Veggie Might: Recreating Comfort Food—Deconstructed Vegan Pot Pie

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.There are a few comfort foods from childhood I’ve still never gotten around to vegetarianizing, and chicken pot pie has been one of them. My mom was not a “from scratch” cook, so I didn’t have a platform to jump from; and remembering how much I loved those individual frozen chicken pot pies has been enough to sustain me all these years. Then in December, The Kitchn posted a recipe for a vegan pot pie that’s been haunting my dreams. It has everything: golden-brown tofu cubes in place of chicken, a savory broth of nutritional yeast (nooch) and soy sauce, peas and carrots, and a flaky crust that would make Mrs. Swanson cry. But I’ve been working...

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Posted in: Mains,Vegan,Vegetarian,Veggie Might

Rosemary Chicken Salad and the Art of Customizing Recipes

We're switching the schedule around a bit this week, due to the gremlin that has taken up residence in my face. Wednesday's usual article is postponed until next week, replaced by this lovely recipe.As this popular and highly rated Rosemary Chicken Salad recipe from Cooking Light is presented, it’s essentially a blank slate. I mean, it's moist, it tastes good, and it uses up a bunch of leftover chicken, but no single flavor ever comes forward to assert itself as master and ruler of its subordinates. But there's a reason for that. A good reason. Nay – a really good reason.And that reason? Is you.Seriously, though. Recipes like this one are invaluable, because they allow the chef (a.k.a. you) near-infinite possibilities for improvisation. You...

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Posted in: 15 Minutes or Less,Mains,Meat and Fish

Ask the Internet: Star Anise Recipes?

Today’s question is born of surplus.Q: This is a single piece of star anise:This is how much star anise I have:I think the guy at the bulk store heard “a full sandwich bag,” when I said, “four star anise, please.” Besides selling, pitching, or making confetti, what do I do with this much star anise?A: Ack. Suggestions welcomed with open anise arms.Want to ask the interweb a question? Post one in the comment section, or write to Cheaphealthygood@gmail.com. Then, tune in next Tuesday for an answer/several answers from the good people of the World Wide N...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

Arg.

Sick. Back tomorrow. A...

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Saturday Throwback: Five Nonfiction Books for the Frugal Foodie

Every Saturday, we post a lovely piece from the CHG archives. This week's comes from April 2009, when we were crazy hyper-literate. Since this, I've read both Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was outstanding (read it now!), and Food Matters, which was all right. Sweet readers, this week’s a little out of whack with the ant situation. So, instead of today’s regular post, I thought I’d offer up a few of my favorite nonfiction food books. They’re fairly standard reads amongst chowhounds, and don’t concentrate specifically on healthy, low-budget cooking, but all have wonderful qualities nonetheless. I wouldn’t hesitate suggesting them to anyone. (Er, which is why they're here.)If you’ve ever perused these guys, or have any ideas for good...

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Veggie Might: Embracing the Asthma-thlete Within

Penned by the effervescent Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about the wide world of Vegetarianism.About four years ago, I started working out regularly for the first time in my life. Since my childhood diagnosis, I’d used asthma as an excuse for never pushing myself to exercise. I began slowly by riding my bike to work. A year later, through a friend, I found an exercise class I liked. It met weekly, but required a monthly commitment, and I thought I can do this for a month. That month turned into a year, then two years, then a gym membership.Riding my bicycle through New York City’s streets gave me a thrill like I’d never experienced. It was like being in a video game. My heart pounded as my legs pumped the pedals, whizzing...

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Posted in: Health,Veggie Might

Seriously Eating II: 94 Recipes from Serious Eats' Healthy and Delicious Column

Since September 2008, I’ve been writing the Monday morning Healthy and Delicious column for Serious Eats (except in September 2010, when Leigh took over 'cos I got hitched). As we don’t include those recipes on Cheap Healthy Good, I figured I’d take today’s regular article slot to list them all. Why? They’re all healthy and good, and the vast majority are eminently affordable, as well. As far as photos … they’re not bad! They make food look like food! So that’s fun. Enjoy, and I hope you get some mileage out of 'em. BREAKFASTBaked OatmealBanana Nut Oatmeal (Note: The ingredients go from the 1 tablespoon walnuts through the last few shakes of Kosher salt. Steps are #4 through #7.)Buttermilk Corn Muffins Cardamom and Dried Cherry Scones Cheddar...

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Posted in: Cooking,Frugality,Health

Green Kitchen: The Cheap Healthy Good Guide to CSAs

Green Kitchen is a bi-weekly column about nutritious, inexpensive, and ethical food and cooking. It's penned by the lovely Jaime Green.One of my favorite things about shopping at a farmers market – if talking about this with snow in the forecast and sprouting onions lingering in the greenmarket bins – is the adventure of it. Yes, I sound bananas, but hear me out. I don't shop at the farmers market with an unlimited budget. So every week – in season, I mean, and can it please hurry up in coming – I buy what's cheap. That's often not one of the three vegetables I learned to cook growing up. So I buy things and learn how to cook them. And there are some crazy things at the farmers market. (Love you, three-foot-long green beans!)From Erin.kkrSo...

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Posted in: Buying Food,Green Kitchen,Health

Ask the Internet: Cabbage Recipes?

Today's question comes from reader Sara A.:Q: Are there any good vegan cabbage recipes? It is super cheap year round, but I have trouble finding a way to make it palatable. It always turns out very bland.A: Good question, Sara. Being inexpensive, relatively hearty, and surprisingly high in both Vitamins C and K, cabbage doesn't get nearly enough play as it should. Fortunately, there are a number of vegan/vegetarian applications (along with bacony ones) for the veggie, especially if you look to international cuisines. Here are five examples:Beet and Cabbage BBQ SlawHot and Sour Cabbage SoupNapa Cabbage and Red Onion SlawRed Cabbage and ApplesSouth Indian CabbageReaders, how about you? What are your favorite cabbage recipes? Fire away.Want to...

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Posted in: Ask the Internet

The Top 10 Signs You’re Becoming a Better Cook, Plus Easy Chicken Pan Gravy

You guys? I was making Easy Chicken Pan Gravy last week when something hit me. Over the years, I've become a pretty decent cook. Not a good cook, per se, but a decent one. I'm fairly confident no one will die / vomit / write heartbreaking soliloquies after they eat my food.Upon the realization, I started brainstorming some benchmarks - noticeable and definitive signs that you've come a long way, culinarily speaking. Here's what I came up with:You eyeball ingredient measurements.You substitute ably and with abandon.You regularly improve on recipes written by professionals.You search for physical indications (browning, thickness, scent, etc.) that a recipe is done, rather than use times. You have an ever-expanding repertoire of dishes you know...

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Posted in: Dips and Sauces,Meat and Fish

Saturday Throwback: Learning to Love Foods You Hate - a How-to Guide for Frugal Eaters

Every Saturday, we post a piece from the CHG archives. This one comes from March 2009. Enjoy!Up until a few years ago, the list of foods I loathed was a long one. It included, but wasn’t limited to: spaghetti squash, broccoli, asparagus, red cabbage, ginger ale, cauliflower, radishes, lentils, beans, Brussels sprouts, fennel, eggplant, anise, scallops, figs, and of course, the dreaded mayonnaise. The list goes on (and on), but you get the idea: growing up, I wasn’t exactly a daring eater.I still hate mayo. I will ALWAYS hate mayo. George Clooney could serve me mayo wrapped in chocolate bacon on a gold-plated re-issue of Who’s Next, and I would throw it back in his face. But my opinion’s changed on most of those other foods. These days, I’ll gladly scarf a floret of cauliflower. Brussels sprouts...

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Top Ten Links of the Week: 3/11/11 - 3/17/11

Hi team CHG! Gonna keep this one a little short today, so I may bask in the glorious shiny thing that's planted itself in the middle of the sky. Yes, I'm talking about the alien ship. We are theirs now, and I, for one, greet our green-gilled overlords.1) The Atlantic: The World-Class Local Foods That Gardeners Have OverlookedNeat, neat piece by Hunger Angler Gardner Cook blogger Hank Shaw about oft-ignored food that grows in the wild. Groundnuts, ho!Wiki - Ansel Adams2) New York Times: Itinerant Life Weights on Farmworkers' ChildrenThe families who pick our vegetables have children who must go to school. Only, they have it way, way, way tougher than other kids. 3) Oregon Live: The pantry principle - Serve up easy dinners by cooking what you...

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Posted in: Links

Veggie Might: One for My Teetotalers - How to Substitute Alcohol in Baking and Cooking

Written by the fabulous Leigh, Veggie Might is a weekly Thursday column about all things Vegetarian.Gentle Readers, it’s St. Patrick’s day. In honor of the drinkingest holiday of the year, let's talk about booze. Sort of.Here at CHG, we have a healthy appreciation for hootch, being responsible citizens and lovers of life. A glass of wine, a bottle of cold beer, or the occasional Jager shot a well-crafted cocktail make an evening with friends or a holiday party that much more enjoyable/tolerable. The flavors of our favorite beverages are unmistakable, and we drink them for their good taste more than their soothing aftereffects. Or so we tell Aunt Helen. Ingredients like wine and sherry and Grand Marnier are included in recipes for the same reason....

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Posted in: Cooking,Veggie Might