The all new using what you have from your Freezer, Cupboard or Shed (Barn)

LotsOfTea

I made soup from half a swede,  two leeks, a few sweet potatoes with the soft bits cut off, and bendy carrots and chucked in a dollop of chutney (found a random jar in the cupboard) and some ready chopped chillies from a jar. It's pretty tasty and has been doing me for lunch most days this week. 

I'm going to have beetroot dahl for tea tonight which was a use-up recipe I made and chucked in the freezer before I went on holiday. I'm hoping to have it with some brown basmati I found at the back of the cupboard. I have no idea how long it's been there but hopefully rice doesn't go off. 🤷

LotsOfTea

The rice smelled weird so I chucked it in the food waste and used half a packet of microwave rice instead. I only used hall of the dahl as well so I've got another meal in the bag for future me. DS finished off some veggie tagine and some pitta so that's more leftovers used up.

Tomorrow will be more soup for lunch and then homemade pizza for tea for a Friday night treat. 

Cherryfudge

Watty1 said:

@Cherryfudge   my curried green lentil soup is based on this 

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/curried-carrot-lentil-soup

and then adapted with whatever I have in so I rarely have leeks but often have celery and or onions and if there is a  bit of broccoli or something left over I add that, but, I always add the carrots (chopped) and the lentils     I blitz it with a stick blender till smooth. 

Thank you for this recipe @Watty1, I made it today and it's lovely. I used spring onion instead of leeks and red lentils instead of green, using what I had in. It's certainly one I'll make again: great for something hot and filling in November!

The fridge is a bit emptier: I had some of the cucumber but had to compost the rest as it was getting soggy. Some leftovers have been used up and a friend now has one of the many jars of greengage jam. On the other hand, I've bought more tins for the emergency supplies cupboard, though I've used a couple of items from there too, not as emergencies but in the interests of turnover. My daughter in law saved me some pumpkins in addition to the two smallish ones I already have, so it's roast pumpkin, pumpkin curry and probably roast pumpkin seeds, too. DH isn't keen on pumpkin so some might have to pretend to be sweet potato (which he doesn't like either, unless it's in a particular stew).

To my shame, I've thrown out half a bunch of grapes and tomorrow will need to be banana bread day or those will go over, too. DH has been given a carrier bag of cooking apples in addition to the foraged ones and ones from give-away boxes, but he eats so many apples that I don't think I need be concerned about the quantities, apart from any damaged ones go over quickly. There are eggs to use up, and I want to get the mixed fruit in to soak for the Christmas cake. I found not only the remains of last year's brandy, but also some from a previous year, so the fruit will be sozzled.  

Cherryfudge

The above-mentioned pumpkins are still untouched, but the bananas got made into a 'chocolate ice cream' by adding a drop of milk and vanilla to banana and cocoa powder, and blending thoroughly. Apart from being more of a water ice, and lacking the creamy texture of ice cream, it was nice and chocolatey and the banana flavour was only evident as it eventually began to thaw. One portion left for another day.

We have some chicken due to Ice1and being on Olio so I spotted a discount and nipped in. As I did, there was a further discount, so bargain chicken pieces, of which one went towards a chicken and chorizo pasta, and the rest are frozen. I also got a dozen eggs for 1/4 price.

The Christmas cake fruit has had its brandy topped up: I hope to make the cake on Thursday or Friday.

Yesterday I made Watty's soup again, with some variation on the veggies but it can cope with that. Very nice as well as healthy, and it's used up some carrots and broccoli. Today was salmon from the freezer as we're trying to eat stocks down and make some space. I've also used up some jam, peanut butter and bread sticks for snacks.

LotsOfTea

I made a really nice pumpkin soup with onion, garlic, smoked paprika, red lentils and lazy chopped chillis. I think the smoked paprika really made the difference. Yum!

I managed to finish off the last of a very old jar of Thai chilli paste that was in the fridge yesterday to flavour some fried rice for my tea. It also had onion, mushrooms, cauliflower leaves and smoked tofu and was very tasty.

I used up the last bits of some rice crispies and shreddies in a flapjack recipe from the river cottage love your leftovers book. It's weird putting bits of cereal in with the oats for flapjacks but it absolutely works and adds some crunchy bits, especially the shreddies! Good for DS's lunchbox.

I also made a big pot of one of DS's favourite curries (chickpea and pineapple) and one of a veggie chilli which used up the tired leeks, peppers and carrots I had as well as some tinned black beans and frozen veggie mince. All I need to do now is try not to end up putting more back in the freezer. The perennial problem.

Watty1

So glad you are enjoying that soup and its multiple variations    

This morning after a particularly irritating hunt for breakfast as the kitchen had been "tidied" I have emptied one cupboard and have one more to go.   A number of items that have not been used up are "going" some of the tins to a food bank as I need to face that if my ex left them behind and I don't eat them it is silly them staying in the cupboard, some to a friend (she loves fruit teabags and I have multiple ones I don't like) and some pots are being emptied into others. No one needs 3 opened bags of (all the same) rice so these being moved to storage jars.  This is not really a use up but a clear up!

Cherryfudge

I've used up some more chorizo in a lentil and chorizo soup, and taken a couple of pieces out of the freezer for tomorrow. The thing is, the recipe I want to try has mixed grains and we didn't have any till I discovered L1dl has a discount on microwave pouches of rices and grains. I brought about seven home - different flavours for when one of us is solo cooking and plain for the emergency stores.

I've also bought a culinary squash to add to the one small culinary pumpkin in stores next to a butternut squash and in a queue with four small ornamental pumpkins. I don't need any more. Not one...

Cherryfudge

Today I made this, which I'd seen recommended, and it's really good, though the portions were on the generous side (better than stingy). There is therefore a tiny bit more room in the freezer where the chicken and blueberries used to be. The second portion of the banana and chocolate 'ice cream' is also eaten.

@LotsOfTea, would you mind sharing the recipe for the chickpea and pineapple curry please? I'd love to try it.

LotsOfTea

Of course @Cherryfudge. It's slightly adapted from this recipe 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/bean_and_pineapple_curry_83770

The changes I make are using chickpeas instead of kidney beans (because DS doesn't like kidney beans), using fresh garlic and ginger rather than a paste (about 4 cloves and a thumb-sized piece of ginger  finely chopped usually) and something that the same recipe in her book suggests which is to whizz up half of the pineapple and tomatoes before adding them. It makes the sauce thicker and better tasting I think. Oh, I also added a few lumps of spinach too. I always mess with recipes!

Cherryfudge

Thank you @LotsOfTea, that looks so good! I love pineapple and it's ages since I had it. From the photo, I think I will be trying it out on the sort of day when comfort food is called for.

Today we're using up some frozen corned beef in a hash as we have lots of potatoes and onions. There are two tins of corned beef in the store so there's no need to keep some in the freezer too.