Another meal under $5

One of my all time favorite Indian dishes is cooked bananas and it is also one of the dishes I lived off of as a vegetarian.

When I first had this, it reminded me of the Gerber's mashed banana baby food, only bright yellow. I must say though, from the fourth or fifth bite (you have to give your taste buds and brain a chance to comprehend exactly what you're eating) I absolutely loved this dish.

The taste, if it can be described, is a little tangy and sweet all at the same time. It has a similar texture to the mashed banana baby food, but once your mind works itself around the texture, the taste is actually something unexpected. The only way to describe it is a grown-up, gourmet version of Gerber's mashed bananas.

Although it sounds weird, I hope you give it a try, if you like bananas, I think you probably will enjoy this. The recipe is meant for two or three people. Just like the previous recipe, there are no exact measurements, but this dish is hard to get wrong.

Indian Bananas

• Three or four bananas, peeled and sliced
• Vegetable oil
• Turmeric
  Black mustard seed
• Minced ginger
• Sugar
• One tomato, chopped (optional, adds a little more tang to the dish)

Coat bottom of frying pan with oil and put on medium heat. Add turmeric and mustard seed. With bottom of spoon, lightly roll over seeds to crack open. Add ginger, and stir.

Add bananas and stir. Cook for about two minutes, bananas should start becoming soft and bright yellow. Add the tomato and cook for about four or five minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Add about a half to a teaspoon of sugar, stir and turn off heat.

Indian bananas are best served and eaten with warmed tortillas.

Culturing a Family for Under $5

In my last blog, I discussed trying something outside of your comfort zone. During my experience as a vegetarian I came to find new and delicious meals that were easy and cheep to make. One of my favorites is a simple two course meal that a friend of mine, who is a native of India (and a vegetarian), made for me.I often make these two dishes separately, but they're two of my favorite (and the simplest) Indian dishes to make.

When I started this blog, I hoped to find exciting and wonderful opportunities for the money savy folk. In my next two blogs, I'd like to continue this by offering these two Indian dishes, both of which can be made for under $5.

WARNING: Any good chef will tell you that the best way to cook is by using your eyes, mouth, and nose, and with Indian food, they do just that. What does this mean? Quite simply, there are no real quantitative amounts offered in the recipe-- best to base it off of the smell, look, and taste. But be not afraid, your senses will thank you for trying this.

Indian Veggie Slaw

The Under $5 Ingredients:

• 1 Package Chopped Cabbage (coleslaw)
• Turmeric (this is a yellow powder, usually found in the spice isle)
• Black Mustard Seed (if you can't find black, regular will work, but the results are not quite as delicious)
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Vegetable Oil
• Cayenne Pepper (optional for a little kick to your meal)
  
  

Start off by coating a skillet with vegetable oil. It should be just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet.

Place this over medium heat and add the black mustard seed right away. Gently roll the bottom of a spoon over the mustard seed so that it cracks the seed partially open. This will release more flavor.

Stir in turmeric. Add enough so that the oil appears lightly yellow.

Add at least a tablespoon each of garlic and ginger. Base this amount on your preference. I usually put in two spoonfuls of garlic and a little less ginger to give it a little more potency. Add a little cayenne pepper here (if you're not used to spicy food, stick with only a shake or two, cayenne pepper can be quite strong). Stir.

Add the whole package of cabbage and stir. As you stir, the cabbage should start turning yellow. Cover and cook for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This is wonderful served with buttered and warmed tortillas. You can either warm them in the microwave, or when the cabbage is done cooking, empty the skillet and warm tortillas on that--this will add more of the turmeric and other spices to the tortillas for extra flavor.

Voila, an easy Indian dish for at least 4 people and all for under $5!

Meal of the Mind

I often watch Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel during my lunch break. Between his pessimistic cynicism and odd antics can be seen a motif often presented by chefs and travellers around the world: you can tell a lot about someone by what they cook, eat, and serve.

This past fall, I and a friend left our comfort zone in the hopes of writing a creative nonfiction immersion piece for our writing workshop class. Of course, being young college students, we had to find a way to leave our comfort zone without venturing far from home.

So one day when watching "No Reservations" we got our motivation: if what you eat is a part of who you are and a part of your culture, as so many knowledgeable people seem to agree, then wouldn't eating differently be not only an experiment for the stomach, but also for the soul?

This was our question as we set out on a month-long venture in the lives of vegetarians. For one whole month, two Midwestern, meat and potato eating, small-town girls attempted to not only walk in the shoes of, but also eat from the plates of vegetarians. From grocery shopping to restaurant eating, we had to follow the rules of vegetarian living. Our quest: to find out the answer--does what you eat change how you think and how you live?

Amazingly enough, the answer was yes. Living a vegetarian lifestyle truly required us to pay close attention to what we ate. Even grocery shopping became a hunt in the beginning as we realized the amount of products that contained non-vegetarian friendly ingredients.

But as the days progressed, we soon grew accustomed to the new rules. Not only that, but by the end of the month I'd avoid walking into a restaurant because the smell of mean cooking actually was unappetizing to me. Seem believable? It did to me, too. Although I'd never been a person who had to eat meat every day, it was a surprise to not even miss eating meat by the end of the month.

Our plan when we had completed our vegetarian month was to have our first non vegetarian meal include meat--my choice chicken (something not so overtly meaty). When it came to eating our first non vegetarian meal, I actually had to force myself to eat the half piece of chicken breast on my plate. Plus, I felt guilty for it, like I was breaking a rule.

It took another couple of weeks before I could eat meat again.

So what does this have to do with my blog? Most people are so set in their lifestyles that it's hard to change any of their ways. But when you take yourself out of your comfort zone--even through something as simple as a meal--you'd be amazed what you find in yourself. You just might find a new and better activity or object to make a part of your life.

The fact is, TV isn't the only way to experience a new lifestyle, but it can prompt ideas that could change your future. So, keep your eyes, ears, and mouths open to every new opportunity that passes your way. It may prove to be more entertaining than 70 channel package you buy every month on cable TV!