That's more or less how I cook (I'm a Dutch person) and love to eat. Simple, fresh and honest food, well prepared. My sister (who lives in the USA) also cooks that way. She bakes her own bread and uses a tiny bit of red wine vinegar to speed up the process.
Mix all ingredients really well, let rise for 4 - 6 hrs (depending on the temperature, eventually in a moderately preheated oven). The volume of the batter has to double.
Then let rise for about 30 minutes in a bowl onder a cloth. In the meantime preheat the Dutch oven at 460 degrees Fahrenheid. Put the batter in the Dutch oven and cover, and in the oven for about 25 minutes. Take of the lid, and let it become crusty and brown of about 5 - 10 minutes in oven.
I have a lifetime of cooking on a budget under my belt. I love cooking, I love eating and I've mostly been poor! I just want to put a plug in here for a tool rather than an ingredient. Instant pots are a really great investment for Budget cooking. You can cook dried beans without soaking and have them ready in less than an hour. You can make killer stock with all your bones. The pressure really drives the flavor out of the bones. There's a ton of other things you can do with it but just those two things alone make it a fabulous kitchen tool!
I use my instant pot at least three times a week. Soups, rice, steel cut oats, big cheap(er) cuts of meat, beans, lentils, you name it. Soups are my “poor kitchen” secret because if you are good at soup you will never have to throw away any food.
From my vegan kitchen, I recommend everyone get a bag of egg replacer (like Bob's Red Mill) and use it in place of all eggs in baking. $4.99 for a bag containing the equivalent of 34 eggs!(Please note it will not make quiches or scrambles. For those, tofu makes the best substitute.)
I'm a recent (almost a year now) vegan who has to be gluten free. Mom never taught me how to cook. She was one of those '50s and '60s moms who thought she had to do everything herself (including work a full time job) and therefore forgot to teach me how to cook. In any event, I am now in a position where I'm trying my best to learn how to cook vegan food (salads are easy) since the prepared meals are SO expensive. I do have your bean loaf recipe and have been building up the courage to make it. I've had disasters in the past, but I try to look at them as learning opportunities. Anyway, this article and your list of basic supplies (with some minor adjustments) will help me move forward. Thanks for sharing.
You might try eggplant parm if you like that kind of thing. Use the water from canned garbanzo bean (aqua faba is the fancy name) for the breading binder for the eggplant. Buy a vegan tomato sauce (not all are vegan) & some vegan cheese. You can bake the eggplant instead of frying - just spray a bit of oil on top. Serve as-is, on bread/rolls or with pasta. It seems daunting but was actually easy & even the non-vegans liked it.
Hi Michelle, I finished The Trailer Park Blues yesterday and loved it!! Fascinating characters and insight. Next up is Strapped - looking forward to reading it. Bootstraps, my ass. I’m in Normal. If you find yourself near here, let me know and bring a bit of Seymour. Are you doing the local author event here? I think at Bobzbay in Bloomington? Can’t remember when it usually is.
Just 2 in my household. During the pandemic I bought too many potatoes so I made mashed & froze them. Worked out ok so I freeze whatever is left now & do the same with rice, beans, spaghetti sauce - all in 1/2 cup mason jars. They’re quick & easy when I don’t feel like cooking much or can be added to soup. Cooking small is a skill just like cooking big - know where you are in life & adjust accordingly. Waste not…
What a gold mine you are!! Love all the suggestions! We implemented many over the decades, but I love gathering new ideas and tips. My motivation comes from being frugal (my parents grew up in the Great Depression), but also from an inherent sense of the limitation of all things. Or, in today’s understanding, sustainability and the powerful but old-fashioned idea of stewardship. Thank you. I really appreciate your perspective and work.
I too will never use a recipe that calls for processed food or exotic ingredients which I need to hunt for. I eat meat only a few times a month, but lots of cheese, eggs, legumes and rice. Peanut butter toast for breakfast.
This all sounds delicious. I’m lucky to have married a man who is a wonderful cook who loves to do it, which is just as well because I’m a hopeless cook.
I have shared the recipe before. I’ll try to remember to share the link of the story it’s in and if I forget, remind me — I’m about to go live with Kristina God. :)
Two cans of black beans, drained – or use cooked dried beans to save even more
1 egg (or use ground flax if vegan)
1 cooked medium-sized sweet potato, peeled
Seasoning (I usually use taco-style blend)
Oatmeal
Mash beans and sweet potato roughly with potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix. Stir in enough oatmeal to give the mixture the consistency of meatloaf. Form into a loaf and place in a casserole dish or loaf pan. If desired, top with a glaze – your basic ketchup-brown sugar mixture works. Bake at 350F until done – about 45 minutes to an hour.
Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2-1941953 recipe is pretty close to what I do, except I use cheap olive oil and basic table salt) or whatever vegetable is in season. Leftovers are great the next day crumbled onto a flour tortilla with a bit of cheese and salsa.
Oh, you can control that with how much oatmeal (or bread crumbs etc) you add in. I started making this as patties, actually, but found it easier (and lower in fat) to turn it into a loaf instead. But yes, I used to patty out the mixture and fry them in oil. I still do on rare occasions.
I'm somewhat similar, but I work 60 hours a week so I don't have much time. Also, as I grew up poor, and was poor until my early 30's, the canned vegetables and canned cream soups of my youth are still in my kitchen and I prefer them. I just buy no salt added varieties now.
I need to experiment more with lentils, Michelle! In the past I used them as filler (we also hate watery soups) but I like the sound of your bean & lentil stew dish. Plus I have a large bag of them…
That's more or less how I cook (I'm a Dutch person) and love to eat. Simple, fresh and honest food, well prepared. My sister (who lives in the USA) also cooks that way. She bakes her own bread and uses a tiny bit of red wine vinegar to speed up the process.
Ooh, tell me more about the red wine vinegar thing. That’s new to me.
Hi everyone,
Here’s my sister’s recipe:
3 cups of flour
1 ¼ teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon of red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon of yeast
1 ¼ cups of lukewarm water
Mix all ingredients really well, let rise for 4 - 6 hrs (depending on the temperature, eventually in a moderately preheated oven). The volume of the batter has to double.
Then let rise for about 30 minutes in a bowl onder a cloth. In the meantime preheat the Dutch oven at 460 degrees Fahrenheid. Put the batter in the Dutch oven and cover, and in the oven for about 25 minutes. Take of the lid, and let it become crusty and brown of about 5 - 10 minutes in oven.
I haven't baked bread for some time, I will check my sister when we face time tonight.
I have a lifetime of cooking on a budget under my belt. I love cooking, I love eating and I've mostly been poor! I just want to put a plug in here for a tool rather than an ingredient. Instant pots are a really great investment for Budget cooking. You can cook dried beans without soaking and have them ready in less than an hour. You can make killer stock with all your bones. The pressure really drives the flavor out of the bones. There's a ton of other things you can do with it but just those two things alone make it a fabulous kitchen tool!
That’s a great tip. I wish I’d had one when I had kids at home and worked insane hours.
I use my instant pot at least three times a week. Soups, rice, steel cut oats, big cheap(er) cuts of meat, beans, lentils, you name it. Soups are my “poor kitchen” secret because if you are good at soup you will never have to throw away any food.
From my vegan kitchen, I recommend everyone get a bag of egg replacer (like Bob's Red Mill) and use it in place of all eggs in baking. $4.99 for a bag containing the equivalent of 34 eggs!(Please note it will not make quiches or scrambles. For those, tofu makes the best substitute.)
That is a great idea.
A flax egg is also a great substitute for baking.
https://cookieandkate.com/flax-egg-recipe/
I'm a recent (almost a year now) vegan who has to be gluten free. Mom never taught me how to cook. She was one of those '50s and '60s moms who thought she had to do everything herself (including work a full time job) and therefore forgot to teach me how to cook. In any event, I am now in a position where I'm trying my best to learn how to cook vegan food (salads are easy) since the prepared meals are SO expensive. I do have your bean loaf recipe and have been building up the courage to make it. I've had disasters in the past, but I try to look at them as learning opportunities. Anyway, this article and your list of basic supplies (with some minor adjustments) will help me move forward. Thanks for sharing.
You might try eggplant parm if you like that kind of thing. Use the water from canned garbanzo bean (aqua faba is the fancy name) for the breading binder for the eggplant. Buy a vegan tomato sauce (not all are vegan) & some vegan cheese. You can bake the eggplant instead of frying - just spray a bit of oil on top. Serve as-is, on bread/rolls or with pasta. It seems daunting but was actually easy & even the non-vegans liked it.
The great thing about a bean loaf is the ingredients are cheap! It’s truly a hard recipe to mess up. Go for it!
