Budget belly busters

[nigelp]

Budget belly busters - good, filling food on a budget.

I will start with homemade Dal and Chickpeas

Dal can be made many ways but I use a medium onion, spices, ginger and garlic 1.2 litres of water added so it makes a large pan full. I then add two tins of chickpeas just at the end of cooking to give it some texture and nutty taste.

Probably costs about £2 for at least 4 large meals if served with rice.

What budget belly busters do you enjoy?

 

[Toddy]

Do your shops sell 'stew packs' ?
For a pound you get a couple of onions, a wee turnip, a couple of biggish carrots, sometimes a parsnip, a leek, and maybe a seasonal addition like a bit of broccoli or a really small cabbage.

It's a good mix for a pound. Add a couple of spuds and it's a big stew.

I usually add a pack of vegetarian sausages and some mushrooms, but a tin of something like bacon grill cut into chunks would work too, or one of the little corned beef ones.

Fry up the sausages or bacon grill pieces and put them aside, clean and chop up the veggies and stir fry them a bit in the oil/fat from the sausages. Season really, really well. Just cover with boiling water and cook until soft, chop up the sausages and add to the stew.
I like marigold stock powder and for a gravy thing like this I add a tablespoonful of smooth peanut butter.

If you thin out the gravy a bit, then you can add herby doughballs to it, and stew and doughballs will fill any belly
Easy one pot cooking, great for a cold day, or a busy one, and easy to do at camp.

It's a use up what you have kind of meal. Extra radishes work well in it too, they end up like mini turnips, peas and beans are good as well, even cut up courgette, peppers, aubergines, or cucumber.

M

 

[nigelp]

That sounds good. I’ve not had dough balls for ages. Certainly not in the summer.

 

[Mesquite]

Pasta Arabiata, simple easy meal to make.

We usually get a pack of bacon trimmings, fry up that up along with a couple large onions, add some garlic, oregano and chili flakes and fry that for a couple minutes then add two tins of chopped tomatoes and a generous portion of tomato puree and reduce it down a bit.
Whilst that's cooking boil 300gm of fusili pasta (it holds the sauce in its spirals a lot better than penne or other tube pastas).

Once it's ready add the pasta to the sauce and stir it all in then bon appetit

They amount I do is usually enough for 5 or 6 individual portions so some of it gets frozen for when we want something quick.

 

[Broch]

Pasta Arabiata, simple easy meal to make.

We usually get a pack of bacon trimmings, fry up that up along with a couple large onions, add some garlic, oregano and chili flakes and fry that for a couple minutes then add two tins of chopped tomatoes and a generous portion of tomato puree and reduce it down a bit.
Whilst that's cooking boil 300gm of fusili pasta (it holds the sauce in its spirals a lot better than penne or other tube pastas).

Once it's ready add the pasta to the sauce and stir it all in then bon appetit

They amount I do is usually enough for 5 or 6 individual portions so some of it gets frozen for when we want something quick.

You forgot the grated cheese on top!

 

[Broch]

For a quick, one pot, gut buster, a saucepan made corn beef hash (tinned potatoes, baked beans - you know the cheap scout version) takes a lot of beating

 

[Mesquite]

You forgot the grated cheese on top!

Very true

 

[Nice65]

Bacon and yellow split pea soup is a doddle. Fry bacon and chopped onion, garlic if you have it, add stock and split peas, simmer. Lots of bread and butter.

 

[Mesquite]

I was introduced to Spicy Sausage Ragout by Lyn, Bikers lovely wife at Dingly Dell the day after one of our sausage and mash nights.

Similar to the Pasta Arabiata but the addition of fennel seeds and paprika (I use smoked) really does add some flavour to it You can find a more readable version of the recipe here

 

[Toddy]

Bacon and yellow split pea soup is a doddle. Fry bacon and chopped onion, garlic if you have it, add stock and split peas, simmer. Lots of bread and butter.

Carrot and coriander's good like that too. It's basicaly lentils and carrots. I use a stick blender to whizz it all up. Good with a swirl of sour cream too. Lots of bread and butter
Very full tummy

 

[Broch]

Look, I'm not supposed to be snacking at this time of night; can we knock this on the head now?

 

[Potatohead]

Banana pancakes….
The missus makes them.
Lots of nutrients

But…. Possibly witchcraft

Mash up a narna with 2 eggs for the mix.

Frying pan

Butter

Dark Magic

Pancake

 

[Mesquite]

Look, I'm not supposed to be snacking at this time of night; can we knock this on the head now?

