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Funds are tight at the moment it seems all the bills come at once, so I am trying to save some money where possible.
I am interested to hear what you cook when your main supplies are running low. In my case I have very little meat some frozen vegies and some fresh vegies, lots of stuff in pantry such as canned soups, pasta and rice herbs spices, canned tomatoes flours, sugars etc etc etc.
What do you make?
just subscribing to this may come in handy!
Tomato soup is easy. All you need is butter, 1 onion, 800g canned tomatoes, 600ml chicken or veggie stock, sugar & herbs if you're into them.
Spanish omlette
Couple of potatoes (cooked and cubed)
Eggs
Cheese
Red onion
Herbs
Risotto...as long as I have arborio rice and stock in some form (liquid, powder, cubes), then I'm set. I just add whatever else I have to it! Great way to use up leftovers too...a little bit of this and that.
I flesh things out with tinned tomato or chickpeas where I can.
All in one quiche - really a frittata and use up whatever is around
Fried rice/risotto variations
Pasta bakes
Vege pies
Make pizza bases - sauce from tomatoes etc
Pasta with simple chilli/garlic/oil
Bake cakes/cookies/scones
dice and lightly fry all the veg that works together (spud, sweet spud, carrot, onion, bit of garlic, celery, parsnip, swede, turnip, cauli, broc) - add some pasta, cheese sauce - serve as is or baked in the oven
great way to use up left over veg, and white/cheese sauce can be as cheesey or bland as you like.
we use this as a side dish if we dont have many vegies, or will toss through some cubed browned chicken and make it a main. it freezes and reheats in the oven really well too.
the more veg, the tastier it is - but you can do it pretty simply if you just want to clean out the fridge (we do it most fortnights before we go shopping so nothing goes to waste)
Grate and steam a few veggies in the micro (zucchini, pumpkin, potato, sweet potato, whatever you have, really) , crack a few eggs (2-3), bit of salt, half a cup of flour or cornflour, some grated cheese, then fry spoonfuls to make veggie fritters. We *never* have fried food & fritters is the closest we ever get so they're always a winner here. Serve with whatever you have - sour cream, tzatziki, salsa, tomato sauce, leftover sloppy foods like casserole, or - in summer - fried tomatoes. YUM
We also do a pilaf rice...which is essentially basmati rice fried then cooked in stock, and whatever spices and other goodies you want to throw in there. Chuck a can of tuna in with it and it's a large vat of food that will do for a night or two.
i make vegie fritters-saute off some onion with whatever vegies you have, cool, then mix with a little flour, milk and some grated cheese (or ricotta/fetta)-panfry till brown on both sides.
Soup with homemade scones-cheese scones are easy, or damper.
Mexican soup-a tin of diced tomatoes, tin corn, tin creamed corn, tin kidney beans, 1 diced onion, chilli powder, cumin, garlic
Saute the onion off in a pan, add the spices and garlic, tinned tomatoes, creamed corn, and drained rinsed kidney beans and corn kernels. Add 1-2 cups of water (or chicken stock/vegie stock) and simmer for a few minutes. I eat it with tortillas, or just on its own.
Don't forget breakfast for dinner! Pancakes/Waffles/French Toast or Bacon & Eggs w Tomatoes and Hashbrowns...
lentil dahl.. any veg lentils tomatoes curry powder garlic with rice
tuna pasta bake i make a white sauce ad frozen veg tuna then mix in pasta add cheese and bake
Oh and here's one for you... my kids love it...
Make shift pan Kugel. Make up two minute noodles as the package says (or ramen or whatever you have - with the naughty flavour sachet!) and then whisk up two to three eggs. Then mix into the noodles and poor into a pan (a small saute pan about 20 cms). Once the bottom is cooked slide onto a plate and flip over (by placing the pan over the uncooked side on the plate and flipping the plate over so the uncooked plate lands on the pan) then cook and slide out onto a plate, cut and serve. Can be had with salad or whatever you have.
Ooooh Rouge, that sounds lovely!
Tin of tuna (flavoured) mixed through cooked pasta with a little oil if required.
Cook pasta and in a frypan fry some chopped onion, garlic, add in tin of tomatoes, heat through & add frozen veg, heat through.
2 min noodles, add in frozen veg while cooking. add flavour sachet, drain off. toss through a little butter and grated cheese.
make a pikelet batter, add in leftover corned beef / any veg etc and cook (mum & dad call these racehorses)
chickpea curry - cook wedges of onion in oil until soft. add in curry powder and fry off. add tin of tomatoes & drained chickpeas. serve with rice.
potato curry - brown wedges of onion / cubes of potato in little oil. add in curry powder and fry off. add tin of tomatoes and stock. simmer until potato tender. serve with rice or bread.
Tonight I made fettucine with some fried bacon, garlic, mushrooms and cream. Its very filling and cheap to make too.
I also make a salmon quiche type thing with a tin of salmon, finely chopped onion or shallots, eggs, milk and salt then put it into a pie dish and cook in the oven.
Pasta (any type) with canned tuna (in oil), lemon, garlic, rocket, chilli and maybe some fresh/sundried tomato. YUM YUM YUM (also works with basil if there is no rocket. Great if you grow all ingredients in your garden - which I don't.....but I will soon!!
just subscribing to this
Thank you for the ideas. I always seem to run low in the last few days before the monthly grocery shop.
corn and noodle soup? - can creamed corn, stock, noodles, any veges you want to add, and a beaten egg (or a bit of cornflour and water)
last night after some inspiration from an old post of Rouge's I made a cauliflower risotto - I grated a head of cauli, sauted an onion and some garlic in a heavy pan with some olive oil, sauteed the cauli for a bit then added 1/2C chicken stock and put the lid on the pan. Cooked for 10mins sirring occasionally, then I stired in some leftover roast pumpkin and 1/4C of grated cheese (I used parmesan and tasty mixed). i served DH's with leftover heated roast pork and mine plain - beautiful.
