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

Sian_the_Green

Can I ask how you imagine the plan to be 'distributed'?
Are you thinking of a website or a book or a booklet or a resource pack or being taught through classes?
I mean in an ideal world...

Soup is a funny one, I didn't like it at all when I was younger but love it now. I think different people like different textures too, I'm more of a smooth soup fan (and smooth yogurt!).

shanks77

Any other uses for marrowfat peas?[/QUOTE]

Yeah the bin:rotfl:i hate them with a passion
WOW to Avocet where did you buy the brains to do all that can i have some i am soooo impressed by your hard work would not have a clue where to start with something like that well done:T

Frugaldom

Sorry for butting in again, Weezl, but you could add in the bean pate as a lunchtime meal. I've integrated this into our meals here in Frugaldom since reading your recipe some time ago, but I frugalised it a little. Last time, I made enough to share with the neighbour, as she shared her homemade cream cheese with me.

I'll edit this post to show the frugalisation and costings. Sorry, I keep losing your A$da list, the one I found has no kidney beans but here's my frugalised recipe for the spicy pate:

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
1/2 a small onion (fine chopped)
sprinkle of chilli pepper
sprinkle of paprika
1 tbsp oil
salt & pepper as preferred

All of the above get blitzed together with the blender until creamy then transferred to small jars in the fridge. It keeps all week when sealed and chilled. There's no cooking involved and it tastes great on toast or crackers, especially when served with a handful of homegrown salad leaves, but I'm not sure how you calculate costs on homegrown stuff. I reckoned it cost less than 30p to make the pate and it's enough to feed 4 at lunchtime no problem. If I add in the cost of some homemade bread that would bring it up to about 50p for 4. (We like our bread in chunks) I'm guessing you can do this with most types of beans and, as far as I am aware, beans and pulses count as part of the 5-a-day. The recipe suggests using tomato rather than oil to make it fat free pate.

shanks77

In_Search_Of_Me wrote: »

morning...trying to keep up with you all! Avocet thank you on my behalf for helping with the geeky bits...while knowing that weezl wont forget cos she has a bump am concious that our weezl is about to have baby no 2 in amongst all the excitement of trying to be a revolutionary!

Re the peanut butter can pepys have an alternative for those of us who are allergic? As someone else said you wont please all the people all the time no matter how hard you try but would be nice to have peanut alternative as a fair few are allergic...

Have you tried Cashew nut butter? Seemingly tastes very similiar but unfortunately is quite a bit more especially compared to the value and sp versions. Dont know if this is suitable as i am lucky not to have allergies. It can be bought from Asda and i have also seen it in Holland and Barrett but will blow Weezls budget

System

weezl74 wrote: »

Avocet, might you be willing to try a frugalised version to give us an idea of quantities?

OK, double pea mash on Sunday it is, then. I'll have to make it with yellow split peas instead of whole green processed ones (can't find them on the Ocado site), but at 48p per 500g the price is identical. And apart from the colour, the effect will be the same despite the substitution because of the mashing (the split ones will just need an enthusiastic stir rather than being mashed), and the weights and yields will be the same. I have ordered the same garlic puree as on your list, and already have bottled lemon juice in the house (different brand from yours, but I'm sure there's little difference). I hope it doesn't need fat, because I won't be able to use the mythical family's storecupboard options for that (well, I could use sunflower oil, but that sounds yucky!). Otherwise it will be a very close match to what the family might be able to do.

Frugalista

Phew!! Finally caught up with this thread and got to the end. Weezl you are a legend :T:T I don't know where you get your energy from!!

Have copied some fantastic recipes from here (and your previous thread) and am looking forward to trying them out (and making my own attempts at frugalising them) .

ceridwen wrote: »

I was wondering whether we might have some sorta mini-Forum of our own (similar to the Nonnymouse Forum or summat - that originated in MSE). With that - we could have a thread for each specific recipe and a general thread for comments on the thing as a whole. I'll just toss that thought into the pot for consideration

(errr....and theres the fact that we would be totally free of any & all restrictions being "off-grid" - ie off MSE;):)).

I don't expect this will be popular but I really, really hope this thread doesn't leave MSE . Others have done (eg: the Shabby Chic thread ) and totally lost the warm, welcoming, comfortable feeling that exists on this site (and, particularly, the Old Style forum).

Since joining MSE I have spent most of my time on the Old Style board and have learnt so much, thanks to the generous people who post on there :grouphug:. Every day there are new people joining, who really want to save money/eat more healthily/are coping with redundancy, etc, etc. Many of them find their way there from other boards and embrace the Old Style way of living. (I realise this thread is on the 'How Much Have You Saved' bar - was lucky to spot weezl's name).

