67GOINGON50 FAVOURITE FRUGAL SIDE SALADS; healthy, low-fat, quick, easy

Side salads to please the eye, the palate...and the wallet!

Raw food is an important element of a healthy diet and should appear at least 3-5 days a week.

Make it easy with these quick & easy wallet-friendly sides.  Many of them were posted during the first few years of the blog; some were described by tasters as sensational.  

67 is delighted to make them accessible to later and more recent followers.  

Sensational Home-made Sunblush Tomato Bombs 

 flavour explosions in a mouthful

Cheat's Fruity Coleslaw: 

with a little help from supermarket friends when life's very busy

(The original Mango & Chilli coleslaw: Not just any old coleslaw; lower fat, quick & easy)

Carrot, Pineapple & Sunflower Seed Salad, no added sugar

Gorgeous amalgam of flavours and textures is a crowd-pleaser that's easy the clock

10-minute Smashed Potato Salad: 

Outstanding flavour with delightful crunchy bits; versatile; ultra-frugal

Spicy Sesame Noodles 

Tired of the same old, same old potato & pasta salads?  This Oriental style help-yourself noodle salad will knock your socks off

Cabbage Carrot Slaw with Peanut Lime Dressing

Pretty & nutritious crunchy Dieters' Delight; Vegan, raw & cooked veg.  Noodles only if you want them.  Prep up to 2-days ahead

And don't forget -- if you just want a different dressing for your favourite collection of veg, have a look a67goingon50's great selection of Salad Dressings

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These recipes  have been developed or adapted by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

SINGLETON'S ' TREAT-MYSELF' LUXURY FISH SOUP: indulgence, low-fat

 If you're spending Easter alone and want to treat yourself, a rich,   soup with lots of lovely seafood is one way to do it...

Super seafood soup to indulge a singleton at Easter
'Mmm.  Absolute bliss!'

Not only does this multi-flavoured rich, high-protein it slip down like a dream, it takes hardly any time to prepare. Ok, it is an indulgence but if on your own at Easter?  You deserve it! 

67 took advantage of M&S' 3 for £12 special on choices of seafood & chicken, which can save up to £5.  Seafood was preferred on this occasion.

The soup, rich and savoury, takes a mere 10 minutes from chopping board to table, and can be made a day in advance.  The seafood is  ready-cooked and only needs blanching in boiling water before serving.  

Cost: £3'ish (2023)

Feeds: 1; recipe doubles easily

Ingreds:

   1/2 kilo/1lb tomatoes
   1/2 tbsp olive oil
   1-2 tbsp plain thick yoghurt or single, double or clotted cream
   s & p
   garnish: chopped basil, parsley, chives 

                cream of thick Greek yoghurt

   water or stock

   100gm/3.5 oz pre-cooked mixed seafood collection: any of prawns, calamari, mussels, scallops, langoustine or squares of white fish

Method:

PENSIONERS' DELIGHT: LEMON PEPPER PASTA:, frugal, opt for dairy free, hot or cold

A simple, delicious pasta dish for a two-some/singleton that won't break the bank...

 Simple Lemon Pepper Pasta
'gorgeously lemony & cheesy'

Okay, it's pasta, and pasta are carbs but one day a week when carbs are allowed is good for the soul.  

To compensate, the dish is low in cholesterol so great for the health conscious.  If you use vegan parmesan, it's even lower in fat.

Thius a classic Italian recipe which 67 adapted to add fibre and offer alternatives to cut costs.  

That said, even though the basic recipe is ultra frugal, there's no stinting on flavour. The pasta is bathed in creamy lemony & cheesy flavours.  The basil (sadly forgotten in the photos), adds punch and colour. 

To raise the dish to the next level, extra options can be added.  And it shouldn't cost too much, especially if they're leftovers or condiments from the cupboard/fridge.  

67 added asparagus, avocado, peas & radish because they were in the fridge but would have no problem just adding 1 or 2 items like artichoke hearts or asparagus.

