Is it really bad stuff? I know that a lot of it can be GM...For us here, a lot of the rice comes from Asia and Australia.
We are broke right now and organic rice(white or brown) costs $4 a pound here. THe conventional brown I can get for $1.00 a pound, maybe cheaper) and the white(though we don't really eat it far cheaper...like 50cents/pound)

I dunno...I usually buy EVERYTHING organic usually, and I am at a loss as where to compromise. The place in our budget that we spend tons of money is on food. The rest really can't budge.

Any help would be most apprecited.

Oh we eat mostly vegetarian...

OK..on the potatoes. I am not super fond of them, but the organic are cheap and really good~dh and the kids love them. Any good potato recipes that aren't loaded with dairy?

I make potato leek soup
oven baked fries
mashed potatoes.
roasted root veggies
potato pancakes

TIA!

Most of my potato recipes are loaded with dairy. :eyes: But your potato pancakes sound wonderful and if you would share the recipe I would love it.

One thing you could do is spice up the potatoes for you a bit... like put rosemary and olive oil on your oven baked fries etc... you know? We really like Dill potatoes... just butter, olive oil, dill and salt over boiled red potaotes. Sometimes the kids add parmasean to those, but you don't have to, they are super good without it.

As for the rice, I honestly would let your budget do the talking. I understand the want of wanting to stay organic (esp when you do most things organic already) but at the same time, sometimes there is room for allowing your money to find another place. It you eat a lot of rice, this may be a place... you know? (Although eating a lot of it could also be a call to eat it only organic so I digress).

Val

You may not care for it, but I love to bake my potatoes then cut them into squares. I put some olive oil in the pan and fry them with onions and peppers...I always add some Smart balance to the pan for flavor. The onions and the butter..yum!

Most of my potato recipes are loaded with dairy. :eyes: But your potato pancakes sound wonderful and if you would share the recipe I would love it.

One thing you could do is spice up the potatoes for you a bit... like put rosemary and olive oil on your oven baked fries etc... you know? We really like Dill potatoes... just butter, olive oil, dill and salt over boiled red potaotes. Sometimes the kids add parmasean to those, but you don't have to, they are super good without it.

As for the rice, I honestly would let your budget do the talking. I understand the want of wanting to stay organic (esp when you do most things organic already) but at the same time, sometimes there is room for allowing your money to find another place. It you eat a lot of rice, this may be a place... you know? (Although eating a lot of it could also be a call to eat it only organic so I digress).

Val
Thanks Val fand Maura for the ideas~they sound yummy. I can't get smart balance or even an equivalent here but it should be just as yummy with olive oil. I had to LOL on the "Well, if you eat a lot of rice...maybe you should buy organic..." :hahaha: You have made it into my head.
I am thinking I will eat more wheat based stuff and potato stuff. They are cheaper than rice. I just like rice as it is so much lighter...Fortunately organic oats are also very affordable :) And, organic dairy is affordable~lol! I need to convert people here to eat more variety!

It is time to make a meal plan shopping list which is like Chinese Water torture to me, but I really think it will help. ;)

I can't have dairy right now but eat potatoes all the time!

Like Val I usually toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper then some herb. Rosemary is a favorite, but Thyme is also quite good (I usually use dried but if you have fresh that would be great too - my plant is still quite small :) ). Sometimes I add a sprinkle of chili powder and serve them with mexican type meals as an alternative to rice.

If it is too hot for the oven I cook them in a cast iron skillet on the stove with a mix of OO and sunflower oil (so it doesn't smoke).


Another use for potatoes - I make a frittata about once a week. I like to add potato and whatever herbs/veggies I have around. So many variations!! Usually they do have cheese, but they are still quite good without. For my DH, I add just a little good quality cheese to his half - it doesn't take much.

Regarding the rice - that's tough. If the organic is out of your budget (yikes at that price!) I would at least get the brown rice and skip the white. The brown is still pretty reasonable and at least healthier. Any chance of investigating the conventional companies that provide the regular brown rice to learn if they are GM and/or loaded with pesticides?

Maybe if you start using the less expensive org potatoes for more meals, the organic rice will be more affordable?

Hi Sweetie....
I totally understand your concern. When I can afford msotly organic I do it. When I cannot I try to get organic the things the body may likely store liek butter, milk, you know..the fats and meat and eggs stuff.
And of course whatever we can eat raw I try to get organic.

Then I try real hard to do organic grains BUT I may budge on that one if it meant giving up organic fruits and veggies.

But soemtimes my budget leaves me littel room for organic in which then I get what I can. We go through this stuff alot.

AS for potatoes, we bake potatoes alot. They are so good. Then save the extras and do similar to what mom2avasteph does and fry them up. I use coconut oil or butter. From what I have read, those are the best to use when cooking.
Although we love olive oil and use that on another recipe where we cut potatoes in cubes and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil and onion soup mix and mix and bake at 400 until brown. YUM!

Mashed taters, tater salad or use in stews.

Potato Scones;

These are a traditional Scottish recipe and very yummy:) I just remembered this one.

1/2 pound mashed potato
1Tbsp butter or oil
2 oz plain flour(1/2 cup)

While potatoes are still warm work in the butter with plenty of seasoning(or if potatoes are cold, melt butter and add it in). Then knead in as much flour as the potato will take to make a pliable dough. Roll the dough out as thinly as possible, then cut into 3 inch rounds and prick the surface with a fork.
HEat griddle or fry pain, brush surface with oil and cook scones about 4 at a time for three minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm on a plate inthe oven while cooking rest.

