Crowdsourcing: Cooking Healthy but Inexpensively for a Crowd

A topic among debate coaches recently has been how to prepare food for a large group of people that is both inexpensive but healthy. This morning a Facebook discussion inspired me to collect some of my favorite recipes from around the Web along the lines of this topic.

Please add links to this discussion and add to the collection of healthy low-cost recipes for a crowd!

Slow-Cooker Recipes:

I am going to start by re-sharing my own version of a classic stew. This peanut, yam and kidney bean stew is inexpensive but filling. If you have peanut allergies, you could easily sub in sunflower seed butter.

Averie Cooks has a fabulous vegan gluten-free recipe for Bourbon Maple Slow Cooked Beans. This is a great protein option that both omnivores and herbivores can enjoy!

Pinch of Yum has a sweet potato lentil recipe that is also vegan and gluten-free. I would use a light coconut milk to reduce the calories. Lentils and sweet potatoes are inexpensive and full of nutritious goodness.

I love the idea of having a sandwich bar for people to customize their own sandwiches. Avoid just having boring cold cuts while giving your herbivore friends a warm protein option with Healthful Pursuit's Stampede BBQ Lentil Sandwich filling!

Stovetop Recipes:

I am in love with my own Ratatouille recipe. I have lightened up my own recipe by taking out the wine and subbing in 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar mixed with a half cup of water. I also use cooking spray now instead of the olive oil. I make a big batch of this on the stove top but it could easily be left in a slow cooker on warm at an event.

This Chana Masala recipe from Orangette is awesome because it can be made the night before and the flavors improve the next day! You can save money, especially if you are increasing the amount you are preparing, by starting with dry beans.

Prep in Advance - Serve Hot or Cold:

Roasted vegetables are an awesome dish you can prepare for a large group. You can utilize whatever is in season. Eating Well has three easy tips on how to roast up some vegetables. Once roasted you can serve warm or cold, as a platter of vegetables or mixed with a grain like quinoa to make a salad.

Quiche are an excellent dish to serve up as an event because while they are awesome warm, they are also good without reheating. And removing the crust drastically reduces calories. Cooking Light has three great crustless quiche recipes including Garden Vegetable, Smoked Turkey Spinach, as well as Broccoli & Cheese.

Aji Cereza Chili Pumpkin Soup with Red Quinoa and De Arbol Chili-Spiced Pepitas

While driving home from the airport last week and trying to not lose my mind in the Bay Area traffic, a commercial encouraging listeners to "Spice up the holidays!" caught my attention. I had received a sample of dried peppers from Marx Foods this month to use in their "A Spoon & A Chili" recipe contest and I was still pondering what to make. At the same time, I was yearning to make a vegan pumpkin dish that wasn't a pie, for the holidays. As the traffic started moving again and the music began to flow over the airwaves, an idea had formed. Why not combine the flavors of the sweet woodsy pumpkin with the spicy earthy peppers for a dish sure to warm anyone up on a cold winter day?

Now to fit that warmth on a spoon...

This dish is a complete meal in a bowl, bringing the nutty flavors of red quinoa together with the sweet pumpkin and spicy Aji Cereza peppers. The Aji Cereza is a Peruvian pepper that's only slightly less spicy than an Habanero pepper measuring in at 75,000 Scoville units (the index used to measure the heat of a pepper). Marx Foods sells an organic version of this pepper which is pictured above (it's the cute little one that looks like a cherry!). I also played with the milder De Arbol chili (the long skinny chilies above) to make a salt which was used in roasting the pepitas. You can make this dish without the seeds, and I almost did (because I almost ate them all prior to serving... they were just that good!) but they add another flavor and texture to the dish which I enjoyed.

I chose to roast my own sugar pumpkin, but you could also used canned pumpkin. If you are roasting your own, just cut it in half, seed it, and bake it at 375 degrees for 60-90 minutes. You can also opt to use different milk substitutes but recognize this may affect the nutritional information. This soup freezes well, although the quinoa did not fare as well being reheated, so I would recommend making a smaller batch of quinoa fresh for each serving rather than freezing a larger batch.

Aji Cereza Pumpkin Soup with Red Quinoa & De Arbol Pepitas

Serves Six

Aji Cereza Pumpkin Soup
1 tbsp organic canola oil
5 cloves of garlic (sliced thin)
1 tbsp organic onion granules
2 organic Aji Cereza chili peppers (soaked, deseeded, diced)
2.5 cups mashed pumpkin (approximate yield from one medium sized sugar pumpkin)
1 tsp salt
.25 tsp black pepper
8 oz. vegetable broth
12 oz. light soy milk

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, onion, and chili peppers. Cook for one to two minutes until garlic begins to brown. Add pumpkin, salt, and pepper. Cook for another three to five minutes until pumpkin begins to bubble. Add broth and soy milk and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Use an immersion blender or blend soup in small batches and continue to simmer for another ten minutes. Pour around cooked quinoa in bowl.

