This is my fourth post in our series about stretching your food dollar. Perhaps now more than ever, adopting a vegetarian diet (or at least abstaining from meat once or twice a week) is more attractive than ever. In last week’s post I talked about the effect that higher corn prices have had on the beef industry. But the chicken and pork industries are also feeling the crunch, and there will be pricing spillovers in every aisle of the grocery store this fall. Ian Cooper at Wealth Daily explains:

In the Corn Belt, flood waters are high. Crops are destroyed. And corn continues to set record highs, with some calling for $10 a bushel, near-term. Current estimates peg Iowa loss at one million acres of corn and two million acres of soybeans, or about 20% of grain output.

That means supply is tight. And it’s too late in the season to start replanting corn and any opportunity to plant soybeans in time for the fall is quickly disappearing.

For grocery shoppers, the destroyed corn means pricier corn, soda, cereal… even cough syrup, pudding and gravy. It’s also used to feed livestock like pigs and chickens. Soybeans are in everything from flour and milk to oil.

In fact, the US Department of Agriculture is predicting that food prices will continue to rise through 2009:

USDA’s Economic Research Service forecasts all of the major categories (food, food-at-home, and food away-from-home, will rise another 4% to 5%. For food-at-home, that would indicate a two-year price jump of as much as 11% when added to the projected 2008 hike of as much as 6%.

In 2009, however, unlike this year, much of the advance is expected to come from center-of-the-plate items, such as beef, pork, chicken and seafood. Cattle slaughters this year have been at or near record-highs, holding prices down, but that trend is not expected to continue into all of 2009 and beef prices are projected to climb as much as 7% as a result.

There are, of course, two sides to this story. Some writers over at The Economist believe that rising food prices are ultimately good for the economy. They will be hosting a series of online debates examing this issue over the next few weeks. In the mean time, however, let’s talk about steps you can take to make your food dollar stretch as we wait out a resolution to the current wave of food inflation.

Last week I gave some suggestions for replacing beef in your diet. Today I want to offer two recipes: one for replacing chicken, and the other for replacing pork.

One of my favorite foods before I became a vegetarian was chicken parm. I still make this by using the Morningstar “chicken” patties. But I’ve also discovered that eggplant parm is WAY better than chicken parm, and it’s healthier for you, too. Since eggplants are in season right now, you’re bound to get a good deal on produce at your local farmer’s market from your your CSA.

Eggplant Parmesan
1 small eggplant (approx. 12 ounces)
1 beaten egg
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup spaghetti sauce (I make my own sauce with a large can of diced tomatoes – cheaper than prepared sauce)
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 ounces)

1. Wash and peel eggplant, cut crossewise into 1/2-inch slices. Combine egg and 1 Tbsp water; dip eggplant into egg mixture, then into flour, turning to coat both sides. In a large skillet cook eggplant, half at a time, in hot oil for 4 – 6 minutes or until golden, turning once. (Add additional oil if necessary.) Drain on paper towels.

2. Place the eggplant slices in a single layer in a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. (If necessary, ct slices to fit.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top with the sauce and mozzarella cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 – 12 minutes, or until baked through. This recipe makes 4 servings.

**This recipe can be easily veganized. You can either use powdered egg replacer, following the instructions on the package. Or, you can boil flax seeds in water until they get gelatinous, and then coat the eggplant slices in the flax seed before dipping in flour. This gives the dish a really nutty quality, plus the added fiber of the flax seeds. Just use vegan cheese for the parmesan and mozzarella, and there you go!

Vegan Biscuits and Gravy
My partner isn’t a vegetarian, but he loves it when I make biscuits and gravy on Saturday morning. If you’re pressed for time, you can use the canned biscuits from the grocery store (which aren’t vegan), but I always like the homemade kind best. Last week I mentioned that tofu crumbles cost less than beef or pork, and our readers commented that you can’t tell the difference taste or texture wise.

Biscuits
3 cups all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 cup vegan butter
1 1/4 cup soy milk

1. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resebles course crumbs. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add soy milk all at once. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.

2. Do not knead, roll, or cut out dough. Just drop the dough by spoonfuls 1-inch apart onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 – 12 minutes or until golden. Remove biscuits from baking sheet and serve immediately. This recipe makes 12 biscuits.

Vegan Sausage Gravy
1 pkg tofu crumbles
1 Tbsp vegan butter
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 springs fresh thyme
1 cup soy milk
1/4 tsp rubbed or ground sage
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in a skillet and add tofu crumbles. Saute for 1-2 minutes and add flour to make a roux. Cook the roux until the flour starts to smell nutty and turn slightly golden.

2. Add half of the soy milk to the roux mixture and whisk quickly to remove any lumps. Add herbs and seasonings and allow the gravy to start to thicken. Add the remaining soy milk in portions, allowing the gravy to thicken between each addition of soy milk. If you time this right, your gravy should be finished just as the biscuits are ready to come out of the oven.

**The eggplant parm and biscuit recipes both come from the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book (75th Anniversary Edition). The notes about veganizing the recipes are my own.