Food ideas using the things we can get hold of

[dkanin]

Just thought it might be helpful for people to make some suggestions of simple but edible things using the basic stuff we might have in our kitchen cupboards or the few things we've been able to get hold of - like what you could do with a tin of beans or tuna and very little else or what people could do with their million packs of plain pasta (I'm now regretting not having any in at all!)

Everyone will probably run out of fresh stuff/bread/cheese before they're readily available again so I thought it would be good to share ideas of what to make with the limited frozen/tinned/dried stuff we might be left wondering what to do with!

Shakshuka eggs & tinned tomato, so many varieties you can make your own around the two main ingredients

Vegetable cottage pie, use up vegetables, start as a cottage pie. Chopped onions, then add vegetables, lentils or tinned pulses or beans. Now a touch of flour stock and tomato purée

Mash potatoes and any frozen peas and greens - all in the saucepan together and mash afters

Pop together

Chickpea/frozen veg curry

Those are good suggestions! Any more guys?

I make a Bolognese sauce using lentils or beans instead of mince. Also bean burgers, you can pad them out with grated carrot. Sure I'll think of more!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-tuna-pasta-bake

Says fusilli pasta. Although it would work with any shape pasta not just fusilli

I've been through my cupboards today and found I've got quite a bit of dried stuff, polenta and bulger wheat, meal ideas for them are fine. I got a whopping big bag of dried red lentils that I haven't got a clue and also pearl barley. And recipes for these would be gratefully recieved.

I make a nice soup with tinned tomatoes, chickpeas, handful of pasta, garlic, tomato purée and frozen peppers, onions and carrots, celery too if you have any. V filling and makes a huge pot that lasts a few days.

Also if you're able to go to the shops get some gammon/bacon in because they have a good few weeks date on them. You can add ham to lentil soup or do pea and ham soup, make pasta with cheesy bacon sauce, all sorts really.

I've been thinking back to my childhood a lot. We were not living in poverty but food was a lot more simple than it seems to be now.

Then it was perfectly acceptable to have beans on toast for dinner, now that seems to be seen as insufficient.

So things on toast:
cheese, beans, mushrooms, eggs - fried/scrambled/boiled/poached, tinned tomatoes, spaghetti hoops

• Fried egg and chips
• sausage and mash - instant is fine, sausages seem to be available in most shops
• sausage casserole
• sausage bake (basically chuck in a tin with cut up potatoes, peppers, courgette (whatever you can get) and roast
• toad in the hole with gravy and frozen peas/sweet corn

Skin dhal is great for red lentils. Lots of simple recipes online. Nice with flatbreads/pitta for lunch I find. Or whatever you have in!

If you have eggs and potatoes you can make a frittata. Cut the potato into small chunks and microwave until soft. Then put in a frying pan with some butter or oil. Beat a couple of eggs with a splash of milk and when the potatoes are hot and maybe even a bit crispy, pour the eggs over and let it cook slowly until it sets. If you want to fancy it up, add any diced cooked veg and then grated cheese on the top and grill for a bit (choose your pan carefully if you are going to do this. Cut into wedges. Its a bit like a quiche like

Tuna and cheese toastie
Egg, chips and beans

Ive got random stuff lurking around in the back of the freezer that i might attempt to use!

Lots of frozen brussels sprouts in the supermarkets. Defrost and slice them up then fry with some bacon. Yummy.

Where the fuck are you getting potatoes, bread, cheese and sausages from?

I have a pack of bacon (8 rashers) and 3 potatoes.

Asda, coop and Tesco have all had eggs, cheese and sausages in round here. Not 60 different flavours of sausages but they've had some.

Some cheese keeps for months if sealed, feta always seems to have a long use by date, but also parmesan, manchego, cheddar etc.
Hard cheese can also be frozen.

Olives from a jar, good extra virgin olive oil, + tinned tuna, is good with pasta and very quick. A few of those peppers in jars (peppadew) or artichokes can be added instead or in addition for variety.

