In an effort to help fight hunger in my community, Barnaby and I have taken The Hunger Challenge. As part of Hunger Awareness Week, we’ll be living on a total of $12 a day (the amount given to a two-person household in Washington State) until this Friday. At the end of the week we’ll calculate what we normally spend each day on food and beverage, then subtract the allowance and donate that amount to our local food bank. I know it won’t solve the hunger problems so many are facing, but my goal is to at least provide meals and tasty inexpensive recipes for those in need, and encourage others to join in the fight against hunger. In King county alone, an additional 137,000 meals a day are needed. We can all help reduce that to zero if we work together. Even in an economic downturn we are still a very wealthy nation – no one should go to bed hungry, and no one should have to choose between paying the rent or eating.

This week our focus is to be creative and come up with inexpensive meals that are healthy and flavorful. It’s easy to eat cheap, but unfortunately nutrition and taste are usually left out of the equation. One way to find quality ingredients for a fraction of the price is to shop at ethnic markets. We’ve always enjoyed shopping at our local Asian and Latino markets and find their fruits, vegetables and meats -as well as herbs, spices and sauces- are high in quality and markedly cheaper than mainstream markets.

Our first dinner was a remarkably tasty concoction created by Barnaby. Inspired by ingredients we found at an Indian market, he created a dish that he simply calls “Turkey Dal.” The dal we used was masoor dal, a type of orange lentil. It can be purchased in bulk, is high in protein, and is cheap, cheap, cheap! And delicious too. We cooked the dah -which ended up dissolving into creamy goodness (photo shows the dish pre-cooked)- with ground turkey, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, onion and curry powder. Our total cost for this meal we calculated at only $4.40, and we have two more meals worth each left over.

Budget or no budget, this was one darn good meal!

Click here for the recipe:

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Categories:	Asian • Events • Hunger • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices	5 Comments
Tags:	dal • ground turkey • Hunger • hunger awareness week • hunger challenge • lentils • masoor dal • Turkey

My guess is that most of us had a wonderful Easter meal yesterday with loved ones and went to bed feeling full and satisfied. Unfortunately, there are many who can’t say the same. Because of the economic downturn, meal programs and food banks are being pushed to their limits, and donations have dramatically decreased.

When most people hear that there’s a hunger epidemic most people think of the homeless or of developing nations. But it extends beyond that.  People who are also experiencing hunger are the working poor;  people who have jobs but aren’t earning enough to pay rent and their utilities, transportation to and from work, medical bills, and food. As a result, they are cutting back on food to keep a roof over their head.

According to The Missing Meals Report done by Food Lifeline here in Seattle, “50.9 million more meals were needed in 2008 in King County to ensure that all low income families and individuals have three nutritious meals a day.” That translates to an additional 137,000 meals needed each day.

So from April 20-24 I am going to take the Hunger Challenge and walk in the shoes of someone else – someone who struggles daily to put food in the mouths of their family. The maximum benefit of Basic Food (e.g. food stamps) per person here in Washington is $7, generous compared to the usual $3 in most states.

I invite you to take the challenge too. Why?

• As food lovers and/or bloggers we have a unique perspective on food.
• We can cook!
• We can write!
• We have an audience and can help spread the word and build awareness!

Here are the rules:

• Eat breakfast, lunch and dinner spending only $X a day (see below)
• Salt and pepper don’t count but all other seasonings, cooking oils, condiments, snacks, drinks, and everything else do.
• Don’t use food you already own.
• Don’t accept food from family, friends, coworkers and others.
• Try to include fresh produce and healthy protein each day.

Here’s how much allowance you’re allowed depending on family size here in Washington:
Household Size/ Hunger Challenge Budget
1 $7 / day
2 $12 / day
3 $18 / day
4 $22 / day
5 $26 / day
6 $32 / day
7 $35 / day
8 $45 / day

I look forward to reading about your involvement!

For more information:

United Way of King County’s Main Website:
Links to donate, volunteer, and register for the challenge:
http://www.uwkc.org/hunger
http://www.uwkc.org/newsevents/events/haw/hungerchallenge.asp

Their Blog:
Where they’ll be posting all of the hunger information, including links back to your sites and reblogs on any
posts you make.
http://uwkc.wordpress.com

Their Twitter (Follow them!)
http://twitter.com/VolunteerKC

UWKC’s Hunger Challenge Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Seattle-WA/Im-taking-the-Hunger-Challenge/60489442934?sid=66a988d797c41e3f952f62c521f669a4&ref=s#

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• The 2,000 Pound Rib Feast
• Tonight Chef and Mixologist Kathy Casey at Nightschool
• Waiting by the River at Dawn
• A Chance to go to the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen
• Oktoberfest

Categories:	Events	5 Comments
Tags:	fight hunger • Hunger • hunger challenge