More with Less

This past Christmas, my mom gave me a copy of the More With Less cookbook by Doris Janzen Longacre. Now that I’ve been cooking with this book for almost two months, I can confidently recommend it to anyone who is trying to eat healthfully, spend less, and consume fewer of the earth’s limited food resources.

Many of the recipes in More With Less were contributed by Mennonite missionaries who ministered in some of the world’s most impoverished countries, and learned the art of frugal cooking from people who had no choice but to stretch their food budgets as far as possible. As a result, this book contains a strong international flair. Cooks who have not been exposed to Asian, Middle Eastern, or authentic Latin American cuisine may find this daunting. However, the recipe instructions are consistently simple and straightforward. Furthermore, readers can be confident that these meals have been successfully prepared by frugal cooks all over the world, for decades or even centuries. Those who are truly overwhelmed by the idea of preparing, for instance, a Turkish chicken dish, will still be able to choose from numerous thrifty Western-style recipes.

One of the things I like best about More With Less is that Ms. Longacre and her recipe contributors really think like frugal people. This is readily apparent in the fact that most of the recipes are extremely adaptable. For instance, the Vietnamese fried rice recipe (which has quickly become a staple around our house), contains instructions for using either freshly-cooked or leftover rice. It also specifies that any type of meat, either raw or leftover, and any type of vegetable, can be used. Many of the recipes also include tips for adjusting seasonings to personal taste, and suggest sweeter or spicier adaptations. Experienced home chefs accustomed to tweaking recipes may consider this interesting and inspiring, but not of tremendous benefit. However, novice frugal cooks who don’t feel confident changing recipes or making substitutions will learn a great deal about creativity in the kitchen from this book.

More With Less also contains a treasure trove of dietary information and meal-planning advice. Ms. Longacre includes tips for maximizing the nutritional value of every meal, while avoiding excessive consumption of sugar and protein. She advocates using fresh, natural ingredients whenever possible, and provides numerous alternatives to unhealthful, highly processed staples of home-cooking (most notably, condensed cream soups). She provides tips for correctly storing and preserving fresh foods purchased in bulk, and also writes extensively on the subject of reducing waste by gathering the bits and ends of some meals to create soups, stews, and other leftover-based recipes.

Ms. Longacre’s belief in frugal moderation was strongly influenced by her Mennonite Christian faith. She considered it her duty to reduce wastefulness in her own life, so that more food resources would be available to those living in poverty around the world. While some readers may not agree with her specific Mennonite beliefs, I cannot imagine anyone disagreeing with the idea that those of us who are blessed with plenty should make every attempt to share our bounty with those who have little. I do not hesitate to recommend this book to all readers, religious or secular, who seek to lower their grocery expenses, improve their families’ nutrition, and also consume fewer of the earth’s precious food resources. I can easily see More With Less becoming a staple in my kitchen for decades to come.

Order your copy of More With Less.

Have you used More With Less? Has it worked for you? What other cookbooks are staples in your frugal kitchen? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments!