Mild Chicken and Vegetable Curry for kids

My son has been off curries recently.  Nursery have tried but he'd been really reluctant.  Stupidly I then started to avoid cooking curries.  I always say the only way to ensure your child is fussy is to stop offering certain foods and there I was doing it myself!

As a child who grew up in the UK midlands, not liking curry is not an option!

So faced with some chicken and chicken stock which needed using up from Sunday lunch one week, I made this.  Nothing authentic about it but it was very tasty.

Mild Chicken Curry - serves 1 adult and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1/2 onion, fined chopped
1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 tsp Oil
1 rounded tsp Korma curry paste
400-600ml, approx 1 pint chicken stock or water (I used 200ml home made chicken stock made from the bones of the Sunday joint and 300ml water, see method below)
30g, 1 oz Red lentils
30g, 1 oz Frozen chopped spinach
2-3 small leftover waxy potatoes
A large handful of leftover chicken
1/4 tsp Garam masala

To serve; basmati rice; frozen peas.

Method

Fry the onion in the oil for a few seconds until starting to brown.  Add in the garlic followed by the curry paste.  Stir then add the stock and / or water.  Make sure you're using low salt or home made salt free stock if you are using it.

Add the lentils and boil, covered for 10 minutes.  Check and stir adding in more boiling water if it's starting to reduce too much.  Once boiled, simmer until the lentils are cooked.  This can take 5-20 minutes depending on the age of the lentils.

Once cooked you can leave the sauce until later when you're ready to eat.  Refrigerate if it's going to be more than an hour or so.

When ready to eat, cook some basmati rice on a hob adding in a large handful of frozen peas in the last 2-3 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, reheat the sauce and add the spinach.  When it's melted into the sauce add in the chicken and potatoes and heat through.

Last minute stir the garam masala into the curry and serve with the rice and pea mixture.  A great source of hidden vegetables (peas in the rice, spinach and lentils in the curry) and a great source of protein (chicken and lentils) but the best thing was, even though it was mild for me, it was still flavoursome and my son LOVED it!  Everything went!  Yay Mummy!

Then we followed this up with banana and custard.  Well I am from the midlands... :-)

Make it Thrifty

This is a darned thrifty recipe anyway because it uses up leftovers (chicken, stock, potatoes) but you could use whatever you have left.  Cooked cauliflower warmed through might be particularly good.  I've been vague on the quantities of chicken but it really doesn't matter.  Use what you have!

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Hidden vegetable pasta sauce

Even the most enthusiastic vegetable eater has their off days.  This was an invention when my son had one of those but it would be great for those more confirmed vegetable avoiders!

Hidden veg pasta sauce - serves 1 to 2

Ingredients

1 small clove garlic

45g, 1.5oz Courgette (zucchini)

30g, 1oz Carrot

45g, 1.5oz Bacon

1/2 tsp Olive oil

Approx 250g, 9oz passata

1/4 tsp mild, sweet paprika

Method

Grate the courgette, carrot and garlic.  Fry this in the oil, adding the chopped bacon.  Fry this all together for approx 5 minutes.

In the meantime put the pasta on to cook.  Either you could serve this with a small amount of pasta to make it something like a stew or with lots of pasta so it's more like a sauce.

Add in the passata and the paprika and bubble for approx 5 minutes.  Serve mixed through with the pasta and sprinkled with cheese if liked.

Make it Thrifty:

Look out for packs of 'cooking bacon' which are offcuts of bacon sold cheaply for cooking.  You also don't need to peel carrots for this recipe, just wash off any dirt and trim the end before grating.

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Great Quick Post Parent and Tots Food

I don't know about you but for years I was going to Parent and Tots groups which finish just before lunch.  My son has never been great at hanging on for food and for a long time also went down for a nap straight after he'd finished his plate.  I thought I'd put together a short roundup of great things to make when you're really short of time and have a hungry, tired baby or toddler who needs food quick followed by a long snooze!

