Economeals: Mixed Veggie Couscous

Hi guys!

Since being in France, I have had the opportunity to try so many new foods, including alternative grains and cereals that I never gave a second look to in The States. Among them: barley, risotto, brown rice and couscous! From this point forward, though, I'm making a point to vary my daily diet. Here's how I made a fantastic vegetable couscous to include in my lunches this week (for under €1 per serving!)

Couscous is about €0,80-1,00 per box, and a box makes a ton of finished product. It's fast easy to make: just add boiling water, or broth, to a pan of grains, cover with plastic wrap, and wait five minutes before fluffing with a fork. I used chicken broth, because I had bouillon cubes on hand. 

For vegetables, I used spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and red pepper left over from what I bought at the open-air market on Thursday, all of which I diced into morsels. I also added some lemon juice to tang it up. Any veggie can be added, and there are even raisins in the "Oriental" couscous I had been buying at the grocery store, so it's a pretty versatile base.

Being as I had never made couscous before, I overestimated and made 2/3 of a box. I gave half to my neighbor, and STILL had enough for 3 lunches worth, and some to eat hot. Before assembling my salad, I allowed the couscous to cool on the counter for a little while. Then, I simply tossed in the veggies, and mixed in lemon juice to taste.

Hopefully this will inspire you to shake up your lunch routine with something out of the ordinary. For €1 a box, couscous is worth the risk!

Thanks for reading!

Cheap and Cheerful Snack: Blenderless Avocado Smoothie

Coucou à tous! 

With the weather being so warm, an avocado smoothie had been sounding good all week. Finally, I gave in to making one despite not having a blender or even ice. It was really simple and inexpensive to do, with only 4 ingredients. Here's a look at the recipe:

I really like the way mine turned out: smooth, rich and sweet. With some whipped cream, it would have been out of this world!

What do you think of this off-beat treat? Would you give it a try? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading!

Today's Way to Save Episode 4: Market Chai for Cheap!

Bonjour tout le monde!

Today, I'm excited to share with you a fantastic market-spice recipe for chai tea syrup! Making this at home can help you avoid paying café prices for chai lattés or pre-made mix. Here's how I went about it, and how you can do the same:

At Aix's 365-day market, and especially the tri-weekly "grand marché", there is usually at least one spice vendor, and tables for honey, fruit and veggies. All around, the prices for fresh, fragrant ingredients are extremely reasonable, even considering the exchange rate.

In your case, you may consider shopping a similar outdoor market, or visiting an ethnic store in your area. Bulk spices tend to run much cheaper than pre-packed ones (besides being fresher and more flavorful)!

My favorite part about Aix's market, next to practicing my French, is that every vendor is more or less willing to budge on prices with a little small talk. I was able to work out 2 delectably scented Madagascar vanilla beans for €1, and a mini-pot of local forest honey for €3 by just explaining what I was going to make with them.

In total, I bought everything I needed for around €12, including excess spices, tea, and more unrefined sugar than I will -ever- use in 3 months. Even if I don't make another batch, that's €0,60 per serving!

For tea, I used €2 Lipton vanilla flavored black tea from DIA. Granted, plain black tea would likely provide a more authentic chai flavor. For sugar, I used unrefined cane "cassonade" that is sold in small inexpensive bags all over Aix.

Also, I opted to add extra peppercorns during the second boil-down because my mix didn't smell spicy enough for my tastes. Feel free to be flexible and make your own special recipe! Here's mine:

Making this recipe with some my CEA friends was great fun, even though we didn't get to finish it the first time; the whole house smelled fantastic! The finished syrup tastes even better than it smells, mixed with warm or cold milk. I highly recommend you give it a try.

If you do, it won't last long! (Depending on how fast you can drink 20 lattés) ;)

What are your thoughts on chai? If you're a fan, would you ever attempt this recipe? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!

WASA Crêpe Night

Bonjour tout le monde,

Last night, Western's Ambassadors for Study Abroad (WASA) gathered at the old International House for a DIY Crêpe Potluck!

Everyone who attended brought ingredients to share with the group such as jam, honey, Nutella, powdered sugar and strawberries.

 I, As mentioned here, was in charge of the copious amounts of crêpe batter...

We took turns making crêpes and practicing our wrist swirling, which is WAY more nerve-wracking than it sounds! 

However, I was very excited to see everyone master the technique and have fun doing it!

We pumped out dozens of thin and tasty crêpes; enough to share with our members, all of the residents of the international house, AND take home leftovers. A triple batch of batter *may* have been overkill...

Don't they look sweet?

It's safe to say that the event was a success. Now we'll have to have food at all of our WASA meetings!

Thanks for reading!

Half a Gallon of Crêpe Batter!

Bonjour à tous,

Tonight I made a triple batch of crêpe batter - almost half a gallon - for tomorrow's WASA Crêpe Night Potluck.

It was really pretty easy, and it came together pretty fast using ingredients that most everyone should have on hand. I used the sweet variety, minus the liqueur, from the Food Network recipe below:

I just can't wait to cook up some of these babies with my WASA friends! 

Have you every made crêpes? What's your favorite topping or filling? Tell me in the comments below!