Slow Days - Warmed Up - Low Cal - Low Budget
Since we are all indoors for the duration of the COVID-19 curve flattening, I have been trying to make sure I am eating well and have enough good healthy food in the fridge or freezer. Its a bad time for a lot of folks who are finding it difficult to source ingredients or eat well on low budgets, so I thought I'd share a couple of my current slow cooker recipes..
Plant Based Quorn, Carrot, Radish and Lentil Soup
This one is super easy and makes 6 servings (217 calories each), so plenty to eat and more to freeze.
If you have a slow cooker - follow the recipe as noted, but if cooking on a stove, just use a medium heat to start, then turn down low and stir occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom.
Ingredients
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
1 tablespoon All Purpose Seasoning
1 tablespoon Caribbean Hot Curry Powder
1 tablespoon Mixed Herbs
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
100g Red Lentils (pre-soaked in boiled water)
50g Puy Green Lentils
100g Onion - Red or Brown chopped coarsely
500g Carrots chopped into big chunks
200g Radish sliced
1 litre Boiling Water
1 packet (300g) Quorn Chicken Style Pieces (frozen)
Cooking Instructions
- Put the slow cooker onto the high setting and add the olive oil, Onion and Radish, stir occasionally and cook until the onions soften.
- Add the Carrots, hot water, all herbs and spices, vegetable stock cube and Red Lentils.
- Cook on high setting for 1 hour.
- Add the Green Lentils and Quorn pieces and cook for another hour on hot, or leave overnight on the low setting.
- Serve to eat immediately or set aside in tubs for freezing once cooled down
Turmeric Chicken Stew
Another super easy recipe that makes 5 servings at 179 calories each. As with before this is written for a slow cooker, but it's just as easy on the stove. I used veg bought from a £1 supermarket stew pack but really you can put more or less of any of the root vegetables listed.
Ingredients
1 Vegetable Stock Cube
1 heaped teaspoon All Purpose Seasoning
4 teaspoons, Mixed Dried Herbs
6 teaspoons Ground Turmeric powder
1 small Swede coarsely chopped
1 medium Parsnip coarsely chopped
4 small Carrots sliced
1 medium Onion diced chunky
400g Chicken Breasts / Thigh Meat diced
1 litre Boiled Water
Cooking Instructions
- Put the slow cooker onto the high setting and add the Chicken meat and onion, stirring occasionally until the meat is cooked and the onions are soft.
- Add all remaining vegetables, herbs, stock, turmeric and water.
- Cook for 2-3 hours on high, or turn low and leave to cook overnight.
- Serve to eat immediately or set aside in tubs for freezing once cooled down.
