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Underground > Conversation >

Eating more and spending less!

  
 
Char Aina
17:30 / 02.08.05
over in the switchboard we were derailing a discussion slightly by talking about the costs involved in a vegetarian lifestyle.
it was suggested we could have a whole thread dedicated to the merits of a vegetarian diet and the realtive costs involved.
talking at people about vgetarianism is pretty damn boring for all involved, so thought i might loosen up the brief a little.
so.
my briefs are loose.
share with us the cheapest, most efficient, most delicious and exciting stuff you can cook.
i mentioned home made pizza in another thread, so i guess i'll start there. this one will be vegetarian, just like me.

the dough is the best place to start.
i dont like using a bought base, and neither should you.
if its gonna be home made, its gonna be home made.
making the base is messy fun that you can easily set yor kids to, and makes for a better meal all round.
dont expect to get it right first time, and be willing to mess around with whatever crazy idea you think of.

begin!

you will need
225 grams of flour(plus a wee bit for kneading)
1tsp of salt
1.5tsp of (ready to mix) yeast
1 medium egg
1 large egg
100mls of water(hand hot)
1tsp of oil(any will do, but something light to taste is better)
20ml olive oil
i tsp of sugar
three or four large tomatoes
two cloves of garlic
some oregano
250gms mozarella
handful of fresh spinach


mix the salt and the flour togther and then add the yeast.
stir that in, and then add the medium egg, beaten, and the water.
mix these through the flour until its pretty even.

now comes the fun part!
cover a board with a little flour(this is so the dough doesnt stick).
take the dough and begin kneading.
kneading is a strangely satisfying motion, so make sure to appreciate it in its full glory.
you want to flatten the dough out, pushing awy with the heel of your hands and pulling back with your fingers.
get into the rhythm!

you want to do tis until you have made the dough feel kinda 'silky' and 'elastic'. you will know when this happens.
remember to keep applying sprinkles of flour if the board gets too clean so you dont get dough stickage.

once you have worked out all yor aggression on your silky slab of base, roll it into a ball.
using the oil, coat the dough evenly.
place the dough into a bowl that fits it comfortably, cover it(cling film or tea towel. either works, i use the towel) and start making your tomato sauce.*
after an hour of that, check your dough. it should have doubled in size and now you're ready to rock.
put the oven on and get your flour covered board.
knead the dough back out again, this time until you have worked out any bubbles. finish off by making it roughly pizza shaped and placing it on a baking tray.

now you want to add your toppings...
sauce first:
*
i make a pasatta with a tiny bit of oregano and a couple of cloves of garlic. peel your tomatoes, and roughly chop them. put this, together with the herbs and a couple of cloves of garlic, into the blender. add the olive oil and add a teaspoonfull of sugar.
blend it!
if you dont like this sauce(taste it as yo make it) feel free to alter it. sometimes i add mushrooms to the blend party, and onions work with more vegetable based toppings.
pop the base (on the tray) into the oven.
leave it there for about five miutes, pull it out and cover it in the sauce.
dont feel the need to use up the sauce; i ususally make more sauce than i need, as it can easily be used for dips, etc.

okay.
now the wierd bit.
sprinkle about half of your mozarella over the pizza, leaving a circular gap in the middle about the width of a cup and put it back in for another five minutes.
sprnkle the rest of the cheese around the pizza, making the space seem more walled in.
now crack the large egg in the middle of the gap. the idea here is to get it there unbroken and perfectly centred, but dont worry if you muck it up a wee bit.
pop the pizza back in the oven and then wilt the spinach. roughly chop your spinach or tear the leaves and wait for the egg to set.
add the spinach to the pizza and serve!

ta da!
pizza florentine.


over to you, kids.
 
 
Lurid Archive
17:58 / 02.08.05
OK. This is a dead cheap and really surprisingly tasty thing. Its my dads favourite and its called "pasta con ceci". Pasta with chick peas.

It is really best if you use dried chick peas, rather than from a can, so lets do that. The only tricky thing is that you have to soak the chick peas from the night before. So put some dried chick peas in a pot and cover with water.

