SWEET'N SOUR CUCUMBER: frugal

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Fabulously refreshing cucumber side...

Thin crisp cucumber slices bathed in vinegar, sugar and salt, are a cut above. Wow!  

An easy picnic side dish prepared the day before adds colour, texture and flavour to foods on the picnic blanket.  Who knew cucumber* could be elevated so easily?

Salt and sugar have been reduced.  

Ingreds:

One English cucumber, unpeeled, thinly sliced

Dressing: 

1/2 tablespoon coarse salt

1/4 cup white vinegar, pref white wine but any will do

2 tbsp fresh chopped (or 1 tsp dried) dill

1.5 tablespoon sugar

1/4 tsp pepper, freshly ground, if poss

Method:

1. Mix dressing ingreds until sugar is completed disssolved
2. Add cucumber slices; stir to coat; refrigerate 2 hours or pref overnight

Comments:

'I really loved these: they are cucumber but not as we know it..and mightily better for it.' Retired writer

*adapted from Food & Wine

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This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.    

HEALTHY, WALLET-FRIENDLY PICNIC

 Picnic Time - healthy wallet-friendly menu: make-ahead, easily transported 

Glam Multi-tiered Spanish Tortilla

Glamorous multi-tiered Spanish Tortilla:  prep-ahead, wallet-friendly

Mediterranean Tomatoes: sensational AND frugal

(New) Sweet'n Sour Cucumber: frugal, easy

Soda Bread with Olives and Parmesan: 15 mins prep tops!

No-fat Whipped Hummus: creamy, dreamy 

Lemon & Walnut Shortbread Fingers: simple, easy prep

QUICK PALE ALE STEW WITH CHICKEN & VEG: low-fat/cholesterol, high fibre

Comforting, satisfying stew in under an hour...

Chicken & root veg in pale ale -  in under an hour
'We really loved this!'

It's sad that a lot of really comforting food, especially stews and casseroles, are long-term commitments.   Getting the best out of simple ingredients, encouraging a wonderful layering of flavours, usually takes time.  

Of course, instant pots/pressure cookers can save time but 67 doesn't have one, and anyway one gathers they are bulky and take time to reach the temperatures needed.

This Quick Pale Ale Stew with Protein and Veg was created to provide that long-slow-cooked flavour in under an hour - prep and cooking.  It's all done on the stovetop - no oven needed.  It was designed for small households but doubles easily. 

The trick is to use leftover meat.  67 often cooks a whole chicken even when it's not needed, portions the remainder, bags up the portions separately and stashes them in the freezer.  They're brought out again for sandwiches, stir fries, or garnishes for soup.  

67 has even been known to cook two chickens at a time, freezing one for later.  

But a supermarket rotisserie chicken (all skin removed) will be fine, as will leftover pork or beef roast from Sunday lunch.  

If you've forgotten to defrost meat overnight, the freezer bag can be immersed in cool water and left for an hour or more.  The chemistry isn't clear to 67 but the meat does thaw quickly, without affecting flavour or texture.  

Cost: depends on your protein & veg stores; maybe £2-3

Feeds: 2-3; recipe multiplies easily 

Ingreds:

300g/10.5oz cooked chicken, at least half breast/thigh meat if poss, in 1.3inch/4cm chunks

1 tb oil

1/2 good-sized onion, in large dice

1 fat garlic clove, grated

1/3 coffee mug carrots, thickly sliced

1/3 mug celery, cleaned and peeled in thick chunks

1/3 mug swede or celeriac or parsnip (opt)

3/4 c potatoes in scant 1.5inch/5cm chunks

1/3 c sweet potatoes (opt)

1/3 tsp dried tarragon or thyme OR 1 tsp fresh 

175-300ml pale ale (or apple juice)

85ml stock (if not home-made then good granules or cubes) 

1/2 mug frozen peas

garnish: asparagus if in season

             

Method:

1. In a good sized pan, heat oil over high heat 
2. When pan is ready, add all the veg except for peas and garnish, placing garlic on top 
3. Turn heat down to medium; partially cover; cook 20 mins, stirring every now and again to prevent catching (don't allow to brown)
4. The vegetables will be soft at the edges but firm in the centre
5. Add pale ale & stock; bring to the boil; reduce heat to medium; bubble gently 15 mins
6. Stir in chicken; cook a further 10 mins or until vegetables show no resistance when poked with a sharp knife 
7. Check seasoning; add salt and pepper if needed
8. Stir in peas; lay asparagus spears on top; the heat of the stew will cook both
9. If more broth is preferred, add up to a third of a cup more stock
10. Serve in soup bowls 

Comments:

'We really loved that stew; it was so good!' Retired priest and young helper

'It's wonderful knowing that a well-flavoured stew can be achieved in under an hour... given sufficient reserves of leftovers.'  Retired writer 

Tips:

• if cooking for the elderly or toddlers, remove some of the stew and cook a little longer until veg are nearly falling apart 

Please leave a question in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.    

RASPBERRY, MANGO & GINGER SMOOTHIE, healthy, fresh fruit

Tastes even better than it looks... 

Strawberry Mango & Ginger Smoothie

67goingon50 has always avoided buying mangoes, not just because they are very expensive but also because they can be such a disappointment. 67 has tested mangos that were under-ripe and mangos that were over-ripe -- neither of which enhanced taste or texture.  

But it turns out that now is the season for great mangoes...if you know where to find them.