Red Quinoa
1.5 cups red quinoa
3 cups water

Combine red quinoa and water in saucepan. Bring to boil and then cover and reduce heat to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes (until quinoa has absorbed the water).

Spiced Pepitas
Pumpkin seeds from one pumpkin
2 De Arbol chili peppers
1 tbsp pink Himalayan sea salt

Blend chili peppers and  sea salt together. This will make more powder than you need so store the rest in an airtight container for future use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking pan with your preferred method (I brush canola oil lightly on the pan). Layer seeds in a single layer on pan. Sprinkle with seasoning salt and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring the pan once during the baking time. Store extra seeds in airtight container and enjoy as a snack.

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Nutritional Information for 1/6th of soup -- 70 calories; 3 grams of fat; 10 grams of carbs; 3 grams of fiber; 2 grams of protein

Nutritional Information for 1/6th of quinoa -- 156 calories; 2.6 grams of fat; 27 grams of carbs; 3 grams of fiber; 6 grams of protein

Nutritional Information for 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds -- 18 calories; .8 grams of fat; 2.1 grams of carbs; .7 grams of protein

Creamy Green Garlic and Fennel Soup

Ever since I received my Hamilton Beach 2-speed Hand Blender from CSN Stores, I have been dying to make soup. But with the weather in California heating up, I knew whatever I decided on would have to be on the lighter side. So when my latest produce delivery included green garlic and fennel bulbs, I KNEW what I wanted to try.

Green garlic season is now, so if you want to try this recipe, take advantage of the season before it is gone! Green garlic is harvested before the garlic cloves have begun to develop. The resulting plant looks almost like a scallion. It is milder in garlic flavor and when it is cooked, it sweetens and gets a unique complex flavor which needs minimal seasoning. Which is why it was perfect for this soup!

I have previously written about fennel when creating a simple salad last year. I used two fennel bulbs that are smaller in size but you can probably get away with one larger bulb. I only used the white of the bulb, and a bit of the fern for garnish.

The soup stays light, but creamy, through the use of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze) and the blending of the vegetables to create the thicker soup. I used my new Hamilton 2-speed hand blender which allowed me to blend the soup in the stockpot. It was quick and easy to use and clean which was a nice change from having to pour soups into my blender in batches. Letting the soup sit allows a natural thickening to occur and it reheated well for later meals.

Green Garlic and Fennel Soup
Serves 4

4 Green Garlic stalks, diced (include light green as well as white part of the stalk)
2 small fennel bulbs, slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 cup water
sea salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a stock pot and add garlic and fennel. Toss garlic and fennel in oil for about a minute before reducing the heat. Sprinkle salt and pepper and cover, letting the garlic and fennel sweat in the covered pot. When the garlic and fennel have begun to caramelize, add almond milk and water. Stir and cover. Let simmer for twenty minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and using an immersion or hand blender, blend the ingredients together. The soup should be slightly chunky unless you want a smoother soup. Let sit for five minutes before serving, or store and reheat later.

Nutritional Information (per serving): 63 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.75 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein

Green Garlic

Fave Five and a Progresso Soup Giveaway

About a month ago I received an opportunity to try 15 different Progresso soups courtesy of Progresso and MyBlogSpark. Much like any other product I have investigated, I needed to ensure that this baby lived up to my standards by trying all of the different soups out. A couple of versions have been travel staples of mine for years (who doesn't love a giant pop-top can of soup for under 150 calories after a long day of work?), but there were new flavors to explore as well!

Before I give you my five favorites, I wanted to let you know that Progresso is currently giving away a makeover trip for two to New York. Just click here and you can enter to win until March 15. There are also printable coupons that you should definitely check out (I know I have).

While every soup I tried was pretty tasty for canned soups, I will confess to doctoring a couple by adding extra veggies. Bulking up canned soups is an easy way to up the fullness factor and sneak in some extra goodness. Whether it's adding a can of no-salt-added green beans, pouring in some frozen mixed veggies, or tossing in some fresh spinach... I love to sneak in the vegetables.

My five favorites, in no particular order: Traditional Chicken Barley, Light Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable, Light Chicken Noodle, Light Italian-Style Vegetable, and Light Chicken and Dumplings. I am a sucker for the light soups... and who can blame me? If you are counting Weight Watcher points, you are looking at a zero point snack for a cup of warm goodness. A whole can is less than 200 calories!

All of the soups were full of flavor, unlike some other light soups I have tried. Depending on the soup, many are MSG free. Some don't have soy and some are vegetarian. I'll give the calories/fat/fiber/protein for my five favorites, but I would encourage readers to check out labels before purchasing soups to consume.

The two vegetable soups both made great sides to grilled cheese sandwiches. The Italian-Style has pasta while the Southwestern-Style has beans. Both had lots of vegetables and flavorful broths. The Chicken Noodle and Chicken Barley were filling with big chunks of chicken and chunky vegetables. I enjoyed the mini dumplings in the Chicken and Dumpling soup, it took me back to my grandmother's Hungarian dumplings. I only with they were bigger and there were more of them. However, I guess that would defeat the purpose of it being a light soup?

