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Old Style vs the USDA head-to-head challenge...

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  • In_Search_Of_Me
    In_Search_Of_Me Posts: 10,634 Forumite
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    ahh the challenge is set! I've got a mass of spinach curry so no space here. What ingredients have you got weezl...maybe we could come up with a recipe between us...kind of reverse challenge?!! Look forward to the challangers comments!
    Nerd no 109 Long haulers supporters DFW #1! Even in the darkest moments, love and hope are always possible.

  • ceridwen
    ceridwen Posts: 11,547 Forumite
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    Hi Weezl

    Yep - if you could post that recipe - and well, anyone who fancies doing so, takes part.

    In my case - it would be everything possible organic as per my usual shopping (so the couscous, canned tomatoes, onions, sultanas and oil would be out of that list of ingredients). The veg - not quite sure - it depends on what is available organically-speaking (green beans if poss. - could be something else green - and, if really stuck, then I'd have to get conventionally-grown greens).

    Technology - ceridwen - duh! 'Fraid not in my case - about all I am capable of doing with a computer is looking up websites, posting on forums and doing my emails. It was a major feat - by my standards - t'other day to manage to set up a blog;) :D . Photos - nope I've never done anyway. So - guess its down to other "contenders" to do any photo-posting.:D

    EDIT; Am not a lot better at maths - but will get out the calculator re costing <<wanders off muttering "if whole bottle of oil costs £x - what percentage of that bottle will be going into recipe?">>
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    ok, here's what I was thinking recipe wise ;):

    get fine green beans out of freezer and leave on the side... (ceridwen you might meed to blanch your veg first depending what you use, I was hoping to keep a little crunch in the fine green beans, but if you've chosen cabbage, you might want to par cook it...?)

    Soak the sultanas in freshly boiled water, stirring as you add it, leave to plump...

    chop the onions into small (1 cm) cubes. Put oil in wok/frying pan and add garlic, mild curry powder/garam masala, tiny bit of chilli... after 30 secs to let the oil absorb flavour,

    then fry onions just for about one minute (we're not completely removing the crunch, just taking the rawness off a little.)

    chop the tomatoes in cans with long bladed knife and tip juice into a measuring jug, pressing the toms down with the back of a wooden spoon to eek out all the juice.

    Add the sultana water to the measuring jug untill you've got as much liquid as the amount of couscous you're using requires (look on packet) made from tomato juice and sultana water. Heat this up in microwave til bubblin then add to couscous, stirring once.

    Add onions and oil and chopped toms after 2 mins, stirring again as you do. Finally stir the fine green beans through, allowing them to cool the mixture, as the mixture warms them through.

    Stir through sultanas (having drained them of any excess juice)

    now then, the tricky bit!:eek:

    Taste, season, (salt, pepper, mustard, more garlic and spices if you like...) adjust liquid (if needed!) writing down what you're adding. My hunch would be that approx 2 tsp of mustard through a quarter batch of the recipe wouldn't be too knock-out. I also wonder if a drizzle of honey/pinch or 2 of sugar will help with offsetting the adidity of the toms...:eek:

    amounts for a quarter batch, should make 2-3 large dinner portions (I want feedback on the generosity of portion!);)

    1 can toms 400g
    1.5 little onions or 1 med-lge one
    65g sultanas
    250g dry weight couscous
    garlic 2 tsp
    mustard 2 tsp
    curry powder
    a little honey/sugar if required...
    250g fine green beans

    Bit worried now! I'm potentially ruining your dinner!:D:o

    Keep me posted and good luck:T

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    Just found this link declaring huge health-giving benefits of the humble nettle. Any who still fear them, read on and take heart!

    Weezl x

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • **purpleprincess**
    **purpleprincess** Posts: 3,533 Forumite
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    Sounds good!!

    Would you mind if I tweaked it a little?? I was thinking of adding the chopped tomatoes along with a little honey to the oil, onions, mustard, garlic, curry etc and cooking so that the tomatoes are warmed through and adding the green beans just for a flash so that they are warm but still crunchy.

