Vegetarian Frugal Housewife

What are we having for dinner tonight?

When I asked myself this, at around 1pm today, I had no answer. So I strolled into the kitchen to see what we had the most of.

The answer to that was carrots.

It was snowing this afternoon and the sky had been promising to do it all morning long. So the coolness in the air led me to desire some nice, comforting, home-cooked soup.

That settled it, we were having carrot soup.

But just carrots in the soup sounded rather flavorless.

So I rummaged around some more and came up with the following pureed soup.

It’s smooth and light and even my roommate Matt liked it. (Not that he doesn’t usually like things mind you, just that he seldom voices it. So he must have REALLY liked it.)

Collage of Carrots Soup

Ingredients:

1 lb of carrots (washed but not peeled)
6-8 cups vegetable broth
3-4 cups water
1 large white potato (cut in small chunks)
1 medium onion (diced)
2-3 stalks of celery (chopped small)
1/4 cup small precooked lentils
black pepper
sea salt
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp thyme leaves (fresh is best)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
*other herbs & spices to taste (Papa prefers cayenne, in everything.)

1. Put broth and water into large soup or sauce pan and heat over low heat.

2. Cut carrots into large coins and chop all other veggies.

3. Place spices and all remaining ingredients in the pot.

4. Bring to a boil and simmer on high for 5-10 minutes.

5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

6. Puree all of the soup in a blender and return to pot.

7. Stir, taste and add more spices as needed.

8. Serve with some lovely artisan bread and tasty soy margarine.

:)

There are always so many little tiny pieces of yarn that are left over after a knit or crochet project.

They get trimmed from color changes, from adding on a new ball here and there and from portions of store-bought yarn that should never have made it through quality control.

I hate throwing them away. Ever since I became a spinner (of not-so-fine fibers) I am acutely aware of the potential embodied energy (ie. work) that goes into even a couple feet of finished yarn.

So I collect my yarn ends in a small lunch-sized paper bag and always try to come up with creative ways to use them.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Mix with cotton, dried herbs or buckwheat hulls to fill small pillows and handmade stuffed animals.

2. Knit or crochet them into a natural fiber pillow or bag that is to be felted, just pinch them between your stitches or wrap them with your knitting yarn randomly as you work.

3. Lay them on top of raw woolen that you are felting into some groovy shape.



4. Use them for effect in some homemade paper-making.

5. If they are even long enough for 5-10 stitches then work them into a collage sweater or blanket á la Molly Weasely. Contrary to popular opinion it does not have to be just like hers to be a “Molly Weasely” creation. Her reasoning was to use up yarn ends and not waste precious materials.

6. Use a little bit of glue and add them to packages, ornaments, etc… for a touch of love and whimsy.

Most of all, have fun with your ideas. The whole point is to be creative and frugal while creating one-of-a-kind treasures of which you can be proud! ;)

This quickie that I whipped up tonight reminded me of the wild foods that we taste-tested in my Ethnobotany & Anthropology course way back in undergraduate school.

I have always had an interest in wild healing herbs and wild foods that are available in my local environment.

Not that I claim this to be a recipe which would satisfy historical purists of any kind. I am sure that at least one of these ingredients was not available to pre-contact natives.

But in spirit, with grains, nuts and fruit, it does closely resemble that simple, wild foods, style of eating.

Its so fast and easy to make, put it in the pot and barely pay any attention to it after that.

I created it out of yummy things that we had hanging around the kitchen and it was a hit.

Native American-Style Casserole

Ingredients:

1 cup pearled barley
3 cups water
1 carrot (sliced thinly)
1 small onion (diced)
1/4 cup crushed peanut halves
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 tblspn sea salt
black pepper (to taste)
1 green onion or fresh chives (chopped)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Dice and slice both onions and carrots.