MyBlogSpark and Progresso were kind enough to offer one Uncovering Food reader an opportunity to try out a couple of soups for free! One reader will receive a gift box containing two Progresso soups, a super sweet Progresso mug (that holds the whole can of soup... love it!), and a jump rope that measures the number of jumps you do (can't wait for the knee to heal to try this bad boy out). In other words, see that picture above this post? That's the promo picture I was sent of the giveaway!

So how can you be the lucky winner?

1. Post a comment saying one SOUPer thing about yourself. I think it is important that we take pride in ourselves so I want to know why you think you are amazing.

2. Follow Uncovering Food and let me know you are on the list *wink*

3. Share the giveaway with your friends! Link back or cc me in an email if you don't have a blog. You can also tweet about the giveaway for extra chances (no more than once a day!) and make sure you include @UncoveringFood in the tweet!

The contest will end on March 7th at 11:59pm PST. I should be all done with the massive debate tournament I am hosting and life should begin to normalize again. Luckily, I used the Progresso coupon to stock up on some soups so I will not starve this week :o)

Nutritional Stats for my Fave Five (all stats are for the full can... because let's not kids ourselves, one serving is not enough! if you want the stats for a one cup serving, just divide these in half):

Traditional Chicken Barley: 160 calories/2g fat/4g fiber/14g protein

Light Zesty Southwestern-Style Vegetable: 120 calories/1g fat/8g fiber/6g protein

Light Chicken Noodle: 140 calories/3g fat/4g fiber/10g protein

Light Chicken & Dumpling: 160 calories/3g fat/4g fiber/12g protein

Light Italian-Style Vegetable: 120 calories/0g fat/8g fiber/4g protein

Soup for the Win

What? Soup? But summer isn't over yet!

I have been crafting simple soups all summer of both the hot and cold varieties. These fabulous bowls of liquid and veggies help fill you up as a perfect low calorie option before meals. Studies have found that we take in less calories while still feeling satisfied when we start our meals with a broth based soup.

While simmering soups for long periods help the flavors meld together, making a simple soup at home is quick and full of fabulous nutrients!

I recently had the opportunity to try Emeril's vegetable stock though the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program. I decided to make a quick and simple veggie soup by sauteing some pre-diced onions and garlic. I then added a vegetable mix that came fresh from my grocer's refrigerated produce section as well as some fresh chilies. Then topped off the veggies with the broth. Simmers for about twenty minutes before enjoying the first bowl. Yum! You can even toss half the soup into a blender and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the soup and you have a chunky, almost creamy soup.

Easy. Delicious. And good for you!

Emeril's stock has only 15 calories for one cup. Not fat, fiber or protein.

Ingredients: filtered water, cooked vegetables* (carrot, onion, celery, tomato), cane juice*, yeast extract*, sea salt, molasses*, carrot powder*, onion powder*, potato flour*, flavoring*, flavoring and canola oil

* = organic ingredients

Cleaning out the fridge: Slow Cooker Slop!

There will be no pictures, the creation was in no way photogenic. But trust me when I say it is delicious. And if you are like me and have produce left at the end of the week, you should try this out.

I love fresh produce. I love it so much that in addition to my CSA, I get additional produce during the week.

I also sometimes veer off course of my planned menu. Which means I sometimes have produce that would go to waste if I didn't create something else.

My favorite use for produce near the end of it's life is to toss it all in the slow cooker (aka crock pot) with some broth and seasonings, and let it simmer on low all day.

You can blend up the resulting soup to get a creamier soup, or just enjoy it chunky.

It's easy to make and filling to eat!

My latest Slow Cooker Slop included onions, carrots, broccoli, garlic, and cauliflower. I used low sodium organic chicken broth and Mrs. Dash garlic and herb seasoning. For those of you counting points, a cup of this would be zero. A giant bowl might be one.

Quick, Inexpensive, Delicious Dinner

My mother made a lot of instant ramen when I was growing up. I realize now that is was because the noodles were cheap and quick to cook. But she would always make sure to add fresh vegetables and protein to the soup in order to bulk it out and stretch it to feed the whole family.

With summer months signaling lots of fresh produce, and also being so hot that you may not want to spend much time in the kitchen, I bring you my version of Mom's soup.

To lighten up the soup a bit, I used udon noodles which are not fried like ramen noodles. Depending on the store, these can be found in the cooler or on the shelf. The package I bought was less than 250 calories for the whole package, and I managed three entree bowls with the finished product.


I started by heating up a teaspoon of canola oil in the bottom of the pan and sauteing some garlic, onions, miniature turnips and carrots. I then added water (you could add broth to up the flavor, but I didn't have any) and cooked the noodles into the soup. I added an egg for inexpensive and quick protein and whisked the soup to break up the egg as it cooked. I added the flavor packet and tossed in some greens that needed to be used.

Simple. Inexpensive. Delicious.