Then, the next day, put them on a low heat for about 30-40mins. At the end of that, chop and fry an onion - in olive oil, of course. Add some garlic and peeled plum tomatoes from a tin, and maybe top up with some fresh. (You can make it all from fresh, but I'd try to stick with good plum tomatoes. On the whole, this won't be possible, and tins are your best bet.)

Add some salt, pepper, fresh chilli, oregano, rosemary leaves, bay leaves and basil. Actually, all of those might be overkill. Just use what you have and to taste. Get the tomato good and broken up, then add about half-three quarters as much water as stuff you already have, and add the chick peas. Simmer for about 15-20 mins, then add some soup pasta (little pasta shapes). Wait till it cooks and serve.

BTW, if you use canned chick peas instead of dried, you don't need to cook them separately.
 
 
Ariadne
18:04 / 02.08.05
There are quite a few gastronomic threads about that might be useful in addition to this - look here, here, and here and for delicious and mostly-cheap grub.
My favourite recipe for being cheap but actually seeming and tasting extravagant and glam is spaghetti with slow roasted tomatoes and basil

Serves 2

250g spaghetti
8 medium tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
Handful of fresh basil
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 150C.
2. Cut tomatoes into quarters, place on baking tray and make a small incision across the face.
3. Cut garlic into slivers and insert a sliver into each cut. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 1.5 – 2 hours.
5. Cook pasta, then put on plate, drizzle with a little olive oil, then add tomatoes and some chopped fresh basil. Serve.

If you're in a rush you can reduce cooking time by placing under the grill for about half an hour rather than using the oven. It won't be as good but it's still nice.


Or there's the more hearty Moroccan Tagine:

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 large onion, diced
1 sweet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 courgette, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
2 tsp tomato paste
Large handful of dried apricots, halved
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 vegetable stock cube
Olive oil
Hot water
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp coriander
¼ tsp curry powder
Juice of one lemon

Directions
1. Fry vegetables, garlic and chilli in a little olive oil for a few minutes until softened.
2. Add spices and fry for another minute.
3. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, dried apricots, chickpeas, stock cube and enough water to cover. You can add some more water if it reduces too much. The aim is to reach a stew-like consistency. Simmer covered for about 30-40 mins.
4. Add lemon juice and stir through before serving.
5. Serve with couscous.
 
 
Persephone
18:23 / 02.08.05
I'm still doing my salad formula:

greens + protein or fat + vegetable + starch or fruit + vinaigrette

= romaine & spinach + feta + tomatoes & cucumbers + garbanzo beans + lemon vinaigrette

= romaine & spinach + tuna & olives + tomatoes & green beans + new potatoes + white wine vinaigrette

= romaine & spinach + fresh mozzarella + tomatoes + fried polenta + red wine vinaigrette

= cabbage & parsley + avocado + tomatoes & hearts of palm + lime vinaigrette...
 
 
ibis the being
19:20 / 02.08.05
over in the switchboard we were derailing a discussion slightly by talking about the costs involved in a vegetarian lifestyle.
it was suggested we could have a whole thread dedicated to the merits of a vegetarian diet and the realtive costs involved.
talking at people about vgetarianism is pretty damn boring for all involved

Actually, I would be interested to know how someone strapped for cash subsists on a veggie diet. I don't think skolld made his point particularly well in the PETA thread, but in fact I kind of agree that for your average citizen eating meat is a cheaper way to get your nutrients. It seems to me that small amount of meat (say, a little ground beef or sausage in your pasta sauce) is not expensive, compared to the concoctions of tofu and meat substitutes that most of us would turn to who perhaps don't know any better. Soy products are extremely expensive (at least in the US) and I'm not sure that beans really fill the nutritional gap left by eliminating meat from one's diet.