I use the Taste website all the time! I just type in a few ingredients and see what comes up.
Snap jng1977....it's such an easy website, I highly reccommened it - look for the useful search tips when you must use something or for people with allergies (like me) when things must be ommitted.
This is a favourite in our house and DS (who is 2) can eat two whole bowls of it he loves it so much. Recipe courtesy of Chatelaine Magazine. It's very fast, and easy and inexpensive too.
Orzo, chicken and sage simmer pot
Published by Chatelaine on 2/1/2004
Ingredients
* 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* Olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves or 1 tbsp (15 mL) bottled chopped garlic
* 1 large onion
* 1 tbsp (15 mL) dried sage leaves
* 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and ground black pepper
* 28 oz (796 mL) can diced tomatoes
* 1 cup (250 mL) water
* 1/2 (500 g) pkg orzo, about 1-1/2 cups (375 mL)
* 6 oz (170 g) bag baby spinach, about 4 cups (1 L)
* 1/4 cup (50 mL) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
* Directions
1. Slice chicken into large bite-size pieces. Lightly coat a large wide saucepan with oil and set over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until golden-tinged, 5 to 6 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, mince garlic and chop onion, then add to pan. Stir often until onion begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Crumble sage overtop and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil.
3. Stir in orzo. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered and stirring often, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand until liquid is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Twinsis - not familiar with "orzo"...this is what wikipedia said:
Is this what you're using...rice shaped pasta (we call it risone here)??:
Orzo (from Latin hordeum, sometimes called Italian rice) is Italian and means "barley" [1], from which orzo was originally made. However, in common usage in the United States, orzo is understood to mean rice-shaped pasta, slightly smaller than a pine nut. It is frequently used in soups and baked casseroles. Despite its rice shape, orzo is made not of rice but of hard wheat semolina. It is also known as risone in Italian
Yup that's the stuff.
if all else fails - invite yourself to someone's house for dinner! (i did this today - got roast lamb at mum's as a trade off for DH mowing their lawn!)
easy pasta dish
1 small tub of cream
1-2 chicken breasts
frozen vegies
2tbs gourmet vegie stock
pasta
cook pasta as usual, put frozen vegies in the mic, cook the chicken.
put alll ingredients into the same pot, had in cream and stock and ur done.
beautiful and so easy
i like the sound of the mexican soup mentioned before
it's pretty basic, probably needs a side salad..
1 tin corn, drained (but keep a bit of the juice to mix with...)
1 tbs corn flour
1 tin creamed corn
sausages
cheese
Preheat your oven to 180
Cook your sausages.
In a fry pan, combine corn and creamed corn. Add cornflour and liquid, just to thicken.
Cook for a bit, while you chop your sausages into bite sized peices.
Pour into an oven dish, add sausages and combine. Put cheese, just enough for your liking, it's good with out it too!
Into the oven for 30 mins (more or less according to your oven) until cheese is melted.
Delish!
ok - i have a few hints!!
1) my throw in pie - the day before payday when all u have is a few shrivelled vegies, some dried out pastry and a singlelonely piece of meat -
I generally use chicken - i cut the breast cook till brown, use whatever evgies i have laying around (that lonely spud thats slightly soft cooked to just before mashing softness) the last 1/8th a bag frozen vegies, the almost shrivelled mushies. Throw in to a frypan, make up some stock, simmer til reduced (i will also now add some cream if i have any /simmered til reduced again) line my pie tray with puff pasrty fill with chicken and vege, cover with any left over puff or mashed spuds if u have enough bake til golden.
2) a sundried tomato pasta
Get the cheapest sundried pesto (about 2.50 homebrand) the cheapest pack of pasta, a cheap 300 ml cream, if u have money in budget a small scoop of sundried tomatoes from deli. Cook pasta, mix in the pesto and the cream, cut sundried tomatoes (could even use cherry tomatoes if u get them on sale) and mix through, i use tghe whole bag of pasta and this does dh and i for 2 dinners plus 2 of us for a lunch... sometimes we dice half a chicken breast cook and mix through.
3) good old porcupines!!! (i have a recipe from the tight a$$ cookbook, i am happy to post if anyone wants it? (im just on my way out to buy some food for teh week!! with my menu plan and shoppibng list in toe)
can i grab that porcupines recipe please!
500 gm mince (i use chicken/turkey):
1 onion -chopped small
1 cup raw rice (can add more for bulking but need to add extra liquid)
1 tin tomato soup (heinz big red is reccomended however i use whatevers cheapest) -
1 tin water
1/4 cup plain flour
preheat oven 180 (i use 180 with fan forced)
mix mince, onion and uncooked rice together with your hands
sprinkle flour on a plate
roll mince mix into small balls and roll in flour
place into casserole dish (with a lid) - i spray the dish bottom with cooking spray however with all the liquid its prob not required- i have gone 2 levels high in a smaller cassrole dish
mix soup and water and pour over meat balls
place lid on - put in over 1 hour 45 min
DO NOT STIR.