FeastforFamine

About FeastforFamine

Baking, Cheap, Cheap Meat Cuts, Food, Nourishing, Recipes, Store Cupboard, World

Hi there and welcome to FeastforFamine!

Are you bored with going home to another bowl of pasta, sandwich or reheated lasagna? Going out for a pizza, burger or a steak? If you fancy trying some of the other wonderful stuff going on out there in the world, welcome to my blog, FeastforFamine.

Come on in and join me on my journey around the world, creating food inspired by countries from Zimbabwe to Peru!

FeastForFamine has four main goals, specifically to…

Promote flavours and ideas from corners of the world less well-travelled or promoted.
Put my own interpretation on some of those and share my ideas with you.
Draw attention to some of the issues currently going on in those countries, many of which are suffering greatly from war and/or famine.

The emphasis is on inexpensive, wholesome, widely available ingredients which we don’t always think of pairing. Exotic cooking need not cost the earth, but sometimes takes only a slightly more adventurous approach to give our taste buds something new to look forward to.

Sadly, closer to home, several hundred thousand people in the UK now regularly rely on foodbanks. So, I have deliberately chosen a charity whose scope includes the UK, and hope that the ethos behind my ideas and recipes will make most of them accessible to as many people as possible.

Please feel free to leave any comments or feedback, or suggestions for enhancing any of the recipes. The whole idea of this blog is promote experimentation, exchange of ideas and learning from experience!

Scroll down and be inspired x

Gluten Free Lemon and Almond Summer Meatballs

Easy, Food, Gluten Free, Main Course, Recipes

Love meatballs but looking for a lighter, healthier gluten free option? Then try this delicious lemony almond meatball recipe, with easy peasy tomato sauce!

Makes: 18 meatballs

Prep: 15mins
Cook: 40mins

Ingredients: For the Meatballs – 500g Pork Mince, 1 medium onion, 3 heaped tbsp. of ground almonds, 1 egg, zest of one lemon, 1 heaped tbsp. grated parmesan cheese, 1 heaped tsp. dried oregano, salt and pepper, drizzle of oil.

For the Tomato Sauce – Handful of cherry tomatoes, 400ml of passata, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 2 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 220f
Finely dice your onion and add to all of the other ingredients and work well to combine all of the ingredients together
Once combined, make into walnut sized balls and pop into a baking dish, drizzle with oil and cook for 30 – 40 minutes until browned
While the meatballs are cooking start on your sauce:
Finely chopped the garlic cloves and add to a pan with the olive oil
Cook for a few minutes on a medium heat then add roughly chopped cherry tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar
Cook for 5 – 10 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down, you can break them down a little with a wooden spoon
Add the passata and cook on a low simmer for 20mins
Serve the meatballs on gluten free pasta and your choice and veg and drizzle over the sauce
Enjoy!

Vegan Oven Roasted Spicy Aubergines with Spicy Green Lentils

Asian Flavours, Curry, Easy, Food, Healthy Food!, Main Course, Recipes, Spicy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Friday night is a good excuse for a curry night right? Check out this delicious vegan recipe for some healthy inspiration.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 45 – 60 mins

Ingredients: 1 white or brown onion, 2 large aubergines or 4 baby aubergines, 1 cup of green lentils, 2 cups of coconut milk, 1 veggie stock cube, 1/2 tsp of cumin, 1/2 tsp of turmeric, 1 chopped red chilli and 1/2 tsp of dried ginger, 4 tbsp of oil, 1 tsp. of masala paste.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200F
Chop your onion and garlic and fry in a pan with 1 tbsp of oil for a few minutes until softened
Add all of your dried spices and chilli and coat the onions and garlic well
Add the lentils with 2 cups of coconut milk and 3 cups of veggie stock and give it a good stir
Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer until the lentils are soft, you may need to add some more liquid and give it the occasional stir
While the lentils are cooking, mix the masala paste with 3 tbsp. of oil
Cut the aubergines in half lengthways, criss cross the flesh and place on a baking tray flesh side up
Brush the masala oil all over the flesh and pop in the oven for 30 – 45 mins until soft
Once the aubergines and lentils are cooked serve up on a fluffy bed of basmati rice, lentils first then the aubergines on top
Enjoy!

Tip: I used the same cup to measure the lentils and liquids to make sure I get the right measurements.

Vegan Miso Brown Rice Salad Bowls

Easy, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, Lunch, Nourishing, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Salads, Vegan

Looking for a filling but healthy meat free lunch? Then try my super easy, super delicious vegan rice bowl, if you omit the chilli even kids will love it!

Serves 4

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30 mins

Ingredients: 1 cup of dried brown rice, 1 large avocado, 1 small can of sweetcorn, small bunch of spring onions, 2 tsp. brown miso paste, 1 tbsp. of sesame seeds (black, brown or white is fine), 1 tbsp. soy sauce, sprinkling of chilli flakes.

Method:

Pop the brown rice in a saucepan and add the miso paste, cook as per packet instructions
Once cooked, allow the rice to cool (this can be cooked the day before, or even in the morning if you have time)
Drain the sweetcorn and mix in with the rice along with the spring onions
Chop the avocado into slices and arrange on top
Sprinkle over the sesame seeds and chilli flakes and a little drizzle of the soy sauce
Enjoy!

Grilled Aubergine, Courgette and Red Pepper Salad with a Tahini, Lemon and Herb Dressing

Easy Entertaining, Food, Healthy Food!, Nourishing, Recipes, Salads, Summer Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Looking for a healthy vegan BBQ side this weekend? Then try this…

Serves: 6

Prep: 20mins
Cook: 15 – 20

Ingredients: 4 small of 2 large aubergines cut into thin slices, 4 small or 2 large courgettes cut into thin slices, a jar of red peppers cut into thin strips, large handful of mixed herbs, (basil, mint and parsley all work well), 1 tbsp. of tahini, juice of 1/2 lemon 4 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tbsp. of pine nuts, 1 tsp. of paprika and a little more olive oil for grilling the aubergine and courgette.

Method:

Brush the aubergine and courgettes with a little oil and grill on each side for around 6 – 8 minutes until they start to brown but not burn
Allow to cool
To make the dressing mix the tahini, oil and lemon juice together
Brown the pine nuts in a pan to bring out their flavour
Now construct your salad by placing layers of the aubergine, courgette and red peppers on a large plate, pour your dressing over the top and scatter the pine nuts and herbs over the salad and sprinkle over the paprika
Enjoy.

Eat Your Greens Super Speedy Stir Fry

Asian Flavours, Easy, Food, Nourishing, Quick, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Make sure you eat your greens this week with this super speedy vegan stir fry that you can add to anything, rice, pasta, noodles etc, the sprinkling of brown sugar right at the end really adds something to the greens!

Serves: 2 – 4 depending on what you are serving it with

Prep: 2mins

Cook: 6mins

Ingredients: A bag or bunch of greens such as chard, kale, spinach, watercress, pak choi, (some types of cabbage might work too), 1 garlic clove, 1 red chilli (you can used dried chilli and frozen or pureed garlic), tbsp of oil, sprinkling of brown sugar and sesame seeds.

Method:

1. Chop up your garlic and chilli and heat in the oil for a few minutes

2. Chop or tear your greens and add to the pan, stir well to coat in the oil

3. Stir fry for a minutes more then sprinkle with brown sugar and sesame seeds

4. Enjoy!

Just when you thought Banana Bread couldn’t get any sweeter… Banana Bread with Dates and Chia Seeds

Baking, Cake, Comforting, Easy, lockdown, Recipes

Just when you thought Banana Bread couldn’t be any sweeter… the addition of the chia seeds and dates makes this moorishly good! Don’t worry if you don’t have chia seeds or dates just add some raisins and it will still taste great!

Makes: One large loaf

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 45mins – 1 hour

Ingredients: 285g of wholemeal flour, 4 ripe bananas (mashed), 200g of sugar, 2 eggs, 100ml of olive oil, 85ml of milk, 1 tsp. of bicarbonate soda, 1 tsp. of baking powder, 30g of chia seeds, 50g of pitted dates (chopped), 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, pinch of salt.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180C
Combine the flour, sugar, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in a bowl
Mix the eggs, oil, vanilla extract and milk together then add to your dry mix
Mix well, then add the dates, chia seeds and mashed bananas and fold all together
Pour into a deep lined baking dish and pop in the oven for 45mins to one hour until golden brown on top
Allow to cool…
Enjoy with a cuppa

The Lockdown Larder Homemade Tinned Tomato Soup

Cheap, Isolation, lockdown, Lunch, Nourishing, Quick, Recipes, Soups/Stews, Store Cupboard

Remember the taste of the very popular branded canned soup from your childhood…well this is a close second!

Serves: 4

Prep: 5mins

Cook: 25mins

Ingredients: 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (drained weight 240g), 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, vegetable stock made with 300ml of boiling water, 2 tbsps of cream cheese, 1 tbsp of tomato puree and a little oil for frying.

Method:

1. Chop the onion and garlic and soften in a little oil for a few minutes

2. Add the tomatoes and stock, bring to the boil and then keep on a low simmer for 20mins

3. After 20mins add the cream cheese and puree and cook for a few minutes more until melted

4. Blitz in a food processor

5. Slurp and enjoy!

The Lockdown Larder Easter Baking Ideas

Baking, Easter, Food, Isolation, lockdown, Quaratine, Recipes, Store Cupboard, Sweets, Treats

Want to make some treats over the weekend but can’t leave the house as you’re on Lockdown and keeping those supermarket trips to a minimum? Then I have some ideas for the long weekend to keep you going.

