January 17, 2010

Breakfast
My Darling Clementines
serves 1 ~ $1.00 per serving

ingredients

4 clementines ($1.00)

Earthmother was just talking about Clementines the other day on her fab blog, “In the Raw.” It’s that time of year and most citrus is in season right now. I found a bag of 18 clementines for $4.48 at my local grocery. That’s 25 cents each for juicy yumminess … a real bargain.

So my breakfast today was four luscious clementines. Peel and enjoy …

I even made a clementine candle like the one Earthmother has linked on her blog.

calories: 140
fat: 0 gr
carbs: 36 gr
protein: 4 gr
Lunch
Tabbouleh
serves 3 ~ $3.40 per serving

ingredients

2 bunches parsley, finely chopped ($1.69)
1 english cucumber, seeded and diced ($1.29)
2 large tomatoes, diced ($2.99)
1 medium onion, minced ($.25)
1/2 cup cauliflower florets, processed into rice sized pieces ($.50)
1/2 cup mint leaves, finely chopped ($1.89)
1/4 cup olive oil ($.80)
juice of 2 lemons ($1.00)
1/4 teaspoon cumin
salt and pepper

Tabbouleh is a traditional Lebanese parsley salad. If you like parsley, you’ll like tabbouleh. Meh, I don’t think I like parsley. It reminds me too much of cilantro (the two are closely related).

Bulgur wheat is usually used in Tabbouleh. I’ve substituted it here with cauliflower that I chopped in the food processor into rice sized pieces. Sprouted wheat could be used instead, as could sprouted quinoa. The cauliflower gives the same look, but sprouted grains would likely be more flavorful.

This is an easy dish to put together. Mix together the lemon juice, oil, and cumin and toss with the chopped, diced, and minced ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

calories: 236
fat: 19 gr
carbs: 15 gr
protein: 5 gr

Dinner
Creamy Marinated Mushroom Soup with Crackers
serves 3 ~ $2.28 per serving

ingredients

12 ounces mushrooms ($2.69)
1 medium onion ($.25)
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)
1 tablespoon agave ($.20)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ($.20)

1 ripe avocado ($1.49)
1 tomato ($1.00)
1 clove garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons olive oil ($.60)
1 1/2 cup water to process
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil ($.20)

This began as a tomato soup. The tomatoes right now are so expensive and so without flavor and color that it was about impossible. So, instead, it became a marinated mushroom soup that turned out to be creamy and savory and really hit the spot on a dreary day.

I started by marinating and then dehydrating the mushrooms and chopped onions. Mix together the olive oil, agave, and balsamic vinegar. Toss with the sliced mushrooms and chopped onions and spread out on a lined dehydrator sheet and dehydrate for about 2-3 hours.

Reserve a few mushrooms and onions for topping. In a blender, puree the remaining mushrooms and onions, avocado, tomato, garlic, and olive oil, adding about 1 1/2 cup water. Add as much water as necessary to make the right consistency. I made mine pretty thick and creamy.

Top with the reserved mushrooms and onions, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil.

calories: 374
fat: 35 gr
carbs: 23 gr
protein: 5 gr

For a few cents more …

Bitt, from over at “A Bitt of Raw,” once reminded me that crackers are a great way to add in some tasty satisfaction for just a few cents more … so

I also made some flax and buckwheat crackers to go with the soup. These were really light and crispy, quite a lot like conventional crackers. I think it was the buckwheat that made them so light. It also makes them more difficult to turn on the dehydrator sheet, but they are quite good.

Flax Buckwheat Crackers
serves 6 ~ $.48 per serving

ingredients

1/2 cup flax meal ($.25)
1/2 cup buckwheat ($.25)
1/2 cup whole flax seeds ($.20)
2 carrots ($.20)
1 red bell pepper ($.69)
2 medium onions, finely chopped ($.50)
3 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
pinch red pepper flakes
1/4 cup oil ($.80)
1 cup water

Soak the buckwheat for at least 4 hours. Rinse several times. Do not dehydrate.

In the blender, puree the red bell pepper, carrots, and onion with 1 cup water. Add the buckwheat and blend until the buckwheat is chopped up but not totally pureed. Pour in a bowl and fold in the flax meal and whole flax seeds. Stir in the oil and spices.

Spread this out thinly on lined dehydrator sheets, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Oiling the sheet can make it a bit easier to turn these over. Also, using the back of an oiled spoon will help spread the cracker batter.

Dehydrate for about an hour, or until the top is just getting dry. Flip over and peel the sheet off. I found I had to turn these fairly early or they would get too dry and stick around the edges. But that may just be the kind of dehydrator I’m using.

Score the crackers into the desired shapes. I made triangular wedges.

Continue dehydrating until crisp, about 8-10 hours. Break apart.

calories: 282
fat: 26 gr
carbs: 28 gr
protein: 9 gr

calories: 327
fat: 16 gr
carbs: 47 gr
protein: 5 gr

total carb: 149 gr
total protein: 28 gr