Moroccan veg and chickpea tagine
This recipe for Moroccan veg and chickpea tagine is vegan, low-fat and really easy to make.
This makes enough for four, but the leftovers freeze well
INGREDIENTS

• red onion 1, chopped
• garlic 2 cloves, chopped
• spray olive oil
• ground cumin ½ tsp
• ground coriander ½ tsp
• ground cinnamon ½ tsp
• red pepper 1, seeded and chopped
• courgette 1, chopped
• aubergine 1, chopped
• vine tomatoes 4, chopped. Alternatives 2 tins chopped tomatoes.
• chickpeas 400g tin, rinsed and drained
• vegetable stock 250ml
• harissa paste 2 or 3 tbsp depending on taste
• prunes 4, pitted and sliced
• flat-leaf parsley chopped to serve
• steamed couscous to serve (optional)
  Meat version
• 4 chicken breasts
  
  Method
  STEP 1
  Fry the onion and garlic in a spray of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the spices and fry for a minute until fragrant. Add the veg, and fry for 8-10 minutes until they’re coated in the spices and start to take on some colour.
  
  STEP 2
  Add the chickpeas, stock, harissa and prunes. Season and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Scatter over the parsley and serve with couscous, if you like.
  
  If you want a meat version then 4 chicken breasts diced into 2cm pieces and added in after the onions have softened, cook for 5 minutes then add the spices cook for a minute then add the veg followed by step 2

 

[Broch]

Mmm... are you sure that recipe was from Morocco? Delicious though it sounds, it's not a combination I ever came across in my childhood - I would never have eaten aubergine and courgette as a kid

Sweet fruits (prunes, apricots etc.) were usually used in richer meat tagines (lamb & goat); meat like chicken was usually cooked with citrus fruits (particularly preserved lemons but sometimes orange and lemon).

One spice that makes Moroccan tagine stand out from Tunisian and Algerian, was their use of white pepper. However, there is such variation in regions of all three countries that I suppose the meats, the veg, fruit and spices could be used by any of them in any combination so you may wish to ignore everything I've said - after all, it was a long time ago!!

 

[Kadushu]

Not sure what the site censor will make of this but last winter I started experimenting with faggots. Traditionally they were a way of using scraps of meat and stale bread, as far as I know. My base recipe was simply stuffing mixture combined roughly 50/50 with mincemeat. Adding an egg aids mixing and helps bind them together. Adding half a stock cube to the water provides a pleasant flavour boost. I tried adding diced garlic which was excellent, tried different meats but pork was always my favourite, tried a curry version which was delicious too. If you have any game or offal then that can be mixed in. Grating in a strong cheese was another winner. I made them into 'handful' sized balls and mainly cooked them in an electric oven but they can be baked in a Dutch oven or squashed flatter and fried. If you're eating them with gravy then it's best to omit salt/stock cube otherwise it becomes too salty.

 

[Mesquite]

Mmm... are you sure that recipe was from Morocco? Delicious though it sounds, it's not a combination I ever came across in my childhood - I would never have eaten aubergine and courgette as a kid

It actually came from the little boss's recipe book from Slimming World

 

[Scottieoutdoors]

I've got some good friends who are from the Caribbean (now back there) and they really got us (wife n i) interested in Caribbean food... we've always liked our spicy food or foreign food and once we started digging we found some amazing recipes. I can definitely elaborate tomorrow (in bed at the moment), but one of the curries contains chicken, potatoes, carrots, coconut cream/milk etc. Very tasty! Budget wise, the chicken is the most expensive part, the rest are pretty staple herbs and spices in our kitchen.

Also, eating it with coconut rice and "peas", is definitely a stomach filler... again I can elaborate if folks want, but involves cooking rice in coconut milk, adding kidney beans (those are the peas), spices etc...

 

[Bishop]

Despite living in Wales I refuse to go completely native and suggest Cawl. Rumour has it there's an Indian grocery shop opening in Carmarthen so going to attempt making my own Mutton Haleem. It's been years since I last had any.

 

[stonepark]

Stovies.. ..fer ate

5lb tatties
Hauf a neep
fower currets
Twae ingin
1lb links
1pt watter
Saut n pepper

Brin tae the bile and simmer for up tae 3\4 of 'n hoor till watters gone

Serve n a bowel wae rid or broon sauce

 

[Tengu]

<Wheres me Scotch/English book? Im still baffled by the language>

The Nameless Dish

Baked beans topped with stuffing (home made for preference) and baked; about 40 min?

You may add meat and mushrooms if you have any.

This is a dish which is good and cheap, but could be served to guests without shame.

STUFFING
1 end crust of bread; broke into small bits
1 egg respectable sized. (or a small egg topped up with milk)
handfull chopped FRESH sage.
half a big onion (or whole small onion) chopped
little pepper (I dont bother with salt)

Mix all together.

This is soo easy Im shocked more folk dont make it.