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Monday 5 February 2024

Dhal and rice

 

Still skint after Christmas and a never ending January?  I know the feeling.  This, however, is cheap, filling and nutritious.  And has used up stuff from the bottom of the fridge.

Vegetable oil
Onion
Tomatoes
Plum
Red lentils
Turmeric
Chilli flakes
Garam Massala
Water
Spinach
Rice - Brown Basmati today


1.  Sautee chopped onion in oil, gently.
2.  Put rice on to cook - I use a heavy bottomed pan, add cold water to one inch above the surface of the rice, and a pinch of salt.  Bring to the boil, slam the lid on and turn down to the absolute lowest possible.
3.  Add chopped tomato and chopped plum (both optional, use what you have) to the onions.
4.  Add red lentils and water, then add spices, simmer for a while.
5.  Check that its not going too dry, and continue to simmer until lentils are soft.
6.  Add a handful of spinach leaves to wilt through.
7.  Serve, scoff, count spare pennies...



Sunday 4 February 2024

Cabbage spaghetti

Got home from a weekend away and looked into the fridge - sighed ... and looked around again.  

OK - half a cabbage, frozen sliced ham from Christmas, a drop of elmlea left from last week, the end of the parmesan ... and some frozen peas  ... voila!  Cabbage carbonara.  

It was surprisingly tasty - and cheap ... needs a good grind of black pepper to give it some zing.


Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Spaghetti
Savoy cabbage
ham
parmesan
chilli flakes
frozen peas

1.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil until soft, add crushed garlic and a tablespoon of water, continue to cook slowly.
2.  Shred cabbage and chop ham into small pieces.
3.  Cook pasta according to packet instructions.
4.  Add shredded cabbage to onions, with a little more water, and a handful of frozen peas, a few chili flakes, and steam/fry for a few minutes.
5.  Add ham and cream to heat through.
6.  Drain pasta and add to sauce, with grated cheese.  Stir in
7.  Stir, serve, scoff, seconds ...

Cheap, delicious, uses stuff up.



Saturday 13 January 2024

Mackerel paella

 

Tasty and cheap, a portion of oily fish and 5 veggies - what's not to like?  I haven't calculated exact figures, but I think this is about £1 a portion for 2.


Shallot
Olive oil
Garlic
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Spice mix (paella mix or paprika based)
Risotto rice
Veg stock
Tomatoes
Spinach
Tinned mackerel

1.  Sweat chopped shallot (or onion, or leek) in olive oil.
2.  Add chopped pepper and mushrooms and a clove of crushed garlic, sautee for a few minutes.
3.  Add risotto rice (a small handful per person), a little spice mix and stir until all grains of rice are coated.
4.  Add veg stock to cover and simmer gently.  Add more stock if it's going too dry.
5.  Add chopped fresh tomatoes, or a tin of chopped tomatoes, simmer.
6.  When the rice is nearly done - after about 12-15 minutes - taste it - if it's still chalky in the middle it needs a couple more minutes.
7.  Layer a handful of spinach over the top and allow to wilt for a couple of minutes.  The  stir in.
8.  Add a tin of mackerel in tomato sauce, stir in gently - you don't want to break the fish up completely.
9.  Leave to cook on low for a couple of minutes. rest to allow the rest of the liquid to absorb.
10.  Serve, scoff, gloat ... with a good grinding of black pepper.

Tuesday 12 December 2023

Mac and cheese etc




Comfort food is the order of the day - but so is getting some vitamins as well as the carbs and protein - so I ramped up mac n cheese with some vegetables.  It didn't take any longer, and was delicious.


Cauliflower
Mushrooms
Soya milk
Cornflour
Macaroni
Cheddar cheese
Peas
Tomatoes

1.  Chop cauliflower into florets, place in steamer part of steamer pan.  Add a good handful of sliced mushrooms.
2.  Grate quit a lot of cheddar cheese.
3.  Put steamer pan on top of pan of water, heat until boiling.
4.  Add pasta to water, stir once, and replace cauliflower pan above it.
5.  Heat soya milk until simmering, then add slaked cornflour to make a sauce, as it thickens add grated cheese, stir until all melted - season with salt and pepper.
6.  Boil pasta for 10-12 minutes, until it is nearly done. stir occasionally to make sure it's not sticking together.
6.  Add frozen peas to steaming veg.
7.  Slice tomatoes.
8.  In a baking dish add steamed veg and drained cooked pasta, add sliced tomatoes.
9.  Pour on cheese sauce.
10.  Bake for 20 minutes or so.
11. Serve, scoff

Sunday 5 November 2023

Butternut squash, mushroom, onion and mozzarella tarte tatin, tiny roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

 

I'm trying to use the autumnal vegetables, and not just make soups and stews (not that there is anything wrong with that), so a savoury tarte tatin with Sunday dinner veggies.  It was delicious.