    Whaddya reckon? I should be able to upload some piccies for you!
    Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
  • **purpleprincess**
    **purpleprincess** Posts: 3,533 Forumite
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    Don't know if it might help, but I saw this on another thread and looks quite nice and is cheap too! If you have the ingredients in then wouldn't cost any extra??
    Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    **purpleprincess** wrote: »
    Sounds good!!

    Would you mind if I tweaked it a little?? I was thinking of adding the chopped tomatoes along with a little honey to the oil, onions, mustard, garlic, curry etc and cooking so that the tomatoes are warmed through and adding the green beans just for a flash so that they are warm but still crunchy.

    Whaddya reckon? I should be able to upload some piccies for you!

    Hiya purple princess:beer:, I am totally up for any alterations/tweaks as you see fit!

    My main aim is to fit it within the cheapy shopping list I posted before, which I think your amendments still do marvelously ;)

    Really looking forward to seeing what happens....:D

    Have you persuaded OH to try it? :eek:

    Weezl x

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • **purpleprincess**
    **purpleprincess** Posts: 3,533 Forumite
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    weezl74 wrote: »
    Hiya purple princess:beer:, I am totally up for any alterations/tweaks as you see fit!

    My main aim is to fit it within the cheapy shopping list I posted before, which I think your amendments still do marvelously ;)

    Really looking forward to seeing what happens....:D

    Have you persuaded OH to try it? :eek:

    Weezl x

    Cool!! Me too!! How do you think it will fare with the reheating/freezing elements?

    Well, he doesn't know!!:p I'm just going to serve it up for dinner and see what happens! I know for a fact that he won't be keen on the sultanas but he can always pick them out!!

    x
    Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
  • weezl74
    weezl74 Posts: 8,701 Forumite
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    well, as far as I can tell, yours will be more like a 'hot dinner' whereas mine was a bit more cold salady. But if the weather where you are is like Wales today, I think you made the right choice!!:eek:

    If you meant about freezing it again afterwards, I really don't see why not, I mostly worry about meat and rice as known risks for food poisoning!;)

    It's very exciting designing a recipe together, but miles away! Wonder what tweaks ceridwen will suggest...:T

    love weezl x

    :hello:Jonathan 'Fergie' Fergus William, born 05/03/09, 7lb 4.4oz:hello:
    :)Benjamin 'Kezzie' Kester Jacob, born 18/03/10, 7lb 5oz:)
    cash neutral gifts 2011, value of purchased gifts/actual paid/amount earnt to cover it £67/£3.60/£0
    january grocery challenge, feed 4 of us for £40
  • **purpleprincess**
    **purpleprincess** Posts: 3,533 Forumite
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    Here's what I did!!
    • 1 tin chopped tomatoes, drained of liquid and liquid in a jug and bits in a pot
    • 1 onion, chopped into small pieces
    • 65g sultanas, soak these in hot water til plump
    • 250g cous cous
    • 2 cloves garlic, crushed *
    • 2 tsp wholegrain mustard *
    • 1.5 tsp curry powder *
    • 1 tsp chilli flakes *
    • 1 tsp honey *
    • 2 tbsp oil *
    • 250g fine green beans
    This is a picture of all the ingredients together!! There are pic's of each stage!!
    • Put oil in frying pan and heat.
    • Add all the spicy ingredients, all items with * next to them. Fry til sizzling.
    • Add the onions and a teaspoon of water and fry for a couple of minutes.
    • Add the sultana water to the tomato juice and add some boiling water- this will make it easier to soak into the cous cous. Heat in microwave til bubbling then pour over the cous cous, cover and leave for about 4 minutes.
    • Add the tomatoes, stir in, cook for a minute then add green beans and cook for a bit while the cous cous is soaking.
    • Fluff up the cous cous and add to the tomatoey mixture along with the sultanas.
    • Mix well and serve!!
    Is tres yummy!! Nomnomnom!! Could be served as it is as a hot meal or left and served cool like a salady meal!!!

    :D xx
    Official DFW Nerd no. 082! :cool:
    Debt @ 01/01/2014 £16,956 Debt now: £0.00 :j
    Aims:[STRIKE] clear debt, get married, buy a house[/STRIKE] :D ALL DONE!!
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