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In my post yesterday, 5 Ways to Afford Real Food on a Meager Budget, I talked about how we ate less meat but still had high-quality meals. In this post, I share a few of our favorite meat-free meals.

Creamed Onions with Thyme and Sage

This is a dish that we love and I don’t make near often enough. The original recipe is from Food & Wine. I change it slightly work better for us.

Creamed Onions with Thyme and Sage

Millie Copper

A wonderful creamy combination. Serve over new potatoes, mashed potatoes, spaghetti squash, or rice for a satisfying main dish.

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Course Main Course

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 large onions cut in 1 inch dice
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup broth *
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Additional sea salt to taste

Instructions

 

• Melt butter in a large pot.
• Add the onions and cook over very low heat until they are soft and slightly caramelized (about half an hour) stirring occasionally.
• Add seasonings, stir and cook for a minute or two.
• Add the broth and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat and add the cream.
• Stir well.
• Add additional sea salt to taste.

Notes

*Make your own broth. 

Keyword creamed onions, nourishing meat free main dish

Coconut Soup

This is a soup I discovered in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon.  It is super easy and tasty. It is a thin soup, so I usually serve it in mugs alongside a salad or a savory custard.

This soup has a small amount of spice. The original recipe called for using dried pepper flakes. The first time I made this soup, we didn’t have any pepper flakes, so I used a whole hot pepper and removed it at serving time.  That worked well. One day when I was cutting hot peppers for cortido, I wondered if I could use the top of the pepper instead of throwing it in the trash in this soup. So I stashed my pepper tops in the freezer and pulled one out the next time I made Coconut Soup. It worked perfectly!

Coconut Soup

Millie Copper

This is a soup I discovered in Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. It is a super easy and tasty. A thin soup, so I usually serve it in mugs alongside a salad or a savory custard. See the recipe notes for a heartier version.

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Course Soup

Ingredients

  

• 1 quart broth
• 1 can whole coconut milk
• Pinch dried chile flakes OR a whole hot pepper, or the top of a hot pepper; add additional if you'd like it hotter.
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger fresh is best or 1/3 teaspoon powdered ground ginger
• sea salt
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice about 1 fresh lemon

Instructions

 

• Boil broth.
• Add remaining ingredients.
• Simmer for 15 minutes.

Notes

Variation

Add veggies for a heartier soup to eat with a spoon;

Saute 2 or 3 peeled and sliced carrots, 1 small chopped onion, and around 1 cup sliced mushrooms in  2 tablespoons butter until soft.
Proceed with recipe as above.

Keyword coconut soup

Savory Custard

This yummy main dish custard was inspired by Nourished Kitchen. A couple of years ago, she did a Food Stamp Challenge. Low-Cost Acorn Custard was on her menu plan (click here and scroll down until you find the recipe). I use that concept and make savory custards out of just about anything! This is a meal we especially love during the spring when the chickens and ducks start laying well.

Savory Custard

Millie Copper

I use that concept and make savory custards out of just about anything! This is a meal we especially love during the spring when the chickens and ducks start laying well. For more main dish egg ideas, check out my book Design a Dish.

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Course Main Course

Ingredients

  

• 4 tablespoons butter or combo of butter and coconut oil
• 1 onion diced
• 1-2 cups veggies cooked*
• 6 eggs beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

 

• Cook onion in oil until soft.
• Combine cooked onion, veggies, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Put mixture into well buttered casserole dish, baking pan, or cast iron skillet.
• Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes until eggs are solid.

Notes

*Veggie Notes:

You can make this savory casserole out of just about any vegetable as long as it isn't too wet. I like to use this recipe to use up leftovers that are lurking in the fridge.
The following vegetables are best pureed or mashed; acorn squash, butternut squash, sweet potato, spaghetti squash (I don't puree this one), and carrots.
Chopped and cooked works well for these; broccoli, summer squash, greens (collard, mustard, chard, etc), and cabbage.

Keyword savory custard

Beans

Substituting beans and legumes for meat is very well known.  Beans are also an excellent source of many minerals and B vitamins (read more about beans here).

Almost every week we have a Stretchy Bean of the week.  I’ll ask my husband, “What kind of bean do you want this week?” Then I’ll make a big pot of beans and we’ll turn that into three or four different meals.  I usually cook the beans in bone broth to help with the nutrition.

Sometimes, instead of cooking the beans, I’ll sprout them and use them that way.  Some of our bean-based dishes do have small amounts of meat added to the final dish, but the bulk of them are just the beans cooked in broth.

Check out my 13-week menu plan for lots of ideas, plus these bean recipes that my family loves:

• Pinto beans cooking and favorite meals
• Garbanzos cooking and favorite meals
• Red beans cooking and favorite meals
• Lentils cooking and favorite meals
• Sprouted peas

What to Become a Pro at Making Stretchy Beans?

Check out my book Stretchy Beans!

Inside Stretchy Beans: Nutritious, Economical Meals the Easy Way, you’ll discover:

• How to cook healthy, affordable beans with amazing flavors
• How to make one pot of beans each week and turn it into 3+ delicious meals the whole family loves—without feeling like you’re eating the same thing every night
• How to spend less time in the kitchen, while still getting dinner on the table every night
• Weekly Stretchy Beans meal plans that you can adapt to fit your family
• And much, much more!

Get your copy of Stretchy Beans here!

Please share your favorite meat-free meals in the comments!