Onions
Olive oil
Garlic
Butternut squash
Mixed herbs - sage, rosemary a bit of chilli
Leftover (?) wine!  rosé today
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Green beans 
Savoy cabbage
Mozzarella
Puff pastry
Soya milk

1.  Sautee chopped onion in olive oil, with a pinch of salt, in a tarte tatin pan - or heavy frying pan which can go in the oven..
2.  When quite soft add crushed garlic.
3.  Peel and chop butternut squash and add to the onion, fry off for a minute or so, then add a splash of wine and water, simmer for 10 minutes.
4.  Stir and add herbs of your choice - sage, rosemary and chilli work well.
5.  Simmer until squash is nearly soft, and most of the liquid has disappeared, add chopped mushrooms and continue cooking.
6.  Peel and cube potatoes, roast in olive oil at about 180.
7.  Prepared extra vegetables for steaming - I used green beans and cabbage - could be almost anything.
8.  When the mushrooms have cooked enough to release their moisture and the mixture has become quite dry again - turn off the heat.
9.  Sprinkle grated cheese onto the squash and mushroom mixture, cover with puff pastry.
10.  Tuck the pastry into the pan to form a rustic seal, stab the top a few times to let out steam, and brush the top with soya milk.
11.  Put the pie in to bake for 25-20 minutes.  Steam the vegetables.
12.  Chat, set the table, faff.
13.  Turn the pie out, serve the potatoes and veggies.
14.  Serve, gloat, scoff.  





Friday 3 November 2023

Root vegetable and butter bean hot pot

The veg box was full of root vegetables, and there was a nip in the air after a beautiful autumnal walk - so a lovely, slightly spicy veggie hot pot with chapatis fitted the bill for us.  I also had some kale left over, so shredded it quite finely, so that it was soft and not challenging - that's a bonus veg, and no complaints.

Onion
Olive oil
Garlic
Piri piri spices
Swede
Carrot
Parsnip
Sweet potato
Kale
Dijon mustard
Italian herbs
Tin of tomatoes
Tin of butter beans
Salt and pepper

Flatbreads or crusty bread to serve - we happened to have chapatis.

1.  Chop onion and sweat down in olive oil.
2.  Add peeled and diced root vegetables, stir into the onion mixture.
3.  Add minced garlic and a good pinch of piri piri spice.
4.  Finely shred kale and add to the mixture, stir in.
5.  Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, a tin full of water, a teaspoon of mustard and a pinch of herbs,  simmer for at least 30 minutes.
6.  Drain the butter beans and stir in, simmer again.
7.  When the veg are tooth soft it's ready to eat.
8.  Serve, scoff, be soothed.


 

Saturday 14 October 2023

Mushroom and kale stroganoff


 All the seasonal vegetables are flooding the shelves and veg boxes now - so I combined mushrooms and kale and came up with this lovely autumnal stroganoff.

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Mushrooms
Kale
Green beans
Cream cheese
paprika
Tagliatelle

1.  Sweat chopped onion in olive oil, then add in crushed garlic.
2.  Add chopped mushrooms, shredded kale and green beans chopped into pea sized peices, fry off for a minute or so.
3.  Add a cup of water to boil up until the veg are softened.
4.  Cook pasta.
5.  Add cream cheese and a good pinch of paprika to the veg.  
6.  When the pasta is nearly cooked, lift it from its cooking water, transfer to veg and stir in - add a little pasta water if it's too dry.
7.  Serve, scoff.

Monday 28 August 2023

Tofu veg stir fry

 

The veg dodger is away this week - so the veggie and I are indulging in veggie fare.  Infact, we are going towards entirely plant based - though reserving the right to go off piste if we fancy.


