Cheap and easy meatballs

The increase in food prices has been very noticeable with the recent cost of living crisis. I do slightly flinch every time I go to a food shop, seeing just how much more a lot of the foods I want to buy are than even a few months ago. This means that, like many other people are also doing, I am looking for ways to economise where I can. This generally means more of the cheap UK vegetables such as root vegetables and cabbage rather than anything more exotic, more vegetarian meals and the cheaper options for meat and fish. Where it comes to cheaper meat I would far rather go for a cheap cut of good quality meat with high animal welfare than a cheap premium cut that is poorer quality. I think pork is one of the best-value meats and is luckily a favourite with my husband. Pork mince is the cheapest mince I’ve found, and generally mince is a cheaper option than steaks or fillets, as well as being popular with my children as it is soft and easy to eat. Therefore I have been cooking with pork mince a lot more recently. Here I have made it into kebab seasoned meatballs and baked them with onion and apple which break down to form a sauce so you have meatballs, veg and sauce all in one pot to make an easy and economical midweek meal.

Cheap and easy meatballs

Cooking time: 35-45 minutes
Dietary info: dairy free, gluten free (see the tasty twists for vegan / vegetarian options)
Serves: 3

• 500g pork mince
• 1 egg
• 4 tsp shish kebab mix, or similar spice mix (see the tasty twists to make your own)
• 200-250g red onions, cut into wedges
• 300-350g cooking apple, cut into wedges
• 400ml water
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar

1. Mix the mince, egg and 2 tsp shish kebab mix together until the egg and spice is well incorporated then form into tbsp sized balls and place in a large casserole dish (or similar – any pot that can go in in the oven and on the hob).
2. Cook for about 8 minutes, turning half way through, until the outside is slightly browned.
3. Steam the red onion until it is soft (about 6-8 minutes).
4. Put the onion and apple wedges over the meatballs, sprinkle over the remaining 2 tsp shish kebab mix and pour in the water and cider vinegar.
5. Put in the oven and bake at 160C fan until the apple is soft and fluffy (about 20-30 minutes).
6. Give everything a good stir to break down some of the apple to form a sauce, but being careful not to break up the meatballs.
7. Remove the meatballs, onion and apple solids with a slotted spoon and serve with the remaining juice on the side as a gravy.

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A few tips to prep ahead:

• Make the meatball mixture and form into balls the day before then keep in the fridge until you are ready to cook them.
• Prepare the onion and apple mixture (including steaming the onion) and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• On the night, brown the meatballs, add the other ingredients, bake and serve.

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Some tasty little twists…

• Use different seasoning mixes depending on your preference and what is available e.g. ras el hanout, BBQ blend, Middle Eastern spice blends, Cajun seasoning etc.
  • I used a shish kebab blend from the Spicery which has a great selection of spice blends but you can make your own by mixing 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika, ½ tsp mixed spice and ½ tsp chilli powder.
• Make this vegetarian / vegan by using a vegetarian / vegan mince, and swapping the egg for a vegan egg substitute (e.g. aqua faba) if you want to make it vegan. These minces often don’t have the same texture as meat so you can help it stick together better by also mixing in about 1 tbsp cornflour to bind.
• Serve with couscous, rice, mashed potato (normal potatoes or sweet potato) or pitta breads (rice or potato are gluten free options) to make this more substantial.
  • You could also dice up some parsnips or sweet potato, steam for 4-5 minutes until just softening then bake in the same dish as the meatballs.
• Serve with steamed vegetables or a selection of roast vegetables to increase your vegetable intake – a mixture of diced aubergine, courgette and sweet peppers tossed lightly in olive oil and roast in the oven while you are cooking the meatballs would work well.

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Baby bites…

• This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby.
• Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning.
• For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page.

Teriyaki inspired baked tofu

I always think that spring starts in March as the weather starts to warm up and the daffodils poke their heads out to show off their beautiful sunny yellow flowers. However, the start of the month was pretty grey, dreary and bitingly cold. This last week winter seems to have eased its grip and I’ve enjoyed the bursts of milder weather and sunshine. To reflect this transition in the seasons I wanted to make something that was light and fresh like spring, but still warm and comforting as I don’t feel quite out of winter yet. Therefore I chose this dish, loosely inspired by teriyaki sauce, which contains plenty of fresh vegetables but coats them in sweet sauce and bakes them to caramelise them so that it still gives that warm, comforting feeling that I often go for in the winter. Teriyaki sauce is usually mainly made of sugar and soy sauce, which given I try to reduce salt in food for my son as he is still pretty little, and if I give my daughter refined sugar at dinner time I can safely bet that I will be watching her jump around and climbing on the furniture until very late at night, was a slightly challenging one to recreate for a family dinner. My version uses well cooked onions and dates for sweetness, garlic and ginger for depth and vinegar for tang. It may not be authentic but it was well received by my family so I wanted to share it.

Teriyaki inspired baked tofu

Cooking time: 40-50 minutes
Dietary info: vegan, gluten free
Serves: 3 (can stretch to 4 if served with generous noodles / rice)

• 450g tofu, cut into chunks
• 1 medium aubergine, cut into chunks
• 2-3 medium onions cut into wedges
• A neutral vegetable oil to spray / coat

Teriyaki inspired sauce

• 1 large or 2 medium onions, diced
• 300ml water
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 2 medium cloves garlic, grated
• 3-4 dates, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp white wine vinegar

1. Put the onion and water in a saucepan and cook until the onion is turning soft and sweet (about 10 minutes).
2. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to cook until the onion is very soft and the dates have started to break down (a further 10-15 minutes).
3. Blend the sauce to smooth.
4. Steam the aubergine and onion until soft then toss in enough sauce to coat along with the tofu chunks.
5. Spray with or toss the vegetable and tofu in a thin coating of oil, put in an ovenproof dish and bake at 160 C fan until the tofu is turning golden brown and crispy at the edges (15-20 minutes) then serve with the remaining sauce to drizzle over it.

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A few tips to prep ahead:

• Make the sauce and keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Wash and cut up the onions and aubergine and cut up the tofu and keep all in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• On the night steam the vegetables, toss everything in the sauce and oil then bake, heat the remaining sauce until hot all the way through (1.5-2 minutes in the microwave or 3-4 minutes in a pan) and serve.

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Some tasty little twists…

• Season the sauce to taste with soy sauce after blending it (omit if feeding to a baby) – just note that many soy sauces are not gluten free if you want to keep this gluten free.
• Swap the aubergine and / or onion for other vegetables of your choice cut into wedges or chunks e.g. shallots, squash, pumpkin, sweet potato, courgette, marrow, sweet peppers, cabbage (cut into chunky wedges), mushrooms, sweetcorn on the cob or carrots
• Serve with rice or noodles to make it more substantial. Rice is gluten free and vegan, and there are gluten free and/or vegan noodles available but you will have to check the packet of individual noodle types to make sure they are suitable for what you need.
• Use the sauce as a glaze for grilled or baked vegetables or meat e.g. fish, chicken, large flat mushrooms.
• Use the sauce as a stir fry sauce for a mixture of meat / fish / seafood / tofu, noodles and vegetables, such as beansprouts, shredded spring greens, sliced peppers, mushrooms, sugar snap peas, Asian greens etc.
• Use toasted sesame oil rather than a neutral vegetable oil for a deeper flavour.
• Sprinkle with chilli flakes for more of a kick, or top with finely sliced fresh chilli (you might want to be cautious if feeding this to children and try them on a little first – my daughter eats chilli by the spoonful but it makes my son cry).

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Baby bites…

• This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby
• Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
• For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Lower carb pizza

My daughter seems to be living off carbs, cheese and fruit at the moment. Given my husband has to restrict his carbs this means I often make a meal with different components (e.g. pasta, a protein rich sauce and some cheese) and the only thing they will eat in common is the cheese. As pizza is a huge hit with her I wanted to try to make a version that my husband could enjoy too so made this one with a soy flour base as soy flour is a lot lower in carbs. It doesn’t taste quite the same and is a bit denser than normal pizza but was tasty and enjoyable. As my husband loves sauces I have included two here – the tomato sauce for the topping and a creamy garlice sauce to drizzle over the top. The topping is my treat to myself as roast aubergine and cherry tomatoes are particular favourites of mine so there is something for everyone (my son is very unfussy and loves almost everything)/

Lower carb pizza

Cooking time: 1hr 45 – 2 hrs (includes 1 hr rising time for the dough)
Dietary info: vegan, gluten free (if you use a gluten free soy flour i.e. pure soy without gluten containing additions)
Serves: 2-3

Base

• 270g soy flour
• 2 tsp easy blend fast action dried yeast
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 180ml warm water

Tomato sauce

• 1 medium onion diced
• 600ml passata
• 300ml water
• 1 clove garlic grated
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp mixed herbs

Garlic sauce

• 1 medium onion diced
• 300ml almond milk
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic grated

Topping

• 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 medium aubergine, cut into chunks
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 tsp mixed herbs
• Water to cover the bottom of the dish
• Mozzarella (dairy or vegan), cut into slices

1. To make the dough combine the flour, yeast and pepper in a large bowl
2. Beat together the water, oil, lemon zest and grated garlic then stir into the dry ingredients and knead for a few minutes to form a springy dough
3. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for an hour, until roughly doubled in size
4. To make the topping put all of the topping ingredients until an oven proof dish and bake at 160C fan until the aubergine is silky soft (about 20-25 minutes)
5. To make the tomato sauce put all of the ingredients into a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, into thick and rich (about 20 minutes) adding more water if it gets too thick
6. Divide the dough into the number of pizzas you want to make and roll each piece out on baking tray into a rough circle or square, about 3-5mm thick
7. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on top of the dough then scatter over the roast vegetable mix and mozzarella
8. Bake for 12-17 minutes at 160C fan until the cheese on the top is golden brown and the crust slightly crispy at the edges
9. To make the garlic sauce put the onion and garlic in a saucepan with enough water to stop it sticking and cook until the onion is starting to get soft and sweet (5-8 minutes)
10. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until the flavours have combined (about 6-10 minutes)
11. Serve the pizza with any leftover tomato sauce and the garlic sauce to drizzle over it

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A few tips to prep ahead:

• Make the sauces and keep in sealed containers in the fridge for up to 3 days
• You can make the dough the night before and keep in the fridge overnight. However, this won’t rise as well as dough made on the day and left to rise in warm place
• On the night, assemble and cook the pizzas then heat through the sauces until hot all the way through and serve.