I love pasta for quick food.  A great one for this is bolognese sauce made in a slow cooker; prep in the morning over breakfast, come back and it's done.  Pasta only takes 10 minutes to cook from dried or even less if you're using the quick cooking kind or fresh pasta so this means you're ready to eat in no time and no standing over a stove to get there.  The other great thing when they're really small is you can run the cooked pasta under a cold tap then mix with the hot sauce so that the overall dish cools down super quick.  I remember those days of jiggling a hungry baby saying "it just needs to cool down".  Pasta is also pretty popular with kids in general and the great thing about my bolognese recipe is it's a fantastic source of hidden vegetables and iron as it contains beef and chicken livers.  Alternatively if you grill the peppers in advance, this amazingly tasty and gorgeous looking sausage pasta is a about a 12 minute job.



Sandwiches.  Yawn!  Yes I know but especially if you're going on somewhere else they are the portable lunch.  Just keep an eye on salt content, especially for babies.  My son though has been particularly partial to a pate sandwich since he was about 13 months old.  It's amazing what strong flavours kids love.

Alternatively mix it up a bit by making Quesadillas.  You can put almost anything in these as long as you include cheese (a great way of hiding vegetables.)  Make it more interesting for you by adding some salsa on the side.

But then we come back to comfort food.   Anything on toast!  Why not try low sugar and salt baked beans?  (Chose the type without added sweeteners though.)  Or perhaps scrambled egg?  Although these might not look like healthy options, beans count towards one of your five a day and eggs are one of the few dietary sources of vitamin D; a nutrient many kids are short of.

Alternatively, scrub some jacket potatoes, prick and put in the oven with a timer to come on.  Just don't forget to set the heat to come on too!  (I once managed to do this and came back to raw, hard potatoes which was very disappointing!)

I came up with the idea for Sweetcorn Fritters when I was stuck with less than 10 minutes before complete hunger related meltdown!  I must have made them fifty times or more now and they always go down well.  I can't believe I didn't think of them earlier because it's a great idea to have in the back of your mind when your child has had one of those days where every vegetable gets refused (they all have them!)

Then think about leftovers.  What can you make in an evening to eat hot and have cold the next day once you come back from your playgroup?  Sausage plait is a great idea.  Or why not make small hidden vegetable sausage rolls or even vegetarian 'sausage' rolls?

Soup isn't just for winter either.  This tomato and pesto soup takes 10 minutes to cook and my son is always pretty keen when he has it.  Not sugar free but a small amount when you take into account the portion size.








Anything noodles is great and these Singapore noodles are interesting, different for kids, tasty and less than 10 minutes start to finish.

It might not sound healthy but fried rice is a cunning way to get your child to eat more healthily.  Yes, really!  Use some spray oil so it's not really fatty if you like and you can cunningly sneak the vegetables in.  I love this mushroom fried rice and sometimes get some peas in too.  It's one of my son's favourite meals; if you use easy cook basmati, it takes no more than 12 mins to cook!





So I hope I've convinced you, there is no need to reach for the toddler ready meal or jar and, if you think about the wealth of meals you could have in your freezer; from meatballs to soups and stews, you need never be short of a decent meal!

Delicious home made food is possible and absolutely within your reach in minutes!

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Thrifty Sunday Lunch Options

Please excuse some of the photography on this post, some of the recipes are quite old on my blog (and I'd like to think my photography has improved) but I thought I'd run through some of the things I like to make for Sunday Lunch without breaking the bank.  Tomorrow it's going to be Game Pie but I will blog about that later.  In the meantime, here are some other delicious options without spending �20 on a joint of meat.

Toad in the Hole.  Ok, it's not all that healthy but there's something about putting sausages into batter which makes it more of a "sit around the table and have a long lunch and a natter" kind of food.  That, in my view is what Sundays are all about!

Pot roast.  I love pot roast (and I love my slow cooker).  What's even better about having a pot roast though is the leftovers made into the easiest and tastiest cottage pie in the world (in my opinion!)  Brisket is also a pretty cheap cut, much cheaper than a straight roasting joint.






A good beef stew with Yorkshires takes some beating.  Again, by using a cheaper cut of meat, you get all the flavour of beef for Sunday lunch and all of the trimmings without spending a fortune on a cut of beef.  Cheaper cuts have much more flavour and cooked gently for a long time, end up much softer too.  Great for kids who can find the texture of meat off-putting.

Baked glazed gammon can be a really thrifty meal and the leftovers in sandwiches are amazing.
When I was little, my Mum always used to serve this with a cheese sauce so we didn't complain about the lack of gravy!

