Day 3 of the Hunger Challenge: Chicken, Cabbage and Carrots

 Carrots rarely take the culinary center stage. They’re left to supporting roles or token walk-ons as snacks or as an ensemble effort on a crudité tray. All cooks, not just those on a budget, should give them another chance at casting. They’re hardy, sweet and cheap; we bought three pounds of carrots for $1.60 on sale. Most people know they’re high in Vitamin A, but few realize they’re also a good source of fiber and Vitamin C, too. I developed this carrot and rosemary soup a year ago when I was attempting to eat down my fridge. Rosemary grows like a weed here in the Northwest and we have an enormous rosemary bush outside our house that we’re continually pruning it back, so in the interest of supporting the notion of freegranism, I consider it a free ingredient. To budgetize the recipe below, I used a bit of oil (18 cents), an onion (60 cents), omitted the leeks and used water in place of chicken stock. I swirled a bit of reduced milk into each bowl (about 30 cents). We paired it with a small loaf of bread (60 cents). Total cost for lunch: $3.28 yield for what should have been four servings, but we ate it all. 

Another remarkable budget staple: Cabbage. At 39 cents a pound, I scored gorgeous head of cabbage a bit shy of three pounds for a little more than a buck. Cabbage is a great source of Vitamin C, fiber, iron, calcium, potassium, folate and even contains omega-3 fatty acids. Cabbage is something of a character actor in the world of vegetables. It can take on any role: chop it into cole slaw, slip it into stir-fries or curries, add it into soups or make it a base in a savory braise.

For dinner, I went to one of my go-to dishes, a cabbage and chicken stir fry. I originally learned to make this from my sister when I was an poor journalism student, but we eat some version of this dish as often as once a week. Depending on how you finish it, the dish can keep a slightly bland comfort-food style feel or adopt a more complex Asian sweet or spicy note. Paired with brown rice, this makes a filling, hearty dinner and you don’t need a lot of protein to make it work. For this recipe, we used chicken thighs. I’m a huge fan as they’re inexpensive and more flavorful than the often bland breast meat, plus they work great in a braise or stir-fry. Thanks to all the veggies, we used just six ounces of chicken thigh meat for a dish to serve four. We had a hungry friend over who helped us eat the last couple servings. Cost: $3.84 for four servings, or 96 cents per serving including rice.

Recipe: Carrot and Rosemary Soup

The basic method for this soup can be applied to many vegetables. You can substitute in cauliflower, broccoli or squash for the carrots, for instance. If you don’t have leeks, use more onion. One tip for making this even more economical is to use the water leftover from cooking potatoes or pasta in place of stock. (Although you can make homemade chicken stock virtually for free if you regularly utilize whole chickens.) If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can simply mash the vegetables which will be decidedly more rustic. Serves four.

1 1/2 tablespoons oil or butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
2 leeks, chopped
¾ pound carrots, chopped to a small dice (about 2 cups)
1 large fresh rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
1 ½ quarts chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup quality yogurt (optional)

Add the olive oil or butter to a two-quart or larger saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, leeks and carrot and toss with the olive oil. Sauté until softened about five minutes to six minutes. Add the rosemary and the stock and bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 25 minutes or until carrots soften and remove from heat.

Discard the rosemary and the bay leaf. Add about a cup of water to the soup, and then puree with an immersion blender, in a blender or a masher until smooth. Add in additional water if necessary for desired consistency. Check the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe: Cabbage and Chicken Stir Fry

This is an easy weeknight dish. It’s also versatile. Try it with pork, beef or shrimp. You can add in a few extra veggies, perhaps those leftover green beans or a bit of broccoli? Just don’t omit the trio of the garlic, onions and cabbage as they’re key to the flavor.

1 ½ tablespoon oil such as coconut, olive or canola
8 oz. of skinless chicken, thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch hunks
1 medium yellow onion, sliced thin
A handful (about eight) cremini, baby bella or white mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ head of green or savoy cabbage, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup white wine, chicken stock or water
8 cherry tomatoes
Coarse salt, fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Optional garnishes: Fresh lime, Sriracha (hot chili sauce), chopped basil

Heat the oil in a three-quart or larger saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken pieces with a bit of salt and pepper. When hot, add the chicken and cook until browned and slightly cooked through, about three to five minutes.

Add the onions and mushrooms and cook until starting to soften, about three minutes. Add the chili flakes and the garlic and continue to cook, stirring regularly until the onions start to brown, about three minutes. Add the cabbage, tomatoes and a pinch of salt and a few cracks of pepper and cook for about three minutes until it softens. Add the wine, stock or water and then cover and let it cook for about eight minutes.

Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with the additional garnishes of fresh basil, lime slices and hot chili sauce and with a side of rice, if desired.