This veggie stir fry was chock full of veggies and tofu, with soba noodles.






Vegetable oil
Leek
Garlic
Ginger
Chilli flakes
Carrot
Red pepper
Green beans
Broccoli
Tofu
Chinese 5 spice
Vegetarian mushroom sauce
Soashing rice wine
Soy sauce
Spinach
Soba noodles
Sesame seeds

1.  Chop all vegetables into quite small pieces - particularly leeks, as these are tougher than the sping onions which I would normally use for stir fries.
2.  Cut tofu into cubes and fry gently in sunflower oil, flipping so that each side are golden brown.  Turn off heat.
3.  In a wok heat sunflower oil - add leek and fry for a few minutes.  Add crushed garlic, ginger and chilli flakes.  Stir.
4.  Add remaining hard veg and stir fry.  Add a little water to steam fry.
5.  Add spices, sauce, rice wine and stir in.  Cook for a minute or two.
6.  Boil noodles in salted water.
7.  Add drained noodles, fried tofu and spinach - toss together.
8.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and scoff.

Sunday 27 August 2023

Vegan moussaka

 

I have got a glut of aubergine from the veg box - and I don't really like aubergine - so they have to be enhanced!

This was delicious, though the photo is a bit scruffy.  There are four layers - a spiced lentil ragu, griddled aubergine slices, a white sauce and potatoes - possibly not an authentic moussaka, but my take on it today.

It is jam packed full of vegetables - use what you have.






Ragu sauce

Olive oil
Leek
Garlic - crushed
Carrot
Aubergine
Red pepper
Kale
Green lentils (tinned)
Tomatoes
Italian herbs
Harissa
Dried mint
Cinnamon
Yeast extract

White sauce

Soya milk
Bay leaf
Nutmeg
corn flour

Potatoes
Aubergine
Olive oil

1.  Finely chop leek and sautee in olive oil.
2.  Add peeled and chopped carrot, chopped red pepper, aubergine and 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
3.  Finely chop kale, and stir in, cook for a few minutes
4.  Slice aubergine, and griddle in olive oil for a few minutes on each side.
5.  Add drained green lentils, chopped tomatoes (I used fresh, but a tin would be fine) to the vegetables.
6.  Add a teaspoon of yeast extract, a good pinch of italian herbs, a small pinch of mint, a teaspoon of harissa and a pinch of cinnamon to the veg mix - with salt and pepper - taste and adjust if necessary.  Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, add water if it's getting dry.
7.  Make white sauce by simmering soya (or other) milk with bay leaf and a sprinkle of nutmeg.  When it boils remove bay leaf and thicken with slaked cornflour (cornflour dissolved in water) - keep stirring as it thickens.
8.  Chop and boil potatoes in salted water.
9.  Layer an oven proof dish - lentil mixture, aubergine slices, white sauce - then tumble the potato on top.  Drizzle with olive oil, and bake for 30 minutes.
10.  Serve, scoff - have seconds.


Tuesday 16 May 2023

Quick mushroom and pepper stroganoff

 

Quick, tasty and economical.  It can be made vegan by using Elmlea plant based (or other plant based cream), but I used elmlea double cream, which cuts down on the dairy, rather than cutting it out altogether.

Olive oil
Chopped shallots (onion or leeks)
Crushed garlic
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Basmati rice
Paprika
Spinach
Frozen peas
Elmlea (cream/ plant based cream)

1.  Sautee chopped shallots, add chopped red pepper and mushrooms, and crushed garlic - soften for about 5 minutes.
2.  In a saucepan/heavy pot cover basmati rice with water, to about an inch over the rice, add salt - heat until it starts to boil.  Slam on the lid and turn the heat right down - let it a cook gently and absorb the water for 12-15 minutes - turn heat off, and let it just sit there.
3.  Meanwhile, when veg are softened chuck on a couple of handfuls of spinach, a cup of frozen peas and stir in.
4.  Add a cup of water and bring up to simmer.  
5.  When the spinach is wiled the peas will be nearly done.  Now add the cream, stir in to make a sauce and sprinkle on paprika.  Stir gently.
6.  Serve, scoff ... finish seconds.




Yummly

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