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Cooking on a budget
Introduction
The success of A Recipe for Healthy Living showed us that
there was a demand for easy, nutritious menus that you
can cook yourself with very little fuss and on a budget.
We revealed the secret of how to cook healthy chips and
tips on making sure that you get your five a day, and to
date 21,000 copies have been enjoyed across the country.
Now, Cooking on a Budget offers more recipes that you
will find simple to follow.
Whether cooking for yourself or for others, food prices are rising
and ideas to help reduce the weekly shopping bills are always
useful. Cooking on a Budget gives recipe ideas using ingredients
that you may already have in the cupboard or that are cheap to
buy. The dishes in this book can be frozen to save energy and time.
It is not always cheaper to buy cut-price ready meals. If you use
a shopping list, buy things on special offer, buy groceries that you
can store or freeze and only buy the fresh ingredients that you
are going to need it will ensure that you can still eat healthily
on a tight budget.
Ingredients The ability to taste can reduce with age and adding
Choose at least three salt to cooked food at the table may become a habit.
of the following. Too much salt causes the kidneys to overwork and
5 tsp onion powder may raise blood pressure, so this is a tasty replacement
to put in your salt shaker.
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp sweet paprika Method
2 tsp dry mustard powder Combine the ingredients and mix well.
1 tsp dried thyme Spoon into a shaker with large holes or store in a container
1 tsp ground black pepper and use a teaspoon or a pinch of seasoning at a time.
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Tasty tomato soup
This recipe provides a nutritious soup that is cheap and
can be frozen in portions or kept in the fridge for up to
48 hours. It can be served hot or cold, so will warm you
up on a winters day or provide a refreshing Gazpacho
(cold, Spanish-style tomato soup) in summertime.
Tasty tomato soup
Preparation time Potatoes are cheap and provide the body with vitamin C
10 minutes and fibre. For this recipe, it is fine to use potatoes that have
Cooking time gone a little soft in the cupboard.
30 minutes Leeks are a tasty alternative to onions and are cheap to
Makes 2 large portions buy. They are a good source of B vitamins, which support
the nervous system and the formation of new blood cells.
Ingredients
1 medium leek, washed This recipe makes two generous portions so one can be
and thinly sliced saved for the next day if you are cooking for one, or you
could invite a friend for lunch.
225g/lb finely grated
(or chopped) potatoes Method
300ml/ pint vegetable Heat the oil or butter/margarine in a medium-sized
or chicken stock saucepan.
300ml/ pint milk, which
Add the chopped leeks and stir until the leeks start to wilt.
makes the soup creamier
(for dairy-free soup, make
Add 300ml of stock and stir.
600ml/1 pint stock)
A splash of olive oil or a Add the potatoes to the pan and stir until simmering.
knob of butter/margarine
Pepper to taste Add milk, or the rest of the stock, and a pinch of black
pepper to taste.
Preparation time Cooking from scratch means that you can make a healthy
10 minutes version of this dish using low-fat ingredients and not adding
Cooking time salt. If you need to put on weight, and do not need to cut
3035 minutes out saturated fat, you could use full-fat dairy products.
Preparation time The four portions can be divided into individual dishes
10 minutes and extra portions can be frozen to save cooking time
Cooking time and fuel costs on other days.
65 minutes With the meat/lentils for protein, potatoes for energy
Serves 4 release and carrots and tomatoes for vitamins and
minerals all in one dish, there is no need to add anything
Ingredients else to have a completely balanced meal.
110g/4oz lean
minced beef Method
2 finely chopped onions Place the minced beef in a saucepan and add a little
2 grated carrots water or oil. Cook until brown, then pour off the fat.
1 large tin tomatoes Add the onion, carrots, tomatoes, pepper and lentils.
50g/2oz red lentils
(if they need pre-soaking, Add the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer
follow instructions for for 2530 minutes, stirring occasionally.
soaking before starting
the recipe) Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and mash them with
a splash of milk.
1 cup of water
Splash of milk Transfer the mince mixture to a large, ovenproof dish
or individual ones if you are going to freeze portions.
1 vegetable or beef
stock cube or 1 tsp yeast
Spread the potato on top.
extract dissolved in
a cup of boiling water
Bake in the oven at gas mark 4/200C/400F for
900g/2lb chopped 30 minutes, or until the potato is light brown in colour.
and peeled potatoes
Black pepper to taste For frozen portions, defrost thoroughly first and then
reheat for 30 minutes in the oven.
Fish kedgeree
Kedgeree is a traditional British breakfast,
historically from colonial India, and it can make
a tasty lunch, too. Alf, from Boyden Court, used
to cook this for 300 cadets when in the army.
Fish kedgeree
Preparation time White fish (cod or coley) contains protein, to help the
10 minutes body heal and repair. It is low in saturated fat and is easy
Cooking time to digest. Brown and wholegrain rice are slow-releasing
3045 minutes carbohydrates that help to maintain blood-sugar levels.