Hi Michelle, I finished The Trailer Park Blues yesterday and loved it!! Fascinating characters and insight. Next up is Strapped - looking forward to reading it. Bootstraps, my ass. I’m in Normal. If you find yourself near here, let me know and bring a bit of Seymour. Are you doing the local author event here? I think at Bobzbay in Bloomington? Can’t remember when it usually is.
I don’t know about that event but am interested! Thank you for reading!
“Strapped” is excellent, Gretchen. I finished it recently. Michelle makes good points in clear ways.
Thank you, Jack!
Your grocery list is almost identical to mine! I do have to buy yeast to make bread; for the life of me, I can't master sourdough. 😏
Well, if you're anywhere near central Illinois, I'd be glad to give you a pinch of Seymour!
“A Pinch of Seymour”—there’s your next novel title 😁
Thanks. Currently in NC, but thinking I might want to be nearer to Canada. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst...
So many great ideas and tips in this piece - thank you!
Just 2 in my household. During the pandemic I bought too many potatoes so I made mashed & froze them. Worked out ok so I freeze whatever is left now & do the same with rice, beans, spaghetti sauce - all in 1/2 cup mason jars. They’re quick & easy when I don’t feel like cooking much or can be added to soup. Cooking small is a skill just like cooking big - know where you are in life & adjust accordingly. Waste not…
What a gold mine you are!! Love all the suggestions! We implemented many over the decades, but I love gathering new ideas and tips. My motivation comes from being frugal (my parents grew up in the Great Depression), but also from an inherent sense of the limitation of all things. Or, in today’s understanding, sustainability and the powerful but old-fashioned idea of stewardship. Thank you. I really appreciate your perspective and work.
Thank you, Bobbi
I too will never use a recipe that calls for processed food or exotic ingredients which I need to hunt for. I eat meat only a few times a month, but lots of cheese, eggs, legumes and rice. Peanut butter toast for breakfast.
This all sounds delicious. I’m lucky to have married a man who is a wonderful cook who loves to do it, which is just as well because I’m a hopeless cook.
So, tell me more about that bean loaf
I have shared the recipe before. I’ll try to remember to share the link of the story it’s in and if I forget, remind me — I’m about to go live with Kristina God. :)
Lol I'm sure there's a recipe online somewhere. But always love to see another 👀
And inside that link is this: Black Bean Loaf
One onion, chopped
Two cans of black beans, drained – or use cooked dried beans to save even more
1 egg (or use ground flax if vegan)
1 cooked medium-sized sweet potato, peeled
Seasoning (I usually use taco-style blend)
Oatmeal
Mash beans and sweet potato roughly with potato masher. Add other ingredients and mix. Stir in enough oatmeal to give the mixture the consistency of meatloaf. Form into a loaf and place in a casserole dish or loaf pan. If desired, top with a glaze – your basic ketchup-brown sugar mixture works. Bake at 350F until done – about 45 minutes to an hour.
Serve with mashed potatoes and roasted brussel sprouts (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2-1941953 recipe is pretty close to what I do, except I use cheap olive oil and basic table salt) or whatever vegetable is in season. Leftovers are great the next day crumbled onto a flour tortilla with a bit of cheese and salsa.
Thanks so much! I can't wait to try. I bet this might work for burger patties too. Is it fairly wet?
Oh, you can control that with how much oatmeal (or bread crumbs etc) you add in. I started making this as patties, actually, but found it easier (and lower in fat) to turn it into a loaf instead. But yes, I used to patty out the mixture and fry them in oil. I still do on rare occasions.
https://michelleteheux.substack.com/p/my-working-class-kitchen-secrets
So inside that link above is this link: I include my recipe for Black Bean Loaf in https://michelleteheux.substack.com/p/could-you-pass-the-poverty-test?utm_source=publication-search piece.
Great tips! Thank you.😊
I'm somewhat similar, but I work 60 hours a week so I don't have much time. Also, as I grew up poor, and was poor until my early 30's, the canned vegetables and canned cream soups of my youth are still in my kitchen and I prefer them. I just buy no salt added varieties now.
I made compromises when I was working away from home most waking hours. I certainly didn’t bake bread in those years!
My mom always cooked from Whole Foods for the Whole Family when we were kids. It's still up on the cookbook shelf in her cupboard 😊
Keep that cookbook forever!
I need to experiment more with lentils, Michelle! In the past I used them as filler (we also hate watery soups) but I like the sound of your bean & lentil stew dish. Plus I have a large bag of them…
You can spice them up and stuff a burrito, too.