A week's frugal food

Hello Dear Reader,

I've checked my cupboards, my pantry, my fridge and freezer and know I can make the following recipes for the week. We don't eat meat every day and our portion sizes tend to be smaller than average as we are consciously trying to eat less but still eat well and on a budget. I searched for recipes where I could use the ingredients I already had in the house. I have to make bread this week and some cakes for visitors but I don't need to buy any food this week.

I have a sad looking cauliflower in the bottom of my fridge so we're going to have:

Day 1.Spicy Cauliflower soup.

• cauliflower (1 head)
• 1 large onion(s) (or 2 medium)
• butter (a knob of) - one teaspoon.
• 1 teaspoon(s) tumeric powder (heaped)
• 1.5 teaspoon(s) ground coriander (heaped)
• ½ teaspoon(s) ground cumin (heaped)
• 1.5 litre(s) chicken stock (hot) -  two stock cubes in water.

1. Chop the onion roughly and break the cauliflower into florettes.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy-based pan over a lowish heat and add the onion and cauliflower, allowing them to soften for a minute or two.
3. Add the turmeric, ground coriander and cumin and stir, cooking for a further minute or two.
4. Pour in the hot stock and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
5. Blitz with a stick blender or food processor and serve with crusty bread.

(Recipe from Nigella.com)

Day 2. Chick Pea Burgers with carrot and orange salad.

1 (410g) can chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, peeled and finely grated (65g prepared weight)
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped,
50g/1/3 cup seeds - I use pumpkin seeds - it gives the burgers some crunch but you can leave these out.
3 tbsp tahini (sesame paste), I always have this for making hummus.
1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
1 handful fresh coriander leaves  - I use two tablespoons of dried coriander leaf
1 crumbled veggie stock cube.

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas Mark 7. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds. Remove the lid and push the mixture down with a spatula. Blend once more until fairly smooth and thick.

2. Shape the mixture into 20 small balls and place on the prepared tray. If the mixture is too wet to roll easily into balls (which is sometimes caused by runny tahini), add another handful of sunflower seeds and blend once more.

3. Flatten the balls slightly with the back of a spoon and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden around the edges. Remove from oven and leave on the tray for 2-3 minutes to firm up a little. Lift carefully off the tray. Serve hot or cold with a colourful salad and lemon or lime wedges. Or make a quick raw salsa from chopped fresh tomatoes, coriander, red onion and avocado.

Make the mixture into larger burgers if you like – about 10 or 12. Cook for 15-20 minutes then cool slightly before lifting off the tray. Make the mixture go further by stirring in 100g/1/2 cup cooked long grain brown rice after blending the other ingredient.

Recipe from the 'You are what you eat' cookbook and I've used this over and over, they are delicious.

Carrot and Orange salad

• 2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 orange, peeled, white pith removed and cut crossways into 1cm/½in slices, then into small segments
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• half tsp ground cumin
• half tsp ground cinnamon
• handful of fresh coriander or mint leaves - I use a heaped tablespoon of dried corriander.
  
  
  Combine the juice, oil and seasoning, mix well. Add carrots and orange and serve with the cooked chick pea burgers.
  
  
  If you can, buy a single pot of natural yoghurt and mix with some dried mint, dried garlic and some salt to have as a dressing with the burgers but it's not essential.
  
  
  Recipe from the BBC food website and again, I've tried and tested this and it's delicious.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Day 3. Boiled Gammon with veggies and cheese sauce.
  
  
  Shop bought ham is so expensive and the list of ingredients look like a chemistry experiment. We buy a gammon joint and boil it and have it throughout the week. Dearly Beloved will have it with salad or pickle in a sandwich and I'll have a slice with salad for my lunch.
  
  
  Here are some use up your gammon joint ideas.
  
  
  Sliced gammon, home made chips and baked beans - big favourite with DB.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Day 4. I make spagetti carbonara with chopped bacon but it can just as easily be made with cooked and chopped gammon. Here's an earlier blog with full instructions to make it.
  