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Some tasty little twists…

• Use normal flour rather than soy flour for a normal, higher carb version.
• Vary the topping to suit your preferences e.g. add sliced peppers or courgette to the vegetables mix or throw in some diced chorizo or other sausage or olives, or try different types of cheese (dairy or vegan)
• Serve the roast vegetable tossed with lettuce, topped with cheese (diary or vegan), drizzled with the sauces and the dough done as dough sticks, rather than a base, served on the side as a variation.
• If you have children they might want to help put the toppings on and you can make fun patterns, like faces or their name, on the top which might increase the appeal if you have a fussy eater.
• You can also do a very quick pizza base by using a pitta bread or an English muffins sliced in half and lightly toasted, which is useful if you are feeding some people who want the soy version and some who don’t.

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Baby bites…

• This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby
• Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
• For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page

Carrot and orange butter beans

I have always thought that the relationship in the nursery rhyme “Jack Sprat” (something along the lines of “Jack Sprat would eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean, so between the two of them they licked the platter clean”) showed a lot of promise for one that would work out long term. Finding other people that complement our preferences is very useful and makes life easier. For example, my husband and I tend to have very different preferences where it comes to household chores so we both feel like we are getting the best deal with the way that they are divided up between us. This can also apply to friends, and a very practical case of this is that my daughters best friend’s family and we both get a vegetable box delivered. During the winter potatoes and carrots feature heavily in these. No-one in our house is very keen on potatoes and in their house no-one much likes carrots. Therefore we usually exchange these products and everyone is happy. This does mean that we often end up with rather generous quantities of carrots so I am always looking for new things to cook with them. This butterbean stew was inspired by warming winter spices found in a lot of Christmas baking which I found rather cheering in the cold and dark of the last bit of winter. The carrot also adds a pleasant sweetness, with the orange giving both sweetness and tang to make a spiced sweet and sour whole.

Carrot and orange butter beans

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Dietary info: vegan, gluten free
Serves: 2-3

• 1 can butterbeans (235g drained weight), or 100g dried butterbeans soaked and cooked according to the packet instructions
• 2 medium onions cut into thin wedges
• 1 medium orange, peeled, roughly chopped
• 350g carrots, peeled and cut into thick half moons
• 500ml water plus extra as it cooks if needed
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ½ tsp ground mixed spice
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1. Put the onion in a saucepan with enough water to stop it sticking and cook for about 5 minutes until it starts to soften.
2. Add the carrots, butterbeans, orange, water, ginger, mixed spice and cinnamon and bring to a gentle simmer
3. Cook, covered, until the carrots are just tender (about 7-10 minutes), adding more water if it starts to get dry, then stir in the white wine vinegar and cook, uncovered for a further 3-4 minutes to allow the flavours to develop, and serve.

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A few tips to prep ahead:

• This can be made up to the point of stirring in the vinegar (no need to cook at all after that) then keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• On the night heat until hot all the way through in the microwave (3-4 minutes), a saucepan on the stove (4-5 minutes) or in a dish in the oven (6-8 minutes) then serve.

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Some tasty little twists…

• If you have any satsumas / tangerines / easy peelers etc. that have got a bit old and dry you can chop them up and add along with the orange for extra citrus flavour.
• Add ½ – 1 tsp chilli powder or paprika for a bit of a kick.
• Serve with mashed sweet potato, rice, quinoa (all gluten free) or couscous (not gluten free) to make it more substantial
• You can also serve with sweet potato biscuits to make this more fun for children – use my recipe for rudolph toddler biscuits but omit the carob powder (and berry decorations) and use whatever cookie cutters your children like.
  • Making the biscuits can be a fun activity to do together – my children love rolling out and cutting out the dough and tend to be more excited about eating things they have made themselves.
• Serve with a salad, steamed vegetables or roast butternut squash on the side to increase your vegetable intake.
  • To roast the butternut squash cut into half or quarters and scoop out the seeds.
  • If you have plenty of time place the pieces of squash in a roasting tin with about 1cm of water at the bottom and put in the oven.
  • Roast at 180C fan for 30 minutes then turn down to 160C fan and continue to cook for another 30-60 minutes until the squash is very soft to the touch and caramelised on the outside.
  • If you are shorter on time steam or microwave the pieces of squash until they are soft to the touch (10-15 minutes) then roast in the oven at 180C fan until caramalised on the outside (about 20 minutes).

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Baby bites…

• This recipe is already low salt so no need to adapt for a baby
• Chop, mash or puree to suit your baby’s preferences and stage of weaning
• For further guidance on feeding a baby see my baby bites page