Frugal Recipes: Baked Beans, Three Bean Salad and Basic Chickpeas

The example bean recipes I offer here are from, Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. My purpose is teaching you to be free from recipes. Fallon’s book, however, is an exceptional source that anyone who is interested in food, nutrition, and health must have. But for your money, and how to save it, all recipes need to be critiqued. WE MUST THINK IN TERMS OF ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS OF FOOD AND THEIR PRICES! Calculate Food Cost accurately all the time and save money.

How about world class ham with your beans?

Baked Beans

Serves 6-8 people

4 cups of small white beans

Food Cost: You may have paid for this in pounds, ounces, or grams, but this recipe uses cups so you must calculate the price per gram, and then the number of grams in 4 cups. Then, multiply the number of grams per 4 cups, by the price per gram, to get an accurate price for this recipe

Warm filtered water

2 medium onions

Food Cost: You may have purchased a bag of onions, so you need to divide the price per bag by the number of onions to know how much the single onion costs. Then double it for this recipe

2 tablespoons of butter

Food Cost: What’s your price per pound of butter? Divide the price by 454 g to get a price per gram. What does 2 tablespoons of butter weigh in grams? Multiply the weight of 2 tablespoons of butter by the price per gram to get the cost for the recipe

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Food Cost: Sold in liters or quarts, so you must calculate the price per fluid ounce and then divide this by three to get the price for 1 tablespoon. Multiply this number by 2 to get your price for 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 small can of tomato paste

Food Cost: Finally a quick one. Check your most recent receipt and the market price for one small can of tomato paste

3 tablespoons soy sauce

Food Cost: Take the price per bottle, divide the volume of the bottle to get the number of fluid ounces, and then divide that number by 3 to get the price per tablespoon, then multiple that by 3 to get the recipe price for olive oil

3 tablespoons of vinegar

Food Cost: Take the price per bottle and divide the volume of the bottle to get the number of fluid ounces. Then, divide that number by 3 to get the price per tablespoon, and multiple that by 3 to get the recipe price for vinegar

¼ cup of maple syrup

Food Cost: Take the price per bottle, divide the volume of the bottle to get the number of fluid ounces, and then divide that number by 2 to get the price per ¼ cup of maple syrup

¼ cup of molasses

Food Cost: Take the price per bottle, divide the volume of the bottle to get the number of fluid ounces, and then divide that number by 2 to get the price per ¼ cup of molasses

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

Food Cost: Take your price per bulb, then count the number of cloves per bulb to get the per clover price and multiple by 3 to get the cost of garlic for this recipe

1 teaspoon salt

Food Cost: Take the price for a bag, in pounds, weigh 1 teaspoon of salt to get its weight in grams, and calculate the price per gram. Then, multiply this by the weight in grams of the teaspoon of salt

Pinch of red chile flake

Food Cost: A pinch is very inaccurate because my pinch is different than your pinch, in terms of weight. This isn’t a reasonable way to write a recipe, but it’s the common way

Enjoy Asian Food?

Cover the beans in warm water and leave in a warm place for 24 hours. In a flame-proof casserole or pot, sauté onion in butter and oil. Drain beans, rinse, and add to pot with enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil and skim the foam. Add remaining ingredients, cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about six hours. Serve with sauerkraut, whole grain bread, and turkey or lamb sausage.

Food for Thought:

I will not describe how to food cost each of these frugal recipes, but I do want to make it extremely clear to you that if you’re cooking with recipes, you may be VERY unaware of how much you’re paying to produce your households meals. This mistake will waste thousands of dollars over the years! CHANGE the way you cook. Become a cook who understands the cooking techniques required to produce tasty, healthy, and THRIFTY meals. Thus, you will have to become a cook with a keen and detailed understanding of market prices. YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PAY FOR EACH INGREDIENT IN YOUR KITCHEN AND YOU KNOW HOW TO USE EXPENSIVE INGREDIENTS SPARINGLY.

Frugal Recipe :How to make Three bean Salad

Three Bean Salad

Serves 12

2 cups of basic kidney beans drained

2 cups basic chickpeas (recipe below)

2 lbs of cooked green beans (technique to follow in Blanching)

2 medium onions, finely chopped (more on chopping below)

¼ cup finely chopped parsley

1 red pepper, cut into a julienne (more below on julienne)

juice of one lemon

1 cup of garlic dressing (more on dressings below, you could use any dressing you desire. Remember, freedom from recipes!)

Mix all ingredients and leave for 1 hour before serving. This dish will last in the fridge for up to two weeks if handled properly and is an excellent dish to have for snacks and sides for lunch or dinner.

Basic Chickpeas:

1 cup of dried chickpeas

warm filtered water

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

1 teaspoon of salt

Cover chickpeas with water and place in a warm spot for 24 hours. Drain, rinse, and pick off the skins. Transfer to a pot, add salt, lemon juice, and water to cover and bring to a boil. Skim. Cover and simmer for about six hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain and use for salads.