I'm totally willing to be proven wrong, however. More than willing - I'd love someone to show me how to save a few bucks and stop eating animals to boot. But let me throw in this anecdote - when I was in college I tried to go not totally vegetarian but severely reduce my meat consumption. I went to a hippie college where we had several good options for dinner every night, always including a vegetarian main course and a full salad bar including a few different bean options with every lunch and dinner. It was the easiest and most convenient food experience I'll ever have in life. I stopped eating red meat all together, limited poultry to about once a month at most, and still ate dairy, eggs, and fish. I ate a TON of tofu, occasional seitan, and had beans every day as well. And yet after a few months I was so thin and so low on energy, there was one evening I was sitting on the floor and couldn't even stand up. Clearly I did something wrong, but for short-term health's sake I went back on meat, immediately improved, and never tried such an experiment again. Any ideas on what went wrong there?
 
 
w1rebaby
19:51 / 02.08.05
I did notice that fresh meat in the US was considerably cheaper than it is in the UK. Veggies were about the same, sometimes a little more, depending.
 
 
Loomis
20:35 / 02.08.05
Ibis, there is absolutely no scientific basis for feeling unwell due to abstaining from red meat so I really can't imagine what went wrong with you. I can guarantee you that there is no way you could have been missing anything from meat if you were eating plenty of tofu, beans, fish, eggs, etc.

There is simply too much evidence of people living healthily on vegetarian and vegan diets which have been broken down by nutritionists to think that there is anything unique to meat that is not found in other foods.

The main reasons for eating meat are for energy, iron and protein. All legumes are high in these things as well as calcium, fibre and a host of vitamins and minerals. There's no need to live on tofu or meat substitutes. In fact I would steer clear of meat substitutes on the whole as they can be highly processed and full of chemicals. They're not any higher in nutrition than tofu or regular beans.

Mainly what you need to do is to get a good whack of iron and energy a couple of times a day.

Baked beans on toast, even things like peanut butter or homous on your toast are high in protein, iron and energy. Throw a tin of chick peas or red kidney beans in a salad. Make hearty soups and stews with things like lentils or other beans mixed in with root vegetables. Simple, tasty and nourishing.

Snacking on nuts is one of the best things you can do for boosts of energy, iron, protein and calcium. I have a big tupperware of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews and brazils) in my desk at work and eat a large handful every day.

ALso eating whole grains like brown rice and brown bread will give you more longer lasting energy, as will slow release grains like oats. That makes you far less likely to have energy crashes than you would by subsisting on white bread.

As for some basic recipe ideas, there are millions to be found on the internet and in books. Like Persephone, I often use a fairly basic formula such as:

Soup = root vegetables + dried legumes or grains (such as lentils, barley, quinoa) + flavouring (stock, herbs, etc.)

Stew = vegetables + tin of legumes (chick peas, red kidney beans, cannelinni beans) + tin of tomatoes + flavouring (stock cube, herbs, etc.) Serve on rice.

As for the financials, if you're throwing a tin of legumes into every other meal and making soups with dried legumes then you're only spending pennies. Tins of beans cost less than 50p and dried legumes are dirt cheap. You really don't need to do anything fancy or expensive.
 
 
Loomis
20:45 / 02.08.05
As for actual recipes, I really like hearty food like pasta and thick chunky soups. Here are a couple:

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients
250g orzo (or other small pasta)
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tin fava beans (or similar), rinsed and drained
1 vegetable stock cube
Hot water, enough to cover pasta by an inch or two
2 tsp Italian herbs
1 tsp paprika
Olive oil

Directions
1. Fry onion, carrot, celery, garlic and paprika in a little olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients, mix well and simmer with lid on for 20 minutes or until cooked. Stir every few minutes to prevent it from sticking. Add water as necessary to maintain desired consistency.

Green Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 onion or leek, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 stick celery, diced
1 parsnip, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 cups green lentils
Olive oil
1 vegetable stock cube
Hot water, about 1.5 litres
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp paprika
3 tsp Italian herbs
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp curry powder

Directions
1. Fry vegetables and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir well and simmer with lid on for 1.5 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add more water if it gets too thick.
 
