SINGLETONS' SKINNY APPLE CRANBERRY & CINNAMON CRUMBLE: lower-fat & sugar

Oh so dependable, so delicious, fruit crumbles...but skinnier

Individual Crumbles  (with one-dish option)
'Excellent' Taster

Fruit crumbles are such a lovely dessert - hot and comforting -  and there are so many variations, you could have one a week for months without getting bored.  They're also wallet-friendly - bags of apples and pears are so reasonable these days - and you can dress them up with dried or frozen fruit and nuts.  Or not, as you wish.

They're healthy, stuffed with naturally sweet fresh fruit, and when you make your own you control the amount of fat and sugar, fibre (replace some flour with wholemeal) without affecting levels of crunchiness and flavour.  

1-dish Pear & Blueberry Crumble 

Apple Cinnamon Cranberry Crumble was cobbled together for a Sunday lunch.  It makes four individual crumbles or a single dish. (See Tips) The individual crumbles win the 'Wow' test but are a bit more of a faff to prepare.  


Cost: £2'ish
Makes: 4 small or one large crumble enough for 2-3 people; recipe multiples easily 

Ingredients:

     110gm/3.8oz plain flour
     35gm/1.2oz wholemeal flour
     min 2 - max 4 tbsp brown sugar

     50-60gm/1.7-2.1oz cold unsalted butter, in small cubes 

    generous handful dried cranberries (or other dried fruit), refreshed in boiling water 5 mins and drained (opt)

    2 good-sized or  4-5 small apples, as ripe as possible

    zest and juice of orange

    1-2 tsp cinnamon 

    1/2 tsp nutmeg

flaked almonds

Method:

STOVETOP POTATO ONION OMELETTE ( SPANISH TORTILLA) - budget friendly, small households

Budget friendly Vegetarian Delight, from scratch...

Stovetop Tortilla Espagnol (Potato & Onion Omelette) from scratch
'Fills the house with wonderful aromas; worth the extra cooking time'

Unlike 67goingon50's earlier recipe for Cheat's Tortilla - the popular Spanish Potato Omelette - this one does not rely on high-calorie chip shop chips and there's no oven involved.

This authentic version contains potatoes cooked from raw so it is cheaper than buying a bag of fries.    67 loves both versions but the air fryer (for chips) is still broken and this stovetop version is really very very appetising...and fills the kitchen with tantalising aromas.

The one pictured above is a 4-egg version, which will feed 3 quite generously. 

Feeds: 3 (recipe multiplies easily
Costs: £1.50

Equipment:  6-7in/15-18cm round pan

Ingred:
1 med yellow onion (about 100gm/3.5oz)
1 large potato, thinly sliced

Olive oil, the best you can afford 

4 large eggs

min. 1 tsp salt and 3/4 tsp pepper 


Method:

MIDI-CARROT CAKE FOR SMALL HOUSEHOLDS: no butter, dairy free option, low-sugar, high fibre

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Who doesn't love Carrot Cake?

At last! A midi-carrot cake for 2 or 3, as rich and luxuriant as family sized.

'Texture excellent, moist and slightly crumbly; flavour rich and delicious; cream cheese icing lovely.' 'I love carrot cake; yours was one of the best!'

 

A 'healthy-ish' treat that hasn't lost its wicked appeal, carrot cake is immensely gratifying.  Sweetness comes mainly from health-giving carrots; heart-healthy nuts add crunch; wholemeal flour, gut-friendly fibre.  

The cake is dense and rich but not heavy; gorgeous dairy or plant cream cheese is an elegant topping.   

It'a an all-season treat with a healthier vibe and particularly welcome when life is a little fraught.  So it is no surprise that the biggest craving chez 67goingon50 during Lockdown III is for Carrot Cake. 

Singletons/small households are at a disadvantage when it comes to something like carrot cake.  So it was time to create a small one that captures the sublime texture and flavours of the original.  Far from being a lesser version of the original, the midi-carrot cake was sensational -- so much so, 67 likes it better than bakery carrot cakes, some of which can be very moist.  

67 opted for ginger in syrup as the sweet accent but it is a little extravagant.    Feel free to replace ginger with fresh or tinned pineapple or even raisons.

