PENSIONERS DELIGHT: SIMPLE MUSTARD MAPLE ROAST CHICKEN for a Fiver, low-fat; incl pricing for other courses

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for tips on turning economy food into tasty satisfying dishes

Turn a supermarket chicken into something special...

Chicken with Mustard & Maple Sauce (half a chicken for 2): 
'a lot easier & quicker than the original recipe; the chicken was juicy and very flavourful' Tester

Despite the Government's welcome help, feeding the household is still a big worry and many have had to bite the bullet and lower standards a little, cooking standard chicken instead of free-range.

But they're discovering that treated properly, supermarket meats can be nearly as good as free-range.  

And supermarket meat prices/bargains are very good.

At M&S, a small chicken big enough for 4 is selling for £3.50 (as of 27/5/22).  A extra-small bird big enough for 2 adults & 2 children was only £2.70 at Sainsburys. (Their chicken has always been a surprise - in a good way -  for flavour and texture - when tested by 67 in the past.) 

(See this week's post  NAVIGATING THE FOOD JUNGLE IN A COST OF LIVING CRISIS...)

This simple recipe for Chicken with Mustard and Maple Syrup turns supermarket chooks into star.   

The recipe is a simplified version of the original recipe which poached the chicken before roasting.  This version instead places a tin of water in the bottom of the oven/air fryer to ensure it stays moist and firm.

Cost: £4 or under (around £5-6 with carb, salad & dessert)

Feeds: 4 or makes 2 meals for 2

Ingreds:

One small chicken

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons maple syrup OR honey

small clove garlic, grated (opt)

Garnish: couple of spring onions 

Method:

QUICK & EASY CALAMARI/WHITE FISH SALAD: easy, healthy, portable indulgence

Beautiful low-carb salad packed with nutritious ingredients...a real Dieters' Delight!

Chock full of protein, vitamins & minerals...and so attractive on the table!

'The dressing makes this salad extra special.' Taster

67's Calamari Rice Salad has become a popular choice for the blog's followers, partly because it's no-cook.   

But also this second take on calamari salad is for carb-phobes.  It has leaves as its base, lots of raw and lightly cooked veg, plenty of calamari rings and an exotic (but exquisite) dressing that elevates the salad to another level.

Not a fan of calamari?  Replace with large bite-sized chunks of pre-cooked firm white fish, marinaded for a few hours in Oriental Dressing (below)

Cost: around £7, depending on fish, veggie drawer and/or leftovers

Feeds: 2-3

Ingredients:

140gm/5oz cooked calamari rings (67 used chargrilled) or pre-cooked firm white fish in generous bite-sized chunks

80g/2.8oz salad leaves (67 used a package of Italian Style Salad)

3-4 golf-ball sized tomatoes, or equiv, sliced

2-3 in/6-7cm unpeeled cucumber, halved vertically & thinly sliced into half-moons

small handful lightly cooked cauliflower

small handful lightly cooked green beens

2-3 thinly sliced button or chestnut mushrooms

salt & pepper

Optional additions: thinly sliced radish, cooked peas; garnish of lemon or line wedges 

Dressing below

Method:

TRI-COLOUR QUINOA SALAD: Vegan, high protein, easy, singleton, small households

Surprisingly tasty stand-alone vegan salad...

High-protein quinoa salad - no other protein necessary for all amino acids

 

67 has tried quinoa a few times and been put off by its bitterness and the difficulty of cooking it well.  

This version 67 stumbled on in a local deli* and fell in love.  So much so, 67 rushed out to buy a packet** for the cupboard and has not stopped making it since.  

Tri-colour quinoa contains three colours of the grain: white, black and red.  It's gluten free.  It contains all 9 amino acids, satisfying all your protein needs.  And if you go for the brand sourced from Peru (as did 67), it's pre-washed and needs no rinsing.  (Though everyone in the know says it's good to wash it like rice all the same.)

Nutty and satisfying, it does need a good, strongly flavoured dressing.  At the moment 67 is adding seeds and nuts, peas, tomatoes and sweet fruit (like the original tested).  Raisons are usually the fruit of choice but Medjool dates (67's favourite), pomegranate seeds, fresh figs and apples also work well.  

It's very tasty and incredibly healthy.  It's still fabulous the next day. You can eat it by itself for a meal or snack and need nothing more.  

In fact, it doesn't go well with animal protein (meat or dairy) so if you are planning a triple duty meal with quinoa as a centrepiece, 67 recommends providing a side of baked potatoes, pasta or some great bread for carnivores.  

But don't discourage carnivores from trying it; they might just be converted!  

Note: Some quinoa packets recommend three times the amount of water to grain but 2 times is more than enough

Cost: maybe £2.50'ish (4/25) (£3'ish for a 500gm packet**)

Makes: 1-2 servings, easily multiplied

Ingred:

1/3 cup tricolour quinoa

2/3 cup water or stock

1 whole garlic clove (opt)

1 regular slice fresh ginger (opt) 

3 generous tbsp frozen peas, defrosted

3 generous tbsp toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds or both

3 to 4 baby tomatoes diced

one Medjool date, stone removed, in medium dice, separated OR equivalent pomegrante seeds OR reconstituted dried cranberries OR fresh cranberries, frozen & defrosted

Salt & pepper

Dressing:

3 tbsp good olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (pref) OR red or white wine vinegar OR apple vinegar

1 tsp Dijon or multigrain mustard

1 pinch sugar

Method: