Scarlet Runner Bean Update - Flowers but no beans and how to hand-pollinate

Earlier this month I shared a post on how I accidentally grew scarlet runner beans inside this spring. About two weeks ago, when the weather warmed up, I moved them outside and they've continued to thrive.

However, I've discovered a problem.

Once the flowers that first blossomed inside started to wither and drop off, no beans were forthcoming. I had plenty of runner bean flowers, but no beans!

So I did some research and found some answers! And now I have a bean...

Leftover French Fry Hash (gluten free with vegan option)

Okay, I confess that sometimes I feel a little silly asking a restaurant to package up my leftover French Fries. It's not like you're asking for leftover pizza or pasta or something expensive and not easily made at home. Especially considering that leftover fries tend to be kind of gross the next day, either soggy or too hard.

But not when you make them into a super frugal, flexible hash!! Which is, in my humble opinion, the best way to use up leftover French fries. My husband loves leftover fries for breakfast done this way, and I think you will, too : )

Surprisingly, a seemingly small amount of french fries can make a decent amount of hashbrowns, once you cut them up fine. Especially if you add other things in. The above hash served two of us, whereas the leftover fries I started with wouldn't even be one full serving in a restaurant.

Ever since I tried making potato hash out of leftover fries a few months back, it's become one of my favourite breakfast treats, and now I never turn down taking fries home. Of course, you can also have this leftover french fry hash any time of day...

Easy Gluten Free and Vegan Borscht with Sauerkraut (#MeatlessMonday)

Free of gluten, dairy, soy, & eggs

A while back I shared a post with 25 Ways to Use Beets. There was a borscht recipe in there, of course, but it wasn't mine. This is the very simple, easy recipe I use to make borscht.

And believe it or not, my husband, who doesn't like beets OR sauerkraut, actually likes this borscht recipe. This vegan borscht takes only a few minutes to chop and grate the ingredients, and about 20 minutes on the stove, and is just about the simplest soup I've ever made. And it makes enough to serve 2 people throughout the week.

Which is absolutely perfect as we head into the chilly winter months and crave warm, comforting soup for lunch and dinner. Borscht is a cheap, easy, naturally gluten free and healthy soup that can be served with a big chunk of my Gluten Free Multiseed Multigrain Bread for a complete and satisfying meal!

Vegan Mung Bean and Turmeric Curry (Anti-Inflammatory) & Meatless Monday

Free of gluten, dairy, shellfish, eggs, nuts, soy, and corn

Ever wonder what those little green beans in the Asian section at the supermarket are? Mung beans. Little green balls of anti-inflammatory, cooling goodness. Or so says traditional healing from the east.

This mung bean and turmeric curry is like an uber anti-inflammatory stew. And it's great on a few levels because it's healthy, super cheap, easy, made in one pot (easy clean up), and vegan, so it's perfect for Meatless Monday. Also, the curry flavour is super mild in this, so it's not hot or spicy, and is a great intro to curry for those who are hesitant to try it for the first time.

How to Cook and Freeze Big Batches of Beans for Frugal Dinners & Avoid BPA Lined Cans

I have a confession. I'm a bit of a lazy cook. Sometimes I love just being able to pull something out of the freezer and whip up dinner. But I don't like to buy a lot of canned foods, which can be expensive, or have unhealthy ingredients, preservatives, and potentially dangerous linings, like BPAs (which I explain a little more in detail below). 

 So it's super convenient to have big batches of staples, like beans, chickpeas, lentils, and brown rice in the freezer that I can just pull out, defrost, and pop into quick, healthy, naturally gluten free recipes.

Once in awhile when the freezer gets a little bare, I plan ahead (like with my Gluten Free Meal Plans) and cook up several different types of beans and chickpeas and freeze them in batches. It's really, really simple and proper preparation can really reduce the likelihood of ... ahem... unpleasant gastrointestinal distress.

Gluten Free Vegetable Scrap Stew: Cannelini Beans and Swiss Chard Stem Stew

Free of gluten, nuts, soy, dairy, seafood, Vegan friendly
 

One of the things I've realized in the process of creating my GF, Locavore-ish Weekly Meal Plans over the last couple of months is that, while I can get pretty creative with baked goods, I have been a bit lazy when it comes to dinners. I find myself falling back on the same stir-fries and quick dinners over and over. 

And when I do get creative with dinners, I don't end up photographing them and sharing them with you, often because we're hungry and the lighting for taking photos sucks at night. This isn't fair to you. You, my dear readers, deserve much more from me.  You deserve healthy dinners, not just Apple Dumplings and Sprouted Lentil Breads. 

So this Cannelini Bean and Swiss Chard Stem Stew (made from end of the week vegetable scraps) marks the beginning of what I hope will be an inspirational relationship between me and my meal planning  - and maybe my new crockpot, too!

