Cooking doesn’t have to cost the earth you know

-
As well as sharing some of my favourite recipes I really want to inspire others to ditch the ready meal and get in the kitchen. One of the things that puts a lot of people off can be the cost of the ingredients and all the kit that you seem to need in order to cook anything, so I wanted to write a post to dispel a few myths:

Equipment:

 Obviously, you need a cooker and a hob. Whether its gas or electric isn't hugely important, but it can make a difference to how you cook. I prefer a gas hob and an electric oven, but that's just me.

So what else do I use when I'm making a mess in the kitchen? Well, a lot of my recipes require only a few simple tools:

  • a wok or large frying pan;
  • a couple of saucepans;
  • a wooden spoon and/or spatula;
  • a decent chopping board; and
  • at least one really sharp knife
Sure, some of my recipes will need other things like ovenproof dishes and baking trays, and of course you're going to need some crockery and cutlery to devour your newly created cullinary delights (I've never eaten straight from the wok, but I guess someone has - Big H).

I use loads of other stuff too, but you can manage without it with a bit of creativity.

Ingredients:

Sure, you can order your food from Waitrose, or even Fortnum & Mason (I won't stop you), but most of my food can easily be sourced from the  local high street or supermarket.

Also don't be afraid of using stuff out of the freezer, or from jars and packets. Yes, this is a sugar free (mostly) and healthy eating (again, mostly) blog, but that doesn't preclude cheating some times. Just because it is in a jar on a supermarket shelf doesn't always mean its bad, just make sure you check the ingredients on the label to avoid that processed sugar and salt!

As for the frozen? Well, it's Monday night and I'm shattered after a day at work. Believe it or not I don't always have the time (or energy) to neatly prepare a shed load of veggies and ingredients before hitting the hob. Yes, things like frozen onions, mushrooms and spinich to name a few are regular staples of my recipes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What am I supposed to do with a courgette? (or zucchini if you're from across the pond)

-
Okay, leave the rude answers at the door folks! Seriously though, this is a recipe stolen from my Dad, who in turn probably read it in a Nigel Slater book (so please Nigel, don't sue me for copyright infringement or anything like that) after he'd grown far too many courgettes in his garden and got fed up with eating them boiled or roasted. I must confess I was more than a little skeptical when he served this up, but it's become a firm family favourite ever since. Okay, so courgettes, not the first vegetable that most of us have in the fridge/cupboard, but surprisingly pretty cheap and easy to get hold of. Mixed in with pasta, some bacon (if you like that sort of thing, personally I do), garlic and soft cheese it makes a great mid-week dinner. It's also pretty easy on the pocket too. So, what do you need - this will comfortably feed 3-4 people: 2-3 courgettes (about 10-12 inches long) 6-8 rashers of thick-cut smoked back bacon cut into thin strips 250g...
Read more

Bolognese Pasta Bake (also sugar-free)

-
Okay, so after my first two posts you might just be all Chinese food-ed out (if not I'll post some more soon, yum 😋 ) . After Chinese, Italian inspired food has to be another of my favourite cuisines. This particular recipe came about as a way to get as many of your daily veg portions into one meal without a picky 5 year old realising what she was eating (she's much older now, but still loves this recipe and even makes it herself) . Typically this isn't a recipe that I'd worry about anyone putting sugar into, but it you're more used to dumping a jar of Dolmio (other pasta sauces are available - Big H) into a pan of mince and onions then this is going to be a taste sensation for you, oh, and you get to feel good about eating it too (well, apart from the crispy cheesy topping, but I'm not forcing you to eat that, if you don't want it I'll eat it) ! So, what do you need - this will comfortably feed 3-4 people: 250g of lean minced beef 2 tbsp of gar...
Read more

Sugar-Free Thai Sweet Chilli Chicken Noodles

-
This is one of my favourite lazy, sugar-free recipes. Sure, you can pick up a bottle of sweet chilli sauce from most places, but it'll be packed with processed sugar and other artificial crap! My cooking is all about eliminating those processed nasties and replacing them with natural alternatives, all without taking half a day to prepare and cook. Most sugar-free sweet chilli sauce recipes will take over an hour of cooking just to prepare the sauce, and will stink out your kitchen! (this one won't) So, what do you need - this comfortably feeds 2 hungry adults: 2 tbsp of honey 2 tbsp of chilli puree 2 tbsp of white wine or cider vinegar 1 tbsp of garlic puree 1 tbsp of light olive oil 1 skinned boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced 1 small brown onion, thinly sliced (not chopped) 1 carrot, thinly sliced into rounds About a dozen cubes of pineapple 1/2 cup of cashew nuts 1 tbsp of cornflour mixed to a paste with cold water 1 cup of fresh apple or pineapple ...
Read more