Serve with extra butter if so inclined.

Potato Pancakes(Latkes) #1
(I haven't made this one in forever so I don't remeber if there are any tips..I think the recipe is fine as is)

2 Large white rose potatoes(russet works well too)
1/2 onion
2 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1/2-1 tsp salt
oil for cooking
Wash and scrub potatoes. Do not peel them~you need the peels for the added texture.. Add all ingredients to food processor and pulse until ingredients blended but not too fine. Drop by Tablespponful onto hot skillet and fry on both sides until brown. You do not need a ton of oil.

Latkes #2 (make this quite often)

2 large potatoes
1 Tbsp flour
1Tbsp cream or milk or water
1 egg beaten
1/4-1/2 tsp salt

Peel and grate potatoes. Place on double thickness tea towels or paper towels and squeeze out liquid into towels.
Put dry postatoes in a bowl, add all remaining ingredients and mix.
Heat oil in large skillet. Put about 2 Tbsp mixture in the pan and shape/press into a flat 3 1/2 inch pancake. Repeat until pan is full, but not crowded. Cook each pancake about 5 minutes over medium low heat until the bottom is crisp and brown. Turn and cook on other side about 5 minutes more. Keep warm in 300 degree oven until ready to serve.
If you want, you can make the pancakes bigger, but they take longer to cook.
They taste amazing with applesauce or cranberry sauce. If you eat dairy, even more amazing with sour crem or yogurt.

We eat too much rice so there's no way I could buy it organic. I do tend to spend a little extra and get the better quality rices (about $25 for a 40lb bag) and then wash the rice really well before cooking it.

Mashed potatoes with kale mixed in. Beautiful.
Potatoes with cabbage slivered in.
Potatoes boiled with a clove or so of garlic, and, possibly carrots.

Mashed turnips, if they are available.

Brown rice rather than white rice, just for the "stick to the ribs" business.

saute an onion, some celery and a green pepper. Then add potatoes, and possibly broth. Cover, braise, serve. salt, pepper,


saute chicken, add cubed potatoes, sweat. At end, add a can of peas. Not fresh. canned. This is a dish from galatoires, a four star restaurant.

brandades: root vegetables layered with greens, is, I believe, the minimal definition. So, layers of thin sliced potatoes, onion, greens, etc, and so on and so forth. search it online. jeffrey steingarten has an article.

potato slices rather than piecrust,on a shepherd's pie.

baked potatoes with chili
baked potatoes with salsa.
baked potatoes with green beans and tuna and boiled eggs, with a vinagrette.

potatoes mashed with yogurt, or yogurt and dill. or yogurt and cumin.

shredded, in soup, with a medium green,

"tater with feta, or feta and lemon.cheese, oops.

tato with tofu and sesame seeds and soy sauce. Or skip the seeds.

Indonesian peanut sauce, over potatoes. peanut butter, ginger, garlic,and who knows what else? IT's in diet for a small planet.

I wonder if there isn't a spicy african peanut sauce that would work over potatoes.

Oh, italian sauce over potatoes. use parsley for sprinkling, instead of cheese.

or portuguese soup, with cabbage, sausage, fennel, tomatoes, or honestly, what's in the fridge.

chowder: red and white, neither needs cheese.

Cheap white chowder: cubed potatoes, can of tuna, chopped onion. You can make a dairy based white sauce, or an oil based roux, to start it.

ari

I thinkly slice potatoes and layer them in a glass casserole with kale or similar green and some minced garlic. Use some oil (olive, coconut, etc.) to keep things moist and from sticking. I bake it like I would a regular casserole and it's delicious!

Tara

I'd buy the Australian rice, because according to the sunrice website:

"Chemical usage on rice in Australia is low by world standards thanks to a unique rotation system utilising natural biological controls.

SunRice farmer-shareholders grow an annual average of about 1.2 million tonnes of paddy rice in an efficient and sustainable farming system. Australian rice growers are considered to be the most efficient in the world, and have improved their water use efficiency by 60% over the last 10 years."

Also, you'd know women (more like slaves) weren't in dangerous low-paying working in the paddies which is apparently how it works in much of Asia.

Kerri

Kerri~you are a dear. :smooch:

I'd buy the Australian rice, because according to the sunrice website:

"Chemical usage on rice in Australia is low by world standards thanks to a unique rotation system utilising natural biological controls.

SunRice farmer-shareholders grow an annual average of about 1.2 million tonnes of paddy rice in an efficient and sustainable farming system. Australian rice growers are considered to be the most efficient in the world, and have improved their water use efficiency by 60% over the last 10 years."

Also, you'd know women (more like slaves) weren't in dangerous low-paying working in the paddies which is apparently how it works in much of Asia.

Kerri

all those recipes sound delicious!!!!

here is mine:

potatoe soup

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

sautee garlic, onions,& leeks (i like all 3 but it is good with any 2) add water and broth or bullion (as you like it) and several washed/cubed potatoes.

when the soup is almost done add LOTS of fine chopped parsley and cook another 15 minutes or so.

we eat this with corn bread and honey or biscuits when the pantry and checkbook are sparse. and when things are a bit more plush we add chicken or sausage.