I guess what I am trying to say (albeit very clumsily) is that keeping this resource to yourself/ourselves and having a forum "of our own" does not appear to be what weezl's initial intention was and just seems very selfish :undecided (for want of a better word) in view of the number of people who are keen to join in. I understand that, ultimately, weezl is perhaps looking to market this resource but, at the moment, I feel that MSE is the right place for it.

Sorry for the ramble :o:o

ETA - what about boiled eggs as a breakfast option?

Allegra

NJW69 wrote: »

Corned Beef Hash
5lb bag of potatoes cut into large chunks
1 large tin of corned beef
1 large onion diced
2 carrots chopped into small chunks

That's as near as it could possibly be to the quantities I'd use, NJW69 Just one small difference - I'd only use 4lb spuds for 4 people - I'd boil them in their skins and then peel, thus minimising wastage (which I'd then compensate for by wasting energy through baking the concoction )

As for marrowfat peas - how about a frugal version of risi e bisi ? It's a childhood favourite of mine, and dead simple to make - just chop finely and saute an onion, add peas (traditionally made with first fresh homegrown peas, but I do think it would work with pre-soaked marrowfats just as well) and a bit of garlic, rice and liquid (home made chicken or ham stock is great, but a frugal veg stock made from boiling the discarded carrot tops in water used to boil other veg for a previous meal would be just fine here), a little bit of salt, and then simmer until done. The finished consistency of the finished dish should be somwhere between soup and a risotto - but there really isn't anything to stop you from making it thicker or runnier if that's what you'd prefer.

A bit of grated cheese to serve would be nice, as would a scattering of chopped parsley, but it would be perfectly edible without either

Lesley_Gaye

we're having the Onion Tart tonight, I'm just making it. The pastry is done and the onions browning.

I used the frugal recipe. Had to choose between Vitalight and butter, so have Vitalight in the pastry and butter in the onions.

OH said, oh what else is in there then and I said eggs and cheese and that's pretty much it, mmmm he went, we could have some mushrooms in with it. I said, I'd rather not, I'm testing a recipe, if we have it again, you can have whatever you want in it - and he went off seemingly quite happy, I expected more resistance than that!

Will let you know how it turns out. We'll have this eve and the other half lunchtime tom. I'm doing coleslaw to have with it this eve, and poss again with it cold tom

Lesley_Gaye

Posted this yesterday on Mark's 6000 meals for 50p each thread, but there doesn't seem much activity over there at the moment, would love to know what you people think

It tasted delicious, had it with a little basmati


Tried a fab new recipe today called Jamaican Run Down. It is basically root veg and beans in a thick coconut sauce. It tastes absolutely fab and I can't wait for dinner time so I can eat it. It is from Lindsey Bareham's book, In Praise of the Potato, which has loads and loads of cheap and tasty ideas in it. The book says it serves 2, but it made a huge saucepan full, so I portioned it out and it made 5 generous portions which means it cost 46p per portion

1 med potato, diced
1 sweet potato, diced (didn't have any in, used mushrooms instead)
150g creamed coconut
1pt water
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 green pepper, cored and sliced
1 med onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme (didn't have any, used a sprinkle of dried mixed herbs)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 chilli pepper, seeded and chopped, optional
1 parsnip, peeled and cubed
225g kidney beans, soaked and cooked - didn't have any, used some dried white beans
salt, pepper and soy sauce

Put the creamed coconut in a large pan with the water and dissolve. Add the carrot, pepper and onion. Simmer for 10 mins.

Add potatoes, bay leaf, garlic and chilli. Simmer for 10 mins

Add sweet potato and parsnip. Simmer for 10 mins or until all veg soft but not mushy

Add cooked beans, s+p and a good splash of soy.

The sauce needs to be thick and flavoursome and coating all the veg. If there is a lot left, strain it out (or remove the veg and beans) and reduce down. If the veg are too dry, add a little water.

There is a lot of coconut in this and I thought I might be able to reduce it as it is high fat and saturated fat at that. Tried it with half the qty and it didn't really work, so added in the other half. At 5 servings, there is 22g of fat per serving

weezl74

Frugalista wrote: »

I understand that, ultimately, weezl is perhaps looking to market this resource but, at the moment, I feel that MSE is the right place for it.

:DI have no wish to earn anything from it. I would happily do this for nowt. MSE attracts millions of people, and if I want to offer a resource to Bob and shirley, I feel they may most likely find it here.

I'll stay unless it seems to hamper what we're doing or the MSE team feel it is inappropriate forum material.

How does that sound?