Living richly; simply and debt-freely

Greying_Pilgrim

^ :rotfl::T

Madhur Jaffrey lentil recipe tonight

Greying x

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

How has the weather been with you? The forecast was completely wrong for us. Sure, it has been hot, hot, hot - but that stifling, muggy heat with oppressive cloud, rather than wall-to-wall blazing sunshine. I don't know which is worse. At least you can escape to the shade if the sun is out - muggy heat gets everywhere.

Anyway, I hope you've kept cool and hydrated.

We've just been watching the latest episode of Ainsley Harriot's street food programme, from Madrid. Has anyone else been watching? It's been quite a good series, and I think that this latest episode was by far the best. They chose some really, really good venues and new angles (legislation is slow in being changed to allow food trucks to trade on the street) to explore.

Dinner this evening was a really simple recipe from Madhur Jaffrey's book 'World Vegetarian', and I regret that there is no recipe link, as it's quite an old book. However, the dish - dalcha, is basically dhal with courgettes. And for something a little bit different, and in keeping with the weather, I decided to do a bit of 'deconstructing', and instead of cooking the courgettes in the dhal, I grilled them again (brings out their flavour, really nicely ) and put them on top of the dhal. There was rice and Reza's 'Colourful Spiced cabbage' to accompany. Really quite a thrifty meal, and surprisingly light in the warm weather Pic here;



I'm actually looking forward to dinner tomorrow night already! I don't know exactly what i'll come up with, but I know what I want to 'base' the dish around to use up (it's a store cupboard ingredient, and I either want to get creative with it, or quit buying them - as we're not really fans ) My head is buzzing with ideas and snippets of stuff at the minute though - not helped by a cookbook (as reading material) and watching TV chef progs! :rotfl:

Purely by default, today was a NSD - I don't tally them anymore, but it is nice when you nab one and you've still everything that you need and more......

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

that I didn't get scorched

for an interesting TV prog

that I have all I need and I'm satisfied with that

Thanks everso for popping in and reading. I'm back off into the kitchen - if you need to find me

See y'all later.

Greying x

liltdiddylilt

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

Do I owe you anything for the dry-cleaning of the sofa?

Good to see ya lilty!

Greying x

Au contraire, do I owe you anything for the belly laugh my dear.

Thanks for the thought provoking soapbox post. I think I am rather like you in that I don't really have leftovers. Whilst I may not be as creative as you, I would always cook a roast chicken with several meals in mind and the bone broth is always good. (P.S have you seen all these recent articles about the *new* superfood... Bone broth. AKA good old stock made from bones to you and me :rotfl:)

I need to be less wasteful. My fridge is full to groaning but I blame a diet that allows me to eat absolutely nothing from the cupboards! :eek: - at least I am trying new things!

Hope you get some good air clearing thunderstorms that don't ruin your sleep tonight. There was wall to wall blazing sunshine here and I almost fried on the way to and from work. Not to mention that 2 miles walking each way in this heat lugging a handbag and a rucksack was no picnic. Somewhere around the 35 degrees mark at 5pm :eek:

Have a good'un xx

in_need_of_direction

While we were some 10 degrees below that, it was a heavy overcast day. Yeuck.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

Well, what a funny auld day. Bit of a curate's egg if I'm honest, but all in all, we're still here and still laughing

Still, I made another batch of yoghurt, and it has turned out successfully, so I'll alter my siggie figgie.

Lilty - *bone broth* *new* *superfood*. Same sentence, who wudda thunk it :rotfl: Oh, we are daft us humans. Always looking to reinvent the wheel. Tsk.