  
  
  
  
  Day 5. Cheesy Gammon and leek pie.
  
  
  3 generous handfuls of chopped cooked gammon 
  1 large leek (or two small...)
  1 finely diced onion.
  Any leftover cooked veg.
  one cooked carrot - cut into chunks - I use the microwave to cook just one carrot.
  1 level tablespoon plain flour
  
  1 tablespoon of butter
  1/2 pint milk
  2ozmature cheddar cheese
  1 heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard
  Enough homemade pastry to just top a pie dish - it's too rich to be surrounded by pasty - You can buy ready made pastry but home made is cheaper. I'll make suet pastry, which means there's no rubbing in. 8oz plain flour, 4oz suet, mix together with a sprinkle of salt and add enough water, bit by bit to form a dough.
  Milk to glaze
  salt and pepper.
  
  
  
  Cheese sauce - 
  
  
  Melt butter in microwave in a few seconds, blend in flour, add grated cheese and stir in milk. Microwave, removing and stirring every minute until it's cheese sauce. Season with salt and pepper to your preference. Leave to one side.
  
  
  Fry the onions and leeks on a very low heat. 
  
  
  Combine all ingredients with cheese sauce.
  
  
  Roll out pastry and top the pie and bake in a hot oven for 30 minutes.
  
  
  Eat with cooked vegetables of your choice.
  
  
  Recipe adapted from BBCgoodfood.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Day 6. Spicy beef koftas

  Ingredients

  For the koftas

  • 300g minced beef - I've use veggie mince for this and added an egg to bind it all.
  • ¼ tsp ground turmeric powder
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled
  • ¼ tsp dried chilli powder
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp ground coriander 
  • 1 tsp olive oil, for frying

  
  

  
  

  Preparation method

  1. Place all of the kofta ingredients except the oil into a food processor and blend together until smooth. Divide the mixture intoequal portions and shape into small meatballs
  2. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Fry the koftas  for about 5-6 minutes until cooked through.l.
  3. To serve, place the salad in the middle of a plate and arrange the koftas on top. This also goes well with carrot salad.
     
     
     Recipe adapted from BBC Food.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

     
     
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Day 7 - Roast Beef and all the trimmings!

  
  

  
  

  I know, you think I've lost the plot. If you find a good butchers in your local market or through word of mouth, they will sell off any meat that needs to go today at a knock down price. I bought a pack of three beef topside joints, weighing 2.25kg for £9.99. Each joint weighs 750g and costs £3.33 and that will serve four people. The cost of a full Sunday lunch comes to £1.25 per person.

  
  

  I simply roast the joint along with onions, carrots, potatoes and parsnips. I add a couple of tablespoons of water, some salt and pepper and cover it tightly with foil. This joint will take an hour to cook.

  
  

  I don't make Yorkshire puddings unless I'm stretching the joint and giving people less meat. You will need 

  
  

  290 ml milk
  115 g all-purpose flour
  1 pinch salt
  3 eggs
  1 tablespoon olive oil
  Directions:
  
  1
  Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, to make a batter using an electric mixer.
  2
  Let it rest for 10 minutes.
  3
  Preheat oven at 450°F.
  4
  Preheat a muffin tray and grease with a little oil.
  5
  Divide the batter into the tray.
  6
  Cook for 20 minutes at 450°F.

  
  

  Recipe from Jamie Oliver via Food.com

  
  It's rare for us to eat beef but as Jo Public gets scared every time there is a food controversy, meat will reduce in price and now is the time to look for bargains.
  
  No matter how careful I am with budgets and plans, some weeks we just don't eat that much and end up with food we need to use creatively so we don't waste it.
  
  Over to you Dear Reader. What's on your menus this week? Also, the nominations have now closed for the MAD Blog and thanks to anyone who has nominated me. If I've made the short list, then the voting will be open soon. A massive thanks to anyone who listened to me on Radio Cornwall yesterday and if you missed it the link is on the Froogs on the Radio button above.
  
  Until tomorrow,
  
  Love Froogs xxxxxxxxxxxxx