Low Fat, Low Cost

Since it seems like the unintentional Ideas for Frugal Living theme this week is Frugal Food, I thought that I might as well go ahead and give you this recipe for a delicious low-fat entree. I made this last night for the first time, and it was pretty good. I don’t judge the tastiness-level of foods myself, of course. I could eat PBJ’s seven days a week and be perfectly content. So I rely on my husband’s opinion. He has a much higher standard when it comes to the deliciousness of food, and he really liked this one - even went back for seconds.

Lately I’ve been trying to be more conscious of the fat content of the foods I’m preparing. I have a very stubborn cholesterol situation that is costing me a pretty penny every month in Lipitor pills to keep it under control. Aaaargh! Even though a monthly Lipitor prescription is certainly much less costly then treatment for a heart attack, I still would much prefer to not pay that cost every month at all. Maybe I can get the “bad” numbers down with diet, and eventually go off the pills. (Just an aside: my dad tells me that there is a generic version of this which would then only be $4.00 per month on my insurance plan. Note to cheap self: ASK DOCTOR ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU GO FOR YOUR THREE-MONTH CHECKUP!!!!!!!! Oh, boy, I hope I don’t forget about that).

Anyhoo, back to low-fat recipes. (If you have any great ones out there in Frugal land, please share. I’m sure I’m not the only Frugal out there with a cholesterol problem. I can use all the help I can get!). This one is from my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook. Of course, that cookbook is not solely dedicated to low-fat cooking, but it has quite a few recipes in it that are low-fat. Also, at the bottom of every recipe is the nutrition information which very kindly lays out the (among other things) fat grams and calories per serving. I came across this one yesterday and since I had almost everything on hand, I decided to give it a whirl. Here it is:

White Chili

1 TBS vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro or 1/2 tsp ground coriander (I used the coriander, didn’t have cilantro, which is certainly very yummy!)

2 tbs lime juice (I used lemon juice, didn’t have lime)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregeno

1/4 tsp red pepper sauce (I used Tabasco)

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (11 oz) whole kernel corn (I used a cup frozen)

1 can (15-16 oz) great northern beans (I didn’t have, so didn’t use)

1 can (15-16 oz) butter beans, drained (I did have this one)

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1. Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook onions and garlic in oil, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken; simmer until hot.

Serving size 1 1/3 cups (makes 6 servings): Calories 320; Fat 6g; Fiber 11g; Protein 31g

Since I didn’t include the great northern beans, I think all the above numbers will be a bit lower. But as you can see, this meal is nutritionally excellent (not to mention yummy, which, let’s face it, is more important to me despite my bad cholesterol).

Even though this is called “White Chile” it’s really more like Tortilla Soup, especially if you eat it with tortilla chips, like my husband did. He also put cheddar cheese on top, which is good (but not low-fat). Betty also recommends chopped onions, sour cream, and fresh avocado as tasty “condiments”.

What about cost? Well, the chicken was bought on sale for .64/lb, and I probably used 1/2 lb (this is also a great recipe for using up left-over cooked chicken). The butter beans were about .80, corn about .50, and three cans of chicken broth, $1.50 (I had even better, cheaper homemade broth, but I had to throw it out when my freezer died :(). I don’t know what the other stuff costs but I used such small amount of herbs, lemon juice, and oil that it must have not been much. So for 6 servings that comes to a cost of about .52 per serving ( $3.12/6). I think that is great for a delicious, EASY, low-fat meal.

Of course, if I’d had the homemade broth on hand, and planned better (I’m a bad planner) to soak and cook the dry great northern beans I have, it would have been even cheaper. But that is a good thought. Next time I go grocery shopping, I’ll pick up some dry lima or butter beans (are they the same?), soak, cook, and freeze them. I’m pretty sure that this recipe will go on our regular rotation of favorites, so I’ll be making it again.

There was plenty left over, too. I just had some for breakfast, and it was a very satisfying way to start the day. (I really love oatmeal, but sometimes it just doesn’t stick to your ribs!). I have enough for a side for my husband’s lunch as well.

This recipe was a good lesson for me. Now I can see that low-fat cooking doesn’t have to be expensive. It’s nice to know that I have what it takes (in my pantry, fridge, and freezer) to put some tasty, inexpensive low-fat meals on the table.