I honestly don't know how I used to spend $40 week on fruit and veg. This was just over $20 at my local farm fresh supplier.
When I arrived home with the groceries on Friday night I decided to make another dahl from my leftover vegetables, and then utilise it in my menu plan to make five separate dishes which I will post the recipes for next week. This will save me time in food preparation, and I found it quite a versatile base when I made it last time. Here is the dahl-based menu plan:
Menu Plan
Monday - Chicken Curry with Rice
Tuesday - Mexican Chilli with Corn Chips and Cheese
Wednesday - Beef and Cheese Burritos with Salsa and Sour Cream
Thursday - Shepherds Pie and Vegetables
Friday - Beef Casserole with Mashed Potato and Vegetables
Saturday - Lasagne with Salad
Sunday - Fishermans Basket with Chips and Salad
My Crockpot Dahl
Fill one third of your crockpot with leftover vegetables. I had broccoli, pumpkin, potato, carrot, an onion, button squash, some bok choi and spinach leaves, and a couple of over-ripe tomatoes.
To this add a large tin of chopped tomatoes, two cups of lentils or dried soup mix, and herbs and spices - garlic, indian curry powder, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper and coriander. You can use any spices you prefer. I wanted a spicy dahl but not too hot because I don't want to overpower my dishes. I used about a desertspoon of each spice.
Then add water to the fill line and mix. Cook on low overnight or for approx 6-8 hrs. This is the end result.
It doesn't look beautiful but tastes delicious just as it is. I have a large crockpot so it filled four one litre containers:
All ready to go. I have placed two in the freezer and two in the fridge. Not sure how much I will need for each recipe but two containers may be enough.
Chicken Avocado Carbonara
This was Paul's favourite dish of the week. My kids don't like avocado so I prepared a carbonara and dished theirs up before adding the avocado. Two variations of the same dish. Theirs was served with pasta:
It's hard to see the cream sauce in the photo. If you have never made chicken carbonara before, you will find that it is a quick and easy meal to prepare after work. You will need (Serves 4-5):
500-700g chicken breast, chopped
Pasta - fettucine or penne work best
4-5 rashers of short cut bacon
Small tub of light cream
Parmesan Cheese
Cornflower and a small amount of water
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Oil
Boil water and add pasta. Chop garlic and bacon finely and fry in a pan with a dash of olive oil.
You only want to cook the bacon gently, not until it is crispy. Remove from the pan and fry the chicken until almost cooked.
Mix cornflour and water, add to cream and stir. Add the bacon and cornflour cream to the chicken and cook until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked and tender.
Pour over pasta and combine. Top with parmesan cheese. For the avocado variation, add the avocado with the bacon and cream mixture. It will cook and soften and add a slightly green tinge to your sauce. Yummy!
There you have it, a recap of my grocery spend, a plan of attack for this week, and last week's most popular dish.
What are you having for dinner tonight?
Linking up with Becci's Domestic Bliss.
