Thrifty Recipes Blog - Living On Food Banks

Mashed Cauliflower with Parmesan

4/24/2021

I couldn’t shake my mashed potato habit—until I tried mashed cauliflower with a similar consistency. I started making my own, and my family loves it.

1 large head cauliflower (about 2-1/2 pounds), broken into florets
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream or half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Minced fresh parsley, optional

Place 1 in. of water and cauliflower in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, covered, until cauliflower is soft, 10-12 minutes. Drain.

Mash cauliflower to desired consistency. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, cream, butter and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese and, if desired, parsley.

Running Specialty Group

String Beans with Roasted Almonds and Romano Cheese

9/5/2020

String beans are definitely my favorite vegetable, and this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. The combination of the almonds, the garlic, and the cheese is really wonderful. I like to use haricot verts, but if you cant find them, use the thinnest green beans available.

1 pound string beans
1/2 cup coarsely chopped, roasted almonds ( place on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes )
1/2 cup coarsely grated fresh Locatelli Romano cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons minced garlic
salt
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan of cold water to a boil. Add the beans, and cook until crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes for haricot vert, 3-4 minutes for green beans. Remove from the heat, drain, and rinse under cold water. Return to the saucepan with the remaining ingredients, and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted, and the ingredients are well blended, 3-4 minutes.

Family Products

Slow Cooker Pole Beans and Ham

11/12/2018

Oh, snap! Pole beans were on sale at my local produce stand. At only $1,49 a pound, I decided to pick up some to make my famous pole beans and ham in the slow cooker.

Simple to make, all you have to do is chop everything and place it into a crock pot and let it simmer till dinner. Yum!

1 pound ham, cut into 1-inch cubes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium thinly sliced yellow onions
Salt
3 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
2 cups chicken stock or water

In a crock pot add the ham, onions, and stock. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the beans and cook on low for 4-5 hours until beans are tender. Remove from the heat and reseason if necessary.

Kateaspen.com

Yellow Squash and Zucchini Gratin

1/21/2018

Here's two vegetables that are plentiful throughout the year that you may not use often. I can tell you this tastes amazingly delicious. So much that even my picky eaters went and grabbed seconds. This will definitely become a favorite and may prompt you to grow some of your own outdoors.

2 tablespoons butter
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 450°. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add zucchini, yellow squash and shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini and squash are crisp-tender, 4-6 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute more.

Add cream; cook until thickened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1/4 cup cheese. Spoon mixture into a greased 11x7-in. or 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and cheese. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes.

Low to $2.99 can get romantic or creative gift for the best valentine's day

Spinach and Mushroom Saute

10/1/2017

We have a local produce market that always advertises DD (Deep Discounts) to encourage its patrons to come more frequently than once a week.

This week you could pick up a bag of spinach for 15 cents and a pack of mushrooms for 99 cents. I threw caution to the wind and brought both of these items home and created the following. I can't begin to describe the delightful taste of this dish when all of the simple ingredients married and became spectacular.

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 package (5 to 6 ounces) fresh baby spinach
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add spinach in batches; cook and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Fresh Ruby Red Grapefruit, Orange, Pear and Apple Gifts

Crock Pot Corn on the Cob

7/7/2017

This is simply a wonderful recipe that takes little preparation and will be ready and delicious when your return home. It is also an easy peasy crowd pleaser if you are having company over.

All you need to do is shuck corn, break into halves if desired, and place in your favorite slow cooker, Turn that knob on low, and you'll have slow simmered fragrant corn when you pull one out.

6 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed
1 1/2 quarts of water
1/2 cup of whole milk
1/4 cup sugar

Halve corn if desired and place all in slow cooker. Turn on crock pot to low setting. Allow to cook for at least 4 hours or up to 6.

Remove corn and place in bowl. Dot with good portions of butter and sprinkle on salt and pepper before serving.

TouchBistro

Asparagus Parmesan

3/25/2017

It's that time of year when wonderful, healthy asparagus adorns our shelves with fantastic sales.

Asparagus has a long history going back as far as the first century. We have records of it growing in ancient Greece and Rome.
Egyptians over 2,000 years ago cultivated asparagus for medicinal reasons and legend has it that it was so revered they offered it up to gods in their rituals.

As with all vegetables the first asparagus was discovered in the wild. A wild asparagus has thin shoots thinner than a pencil and is much different than the asparagus that you find In your grocery counter.

Through selective breeding and growing techniques they developed a thicker stem with more edible flesh.

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
1 tab. butter, melted
1/2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, bring 1/2 in. of water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain.

Arrange asparagus in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Drizzle with butter; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and pepper. Bake, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Just Candy

Honey Garlic Green Beans

1/8/2017

We are fortunate enough to have a new produce store added to our area that targets local farmers giving us optimal prices to enjoy fresh produce. In fact, green beans have been on sale for .79 a pound this week.

I've grabbed heads of broccoli for ,99 and Honey Crisp apples for only .99 per pound. I thought I'd never see the day when I could eat as much fresh produce as I want again.

Give this recipe a try. It's delicous and comforting.

4 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed

Whisk together first five ingredients; set aside. In a 6-qt. stockpot, bring 10 cups water to a boil. Add beans in batches; cook, uncovered, 2-3 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Remove beans and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry.

Coat stockpot with cooking spray. Add beans; cook, stirring constantly, over high heat until slightly blistered, 2-3 minutes. Add sauce; continue stirring until beans are coated and sauce starts to evaporate slightly, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

vudu.com

Crock Pot Corn on the Cob

5/29/2016

Got a bit too much on your plate this busy Memorial Day weekend? Do you have plans on having the family over and there is just too much to do?

Here's a great recipe that will leave your hands free to finish all those other numerous details before your guests arrive.

Best is this recipe tastes phenomenal! Give it a whirl and see what you've been missing.

8-10 ears of corn, shucked
1/3 cup water
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Herbs
Lemon juice

Break ears in half and place in slow cooker. Add 1/3 cup of water. Set on high and allow to cook for 3 hours.

Remove corn and add your favorite seasonings: butter, salt, pepper, herbs, and/or lemon juice. YUM!

Rabbit TV Plus

Fried Cabbage

11/7/2015

The wonderful vegetables of fall. So many to choose from! Here's a great one to make often. With cabbage on sale at 49 cent a pound, you can't beat it!

Most families shy away from this beauty especially if memories spark a mushy, boiled mess. This one is a bit different and will allow those delicate leaves to have a crunchy flair with a hint of bacon. This takes minutes to make, and despite a bit of fat, is healthy.

Cancer prevention tops all other areas of health research with regard to cabbage and its outstanding benefits. More than 475 studies have examined the role of this cruciferous vegetable in cancer prevention (and in some cases, cancer treatment). The uniqueness of cabbage in cancer prevention is due to the three different types of nutrient richness found in this widely enjoyed food. The three types are (1) antioxidant richness, (2) anti-inflammatory richness, and (3) richness in glucosinolates.

1 head of cabbage chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 tab. bacon fat (rendered from a pound of bacon previously)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Add all ingredients to a fry pan. Cook on medium with no lid. Stir frequently until cabbage is sightly tender yet has a bit of crispy flare.

Shany Enterprises Inc.