 
Char Aina
21:30 / 02.08.05
this thread was kinda attended to address that cheap veggie food question, i just thought that i'd make it a little more open and inclusive.

what i gave you will feed two or three folks for dinner, and will cost you very little. you could get a couple of mates over for dinner and tell them to bring the wine or the weed.
once you have mastered the pizza they will totally come.
also, most of the igredients come in much bigger amounts than you use, and you can substitute for the things you dont have.

i should also add that i am currently unemployed and living on fuck all, so anything i suggest will be the cheap option.
 
 
illmatic
13:09 / 03.08.05
I might add that curries are the ultimately cheap food option. A bag of lentils, or random assorted veg, a selections of spices from an Indian food store, onions garlic, ginger, coriander and rice - that's enough to feed you for a couple of days. I'm always bored wiht it by the third day though, luckily I now live with my partner and any batch of curry made last two days (4 servings) normally. You can always freeze the rest. Also, once the inital investment in spices is made, all your paying for is ya veg and rice (until you run out but it normally takes me six months at least to exhaust a packet of any spice I'm using regularly).

A basic spice list might be:
Black mustard seeds
Tumeric (my fave)
Coriander seeds
Cumin
Ground versions of the last two
Cardomon
Fennel seeds
Cinamon (ground or whole)
Chilli powder

You can add stuff like tinned toamtoes, yoghurt, dessicatd coconut to the sauce.

I made a aubergine and carrot curry night before last. 'Twas nice. Method was -

1. heat a couple of tablespoon of oil (aubergines soak oil up so I put in a bit more than usual).
2. add fennel and fenugreek seeds and wait till they change colour (few 'secs if oil is hot).
3. add your chooped and peeled aubergines and carrots, plus one chopped onion, stir to cook for about 10-15 minutes.
4. add cayenne pepper, whole cumin, ground coriander, chilli powder and amchoor (this is a spice that made from something bizarre like dried mango - adds a citrus type tang).
5. cook for another minute to let the spices heat and release their flavours.
6. add small amount of water, cover leave to simmer, until it's done through.
7. add more amchoor if necessary and salt to taste.
8. serve to grateful partner.


'Course, if you really want to get flash, and you have an oriental supermarket nearby, you can start doing some Thai type broths. I should get points for cheapness here - I have enough lime leave to feed all of Barbelith in my cupboard and they cost 75p!

You can make these with Marigold vegetarian bouillon that you can get in any supermarket, rather than meat, or proper vegtable, stock.

1. make stock as per instructions. Pehaps add a bit more water than normal as it will be simmering for a while.
2. add lemograss and lime leaves for flavour, galangal too, if you can get - this is lovely, it heats the broth right through. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or so to allow flavorings to infuse. Leave for longer if you want a stronger flavour. You won't need salt as the stock powder is quite salty.
3. prepare your other flavourings. This can be pretty much anything, but I'd suggest tofu, mushrooms and diced green chilli as a nice combination. I've used carrots, leftover chicken ('shredded),broccoli and a variety of other things I can't remember. Prepare 'em how you like.
4. stick some noodles on to cook. Oriental supermarkets are also great for cheap jumbo packs of noodles.
5. get the biggest ass bowl you can find. Slop in ya noodles, tofu etc.
5. add some fresh herbs (very important!). A nice big wodge of sliced coriander (again, any Asian grocers will give you five times as much as a supermarket for half the price) perhaps some mint if you want.
6. tip broth over the top.
7. slurp! Take off your t-shirt to avoid getting it mucky and scald nipples with boiling broth.*

(*Beyond slurping, this step is optional).
 
 
illmatic
13:16 / 03.08.05
Forget to say, I think green chilli is essential for this, but I like TEH HEAT!! Also, crushed peanuts can be really tasty with it, and some fish sauce finishes it off nicely. Not an option for veggies but I'm sure you can come up with a similary flavoursome condiment.
 
 
lord nuneaton savage
13:46 / 03.08.05
"Once you've mastered the pizza they will totally come".

Blimey, that is an impressive recipe.
 