Brown basmati rice has a pleasant, nutty flavour. Brown
Serves 2 and wholegrain rice take a little longer than white rice
Ingredients to cook and are more expensive. An egg is full of nutrients.
1 tsp margarine If you choose free-range, omega-3-rich eggs, you will be
or olive oil supporting your heart health.
1 small finely Method
chopped, onion
Pre-heat oven to gas mark 6/180C/ 350F.
35g/1oz rinsed rice
(white long-grain or Place the white fish with a pinch of black pepper in
brown/wholegrain/ 300ml/ a pint of water in a saucepan and simmer
basmati) for 1015 minutes until cooked. Keep the fish stock.
150g/6oz cooked and
flaked white fish While this is cooking, choose a medium-sized, ovenproof
casserole dish with a lid, and heat the margarine/oil in it.
1 hard-boiled egg
250ml/9fl oz fish stock Brown the onions for 510 minutes in the casserole dish,
Black pepper to taste then add the rice.
1 level tsp curry Remove the fish from the saucepan and put it aside
powder (optional) for later. Pour the fish stock into the casserole dish.
Cover with the lid and transfer to the oven for 15 minutes
(white rice) or 25 minutes (brown rice).
Drain the hot water from the egg pan, fill it with cold
water and, when the egg is cool, shell it and cut it in half.
Serves 1 Method
Ingredients Place couscous, lemon, oil and boiling water in a bowl.
25g/1oz couscous
Cover and leave for 15 minutes.
A squeeze of
lemon juice
Fluff up with a fork, mix in vegetables and serve.
tbsp olive oil
60ml/ 2fl oz
boiling water
1 chopped tomato
2cm/1 inch of
cucumber, chopped
1 tsp freshly
chopped mint
1 tbsp sultanas
Low-fat chicken curry
Christine from North Shields enjoyed making this
recipe. Curry is a British favourite but cooking from
scratch can be time-consuming and expensive.
Low-fat chicken curry
Preparation time This recipe uses lean chicken breast and balti curry paste,
10 minutes alongside ingredients that you will find in your larder.
Cooking time It is quick and easy to make and ideal to freeze, saving
45 minutes time and energy.
2 chicken breasts, Add the chicken and stir for 5 minutes until the ingredients
skinned and cut start to brown.
into chunks
1 crushed garlic clove Add the garlic, carrots, tomatoes and chicken stock.
2 carrots, finely sliced Stir in the balti paste and three-quarters of the coriander.
1 medium can of
chopped tomatoes Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
12 tbsp balti curry
Add the peas and cook for another 45 minutes.
paste (to taste)
150 ml/ pint Serve with brown basmati rice and garnish with the rest
chicken stock of the coriander.
4 tbsp frozen peas
2 tbsp chopped,
fresh coriander
Potato and onion layer
Rita from North Shields enjoys making this
dish either as a side or a main course.
Potato and onion layer
1 tbsp of grated mature Cover and bake for about 25 minutes until the potato
cheese, if desired is soft. Add a little cheese, if desired, and return to the
Optional extras: oven for a few minutes until the cheese bubbles.
a
handful of
cooked beans
chopped courgette/
marrow
shredded cabbage
frozen peas/sweetcorn
Savoury flapjack
Lesley from Age UK North Tyneside enjoyed
making this with her group. Porridge oats
are a carbohydrate that provides slow-release
energy, helping to balance blood-sugar levels.
Savoury flapjack
Preparation time A lot of us fancy something sweet after a meal, and berries
10 minutes contain many healthy vitamins and minerals and release
No cooking time sugar slower than most other fruits. You can wait until they
are in season and grow and pick your own.
Serves 1
Bio-live yoghurt contains healthy bacteria to support
Ingredients digestion.
A handful of chopped
strawberries, blueberries, Unsalted nuts, such as almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts
raspberries or blackberries contain fibre and omega-3 oils that support heart health.
Juice and grated rind Pre-heat oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F. Grease or line
of 1 orange a 22 x 12cm (9 x 5-inch) loaf tin or a 8cm (3-inch) deep
round cake tin with an 18cm (7-inch) diameter. Mix the
115g/4oz caster sugar juice and the grated rind from the orange with the eggs,
225g/8oz self-raising flour oil and sugar.
2 tbsp cocoa powder
Sieve the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and
tsp bicarbonate baking powder. Fold them in with the ingredients above.
of soda Mix well.
tsp baking powder
Place the peeled, grated courgettes in a sieve to expel
50g/2oz chopped
any excess fluid.
dried apricots
Stir in the courgettes and apricots.
Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and bake in the centre
of the oven for about 60 minutes, or until a knife comes
out clean.