FRUGAL BUT FABULOUS SPINACH, WHITE BEAN & RICE POTAGE: vegan base, frugal, easy prep,Archive

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This is the perfect soup for the end of the month: a simple, no-nonsense, spectacularly tasty,  stick-to-the-ribs satisfying meal...

first posted 4/15; updated 12/24

Healthy 'Gosh I'm hungry after working all day!' soup; 30 mins prep
'...unbelievably good, not at all stodgy or heavy.  I loved it
 thick and chunky AND smooth.' Taster

It's also budget- friendly and packed with nutrients, made from mostly cupboard ingredients.  Better still, it can be part-prepared the night before, saving you even more time before a bowlful hits the table. 

First posted in 2015, the delicious soup stands the test of time;  67 makes no apologies for re-reposting it as families struggle with family food budgets. 

Have it for dinner or lunch or transport it to the office in a thermos.  Blitzed and served in small cups, the soup also makes a warming 'welcome!' to a party.  

Cost: min £4.00'ish (12/24)

Feeds: 5-6

Ingred:
   2-3 tbsp good olive oil (don't skimp; it really makes the soup more flavoursome)
   med onion, peeled & diced (or fennel, trimmed, soaked in 9:1 solution of water & vinegar, with tough outer leaves & fronds removed and well scrubbed)

   3 cloves garlic, peeled & grated (opt)
   1/3-1/2 tsp dried thyme
   1/3-1/2 tsp dried basil 
   
   4 cups good veg stock (granules are fine) 
   
   2 bay leaves
   1 cup cooked brown rice OR 2/3 cup washed drained easy-cook white rice OR orzo pasta 

   2 mugs packed spinach, washed, grotty stems and leaves removed OR equivalent in frozen spinach
   425gm/15oz tin cannelloni beans (organic have best texture) rinsed thoroughly and drained

  1 cup water
  
  juice lemon or lime
  pepper & salt to taste
   
  Garnish: croutons

Method:

'THANK GOD FOR CARBS' POTATO-FRANKFURTER SALAD (includes Simple Frugal Version)

There is nothing like potato salad during the summer and this one is a delight for kid/ults...

'Hurray for Carbs' Vegetarian Potato Frankfurter Salad
'Loved this as my daily carb intake but ate more than I should have.' Taster

photo 26 July 2018

Potatoes are NOT unhealthy, if eaten in the right quantities and not soaked in butter.   

They're an excellent source vitamin C, iron and fibre (if skins are left on).  They provide energy, without which the body could not function.  As long as portions are monitored, potatoes provide a sustaining frugal food source.

Potato salads have an even better healthy profile.  Cold cooked potatoes form a special starch that makes you feel fuller for longer and encourages the growth of good gut bacteria.

The only problem with potato salad is that it can get boring, very quickly.  While you can never be sure what form a potato salad will take, few are both imaginative and delicious.    

67's Potato Frankfurter Salad doesn't stint on flavour, texture or colour.  It combines the fluffiness of 'taters with crunchy green beans and creamy softly-boiled eggs, all accented with the bite of red onion and the toothsome springiness of frankfurters.  

It's easy-peasy, can be tailored to any budget, and is attractive and filling.  Kidults will love it.  67 recommends making rather a lot of it; it'll keep well in the fridge overnight.

Keep it healthy by serving the potatoes unpeeled, if you can, dressed in a no-added-sugar, low-salt dressing like vinaigrette or yoghurt-mayo with lemon zest. 

67 used vegetarian frankfurters* but carnivores should aim for something  lower-fat like chicken.    

Cost:£3.50'ish
Feeds: a crowd but divides easily

Ingred: 
   1 kilo/2.2pounds thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed but pref not peeled 
   2-3 generous handfuls green beans, topped & tailed
   6-8 full-size frankfurters
   3-6 hard boiled eggs, peeled 
   small to med red onion

   French vinaigrette 
       6-8 tbsp good olive oil
       2 tbsp white wine vinegar 
       good pinch salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, pref. coarsely ground
       2 rounded tsp wholegrain mustard
       1/2 tsp sugar, honey or maple syrup (opt)

Pour all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until thick & blended.  If preparing in advance, refrigerate until needed (up to a day) but shake well again before using 

Method:

