Steak tacos with all the fixings + Kale & White Bean Soup
Tasty dinners that won't break the bank
Hello, Foodie Friends!! Welcome to our weekly Substack newsletter! Jane and I wanted to tackle some ideas to help you navigate dinner without breaking the bank, especially with rising grocery costs. Today we’re sharing 2 tasty dinners (for all our subscribers!) + 2 bonus recipes for our paid subscribers.
News from UK side of the Pond
Torrential rain here has meant that I have barely set foot outside of my door since we last chatted. I am now officially at “hermit” status. I can’t even force the dogs out of the door, they just look at me as if to say “hey if you’re not going there, neither are we!”
A lot of cleaning, a lot of recipe creation and a few films watched on T.V. have been filling my time…. and of course, my Saturday evenings are now out of bounds, as STICTLY IS BACK! (Dancing with the Stars - US side of the Pond). It’s their 20th birthday this year and I have never missed an episode. Indeed, I used to watch the original Strictly pre it’s reincarnation. Sitting on the carpet in front of our family telly, daydreaming. I love all things dance, sadly zero talent myself!!!
I usually treat myself to something special to eat, a “lap supper” and this week I went Mexican - one of my favourite cuisines. You cannot beat a great guacamole! I also think that you can create a fantastic spread in a really cost efficient way.
My “Great Meal” check list:
Cost efficient
Quick and fun to prepare
No waste
As little washing up (or loading of the dishwasher) as possible
And the most important of all - delicious to eat!
My second recipe this week is Smoked Paprika Chicken Tray bake and I think this recipe also ticks all of the boxes!
News from the US Side of the Pond
With Lexie off at college, the one good thing is our grocery bill will be much, much lower. It’s so funny how prices differ depending on where you live. Our son was telling us about this great new (to him) olive oil he’s been buying that’s only $8. After a little research, I found the same bottle here for $15. Does this mean I’ll be moving to rural Colorado…….tempting, but no.
Even though I’m shopping for two, and are bills are definitely a bit lower, grocery store trips are spendy. So I’ll be playing a lovely little game I like to call “how long can I stretch out the food in my pantry and fridge until I need to go to the store.” Now, I fully realize this game is much easier feeding just my husband and I. But I’ve played this game for years, even when both kids were living at home, and consider myself pretty darn good at it.
Here are some ways I spread out grocery trips and make budget friendly dinners:
Save all my vegetable scraps to make homemade vegetable broth. That broth is then used to make soups, stews, couscous, farro and quinoa.
Ingredients that will spoil the quickest, get cooked the earliest. Berries get turned into muffins (or frozen to use later). Zucchini, squash, cucumber, tomatoes, kale, Swiss chard and greens aren’t as hearty or long lasting as carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, so I use them first.
Leftover scraps of vegetables are turned into soup or stews, or cooked and then pureed to make spaghetti sauce.
Leftover bits of cheese make excellent additions to bechamel sauces and baked mac ‘n cheese.
Canned beans and canned tomatoes are excellent staples — from hummus to soup to stew to chili to pasta sauce. They’re versatile and really reasonably priced.
If I can, I buy spices in bulk or I’ll buy a spice mix (especially if I won’t use the individual spices)
Freeze herbs — fresh herbs go bad so quickly! I love to grow my own, but if I need to buy I’ll chop and freeze. You can add them to silicon ice cube trays with a little bit of chicken or veggie broth, and then pop one out when you need to use it.
It’s too funny that while Jane’s watching Strictly Ballroom, I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars! It’s such a fun, silly show and a great escape! I have a couple of favorites……so we’ll see how far they go! My husband and I also starting watching the latest season of Slow Horses and it’s SO GOOD!!! Are you watching?
RECIPES
FROM JANE: Steak Tacos: Mexican Inspired Pic’ n Mix Supper
You may have one eyebrow slightly higher than the other right now. You don’t often see the word steak next to affordable but there is only one steak in this recipe. Depending upon how greedy your guests/family are it should stretch to three or four tacos as it will be sliced “super thin”.
I used a 250g rump steak, but truly you could use, sirloin, fillet…. if you have a rogue steak in the freezer, use that! I was after an organic steak, so my choice was limited.
I have made life simpler for myself and didn’t make the tortillas. I bought them along with the seasoning for the steak. I find that I end up with so many spices in my drawer, that sometimes it is worth swallowing pride and buying a pre-blended mix. It will ultimately save time, money, and space!
I used a heaped teaspoon full of “Spice Cartel” Mexican City Tacos - blend No 7. Depending on your taste, you could easily use more or follow package directions.
Spice Cartel Taco Seasoning - Ingredients: Salt, paprika, cumin, amchoor, coriander, chilli and oregano
AND, GOOD NEWS …. IT’S ON OFFER AT THE MOMENT!
I used the same seasoning on a portobello mushroom and thinly sliced it for a vegetarian alternative. Delicious with refried beans!
For the Steak:
250g rump steak
1 heaping teaspoon of taco seasoning
Rub steak with taco seasoning, cook on a grill or in a cast iron skillet until medium rare. Then slice into thin strips.
Serve with….
Tortilla - soft or hard, corn or flour all work. And if you’re in the US Siete Tortillas are a wonderful gluten-free option.
Guacamole
Refried Beans (topped with crumbled cheese)
Pink Pickled Onions
Soured Cream
Plenty of fresh coriander (cilantro)
Pink Pickled Onions
There are lots of varieties of this recipe available for pink pickled onions. This is a nice and simple one, that makes plenty so you have will some to use for other meals. I love the crunch in texture. You can add chilli if you are real heat junky.
Ingredients:
3 x red onions
70ml /5 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 lime - juiced
1/2 orange - juiced
Sea salt flakes
Instructions:
Peel the red onions and slice them as thinly as you can. Pop them into a heat proof bowl.
Boil some water and pour over the onions. Set to one side for ten minutes and then drain off the water.
Pop the onions into a clean jar, pour over the two juices, the cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. Pop the top onto the jar and give the jar a shake. Set to one side for 4 hours to infuse.
Store in the fridge.
Refried Beans
When Lisa visited the UK last year, we met up in London and I was chuffed to take her to Wahaca on the Embankment. One of my favourite places to go!!!
This recipe for refried beans comes from the Wahaca “Mexican Food at Home” cookbook. If you would like to more about this small (but growing) restaurant chain, I’ve included the link below.
Ingredients:
600g/1lb tinned black beans drained (you can used dried beans, but I hae taken the easy route).
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 tablespoon chopped coriander/cilantro including the stalks
1 medium onions - finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g / 2oz at least of lard, butter or olive oil.
To finish Knob of butter and crumbled Lancashire or Cheshire cheese
Instructions:
Put the cooked beans into a blender and whiz to a smooth paste. Loosen with some water if needed.
Heat the fat in a heavy bottomed pan and when gently foaming, add the chopped onion and season well with salt and pepper. Sweat the onions until soft. Add the chopped garlic and cook for a further few minutes. Add the pureed beans to the onion and cook on a low heat for a further ten minutes, stirring continuously adding more liquid if needed.
The end result should be a smooth puree that falls from a wooden spoon. Check the seasoning as the beans will need quite a bit.
When ready to serve, stir in the knob of butter to make the beans shine. Scatter with crumbled cheese and chopped coriander leaf
Foodie Note: You can absolutely use dried beans, and this certainly used to be way more economical! I haven’t worked out the cost of preparing and cooking the beans now the energy costs have increased so significantly. I have a sneaky feeling that there isn’t much in it any more. Anybody out there have a view on this?
Guacamole
I think the secret to a great Guacamole is the ripeness of the avocado. It has to be that wonderful creamy texture, that when you halve the avocado, the flesh will squeeze out and have an unctuous “come get me” texture. Rock hard avocados are simply not going to cut the mustard.
I get through gallons of the stuff so tend to make a lot and, hands up, I don’t tend to follow a recipe. It’s a bit like driving a car - it just comes automatically.
I’ve pulled it back to two avocados for you as that’s how they usually are packaged.
Ingredients:
2 x ripe avocados
1 x jalapeno green chill - deseeded and finely chopped
6 ripe cherry tomatoes, cut into 8 (tiny)
1/2 red onion, skin removed and cut up finely
Sea salt
1 lime - juiced
1 x handful of coriander leaf, chopped
Instructions:
Halve the avocados and remove the stone, squeeze the flesh from the skins into a bowl and mash down with the back of the prongs of a fork. Now add all of the other ingredients (saving a little of the coriander leaf to sprinkle over the top) and combine. Check for seasoning.
For me the ingredient that really elevates guacamole is the lime - so if there isn’t much juice in the lime you have used, I would reach for another and it will also help to stop the avocado discolouring.
FROM LISA: KALE AND WHITE BEAN SOUP
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 ounces Spanish chorizo, casing removed if needed, thinly sliced
1 small bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 14.5 oz can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
Kosher salt, fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Instructions
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften then add the garlic and continue sautéing until the garlic becomes fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the chorizo and cook until the chorizo is golden, about 6–8 minutes. Then add kale, turmeric, curry powder and chili flakes and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add beans and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until flavors meld, 15–20 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Divide soup among bowls, sprinkle with parsley. I like to serve the soup with lemon wedges alongside to squeeze over the soup and add a touch of acidity.
Thus ends the free portion of today’s newsletter. If you’d like to get access to 2 additional incredibly tasty budget friendly dinners, join our paid subscribers!
Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, thanks so much for being here! Have a fabulous weekend and we’ll see you next Friday for our October Seasonal Newsletter — it’s going to be overflowing with everything that’s in season in October!
xo
Lisa and Jane
Two More Recipes
Smoked Paprika Chicken Tray Bake
The Best Ever Sloppy Joe’s
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