Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

Nancy888 · 8 February 2010 at 10:12AM

LilacPixie wrote: »

Someone mentioned frugal equiptment essentials. I feel this is a very good point. I, for example do not have a food processor so cannot make HM breadcrumbs despite having various left over bits of bread.

Hi

I just use a grater - it seems too much of a faff to get the food processor out for a few breadcrumbs

HTH

jenid · 8 February 2010 at 11:00AM

I was just about to post about using a grater to make bread crumbs.

Also my stick blender came with a tall 'beaker' type thing that stops things flying out of the top. I think if you don't have one you could maybe cut the top of a squash/lemonade bottle or similar to use instead? Then you could make your breadcrumbs in there.

The electricians are working in the kitchen at the moment and the worktop people are coming today to measure up so fingers crossed it won't be too long now until I can join you on the receipe testing front.

In the meantime Weezl I was thinking would it be useful if we thought of some alternative receipes for your listed ingredients so that you could add alternatives for your family if they didn't like one receipe.

For example I make a cheap and easy onion soup, and also an onion pizza, would these recipes be any good for you?

Lesley_Gaye · 8 February 2010 at 12:44PM

weezl74 wrote: »

Hiya lesley I'm grateful for all suggestions and it makes for a much more useful thread! I guess the reason for being quite tight on which ingredients is that if this particular imaginary family of 4 only have £100, then we need to make it go as far as possible, so use each ingredient up totally once it's bought... Hence trying to find a fair few uses for chick peas :D Does that make sense?

But I'm sure there are loads of monthly shopping lists which are potentials. And I also think that if this proves popular, then just 1 months ideas wouldn't be enough variety. So keep em coming lovely lady

PS Lesley I hope you don't mind me saying but I think you must've been doing a healthy challenge yourself, your new avvy seems to show a slimmer you

Well, bless you for noticing. I have indeed lost quite a bit of weight, still going, another few stone to go yet.

I have found that if I treat sugar (and too much fat) as 'the enemy' and avoid as much as poss, I can eat fairly substantial amounts of tasty food without getting horrible cravings.

But as an enthusiastic cook, I need lots of variety, or I get really bored and want lots of cake (funny how I never get bored of that!!)

I didn't have the laptop on yesterday and I've now got several pages to get through - wow, this thread is really flying

nicki_2 · 8 February 2010 at 1:25PM

Well I'm going through Wheezl's shopping list and trying to make it lower fat (particularly saturated fat), lower sugar, lower sodium & wholemeal for as close to £100 as possible. I'm within £10-£20max ATM but I've made a few personal substitutions (like lost the beetroot & red cabbage, but supplemented frozen mushrooms & Peppers). Also trying to make choices based on what I can get in my local store which appears to be different to those on the list *rolls eyes* I'm actually quite surprised as I thought eating healthier would be substantially more expensive.

nopot2pin · 8 February 2010 at 1:49PM

weezl74 wrote: »

I wonder if one person might be willing to be a kind of summariser of all the feedback from a particular recipe we've tested? Feel free to organise it as you wish, but one possible way to present it which I would find really helpful might be (see next post...)

I would quite like to do this Weezl :j:j, if no one else wishes to ...

I shift work, so although I am all up for testing recipes, sometimes work gets in the way *rolleyes* and cooking/cheffing has to wait till days off

But I always manage time for the computer

:whistle:
And I feel a spreadsheet opportunity is in the air :j:j:whistle::rotfl:

weezl74 wrote: »

example of a recipe feedback summary:

Recipe: Vegetarian lasagne

no of testers: 26

General feedback: (ie: nice x4, bit bland x2 portion a bit small x4)

Suggested improvements:

Suggested frugalisations: (and if any of these have been subsequently tested)

Nutritional feedback if given:

current costings: 38p per person

should this recipe be included in the planner: 20 think yes, 5 no, one not sure, probably only once in the month

Marks out of 10 for you ??
Marks out of 10 from your family/DH ect ect ??

princess_loki · 8 February 2010 at 2:06PM

hello all!

i made both of these last night

carrot cake i cut down sugar to 200g, bicarb to 2tsp and used orange squash and sultanas as substitute. i think that the sugar could be cut down a little more and that we could maybe use slightly less raisins / sultanas and add more carrot. have to say that i would normally use mixed spice but went for the garam masala and it was nice - handy to have dual ingredient.