What about Nan’s Jam Tart for starters? I used to love making this with my own Nan as a child and still make it with my daughter.

Who knew homemade pastry was so easy!

Nan’s Jam Tart

Serves: 6

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 30mins chill time/20 mins in the oven

Ingredients: 100g salted or unsalted butter, 200g self raising flour, 1 egg,

For the filling: jar of jam (your choice but I used one from the St. Dalfour range, as it has less sugar).

Method:

Mix the butter and flour into a breadcrumb like consistency, then add one egg to combine the mixture, make into a ball and leave in the fridge for 30mins
Pre-heat your oven to 180F
Roll out your pastry to the thickness of a pound coin
Grease a cake tin ( I used one with W20cm), place the pastry on top, gently pushing down, cutting off any excess which you can use for decoration,
Make a few fork marks across the base and now spread your jam all over
Bake in the oven for 20mins…
Eat hot or cold, served with custard, ice cream or just a nice cuppa!

Cookies are always good right? Try these easy recipes below and adapt additional ingredients to suit what you have in, don’t have dried apple then use other dried fruits such as raisins and dates, don’t have peanuts then use some other nuts instead as long as the quantities are right all will be well.

For recipes go to:

Easy Oaty, (with a little bit of dark chocolate), and Dried Apple Cookies

Inspired by Nigeria: Peanut Butter, Coconut and Banana Chip Crumbly Cookies

Back to School Lunch Box/After School Treat Ideas

And not forgetting the more recent Lockdown Larder Chocolate Flapjacks – just click the link The Lockdown Larder – Chocolate Flapjacks

Got some packets of jelly in the cupboard and some frozen berries in the freezer? Then make up a batch of fruit jelly for your inner child, just make up the jelly as per packet instructions and drop about a cup of frozen fruit in before popping in the fridge to set yummy!

Finally, want to do some savoury baking instead and finding it hard to get fresh bread, then my Chorizo Loaf could be the recipe for you: Inspired by Portugal – Chorizo Loaf

I hope some of these recipes help make Easter a little sweeter this weekend, please get in touch if you have any other suggestions or have had a go at making some of these recipes.

Stay Safe, Stay Home

The Lockdown Larder – Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo

Cheap, Easy, Food, Gluten Free, lockdown, Main Course, One Pot, Quaratine, Quick, Recipes, Rice Dishes

Want a tasty treat this evening without having to make an unnecessary visit to the supermarket? Then try this…my Friday Night Freezer Rice with Cheeky Chorizo, something that can be enjoyed by all the family!

Please note that this dish can easily be made to suit a vegan or veggie diet by omitting the chorizo and using veggie stock.

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 20mins

Ingredients: Thumb sized piece of chorizo, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of rice (long grain, basmati or risotto will work), three cups of frozen veg of your choice, I used sweetcorn, peas and butternut squash, 1 stock cube like chicken or vegetable, 2 tsp of harissa paste if you have, if not 1 tsp of tomato puree and 1 tsp of paprika, 1 tsp of dried oregano or dried thyme, a little oil for frying, jarred black olives and lemon slices to serve if you have.

Method:

Cut the chorizo, onion and garlic into small pieces and fry in a lidded pan with a little oil for a few minutes, until the onion is softened and has taken on some of the colour from the chorizo
Add your rice and give it a good stir, so that it is coated in all of the juices from the onion mix
Make up 1 stock cube with two cups of boiling water, (same cup you used to measure the rice)
Pour the stock into the pan and give it a good stir
Add you frozen veg and tomato puree or harissa paste with the dried herbs
Give another good stir, bring to the boil and then simmer lid on for 10mins
After 10mins the rice should be al dente, but if you prefer it softer, add 1/2 a cup of water and cook for a further 5mins lid on
Serve with a few olives and fresh lemon slices if you have
Dig in!

The Lockdown Larder Frozen Berry and Banana Smoothie

Breakfast, Brunch, Easy, Food, lockdown, Nourishing, Quaratine, Recipes

Good Morning All!

There’s no reason you can’t still have your morning smoothie during lockdown with this easy recipe.

Serves: 1 (for more just double the quantities)

Prep: 2 mins
Cook: 0 mins

Ingredients: 1/2 Frozen or fresh banana, handful of frozen berries like raspberries, cup of milk of your choice

Method:

Blitz all ingredients in a food processor
Drink and feel virtuous!

Remember Bananas can make excellent basis for smoothies especially when frozen, my tip would be to cut up ripe bananas and freeze in a freezable container and just add to smoothies and milkshakes when needed.