Healthy Low Budget Recipes Part One

[suzanne sanders]

For many years I have heard people say they can not afford to eat healthy foods.  Being a single mom for years I new they were very wrong. People can afford to eat healthy. The underlying issue is this, we have a society that does not know how to cook.  Living off of a dollar menu will give nothing but bad health and a lot of expensive health care bills.  Besides why not work on feeling good, vibrant, healthy, active, awake, motivated and happy.  You are what you eat.  If you eat unhealthy food, then you are burning bad fuel.  Bad fuel causes things to clog up, slow down, and sputter.  

On that note, I thought I would start sharing some of our low budget healthy meals.  Of course always eat organic as much as you can.  After all the chemicals they use in conventional (I call it poison farming) farming is the same chemicals that they make bombs with.  No wonder there are so many tummy troubles and other serious health issues that are going on in the human race.  

Here are some great recipes, enjoy! 

Multi Bean Salad 

2 cups cooked kidney beans

2 cups cooked garbanzo beans

2 cups cooked butter beans 

6 Tbs olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves (spring use green garlic) 

4 Tbs. lemon juice

6 Tbs red balsamic vinegar

5 Tbs. Fire Cider (http://mcminnvillehealthdefense.ning.com/profiles/blogs/fire-cider)

1 tsp. local honey

1 tsp. Celtic salt

1 tsp black pepper ( or more)

1/4 lb fresh green beans (if it is summer time and they are in season)

2 medium stalks celery, finely minced

1 red onion minced

1 cup finely minced parsley

1/2 cup chopped carrots 

Combine oil, garlic,lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, fire cider, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. 

If it is summer time and you have green beans to add: 

Trim the tips of the green beans, and steam until tender (5 to 8 minutes, or to  your preference). Refresh under cold running water and drain well. 

Drain the cooked beans, rinse gently under cold water adn add them to your bowl with the dressing.   

Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Let marinate for at least 2 to 3 hours (even longer is better)  

Serve cold or at room temperature.  Serve with some hot rice, quinoa, steamed tortillas or rice wraps.  You could also try some raw cheese grated on top of it.  

Other optional ingredients: 

During the spring try green garlic, about 4 finely minced

During the summer try adding cucumbers and cherry tomatoes.  

What is Green Garlic? 

Green garlic is young garlic which is harvested before the cloves have begun to mature. The resulting vegetable resembles a scallion, with a deep green stalk and a pale white bulb. It can often be found for sale at a farmers' market in the spring, and can also be grown at home relatively easily. Many large grocery stores do not stock green garlic, although growing consumer demand may change this. It can also usually be special ordered through a greengrocer.

When garlic is grown normally, it is harvested when the lower part of the stalk visible above the ground starts to turn brown. The bulb of the garlic has differentiated into garlic cloves, and it is cured so that it will last in storage. Typically, garlic is harvested in the middle of summer. Green garlic, on the other hand, is harvested before the plant is mature. The stalks are still totally green, usually around one foot (30 cm) long, and the bulb resembles that of a green onion, rather than a segmented head of garlic.

Green Garlic Butter:

http://www.inerikaskitchen.com/2011/04/green-garlic-butter.html

Green Garlic Spread:

http://www.greenling.com/blog/recipes/sidedish-recipe/green-garlic-...

Multi Bean Salad

Lentil Salad Recipe: 

2 cups cooked lentils, rinsed

Dressing:

3 to 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 cup fresh lemon juice

3 small clove garlic, minced

1/2 red onion  minced

1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest (optional)

1 tsp. Celtic  salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. homemade mustard or organic mustard- Summer omit mustard and add cumin

Spring Version: 

handful cilantro chopped

handful garlic chives minced

handful onion chives minced

2 fresh peppermint leaves minced

1 cup organic kale chopped

1 cup of purple orach spinach chopped or regular spinach 

Whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.  Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. If the dressing is too zingy for  you feel free to add more olive oil to soften the flavor. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir gently.  Let marinate for a few hours.    Serve with rice wraps or rice tortillas.  You could also add some raw organic cheese.   

Summer Version: 

2 tomatoes

1 organic red pepper chopped

1 organic yellow pepper chopped

2 organic hot peppers minced

optional:  minced fresh fennel leaves