onion tart was nice - we had it with loads of salad. don't think cheese is required in pastry and as we were low on buttery spread i used half lard and half butter. i think that using a medium sized potato in with the onions would work and i didn't use as much cheese on the topping but it was still really nice. i also did not have a pie dish so used a pyrex one which i greased and then floured.

don't think i would do onion tart as a regular meal - maybe once a month or when i got onions reduced or on special offer.

some ideas which could maybe added to the list:
potato pie with gammon and onion with cheese topping. this is really nice and very easy - it makes one piece of gammon do two people and is nice with some veg on the side.

i will also dig out my recipe for fruit tea loaf - quite cheap if using value dried fruit and it keeps really well.

looking forward to the next recipe :j

Lesley_Gaye · 8 February 2010 at 3:23PM

Butter Bean & Vegetable Curry

175g dried butter beans
3 tbslp oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 crushed clove garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
Pinch chilli powder
2 tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
450g potatoes, peeled and cubed
1.5tsp sea salt
2 bay leaves
125g frozen peas

Soak the butter beans overnight in cold water then simmer for about 1.25 hours until soft. Or cook them in a pressure cooker for about 45 minutes from dried.

Drain the beans and reserve the cooking liquid.

Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Stir in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes with a lid on.

Add the potatoes, mixing well. Stir in 275 ml of the bean cooking liquor, sea salt and bayleaves. Simmer gently with a lid on until potatoes are nearly cooked, then add the butter beans and peas and cook for a further 5 minutes or so.

I'm sure chick peas could be used here in place of the butter beans. This is a recipe from Rose Elliot, from her More Than Beans (or similar). I tend to use some chilli (from the garden and in the freezer), plus I add 1 tsp paprika and 1 tsp garam masala. Rose suggests fried rice and mango chutney to go with it

Makes a gentle, comforting curry. Could add more chilli if you like it hotter

sistercas · 8 February 2010 at 3:44PM

lilacpixie I have a bog standard stick blender , when I make breadcrumbs I have to cling film the top of the bowl around the blender IYSWIM otherwise the whole kitchen is splattered.

well half of the carrot cake has gone

fortunately I have frozen the other half.

this is the problem I find with my teenagers they have huge appetites and are always 'starving' and even if they are not hungry if they see something edible they will wolf that down as well . it can make it difficult trying to spread things out over a week and keeping to a budget ( they seem to find my hidey holes for things )
fortunately they are equally happy with fruit and veg (mine love cauli and even sprouts!) as well as cakes and biscuits but it can be like trying to fill a bottomless pit at times

Lesley_Gaye · 8 February 2010 at 3:46PM

Chick Pea Crumble

Serves 4

1tbslp oil
100g onion, chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
225g potatoes, scrubbed and sliced
425g tin tomatoes
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp dried basil or marjoram
425g tin chickpeas
black pepper

Crumble
75g plain wholemeal flour
25g rolled oats
50g spread/butter
1tbsp sunflower seeds
2tbsp sesame seeds

Saute the onion, celery and potatoes for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes. Add the cumin and basil/marjoram. Simmer gently with lid on for 20 minutes.

Crumble – rub spread into flour and oats and stir in the seeds.

Stir the chickpeas into the tomato sauce, season with black pepper and salt to taste. Put into a greased ovenproof dish and top with the crumble.

Bake at 190C/375F/Gas 5 for about 20 minutes.

Great with either cooked green veg or a crisp salad.

The recipe is from my folder,torn out of something, completely forgotten where now as I've had it for years.

The recipe uses a tin of chickpeas but I invariably use dried. Again, I think the chickpeas can be changed to any mild bean or pulse that you have or want to use.

Lesley_Gaye · 8 February 2010 at 3:49PM

OH is making longing noises over the carrot cake, so I might have to make that for him. Trouble is, when I do that with cake or anything sweet, I usually eat it too, and often more than him. Have tried freezing it but I know that frozen cake is very edible!

Got better at the discipline of not eating what I don't want to eat IYSWIM, so may take mercy on him and cook it for him

Weezl's phase 1- recipe testing and frugalisation- come one, come all!

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