My source turned out to be local greengrocer Pomona. 

I had a stash of fat, gorgeous raspberries at home looking for a partner.  Sadly it's a little too early for nectarines and peaches. 

But...the mangoes!  They were seductively beautiful: red and green and gold shading into one another.  Nestled in the hand, they were solid and ripe textured.  Carefully wrapped in individual soft mesh bags, they whispered, seductively...'try me.' 

I was ready and willing to treat myself.  

The mango could be taken home and eaten right away, the shopkeeper assured me.  They were not Indian (though Indian mangos are also in season) and came from Peru, of all places.  The price was high but good mangos are not wallet-friendly.

And reader, it was ambrosial...worth every pence of the almost £5 price.  It was a hefty size, enough for fruit salad plus smoothies for 2.  It was juicy; it was firm-fleshed and succulent.  The golden flesh and rich flavour seemed shot through with sunshine. 

If you need or want an indulgent treat without worrying too much about calories, this mango is the way to go!

Cost: £5

Feeds: 1 good sized smoothie plus 2 generous servings in a fruit salad; can stretch to 4

Ingreds for single smoothie:

1/2 cup peeled mango, in chunks

1/2 cup fresh raspberries 

1/3 to 1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger

enough water to cover

Method:

1. Blitz in blender or food processor until very smooth
2. Add ice (or not) & serve 

Comments:

'Glorious; really really wonderful. Expensive, yes but worth it!' Retired writer

Tips:

Normally, 67 would add some protein to a smoothie - almond milk or yoghurt - but on this occasion, did not want to dilute the mango flavour 

Please leave a question in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.    

PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL COOKIES: Vegan, easy-peasy, wheat-free opt, no eggs or dairy

Who would have thought vegan peanut butter cookies could be so fabulous?

Rich and crumbly Vegan Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies, plain & with Chocolate 

These gorgeously rich, melt-in-the-mouth peanut butter cookies are - unbelievably - vegan.  No eggs, no dairy (though dairy milk can replace plant milk).  It also has a free of common wheat option.  

Very close to a one-bowl wonder, the peanut butter cookies take only minutes to prep.  Leftovers freeze like a dream. 

It's versatile, too.  Replace soft brown sugar with white, replace 1/5 of the sugar with ground almonds to cut sweetness; replace oat flour with self-raising brown; use dairy instead of plant milk.  The essential yumminess of the cookies are not affected. 

The p.b. cookies came from the vegan blog Blissful Basil and were the best of several considered.    

67 - unwisely, from a health point of view  - invested in a rather large tub of Manilife* Peanut Butter, a Taste Award winner.  Trust 67 - this is the Rolls Royce of peanut butters and it's almost a shame to turn it into biscuits.  

But 67 feared potential health damage (Manilife peanut butter is addictive!) and decided mates at the Conservative party, preparing for local elections, was a worthy cause. 

If the budget doesn't run to Manilife, worry not; any peanut butter will do for this lovely recipe.  

Cost: depends on the peanut butter; most will be wallet-friendly -- Manilife will be outrageously expensive

Makes: 20'ish

Ingreds:

240g/8.4oz peanut butter (or 50% peanut butter and 50% almond butter) 

144g/5.07oz soft brown sugar (or white or a mix of the two)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (don't stint on this)

65g/2.3oz oat flour (or 50/50 oat and wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8-1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water or almond milk 

Method: 

LOW-FAT TURKEY MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE, easy comfort food

Good cooks often forget how the simplest food has the strongest reaction...

Turkey Meatballs in Italian Tomato Sauce: low-fat/cholesterol

When 67 presented this dish to a 90-year-old, his eyes lit up like it was Christmas.  He was unbelievably thrilled.  And he probably didn't even realise how healthy it is.

For cooks, it's a dream.  The meatballs and the sauce can be prepared a day ahead (or even longer).  Come mealtime, just  re-heat the sauce, add the relevant number of meatballs, simmer gently 20 mins and pour it over cooked pasta.

Leftover meatballs can be frozen in portions of whatever size in separate  freezer bags.  The sauce recipe makes enough for a meal plus leftovers to freeze for another time.

Follow the recipe carefully and the meatballs will be soft enough to cut with a fork; 67 recommends 3 generous-sized meatballs per adult portion.

Cost: depends on thigh turkey mince; currently £2 at Sainsbury's-£3.95 elsewhere

Makes:12 good sized meatballs or 3-4 portions  

Ingreds:

1 recipe Turkey Meatballs

1 recipe Italian Tomato Sauce

cooked pasta of your choice

Method:

1. Make the sauce; set aside a generous portion for the meal; freeze the rest in one or half cup portions
2. Prepare meatballs; coax the meat into 12 good-sized balls about the size of a small fist -- keep it light; don't mash the meat into something dense and horrible to eat
3. Arrange on a baking tray; either bake immediately any 180C/350F or cling film and bake later.  The meat balls need only 15 mins in the oven; they will continue baking in the sauce, absorbing its flavours
4. Reheat sauce gently; add meatballs, simmer gently 20 mins or so; pour over pasta
5. Serve with finely chopped basil and grated parmesan

Comments:

'I love turkey and it's great seeing it used so imaginatively. You have made it taste like restaurant quality meatballs in sauce.  Turkey breeders should market them.' Political agent
'These are restaurant quality; they're perfectly moist and the sauce complements them nicely.' Designer & fund-raiser

Please leave a question in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission.