Gardein Tasting with Chef Tal Ronnen

Posted on 2/4/2010 by grubgirl

the_conscious_cookThis is a rare last-minute post to those in San Francisco today. Chef Tal Ronnen (a well-known vegan chef) will be cooking up food at the Whole Foods Market in Pacific Heights on California and Gough, on Thursday, Feb. 11 from noon – 2pm.

Specifically, he’ll be touting the product Gardein, which is supposed to be healthy garden-based protein. I dare not compare this to Tofurkey, and am really really bummed that I won’t be able to sample it as I’ll be on another secret assignment. However, if you’ve seen the ingredient list of some other meat-substitute makers, you’ll know that there’s some not-so-organic stuff included in other products that makes me wonder if I shouldn’t just return to eating butter and meat. Well, Gardein is supposed to contain no crap contents. Someone go there and let me know how it is!

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Posted in Other Food Stuff, Free | 4 Comments

$5 Dinner Mom Cookbook: A Cheap Recipe Cookbook Review

Posted on 1/12/2010 by grubgirl

5DinnerMom-cookbookWhat: The $5 Dinner Mom Cookbook, by Erin Chase, on sale for $14.99 ($10.19 if you buy from Amazon.). Erin’s the founder of 5 Dollar Dinners, a cheap recipes site that’s gained popularity by creating dinners, well, for no more than $5.

Why:

  • The recipes are easy to cook, straightforward, and use healthy ingredients. If I can figure it out, you can figure it out!
  • Recipes show the cost of a meal, which serves a family of four (or makes for tasty leftovers for those of you with less mouths to feed).
  • Each recipe also comes with a Frugal Fact to help you stretch your food savings and eliminate waste whenever possible.

The only area of improvement I’d suggest is to have more recipe photos throughout the book. However, many of the recipes are old favorites (like the Easy Chicken Potpie), so you should have a good idea of what it’s supposed to look like.

Tested Recipe: I got a chance to use some leftover turkey meat that I’d frozen from the holidays. I’ll probably make another batch of this using some leftover pork tenderloin! The white sauce recipe was simple, and making this from scratch (ok, so there are some frozen vegetables) makes everything just taste so much better.

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Posted in Recipes, Meals from $5-15 per main course, USA | 4 Comments

Cheap & Easy Recipe: Roasted Red Beets

Posted on 11/29/2009 by grubgirl

Red Beets

I’ve been so busy eating that I haven’t made the time to write, whoops! (Really, I’m just having my fill before sharing it with the rest of the world.)

When I do need to cook my own meal, I’ve found a healthy and easy recipe that just requires an oven, and some fresh red beets.

Roasted Red Beets are a great autumn recipe and taste so much better than the canned stuff drenched in that red water.

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Posted in Recipes | 1 Comment

Sally’s After Dark: American Comfort Food at a Great Price

Posted on 10/23/2009 by grubgirl

Sally’s After Dark
300 De Haro St. Ste. 332
415-626-6006

Saturday evening, Sally’s After Dark opens quietly in Potrero Hill. But for those of us who were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at the menu this past week, Sally’s After Dark won’t be a secret for long.

A restaurant within another restaurant, Sally’s After Dark serves dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays from 6-11pm in the same space that houses Sally’s, the brunch joint that has been in Potrero Hill for decades (and is still operating).

Before I start espousing the joys of the food, I’ll also say that the ability to find parking easily beforehand kept me in high spirits as I sat down at the table.

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Posted in Meals more than $15 per main course, Potrero Hill, USA | 2 Comments