My Meal Planning Page

This page is dedicated to housing all my Gluten Free, Locavore-ish Weekly Meal Plan posts, and posts related to meal planning around local foods. Most of these posts include or are focused around saving money while making use of every scrap of food in your fridge!

Gluten Free Cooked Watermelon Rind Soup: the health benefits of watermelon rind, OAS melon allergies & saving $$!

Free of gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy, seafood, corn

Holy smokes is this ever cool! This soup is more than a quadruple threat -it's super frugal, it's easy, it's healthy, it's tasty, AND it's a safer way for people with oral allergy syndrome related melon allergies to eat watermelon! (i.e. me)

And if you hurry, you can probably still pick up some watermelon from your local farmers market to try this out!

Herbed Yogurt Cheese Balls in Olive Oil (Labneh Balls)

Free of gluten, soy, nuts, eggs and corn

Drained yogurt, rolled in herbs and preserved in olive oil, then slathered on crackers and bread, served with olives and Middle Eastern Zata'ar Rolls, followed by Turkish Coffee. Uhm, yeah, it's pretty awesome. And you can totally make it all at home, cheaply and easily. 

21 Great Gluten Free Recipes for Summer!

This week I dredged through my old posts in search of some of my best posts for making use of local, seasonal summer produce.  What I came up with includes posts on using up Swiss Chard stems, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, apples, lemons and fruit to make baked goods, soups, salads, pastas and drinks. 

I hope you enjoy them, and find some ways to use up the summer's bounty while supporting your local farmers!

Herbed Tuna Pasta Salad (Cold Meals for Hot Summer Days)

Free of gluten, corn, dairy, eggs, nuts and soy

Happy Day after Canada Day! In case you missed it, this weekend I shared a post on Canadian Food that some of you might get a kick out of.

It was so hot the past 2 weeks that I was in Greece that I was *almost* looking forward to a typical rainy day in Vancouver, BC.

Of course, now that I'm back in British Columbia the heat is breaking records!

And who wants to cook over a hot stove in a fiery kitchen?! This tuna pasta salad concoction is one of our favorite hot weather meals. It's super healthy, fast, only requires turning on the stove for literally 5 minutes (yes, you can cook noodles by only turning on the stove for 5 minutes), and is delicious and refreshing.

8 Free and Easy DIY Summer Dress Tutorials

So summer is pretty much here for most people in North America, and I'm a few days away from leaving for my 2 week trip to Greece.

For months I've diligently gathered tutorials on my various Pinterest boards with the intentions of sewing myself a pretty summer dress to take with me.  I've marveled at how easy and quick these DIY summer dresses seemed to be. Well you know what Robbie Burns said: The best laid plans o'mice and men gang aft agley.

The upside of my lack of planning is that I've decided to share some of the prettiest, quickest, and easiest of the tutorials I've collected, so hopefully some of you can make use of them!

The Apartment Garden: How to Take Cuttings to Propagate Mint and Cuban Oregano

Using a bunch of store bought mint and a beat up Cuban Oregano in a cup of water

Ever wondered if you could take cuttings from a bunch of fresh herbs bought at the market, or if you could propagate without any fancy shmancy greenhouse stuff?  I did, so I gave it a shot.

And it worked!  At least with peppermint.  Which practically grows like a weed anyway.  I also decided to take some cuttings from a scraggly Cuban Oregano (a variety of mint also known as Mexican Mint or Oregano) from last summer, and that's worked out nicely too.  

I think this would be a super fun project for kids, too, as they can actually see the roots develop. 

How to Make Yogurt, Syrian-style, and Labneh (Greek Yogurt)

Easy Gluten Free Yogurt

Making yogurt is so easy, and not at all technical.  People have been doing it for ages without food thermometers or fancy yogurt makers!

I learned how to make yogurt from a couple of Syrian ladies a few years ago, so this method is based on what they showed me.  I'm calling it Syrian yogurt in honour of them, and in the hopes that their families and friends are safe despite the escalating casualties in the Syrian civil war.

Once you get the hang of making basic yogurt you can up your game and make Greek style yogurt, or the thick, drained yogurt known as labneh in the Middle East. This is my absolute favorite type of yogurt! 

How to Save On Shopping - Guest post by Nicole of Rolling Out Dough

It's Good Friday and I'm thrilled to announce a frugal guest poster today on P & GF! 

Nicole of Rolling Out Dough is sharing a post with some tips on how to save on shopping.  Meanwhile, I'm sharing a post over on her site on how to naturally clean your coffee maker using one super cheap household ingredient. 

So read on for 6 of Nicole's tips to save your shekels when you head out shopping!