I used my time in the kitchen wisely, last night I made a version of THIS for today's snap. I say version, as a lot of improvisation took place. For example, I used butternut squash rather than sweet potatoes, and fresh apricots rather than tomatoes, because I didn't have any. We had it with millet as I did have some of that . The dressing, however, I had all the ingredients for - and it was LUSH And don't despair Dear Reader, you don't need Medjool dates to make it (if you have them, great, but the are too pricey for me ), as you'll be glad to hear that the dates that you only ever buy at chrimbo; that have a pic of a camel on the front of the pack and which come with that curious, useless plastic 'prong', work just as well in this dressing Just make sure that they are de-stoned and then pop them in some boiling water, in a mug for 5 mins as Laura says. Overall, the entire salad was really, really tasty, really filling and a definite keeper! And I think that it is probably a HOT contender for chrimbo lunch this year! We could have it cold as a salad if we're out and about, like we were last year, or warm if we stay indoors :T The spicing is wonderful, not hot, just adds flavour Well done Laura :T ... again

Dinner this evening. Well, it's Thursday, so that makes it 'Tilly Tiffin Tidy' day The ingredient that I most wanted to [STRIKE]get rid of [/STRIKE] use up out of my stores, was some dried noodles. Not buckwheat or rice, but those crinkly, wrinkly noodles that you can buy with 'flavourings' at about 20 for 10p or, as I had bought them, without flavourings in a packet of 6 'blocks' for 69p (I think) from HB. I had bought some YS'd tenderstem broccoli from mrM on Sunday, with an idea to use it tonight. I shall be honest and say that i'd kept it a little past it's best - it was beginning to go yellow. Still perfectly edible, but not the best looking, so note to self, don't save stuff for 'use up' night!

The reason why we don't really enjoy the noodles is because they lack taste and are difficult to eat. I therefore smashed them up quite small before soaking them in hot water. I sauted some onion, celery, garlic and ginger in a pan, along with the diced up stems of the broccoli, setting the 'heads' to one side. I made up some of the tahini, miso, citrus dressing (another recipe of Laura's ), to which I added the small quantity of coconut milk that was leftover from the other day - it had been in the freezer, so I've 2 square inches more space in there now . I then dressed the soaked and drained noodles in the dressing - which instantly made them better, as they tasted of something. I then gently mixed in the veg. I made a couple of 2 egg omelettes in the small frying pan, so that they were a bit 'chunky'. These were rolled and sliced. Sunflower seeds were scattered over the noodle 'salad' and some black onion seeds over the omelette - there is also a dribble of toasted sesame oil, but you can't really see that



If you are wondering where the broccoli 'heads' are, I had microwaved them to 'steam' them. I over did it a bit So then went flat and lank. If i'd put them on the plate for the pic, you'd not be able to see the noodley bit. However, be assured, that they were added to our plates afterwards and every bit eaten up!

I don't think that the meal was as exciting as I thought it might be in my head But I've used up an ingredient that was bugging me, taking up space and that I could never find a use for. I think dressing the noodles made them the best that we've ever had (in terms of using cheap noodles), but am I keen to ever buy more? Mmmm, jury's out on that one. It's a bit like valoo pasta. It used to form a large part of my storecupboard, but I actually don't have much pasta in at all now - and what I've got is not valoo stuff. If I had to drastically slash my budget, YES, I would buy them again, and I would have a better idea of how to make a meal from them that we would actually want to eat. Will I purchase them if I don't have to? Unlikely.

So, tonight's meal was useful in 3 ways. It kept hunger at bay (although lunch was pretty spiffing, we didn't need a lot of tea), it decluttered a Tupperware box out of the cupboard and it made my mind up about future purchasing decisions :T 'Tidying Triumph' I think

joeyjimbles - I bought some nectarines today. I got them from A$da, which enabled me to judge it against the mrT offer. Basically, they are the same price, and I could choose today between a carton of 9 small nectarines (perfectly fine, probably best if I was filling lunchboxes) or 5 very much bigger nectarines. Either was 97p. I went for the larger fruit as I need them for a salad. My nectarines are currently rock hard I won't need them until next week anyway. So it will be interesting to see a) if they ripen and b) if they have any flavour when they do ripen. Interesting experiment!

