FeastforFamine

Inspired by Portugal – A Kinda’ Caldo Verde

Autumn, Autumnal Recipes, Cheap, Comforting, Dairy Free, Easy, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Recipes, Soups/Stews

I tried Caldo Verde recently in Portugal and it, is delicious as it is simple.

Have a look at the recipe below on my own take on this Portuguese comfort food, perfect for autumn.

Serves: 4
Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 2 pints of chicken stock, 1 large potato, 1 large courgette, 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 a ring of chorizo (I used turkey chorizo for this recipe as it’s a little healthier), tin of chickpeas rinsed and drained, good handful of spinach, a little oil and salt and pepper.

Method:

Start by gently frying one diced onion and garlic in a little oil to soften
Cube both the potato and courgette and add to the onion and garlic
Pour over the chicken stock and bring to boil
Simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the potato is soft and blitz all in a food processor to make a lovely soup base
Cut the chorizo into smallish chunks and dry fry in a pan for a few minutes to brown and remove any fat
Place the soup base back on a low heat and add the chopped chorizo, spinach and chickpeas for a further 15 minutes until all flavours have melted into this soup
Add seasoning and enjoy!

I also came across this lovely article recently on all things Caldo Verde!

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/mar/10/how-to-make-the-perfect-caldo-verde-recipe-felicity-cloake

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

Inspired by Thailand – Vegan Mushroom, Peanut, Beansprouts and Lime Lettuce Cups

Dairy Free, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Healthy Food!, Quick, Recipes, Starters, Vegan

*Looking for some easy healthy entertaining ideas for the weekend? Then try these super easy, super tasty Thai inspired Vegan cups.*

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Pack of mushrooms (chestnut, button etc are fine), 2 garlic cloves, 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, 1 whole lime, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, handful of natural peanuts, bag of beansprouts, 1 head of iceberg lettuce carefully separated into individual leafs,1 small red onion and bunch of coriander to serve.

Method:

1.Start by thinly chopping a packet of mushrooms then cooking on a low heat in a little oil to remove all the excess water

2.Remove from the pan and set aside

3. Add a little more oil and gently fry some garlic and ginger for a few minutes, add your mushrooms back to the pan with the juice of a whole lime, soy sauce, a good handful of peanuts and the beansprouts

4. Mix well and warm through (don’t over cook though as you want to keep the peanut crunch)

5. Serve with lettuce cups, shredded red onion and coriander

Enjoy!

Date, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Flapjacks

Baking, Cheap, Children, chocolate, Comforting, Dairy Free, Easy, Food, plastic free, Quick, Recipes, Snacks, Store Cupboard, Sweets, Vegan

Treat yourself to a yummy tea break this week with these moreish little bites...with just a little hint of that naughty snickers bar taste! Can be made using vegan alternatives too... — Treat yourself to a yummy tea break this week with these moreish little bites…with just a little hint of that naughty snickers bar taste!

Makes: 12 squares

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 30mins

Ingredients: 300g porridge oats, 150g of butter (or vegan alternative), 150g of golden syrup, 135g of brown sugar, 80g of pitted chopped dates, 2 tbsps. of peanut butter, 50g of dark salted chocolate (or vegan alternative).

Method:

Preheat oven to 150°C fan
Weigh out your butter, sugar and golden syrup and melt gently in a pan until runny and all ingredient combined
Pour the wet ingredients over your oats and dates and mix well until the oats are completely coated in the buttery mixture
Swirl in your peanut butter and pour into a lined baking tray so that the flapjack mixture lays an inch thick
Pop in the oven for 30mins
Allow to cool
Melt your chocolate and drizzle over the flapjacks, leave to set or cut into 12 squares and eat straight away…
Enjoy!

Salada Tres De Legumes

BBQ, buffet, Cheap, Easy, Easy Entertaining, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, plastic free, Quick, Recipes, Salads, Side dish, Vegetarian

I can’t stop eating this! So fresh tasting and so easy to make…great as part of a salad spread or a BBQ accompaniment.

Serves: 4 as a side dish

Prep: 5mins

Ingredients:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas, 1 cup of cooked bread beans, 1 cup of cooked frozen peas, 1/2 block of feta crumbled, 1/2 red onion thinly sliced, juice of half a lemon, 1 red chilli sliced, 1 tsp. of dried oregano, mil of black pepper…

Method:

Combine all your ingredients, mix well…EAT!

Sausage Rice

Cheap, Children, Dairy Free, Easy, Eggs, Food, Main Course, One Pot, Quick, Recipes, Store Cupboard

Try out this easy recipe for mid-week inspiration! Uses mostly store cupboards and freezer ingredients too.

Serves: 4 (with maybe some leftovers)

Cook: 30mins

Prep: 20mins

Ingredients: 1 cup of cooked white rice (basmati or long grain is fine), 1 can of beans or your choice such as chickpea, pinto etc, 1 cup of frozen peas, 2 – 4 (depending on how many you want), decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, decent sized sausages of your choice these can of course be veggie, 4 eggs, small bunch of chives or spring onions (keeping a little back for garnish), 1 clove of garlic, 1 veggie or chicken stock cube, splash of oil.

