Love Food Hate Waste 2020

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Yesterday I defrosted 2 large (think Arnold Schwarzenegger in his prime) chicken breasts for dinner. Ended up using only 1 between 3 people 😁 Sliced & fried in butter. Used half the fresh carrots & cooked the last parsnip with 3 sweet potatoes (mashed together with lashings of pepper & a knob of butter) for DH & I. Potato mash for DSis. The 2nd breast will be used in a pasta dish. 

Never been so grateful that I had been Br*x*t prepping for at least 18 months 😆 
Only really need vegetables & milk & bread - but should really make my bread 🍞 😞 


Anyway I am wittering now so will sign off

MrsSD

Pyxis

Being on my own and a vegetarian, my main type of cooking is stir-fry, and I just use whatever vegetables are to hand...I never use a recipe.
Until very recently, I was also adding fresh herbs, garlic and chopped root turmeric and ginger into every meal, for the extra nutrients, anti-oxidants, etc., but the fresh ones are hard to get at the moment.

To stop it being too bland, I add tomato paste and/or some of Sacla’s wonderful varied pestos or pasta sauces. Or I might add some Tabasco for a bit of a bite.

I either eat it on its own, or with pasta or rice.
It can produce some interesting combinations! Some work very well, others not quite so well, but it all gets eaten!

I hadn’t bought kale for quite a while, but having got some in my recent veg box, I chopped it up and added it to the stir fry at the end, and it soon shrinks down and mixes in, so a good way to get the green leafy veg part into the diet.

One stir fry makes two meals, and now I’m feeling hungry, so will go and heat up yesterday’s and have it for brunch! 😁

My freezer is full of my favourite ready meals, (as well as a few basics), for when I feel unwell or too tired to chop things, or just for a change!

I found a pack of unsalted cashews in my cupboard, and they are getting on a bit, so I’ll start adding those, chopped up, to the stir-fries as well! Should be interesting!

Siebrie

I made granola this morning:

Spoonful of honey + some oil (I used corn oil), mix

Add oats, sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds. Mix thoroughly.

Put in a single layer in the oven at 160 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Stir and add the end of a bag of coconut slivers, some almost stale cornflakes, and almost stale rice crispies.

Bake for another 5 minutes.

Cool completely (remove from oven, otherwise the coconut turns black), put in a pot, add popped amaranth, popped spelt, popped buckwheat (all from Aldi, eco). Mix.

Will keep for about 2 weeks.

DD2 was snacking on the warm cornflakes as the mix was cooling

Pyxis

Update on the apple drying.

I tried one apple at 50 degrees C. It took several hours and still wasn't totally dry, but I ate them anyway, as they were easier to nibble on than a whole insipid apple.

This morning I upped the temperature to 100C and after three and a half hours, they are very passable. The flavour has intensified a bit, but as said, I can just nibble on them and get the nutrients into me that way. The texture is nicer than the fresh apple, too....chewy, which I like.

So the last apple will get the drying treatment, and I’ve probably got more coming on Thursday, so will do the same with them.

Have still got the unripe pears, so I’ll let them ripen a bit more before I do the same with them, if they’re not all that tasty.

mrs_motivated

Hi everyone,
I am hoping someone can come up with some suggestion on what I can make with some fresh noodles, I have some chicken or tuna steaks in the freezer, mushrooms, peas, onion, peppers etc. But no other stir fry veg or a stir fry sauce (which I normally buy ready made). I do have a well stocked store cupboard with lots of herbs, spices,soy sauce etc.  

Any ideas what to do or how to whip up some kind of Chinese style sauce?

Brambling

What about chicken noodle soup? Poached the chicken in stock first use the liquid to make the soup.  Chop all the veg and add the noodles at the end to heat through or if you have any Thai green paste and coconut milk make chicken laksa 

mrs_motivated

Brambling said:

What about chicken noodle soup? Poached the chicken in stock first use the liquid to make the soup.  Chop all the veg and add the noodles at the end to heat through or if you have any Thai green paste and coconut milk make chicken laksa 

Thank you, I do have coconut milk, but no Thai green paste.  I could try the soup though, thanks for the ideas.

ToastLady

I don't ever have a sauce with a stir fry. I usually have a range of veg all prepared depending on what I have in, few nights ago was onion, thin carrot batons, sliced cabbage, sliced red pepper, sliced mushroom, sweetcorn and handful of peanuts (am vegetarian), spices were Thai 7 spice powder (Chinese 5 spice works well too), garlic, chilli flakes, soy sauce and a splash of sesame oil at the end. I used bulgur with vermicelli mix instead of rice or noodles to serve with it, with a one egg omelette chopped through it. 
Plenty of suggestions on internet for making a stir fry sauce. Here's a variety, but have never tried them. 
https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/7-easy-stir-fry-sauces-can-prep-ahead/

ToastLady

I inadvertently left a small crusty loaf out of the freezer when putting stuff in yesterday. Made a savoury bread pudding for dinner last night. Slices of bread in bottom of ovenproof dish, topped with diced sauteed onion, sliced tomatoes and some chopped rocket, added some dried oregano, garlic powder and chilli flakes, grated cheese on top. 4 small eggs beaten with some milk, poured over. Baked at 180C in oven for about 30 mins. Had it with coleslaw. Left one portion out for lunch today, 2 portions in freezer for later.

Pyxis

ToastLady said:

I inadvertently left a small crusty loaf out of the freezer when putting stuff in yesterday. Made a savoury bread pudding for dinner last night. Slices of bread in bottom of ovenproof dish, topped with diced sauteed onion, sliced tomatoes and some chopped rocket, added some dried oregano, garlic powder and chilli flakes, grated cheese on top. 4 small eggs beaten with some milk, poured over. Baked at 180C in oven for about 30 mins. Had it with coleslaw. Left one portion out for lunch today, 2 portions in freezer for later.

That sounds nice!
Drat! No eggs at the moment!