Roasted Butternut Squash Byriani #thriftyfood

Firstly apologies for such a delay on posting any new recipes - life kind of got in the way.

This is a lovely recipe and very easy, you can use what ever ingredients you have lurking in your fridge or cupboard. My husbands comment last night was - This is a triumph

Spoon usage 1
Serves 2 hungry adults or could do 4 smaller portions with a few added extras
cost - £3.50 - you can reduce cost if you omit the quorn

Ingredients
Ive chosen
1 butternut squash
handful of peas
spinach (frozen - ive discovered the frozen stuff is a bargain)
1/4 of a courgette
1 small carrot
150 grams quorn pieces (but chicken, tofu will work just as well)
Rice - 1 cup
1/2 can Coconut milk (you could also use coconut cream - or natural yogurt if you don't like coconut)
1 table spoon Tikka paste or curry paste of your choice (if you dont have any then use a jar or combine spices of choice - usually chili, ginger, cumin seeds, ground coriander, tomato puree, salt and a little oil to bind)

** you could use frozen veg easily in this recipe it is really up to you but the combination i used worked very well)

***If you have raisins they would work well too in this, or almonds

This is such an easy recipe and takes very little energy to make

Prep
Prick the butternut squash
dice the carrots 
take the peas and frozen spinach out

1. Turn on the oven to 180 or gas mark 5 - put the butternut squash in the bottom of the oven on a tray bake for 1 hour (I try to make sure i cook other things too so i dont waste the heat)

2.Part cook the rice - I halved the usual cooking time (just follow what it says on the packet in my case it was 6 minutes) I added the diced carrots and cooked together as they need to be part cooked or they will stay raw when you bake the byriani later

3. when the rice has had its time ( you want it white but still grainy when you bite into it) drain and run under the cold tap to rinse and stop the cooking process - put in a large bowl

4. dice the courgette and add to the rice bowl, add the peas, spinach and any other veg you fancy - try and make the chopped veg a similar size. add the curry paste I used a generous table spoon. add the coconut milk and quorn (or chicken or tofu) mix together, you want to coat everything but dont want a runny sauce, set aside

rest
Set aside mixture until needed

Remove the butternut squash from the oven, let it cool slightly then cut in half length ways.

 I usually hate prepping squash as peeling it and getting the seeds out is too much, this method is marvellous. simply scoop out the seeds. and scoop enough of the flesh out to form a well - add this to the bowl of ingredients.

spoon it all into the squash - I piled it quite high (I had some left over so I popped it in a small dish and cooked it on its own)

I added toasted  dessicated coconut and coconut shavings - this us optional I just had it so used it

Bake in a moderate oven (180 or gas mark 5) for 30 - 40 minutes.

serve with yogurt, or as it is either way its very nommy

Express - Mackerel Pate

This a lovely and very easy recipe, it will take me longer to type the recipe up than make it. The recipe literally takes 2 minutes to make - and is delicious.


Ingredients

2 Mackerel fillets - if you like the peppered variety use that - I used a tin of them (100G)
1 pot of *Quark for the virtually fat free version - 250G
juice of half a lemon - or good dash of bottled if you don't have fresh

Black Pepper (omit if using peppered fillets)

*I used quark as its fat free, for a creamier texture use a cream cheese  (250G)

You could use Sardines, Salmon or Crab for this

Total Cost
 £1.60 serves 8 (at least - depends how thick you slather it on £0.30 per portion

Prep

If you have an electric processor pop it in and blitz for 30 seconds if you like a rough texture, or blitz until smooth if you prefer it like that. add Black pepper and lemon juice to taste.

If you have a hand held wand type thing will work just as well.

If you don't have any gadgets - stick the mackerel and quark in a bowl using a fork blend together - then us a wooden spoon to beat it - you wont get quite such a smooth pate but it tastes divine

You should leave to stand for 10 mins in the fridge to thicken slightly or if you cant waste, slather it on what ever you fancy. I have Rivetta.

It makes loads - enough to keep you going for a few days.

Enjoy

Chicken & Ham Pie

This is a lovely recipe, its very spoonie friendly as it doesn't involve making pastry. Its also low fat, tasty and filling. If like me you love pie but want to watch your weight too then I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Spoon Use 2
Skill - some kitchen skills
cost £4  - halve the ingredients for 2 people

Serves 4  adults (if you have a small appetite or children this pie could serve 6)

Gadgets
Heat proof  deep Pie Dish - if you dont have a pie dish a cake tin will do
Pastry brush (if you don't have one use your finger or a clean small paint brush)
Electric food chopper - if you need one
whisk
sharp knife & board

Ingredients
2 chicken breast (you can use boneless thighs - use 4 large or 6 small) - remove the skin
2 slices of ham
1 medium leek
1 onion
1 vegetable stock cube
1/4 pint of milk
1 packet filo pastry
cornflour
small amount of vegetable or sunflower oil

Prep
Make 1 pint of stock - (using the stock cube and boiling water)
finely chop the onion (use electric chopper if needed)
thinly slice the leeks
cut the ham into pieces -  roughly 2" squares

1. put the chicken breasts into a saucepan (i cut them in half to reduce cooking time) pour on the stock, bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer - poach gently for 20 minutes.  This keeps the chicken moist and the cooking liquor wont be wasted. Once poached turn off the heat and leave to cool

Rest once you have put the chicken on to poach

Making the pie filling

1. cut the chicken into bite size pieces (don't throw away the liquid) then set aside
2. put the onions and leeks into a fryingpan and cook gently, you don't want them to colour. Cook for 5 minutes until soft

4. Put the pan with the cooking stock back on the heat, add the milk and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil

5. Mix 2 heaped tea spoons of corn flour with cold water so it forms a paste, pour into the stock - whisk constantly and turn the heat down, the liquid should thicken - you want the consistency of thick double cream. add more corn flour if it doesn't thicken enough. keep whisking until thick - remove from heat.