Method:

Cook your rice as per instructions and set aside
Meanwhile boil your eggs for 10mins and leave to cool
Cut your sausages into slices and fry on a medium heat with a little oil in a large pan with the garlic until browned
Mix in the chopped chives or spring onions and stir quickly
Crumble over your stock cube and add your frozen peas and beans with a little water and mix well
Add your rice and stir, so that the rice is coated in all the lovely flavours
Peel and slice your eggs and use to top the rice with the remaining chives or spring onions
Dig in!

Thursday’s Chicken Teriyaki

Asian Flavours, Chicken Dishes, Children, Dairy Free, Easy, Food, Healthy Food!, Lunch, Main Course, One Pot, Recipes

Mid-week sorted with my oven cooked Chicken Teriyaki, so quick to make and low fat too as cooking straight in the oven so no need to fry first…

Serves: 4

Prep: 10mins
Cook: 1h 30mins

Ingredients: 3 skinless chicken breasts, 1 large green pepper, cup of orange juice, 3 tbsps. shop bought Teriyaki sauce (I used Clearspring), 2 tbsps. runny honey, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbps. of flour, handful of cashew nuts and fluffy white rice to serve.

Method:

Preheat oven to 150CFan
Get an oven proof lidded dish/pan ready
Assemble all of your ingredients except the cashew nuts and chop the chicken and pepper into bite sized pieces and add to the pan
Thinly slice your garlic and mix with the chicken and peppers
Whisked together the orange juice, honey and Teriyaki sauce and pour over the chicken
Pop in the oven lid on and cook for 1h and 15mins
After this time take the lid off and sprinkle over 1 tbsp. of flour, mix well, add your cashews and pop back in the oven, lid on for 15mins
Once ready serve with fluffy white rice and enjoy!

As a three person household we had enough leftovers for a little ones lunch box too. I just let the rice and chicken cool, steamed some broccoli and mixed together with some of the sauce, topped with slices cucumber for a little Teriyaki rice salad lunchbox – yummy!

Japanese Lunch Pancakes

Asian Flavours, Cheap, Children, Easy, Eggs, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, lockdown, Lunch, Nourishing, plastic free, Quick, Recipes

Makes: 12 slices

Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 -15 mins

Ingredients: 6 eggs, 4 florets of brocolli thinly sliced, handful of watercress, 1 heaped tbsp. of rice flour, 2 tsps. soya sauce, 1 garlic clove thinly sliced, 1 chopped chilli, 1/2 tsp. of dried ginger, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 tbsp. of oil for cooking

Optional Sauce: 2 tbsps. of tomato sauce, 1 tsp. of runny honey, 2 tsps. of Worcestershire sauce mixed together,
salad cream, seasame seeds.

Method

Beat your eggs, then add the rice flour and baking powder and mix again
Add the garlic, ginger and chilli mix well then stir in all your veg
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add your egg mixture
Cook for 10 minutes or more on a medium heat until the pancake is set
Slide off onto a large plate and drizzle over sauce and sesame seeds if using
Cut into 12 slices and enjoy!

FYI You can substitue the veg for whatever you have in, peppers, sweetcorn, spinach, cauliflower etc.

Easy Oat Gluten Free and Dairy Free Cookies

Recipes

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta

Autumn, Comforting, Dairy Free, Easy, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, Lunch, Main Course, Nourishing, plastic free, Recipes, Vegetarian

Need something that’s quick, healthy and delicious too this week? Then give this Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Delicious Creamy Broccoli and Walnut Pasta a try…great for kids too!

Serves: 2

Cook: 10mins
Prep: Less than 5 minutes

Ingredients: 120g of Pasta of your choice, (I used gluten free spaghetti), half a head of broccoli, handful of walnuts, squeeze of lemon juice, 3 tbps. of soya cream, 1 tbsps of olive oil, salt and pepper.

Method:

Cook your pasta as per packet instructions
While this is cooking cut your broccoli up into florets and boil for around 6mins
Drain the broccoli and add to a food processor with the rest of the sauce ingredients and blend to a thick sauce like consistency, if you prefer more liquid add some more olive oil
Drain your pasta and mix in the broccoli and walnut sauce
Add more seasoning if you wish and enjoy!

Weekend Treat – Rice Flour Pancakes with your Choice of Toppings

Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy Free, Easy, Gluten Free, Healthy Food!, Recipes

Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Sugar Free

So glad I have created this recipes as pancakes are a real weekend treat in our household, I was a bit dubious at first, thinking that the pancakes wouldn’t be as fluffy as they are when using normal flour, but this recipe worked a treat! It was really good to make the mixture of Friday night too, so that it was ready for a lazy morning breakfast. These pancakes are also gluten free, sugar free and dairy free so feels like an even better start to the weekend!

Ingredients: 3 large eggs eggs, 1 cup of rice flour, 1/2 cup of Oat milk 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tsp of baking powder, pinch of salt, oil of your choice for frying.

Method:

Combine all you wet ingredients and mix well
Add slowly to the rice flour, baking powder, salt and mix well, so that there aren’t any lumps
Leave overnight in the fridge
When ready to cook, give the mixture another really good stir
Heat some oil in a pan and start to cook your pancakes in batches, using a 1 tbsp. to measure out each pancake
Cook on each side for 2 -3 minutes
Once cooked top with your favourites pancake topping, chocolate sauce and banana works, blueberries and honey or in my case, poached egg, pancetta, spinach and black pepper yummy!