the rest of the jar with salad greens. Use your hands to tear them into bite-sized pieces. It's fine to pack them into the jar fairly compactly.

Storing the salad: Screw the lid on the jar and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you're including any cheese, proteins, or soft fruits and vegetables, add these to the top of the jar the morning you plan to eat your salad.

Tossing and eating the salad: When ready to eat, unscrew the lid and shake the salad into the bowl. The action of shaking the salad into the bowl is usually enough to mix the salad with the dressing. If not, toss gently with a fork until coated.

Cauliflower and Egg Salad

2 c cauliflower florets

2 – 4 hardboiled eggs, chopped

1/4 c ranch dressing

1/4 c sunflower seeds (optional)

Combine everything and mix well.

Tomato, White Bean and Tuna Salads

(from Super Foods by Dolores Riccio)

1 20-ounce can Italian cannellini (white beans), drained and rinsed

1 6.5-oounce can of tonno (Italian tuna packed in oil), drained

1 celery heart (just the pale inner part), finely chopped, including the leaves

1⁄2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1⁄4 cup chopped black olives

1⁄4 cup each olive oil and red wine vinegar

1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano

freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 vine-ripened tomatoes (about 2.5 pounds)

inner leaves of romaine lettuce

In a medium-size bowl, mix all the ingredients, except the tomatoes and lettuce. Allow the mixture to blend flavors by marinating it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cut the tops off the tomatoes; reserve them. Hollow out the centers and turn them upside down to drain.

Stuff the tomatoes with the filling and set the tops on. Line 6 bowls with lettuce leaves and place a stuffed tomato in each. If there is any extra filling, spoon it around the sides. If the salads are not to be served within 30 minutes, refrigerate them.

Makes 8 servings.

Taco Salad

Taco salad is another main-dish salad that's made with whatever you happen to have on hand and feel like using. You can add additional toppings, if you like - salsa, jalapenos, olives, etc.

1 lb ground beef

1/2 onion, chopped

Taco seasonings

1 head lettuce, shredded or chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

Grape tomatoes, halved

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1 c sour cream

Cook ground beef, the first half onion, and the taco seasonings in a heavy skillet. Set aside. Divide the lettuce among four bowls. Top with the cooked meat, the remaining half onion, the grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Cabbage Salad

This kind of cabbage salad is sort of a cross between a chef salad and coleslaw. It's a main dish, cabbage-based salad with whatever kind of vegetables and protein you happen have and feel like using.

2 lb cabbage, shredded

4 oz onion (about 1/2 onion), finely chopped

2 carrots, grated or chopped (optional)

6 hot dogs, thawed, cut into fourths lengthwise, then sliced

6 hard-cooked eggs, chopped

1/4 c mayo

1/4 c sour cream

1 T apple cider vinegar

Dash sweetener

1 t pepper

Combine cabbage, onion, carrots, hot dogs and eggs in large bowl and toss to mix. Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl and mix well. Add dressing to cabbage mixture and mix well. Four servings.

Variations -
Cooked and crumbled bacon, diced ham, or diced summer sausage instead of the hot dogs.
Shredded cheddar instead of or in addition to the eggs.
All mayo instead of half sour cream.

Turkey Waldorf Salad

3 c diced cooked turkey (or chicken)

1 c thinly sliced celery

1 – 2 apples, quartered and sliced

½ c chopped walnuts

½ c raisins

½ c mayo

2 t lemon juice

2 t sugar or equivalent sweetener

Combine the turkey, celery, apples, walnuts, and raisins. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, lemon juice and sweetener (or just use a Miracle Whip type dressing). Add the mayo to the turkey and apples and mix well. If raisins have too many carbs for you, just leave them out.

Turkey and Celery Salad

1 c diced cooked turkey (or chicken)

1 c thinly sliced celery

3 T mayo

1/2 t lemon juice

1 t sugar or equivalent sweetener

Mix it all up and eat it! You could use a Miracle Whip type “mayo” and skip the lemon juice and sugar.