If there is one complaint about this smaller cake, it is that the amount of batter is slightly larger than 67's usual 6inch/15cm (air fryer) midi-cake pan.  But using the excess for cupcakes/muffins that can be frozen (un-iced), means one might never need to look for a bakery with carrot cake again! 

For singleton or small households, it's now possible to have home-made carrot cake and eat it, deliciously, economically and without waste.

Cost: £2.50'ish (2021)
Serves: one 6in/15cm midi-cake and 3 large cupcakes (cooked in muffin - not cupcake -  tins) OR 6 large cupcakes or 10 generous sized cupcakes  

Ingred: 
  70gm/2.4oz light brown sugar  

  10gm/2 generous tsp dried unsweetened coconut 

   80ml light vegetable oil 

   27 ml buttermilk/OR 75% plant or dairy yoghurt, 25% water OR 27ml plant/dairy milk with 2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar, rested 10 mins
    1 large egg
    

    3/4 tsp vanilla   

   90gm/3.2ozplain white flour. 

    41gm/1.4oz wholemeal flour. 

    3/4 tsp cinnamon.  
    1/3 tsp nutmeg

    1/2 tsp ground ginger (opt)  
    1/2 tsp baking soda  
    1/3 tsp salt.  
   

    170 gm/6oz carrots, coarsely grated  

    2 large globes ginger in syrup finely diced OR 1/3 mug drained fresh or tinned pineapple wedges, shredded

    2 generous tablespoons chopped walnuts

    2 tbsp ginger syrup or pineapple juice for brushing over top of cake/s (opt)

 Lower fat & sugar Cream Cheese Icing: (Plant or dairy)
    57gm/2oz room-temperature reduced-fat cream cheese  
    20gm/ 3/4 oz thick plain yoghurt

    20gm/ 3/4 oz icing sugar

    few drops vanilla essence 

OR

Dairy-free 'buttercream'

    Garnish: 1 ball ginger in syrup, finely diced OR couple of generous tablespoons shredded pineapple

Method:

CHINESE TWICE (UN)FRIED CHICKEN, lower fat, wallet-friendly , dairy free option

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Crispy, tender but lower fat double un-fried chicken (baked) makes the most of supermarket specials...

updated 11/25; first posted 2020

Chinese (un)fried Chicken: crisp, crunchy, juicy, tender & exotic

Supermarkets are good at acknowledging the struggles too many families are going through trying to feed their families in these difficult times. 

Sainsburys' decision in 2021 to match Aldi prices was a welcome surprise.  67goingon50 had a quick look around and prices were indeed lower than usual, on a par, in fact with Morrisons.  67 has tested Sainsbury's economy chicken in the past and found it good value, especially the items on price lock.  In another suprise, 67 found a kilo of generously portioned drumsticks - 11 of them, enough for a family  - for £2.40 (2021) at Waitrose, of all places.  They went into the freezer. 

Keep your eyes peeled; wach for '3 for...' offers.  You never know when you might meet an unexpected bargain and if you can't use the items right away stash them in the freezer!  

67 used defrosted Waitrose drums for this crispy, crunchy lower-fat (un)fried Oriental chicken.  The meat is very tender and the coating crisp and delicately flavoured with 5-spice powder, star anise, garlic & ginger.

The process is two-step but easy; start the night before needed by marinading in buttermilk then before cooking, dredge  in breadcrumbs - twice.  

They're also baked twice (like double fried chicken) for maximum juiciness and texture.

Cost: min £4.50'ish? depending on chicken (11/2025)

Feeds: 3-4

Ingredients:

1 kilo chicken drumsticks or thighs

Marinade
    250 ml buttermilk (OR plant or dairy t milk mixed with 2 tbsp vinegar OR 75% unstrained plain diary/plant yoghurt mixed with 25% water

    1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    1/2 tsp salt

    1/2 tsp celery salt (opt)

    1 tsp pepper

    1 small onion or equivalent fennel, finely sliced

    1 tsp cayenne

    1 tbsp smoked paprika

    1 tbsp 5-spice powder

    1 whole star anise or 1/4 tsp dried (opt)

Coating

    650gm/23oz fresh or packaged or make-your-own fine breadcrumbs (try panko or  blitzing stale dry bread in a blender)

    1 tsp celery salt

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    2 tsp 5-spice powder

    1.5 tsp garlic salt (opt)

    1.5 tsp dried ginger

Method: