Welcome to the January Edition of Cheap Eats with Jo! After the extravagance and overindulgence of the holidays, January seems to be the month where everybody has to watch their budget and waistline. However, your taste buds shouldn’t to suffer because of a diet or your finances. With a little creativity, it’s easy to make healthy and affordable meals that tastes awesome! It’s all a matter of meal planning and shopping smart. Be sure write out a list of what you need to make your meal and pick up a few healthy snacks (i.e. your favourite fruit, a low sugar cereal, or some almonds). Most importantly, never shop while you’re hungry!
For January, I’ve selected two recipes that I love that are easy, budget-friendly, and perfect for the health-conscious food lover!
This is one of my favourite dinner recipes for winter. This soup is on my permanent rotation for winter goodness because it’s delicious, low in fat, and packed nutrients! Also, you can freeze the leftover soup for an entire month, which makes for a delicious, quick, and easy dinner at any time!
1) Lovely Greens and Beans Soup
Pasta Kale and White Bean Soup (Image: www.foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil or grape seed oil
1 can of tomatoes (preferably plum or cherry tomatoes)
1 cup of pre-made beef broth or Vegan/Vegetarian option: vegetable broth
1 cup of water
1/2 head of kale or swiss chard, washed and chopped
1/2 head of Spinach, washed and chopped
Half of a package of small shaped pasta (I like Pantanella Spelt Baby Shells as spelt pasta is easier to digest)
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can of beans (I prefer Black beans but you can also use white beans or kidney beans), drained and rinsed
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional)
Directions:
– In a medium-sized pot, heat olive oil and sautée onions on medium heat and season with salt and pepper
– Add can of tomatoes, stir and bring to a boil
– Lower heat to simmer and cover for 15 minutes
– After 15 minutes, remove cover and add broth and water
– Increase the heat to high and bring all contents to a boil
– Add chopped kale/chard and spinach and stir
– Add in pasta and cook for up to 8 minutes or 2 minutes less than the package’s recommended time
– Add chickpeas, black beans, and lentils and cook for 2 minutes
– Add salt and pepper to taste
– Garnish with Parmigiano cheese (optional), serve hot!
2) Peppery Greens with Chicken or Tofu
With a few variations, this recipe for South Indian Pepper Chicken quickly became a staple in my house. The original recipe can be found in the cookbook, Leon Naturally Fast Food. The original recipe is amazing but I always like to customize recipes by adding a few extra ingredients to make the dish more nutritious.
South Indian Pepper Chicken (Image: tastespotting.com)
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts diced into small pieces or Vegan/Vegetarian option: 1 large package extra firm tofu diced into small pieces
Plenty of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or grape seed oil
1/2 head of kale or chard, washed and chopped
1/2 head of spinach, washed and chopped
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 can of tomatoes (preferably plum or cherry tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of turmeric
2 tablespoons of ginger, finely chopped
A handful of cilantro, finely chopped
1¼ cup of water
1 cup of pre-made beef broth or Vegan/Vegetarian option: vegetable broth
1-cup rice (I like Lundberg Jubilee Rice, which is mix of brown, wehani, and black japonica rice as it’s much healthier than white rice!)
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon butter (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
– Add broth, water, rice, and butter (optional) and bring contents to a boil in a medium sized pot
– Stir contents and lower heat to a simmer
– Cook the rice according to package timing
– Add lentils to rice and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat
– In another pot, heat oil and add red onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, and pepper
– Add ¼ cup of water to the pot
– Add can of tomatoes and lower heat to simmer
– Cover pot with a lid and cook for 15 minutes
– Add in spinach and kale and slowly stir the contents
– Add in chicken or tofu and black pepper
– Cover the pot and cook for 8 min
– Add the cilantro and stir the contents
– Season with salt and pepper and serve over the rice and lentils
So that’s it for January. Stay tuned for next month’s edition, where I will share a saucy recipe for February, the month of love and romance!
Enjoy!
