All About Good and Cheap
Good and Cheap is a cookbook for people with very tight budgets, particularly those on SNAP/Food Stamps benefits. The PDF is free (ahora en Español!) when you sign up for my newsletter and has been downloaded more than 15,000,000 times. It is also available in print, and for every copy sold we donate one to someone who can’t afford it.
Good and Cheap had an unusual journey into publishing. It started out as the thesis for my Masters degree in Food Studies at NYU. I made a digital version of the book, but didn’t have any kind of distribution or marketing plan. After some fruitless attempts at working with non-profits, I decided to simply offer it as free download on a simple website in early 2014.
A few weeks later someone posted it on Reddit and I was astonished by the interest! The book was downloaded so many times that first day that it broke my website. Suddenly my inbox was full of kind advice, stories, gratitude, and encouragement from strangers who wanted to get the book out there as much as I did!
With that encouragement and proof that there was an interested audience, I started a Kickstarter project to fund a print run to get Good and Cheap into the hands of those who couldn’t get it online. For the summer of 2014, I worked night and day, along with my now-husband Dan and many generous friends, to make the project a reality. The experience changed my life. We were trying to raise $10,000 but ended up with a whopping $144,681. This allowed us to print 40,000 copies of the book, giving away one for every copy sold to someone who couldn’t otherwise afford it. We made 25,000 available for just $4/copy to organizations who work with target populations. It was amazing! Also completely wild and exhausting and unsustainable. But luckily we got help.
Next I found a wonderful publishing home in Workman Publishing. I never thought the book could be a commercial success; that was why I did it as a master’s thesis. I was so happy to be wrong. Workman was supportive of the buy-one-give-one model from the beginning and have been even more insatiable than I was about getting it into the hands of non-profits at deep deep discounts. In 2015, I got to go on a massive book tour, meeting so many incredible people, sharing stories and generally basking in the glow of all the incredible work people are doing. In addition, Good and Cheap won the 2015 IACP Judge’s Choice Award, I made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Food and Drink, and Food & Wine and Fortune named me one of the Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink. Good grief!
Check Out Some of the Recipes!
Peanut Sauce
A spicy, sweet, aromatic and of course peanutty peanut sauce that comes together quickly, keeps well and will up your dinner and snack game all week.
Chana Masala
Of all the recipes I've ever shared, Chana Masala is the one I hear about from my friends the most. I think it's the magic of how shockingly easy it is to make, combined with the fact that it costs next to nothing, topped off with how it tastes absolutely incredible. You will crave it all the time. You might even drool a little when you think about it. Just try it. You're welcome. (from Good and Cheap p. 93) ½ tbsp ghee or ½ tbsp butter plus a splash of olive oil
Salty Broccoli Toast
Whenever Dan is away this is what I eat. Not because he doesn't like it, he does! But it's just the perfect meal for one. It also hits all the flavors that I like most—salty, garlicky, spicy, a little bitter and then crunchy and fatty from the toast. I'm drooling now. Broccoli toasts, a glass of wine and my favorite new silly show, Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on netflix? I'm in for my favorite kind of evening. (from Good and Cheap p. 72)
On Tour with Good and Cheap!
Hi, friends! It’s almost here! The bigger, better 2nd edition of Good and Cheap is officially out on July 14 — just one week away. Unofficially, it's already on the shelves in some local stores :) Take a look for it, and send me a note on Facebook or Twitter if you spot it! I've just put up my Events page, because I'll be on tour across the US and Canada for the rest of the year. Already, I'm scheduled to visit 21 cities (hurray, but eek!). Undoubtedly, I'll be somewhere near you, so check out the map and please...
Salsa for Any Season
Oh man, the good fresh salsa potential is at its peak right now guys. You can get crazy good tomatoes, chilies, all kinds of stone fruit, baby onions, herbs like crazy. It's pretty much a sin NOT to make salsa right now. Have it on everything. With chips, (duh) on tacos, (double duh) in scrambled eg
Bueno y Barato is here!
Guess what?? We did it!! The long awaited Spanish edition of Good and Cheap, Bueno y Barato, is finally here and will be available in stores and online starting later this summer, officially August [...]
Vegetable Quiche, Hold the Crust
As long as eggs are in my fridge I know that a good meal is only a few minutes away. But sometimes scrambling, frying or poaching just doesn't feel enough like dinner. This quiche looks beautiful and is great to serve to guests. (from Good and Cheap p. 114)
Pizza Dough 2 Ways
2 methods for making pizza dough, one fast for weeknights and the other slower and more flavorful and easy to work with.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Moist chocolate zucchini muffins with oats and yogurt, perfect for breakfast or dessert!
Mexican Street Corn
Elotes (or Mexican Street Corn) is crazy delicious. Turns out that you actually CAN make fresh corn even better. Sweet, spicy, salty, cheesy even tart. All your taste bases are covered. This beautiful recipe, from the streets and homes of Mexico has been one of the most popular recipes in Good and Cheap. So far, not one, but three people have told me they were overcome with tears of joy when they tasted this. It's that good. What are you waiting for? (from Good and Cheap page 60)
Fresh Pasta
This is my favorite fresh pasta recipe that uses whole eggs. Multiply this recipe by the number of people you are serving, maybe a bit less. The stated quantities are a useful ratio, but produce big portions.
Avocado Milkshake
A delicious and unusual blend of super creamy avocado and milk or milk alternative, lightly sweetened with sugar and lime juice make up this avocado milkshake.
