Cheap Summer Meals

Once the temperature rises and the days become longer, it’s a great time to be out in your garden – you can stop buying your greens and start picking them fresh each day – it’s the oily rag way!

Gardens are now a hive of activity – you can almost see things growing – start planning ahead for frugal summer meals.

Last week Busy Mum from Wellington asked, “I am looking for low-cost recipes for a family of four, that can be made in next to no time.”

J.O. from Christchurch has responded with this suggestion: “For the busy Mum in Wellington wanting a quick and economical recipe: I reckon a whole chicken in a crock pot or slow cooker, frozen or fresh, dial on low or even on warm is wonderful. Just add some salad onto a plate and your meal is ready.”

B.W. from Auckland has sent in this low-cost recipe. “This recipe is quick and easy to make and is yummy too. For a family of four, you will need: a regular can of baked beans, 4 to 6 cooked sausages, sliced thinly, a bell pepper, diced (you could use 1/2 red pepper and 1/2 green pepper for added colour), and some lettuce leaves (stacked together and sliced thinly). Empty the baked beans into a microwave bowl and add the sliced sausages. Cover with microwave-safe cling wrap and leave a small opening. Microwave for about 2 minutes on high or until heated through. Then use a spoon to mix the sausages and baked beans well. Microwave the peppers for about 2 minutes on high, then mix half of the cooked peppers into the sausage and bean mixture. Top the dish with some lettuce, and the remaining peppers. Serve with rice.”

M.E. from Auckland has a way to make chicken go further. “Buy fresh or frozen whole chickens on special and cut them up yourself. It is so easy, and you get 2 full chicken breasts, 2 thighs, 2 wings, 2 drumsticks and a carcass for chicken stew and dumplings. Cooking for one, a chicken can last me up to two weeks. I also get 3 servings out of each breast by cubing and using in gravy and steamed rice dishes like butter chicken, thai curries or teriyaki chicken.”

A reader has sent in this tip about boiling vegetables: “If it grows under-ground (is a root vegetable) start in cold water. If above ground, start in hot water.”

Tomato lover has sent in this tip for using dried tomatoes. “To make sun dried tomato hummus, cheaper than store bought, make a basic hummus recipe and add 5-6 chopped sun dried tomatoes, with some of the oil from the jar. Whip up into a creamy delicious hummus mix in the food processor.”

For the record, to make hummus you need 300g of cooked chickpeas (buying a can is a heck of a lot easier than preparing the chickpeas yourself). Drain the chickpeas, add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or paprika if you want something milder), two tablespoons of olive oil, and the juice of one lemon. Whisk it all together in a blender until smooth. Hummus is a staple from the Middle East and is usually eaten with flat breads.

Heza from Manurewa has this even simpler recipe. “All you need is 1 tin of chickpeas, 5 cloves of garlic, and the juice from 1 lemon. Whiz them together in blender, place on plate add a tablespoon of oil. And we are all set to spread!”

This summer we are going to have The Great Kiwi Burger Competition again. If you have a favourite gourmet burger recipe, then please send it in. What a treat for a summer evening – a gourmet burger, curly chips, copious blobs of tomato sauce, and a side salad freshly picked from the garden. Kiwilicious!

By Frank and Muriel Newman. Read more here. 

Don’t forget to send us your tips and queries so we can share them with the oily rag community – you can do that by visiting the oily rag website (www.oilyrag.co.nz) or by writing to Living off the Smell of an Oily Rag, PO Box 984, Whangarei.