Pantry challenge

kimwp

itsthelittlethings said:

I’ve got beef stock in the freezer and a yellow and green pepper in the fridge and no idea what to do with them.

Are those the only ingredients available and is the requirement to combine them?

itsthelittlethings

kimwp said:

itsthelittlethings said:

I’ve got beef stock in the freezer and a yellow and green pepper in the fridge and no idea what to do with them.

Are those the only ingredients available and is the requirement to combine them?

It’s ok I looked on my Guardian Feast app. I had the green pepper in a salad tonight.

Naturelover22

@kimwp you can slice the corgettes lengthways to make a lasagna, its pretty tasty.

kimwp

Naturelover22 said:

@kimwp you can slice the corgettes lengthways to make a lasagna, its pretty tasty.

Ooh, sounds yummy thank you!

RipleyG

kimwp said:

Any vegan courgette recipes? I used loads of courgettes with a feta recipe a few years ago, but I'm trying to up my game in avoiding animal products.

Tomorrow's dinner will be courgette lasagna - I normally make it with ricotta (often made myself when I find reduced price milk), but I think it would work as a vegan option. Roughly: fry a finely sliced onion or leek and a few cloves of crushed garlic until soft, add 900g of coursely grated courgette and fry hard until the water has mostly evaporated. If using ricotta, add now, but I think you could skip it. Add a tablespoon of some kind of herb - I use either thyme or mint - and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Don't skimp on either. It's then a layering game with either a jar of pasta sauce or, if you grow tomatoes as we do, a speedy tomato sauce made by fast boiling finely chopped Tom's with some chilli flakes. I normally use 3 sheets per layer in the following order: pasta, 1/2 the courgette, 1/2 the toms, pasta, rest of courgette, pasta, rest of Toms. Again, I normally top with a small amount of grated cheese, but if I was doing for vegan friends I'd probably use a layer of breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. Nice cut up cold for lunch boxes too.

My other all time fave is charred courgettes. Sliced, fried in the tiniest splash of oil until charred both sides, then mixed into a bowl with lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and fresh mint. Really important to mix while still warm. Very very moreish!

One other make is courgette gratin. Finely sliced rounds mixed with tomato sauce (as above but with added onions and garlic). Mix, roughly layer in an oven proof dish as you would potato gratin. I top with the breadcrumb/cheese mix, but have previously made without cheese for my dairy-allergic nephew. Not as crispy/savory, but not bad. Bake - for longer than you think! Prob about an hour.

If I think of any more, I'll get back to you 😊

RipleyG

itsthelittlethings said:

I’ve got beef stock in the freezer and a yellow and green pepper in the fridge and no idea what to do with them.

Any kind of stock +random veg assortment = spicy soup noodles in this house! Simmer it with fresh ginger, garlic and a star anise, throw in finely sliced veg and a handful of fresh herbs. Serve in a large bowl over cooked noodles and add fish/soy/chilli sauce or lime juice to taste 😋

itsthelittlethings

Ate some burgers out of the freezer tonight and had them with other stuff to make a square meal rather than just eating two burgers for tea so I am very proud of myself. I have some tomato sauce in the fridge that was too much for the pasta bake I made for sister and her boyfriend so I might try the courgette lasagna recipe.

cybertortoise

@kimwp that was delicious thanks for the recipe. No plum extract but I had everything else in the pantry. I know what I'll be having for lunch at work next week.

I really need to start growing some veggies! My garden is terrible right now but it's too hot to go out there and weed between the patio slabs. 

We've had some great meals recently using canned butter beans. One used tinned mackerel and broccoli, the other had a delicious garlic parmesan sauce.

My income has dropped even further so this month's grocery budget is very low. But I'm excited to see what I can make with what I have.

itsthelittlethings

Going to get some courgettes and ricotta tomorrow and make a quick lasagne with the tomato sauce that's in the fridge and a load of parmesan on top.

itsthelittlethings

Approx 15 days to pay day, could end up eating cheesy butter pasta which is exactly what I wanted.