This roasted lamb shoulder always gets a huge number of hits on a Sunday.  Surprising for the terrible photography but trust me, it tastes great and it's a great way to have lamb when you have a small family.  A leg of lamb is just too big for most people nowadays.

If you have roast chicken a lot (and why not, one chicken can do several meals), this recipe is a way to jazz it up a bit with a herb butter.

Or more thrifty and easier still, by doing a tray bake, you get all of the flavour of a roast chicken but in smaller portions and the vegetables cook at the same time.

Not the thriftiest option but still cheaper than a lot of meats, keep an eye on the price of duck.  If you do get one at a decent price, slow roasting it means the skin alone is totally worth it.

And last but not least, don't forget the roast potatoes!  Why do people buy frozen roast potatoes?  They are genuinely easy to make.

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Simple Baked Southern Fried Chicken

Ok, sorry to remind you but we're approaching New Year and the time for those resolutions.  What will yours be this year?  Lose weight?  Stop smoking?

Have you ever noticed how resolutions are always about what we don't want rather than what we do want?  That's a bad thing because we're not wired that way.  Don't think about a pink elephant.  Go on, think about ANYTHING else apart from pink elephants.  Don't think about it.  You're thinking about it aren't you?  You can't help yourself!

Anyway, in general, I'm always of the opinion that a bit of what you actually fancy is better than 101 diet products.  Let's face it, if you buy diet biscuits, you eat more biscuits don't you?  Go on, we all know the truth...  So although I'm not a huge fan of dieting per se, I also managed to lose quite a lot of weight in the last two years.  You didn't know that about me did you?  I am now a shadow of my former UK size 16/18 self and am now a comfortable size 12, size 10 in Fat Face or White Stuff on a good day with a fair wind behind me (and size 8-10 in US terms which is even better!)

I can't pretend that I'm healthy all of the time either.  It's not true.  I do exercise but I also occasionally eat chips and, very occasionally, fried chicken.  But that said, I can't bring myself to actually fry chicken at home, I can feel my arteries hardening at the thought and there is something a bit gross about the extreme fattiness of it.  If I ever do buy fried chicken (from a certain well known High Street chain), I always drain it on the paper towels to make it a bit less greasy before eating.

So this recipe is good all round.  Lower in fat but also much less greasy which is a good thing and makes it tastier.  No frying smells to stink out the house and you can feel slightly more virtuous for having your cake (or chicken) and eating it!  Just don't eat 10 pieces because it's 'healthier'!

Southern 'baked' chicken - Makes 4 pieces

Ingredients

200ml, 7 fl oz Semi Skimmed (2% fat) milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 dried chilli
4 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
60g, 2oz Plain (all purpose) flour
2 tsp Paprika
80g, 2.5oz Cornflakes
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Spray oil

Method

Mix the milk with the mustard and chilli.  Soak the chicken in this mix for about an hour.

Crush the cornflakes then add to the flour, paprika, garlic powder and seasoning (miss out salt for very young kids).

Preheat the oven to 200oC / 400F / Gas Mark 6.

Take each piece of chicken out of the milk mixture.  Put each into the dry mix covering them, then onto a lined baking sheet.

Repeat with all of the pieces of chicken and then spray with the spray oil then put in the oven for 40 minutes, turning once.

The result was crunchy, gently spiced and tasty.  A hit with my 3 year old and me!

Mix it up; to make it more spicy if making just for adults or adventurous kids; use more chilli in the milk mix or a touch of cayenne pepper in the dry mix.

This would be great with coleslaw







So remember, when making your resolutions, think about what you do want this year, not what you don't and you never know, you might just achieve it!

I've linked this up to Nomday Monday and create, link inspire

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Simple salt free poultry stock and how to make gravy

It's Christmas Eve Eve (i.e. the 23rd) and I picked up our goose yesterday from Seldom Seen farm.  Yes, goose is an extravagance but even at the pampered free range prices you're looking at less than �3 per portion for each meal we will eat it for.  You can't even get a meal in a Toby carvery for that!

So we're having goose but even if we have turkey I always make stock a day or two in advance.  I've been warned though that although you get masses of fat (great for roast potatoes) juices can be a bit thin on the ground with a goose so I'm making some stock.

Stock is stupidly easy to make.  Think about it as bones and water and you get the idea.  At other times of year I make stock from left over roast bones (especially chicken) but for Christmas it gets a bit special, albeit not expensive.


So why chicken wings?  It's all the skin, bones and stringy bits which make stock taste great and wings are not only cheap, they're full of that stuff.

Scared of giblets?  Get over it.  They are basically a free bit of the bird and full of flavour.  Use them!

Simple Poultry Stock - mine made approx 1 pint, just over half a litre of stock

Ingredients

Up to 1kg (approx 2lbs) of chicken wings - if you don't have any, it's still worth making but might not be as strongly flavoured
Turkey, chicken, duck or goose giblets (but not the liver; heart, and neck are great and any other bits and bobs they throw in)
2 Bay leaves
Water to cover

Method

You can just cook this from raw but to add extra flavour, I roast the wings first.  (It's all about the Maillard reaction if you want to know!)  Roast them for 40 mins approx at 200oC / 400F or until lovely and brown.  I do this on baking paper so I can get as much of the sticky brown bits off as possible.

A slow cooker is ideal for making the stock.  If you have one, put everything in, the giblets, roasted wings and bay leaves then boiling water to cover.  If you only have a sauce pan, do the same and put on the heat.

Bring to a boil on high on the slow cooker or on the hob then turn down and simmer with the lid on (or put on low) for approx 2 hours for the hob or 3-4 hours for a slow cooker.  Keep an eye on it if it's on the hob and add more water if needed.

Strain, remove any fat (see below), and taste.  If it tastes a bit weak, put into a saucepan and reduce (boil off some of the water) until it's flavourful (or you can do that later when you're making the gravy.)

Because this is totally salt free, it's great for gravy for babies or if you have too much, make some risotto.  Otherwise if you want to, mix with any juices from your roast bird on the big day (removing any fatty layer first) then heat to a boil.  Mix with cornflour / cornstarch paste (made by mixing cornflour with cold water in a cup then pouring in, whisking constantly) to thicken bringing back to the boil stirring constantly.  Start with 1 tbsp of cornflour mixed with about 1-2 tbsp water.  You might need more but you can't take it out once you put it in so add it slowly until it's at the consistency you like.  Add seasoning if you think it needs it.

I hope you have a very merry and very tasty Christmas!

Fat; goose fat is a marvellous thing and a tasty thing.  If you get a fatty lump in with your goose giblets, don't throw it away.  Put it in with your stock then, when it's cooling, scoop off the layer (the rendered fat) and save it for either putting on the goose thighs to help them not burn during cooking or for roasting your spuds!

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Turkey Sliders for all ages

A slider, so I'm told is a small burger.  I've mixed these up by making them with turkey (seasonal) but also sneaking in some hidden vegetables (why not) and a bit of spice!  These are super easy and healthy because they're made with white meat and baked not fried.

I do have a bit of love for sweet chilli sauce.  Although when my son was under 1 I diligently avoided giving him sugar as much as possible, I eased up as he got older.  Sweet chilli as an ingredient is a great way to introduce some gentle spicing in a way that is more predictable than using a small amount of chilli.

He tried some of my sliders with sweet chilli sauce but on balance preferred his served with ketchup.  Had I got any in the house, I would have served these with baked sweet potato wedges but I didn't so I served with cooked carrot sticks instead.  Might seem a bit strange but he loved it!

Turkey Sliders - made 5

Ingredients

125g, 4.5oz Minced (ground) turkey
60g, 2 oz Grated courgette (zucchini)
1 tbsp Thai style sweet chilli sauce
1 tbsp chopped fresh Coriander (cilantro)

Method

Mush all of the ingredients together then shape into patties and chill on a tray lined with baking paper and covered with cling film (saran wrap).

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 200oC, 400F, Gas Mark 6.  Remove the film and bake for approx 18 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve in small buns with lettuce and either sweet chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.  I have to admit I liked them and I'd be tempted to make them again just for me!

