Cheap Recipes - Pulses and Less Meat

[gscrym]

I noticed on a thread about the cost of fruit and veg, people were suggesting using pulses and less meat. I'm not really sure what to do with lentils etc so would like some recipes. Any ideas, greatfully received.

Another good way to use little red lentils is to suplement half the meat in bolognese, lasagne etc, with then, they absort the flavour of the meat while bulking out the dish and supplying just as much protien!

Red lentils are also delicious as a 'dahl' with rice. My son is guaranteed to eat this. Cook the lentils with some garlic in about double water for about 20 minutes until soft, add other spices to taste and even other veg like carrots or potatoes, spinach is nice too. Serve on a bed of rice with soy sauce sprinkled over.

The tinned brown lentils also work really well as a substitute for meat in bolognese sauces.

Mixed bean salads are yummy and easy too. Add tinned beans (any variety) to other salad stuff, and couscous and mix with a nice dressing. (and if you rinse the tinned beans first they are less likely to cause, um, flatulence! )

I quite often adapt meat recipes to veggie equivalents - chick peas work well instead of meat in curry.

Aduki beans are good for replacing some/all mince.

If you can't be faffed with soaking & cooking, just buy tinned chick peas & frozen aduki beans - just shake directly into the pan & they cook in a few minutes.

Bean and chorizo stew

fry onion and garlic and thinly sliced chorizo, [peppers, celery,carrot etc if you want.]

Drain liquid from a tin of toms [throw away, use for something else} and chop add to pan.

make up stock [not as per instructions,} disolve 2 cubes in 175ml of water{may need to double this if you add loads of beans.}

Add tin of kidney beans, a tin of butter beans, tin of white beans, a jar of brown lentils or soaked pulses if you can be bothered.

Pepper and parsley, Chilli or Paprika
Leave to simmer until lentils have started to mush and a sauce has formed.