When a reader named Quinn suggested a recipe that used both lentils and meat, I started thinking about how veggie burgers and beef burgers each have their own strengths. Why not combine the two ideas to create a burger with meaty flavor but the lean protein and low cost of lentils? And so I offer you the half veggie burger. May it rest a little lighter in your belly.
Since Good and Cheap was published this recipe has become one I often see people make and share on social media and elsewhere. One of my favorite stories is of an 8 year old boy who learned how to make it at school, then came home and taught his sisters how to make them and then made dinner for his family in the process. Kids are so capable!
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The cost of shrimp really varies, so save this one until you can find a deal—under about $8 per pound. I ended up having to remove this from the 2nd edition of Good and Cheap because the price variation was so extreme and I didn’t want to steer anyone wrong. But it’s a classic from a time when shrimp was the food of the poorer masses and the rich people had no idea what they were missing.
I didn’t grow up with grits myself, but somehow fell in love with them anyway. I have had many disappointing versions of this dish in NYC restaurants and after a particularly frustrating experience (like 2 tiny shrimp on a bed of undercooked and under-seasoned, practically gummy grits—a travesty) I decided to make it myself. Luckily, like so many of the great dishes, it is remarkably easy to make at home!
This is far from an authentic Southern version of this dish, but it is absolutely delicious. Southerners will demand you use white stone-ground corn for this to be true grits, and I won’t quibble, but feel free to use yellow if it doesn’t offend you.
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I’m sure no one’s mind will be blown to learn that scrambled eggs are a huge part of my weekly meal rotation. On the weekend I often make them for breakfast or brunch, but they are also my go-to for nights when I’m on my own and just want to have dinner without having to go shopping or think too deeply. It feels so good to look in the cupboard and fridge and scrounge a tasty dinner when you didn’t think you had much. Often if I have had a frustrating day where I didn’t get as much done as I wanted to, the feeling of making dinner out of the cupboard can make me feel soothed and in control. Anyone else experience this?
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I have to be honest, it seems so trite to simply share a recipe right now while so many people are fighting for their most fundamental rights. This past weekend I felt so helpless and frustrated. Sure we donated to organizations supporting refugees and immigrants, but it didn’t feel like enough. It’s difficult to know how to move forward with life when our brothers and sisters are having their lives ripped away from them. But here we are. We all need to eat and take care of ourselves and follow our best instincts to care for and support one another. This is what we do and will continue to do. So here’s a delicious, quick and pretty cheap recipe.
It’s the winter and I just never want to eat salad in the winter. It just seems too cold! I want vegetables, but I want them warm, so I was totally taken with this wonderful simple idea for a taco bowl that my lovely friend Alex Stafford shared over at food 52. Of course I love that she suggests cooking the chickpeas from dried, which I totally encourage you to do if you eat chickpeas regularly. I wanted to make something similar right away using what I had in the cupboard, and lo and behold I had a can of chickpeas. I was just going to enjoy this creation for lunch and call it a day, but it turned out so delicious and easy I thought I’d share with you. So here is a bowl of warm chickpeas flavored with my favorite hatch chiles, tomatoes, onion and cheddar and tossed with shredded lettuce for added crunch. If you have sour cream, tortilla chips, avocado or anything like that to add, this bowl will only get better. And it’s possible that if you are not a pregnant lady this may feed more than one person 😉
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