The ration challenge: day 7

I've done it!  7 days eating the same rations as are available to a Syrian refugee in a refugee camp.  Hats off to the people who put the packs together because I think it is nutritionally sound - albeit somewhat monotonous.  I'm sure that the Syrian families share and share about the extras they get to make their dinners more interesting - but this was an enlightening challenge to do.  Tonight I had dhal (basically boiled lentils - I had some garlic so added that, and stirred in some roasted red pepper at the end), rice, and a dollop of (earned) natural yoghurt.  I have been sponsored to the tune of £510+ which will go directly to providing life saving food, health care and education to these families who have been ripped from their homes through no fault of their own.  All strength to them.

The Ration Challenge: Day 5

 Day 5 or the Ration Challenge (eating for a week on the rations available for a Syrian refugee, for those who haven't seen my recent posts).  The diet really is quite monotonous - to get your calories in it is heavily rice biased.  Easy enough for a week - but it must get very boring week after week.  To make it more acceptable/realistic you get to earn teabags/a vegetable/a spice and some protein by getting certain levels of sponsorship - fortunately, due to the generosity of my sponsors I could add to my rations (for the week) 36 teabags, 1 pot natural yogurt, garlic and a roasted red pepper.

Eeking out the pepper and yogurt means that I could make lovely garlicky humous and soft flatbreads to go with my rice and spoonful of roasted red pepper.  It was tasty, too!.

Flour
salt
vegetable oil
yogurt
rice
chickpeas
yogurt
garlic
red pepper

1.  Make the flatbread dough by kneading together the flour, a pinch of sale, spoonful of yogurt, splash of oil and a couple of spoons of cold water.  Set aside.
2.  Cook the rice - fry briefly in oil, then simmer in water, with a pinch of salt.
3.  Make the humous by zizzing soaked, cooked chickpeas with a coarsely chopped clove of garlic, a spoonful of natural yogurt, a splosh of oil, a pinch of salt and a dash of water.
4.  Roll out and fry the flatbreads.
5.  Serve, with strips of red pepper, and scoff.
6.  Be thankful that this is for a week, not months on end!

The ration challenge: day 3: Flatbread, refried beans and red pepper, rice

Day 3 of the ration challenge.  This was actually the beginnings of a meal, instead of just rice and beans - as I added some red pepper (earned vegetable) and garlic (earned spice) - and made some flatbread.  It really was quite tasty.

Vegetable oil
rice
Garlic
Flour
salt
red kidney beans
roasted red pepper



1.  Fry some rice in a little oil until every grain is coated, then add water and simmer, with a pinch of salt.
2.  Make dough for flatbreads by mixing together flour,  a pinch of salt, a spoonful of oil and enough water to form a dough.  Kneed until it holds together and a dough.
3.  Squish red kidney beans with a fork, add crushed garlic and chopped roasted red pepper - fry gently, add a little water to make a sauce.
4.  Dry fry the flatbread.
5.  Serve, scoff.

The Ration Challenge

This week I am joining in with The Ration Challenge - which is an International charity event to show refugees that we are with them.  The deal is I eat like a Syrian refugee for a week - in the hope that I can raise some sponsorship money - which goes to those is desperate situations - towards food, health care and education.  To find out more about it - and to sponsor me, if you would like to follow this link https://my.rationchallenge.org.uk/sianlamberthttps://my.rationchallenge.org.uk/sianlambert
https://my.rationchallenge.org.uk/sianlamberthttps://my.rationchallenge.org.uk/sianlamberthttps://my.rationchallenge.org.uk/sianlambert

So far today I have had 2 cups of black tea and a bowl of rice.  I think the hardest this is going to be that its all quite dry!  Dinner is rice and some red kidney beans.

Great Gatsby night

 Here at KitchenFairies HQ we can sometimes be a bit daft.  Current daftness includes pairing dinner to a movie … then watching the movie.  Tonight was The Great Gatsby - so in honour of the excesses of the time .. we had champagne - spiced roast ham, salmon, roasted red onions in red wine, baby potatoes and tender stem broccoli.  Probably not what was served in the mansion, but we wanted a meal, not canapes … and there were enough bubbles to make the point!

Roast ham - about 20 minutes per 450g, at 180, plus another 20.  After an hour glaze with spiced apple jelly.  Leave to rest for 20 minutes.

Red onions - peel and chop into eight wedges - put in an oven dish with a splash of olive oil and about half a glass of red wine - bake for about an hour.

Place salmon fillets on sliced lemon, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Boil potatoes, steam broccoli on top.

Serve, scoff … enjoy the film … well, most of it, really quite depressing at the end!

Cauliflower cheese, gammon steak, mini roasties and a few peas

Feasts for a fiver - take 2!

There are a couple of provisos on this - if you get good quality gammon, you might not get that much - but enough for 4 people to have a decent piece.  The frozen peas don't come economically, in small bags - so I have assumed a smallish supermarket bag split into 4 meals (40p x 4), and the soya milk - half a litre.

Potatoes - 80p
Cauliflower - £1
Gammon £1.50
Cheddar £1.50
Soya milk - 33p
Frozen peas - 40p

Total £5.53

This is a tough challenge.  If you can afford to buy in bulk you can shave some pennies off here and there.  We are a veggie - meat eater household - so need protein on both sides - if it was veggie (ie. no gammon ...easy peasy ... if it was gammon - cauliflower without cheese - also easy peasy) ... so, I have exceeded the budget by 53p - and some bits from the larder (olive oil and cornflour).