Lemon pepper pasta: wallet-friendly extras raise the flavour bar 

Cost: min. min £2.00'ish (7/24)

Feeds: 2 (singletons, halve amounts or save leftovers for packed lunch next day) 

Ingreds:  

7 tbsp olive oil

7 tbsp freshly grated parmesan (or other cheese of choice)

4 tbsp lemon juice (about 1 whole lemon)

1/4-1/3 tsp salt (to taste)

few pinches coarsely ground black pepper

8 oz pasta, pref wholemeal; spaghetti is ok but any shape will do

generous handful pref fresh basil, coarsely chopped (or generous 1/8 tsp dried basil; in a pinch, fresh parsley will do) 

1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest

Choice of 1-3 x 1/2 cup:

 asparagus 

 artichoke hearts (tined, jarred or deli)

 olives ((tined, jarred or deli)

 frozen peas 

 fine green beans

PLUS optional:

   ripe avocado in bite-size chunks, bathed in lemon juice 

   thinly sliced radish for garnish

Method:

WORLD'S EASIEST CHEESE MUFFINS? Egg-free, prepped in 5 minutes, easy

Frantic September days require stress-free quick, easy healthy meals...

first posted 2022/ updated 12/24

These easy-peasy cheese muffins are unbelievably light & beautifully flavoured (egg-free) 'VERY tasty' Tester
 

It is astonishing how these simple cheese muffins* can smell and taste so sensational, given prep time is all of 5 minutes and they're egg-free. 

They can take a starring role at any time of the day: breakfast, lunch, tea or snack time.   

Served with Pensioners' Delight soup, the muffins turn a jazzed-up tin of soup into an appealing and satisfying meal.

Cost: min £3'ish (depending on additions) (12/34)

Makes 5 large or 10 small; recipe doubles easily 

3/4 cup self-raising plain flour +

1/4 cup self raising brown flour OR

      1 cup plain self-raising flour 

1 cup grated mature/very mature dairy or plant cheddar cheese (67 recommends vegan Cathedral City cheddar)

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup dairy or plant milk, single cream or a mixture of the two (67 used single cream oOR plant yoghurt thinned to the thickness of single cream)

generous tablespoon dried chives (opt)

1/4 tsp chilli flakes (opt) (67 used both)

Optional Additions: meat or vegan bacon bits, parsley or chives, fresh chilli

 

Method:

SINGLETON'S EASY SHORTBREAD: 5 ingredients, quick, indulgence

Have you ever sat on your own at home and fancied a small mid-afternoon no-fuss sweet that that provides just enough to satisfy cravings and no more?

Rapidly decimated Singleton's Sensational Shortbread
'Sophisticated and sensationally crumbly but so easy' Tester

This Shortbread recipe, adapted from lovely-jubbly Jaimie Oliver, is the perfect solution.

It takes only five ingredients: flour, sugar, butter, flavouring and chocolate and only makes enough to satisfy one (or two) people.  For more, double the recipe.

It is gorgeous.  And the prep takes all of 7 minutes!

67 used orange flavouring but the recipe can be made in all variations.  Try chocolate chips mixed into the dough.  Or lime with almonds.  Or coconut, cherry and vanilla.   

The sky's the limit .

Ingreds:

75g/2.6oz butter or dairy-free margarine, cut from cold and left to soften

100gm/3.5oz plain flour (67 used 1/4 wholemeal flour for added fibre)

25gm/0.75oz sugar (67 used a 50/50 mix of white & brown sugar)

zest of one orange, divided AND/OR 1/8 tsp orange essence (found near the vanilla)

25gm/3/4 oz 70% dark chocolate (chocolate below 70% usually contains dairy)

Method:

1. Line a 6in/17cm tin with greaseproof paper (crumple it up, spread it out into the tin and press into the edges) 
2. Place butter, flour and sugar in a small deep'ish bowl; mix; if using orange zest, add half here  
3. Rub between your thumb & forefinger until full of crumbles; don't overmix; add rest of zest (if using orange essence, see no 8 below) 
4. Press into pan
5. AIR-FRYER: Bake at 165°C;  OVEN, 190°C  20 mins
6. Remove shortbread with paper base from pan; place on cooling rack
7. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl over but not touching simmering water; add essence of orange, stir 
8. Drizzle over shortbread from a height
9. Cut into fingers
10. Serve

Comments:

'Sophisticated and sensationally crumbly but ever so easy; prep takes 5 mins.' Retired writer

Tips:

• instead of drizzling chocolate on top, mix into the dough a small handful of dark chocolate chips or vegan white chocolate chips before baking
• Replace orange zest with lime zest; scatter finely chopped or flaked almonds over the chocolate glaze

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