Food: Herbalicious

Uh huh. Herbalicious....like Bootylicious but with herbs, no?

Anyhow, I digress. On Friday, I wrote about how one of my Resolutions for 2015 was to Waste Less Food. And as a result - save £££.

How many half-used packets of Fresh Herbs do you throw away? I'll bear my shame, I chuck them out of the veg drawer more often than I like to admit. As I did my Fridge Scan yesterday I noticed that I had half a packet of Fresh Thyme and the same of Parsley that were starting to look a little sorry for themselves. Instead of turning a blind eye, I resolved to try and do something with them.

A quick Google search later and I found that one of the easiest ways to preserve your herbs is to freeze them, in an ice cube tray with either water, butter or olive oil.

Firstly you need to prep your Herbs. Wash 'em and get them off those stalks and ready to use. I thought this would take FOREVER. I was wrong, just over 5 minutes later and my herbs were ready to rock and roll.

Take an ice-cube tray, and fill each "cube" 2/3rds full with your herbs.

Top up the rest with your liquid of choice. For the Thyme I chose Olive Oil.

And for the Parsley I chose water.

I left them in the freezer over night then popped out my little flavour cubes this morning.

Such sweet satisfaction. I can't wait to add these to soups, risotto's etc. I alway use the "absorption method" when cooking rice and quinoa so these will help add a little fresh herby flavour kick to those grains.

All for the price of something I was going to throw in the bin, and 5 mins work. Boom.

Food: Spinach and Feta Pie with Sweet Potato Crust (Wheat & Gluten Free, Budget Friendly)

New Years Resolution #3 - Reduce Food Waste.....

With that in mind I had a good rummage in the Fridge and Freezer this morning to see what needed to be eaten. I came across nine Sweet Potatoes, half a bag (500g) of Frozen Spinach with an expiration date of Dec'14 (but y'know YOLO and all that jazz) and two thirds of a pack of Feta Cheese that had been open a few days.

A quick Pinterest search later and I came across the following recipe.

http://www.fourteenforty365.com/2014/04/weekend-meal-prep.html?m=1

I adapted it to suit what I had around, and shortly after the following recipe was born.

Spinach and Feta Pie with Sweet Potato Crust

2 x Sweet Potatoes 38p (19p each - so much cheaper if you buy them in a big net, and they last ages)

Coconut Oil (Or Olive Oil) 20p

1/2 Large Onion 16p

1 Garlic Clove 2p

500g Frozen Spinach 75p

4 Medium Free Range Eggs 67p (£1 for 6 in Tesco)

100g Feta 80p

Salt & Pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan.

To make the "crust" you need to peel and finely slice those Sweet Potatoes. I used a Mandolin, but if you don't have one a steady hand and a sharp knife will work.

Melt a tbsp of Coconut Oil in a cup (10 seconds in the microwave) and use it to brush your dish and Sweet Potato slices.

Pop your crust in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.

I cooked my Frozen Spinach in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water and then drained it to get rid of any excess moisture.

Whilst your Spinach is cooking, slice your onions and mince your garlic. Soften together in a pan with a small blob of Coconut Oil and when the Spinach is done, add it to the onion and garlic. Cook for another couple of minutes over a medium heat. Season with Salt and Pepper.

Remove your Potatoes from the oven. They should be just beginning to colour around the edges. Don't be alarmed if they shrink or there's gaps in between, the spinach and eggs will sort that out!

Add your Spinach mixture and crumble the Feta into the pie. Whisk together your eggs and pour over.

Pop back into the over for 30 minutes and then devour!

I cut mine into 6 portions. We ate two for lunch today and the others will be great for snacking over the weekend.

We had ours with a side salad. Just some leaves, tomatoes and cucumber. Nice n simple, and a super-satisfying way to use up some food that was just lurking about. This recipe is also budget friendly coming in at around 50p a Portion.

Any leftover slices of Sweet Potato are easy to make into Sweet Potato Crisps. Heat some oil on a baking sheet in the oven (whilst you're cooking your pie) add your "crisps" after a few minutes and toss in the oil with some Salt and Pepepr. Pop back in the oven and check after about 5-7 minutes. Done. And seriously yum.