2. Place water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and add barley, chives and spices.

3. Cover. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.

4. Add carrots, peanuts, onion.

5. Cover and continue simmering for 20-25 minutes over low heat until all water is absorbed.

6. Just before removing from pan, add pomegranate and mix.

7. Fluff gently and serve with salad.

* Some people prefer more flavors in a dinner dish and so an offering of fresh ingredients or spices on the dinner table is preferable.

By far my absolute favorite ethnic vegetarian dish in the world is Aloo Mutter. Being from the U.S. I have always wondered if that is the correct spelling, as the spelling differs depending on which Indian restaurant you visit. I prefer spelling it Aloo Mattar.

When I lived in Britain they called it Aloo Peas, which I always found funny. If you are saying the potatoes in Indian (Aloo) then why say the peas (Mutter) in English? That’s weird.

But the westernization of ethnic foods does generally tend to result in some changes to names and flavors.

At any rate, I have been desirous of testing this one out ever since a fellow Grad student whom I studied with in England (though he was on exchange from India) made some homemade Aloo Mutter for me. Thanks Sandeep!

It just occurred to me that I should have asked him the correct spelling. Oh well. His homemade Aloo Mutter was so fantastic that I couldn’t believe it was homemade, and he made it so quickly too.

I tried making some for the first time tonight and, though not EXACTLY like the restaurant version, it was so close to perfection.

Trying not to be too proud, I am secretly astonished at how easy the creation of my favorite meal was. Why didn’t I try this sooner?

The dish is usually paired with basmati rice and naan bread. We had it with the basmati and some lavash flat breads that we bought at the supermarket. I have not conquered the making of naan yet, mainly because I haven’t figured out how to make it without dairy and without a tandoori oven. ;)

So, the Aloo Mutter, or Mattar, recipe for you all…

Aloo Mutter

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes (cut into chunks)
1/2 or 1 cup of cooked peas
1 inch piece (or 1 tblsp) grated ginger
2 green chilis chopped small (and/or 1 tsp chili powder)
1 medium onion (diced)
1 large tomato (chopped) or 1 can stewed tomato
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp coriander
1 tblspn or 1 clove chopped garlic
1 and 1/2 cups water (or veggie broth)
3 bay leaves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 cup soy cream
2 tblspn salt
olive oil

1. Dice and slice both onions and chilis.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan, then add onions, ginger and chilis. Fry for a couple of minutes.

3. Add all spices and continue to fry over medium heat until onions soften.

4. Add tomatoes and potatoes, pressing some of the tomatoes with the spoon to squash them a bit.

5. Add watter or broth.

6. Cook for 15-20 minutes over med-low heat until potatoes soften.

7. Add the peas and simmer a few more minutes.

8. If the mixture has not thickened to a consistency that you like, add a tblspn of corn starch and wait a minute or two.

9. When ready, serve with basmati rice and a couple of pieces of naan or some other flat bread.

Today is THAT day. Black Friday, the most evil, spendthrift, Chinese-import shopping day of the year.

Some of those “Green” types of people started a little thing a few years ago called “Buy Nothing Day.” in the spirit of which I thought I would post on my plans for making more gifts this year than last and then (hopefully) more again next year as well.

Why? Well what gifts do you remember from childhood? The handmade ones right? And what stuff do any of you still have from your childhood? If anything, I bet it’s handmade.

What I love, besides the crafty outlet that hand-making gifts gives me, is the opportunity to also recycle some stuff: fabric, yarn, paints, jars etc…

Gift-making ideas can include candles, soaps, jellies, wine, hats, purses, blankets, beaded necklaces, tree ornaments, even your cards that you mail out during this festive season. Nothing is off-limits.

I will be including handmade soaps in peoples Yule stockings and also like to give crocheted hats, blankets and scarves made from luxurious natural fiber yarns.

We’ll see how much I actually end up making by hand this year.

No matter what percentage of the gifts are store-bought you can bet that you won’t be bumping into me in a Walmart.

Go on, have fun, grab some yarn, some glue, some glitter or some clay and make something for a loved one. I’m certain that it’ll make more of an impression than that designer golf shirt.