Meals for a very tight budget...

[Flabulous]

Lentil Dahl and Chick pea curry are two of my fave all time skint meals.

Provided you have a freezer you can keep ginger, chillis and coriander all frozen. Infact ginger is dead easy to grate when its frozen, on one of those mini graters.

Tinned tomatoes in the cupboard, along with a selection of spices. We have this week in and week out.

My favourite thing ever for my syns is Elmlea cream (1 syn per T). It lifts even the plainest recipe into the realm of luxury, also added to soups makes them as good as Convent Garden stuff.

My other cheapies are,

Pasta with cheese and/or sauce.
2 Fried eggs and SW chips.

Wedges done in an oven for an hour or so. Add garlic powder and mixed herbs. I use my b)T of olive oil for this. Just put the T of OO in a lidded plastic tub and mix the spuds into the oil and herbs. Delish.

Quorn is getting very expensive No?
Keeping my eye out for any deals and then swooping in.

 

[Ro1s1n]

i always add grated carrot to any thing that contains mince, really bulks it out, and you cant tell when its all cooked.

And red lentils are also a good filler for mince dishes as well for anyone doing green or EE. OH didn't notice a thing in our last spag bol meal

 

[azlan]

A really good cheap meal was created by my consultant's hubby, pasta, beans and cheese!! Boil the pasta, drain, stir in heated baked beans and top off with cheese. You can add any veg you like to the pasta,

This is one of my traditional meals from my student days but I add add curry powder to the beans and melt in the cheese to the mix - sounds yuk but tastes yum!!

 

[munchie11]

Lentil Dahl and Chick pea curry are two of my fave all time skint meals.

do you have the recipes for the dahl and curry

 

[Moroda]

do you have the recipes for the dahl and curry

Asda chosen by you chickpea dhal curry is gorgeous and syn free. Lovely taste and you just need to pop it in the microwave or pan for a few minutes.

 

[wigglyworm]

Lentil Dahl and Chick pea curry are two of my fave all time skint meals.

Provided you have a freezer you can keep ginger, chillis and coriander all frozen. Infact ginger is dead easy to grate when its frozen, on one of those mini graters.

Tinned tomatoes in the cupboard, along with a selection of spices. We have this week in and week out.

My favourite thing ever for my syns is Elmlea cream (1 syn per T). It lifts even the plainest recipe into the realm of luxury, also added to soups makes them as good as Convent Garden stuff.

My other cheapies are,

Pasta with cheese and/or sauce.
2 Fried eggs and SW chips.

Wedges done in an oven for an hour or so. Add garlic powder and mixed herbs. I use my b)T of olive oil for this. Just put the T of OO in a lidded plastic tub and mix the spuds into the oil and herbs. Delish.

Quorn is getting very expensive No?
Keeping my eye out for any deals and then swooping in.

do you have any recipes for the chick peas and lentils thankyou

clair xxxxxxx

 

[lulubell10]

Mushy pea curry is very cheap to make and just add any veg or meat you have or just serve it with wedges or sw chips.

 

[Lexie_dog]

Eggs! Loads of recipes using eggs and they're cheap!

 

[munchie11]

Asda chosen by you chickpea dhal curry is gorgeous and syn free. Lovely taste and you just need to pop it in the microwave or pan for a few minutes.

I've been looking for this chickpea dhal curry and can't find it, is it in the fresh food, frozen food or tin section.

 

[Flabulous]

Sorry I have not been on the board for a while so here is the dahl recipe and I will do the chick pea one when I have more time.

Incidentally there is a cookbook called "The Indian Housewife's Cookbook" (very cheap off Amazon) which is where I get a lot of my indian recipes. I just cut down on the oil she states and no difference in my view.

OK.

6 OZ split lentils (orange ones)
1 tsp salt
1 large onion chopped as fine as possible.
30 fl oz water
1 T oil (she recommends 2 fl oz!)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
fresh garlic to taste - she recommends 1 oz
3 oz plum peeled tomatos (tinned)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
fresh coriander to taste

Wash lentils/ dahl to remove starchy stuff. I soak for half an hour.

Add salt, onion and water to washed dhal. Bring to boil and then simmer about 30 mins. Stir every 7 mins or so.

Heat oil to high temp in small pan (I keep an old fry pan for this bit) add the cumin and black mustard seeds and garlic.

If it dries just add a little water.

Cook for a few seconds and then add the toms, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook further 3/4 mins. Stir continuously.

Add this to the boiled lentils/dahl.

Stir in some fresh coriander ( I keep in freezer and just snip with scissors)

serve. Then in goes my 1 T elmlea!

Very cheap and delicious - makes about 4 portions.

Really recommend the book for cheap indian grub.

Once you have your spices they last for yonks.

PS. Sometimes I stir in some frozen spinach as that is very good for you. Remember Popeye?

 

[Lexie_dog]

I've been looking for this chickpea dhal curry and can't find it, is it in the fresh food, frozen food or tin section.

Tins, in the meals part next to where they keep the tinned steak/chicken and sauce. That kind of thing. About £1 a tin.

Morrisons stock a lovely one too, from Sundar.

 

[Ro1s1n]

Sorry I have not been on the board for a while so here is the dahl recipe and I will do the chick pea one when I have more time.

Incidentally there is a cookbook called "The Indian Housewife's Cookbook" (very cheap off Amazon) which is where I get a lot of my indian recipes. I just cut down on the oil she states and no difference in my view.

OK.