Today I am grateful for these 3 things;

Laura's imaginative recipe inventiveness and her willingness to share

that I have choice

for having learnt to count to 10; a lifetime skill

Thanks for popping in and reading. Very much appreciated.

See y'all later.

Greying x

muddywhitechicken

Mmmm I was drooling when that recipe was posted yesterday and I'm drooling again now :drool:

(not so much at the noodles )

MWCx

Greying_Pilgrim

muddywhitechicken wrote: »

Mmmm I was drooling when that recipe was posted yesterday and I'm drooling again now :drool:

(not so much at the noodles )

MWCx

I don't blame you love! I don't think the noodley noodles are in the least bit drool-worthy. Thank goodness those were the last blocks I had i'd rather save 2x the cost of those, and buy one pack of buckwheat noodles or something. Lesson learnt Is Mr MWC going to make you Laura's salad sometime do you think? Let me know if he does, obvs my version differed quite a bit, but I was definitely along the same lines and rocking the Morroc - ish vibe But I'd be interested to know the views of someone else that made it. The only ? mark I would have is at the inclusion of the Dijon in the dressing. I put less than the 1tsp suggested in, and it came through as a distinct taste. OK, but i'm not mad keen on Dijon. Next time I would give miso a go instead, or maybe up the date numbers (medjools are bigger than the dates I had at my disposal).

Greying x

greenbee

Not being veggie, I do have a way of making the noodles palatable - cooked in chicken stock with broccoli or spinach.

I'm still hoping you'll adopt me - work is so hectic at the moment I'm neglecting cooking and living vicariously through your diary. I am making yogurt, but I find that although the first batch usually turns out well, the second isn't great and the third is terrible. I'm sure the starters used to last longer. Then again, I'm pretty sure I used semi-skimmed milk in this batch which probably didn't help. Not sure I can recover it. And all the time away from home for work doesn't help manage production (or meal planning).

So I'm still available for adoption... away roughly 50% of the time and reasonably well house trained

(And I have a whole box of buckwheat noodles from an AF purchase last year...)

Greying_Pilgrim

greenbee wrote: »

Not being veggie, I do have a way of making the noodles palatable - cooked in chicken stock with broccoli or spinach....

:rotfl:Well done greenbee :T muddywhitechicken will be back here in a minute, imploring me to 'just make Pho!' :rotfl:

greenbee wrote: »

I'm still hoping you'll adopt me - work is so hectic at the moment I know - I read about your travels elsewhere. Still you've been to a wonderful country - did you get to see anything other that office blocks and hotel rooms? I'm neglecting cooking and living vicariously through your diary. I am making yogurt, but I find that although the first batch usually turns out well, the second isn't great and the third is terrible. I'm sure the starters used to last longer. Then again, I'm pretty sure I used semi-skimmed milk in this batch which probably didn't help. Not sure I can recover it. And all the time away from home for work doesn't help manage production (or meal planning). Mmm, I've been reasonably lucky with my starters, but i'm into only about the 3rd time through with this one I think........

greenbee wrote: »

So I'm still available for adoption... away roughly 50% of the time and reasonably well house trained

*Egg-timer smilie* you're request is currently under consideration.................*Egg-timer smilie* ........

greenbee wrote: »

(And I have a whole box of buckwheat noodles from an AF purchase last year...)

^^^^^ YOU'RE IN!!!! :rotfl:

Greying x

joeyjimbles

Interesting re. nectarines. We had the smaller ones (from Mr T) which were mostly rock hard apart from the 2 on the top. Most of them did ripen/soften during the week but I wanted 2 for tomorrow so they spent most of today in a paper bag with a banana and they have definitely improved and I have now separated them again so they don't go too far.
They've been quite tasty though - and the YS apricots that I bought at the same time were delicious but didn't last very long. They are one of my favourite fruits but often so pricey and I cannot grow them however hard I try. Ah well, it wouldn't be a treat if you had it every day.