hungarians beans and sour cream soup

Beans! Beans! I love legumes!

They are totally healthy, totally tasty and wonderfully versatile.

It is important to note that beans do not need to be eaten with a grain at the same meal because "when the diet provides an assortment of plant proteins over the course of a day all amino acids are present in abundance." (Source: 'Becoming Vegan' by Brenda Davis, R.D., Vesanto Melina, M.S., R.D.) Beyond eating a variety of wonderful plant-based foods, including beans, vegetables, grains and fruits, there is no need to combine grains and beans at one meal, a myth that was made popular

in the book 'Diet for a Small Planet.'

Now you know that you have freedom to cook your beans and eat them too... even without a grain as a tag-along. A little more freedom to be creative with your cooking, I would say!

Tonight's meal was navy beans cooked simply with a few bay leaves and seasoned at the end with paprika and cashew sour cream. I also added some green beans because I have a ton of them.

Very delicious! A nice crusty bread and a green salad would make this an easy great meal. The sour cream adds a delightful tang that everyone enjoyed.

Cost Breakdown:

beans: $2

spices: $.50

cashews: $2

lemon, vinegar, miso: $1

green beans: $1

Total for 10 servings:

$6.50

hungarian scramble

Brunch

I had Welsh Rarebit on my menu for today, but since Kate chose to make a Cheese Sauce for her baked potatoes, I decided there is such a thing as too much cheese. So, I made a Hungarian Scramble. Hungarian because they add paprika, onions, green peppers and sausage. I used a Tofurkey sausage (Whole Foods had them on sale this week.) and lots of nutritional yeast. The scramble turned out fluffy -as fluffy as tofu will ever get - and soft and moist. Don't forget to let your tofu steam (add a few tablespoons of water if you have to), covered to get this texture - that of eggs - and add some black salt. I found my receipt for an Indian market where I bought some a few months ago: $1.15 for a medium package. Cheap. 

We had some bagels so I gave making Korozott a try - a Hungarian spread made of cheese, onions and paprika. I used some grilled onions for the spread, a clove of garlic, 1/2 slab of soft tofu and a package of Tofutti cream cheese. This was something my dad would make every Sunday and my version is pretty close to it. Creamy,a  little spicy and the flavor of the paprika (Szeged brand) is nice and prominent. The kids loved it! I was surprised; as a kid this was not a favorite of mine - I thought it too bland. There are more and more benefits to this vegan thing.

Cost Breakdown:

bagels: $3

cream cheese: $2

tofu (scramble and spread): $4

pepper and onion: $2

Tofurkey: $3

spices: $1

Total for brunch for 8 people:

   $15.00

wheat-meatloaf

European Night

This loaf is based on Hungarian Fasirozott. What makes a Hungarian meatloaf Hungarian? The onions are sauteed first with 'bacon' - in my case olive oil and a little toasted sesame seed oil for taste and instead of breadcrumbs we use rice. I used ground seitan, which if homemade, actually sticks together well. I also added flax seed meal to help the binding in case my seitan wasn't enough. The flavors were spot on, the texture excellent, it was moist and it held together. I believe I've covered the criteria for a meatloaf. I did not add the obligatory ketchup on the top, but some family members, who shall remain anonymous, added a generous portion to their helpings.

Cost Breakdown:

1/2 of a portion of homemade seitan: $1.50

flax: $.50

rice: $.25

vegetables: $1

tomato paste: $.50

Total to make 7 servings:

$3.75

hungarian cream of mushroom soup

Three-fifth of us love mushrooms. We love shiitakes, oysters, bellas, chanterelles, morel,  even the simple button. I suppose where ever a fungus can grow, and I believe that is on every continent but Antarctica, the people of that region have held a love of the 'flower' of the mushroom, because we do not actually eat the main part of the fungus, which is underground and can be miles and miles of tendrils of mycelium. Uh, perhaps a little too much botany...anyway, they are good as far as I am concerned.

This Hungarian soup would use sour cream, as Hungarians are wont to do, but we are leaving the milk for the cow's baby and using cashew cream, which is much better for you anyway. Almond cream or Brazil-nut cream would also would just fine. Nuts have this really cool property where they thicken the liquid they are in as they are heated, therefore helping to thicken and bind this soup. The Hungarian paprika from Szeged  (sold in any grocery store, please do not pay the price from the link) is a must. And if you also have the Hot Hungarian Paprika, this is where to use it - the kick from it is delightful after the sweetness of the mild paprika. Kate came into the kitchen yelling for water because it was so spicy! I thought, great, she didn't eat it. To my surprise, her bowl was empty.

I guess the spice was too nice to keep her from devouring it. 

Cost Breakdown:

Mushrooms: $7

cashew: $1

onion and paprika: $1

homemade stock: $.75

Total to feed 5 people:

$9.75

 

HUNGARIAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

cabbage pasta

Cat chose to make one of her all time favorite meals for lunch - Hungarian Cabbage Pasta. It is typically made with green cabbage but Whole Foods only had the red one - the one time I am looking to get it, of course.

She did a great job, it was delicious; nice bite from the fresh ground peppers and sweetness from the cabbage. The cabbage is taken to the edge of being caramelized - and then it is stirred. This is a wonderful way to enjoy this cruciferous vegetable. In fact, Hungarians even make strudel using this method of cooking cabbage.

Cost Breakdown:

cabbage: $3

brown rice pasta: $2

peppers, onion and spices: $2

Total to feed a family of 5:

$7.00

paprika potatoes

European/Potato Night

I am Hungarian, and I love Hungarian food. It is important to teach my children what their heritage is and what it means. A big part of that is food. Hungarians are know for Attila the Hun and for food. I'd rather it be the latter. According to my dad, we trace our ancestry back 500 years of restaurateurs. Since I do not currently have a restaurant, I can at least impart the love of Hungarian food in my children. It seems to be working because this meal is one of their favorites, although an alternative of it, March of the Grenadiers (mashed, mixed with pasta, and baked), is more of a favorite.

This is, once more, a very easy and quick meal. It takes about 15 minutes by the stove, cooking the onions, and peeling and slicing the potatoes, and then about 30 minutes simmering on the stove. It is a classic Hungarian dish that also has the Chicken Paprikas as the more famous counterpart. This was one of my favorites growing up, and it is turning out to be a favorite of my progeny, too.