 
Ex
13:50 / 03.08.05
To second various posters above, pulses really are bastard cheap and very nutritious, and they make good curry. You can, for example, combine a tin of chick peas, a tin of coconut milk, one or two gently sweated onions and some green thai curry paste (pricey, but you only use a spoonful at a time) - liquidise to make a thick mild sauce so damn fine I have been known to lick the saucepan, for about one English pound (depending on your grocer). Good with any vegetables, but particularly courgette, or a cauli/broccoli combo.

For a quick salad, mixed pulses, chopped tomotoes and a load of fresh coriander (only a cheap eat if you live near a grocers that sells coriander - supermarkets in the UK overpackage herbs and charge a lot for them).

Digging into my slightly sordid and obsessive bag of money-saving tips - strategies associated with cheese:

- Buy a strong cheese and use less of it.
- Cut it off the lump before you grate it - it's too easy to get carried away with grating.
- If you're cooking cheese, add a sprinkling of cumin if possible (to cheese scones, risottos, cheese sauce, melted cheese topping, savoury crumbles). It makes everything taste somehow savoury without having to fritter your precious cheddar.
 
 
William Sack
14:13 / 03.08.05
green thai curry paste (pricey, but you only use a spoonful at a time

It's actually very easy to make your own if you have a blender or a food processor. I used to freeze it in ice cube trays so I would have individual portions for future use. I just googled "thai green curry paste recipe" and there were a fair few recipes.
 
 
Axolotl
14:15 / 03.08.05
That broth sounds flipping delicious Illmatic.
Nearly all my favourite recipes involve stew type dishes where you can throw a whole bunch of stuff in, depending on what's available. My speciality is a kind of jambalaya whose make up varies on how rich I am and what's in the cupboard. Once at home I may post the recipe.
 
 
illmatic
14:24 / 03.08.05
Glad you like it (or the look of it anyway). I keep remembering other things. Lime juice goes really well with it, you can add coconut milk if you want to make it a lot richer, and you can use ginger if you can't get galangal. I've got a load in my freezer from my last trip to Chinatown.
 
 
Bed Head
10:20 / 10.08.05
Wow, Toksik: Eggs, olive oil, large tomatoes, mozerella, fresh spinach.... this is cheap food? We can do cheaper than that.

Agreeing with the Illmatic plan. Once you’ve bought a big bag of lentils (not from Tesco) and the spices (definitely not those rubbish little Sharwoods jars, ie also not from Tesco), the fresh ingredients you’ll be needing to buy are few and far between. Also: good source of protein, I think, and there are gazillions of dhal recipes. Some involving more expensive ingredients, if you want to treat yourself.

So: Spinach dhal.

150g red split lentils, washed, soaked in water for 30 mins, drained
600 ml water
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
2x long slim dried red chillies, chopped
½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
250g frozen leaf spinach
1 teaspoon turmeric
3/4 teaspoon salt (or, 1, 1 ½ tsp if you want. To taste.)
90g creamed coconut
90ml hot water
½ teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 small onion, 125g-ish, chopped


1. Put the water and the lentils in a saucepan, bring to the boil over a high heat, reduce heat, boil steadily without a lid for 10 mins, then cover and simmer steadily for 25-30 mins.

2. Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of oil over a *low* heat, then fry the dried chillies and the fenugreek seeds gently, until they are just a shade darker. You gotta be careful: stir constantly, don’t wander off, the seeds will burn in, like, seconds, and you just want to toast them a bit. And they’ll stay cooking in the hot oil after you turn the heat off, so err on the side of caution. Remove from the heat and cool in the pan, then crush the seeds to a fine paste with the oil, using a mortar and pestle.

3. When the lentils are tender, add the spinach, turmeric, and salt. Cover and simmer for another ten minutes.

4. Another saucepan: the hot water and the coconut. Low heat, stir until coconut is blended and smooth and lovely. Add to the lentils.

5. Add the crushed spice paste and tamarind. Stir well, simmer for 5 minutes, remove from the heat.

6. Another pan, heat the remaining oil, fry the onions until pale golden. Stir them into the lentils and serve.

Obviously, if you wash up between stages, you’ll only need to use the two pans. And if you change the ingredients to cook with *fresh* spinach instead, then you’ll be able to freeze it.


