The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

Smurphington wrote: »

I have bought the same mixed beans from h3r0n and I never thought about separating them out - good idea!

Oh, Jack deserves the credit for the idea. I remember she used to do it with mrS frozen 'mixed veg' in the 'Girl called Jack' blog days. For the same reasons - so that she could 'buy once' but eat 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 different ways

Smurphington wrote: »

Do you add tahini to your houmous recipe? I want to have a go at making my own but I can't afford tahini - could I use sunflower seeds or sesame oil?

No, I can't afford tahini either. i sometimes grind up sesame seeds if I've bought a packet reasonably priced - but they go rancid quickly, so NEVER be tempted to buy big bags....... (ask me how I know this ). I have used sunflower seeds, but it didn't really do the business for me. I wouldn't personally use sesame oil (although I have some), as I think the flavour is just too strong - I think it would overpower it pdq. I usually find that adding in extra lemon and using 'reasonably good' chickpeas (ie not wisened, wrinkly, little, 'hard as nails' things from the back of the cupboard.........) is the key to getting a tasty product, minus the tahini.

Alicia1804 wrote: »

I've lurked on this thread a bit and read some entries and finally sucked up the guts to comment.


Do you have a lot of recipes in this thread? I'm a sucker for trying new things and have a mountain of tinned beans/lentils, as well as dried lentils and frozen stuff to work my way through...

Hi Alicia :wave: Thanks for popping in. Yes, I think that if anyone is interested in cooking, even a bit, you tend to build up a list of 'goto' recipes, don't you? And I am the worst for making stuff up on the hoof, to use what I have, improvising or cooking recipes 'my way' rather than the way the recipe is written........ I think over the course of my 3 diaries, 'quite a few' recipe links have been posted :whistle:The over-whelming majority are vegetarian (certainly no meat, but I may have done one or two containing fish), and a large percentage of recipes would fall into the vegan category - although sometimes a recipe will say; use agave syrup, and I personally substitute honey, as we do use it (not in huge amounts, but we do use it). The majority of the recipes I use are in the frugal/budget category - simply because I ain't a trust-fund baby So we have to watch the pennies. I always do the recipe links in Size 5 font so they are easy to pick out. Sometimes links break though, but at least y'all know I'm not professing to be a fount of cooking knowledge - I do use other people's recipes/ideas



Greying X

DebtFreeMonkey

I don't know if you guys have an Asian store near you but that's where I buy my tahini from. It's the proper Arabic style stuff, too. For 900g, it costs me £4.49 instead of the ridiculously priced and not as nice supermarket stocked versions. That's my treat, otherwise I live off beans/lentils, grains, veggies, fruit...basically the cheap stuff so that's how I justify it.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:


Here we are again at Monday morning


Lots of tidying and sorting to do today, so must get to it.


The weather is currently warm, so maybe the curry I was thinking about doing for us tea, isn't such a good idea :think: Having said that, my other option involves using the oven, so............


I could get away with a legitimate NSD today, so I must try very hard to achieve it! Fed up of frittering.


Really can't think of owt else :money: to mention. Bills should have been paid for this month, so a quick check on the banks, but that is about it.


Ta for popping by. Appreciated.


Greying X

greenbee

Just thought I'd point out that most curry recipes originate from hot countries ...

beanielou

Have had a quick look at the JM tin can book.
I can only see two that our clients would use at a push.
A lot of the other ingredients would not be available to them.
Nor the costs of using a oven for any length of time.

Pollie

I have used peanut butter instead of tahini. Just keep tasting until the flavour suits you.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:

greenbee wrote: »

Just thought I'd point out that most curry recipes originate from hot countries ...

I meant versus a salad And given it has just gone right humid in this neck of t'woods, stove/oven heat is a significant consideration I'm a woman of a certain age, you know

beanielou wrote: »

Have had a quick look at the JM tin can book.
I can only see two that our clients would use at a push.
A lot of the other ingredients would not be available to them.
Nor the costs of using a oven for any length of time.

Interesting, I've no knowledge of the workings of FB's, and the needs of clients. But I came to sorta the same conclusion....... Just assumed I was not in the know enough about what was donated and what client requirements were. I always think of 'beans' as the '57 varieties' sort - or various supermercado own brand versions thereof. I wouldn't think to donate Red Kidney Beans, or black beans.... I would donate a tin of pre-made chilli, as that would come under the heading of 'light meal'. And anchovies............. I can see the relevance of 'bang for buck' flavouring, but they wouldn't be my top priority to use nor supply for budget/frugal/subsistence cooking.............. My bad


Pollie - I'm not overly keen on PB, but I also think it takes the taste of hummus too far away from what is intended. I'd rather make it without tahini if I can't afford it/don't have sesame seeds.