1.  Chop potatoes into 2cm (ish) cubes, and toss in olive oil.  Roast for 1 hour.
2.  Separate cauliflower into florets and steam for 20 mins.
3.  Heat soya (or dairy) milk.  Grate cheese.
4.  Slake cornflour in a couple of tablespoons of water.  Stir into milk, with the grated cheese to make the sauce.
5.  When the cauliflower is cooked, put in an oven dish, cover with sauce and stick it in the oven with the potatoes.
5.  When the potatoes have been in for 40 mins, stir them around and stick the gammon steaks in the oven.
6.  At about the same time boil the peas.
7.  Serve, scoff ...

Roast vegetables, feta and salad

Feasts for a fiver?  Well, I'll see what I can do.

new potatoes (£1)
cauliflower (£1)
red pepper (55p)
spring onions (55p)
feta (£1.20)
mixed salad leaves (69p)

I had a couple of tomatoes in the fridge, so I chucked them in as well, but they're not necessary.

olive oil - drizzle

Total:  £4.99 + store cupboard

1.  Wash potatoes and toss in olive oil.  Roast at 180.
2.  Chop the cauliflower into florets, and the red pepper and spring onions into bite sized pieces.  Add to the potatoes after 20 minutes, mixing into the oil.  Roast for 40 minutes.
3.  Our salad is from the garden, but mixed leaves, or other salad ingredients would be fine.  Wash and dress with a little olive oil.
4.  Crumble feta onto vegetables, and return to the oven for 5 minutes.
5.  Serve, scoff.

Tuna pasta bake

It may not be an elegant dish - but it's quick, easy and tasty ... what more could you want?

Ingredients from Todmorden market - pasta (gluten free and regular), tuna and garlic from The Mediterranean Pantry, veg from Kevin outside and cheese from The Crumbly Cheese.

Pasta
Olive oil
Red onion
Garlic
Red pepper
Mushrooms
Courgette
Cherry tomatoes
Frozen peas
Tuna
Cheddar

1.  Boil the pasta according to packet instructions, until al dente.
2.  Sautee veg, chopped into smallish pieces, in olive oil, for about 10 minutes.
3.  Drain the pasta and the tuna, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Add a handful of frozen peas.  Splosh in a little olive oil if it looks too dry.
4.  Chop cheese into chunks and stir into the pasta mixture.
5.  Heap into an oven dish and bake for about 20 minutes.
6.  Serve, scoff

Keema mattar, aloo gobi, tarka dhal and basmati rice

Leftover roast lamb and a romp around the cupboards and the spice drawer … delicious curry tea.

Onions
Garlic
olive oil
Mustard seeds
Cumin seeds
Coriander seeds
urid dhal
turmeric
fennel seeds
chilli flakes
tikka masala mix
roast lamb
tomato puree
red lentils
potatoes
cauliflower
tomatoes
garam masala
basmati rice
frozen peas

1.  Mince 3 onions in a food processor and divide between 2 deep sautee pans - 1 for the lamb curry, 1 for the potato and cauliflower.  Sautee gently in olive oil, with crushed garlic.
2.  Mince leftover roast lamb in the food processor - add to the onions with a tablespoon of tikka masala spices.
3.  Boil lentils in plenty of water.
4.  Cook rice - I use the adsorption method 1 x rice, 2 x water, bring to the boil, slam the lid on and turn the heat right down.
5.  Into the other sautee pan add dry spices - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric, fenned seeds, coriander seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes, heat through until they release their aroma - them add chopped potatoes, florets of cauliflower, chopped tomatoes and a squidge of tomato puree.  Add a big mugful of water, stir, cover and leave to steam.
6.  Add some tomato puree to the lamb and stir, simmer, add a little water if necessary.
7.  Keep an eye on the lentils, add more water if needed and stir so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
8.  When the veg are soft it's pretty much done, just add a little garam masala to the mixture, to taste.
9.  Pop some frozen peas into the lamb mix, stir in.
10.  Serve, scoff …

Amazing what some leftovers and spices can do.

Roast leg of lamb for Easter Sunday lunch

Traditionalists that we are it was roast lamb with all the trimmings for lunch.  The lamb was a monster - from a local butcher who breed their own.  The potatoes were simply roasted, the leeks braised, the carrots roasted and the tenderstem broccoli steamed.  It was 3 hours from start to finish - but that's because of the size of the lamb!

Garlic
rosemary
Olive oil
Lamb
Potatoes
Carrots
Cumin seeds

Red wine
Leeks
Butter
White wine
Tenderstem broccoli
Cornflour

1.  Chop 3 cloves of garlic into slithers.  Stab the lamb all over and squish garlic into the meat.  Slather with a little olive oil, run over with salt.  In a roasting tray, lie the lamb onto a bed of rosemary and tip in a large glass of red wine and one of water.  Roast at 180-200 for quite a while!  (20 minutes per 500g + 20 minutes + 30 minutes resting time).
2.  Prepare the vegetables.  Peel potatoes, chop into roastie size and toss in olive oil.
3.  Top and tail carrots, scrub and put in roasting tin with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of cumin seeds.
4.  Chop leeks into rounds, wash, put in an oven dish with a small glass of white wine and a few knobs of butter.
5.  Cut the woody ends off the tenderstem broccoli and put in a steamer.

The hard work is now done - you just have to get the veg on in a suitable order and make the gravy.

6.  An hour and a half before ready to eat, bang in the potatoes.

7.  30 minutes later put in the carrots and the leeks, turn the potatoes over.

8.  30 minutes later, pull the lamb out, drain the juices for the gravy and cover to let it rest.

9.  10 minutes later, put the heat under the broccoli to steam it.

10.  Make the gravy using meat juices, slaked cornflour in water … possibly some more red wine and/or stock to taste.

11.  Serve, scoff 

There was LOADS … the leftover lamb became a lamb curry the following day.