After months of searching for it, I finally managed to get my hands on some Ras El Hanout. Albeit it was the paste rather than the spice which apparently no supermarket in Manchester or Newcastle likes to stock! Once I got my hands on it I started to think of what kind of recipe I could put together to make the best possible use of it. I’ve also wanted to experiment with chickpeas for a while now so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine the two.
Month: April 2014
Crispy Chinese Belly Pork with a lovely light dipping sauce – just 15sp!
Pork belly is such a delicious meat and is so cheap to buy. Usually I would think it would be something to make at the weekend when you have a bit more time, but the meat is so cheap and this recipe so simple, that there is no reason not to whack it out during the week as a bit of a mid-week treat. I’ve made pork belly a few times before and usually served it in a sticky sauce so this light and tasty dipping sauce was a lovely change and tasted amazing drizzled over the butternut squash wedges.
Mexican Chipotle Stew with Lime Quinoa – 6sp
Chipotle paste in another great store cupboard ingredient which adds an abundance of flavour for the grand total of 0sp! Whilst it’s great on roasted vegetables, I think it’s even better when its flavours are released in a lovely warming stew.
Prawn and Avocado Pasta – 12sp
I love experimenting with new ways to use foods in recipes and one of my favourite foods at the moment is avocado. Whether it’s in guacamole or in a nice big salad it’s such a fresh and different taste, I can’t get enough of it so this week I decided to see if I could come up with a way to use it in a pasta dish. After doing a bit of research I came across a recipe on Kevin and Amanda’s blog and it looked so delicious, I decided to adapt it into a lower propoint option. I was absolutely delicious. The OH said it tasted completely different to any pasta we had had before and the flavours were so tasty and satisfying. I used tagliatelle pasta as the sauce stuck nicely to it, but feel free to use whatever pasta takes your fancy!
Speedy Seafood Pasta – 8sp
While we were away in Kos in the summer my friend ordered herself the most gorgeous seafood pasta, which, for the next ten minutes we all stared at in jealousy! It reminded me of this lovely easy pasta which I tried out a while ago and, having craved it continuously since we got back, it’s now a regular dish on our weekly menu! It’s so quick and easy and can be made in around 20 minutes from start to finish. It’s a nice change having seafood in a pasta and at only £2.00 for a mixed pack of seafood, its nice and cheap too!
Chorizo, Cod and New Potato One Pot – 10sp
This is one of my favourite meals and I have it as an everyday dinner as well as on those special occasions when you are cooking for a few. The first time I made it I was looking to create something that was tasty and filling and both quick and healthy and this was perfect! It’s really easy to make and requires little preparation and everyone who has tried it since has loved it.
Jerk Chicken Stew with Rice and Peas – 9sp
I’ve wanted to try something with a bit of jerk seasoning in for a while but I just haven’t had the time to make the marinade from scratch! I came across Schwarz’ seasoning last time I was at the supermarket so I thought I would see if I could create something fast but different with it in the meantime. Don’t get me wrong, this is by no means an ‘authentic’ Jamaican jerk recipe but it’s a nice alternative when you just fancy a taste of something new.
Smokey Sausage Pasta – 9sp
This is a great meaty recipe and is another great low pro points option. It requires minimal chopping and not too many ingredients so can be thrown together in around twenty minutes.
Malaysian Rendang Curry – Just 8sp
We have a lovely lady who comes around the offices at work at a lunch time selling soups, sandwiches and salads. Her soups are amazing and always full of different flavours. One day the soup on the menu was a Malaysian Beef Rendang soup and after tasting its amazing flavours I decided I had to try and adapt her recipe and make my own low sp version but in curry form!
Sweet Chilli Chorizo Burgers- 4sp each
One of my favourite ‘treat’ meals when eating out is a good old dirty burger. Rather than going out and wasting (probably a weeks worth of) weeklies and over £10 on one of these naughty treats, I decided to try and make a burger which tasted just as good, but was a bit more sympathetic on the sp front!