Serrano or Parma ham have long shelf life, also things like Chorizo.

Sardines on toast.

Lidl had plenty of cheese and eggs. Smaller shops like Sainsbury's local and co-op have bread and cheese.

pearl barley...... you can find recipes for risotto online using pearl barley in place of rice

www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/barley-risotto-with-mushrooms/

The mushrooms and pearl barley go nicely together

Red lentils make wonderful dalh, add garlic and tomato or carrots and coconut milk if you have some. There is a fabulous recipe for carrot and coconut dalh on slimming world just google for the recipe

Facebook local farm selling potato sacks on buy and sell @NotOneToShoutOut

If you have flour but no eggs you can make vegan pancakes, e.g. this recipe www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/easy-vegan-pancakes%3famp . You could substitute water for milk, or if you have cans of coconut milk you could dilute (maybe in half) and use that. This recipe used self raising flour but there are other recipes that don't, and you can do the same with other flours (e.g. buckwheat).

This recipe uses blends up red lentils to make tortillas www.powerhungry.com/2018/05/1-ingredient-red-lentil-tortillas-grain-free-vegan/ . Not tried it so would be intrigued to know if it works.

Hummus with red kidney beans www.swbeans.com/recipe/garlic-kidney-bean-hummus/

Here are some store cupboard ideas I have used:

• Cheesy white bean and tomato gratin
• vegetarian chilli
• pearl barley risotto
• spiced red lentil and coconut soup
• Irish style soda bread
• tortilla espagnola
• tuna pasta bake
• pasta and chickpea stew
• potato pancakes
• whatever veg in the fridge fritters
• socca with spiced tomato sauce

Things like
Mushroom and barley bake - I use a recipe from an ancient Sainsbury’s cook book.
Tabbouleh as a good filler with a few herbs from garden or even freeze dried herbs.
Macaroni cheese is always a good stand by if you have cheese and milk plus pasta
Baked potatoes- buy a sack or grow now for later.
Sauté potatoes with a rancheros topping - onion, tomato, peppers and cheese or egg. Used tinned potatoes even. Or oven chips.
Soup from ingredients in fridge or vegetable store and throw in lentils, chickpeas, beans etc Make scones if you have no bread
Cheese and potato pie or pasty with beans
Muck up. Throw whatever you have in a tomato sauce and pour over whatever grains you have.
Eggy bread as poor man’s doughnuts (with jam and sugar), with ketchup or beans or with bacon and syrup.
Pancakes with whatever filling you can find in the cupboard.

I suspect this may encourage far fewer fussy eaters!

Love this thread! Does anyone have recipes
For bread you can make without yeast?! Everywhere is sold out here!

Soda bread is your friend!

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-soda-bread

You can find lots of different recipes easily and adapt depending on what you have. Scones are good alternative.

@temporaryname scones. You can use self raising flour or use plain flour with baking powder. 250g flour, rub in 40g butter, pinch salt. Stir in 300ml milk. Only knead til it's combined roll out cut into shapes and bake at 180. If you don't have an oven you can cook them in a frying pan with a lid over.

Navajo Flatbread: Makes 6
2 cups flour (can use almond flour or coconut flour for low-carb dieters)
1 1/4 cups of lukewarm water
1 T baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp. canola oil
… Additional 1-2 T. canola oil (for frying)

Mix flour, salt, baking powder & 2 tsp. canola oil together in a mixing bowl and add most of the water. Continue mixing and adding water until it has the consistency of tacky pizza dough.
Knead for a few minutes.
Let rest in greased bowl for 30- 60 minutes.
Divide into 6 pieces and roll out very thin (tortilla thickness) onto a floured surface.
Heat cast iron skillet or griddle to 350F & add 1 T. canola oil. Heat oil til hot but not smoky hot.
Cook until golden brown spots appear on one side.. then flip and cook the other side until done.