Prawn Tempura

I tried my hand at prawn tempura recently and it turned out pretty successful. I did however have a slight accident with the oil and succeeded in burning myself. Anyone who knows me will know how clumsy I am, so the other half did have to take over this half way. 

The original recipe I used was from the BBC Food website here. 

I did make a few changes to this recipe to make it gluten free:

• I swapped the plain flour for plain gluten free flour
• Instead of beer I used cider, as this is what I had in the house. You can of course you gluten free beer if you have this available.
• I also used gluten free soy sauce.

I found the batter a little too loose, so I added a bit of extra flour to mine. It's definitely one I will be trying again. 

Leftover Beef Chilli with Thornleys Chilli Con Carne Mix

I was nicely sent some Thornleys Gluten Free Sauce mixes to try out, you can see their website here.  We went on a bike ride yesterday, so by the time it came to dinner time we were pretty tired and didn't really feel like cooking much.

We'd previously bought a fairly large brisket (I think it was about 1.4 kg raw), we slow cooked the joint and had some as part of a dinner with some vegetables on Sunday. I was happy to have the Thornleys Chilli Con Carne mix on hand. It was easy to use and I loved the flavours in it. It was also just around the right amount of spice for me, although the other half likes things a bit spicier so did add some extra to his.

We basically followed the instructions on the packet, the only change we made was that we subbed the minced beef for 400 g of cooked beef brisket. Aside from the beef, you only need a tin of chopped tomatoes and a tin of kidney beans. I did add a fried onion mine as well.

Meal Plan 22/09/13 - 28/09/13

Were not at work this coming week, so I've left 2 nights free as were hopefully eating at one of the family's house one night and then we are also wanting to go out to eat one night. 

Meal Plan 22/09/13 - 28/09/13

Braised Beef Dinner with Vegetables

Leftover Beef Chilli

Fish Cakes & Mushy Peas

Leftover Beef Stir Fry

Mackerel, Fine Beans & Fried Cherry Tomatoes

Shopping List:

Bananas (11 - 2.26 kg) £1.54

Clementines £1.75

Bran Flakes 1 kg £1.94

Organic Gluten Free Cornflakes £1.48

12 Free Range Eggs £1.98

Butter £2.00

Brisket £10.00

Onions £1.00

Mixed Beans £0.62

Chopped Tomatoes x 3 £0.93

4 x Carrots £0.41

Broccoli £0.60

Courgettes £1.00

Kidney Beans £0.27

Gluten Free Bread £1.75

Bread £1.50

2 x Stir Fry Sauces (from B&M) £0.58

Stir Fry Vegetables £1.00

Smoked Mackerel £3.00

Fine Beans 90 g £0.50

Red Onions £1.00

Feta Cheese £1.50

Milk £1.00

Cherry Tomatoes £1.00

Olive Oil 1 lt £4.00

String Beans £1.00

Cavolo Nero Cabbage £1.00

Total £44.35

All of the above prices were correct on 22/09/13

Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit, Toast, Eggs

Lunch: Egg / Tuna Mayonnaise , Leftovers

Snacks: Bananas, Clementines

Leftovers: Frozen vegetables, Baked Beans, Frozen Peas, Fish Cakes, Bacon, Tuna, Tinned Fruit, Free From Cous Cous, Frozen Chicken

Meal Plan 15/09/13 - 21/09/13

Meal Plan 15/09/13 - 21/09/13

We decided to go out for a meal on the Saturday night, as it's been a while since we've been out. So we will be bringing the Jerk Chicken planned from last week to this meal plan. We've tried to keep the cost of the meals down, but at the same time there are a couple of treats in there such as the steak and the tempura prawns. I'm not sure there will be any leftovers from the Gammon, but if there are  I will make this into a Quiche.

Menu:

Tempura Prawns with Sweet Chilli Sauce

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas (Kidney Beans & Coconut milk), Vegetables

Leftover Shepherds Pie

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

Smoked Haddock Fishcakes with Mushy Peas

Steak and Chips

Chicken and Spicy Couscous

Shopping List:

Bananas 9 (approx 1.665 kg) £1.13

Punnet Peaches £1.00

Oranges £1.00

Bread £1.50

Milk £1.00

Sweet Chilli Sauce (B&M) £1.00

King Prawns £6.00

2 x Gammon Joints (Doncaster Market 2 for £5) £2.50

3 Smoked Haddock Portions (7 for £6 Doncaster Market*) £3.43

Mandarin Segments SP £0.23

Peach Slices in Syrup £0.29

2 x 283 g Butchers Selection Rump Steak ( 2 for £7 deal) £7.00

Smart Price Bacon £0.81

Nutella £1.50

Free From Cous Cous £2.00

Total £30.39

All of the above prices were correct at the time of printing.

* I got a good deal on these portions of fish, there was already a deal for 5 for £5.

Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit, Toast, Bacon, Eggs

Lunch: Gammon Sandwiches, Leftovers

Snacks: Bananas, Oranges, Peaches

Leftovers:  Kidney Beans, Frozen Mixed Vegetables, Chickpeas, Frozen Spinach, Potatoes, Frozen Chicken Portions,  Cereal, Free From Bread, Frozen Peas, Eggs

Spaghetti with Pesto

Those of you that are keen eyed and read my weekly meal plan here will notice that this pesto was also supposed to include cherry tomatoes. They would have made a lovely addition to this pasta dish but unfortunately they were forgotten on this occasion, we will have to find another use for these!

This spaghetti was really easy and quick to make, something good to have on stand by for when you don't fancy spending too much time slaving over a hot stove. You can also alter the dish to your taste.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 250g Gluten Free Spaghetti
• 1 - 2 tablespoons of  Pesto *
• 200 - 250 g cooking bacon, chopped (you can easily substitute this for back or streaky bacon)
• Salt and Pepper
• Approx 50 g of hard cheese, grated
• Oil

Method:

1. Cook the spaghetti according the instructions on the packet.
2. While the spaghetti is cooking cook the bacon on a medium heat until cooked through and crispy. Add the pesto to the pan and stir through. 
3. Drain the spaghetti.
4. Add the bacon mixture to the pan with the spaghetti and toss through. Add the grated hard cheese and stir through. 

* There is pesto available in a jar, but you can make your own which is fairly easy to make. You can find an example recipe from the BBC Good Food Website here.

Butterbean Pate

I've seen quite a few bean dips and pates on the internet before  and a few weeks ago I found some cheap tinned beans in B&M. They were 29 p a tin, so I decided to buy a few tins. As I was having a large dinner that day, I didn't want something overly filling for lunch. I decided to make a bean pate, as I also had some leftover gluten free crispbreads (which I absolutely love!). It was so quick and easy to make, as well as being tasty that it's definitely something I'll be making again.

Ingredients:

1 tin of butter beans, drained

15 g grated Parmesan (you can add this to your taste)

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 pinch of garlic salt (easily substituted for minced garlic and salt)

Pepper

Method:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor (I actually used a mini chopper), add a little water if the mixture is too stiff.
2. Once it is a nice smooth consistency (do not over mix), serve with crackers or crispbreads!

Menu 08/09/13 - 14/09/13

I saw the Lamb shoulder when shopping last week and couldn't resist buying it, we don't often buy Lamb and thought it would be nice to have a Sunday roast with it. We'll be braising the meat, as it should make it nice, tender and flavoursome with the roast dinner later today.

 Since going gluten free, I've not really had stuffing much (apart from when I made chestnut stuffing at Christmas) and as Asda seem to have extended their free from range, I can now buy Mrs Crimbles free from stuffing so I will tell you what I think of this after I have used it. It may sound silly, but I'm really looking forward to trying this stuffing!

I also want to make the most of the leftovers so we have plans for these too but we will see how much we have left after we've had our dinner.

Menu 08/09/13 - 14/09/13

Lamb Roast with Roast Potatoes and vegetables

Bacon, Cherry Tomato and Pesto Spaghetti

Goats Cheese and Spinach Frittata

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Peas (Kidney Beans & Coconut milk), vegetables

Jacket Potatoes with Cheesy Beans & Bacon

Leftover Lamb and Potato Pie Served with Mixed Vegetables

Pork Stir Fry

Breakfast: Cereal, Fruit and Yoghurt, Banana, Toast, Bacon, Eggs, Pancakes

Lunch: Ham Salad, Egg & Bacon / Ham / Salad Sandwiches , Leftovers

Snacks: Bananas, Clementines

Leftovers:  Rice, Flour, Frozen Spinach, Jacket Potatoes, Tuna, Jerk Paste, Coconut Milk, Tinned Fruit, Yoghurt, Flour

Shopping List

Bananas 7 (approx 1.535 kg) £1.04

Clementines £1.75

Spring Onions £0.50

Cucumber £0.50

3 Mixed Peppers £1.00

Lettuce £1.00

Milk £1.00

2 kg Desiree Potatoes £2.00

Broccoli £0.60

Carrots x 2 £0.30

Free From Bread £1.75

Fine Beans 90 g £0.50

Free From Stuffing Mix £1.98

Green Pesto £1.00

Onions £1.00

Cherry Tomatoes £1.00

Cooking Bacon £0.81

15 Smart Price Eggs £1.35

Goats Cheese £1.28

Extra Mature Cheese £2.00

Baked Beans £0.56

Salad Meat £3.00

Stir Fry Vegetables £1.00

Pork Loin Steaks £2.00

Organic Corn Flakes £1.48

Cereal £2.00

Mayonnaise £1.18

Smart Price Orange Juice £0.65

Smart Price Chicken Portions £1.69

Lamb Stock Cubes £1.00

Kidney Bean £0.27

Total £37.19

Also, if anyone has any easy recipes for home made stuffing, please feel free to share them.