frugalraw

This will be the final excerpt from my book, FRUGAL RAW!  If you like what you have read thus far, it is available in ebook format for only $14 at http://frugalrawnews.blogspot.com/ and also in hard copy at Amazon for $28.  For those of you who do not know, it is not only a manual for living frugally raw, I have also included 113 delectable frugal recipes of my own.  I include Indian, Greek, Mexican, and American flavors just to name a few. 

I’ve given you the foundation in these first posts, and posts from here on out will be focusing on living this lifestyle with the tools and concepts I have presented to you this week…now on to today’s topic!   

Knowing your ingredients’ functionality will carry you a long way in being able to work with what you have and what you can afford.    

Sunflower Seeds:  Coarsely chop dry for a “meatier” texture to use as taco “meat” and the like.  Soak overnight for use in creamy creations such as pates, cheezes, sauces, and sour creams.  Sunflower seeds make an excellent substitute for almonds at as much as an 85% cost per pound savings.   

Cashews:  A very creamy seed, especially if soaked overnight.  Very mild flavor – lends itself well to dishes of a sweeter variety – desserts especially, and exotic creamy sauces/gravies as are found in Indian cuisine.   These are great to use in place of the more costly macadamias and Brazil nuts due to their creamy texture and unimposing flavor.   

Nut Meals:  I have found nut meals in various bulk bin areas.  These are perfect for dishes in which nuts/seeds are to be ground to a powder such as pates, crusts, brownies, breads, crackers, etc.  Pecan meal especially, substitutes well for costly walnuts – whole or pieces! 

Young Coconuts:  The flesh of one plus 1/3 c. of the coconut water makes an excellent custard base when paired with a few bananas.  This will produce a very firm custard that is sliceable!  Use the entire coconut (water and flesh) as a soup base for creamy soups such as mushroom, carrot ginger, and tomato.  Also can be used in smoothies. 

Bananas:  Can be used to thicken or bind smoothies, puddings, and custards.  If frozen, they are also a great ice cream base.  Bananas are the most cost-efficient fruit in cost per pound.  

Miso – used in making nut cheezes – the one ingredient that makes the difference between making a cheeze and preparing a pate.  Not a live food, but beneficial due to the fermentation enzymes it carries.  I buy “mild” or “white” in small quantities.    

Dried tomatoes – use to enhance tomato flavor and to thicken sauces, soups, and condiments.  Check for use of sulfer products, and choose non-sulfered or dry your own in a dehydrator or sun-drying box.  Best tomato for this is the Roma, which is most cost effectively purchased in the summertime.  Growing and drying your own is a great option even if only potted and on a patio, as Roma variety tomato plants do not get very large.      

Dates – use to sweeten and thicken sauces, creams, and as a base in pie crusts, brownies, and desserts.  Dates come in many varieties and flavors.  Look for pump, juicy, fresh dates when buying and compare cost per variety. 

Raisins – a lighter sweetener than dates.  Can be used in making lighter pie crusts, and is usually less expensive per pound than are dates. 

Dried fruits:  many dried fruits can be used as sweeteners and thickeners.  Dried pineapple or papaya could be used to thicken a Caribbean BBQ sauce or chutney in lieu of dates.  Tamarind can be used in Mexican, Indian, and Thai cuisines.  Dried lemon rinds are used in Greek cuisine as a seasoning.   

Ground, cold-milled flax seeds - these are good for thickening a pureed fruit to a jelled consistency for a pie or cake topper or raw donut filler.  Also used in making crackers, breads, and chips. 

Nutritional Yeast – used as a thickener and to give a cheezy flavor to soups, sauces, and well, cheezes!  It is a great source for B-12.  Buy in small quantities from the bulk bins.  You won’t need large amounts of it at a time.  I usually go for a ¼ pound at a time. 

Olive Oil – will give a richness to a dish much like the use of butter in cooked foods.  This is also a good emulsifier when blended for extended periods. 

Lemon/Lime Juice – provides a soured taste to nut creams for sour cream as well as gives a richness to nut cheezes, makes an excellent vinaigrette or marinade base. 

Lemon/Lime Zest - the finely grated colored part of the peel of the lemon or lime is what gives food the true flavor of the fruit.  It has a much stronger scent and therefore heightened olfactory impression.  Take care to not grate into the white pith, as this will produce a bitterness in the dish.  Use anytime you want to make a lemon/lime impact with a dish. 

Bragg’s Liquid Aminos – use in place of the more expensive and harder to find raw Nama Shoyus.  Bragg’s has a similar soy sauce taste to it. 

Tahini – a good base for creamy salad dressings and mustards, and is also an ingredient used in sour cream to give it more body.  

Now that you have an understanding on these basic ingredients and their properties, you should come to discern how to use them to your utmost frugal advantage. For instance, you now know that you can use sunflower seeds in lieu of almonds.  This increases your buying power greatly!  Also, you have an understanding of what you need to do to manipulate the ingredients to create the desired effect in your cuisine. 

When uncooking on the fly, you will often find that the current market will tend to advocate what supplies you have at hand from one shopping trip to the next.  This is where your personal creativity comes into play.  Consider the flavors of each food within your scope, and decide whether they will compliment each other or if they might clash.  Bear in mind also, what spices you have at home to combine with these potential purchases before you buy.  Begin your uncooking process in the Produce department before you ever get to the registers.  Use your mind’s eye and your memory of the taste, smell, and textures of each food when making your buying choices.  Doing this will hone your culinary skills and sharpen your abilities to stay frugally raw!  Consider your shopping challenges to be your personal Raw Iron Chef competition…