Well, I did spend today - but I kept scrupulously to my list! I was a bit miffed that all the camping set must have been through HB and I had to pay 10p more for a 'premium' tin of tinned tommies :mad: As there were none of the 25p version to be seen on the shelf. The 'premium' were precisely the same as the 25p version :mad: But my purchases did mean that I could choose between making at least 2 different things for tea - so I plumped for the curry and we'll have t'other thing tomorrow night


BG and I ate our lunch outside - I think that constitutes a picnic And had a nice time people watching and nattering


Tea was Black Bean daal from Jack Monroe's Tin Can Cook - page 66 if anyone is interested. Now, I have to say, this is my kind of dish, and it's a keeper of a recipe for me I used black beans out of my frozen selection, bought a tin of green lentils from mrA (55p), a tin of chopped tommies from HB (35p :mad:), a tin of coconut milk from HB 69p (only 100ml used, the rest frozen), and all the other ingredients I had in stock.


Now, this recipe has a long cooking time. Which could make it unaffordable - but Jack's point about the longer cooking time elevating the taste is correct...... So, I would query if you had a slow cooker, whether you could make it in that.....? Or if you don't - try to cook the curry for as long as you can/are able/can afford for the first bit, and then when you add in the coconut milk stick the dish in your hay-box cooker, your hay-bag cooker or shove a teatowel tripled over on top of the saucepan- like yer very own Greying did Retained enough heat to 'take the dish on' and didn't cost a penny I served it with basmati rice. In my humble opinion, it is the best recipe in the TCC book. I shall make it again - as I will the lentil and mandarin curry. I have one more recipe to try from TCC, but as things currently stand, I have 2 'keeper' recipes, and one keeper 'idea' (fruit cocktail cake) that I'm retaining.


Today i am grateful for;


al fresco dining - even if it was only what we'd eat indoors popped in tupperware and taken outdoors.........

a new 'keeper' recipe


BG getting to pet some animals...... and then handing them back to the owners :j - it's too soon for the kitty/puppy/budgie/fish/parrot convo! :rotfl:





Ta for popping in. Appreciated.


Greying X

Smurphington

Have you tried JM's slow cooked lentil ragu? It's delish but you definitely need a sc for that one as it is recommended to simmer for 10 hours plus!

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:

Smurphington wrote: »

Have you tried JM's slow cooked lentil ragu? It's delish but you definitely need a sc for that one as it is recommended to simmer for 10 hours plus!

No, for the simple reason I haven't got a SC. It's one of those pieces of kit that would probably get pushed to the back of the cupboard in our house. I think if I did have more space in the kitchen/a bigger workspace, I would dilligently research vegetarian SC recipes to see if it was worth getting one. But thus far, we've done without.


Right, wot's on t'agenda today? :think:


I've 2 bits of shopping to do, but as they are in completely different directions, I may do the non-essential thing another day. I've summat to pick up that will enhance us tea. I'm not sure DH is going to be impressed with tea - I've a feeling it's something that he's not liked since childhood, so it is probably too late to convert him now. We'll see......


I checked the banks yesterday, and they are all ticketty-boo. So the bills are paid for another month - phew! CHB has been ring-fenced for BG too. They do need some clothing bits and bobs, but I'm hopeful there might be a smidgen to move across to savings at some point.


i forgot to say that I had frozen the slices of fruit cocktail cake - which is something I got into the habit of doing along time ago, when there was just me & DH. DH likes cake and has a sweet tooth, whereas if it's not under my nose, I can pretty much leave it alone. Anyway, it makes a cake easy to portion up when it's made and put away out of sight. To be fair to Jack, she didn't mention freezing the cake (why would she?) but I have to say, it's not the best cake to freeze. Even drained, the fruit is still 'very wet' and when it defrosts, it does make the cake a bit soggy. Now, it only affects texture a bit, it most certainly doesn't affect the edibility - BG still hoovers up a slice! But obvs, if you've anyone from the WI coming over for elevenses - offer them a piece of Jack;s fruit cocktail cake by all means - just dunna offer them a previously frozen slice of fruit cocktail cake........ :rotfl:




Right, best jump tae mae chores.


Ta for popping in. Appreciated.


Greying X

Cheery_Daff

:rotfl: If I ever had someone from the local WI coming over for cake I reckon I'd be buying one in from the local bakery :rotfl:

Incidentally, I have a friend who says her mum was FAR more impressed when she won a local cake making competition than she was when awarded her eminent degree :rotfl: :rotfl:

All this talk of curry is making me plot one for tea :j Lunch was salad, and was NOT substantial enough, so I reckon I'm going to roast a load of veg (in the oven :eek: but it's not actually that warm here :rotfl: ) and add some chick peas, and possibly even a couple of boiled eggs (I hide them in everything now :rotfl: )

Urgh, here comes the rain (nothing to do with anything, just noticed and am feeling grateful we brought the washing in 10 minutes ago!) :rotfl: