PENSIONERS'/STUDENTS' DELIGHT: HOISIN CHICKEN WITH AVOCADO, TOMATO & CUCUMBER:

Shopping on a tight budget can be nerve-wracking but choosing items with care can save money without sacrificing taste or appearance.

 Photo to come

One might think, for example, that M&S might be out of bounds for cash-strapped pensioners and students.  

But the cost of 2-3 Higher Welfare Chicken Legs (£1.50) plus a large ripe Avocado (£1.75), a cucumber (70p) & a packet of tomatoes (95p) come in at just under £5.  That's enough for three generous high- protein, high-fibre tasty healthy platefuls. 

Leftover chicken goes into the freezer for another meal while leftover salad ingredients can be used during the rest of the week.  

(If you haven't any Chinese sauces in your condiments cupboard, replace with 2 tbsp soy sauce + 2 tbsp sherry, brandy or grape juice plus a quarter tsp fresh grated garlic (opt) and grated ginger OR a good pinch of powdered garlic & ginger. ) 

Both M&S and Waitrose offer regular and special foodstuffs to warm a frugal shopper's heart.  Just have a good look around; you'll be surprised.  

Sainsburys and Morrisons are also highly recommended by friends.  

Cost: £5 (2024)

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

Chicken

3-4 higher welfare chicken legs

2-3 tablespoons Hoisin or Oyster sauce (or soy/sherry mix as described above)

Salad

1/3 large ripe avocado

half lime or small lemon

1/4 cucumber

2-3 small tomatoes or a handful baby tomatoes

splash of olive oil

splash of red wine vinegar

Method:

PRAWN, PEA & CORN SALAD: Almost instant, high fibre & protein, low-carb

Accidentally defrosted the freezer?  Time for unplanned but delicious salads and saving raw meat/fish.  Details on Welcome to the Blog posts on the nav bar (above).

Colourful multi-textured salad for busy times and to mark the (almost) end of winter...

Healthy Prawn, Pea & Corn Salad

They say necessity is the mother of invention and in the case of this recipe, a freezer that conked out overnight - accidentally - led to this quick colourful healthy salad.

A bag of frozen peas and a packet of frozen Atlantic prawns needed to be used up, quickly.  This delicious low-carb salad was the result.  It was especially enjoyable to eat, knowing that with budgets tight, good food didn't have to be thrown out.

The salad, obviously, is just as good with fresh products. 

Cost:  £3'ish, if using the salad drawer and defrosted veg & prawns

Feeds: 1 generously

Ingredients:

80gm defrosted Atlantic prawns or other fish (cooked, if raw)

2 generous handfuls frozen peas

2 generous handfuls tinned or defrosted corn niblets

1/4 cup finely sliced peeled celery OR slivers of red bell pepper 

generous handful of crisp lettuce leaves, sliced

1 small tomato cubed

opt: cucumber, peeled, in small cubes (67's went soggy in the fridge)

1/3 to 1/2 cup yoghurt-mayo (see bottom of page on dressings)

1/2 tbsp fresh 0r 1/4 tsp dried parsley, chives or green of spring onions

Opt garnish: crumbled cooked bacon 

Method:

1. Bring a small amount of water to a boil; add peas and corn; leave a few mins until peas are tender; drain, run cold water over; set aside 
2. Mix lettuce, celery and tomato in a bowl
3. Moisten peas & corn with a generous but not overwhelmong portion yoghurt mayo
4. Carefully stir in prawns; mix till all is moistened
5. Season with salt & pepper
6. Sprinkle over parsley or chives
7. Serve cold

Comments:

'An unexpected salad cobbled together when the freezer temporarily died was a lovely, tasty surprise.  Will make again...delierately next time.' Retired writer

Tips:

• If your freezer  stops working and you have unexpected defrosted food, remember the principle of freezing foodstuffs: the only time when you can re-freeze items is if they were frozen raw.  Then they must be defrosted and cooked.  Only when cooled can they be frozen again. 
• To make the prawns go further, slice in half sideways (like a butterfly)

 

  

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

AIR FRYER KALE: quick and easy, diabetes/weight friendly

A great way to get greenery into kids...or adults.

Crispy Kale: A terrific way to add to your 5-a-day
'Crispy, more-ish and delicious!' Taster

Kale has never been very high on the list of favoured 67 veg after an experience washing vats of it three times to remove dirt, and then ripping the leaves from countless stalks.  

To eat, the taste and texture was fine but the prep was completely off-putting. 

Kale now comes in nicely cleaned and only needs rinsing.  It was time to have another go, despite its not extravagant but definitely not frugal price.

Kale is like a heartier spinach, with a stronger, earthier taste.  It's considered a, nutritional superstar, containing Vitamins, A, K B6 & C, calcium, potassium,copper and maganese. 

A cup has just 33 calories and only 7 grams of carb, so its diabetes/weight friendly.  

67 has used it to replace spinach in soups and stir-fries, where it works quite well.

But the most appealling way of cooking kale has got to be air frying.  The leaves go all crispy and crunchy, reminding one of the fried 'seaweed' in Chinese restaurants of old.  

If you've never tried kale, maybe it's time to give it a go. 

Cost: £1'ish (6/23)

Feeds: 2-3; recipe multiplies easily 

Ingredients:

1/2 bunch kale - about 3 cups or 8-10 oz

1/2 tbsp oil oil 7.5 ml

1/8 tsp salt 

 

Method: