Southern fried chicken wraps

Continuing the tortilla wrap theme - and using leftover wraps kept in the fridge - I used these reduced items to put together a delicious southern fried chicken style snack.

Ingredients: (made four wraps)

Tortilla wraps

Lemon pepper chicken goujons with sour cream and chive dip (reduced from £2.49 to £1.25)

Bag of 'garden salad' - iceberg lettuce and shredded radish - (reduced from £1 to 39p)

Cheese slices (already in fridge) - 40p

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Smear wraps with sour cream and chive dip.

Heap with salad and season if required.

Cook chicken goujons and then top with cheese til melted.

Add to wrap and roll up, ready to serve!

Total cost: £2.04

If the wraps have been kept in the fridge, warm them up in the oven for about a minute before using.  It will restore their freshness and suppleness.

Quorn sweet chilli and fresh spinach wraps

Having the tortilla wraps already in the larder meant that all these reduced ingredients could be used to make tasty spur-of-the-moment snacks.

Ingredients (made 2 wraps)

Quorn sweet chilli stir-fry strips (Reduced from £1.60 to £1.04)

Bag of fresh spinach (reduced from £1.00 to 50p -less than half used)

Tzatziki dip (reduced from £1.00 to 50p)

A little grated cheese (left over in fridge)

2 soft tortillas (about 10p each)

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Smear a generous amount of tzatziki on each tortilla.  Then add a pile of spinach and a generous twist of pepper.  Add quorn strips and a little sprinkle of grated cheese.  Then fold up the wraps and enjoy!

The tzatziki could be substituted with a little mayonnaise if you have this in the fridge, or some humous or salsa - the only limits are your imagination.  A light vinaigrette to coat the spinach would be an equally tasty and healthier option.

Tortilla wraps can be frozen and easily defrosted before use.

Total cost: £1.99

Food Monthly 'Word of Mouth' blog

Link to The Observer Food Monthly blog 'Word Of Mouth'; interesting and eclectic.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth

Approved Food article & Food, Inc trailer

"My pulse is racing. I have found a new way to save money on food – and help to save the planet in the process. I had thought there was nothing more I could do to cut back on bills and waste as I am already a devotee of markets, pound shops, supermarkets' yellow cut-price stickers and recycled leftovers. But the next logical step has just been delivered to my door: a box full of items that supermarkets cannot sell but are still fit to eat.

According to Approved Food, the leading online seller of clearance produce, the goods would have cost £64.08 in a supermarket, but I have paid only £13.02 (plus £5.25 postage) for this 22-kilo package. Some of the items will be past, or close to, their sell-by dates; others will be surplus to requirements. Until a year or so ago, these goods would have been consigned to the bin but now, for only 99p, I can save eight litres of Heinz Dijon mustard from landfill, where every tonne of food waste generates 6.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide."

Read the rest of this article here - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/7175927/Food-Inc-saved-from-the-bin.html

And you can visit Approved Food here - http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/
"We are the UK's BIGGEST online sellers of clearance, short-dated and out-of-date approved food and drink.  Our product range consists of over a 1000 lines coming from all around the world and this increases daily so you are sure to find something you like when you visit.  Our lines are branded with the largest manufacturers and supermarkets in the world or de-branded at their request.  We sell lines that have been discontinued, in older packaging, trial lines and lines from discounted manufacturers. "

 Watch the trailer for Food, Inc at the official website http://www.foodincmovie.com/  which has resources, release dates and further information.

Tom Norrington-Davies, Cupboard Love

 Tom Norrington-Davies is the author of 'Cupboard Love: How to get the most out of your kitchen'.  'By dusting off ingredients that may already be lurking in your cupboard, he shows how with just a little preparation (and occasional cheating) you can easily rustle up your own ready meals at home.'

"There's a lack of artifice to Tom that has everything to do with the fact that he began his career cooking in pubs, rather than writing newspaper columns, or schmoozing with the foodie elite at Notting Hill dinner parties. A jobbing chef-cum-author, he lives a normal life in London, cycling to his local shops in Peckham, worrying about his mortgage and holidaying, when he can afford it, on the Costa Brava.

More importantly, he cooks with love, rather than gadgets or flashy equipment. His minuscule kitchen is as dark as a Vatican chapel and his pots and pans look woefully modest. There are no blowtorches, mandolines or Sabatier knives. In fact, his batterie de cuisine would make most modern chefs weep. ''I have two large saucepans and three small ones, and the only gadget I possess is an old Kenwood mixer,'' he says, happily. ''You really don't need much equipment to cook imaginatively.''

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3319109/Heres-Tom.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/tomnorringtondavies

Spaghetti with garlic, parsley and chilli olive oil

This is an incredibly simple recipe in terms of time and ingredients.  It is from
http://www.ginodacampo.com/recipes.php?/action/display/id/45/
and you can watch Gino make the dish too!

Ingredients:

500g Spaghetti

10tbls Italian olive oil

2 clove garlic

Handful of flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)

1 medium red chilli

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.

In a frying pan, slowly shallow - fry the garlic, parsley and chilli in the olive oil. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, stirring well so the spaghetti is completely coated by the olive oil. Season with salt and serve immediately.

 

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Gino's website has a great 'What's in your cupboard?' search feature.

Poached fish fillets with charred vegetables and poached egg

A profoundly simple and quick light supper, which could be bulked up with the addition of potatoes.

Ingredients (Served two):

2 smoked haddock fillets - reduced by 50%, £1.40

Sugar snap peas - reduced by 50%, 65p

Baby sweetcorn - reduced by 50%, 65p

2 eggs - 40p

Milk (enough to cover the fish)

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper
Whole grain mustard

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Fry the sweetcorn and sugar snap peas on quite a high heat with a generous glug of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of whole grain mustard.  Season with salt and pepper.

Either in a pan or in a microwave, poach the fish fillets in milk until cooked.  (The fish could be poached in water).

Poach an egg.

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Total cost: £3.10