1. If vegetables are not organic, soak 20mins in a 9-1 solution of water and vinegar; drain & rinse; or peel
2. Chop potatoes in generous bitesize pieces; cook in boiling salted water 5-10 mins or until the point of a knife meets a bit of resistance in the centre. Drain, cool
3. Peel and finely dice red onion
4. Make Vinaigrette; set aside
5. Cook green beans 3mins in boiling salted water or until tender but still with bite; drain, add to a bowl of ice water; drain again, set aside
6. Slice eggs 
7. Drop frankfurters into boiling water 2-3 mins; cool, cut into 1/3inch/1 cm discs
8. In a large bowl gently mix potatoes, green beans, eggs, onion and frankfurters.  
9. Moisten but don't overwhelm with vinaigrette

Comments:
'My diet always includes a small portion of carbs but this combo was so sparky and unusual that I ate more than I should have. Without regrets!'  Retired writer

Tip:

For a simple more frugal version of this salad, simple slice cooked sliced frankfurters into cold potatoes and add a yoghurt-mayo dressing

*Tivali

                                                                   More salads on NavBar/Recipes 2... 

Please  leave a comment in the box below 

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

POTATO FRANKFURTER SALAD, frugal, great for kidults,low-fat

Now that - judging by the latest must-have cookbook - carbs are back in vogue, potatoes come free of guilt again.

'Hurray for Carbs' Vegetarian Potato Frankfurter Salad
'Loved this as my daily carb intake but ate more than I should have.' Taster

photo 26 july 2018

Potatoes, in fact, were never really the problem.  It's the amount you eat and the the way they are cooked that can be unhealthy.  

Potatoes provide plenty of vitamin C, iron and fibre (if skins are left on).  They're an excellent source of energy, without which the body could not function.  As long as portions are monitored, potatoes provide a sustaining frugal food source.

Potato salads have an even better healthy profile.  Cold cooked potatoes form a special starch that makes you feel fuller for longer and encourages the growth of good gut bacteria.  

67's Potato Frankfurter Salad doesn't stint on flavour, texture or colour.  It combines the fluffiness of potato with crunchy green beans and creamy eggs, all  accented with the bite of red onion and the toothsome springiness of frankfurters.  

It's easy-peasy, can be tailored to any budget, attractive and filling.  Kidults will love it.  67 recommends making rather a lot of it.

Keep it healthy by serving the potatoes unpeeled, if you can, dressed in a no-added-sugar, low-salt dressing like vinaigrette or yoghurt-mayo with lemon zest. 

67 used vegetarian frankfurters* but carnivores should aim for something  lower-fat like chicken frankfurters.    

Cost:£3.50'ish
Feeds: a crowd but divides easily

Ingred: 
   1 kilo/2.2pounds thin-skinned potatoes, scrubbed but pref not peeled 
   2-3 generous handfuls green beans, topped & tailed
   6-8 full-size frankfurters
   3-6 semi-hard boiled eggs, peeled 
   small to med red onion

   French vinaigrette 
       6-8 tbsp good olive oil
       2 tbsp white wine vinegar 
       good pinch salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, pref. coarsely ground
       2 rounded tsp wholegrain mustard
       1/2 tsp sugar, honey or maple syrup (opt)

Pour all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid; shake until thick & blended.  If preparing in advance, refrigerate until needed (up to a day) but shake well again before using 

Method:

1. If vegetables are not organic, soak 20mins in a 9-1 solution of water and vinegar; drain & rinse; or peel
2. Chop potatoes in generous bitesize pieces; cook in boiling salted water 5-10 mins or until the point of a knife meets a bit of resistance in the centre. Drain, cool
3. Peel and finely dice red onion
4. Make Vinaigrette; set aside
5. Cook green beans 3mins in boiling salted water or until tender but still with bite; drain, add to a bowl of ice water; drain again, set aside
6. Slice eggs 
7. Drop frankfurters into boiling water 2-3 mins; cool, cut into 1/3inch/1 cm discs
8. In a large bowl gently mix potatoes, green beans, eggs, onion and frankfurters.  
9. Moisten but don't overwhelm with vinaigrette

Comments:
'My diet always includes a small portion of carbs but this combo was so sparky and unusual I ate more than I should have. Without regrets!'  Retired writer

*Tivali

                                                                      More salads on NavBar/Recipes 2... 

Please  leave a comment in the box below 

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