It just so happens that January's Family Foodies challenge is all about 'hidden goodies'.  Is there a more appropriate challenge for Mamacook?  I think not!  So I've submitted this along with a few other recipes to Bangers and Mash and Eat your veg's challenge:

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Mushroom and Bacon Frittata

I started off making frittatas just for me and my son but it's a sign of a recipe which is a pretty good one when I start making it for myself when he's already in bed!

Another frittata recipe.  Yes, I know, but they are good value, delicious, great warm or cold and a fantastic way to include both eggs and vegetables in your diet.  For some reason my body was craving eggs and mushrooms today and I went with it.  I didn't twig until I'd finished my meal how I'd chosen two foods high in dietary vitamin D.  What could I be craving?  Sunshine of course.  Now the nights are drawing in, our bodies aren't seeing the light so much so what could be better?

Mushroom and Bacon Frittata - Serves 2 adults easily

Ingredients

80g, 3oz Smoked bacon
100g, 3.5oz Mushrooms
100g, 3.5oz Red onion, finely diced
1 tsp Olive oil
4 Eggs
3 tbsp Milk
1 and a half tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
60g, 2oz Extra Mature (Extra Sharp) Cheddar
A few sprigs of fresh thyme

Method

Preheat an oven to 180oC, 350F, Gas Mark 4.

Chop up the bacon and fry in a non stick frying pan until cooked, remove to a bowl to cool.  Put the onions and oil into the frying pan and cook until softening and then add in the mushrooms and cook until browned.  Add into the bowl to cool.

In a jug, mix the eggs, milk, cornflour and grated cheddar.

Mix the egg mix with the vegetables and bacon.  Add in a little thyme and pour into a greased, lined baking dish.  Mine is 15-17cm, 6-6.5inch round baking dish but flares out a bit from the base from this diameter.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until cooked and firm.

Allow to cool a little and cut into wedges to serve or allow to cool completely.

Make it Thrifty:

Look out for bacon offcut packs as these are often a much more cost effective way of buying bacon to cook with.

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Chicken Tray Bake, a thrifty meal for the family

A whole chicken is a great thing.  It can provide multiple meals like chicken pasta bake, orzotto, soup, pie, even more pie etc, etc.

But that said, not everyone wants or needs a whole chicken.  Sometimes it's a bit daunting as well for some people to get to grips with a roast (even if it's one of the easiest things to cook in my opinion).  So this is a roast for extreme novices and also handy for people on limited budgets.

Any vegetables which roast well would work here.  Just make sure you cut them to a suitable size so they cook in the time.  The longer a vegetable takes to cook, the smaller you cut it.  If you cut it too small, it might collapse a bit (like my butternut squash did here) but it's still tasty.

Don't add any oil to the vegetables, there is some fat which cooks out of the chicken which makes them taste yummy.

Chicken Tray Bake - serves 2 adults or 1 adult and 2 young children

Ingredients

4 Decent size chicken thighs (skin and bone in)
120g, 4.5oz Butternut squash
1/4 Red onion, sliced into strips
1/2 Courgette (zucchini) cut into thick sticks
A few sprigs of thyme
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Peel and slice the butternut squash, cut up the other vegetables and mix with the thyme.  Put the chicken thighs on top and season with pepper (add salt if cooking for adults as it will make the skin go crispier.)

If wanted you could cover and put in the fridge until ready to cook.  When ready, roast at 180oC, 350F, gas mark 4 for 45 mins.

Cut the chicken off the bone for younger kids and serve alongside some green vegetables if liked.  Add a small pinch of salt if liked for adult portions if cooking for the whole family.

This would be a cracking recipe for baby led weaners, imagine giving soft roasted vegetable sticks and strips of the roasted chicken?  It would work a treat!

Make it Thrifty:

Chicken thighs are pretty thrifty as it is but save money further by using the oven heat to cook something else at the same time.  Also if you're a fan of nibbling on drumsticks, they are often cheaper still and would work here.

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Chicken and Mushroom Pies

There is something great about chicken leftovers.  Something which is almost better than the original chicken (almost, I'm a sucker for crispy skin).  The other great thing about making your own pies is you can just stick with pastry on the top which cuts down on the refined carbs and fat and you can include some vegetables (or fungi) in the sauce.

You can make this into one large pie or several smaller ones.  There's certainly enough here for two adults and a child.  If you have any pastry left over, there is another recipe to follow, so stick it in a bag in the fridge...

Chicken and Mushroom pies - Serves 2 adults and 1 child

Ingredients

Pastry
100g, 3.5oz Plain Flour
10g, 0.5oz Cornflour / cornstarch (or use more plain flour)
70g, 2.5oz Butter
Cold water to mix
Milk

Pie filling
150g, 5oz Mushrooms, sliced
Spray oil or vegetable oil
300g, 10oz Cooked chicken
300-350ml, 10-12fl oz Gravy or thickened stock (you can use the chicken bones to make the stock, thicken it before allowing to cool.)
Fresh thyme

Method

Fry the mushrooms in the oil until brown and pretty much cooked.  Allow to fully cool.  When cool mix all of the cold filling ingredients together.

Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan oven), 200oC (conventional), 400F, Gas Mark 6.

Make the pastry, ideally in a food processor (because it's way easier but can be done by hand).  Rub the butter into the flours and then add enough cold water to come together.  Don't add too much, just keep adding the cold water until it just starts to come together.

Put the pie filling into your dish or dishes.  Roll out the pastry to the right size and approx 1-2mm thickness.  Cut to the size of your dish and put on top, pressing the edges of the pastry to the dish edge. Cut a vent hole in the top then brush with milk, adding some pastry decoration if liked.

Does my son care I put ivy leaves on his pie?  Probably not but I think it's nice to take time and effort over his food.  This was a mini pie, just for him and I refuse to do too much making food look like a face stuff!

Bake for 35-45 minutes or until browned and the filling is completely hot and bubbling.

Allow to cool a bit before serving as it will stay hot for a while.  Serve with vegetables.

My son loved it.  Initially saying "I don't like pastry" then trying it and realising that in fact he very much did!

Make it Thrifty:

Oven cooking isn't the thriftiest way to make a meal but if you have the oven on, you might as well make use of it.  Why not cook some jacket potatoes, either to make into mash or to scoop out and stuff later?  Also save any pastry offcuts or excess pastry in a plastic bag in the fridge to make my next recipe.

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Ham, Spinach and Courgette Frittata Fingers - great for babies and children

This got a very excited greeting by my little boy.  Little does he know the hidden vegetables contained inside!

Another sneaky Mamacook recipe to hide some vegetables into your child's meal.   Keep offering them alongside too though, just think of them as your insurance policy!  My son devoured this with some broad beans from the freezer and some cooked carrot sticks.   Clean plates all round!  I'd be tempted to say that leftovers would be great in packed lunches but there weren't any!


I used fresh spinach in this, I'm struggling to find chopped frozen spinach recently which I love using in recipes but I'm sure frozen spinach would be fine.  Quantities would have to be adjusted, just defrost and add at the same stage as there is quite often a bit of moisture to drive off.

Ham, Spinach and Courgette Frittata Fingers - Serves 1 adult and 1 toddler

Ingredients

1 tsp oil
90g, 3oz grated courgette (zucchini)
50g, a generous 1.5oz of spinach leaves
1 clove of garlic
3 Spring onions (salad onions, scallions)
75g, 2.5oz cubed / chopped ham
3 eggs
50g, a generous 1.5oz grated extra strong (sharp) cheddar
1 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
2 tbsp milk
Spray oil or more oil

Method

You can prepare the vegetables in advance if liked.  Grate the courgette and finely chop the onions.  Heat a frying pan and add the oil, courgette and onions and start to soften.

Finely chop the garlic and shred the spinach.  Add to the frying pan and continue to fry until the garlic is softening and the spinach has wilted.

Allow to cool (this can be done ahead and left in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Preheat an oven to 180oC (350F, gas mark 4).

Oil a dish approx 20cm square.  Mine was 22cm, I think I'd use a smaller dish next time though so the 'fingers' have more depth.

Mix the vegetable mixture with the cheese, ham, flour and milk.  Pour into the dish and bake for approx 13-18 minutes or until starting to brown and fully set.

Allow to cool a bit and serve either warm or cold.  Fingers would be great for baby led weaners or squares if you prefer for older children or adults.

Just like quiches this is better not served 100% hot so great for kids who take a while over their food or busy parents who get called away from their plates!  A great source of vitamin D too.

I wish we hadn't eaten it all.  I'd planned a square with a baby leaf spinach salad dressed with a sharp, mustardy dressing for tomorrow's lunch.

Make it Thrifty:

Using frozen, defrosted spinach would make this recipe even cheaper.  If you had leftover ham from another recipe you can also freeze that in cubes until you're ready to make this.  Alternatively use what you have in the fridge and use up leftovers.  Some cooked bacon instead of the ham and finely chopped cooked broccoli or shredded cooked sprouts would be good instead of the spinach.

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Day 3 of raiding my cupboards; have I lost the plot? Has Jamie Oliver?

Something A Girl Called Jack said rang true.  Why are we so judgemental about people?  Why does it matter what people eat, what people spend their money on?  Doesn't the judging turn people off?  After my first post on Jamie Oliver's comments on what people on low incomes, it's interested me and I've started to think about it much more.


Perhaps I've got off on the wrong tack.  Perhaps, although I can write a thrifty recipe in my sleep, I'm like the person who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing?

I am soon going to be setting up a house.  I've been flooded with offers for 'stuff'.  Mostly TVs (ironically considering Jamie's comments about the chips, cheese and massive TV) but all kinds of stuff and offers of decorating, gardening, etc, etc.  It's fantastic that loads of people have rallied around.  Money will be tight though, (really tight) which is why this has been an interesting challenge for me.  But I've not had an offer for food.  My family and friends are pretty supportive though so I doubt any of them will turn up empty handed but how many people are as lucky as me?

A friend of mine made me think.  He came to see me many years ago, out of the blue and admitted he was homeless.  I was so angry with him for not calling me for help.  We'd lost touch, he'd been sleeping on friend's couches for months.  What had happened was he'd fallen out with his parents over his fiance, then he'd split up with his fiance, lost his flat and loads of friends with the end of the relationship.  At the same time he'd lost his job and bam!  An intelligent, attractive, qualified and charming man was homeless.  By the time he was telling me this, he'd got another job and had lined up somewhere to live but it had been a tough time.  He'd not told me out of a sense of pride.

Imagine going through that with a family?  I can't.  I've been lucky never to go to bed hungry.  Some people do genuinely start and end the day hungry, even in the UK.

We all forget sometimes how close we are to homelessness or poverty.  It's just life dealing us a couple of major blows at once.  It's not as impossible or unlikely as you might think.  We all might be on the edge of a precipice, in reality, what keeps any of us from tipping over the edge?

So I hope my posts this week don't come across as patronising and it's something I'm going to think more about towards the end of the week.

Anyway, on with what I've been eating.

The lasagne from last night was a huge hit with the 3 year old.  He kept saying he was done, I'd move to take his plate away but he'd return for seconds, then thirds until it was all gone (and he had as much as me).  What's more I've got some leftovers for lunch today and tomorrow.  Great for reheating at work and I had two slightly jealous "that smells lovely" comments.  I'm never 100% convinced about reheated pasta in the microwave but somehow at work when hungry, it's a little touch of home and so comforting and obviously attracting the envy of my colleagues.  So that one lasagne will have fed 3 adult portions and a toddler.  Not bad.

In the evening, I raided my freezer for the sourdough, bit poncy I know, some bacon which was frozen at the end of life and my intention was to make some soup.

This probably isn't a regular occurrence in everyone's life but the joy of sharing a workplace with foodies is one of my friends has had a glut of vegetables and had a beetroot going begging so my soup is pretty vibrant!

Obviously bacon isn't going to convince anyone of health benefits but better than a bacon sarnie and soup is a great way to fill up and squeeze vegetables into everyone's diets.  My original intention was to raid the fridge and freezer to make an impromptu concoction of what I had in but this turned out to be a 'proper recipe' and here it is...

Beetroot and Bacon Soup - Serves 2 adults

Ingredients

2 small or 1 large onion
1 carrot
90g, 3oz Bacon, chopped up
220g, 8oz Peeled and chopped beetroot
A couple of sprigs of Lemon thyme (optional)
or use herbs of your choice if you have any
1 tbsp Oil (I used olive oil)
350ml, 12 fl oz hot stock or water

Method

Chop the carrot, onion and peeled beetroot into chunks, put in a baking dish and drizzle with oil and add the thyme if using.  Put in the oven at approx 170oC / 350F for about 40 minutes or until softening and browned at the edges.  To save money, put this in the oven at the same time as you're cooking something else.

