95°F
weather icon Windy

Stretch your meat with small cheats

In anticipation of rising meat prices, purchase limits and supply chain disruptions due to COVID-19, here are some tricks, tips and techniques to serve less meat (and chances are your family won’t even notice).

Make changes gradually. When you make your family’s favorite meaty meals, use less meat than the recipe calls for and bulk up recipes with vegetables. Add beans to chili and zucchini to lasagna. Add celery, onion and carrot to meatloaf, hamburgers and meatballs.

A word to the wise: Don’t serve piles of arugula salad or bust out the tofu just yet or you could have a mutiny on your hands. To start, serve dishes centered around a familiar nonmeat protein like eggs, cheese or beans. Choose dishes like cheese enchiladas (recipe below), vegetable lasagna, macaroni and cheese, or grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup. Breakfast for dinner is always a hit.

When you reduce the meat in casseroles, soups, sauces and pasta, ensure the meat you use is flavorful. Items like ham, bacon and sausage are great examples of a little bit going a long way. Remember, there are sausages made from turkey, chicken and vegetables.

Plan meals around their favorite vegetables. Does your family like corn? Make corn chowder. Like broccoli? Serve broccoli and cheese casserole. Do they like potatoes? Serve loaded baked potatoes with cheese and vegetables but very little meat.

You also can save dough with dough. Everyone loves pizza. Make pizza with lots of cheese and vegetables. Fill calzones with tomato, spinach and mozzarella. Make pot pies or hand pies with vegetable-based fillings.

Embrace the bean. Explore recipes that use garbanzos, black beans or lentils as the protein source. Beans don’t have to look like beans when you make falafel, bean burgers or hummus.

Go with the grain. Many grains are excellent sources of protein, like quinoa, spelt, amaranth and buckwheat. Make grain bowls loaded with vegetables.

If meatless dinners don’t work for you, go meatless for other meals, like oatmeal for breakfast in lieu of eggs and bacon. Try vegetable-based soups, salads, peanut butter or cheese sandwiches for lunch.

I’ll end with my No. 1 tip: Don’t talk about it. Just make the change and chances are they’ll just happily eat what’s on their plate.

EASY CHEESY ENCHILADAS

What you’ll need:

8 soft taco-sized flour tortillas

4-6 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Enchilada sauce, purchased or recipe below

Serving suggestions: lettuce, tomato, sour cream and avocado

Here’s how:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a 9-by-13 baking pan. Pour ½ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Place 1/3 to ½ cup of cheese in a tortilla and roll it up like a loose burrito. Place in one end of the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas, placing them side by side and squishing them together.

Spoon ¼ cup of sauce over each enchilada. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Place in oven for 10-12 minutes or until it’s all bubbly and melted. Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and avocado.

^

DIVA PATTI’S ENCHILADA SAUCE

This sumptuous sauce is so easy to make you’ll never buy canned enchilada sauce again. This makes 3 cups of sauce for less than $1 and takes less than 15 minutes to prepare. Have everything measured and ready before you start as this goes fast and you don’t want to burn your flour and oil once you start.

What you’ll need:

¼ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 cups water

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Here’s how:

In a 2-quart saucepan on medium, heat oil. Whisk in flour and cook for one minute, whisking constantly. Add chili powder and whisk quickly to incorporate. Don’t burn this. Add water slowly and whisk vigorously. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is a recipe developer and food writer of the website “Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!” Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
When household products overpromise and actually deliver

Every now and again you come across a product that makes you stand back and say, “Wow, that worked way better than I thought it would!” These gleeful moments come as a welcome surprise when we’re often disappointed by products that overpromise and under-deliver. When I find these little gems, I store them away in my mental DIY toolbox. This past month, I was happy to add a few more “must have” products that exceeded my expectations.

Summer is a time to be safe

It’s a safe bet that the one thing we all have in common every summer is managing the extreme heat and our body’s reaction to the excessive temperature prevalent in our geographic location.

Free fishing fun

Logan Davis, along with his kids Winter and Maverick, tried their best to catch a fish Saturday, along with all the many others who enjoyed the city’s free fishing day at the pond at Veterans Memorial Park.

Ordinance promotes cleanliness, accessibility of public places

Individuals camping in public spaces has increased dramatically in the past few years across the nation. On May 27 the city of Boulder City joined the cities of Reno, Las Vegas, Henderson, and Sparks, along with Clark, Washoe, and Nye counties in passing a measure to expand the prohibition on camping in public places within city limits. The new ordinance goes into effect on June 19, 2025.

And all that jazz (in the park)

A relatively small but appreciative crowd turned out Saturday evening for Jazz in the Park, sponsored by the Boulder City Parks and Recreation Department and the Las Vegas Jazz Society. The evening featured the Marlane Coker Quintet and guest at Bicentennial Park.

Flushing faux pas may lead to clogs, costly repairs

When it comes to plumbing clogs, we can definitely apply the adage “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”…or in this case, a quart of Liquid Plumr.

Art exhibition to showcase work of Connie Ferraro

Connie Ferraro has worn many hats in her life. They have included Broadway dancer, actress, wife of longtime Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro and these days, artist.

Year ending on high note at Mitchell Elementary

From the first day to the last, it takes a great deal of energy to get through a school year. The students, staff, and families are ceaseless in their efforts to ensure that we have a great year from beginning to end. We are successful because we are supported by our community.

Mental health in an aging population

The American Psychiatric Association defines mental illness as health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking, and behaviors.

Sunflower Breakfast celebrates King’s parent volunteers

Boulder City’s commitment to community was on full display at this year’s annual Sunflower Breakfast, a heartwarming event dedicated to honoring the incredible volunteers who help our school thrive.