Is feeding your family costing more than it used to? The price of food is rising! At Harvest Home, we looked for ways that can save you a few dollars while staying healthy and not giving up on the taste. Try cutting back a bit on how much meat you use in a dish. Replace meat with tofu, lentils, or beans.  You’ll get the protein you need and a taste you like for a good deal.

Tofu is made from soybeans. It doesn’t have much taste, but it absorbs the flavor of whatever it’s cooked with. Tofu has as much nutrition as your bucks you can get. 4 ounces of tofu has slightly more protein than 4 ounces of steak and tofu costs about $3.00 a pound, while steak will double in price.

Easy to use in stir-fry, tacos, or tortillas or as a side dish.

• Crumble or cut tofu into bite-sized pieces. 

• Combine the spices you usually use to make your sauce.

• Mix the spices and the tofu.  

• Heat one Tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, add the tofu and cook until browned, about 6 minutes.

• Add this cooked mixture to the rest of your dish.

Lentils:  A cup of lentils has as much protein as a hamburger. Plus, good fiber to reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes. 

Beans:  A cup of black beans has as much protein as a chicken drumstick. This less expensive burger will “fool” anyone. 

Half Bean Burgers: Make patties with

• 1 ½ cups of cooked beans or lentils, mashed.

• ½ cup of chopped veggies (like corn, peppers, tomatoes, red onion)

• ½ pound of ground beef.

• Cook the same way you cook a hamburger. Or use for taco filling.

A few spices, a little cooking creativity and your family will wonder how you’re saving money.

Tofu your Way

RECIPE: Tofu Tortillas

INGREDIENTS:

For the Taco Tofu Filling and Sauce

• 12 to 14-ounce block extra firm tofu

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon chili powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For The Tortillas

• 2 cups red cabbage, lime wedges, fresh cilantro leaves

• Pico de gallo (store bought or homemade)

• Yogurt , mixed with salt and Mexican hot sauce to taste

• 8 tortillas

To Make:

• Make the tofu crumbles: Drain tofu container and pat tofu dry with a clean dish towel. Place tofu in a large bowl. Using your fingers  break tofu into roughly bite-sized crumbles. Stir in the soy sauce, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.

• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the tofu. Cook on medium high for 8 to 10 minutes,  stirring occasionally, until browned and lightly crispy.

• Thinly slice the red cabbage and place it in a bowl. with the juice of 2 lime wedges and a few pinches of salt. Mix yogurt with Mexican hot sauce to taste

• Warm the tortillas, add the tofu mixture, cabbage, and toppings

To add meat: Brown meat separately.  Add to tofu mixture during last 4 minutes of cooking. 

tips and tricks - Saving $$ on meat

Think of meat as a flavoring NOT the main ingredient

• Stay within Budget: Cooked beans or lentils can be substituted for ½ cup of meat in most dishes without changing the flavor.

• To add meat to a vegetarian recipe, cook ½ pound of chopped meat separately and add during the last ½ hour for soups or stews.  Add the last 5 minutes for stir-fry or tacos.

Tricks with Tofu

• Tofu in Red sauces: Freeze firm tofu straight out of the package (no drying necessary) and use it as a substitute in any recipe where you’d use ground beef –like chili or pasta  sauce. “When you take it out of the freezer, it breaks up and has this great, really crumbly texture just like ground beef,” says a chef

• “Drying” Tofu: Tofu is generally packed in water. Before you cook it, wrap in a dish towel.  Place a heavy skillet with a few cans over the wrapped tofu to gently squeeze out the extra water.

Add tofu to your Smoothies

Smoothies: Use tofu for extra protein

• 1½ cup milk

• 2 cups frozen fruit, such as cherries, strawberries

• ½-1 sliced frozen bananas

• 11 oz extra soft tofu, or silken tofu

• 1 tbsp maple syrup, optional

To Make: Blend everything in high powered blender.  Add more milk for a thinner drink

Try a blueberry smoothie

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Video of the Week

How to Cook Tofu