6.  Take the onions and leeks off the heat, add the chicken and ham pieces. Pour on enough sauce to coat the mixture - you don't want it swimming in sauce.Leave to go cold Don't be tempted to put the filling in the pie case while its still warm, you will end up with a soggy bottom - the same will happen if you use too much sauce. 

** I freeze the left over sauce to use another time. 

Rest

Make the pie

Turn on the oven - 180C gas mark 5

1. Take the filo pastry out of the packet - use 4 pieces of the pastry for the base of the pie. Using the pastry brush very lightly brush oil in the 1st piece of pastry, and lay the second piece on top in the opposite direction so it sort of forms a cross (filo pastry is oblong) brush the second layer and add the third and fourth at at angle so it forms a star shape- *see diagram

 lay the strips into the pie dish as you go, you want the edges overlapping the dish - don't cut them you want these bits in a minute.

Add caption

2. Put the cold filling into the dish spread evenly

3. split the rest of the filo pastry,  lightly oil and scrunch up a piece and put it on top of the pie - repeat until you have covered the pie in the centre

4. pull the overlapping bits of pastry and use this to seal the pie, again brushing with oil if you need it. Its a bit like paper so if you handle it gently you can manipulate it ok.

This is easier to do than describe :)

5. put the pie in the centre of the oven and cook for 30 - 40 minutes

6 while the pie is in the oven cook the veg you fancy having with it, we had mash, cabbage and carrots

Note: This pie freezes very well  - you can also make small individual pies. I have used filo pastry as its low fat and gives a nice texture. You can make short crust pastry, or if you dont fancy pie at all its lovely on its own.

Orange and Cranberry Skinny Cupcakes

This is a lovely and very simple low fat recipe - Ive adapted it from the Hairy Dieters Lemon and Blueberry cup cake recipe.

This recipe will make 12 deep cupcakes or 24 small fairy cake size (perfect for lunch boxes) I love this recipe not just for its low fat credentials, but also its ease and simplicity.
The cupcakes are a cross between a traditional sponge and muffin. You don't need a huge amount of skill to make them. from prep to oven in less than 5 minutes.

The cakes keep extremely well for a week in the air tight box.
  
Spoon Usage - 2 
Skill - some cooking knowledge
Cost  18P per cake (9p if you do fairy cake size)

Gadgets -nothing specialist
Muffin/cake tin
Paper cake cases (deep or shallow)
Mixing bowl
whisk
Measuring jug
measuring cups (these measure out teaspoon etc if you don't have some well worth the £1 outlay)
big metal spoon

Ingredients
200G self raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda  
75g soft Brown sugar (if you don't have any use white caster sugar)
100g cranberries
1 small lemon
2 large eggs (or 3 medium)
50 ml veg or sunflower oil
150g natural yogurt
2 tbs milk
100g icing sugar

Prep - 5 minutes
weigh out all the dry ingredients
grate the orange rind (thats the skin if you are new to baking) use a fine grater don't go down to the pith (the white bit)
measure out the wet ingredients
put paper cases into the tin
turn on oven to 200 C or gas mark 6

Rest

Mix the dry ingredients

1.  sift the flour into a large bowl
2. Add in the sugar
3. add bicarb of soda
4. add in cranberries

5. stir until combined evenly

If needed take a little rest here

Mix the wet ingredients

1. Beat the eggs until smooth, you want them to be light, fluffy and slightly pale
2. pour oil into the bowl 
3. add natural yogurt
4. add milk

5. give a good whisk so all the ingredients are combined - don't worry if it looks a little curdled

Mixing ingredients

1. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients (flour etc)

2. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl

3, take a large metal spoon working quickly, using a figure of 8 motion, mix it together so its just combined (dont over mix or beat it together ) once all the flour is combined this is enough. I find using a big spoon it takes 3 - 4 stirs to do this.

Hope you can see its just mixed..you dont want to knock the air out

4. using a tea spoon - fill the paper cups about - so they are 2 thirds full

my hands wobbled - messy cook :)

5. place in the centre of the oven for 16-18 minutes

 rest and pop the kettle on in anticipation

set your timer and once cooked - you can tell they are cooked if golden brown, and slightly springy to the touch - if your not sure insert a skewer or thin knife if it comes out clean then they are cooked

leave to cool 

6. put the icing sugar in a bowl, cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from 1 half into the sugar..stir until smooth. you can go for thick icing or thick and syrupy your choice. If you fancy it then use orange butter icing

7. cooks privilege eat the 1st one with a cuppa