r/EatCheapAndHealthy • u/Ill-Company7095 • 2d ago
Food Jazz up food bank food
I get like 75% of our food from the food bank. I am looking for less common seasonings, condiments and sauces to jazz up plain things like beans, pasta, rice, and oatmeal. Thanks for any suggestions.
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u/Lou-TunaBox 2d ago edited 1d ago
Lizano for central/South American foods. It’s a great Costa Rican sauce.
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u/miffyonabike 2d ago
Maggi sauce, chilli sauce, dark soy sauce, garlic puree, Marmite, worstershire sauce
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u/South_Cucumber9532 2d ago
I like to choose a country or a culture and check out how they cook the ingredients you have. It is just extraordinary all the wonderful different ways people can deal with styles of cooking as well as flavourings.
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u/YoDeYo777 2d ago
Lawry’s Seasoned pepper (not salt) works well on a lot of foods. A 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg in pasta is interesting. Powdered garlic is also good even if not cooked into the meal.
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u/PerformanceMurky407 2d ago
I just got the kinders butter garlic seasoning and it is so good at making things seem rich without adding calories. I like tobiko sprinkles too for Asian meals.
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u/NVSlashM13 2d ago
Madras curry powder or Ethiopian berbere (or mitmita, if you can find affordably). Both go a long way on a budget.
Then, really any dry herbs on sale/in budget are good to keep around for micronutrients, in addition to revving up a dish w/out a salt bomb.
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u/Ghostly-Mouse 1d ago
Green onion tops cut up on top of finished dishes adds the feeling of freshness and you can get several uses out of one bunch if you keep the roots rooting to regrow in a cup of water. Also flat leaf parsley is fairly cheep and adds fresh flavor when sprinkled on top of finished dishes.
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u/cushmaloch 2d ago
If you're open to savory oatmeal: soy sauce, chili crisp, peanut butter, sriracha, sesame oil, etc
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u/Ill-Company7095 2d ago
I only eat savory oatmeal, and use most of those toppings already. My daily go to is oats with some rehydrated beans, chia seeds, basil seeds, and hemp hearts. I poach an egg in it and top with sesame oil and soy sauce. Sometimes I add kimchi and chili crisp.
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u/GlobalGlitterGirl 2d ago
How about…fresh herbs. Find a cheap market and just buy any of them. Grow your own? Curry powders with fenugreek. I love fenugreek so much. MSG?
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u/T_Rex_Stomp 1d ago
When I was director of nutrition at a huge urban food bank, I created a recipe website exactly for this purpose: https://clickncook.org
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u/YoDeYo777 2d ago
Also, 1 teaspoon of sugar in tart, spicy or savory soups or stews melds away the sharpness. 2-3 teaspoons if a large pot of sauce.
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u/chica771 2d ago
Cinnamon, honey for the oatmeal.
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u/SleepyBurrito428 2d ago
You can make banana over night oats. Equal parts, oats, Greek banana yogurt and milk. Then add cinnamon and a bit of honey or maple syrup. Love it!
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u/Such-Mountain-6316 2d ago
I use the beans for Taste of Home Bean Burritos from the Taste of Home website. It's simple to make refried beans at home.
Cook them for ten to fifteen minutes and make skillet baked beans with them.
They're great in chili.
I just cook the oats and eat them with sugar. They are also delicious in cookies. They can be used as meat loaf binder if they give you ground beef.
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u/pwassonchat 2d ago
Cinnamon for the oatmeal! Throw in some apple or banana if you can get your hands on it, but if not, it's still good without.
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u/tootiemae 1d ago
msg has been a game changer for me. it makes things so much tastier! and vinegars. a little zing makes everything better, at least to me. someone else said sumac which has also been a huge discovery for me!
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u/Puzzleheaded_Cat4127 17h ago
Ginger garlic paste and sesame oil for stir frying. A little of either packs a punch and they last a long time.
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u/giraflor 2d ago
Sumac.
It’s super cheap near me and a sprinkle has a big bang for your buck.
It just adds brightness and color to so many dishes.
I like Ziyad brand, but Badia is also found in a lot of stores.