Get in the kitchen and make me some PIE!

[karmadebt]

I've been thinking about going back to doing a lot of "once a month cooking" or OAMC in order to save money and keep me eating healthier (larger portions, higher fat content when eating out). I did this a lot when I was pregnant with Cait and was really thankful to have a freezer full of food after she was born and even more thankful when I went

Comments

[trunkbutt]

How about...tasty lentil soup? It's veg, doubles or triples easily, and freezes well. No tomatoes in sight!

1 medium onion
A few cloves garlic
A splash of olive oil
1.5 c. lentils
3 c. water (plus more during cooking)
1 veg bullion cube
A few bay leaves
A pinch of marjoram
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry up the onion in the oil until the bits are translucent. Add the garlic and fry some more. Then add the lentils and cook the whole mess until their little jackets start cracking open.

Next, add the water and everything else. Bring to a boil and keep it there for five minutes, stirring all the while. Then cover and simmer until it's no longer lentils in water, but a real stewy kind of soup. You'll want to stir occasionally and add a more water when it's sticky on the bottom.

YUM!

[trunkbutt]

I forgot to mention two things:

1. You can add all manner of tasty things to said soup. For instance, I have some lentil soup with portobello mushroom and shredded spinach bubbling on the stove. Just add your add-ons when you're frying up the onion! Note: This is a great way to use up old, bruised, unattractive veggies.

2. Serve soup hot with a pat of butter on top!

[karmadebt]

I have a full bag of lentils awaiting some love. This is a great idea.

[bajamous]

OAMC is a great idea, but I would need a large freezer. As for lentil soup, this is one of my staples as a veg. I make mine with tomatoes but like trunkbutt says, you can throw almost anything in it.

Another really easy but tasty soup is green pea, which you can make with split or non-split peas (I use a combination of both). It's literally nothing more than two cups of dried peas, four stalks of celery and four carrots (chopped as you like), and salt to taste. I put it in recycled 16oz. plastic salsa containers for freezing, which thaws out in single-serving portions. Awesome!