Chop up the bacon, fry gently in a dry pan.  Once cooked, add the roasted vegetables and the stock.  Bring to the boil.  Once boiling take off the heat and blend.

Sprinkle with more fresh lemon thyme if desired.

A top tip is if you have, say, half a loaf of nice bread like I had, wrap in foil and put in the oven at 170oC / 350F for 15 minutes or so or until warm through.  This remelts the starch and makes the bread taste fresh from the oven.  Something as humble as bread, warm from the oven is transformed.

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Hidden Vegetable Sausage Rolls for the Whole Family

I've often said it's great to have a hidden vegetable recipe up your sleeve to ensure your kids are getting enough of their 5 a day.  All kids go through their fussy stages and vegetables are often the victim of it.

Hidden Veg Sausage Rolls - makes 30-35 small sausage rolls

Ingredients

1 onion
Spray oil
1 small or half a large courgette (zucchini) mine weighed 125g / 4.5oz
1 small carrot, mine weighed 60g, 2oz
1 tbsp chopped parsley
400g, 14oz Good quality sausage meat or sausage meat squeezed from the skins of sausages
500g, 18oz Ready rolled puff pastry
Milk to brush

Method

Finely dice the onion and soften in some fry oil.  Grate the carrot and courgette and add to the onion and fry gently until everything is softened and reasonably dry.

Put into a bowl to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180oC (fan), 200oC (conventional), 400F, Gas Mark 6.

Roll out the pastry.

Mix the sausagemeat and vegetables together with the parsley with your hands.  Form into a sausage shape along the pastry, allowing space to ensure you can fold the pastry over the top.  Press the pastry edges together and prick with a knife to allow steam to escape.  Cut into small sections (or larger ones if you prefer) and place onto baking paper.  Brush with a little milk.

Bake in the oven for approx 14-18 minutes (for small sausage rolls) or until cooked through and golden.

Allow to cool a little until cool enough to give to your child or cool completely on a wire rack and serve cold.  Put in the fridge if not serving immediately.  Also freeze well.

To reheat, defrost completely if frozen then warm in the oven at about 180oC for 10 minutes.  Once reheated serve warm.

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Sausage Pasta for the Whole Family

I'd always been really nervous about cooking sausage pasta, too many memories of student meals made with value sausages but I was inspired by the Salsiccia Pasta at my local Italian Caffe to give it a go, this isn't an attempt to copy the recipe and anyway it's not a patch on the pasta Alison D'Angelo sells at Caffe Italia, but I hope she wouldn't be embarrassed by my efforts!

Sausage Pasta - Easily makes enough sauce for 1 adult and 1 toddler.

Ingredients

Approx 200g, 7oz Sausages (use garlicky Italian ones if you can get them, I couldn't, so I used good quality pork sausages)
2 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp Olive oil
1 Red pepper (capsicum)
Approx 250g, 9oz Passata
A couple of sprigs of fresh rosemary
A couple of sprigs of fresh parsley
A couple of sprigs of fresh oregano
2 tbsp double (heavy) cream
1 tsp pesto

Pasta and parmesan to serve.

Method

Before you want to start (you can do this hours before if you like), put the red pepper under a grill (broiler) at the highest setting and grill until the skin starts to blacken.  Put in a dish and cover with cling film (saran wrap) for a few minutes then push off the thin skin.  Scrape out the seeds and stalk and chop.  This can be stored in the fridge for up to a day.

When ready to eat, heat the oil in a pan, push the sausage out of their skins into large lumps and add the sausage and garlic to the pan, fry for a couple of minutes.  Depending on what kind of pasta and whether it's fresh or dried, you might want to put that on to cook around now.

Once the sausage is starting to cook and the garlic softening, add the passata, pepper and the rosemary.  Simmer for 5-8 minutes or until the sausage is cooked and the sauce is thickening.  Add in the cream, remaining herbs and pesto and simmer for a couple of minutes more.

Serve with cooked pasta and a sprinkling of parmesan if liked.

All gone!

A hit with both me and my 3 year old and really quick to make.

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