Meatless Mondays

As a Weight Watchers member, I'm open to trying just about anything new. Sometimes what I learn from the program works great (e.g. mindfulness, portion control, tracking, activity), other times not so much (e.g. "Put your negative thoughts on a conveyor"? Really??).

Recently, the idea of introducing a Meatless Monday into the weekly routine was floated. The idea comes with a number of benefits... Reduced cholesterol, higher fiber options, an incentive to try more vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables. That said, and in support of Meatless Monday supporters everywhere, I'm sharing my homemade hummus recipe. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!



Tim's One Blender Tahini and Hummus

INGREDIENTS

TAHINI
1 c untoasted sesame seeds
3-4 tblsp. olive oil

HUMMUS
2 14.5 oz cans of garbanzo beans (drained except for 1/2 c. of liquid)
1/2 c reserved bean liquid
1/2 c lemon juice
4 tblsp. minced garlic
3 tsp. kosher salt
1 tblsp. (or more, to taste) of your favorite hot/pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco, etc.), or 1/2 tsp. chipotle seasoning
4 pieces of roasted red pepper from a jar, minced into 1 tblsp.-sized portions

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350. Throw 1 c of untoasted sesame seeds into a metal pan and toast in oven for 11 to 12 mins (you should smell a wonderful, toasted sesame aroma). Cool.

Toss the toasted seeds into your blender. Place the lid on the blender with the center removed so you can insert a rubber spatula to use while making the tahini. Drizzle in 1 tblsp. of olive oil, run the blender on high, and use your rubber spatula to carefully push/scrape down the sides of the blender while blending (being careful not to also blend your spatula). Stop blending, push down the seeds, and add another tblsp. of oil. Repeat the process 3 or 4 times until you have tahini the texture of thick peanut butter.

Throw all the other ingredients into the blender (leaving the center out of the blender's lid) and blend on high until smooth, blended, and creamy, using your rubber spatula to help the ingredients combine. Pour/spoon the hummus into four, ~8 oz, resealable containers, placing a dollup of minced roasted red pepper in the center of each. Serving size=3 tblsp./3 WeightWatchers Points+ (~5 servings per 8 oz. container, ~20 servings total per batch). Enjoy!

A note to social media users: Here is a sample tweet you can use to share this recipe: 

• Fast and frugal homemade hummus, made using delicious ingredients purchased mostly @AldiUSA: http://bit.ly/1P4Qt2f. #blog #foodpics #recipe

Additional acknowledgements: Portions of the above recipe were adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's hummus recipe on FoodNetwork.com (http://bit.ly/11hRadN)

Fast & Frugal

Recently, I've paid closer attention to where I shop for groceries, what I buy and how I prepare meals. I've also tried to minimize costs in other ways, including making and drinking sun tea instead of pop, and making my own homemade tahini and hummus.

Though it might sound odd to the habitually or naturally frugal, I now read sales circulars (or encourage my wife, Kathy, to read them and share any bargains she comes across, something she's always enjoyed doing), I now stick more closely to my shopping lists (i.e. I resist 'impulse buys'), and I'm now shopping at Aldi, a discount grocer.

This past month, weekends have included the cooking of large main dishes and accompanying vegetable side dishes that I then freeze and later 'shrink wrap' via Foodsaver for my wife's work lunches. And, in addition to the iced tea, tahini and hummus, my wife has been using our old bread maker (long abandoned in our basement) to make delicious loaves we then eat throughout the week.

As time-consuming as it sounds, frugal meals can sometimes also be quick and easy to make. Today I'm sharing an example of just such a meal.

Quick and easy eggplant and sausage *

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants (~ 2 lbs., .89 cents a pound on sale)
1 large yellow onion (~.5 lb., ~.50 cents)
1 jar of generic/'store brand' pizza sauce (.99 cents)
Olive oil spray (I now use my own reusable sprayer, negligible cost)
Sprinkled thyme, coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 pkg of (5) chicken-based Italian sausages ($3.49 at Aldi's (Note: Substitute Tofurky Italian Sausage to make this dish vegan))

Directions

Rinse off the eggplants, remove their tops/bottoms, cut each into 1" cubes leaving the skin on, and soak the pieces in the refrigerator covered in brine (i.e. water with a generous sprinkling of sea salt) for approximately two hours. Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat a cookie sheet with olive oil spray. Drain the eggplant, arrange the pieces on the cookie sheet, cover with sliced onion rings, spray with olive oil, sprinkle with thyme/salt/pepper, and roast for 35 minutes. While the eggplant and onion roasts, coat a skillet w/olive oil spray, slice chicken sausages into 1/4" thick rounds and brown them in the skillet over a medium flame for approximately 10 minutes. Combine the roasted eggplant and onion with the pan fried sausage rounds and the jar of pizza sauce. Serve. Makes up to six one-cup servings. Total cost = ~$7.00.

* NOTE: This recipe was partially inspired by Weight Watchers "Roasted Vegetables" recipe.