6 OZ split lentils (orange ones)
1 tsp salt
1 large onion chopped as fine as possible.
30 fl oz water
1 T oil (she recommends 2 fl oz!)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
fresh garlic to taste - she recommends 1 oz
3 oz plum peeled tomatos (tinned)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp chilli powder (or to taste)
fresh coriander to taste

Wash lentils/ dahl to remove starchy stuff. I soak for half an hour.

Add salt, onion and water to washed dhal. Bring to boil and then simmer about 30 mins. Stir every 7 mins or so.

Heat oil to high temp in small pan (I keep an old fry pan for this bit) add the cumin and black mustard seeds and garlic.

If it dries just add a little water.

Cook for a few seconds and then add the toms, turmeric, garam masala and chilli powder. Cook further 3/4 mins. Stir continuously.

Add this to the boiled lentils/dahl.

Stir in some fresh coriander ( I keep in freezer and just snip with scissors)

serve. Then in goes my 1 T elmlea!

Very cheap and delicious - makes about 4 portions.

Really recommend the book for cheap indian grub.

Once you have your spices they last for yonks.

PS. Sometimes I stir in some frozen spinach as that is very good for you. Remember Popeye?

thanks for this - definitely going to try this one, the only thing i need to buy is the mustard seeds as i have everything else in my cupboards looking forward to chickpea recipe - they have been in my cupboard for about a month now just waiting to be used!

 

[Flabulous]

Ro1s1n

You can really use the same recipe for the chick pea curry.

I made one tonight with a tin of chick peas and some chicken style quorn. It was delicious.

I also added a Kallo stock cube. With the chick pea recipe you use a whole tin of tomatos. You just need to add enough liquid to stop it getting too thick.

Also I use a little grated fresh ginger (I keep this in the freezer), also a green chilli (keep in freezer too) - you can often snap these up reduced and they keep very well frozen.

I mince two cloves of garlic, grate the ginger and chop the chilli finely ( you could always use flakes anyway) - just make sure you wash your hands!!

I think when making curries it is important to use a little vegetable oil as it brings out the spice flavour. If you make a curry for 4 it only works out at 1.5 syns.

One spice mix I definitely recommend getting hold of. It is call panch phoran and it makes curries divine. I bought mine off ebay, but you can prob get in Asian supermarkets.

We ate it with basmati, which I do in a plastic microwave steamer. Perfect everytime. Just add a little salt and some cloves. Lovely.

Hope this all helps. It really is a case of testing as you go along. I love coriander (fresh) - again I keep frozen and just snip off, so I add a lot!

 

[furrysmudge]

I've just gone to Ebay and bought a microwave rice steamer lol, thanks for that x

 

[Flabulous]

You wont regret it. I keep seeing them in charity shops and buying them for people I know!

I think people don't know what to do with them. You can do pasta also or veg. Brilliant invention. I find about 9 minutes makes basmati just right. I then drain it and put back in microwave for just a minute to dry out.

 

[furrysmudge]

sounds fab!

 

[bilsat]

Have you tried Butternut Squash?
So far one squash has been used for a soup, curry and as Sunday roast veg. still have a quarter in the fridge!


Pete’s Butternut Squash Chicken Curry

Serves 4
Ingredients

425g/½ butternut squash
1 onion, chopped
1tsp “easy lazy” garlic
1tsp “easy Lazy” ginger
1tsp cumin
1tsp turmeric
1tsp coriander
1tsp garam masala
1tsp madras curry powder
600g chicken, pre-cooked, chopped into cubes
750mL chicken stock
400g Chopped Tomatoes

Method

(This can be made in advance.)
Chop up the butternut squash into small cubes; leave the skin on, extra fibre!

Spray a large saucepan with Fry Light and add chopped onion, ginger & garlic, cook for 7 mins, with a lid on the pan.

Add butternut squash, madras curry powder and chicken stock, cook for 40 mins, remove from the heat and liquidize with a hand blender.

Continue.

Place back on heat and add cumin, turmeric and coriander, cook for 1 min, add tomato and chicken cook until chicken has been cooked through. Add garam masala 5 min before serving.
Serve on a bed of rice with a side salad.

Pete’s Butternut Squash Curry Soup





Serves 4

Ingredients

425g/half a Butternut Squash, cut into 30mm cubes (leave the skin on) remove seeds.
750g chicken stock
1 tbsp. madras curry powder
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped

Method

Spray a frying pan with Fry Light, cook the onion until soft, add curry powder, add the cut butternut squash, along with the carrot & celery bring to the boil and then simmer for 30-40 mins until everything is soft. Season with salt & pepper.
Remove from the heat and blitz with a hand blender.

When buying butternut squash check that it sounds hollow when tapped, is a good orange colour with no bruises or green tinge.

They store well in a cool room wrapped in a dark paper bag, NOT in a plastic bag as it will rot!

 

[michedea41]

Thanks for your ideas everyone. I tend to live on pasta with a home made pasta sauce which consists on a tin on tomatoes, mushrooms, courgettes, lazy garlic, and some dried Italian herbs and I simmer it until thickens. Or bachelor's savoury rices so this is a great help.

 

[crazyladyuk1]

Tesco 3 for £10 or 4 for £12 meat deal

I tend to buy my meat from tesco they have mince,chicken breasts, pork steaks, lamb steaks, and sometimes fish i then split it down and freeze what i don't need. should last a while

 

[R-E-D]

This month is going to be tight for me so I'm looking for food which doesn't cost alot!