Get Creative

While doing some research online I stumbled across a blog on the Washington Post website about the Eating Down the Fridge challenge, Round 2. It runs from June 20 until June 26. During this time, the goal is to do zero food shopping. More info here

That is such a great idea! Challenging, yes, but it can, certainly, help to save money, get more creative with cooking and waste less food. Although, the challenge has been on for two days now, I decided to join in. After surveying my fridge and cupboards I came up with these quick and tasty dishes: a lazy vegetable quiche, energy boosting bean and carrot salad, delightful polenta in a tomato sauce and oh-so-good hummus. More than enough for a week! Frugal living rocks! Find two of my recipes below:

Lazy vegetable quiche
6 servings

Pastry: 1 cup of flour (I use corn flour), 2 oz of butter, 1 tbsp of yoghurt or old mayo, ¼ cup of water, salt and pepper to taste.
To make the pastry mix the yogurt with water and add to the flour. Mix thoroughly. Melt the butter in a microwave and add it to the flour. Mix with your hands to break any lumps and obtain smooth texture. Form a ball and leave in the fridge to cool for 10-15 mins.

Filling: broccoli, small courgette x 1, frozen spinach x 3 chunks, brie, 3 eggs, ½ cup of yoghurt or mayo.

Chop the vegetables into small pieces. Add the defrosted spinach to the mix. Preheat the oven to 190C. Heat up the quiche baking dish in the oven and grease it with a bit of butter or margarine. Take the cooled pastry out of the fridge and line the bottom of the quiche dish. Place the chopped vegetables over the pastry. Mix the eggs with the yoghurt thoroughly and pour over the vegetables. Slice the brie and place the slices on top of the quiche. Season to taste.
Bake the quiche for 30 mins. Let it set for 5-10 mins before serving.
Tip: add some finely chopped fresh thyme to the vegetable mix for a lovely Mediterranean flavour. You can add a can of sardines (mash them into smaller pieces first) or tuna for a more filling option.

Bean and carrot salad
Tin of butter beans (or chickpeas, or any other long-forgotten tinned pulses)
2 carrots, grated
Juice of ½ lemon
4-5 tbsp olive oil
Thyme, chopped
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Drain the beans and mix them with the grated carrots in a bowl. To make the dressing mince the garlic and mix with the oil, lemon juice and thyme. Pour over the salad. Season to taste.
Tip: the best beans for this salad are borlotti, especially Lamon.

Grill Safely

As the summer sun shines (will it last?) the suburban air fills with lovely smells of outdoor grilling.

But before you get your BBQ going, repeat after me: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Doesn’t sound tasty, does it?

HCAs are cancer-causing compounds produced by grilling "muscle meats" (red meat, poultry and fish). They have been shown to cause tumours in animals and said to possibly increase the risk of cancers of the breast, colon, stomach and prostate in humans. PAHs are formed when fat from meat, poultry or fish drips on the hot coals and via smoke goes back on the food that is being grilled.

The American Institute for Cancer Research advise to marinate meats (see a marinade recipe below) before grilling, which can significantly reduce the amounts of carcinogenic HCAs formed.

Also you can reduce your exposure to the carcinogens by:
- Choosing lean meats for grilling and trimming fat;
- Scrubbing the charred skin off the grilled fish;
- Removing the skin off the chicken before grilling;
- Avoiding high-fat ribs and sausages;
- Keeping meat portions small as they’ll need less time for grilling (think kebabs);
- Turn the meats frequently, which according to some research actually accelerates cooking;
- GRILL VEGETABLES, THEY ARE HEALTHIER!(corn on cob, asparagus, aubergine, tomatoes and mushrooms are all great BBQed)

Delicious Mediterranean marinade:

½ red wine (or vodka, as they do in Russia)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ onion or shallots, finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh thyme, rosemary, oregano, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a deep bowl. Coat well the meat in the marinade and leave it in the bowl for 40-60 minutes.
Grill safely!