Food For Thought (Pho & Apple Crisp)

As I was watching my favourite weekend show, The Lost Kitchen on Magnolia network, I was thinking that in this time of crazy food costs, I need to go back to thinking more like Erin does.

She comes up with a fabulous 12 course meal from locally grown produce, seafoods, and meats for her restaurant, building her menu around whatever is on the weekly availability lists.

Eating local and fresh is healthier, and shopping sales and in season is cheaper, so important as food costs have sky-rocketed this year.

If you are lucky enough to live where you can harvest carrots, parsnips, broccoli, brussels, leeks from your potager, hardy greens, green onions from your cold frames, try building some/most of your weekly meals around your harvest, supplementing with items from the grocers or farmer's market that are in season and on sale, so are affordable.

If you live in a colder zone on the prairies, as I do, shop the grocery stores and the farmer's markets for those in season fruits and vegetables that are on sale, listed on the first page of the flyer, usually. All things have a season, if you buy in season produce, you will save money. Buying out of season goods, like strawberries in winter, cost a lot of money as they are coming from afar.

This week, I was able to get a big bag of apples for $3.99, broccolini, bean sprouts, potatoes, avocadoes were on sale, as well as grapes, and cucumbers.

You all know I dislike cooking, only make things that are easy and fast to make. I like to eat fresh, easy, simple foods.

Oh, when I need to turn my oven on, I make sure to make it count. I am cheap like that, hate to turn it on if I don't have to. So, I make double batches of breads, cookies, crisps... as many things as I need or want for the week(s) ahead, all in one shot.

This week I made apple crisp, the perfect dessert on these cold, wintery days, and pho for supper(s). I am eating great tasting foods, saving money, and eating healthy, too.

*The pho is gluten free, and mine is vegan, but you add your protein of choice.

My Apple Crisp recipe is one I have been making for nearly 50 years now. It comes from the Chatelaine Cookbook (the first cookbook mom gave me, at the age of 12 )and is super simple.

5 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced.

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup large flake oats

Place the sliced apples into a Pyrex baking dish.

Mix together the other four ingredients with a pastry blender/cutter till the butter is in small pea sized pieces.

Put the crumble on top of the apples.

Bake at 375°F for 30 to 40 minutes.

The top will be nicely browned and the fruit will be tender. Serve warm with ice cream or cream. I like it with Silk Coffee 'Cream'.

This covers dessert and a couple of breakfasts, too.

*Don't get too caught up on how many apples you have, is easy to modify the recipe to more or less fruit. I like a bigger ratio of fruit to topping as it is healthier, so I usually add more.

**You can absolutely add cinnamon and spices to your taste, if you like. I like mine super simple, just tasting of fruit.

My take on Pho is super simple to make and with almost any ingredients you like. I am a vegetarian so I make mine with tofu and mushrooms but you can use any meat, sliced thin, or shrimp.

I do not make my own broth, but you certainly can. The tetra paks of pho broth were on sale this week so I bought 3 to have extras in the pantry. It is gluten free and vegetarian.

1/2 of the container of Campbell's Pho Broth

1/4 cup of dried shitake mushrooms

1/4 to 1/3 of the block of extra firm tofu, pressed

Splash or two of Tamari (gluten free and vegan)

Vegetables chopped into small pieces (this week, I am using 1 julienned carrot, 3 broccolini, and 5 snow peas)

Handful of Bean sprouts

Vermicelli noodles

2 Green onions for garnish. I think these guys just finish the dish so nicely.

Pour the broth into a pot, use the whole thing if you are cooking. I use half a container to make two meals so if you are cooking for 2 or more people, use the whole thing.

Break the mushrooms into smaller pieces, add to the broth.

Add vegetables that take some time to cook into the broth, in this case, the carrots, broccolini, and snow peas.

Cook for 10 minutes while you are getting your tofu ready.

Cut pressed tofu into small thin pieces. Fry till slightly crispy, then add tamari and continue frying until crisp and full of flavour.

Add beans sprouts.

Add vermicelli noodles. Cook for two more minutes.

Using tongs, I pull out the noodles and put some in the centre of the bowl, then start adding in the veggies and enough broth to make it soupy. Top with the crispy tamari tofu bits and green onions.

Heart healthy, inexpensive, use what you like and have on hand.

I will keep sharing recipes now and again.

They will never be fancy schmancy, just simple, easy and quick to make.

Happy Healthy Eating ~ Tanja