(Also, hey, I just gathered together all the Gastronomicon threads that I could find into the wiki. Because they’re so ace. Figured it might be a good way to start building a proper barbe-cookbook... so, Phyrephox, post yr recipe!)
 
 
Char Aina
01:15 / 12.08.05
dude, that stuff is cheap for what its worth.
the above would be a meal for two that fills for less than a fiver, i reckon.(also, you would score serious brownie points for making it for others)
sure, the total ingredients are more, but you dont use them all up in the one pizza.
the amount of mozarella i have up there makes a pretty cheesy pizza, so that could be somewhere to save, likewise the sauce. it is a pretty flash one...i do reckon you get your money's worth, but then i am a fat monkey who likes his food.
i love me a lentil, but they do get boring.

but hey, i'll give you something cheaper.



still veggie, still not vegan...


1 small green pepper (finely chopped)
1 small red pepper (finely chopped)
1 medium onion (finely chopped)
3 celery sticks (finely chopped)
350gm mushrooms (chopped)
225 gm wholewheat breadcrumbs
175 gm mature cheddar(grated)
1 large egg
3tbsp oil
salt and pepper

set yer oven to 175C and then....

1
heat the oil, fry the peppers and the onions for about five minutes.
2
add the mushrooms and the celery and cook on a low heat until the veggies are tender (five to ten... veer towars ten, i reckon)
3
remove pan from heat, stir in about three quartes of the breadcrumbs and two thirds of the cheese.
4
beat the egg with some salt and pepper and then mix it all together.
5
spoon it into an overn dish and level the top out.
6
mix the remeining bread and cheese together and sprinkle it on top. (it should cover the whole top, but its no trauma if it doesnt)
7
whack it in the oven and leave it there for twenty five minutes.


that makes enough for three or four servings, depending on who they are for.
it can be eaten hot or cold and goes well with baked beans either way.
 
 
Lord Morgue
10:15 / 13.08.05
A friend of mine invented the ultimate bachelorette meal- Pot Noodle Omelette! See, you make some pot noodles, then you put them in an omelette, and you make the omelette with the pot noodles in it, and then you eat the omelette, and you're eating omelette with pot noodles in it! Girl is a fuggin' genius.
My own recipe from my starving student days was the Bubbleburger- Bubble and Squeak in a burger. Mmm.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
10:48 / 13.08.05
I've got a recipe for Pot Noodle Omlette too.

For the omlette:

Three eggs, beaten.
Half a cup of milk. Full-fat is best.
One cup of grated cheese.
Dab of mustard (optional, but enhances cheesyness).
One teaspoon mixed herbs.
One small onion.
Two cloves of garlic.
Half a courgette.
Two or three tomatoes.
Pot Noodle (any flavour will do).


In a frying pan, chop and fry the veggies until soft. Sprinkle with the herbs. Mix the beaten eggs, milk, mustard and and cheese (keep back a little of the cheese for topping), then add to pan. You'll want it on a low heat.

Grab a spatuala, and gently pull the cooked mixture away from the edges of the pan all the way round. Tilt the pan this way and that to let the raw egg mixture get to the sides. Keep doing this until the mixture isn't runny anymore. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, then finish off under the grill.

Then you chuck the Pot Noodle in the fucking bin, preferably a bin some miles away, then you eat the omlette.
 
 
Char Aina
19:19 / 13.08.05
love yer work, comrade carnival.
pot noodle?
it aint nice, it aint nutritious, and fuck me dead but it aint cheap.
i say get it tae fuck and blindfold it on the way so it cannae find its way back.
 
 
Less searchable M0rd4nt
21:42 / 14.08.05
Don't mensh.

This is how you get a nice tall fluffy omlette, BTW, aka a frittata (Italy) or tortilla (Spain). The Spanish include some chopped parboiled spuds in their tortillas and this is a very very Good Thing.
 
  
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