Credit crunch recipes…

Hmmm, I love homecooking, there’s nothing better than a spiced aroma wafting round the place or the warmth of a slow cooked casserole for cosy winter days. The great thing about being at home is that you can make the most of it and get away from calorie-laden corporate canteens and cruddy sandwich bars.  It’s easy to cook delicious and nutritious food in a matter of minutes, and all without spending more than a couple of quid.

I’ve always loved to cook for myself, my family and friends and I often find myself having to cater for all manner of diets; wheatfree, dairy free, egg free and nut free – so even if you have to omit certain ingredients, there’s no need to skimp on taste.

I also have to ensure I enjoy Le Crunch to the max! Cheap food doesn’t necessarily mean baked beans or a bag of take away chips. Over the years (and some of them very lean ones), I’ve kept a few wicked recipes in my back pocket that I occasionally share, so now you’re in the club you can enjoy these while checking the jobs boards!

Speedy Spicy & Snacky Nixdminx Som Tam..
1/2 or 1/4 White Cabbage & Raw Carrot – whizz in the blender on the grate setting (my budget Robert Dyas supplied my food gadget supercheap at £20)

Dressing: sploshes of Thai Sweet Chilli sauce, Nam Pla (fish sauce), a dash of Sesame Oil and juice of a lime

Mix in a salad bowl and garnish with chopped coriander, chopped chilli and crushed peanuts

Great as a side dish or  serve with brown rice and grilled salmon or rice or prawns, you can’t go wrong with this lovely recipe and it’s 100% healthy.

 

 

 
Nixdminx Tom Yum – serves one, double up for two

This is ruddy gorgeous and beats anyway take away or ready meal I’ve ever had. You can easily use one of those Stir Fry veg packs in these but you’ll only need a quarter of a pack.

1/2 organic chicken breast or I slice of Organic bacon (streaky or back) or organic raw prawns (don’t overcook them though!)
Kettle of hot water
Straight to Wok rice noodles 1/2 bag max
Bean sprouts 1/4 bag – you can add any other veg, chopped carrots, mange tout etc but keep it light!
Tom Yum paste – 1 teaspoon
Fresh coriander, basil and mint chopped, ginger and garlic go well too
1 Chilli

 

So here’s the skinny…
Dice the skinless organic chicken breast to thumbnail size (half a chicken breast will do for one person) or use bacon sliced to match stick size, fry in a wok on high heat with a dab of sesame oil for the chicken, the bacon will cook in it’s own fat (2 minutes). At this size, it cooks really quickly but the chicken may still look a pink – it will cook by the time this is finished

Add boiling hot water (enough to fill a large soup bowl, I’ll let you be the judge of that) and let simmer for 30 seconds
Add a large teaspoon of Tom Yum paste (from Asian supermarkets or any supermarket) for 2 minutes keep stirring

 

 

instant magic

Add half a bag of ready to use rice noodles (Amoy, Sainsburys and Waitrose all do these) If you want to use uncooked noodles, make sure you soak them first
Then add a big handful of bean sprouts and take off the heat after a minute
Sprinkle in chopped fresh coriander, basil, mint if you like, a finely chopped chilli and give one big loving stir

Serve carefully into a soup bowl and add ground pepper and soya sauce to taste
This is best eaten very hot and with caution as it comes with sound effects; lots of slurping and sploshing,  so don’t do it on a date! I tend to use a Laurel & Hardy style napkin tucked into my collar for this, it keeps Miniminx amused too!

Paupers Lentil Soup

This takes 30 minutes and you can make enough to keep for the week. Just follow one simple rule; the lentils will be cooked in 30 minutes and never add salt until the magic half hour has passed.

I’ve given people the full ingredients in two sandwich bags to cook for themselves; one for the lentils and herbs, spices etc and the other for a stock cube. I’ve even taken this round to neighbours when they’ve had flu and it’s a really heartening dish. It works amazingly well with chunks of Cranks bread and lovely mature cheddar on the side.

Add one packet of Crazy Jack’s Organic red lentils to a saucepan with boiling water (a kettle full and top up to 2-3 litres during the cooking) and boil for 5 minutes (add whole peeled cloves of garlic, maybe 2 to 4, a spliced chilli or a pinch of dried chillis – don’t go mad on the dried chillis they’re hot, hot, hot).

For depth of flavour:
- one star anise
- four cardomom pods
- a chunk of sliced ginger (all to be removed before eating)
- a pinch of smoked paprika, half a teaspoon of turmeric and choose between a large pinch of fennel or cumin seeds.

Then simmer for 25 minutes but keep a careful eye and add more hot water if the pan is drying up.
You can also add two teaspoons of tomato puree after 10 minutes to liven up the colour.

Add a stock cube or a tablespoon of stock powder to flavour the soup after 30 minutes.
Mash the boiled garlic on the side of the saucepan and it will dissolve into the liquid.

So, now it’s ready.  You can pour it into soup bowls and season to taste, fresh chopped basil or coriander adds a nice touch of colour and flavour. As this is fat free, a little chunk of butter stirred in at the end is also a nice touch. One bowl should be enough for anyone, but you may want more!

This page has the following sub pages.

• My recipe book