Punchy Pork Chilli (Sainsbury's Experiment Night 9)

Because Ray was working late tonight, I decided to switch to the Punchy Pork Chili over the Meatball Casserole. I know Chilli reheats alright, so that I could eat at a normal time and not 10:30-11PM at night!!!

Punchy Pork Chilli
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
1 x 475g British Freedom Food endorsed pork mince.
1 Lime
1 Onion
1 x 500g pack Easy cook rice
1 x 390g Carton chopped tomatoes
1 x 420g tin basics red kidney beans
1 tsp Hot chilli powder

1 TBSP ground cumin

1 chopped garlic clove or 1/2 tsp minced garlic (if you like garlic, I suggest adding 1 TBSP)

250ml Vegetable or Beef Stock (8 fl oz, a little over a cup.. I think a cup would work out just fine)

Method
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan.
2. Add 1 peeled and chopped onion and 1 peeled and chopped clove garlic and cook until softened. 3. Add 1 x 475g pack pork mince and 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder and cook for 5 minutes, until light brown.
4. Add 1 x 420g tin basics red kidney beans, drained, and 1 x 390g carton chopped tomatoes
5. Reduce the heat and add 250ml vegetable or beef stock, made with 1 stock cube. Simmer for 30-40 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat, then squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and stir.
7. Meanwhile, cook 200g rice following pack instructions.
8. Serve with the chilli, sprinkled with grated Cheddar or sour cream.

First, I would just like to point out the gimmick of these cheap recipes. TONS OF NOODLES/RICE!!! What my friend hates to call "CARBS"!!! That drives me INSANE!!! It really makes you feel horrible, because you don't feel like you're getting enough vegetables and other healthy things. Its just lots of grains and starches.

With that realization made, I'd like to say this was okay for a quick chili. I was shocked to see that there was no Cumin in the recipe!!! I added it, because you can't make chilli without Cumin! And, in the end, it was pretty good. Doesn't make much, unless you want some chilli with your rice (instead of some rice with your chilli). I'd double the recipe for more than 3 people. There also isn't alot of sauce with the recipe, so if you like a more saucy, thick chilli, this is not the chilli for you. You can eat it without rice, too. You can use noodles if you prefer. But it was delicious on its own and you won't feel all stodgy from the starches.

And as a final note, I don't know why it's "punchy". There is hardly any heat, so add more spice if you want some REALLY punchy chilli or add some chillis.

Oriental Pork Noodles (Sainsbury's Experiment Night 8)

For those of you who don't know, I have been getting these recipes off of Sainsburys.co.uk. If I use another site, I will link it. So I haven't made any of these up, they are recommended as cheap, quick meals by the grocery store website. That also means that the ingredients are sometimes certain brands, so work with what you have at home.


Oriental Pork Noodles
Serves 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 5-7 minutes

You will need:
500g British diced pork,
4x65g packs basics instant chicken noodles,
500g basics vegetable stir fry,
500g black bean stir fry sauce
(items from your store cupboard: olive oil, salt and pepper)

Method
1. Cook 4 x 65g packs of basics instant chicken noodles, following pack instructions.
2. Meanwhile, in a hot wok, stir-fry 500g diced pork with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 4–5 minutes. Ensure the pork is thoroughly cooked, season with salt and pepper and remove.
3. Add a 500g bag of basics stir-fry vegetables to the wok with a little water and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add a 500g jar of black bean stir-fry sauce and combine with the noodles. Add the pork and heat through until piping hot. Serve immediately.

This dish was really disappointing. There was no flavor. The sauce was immediately soaked up by everything in the dish. And it doesn't have a good reheat quality about it, because of the noodles. I just couldn't believe how flavorless it was. We added Chinese 5 Spice at the end, just so it wasn't bland vegetables with bland meat with bland noodles. Don't think we're going to cook this again.

Savoury Sausage Bake (Sainsbury's Experiment Night 7)

Week 2 is looking promising with some really quick and easy meals that helped to cut the corners. Our first night I am a bit nervous about, because I think I am confusing pork sausages with breakfast sausages. I'm not sure if that makes sense or not, but I'm just worried about the meat in the dish. The rest sounds delish.

Savoury Sausage Bake
Serves 4
Cook time: 15 minutes
Prep time: 30 minutes

You will need:
400g Taste the difference ultimate pork sausages (or flavored pork sausage of your choice)
300g basics broccoli (chopped up broccoli)
250g Be good to yourself mozzarella (2 fresh mozz ball)
500g penne
390g chopped tomatoes with basil & oregano
(Items from your store cupboard: cooking oil).

Method
1. Grill a pack of Taste the difference ultimate pork sausages (refer to pack for cooking instructions) and cut each one into four pieces.
2. In an ovenproof dish, mix the sausage pieces with cooked penne, a carton of chopped tomatoes and cooked broccoli.
3. Top with sliced mozzarella and bake for 20 minutes at 200c, fan 180c, gas 6, or until the cheese is melted, for an easy dinner.

What a homerun with this meal! Granted, the pasta was a bit overwhelming compared to the amount of the other ingredients, but the dish was absolutely delicious! This is definitely one we will cook again. Quick, easy, delicious AND there were leftovers, so the happiness will continue at lunch tomorrow!

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 6

Tonight is the last night of Week 1 of our Sainsbury's Experiment. Tonight is the Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake. The problem I am running into so far is that they don't have appropriate portion packets on the pasta, so I'm ending up with alot of leftover pasta. My biggest mistake is that I shouldn't cook the pasta, I should try to portion it out and then write on the ziplock bag how much is left, roughly. So not only do I have a cold pasta salad leftover from last night's dinner (took the leftover penne and made a salad from it), but now I have leftover fusilli that I don't know what to do with. But here's tonight's dinner:

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake

Ingredients
50g Butter
A bunch of Spring onions, finely sliced
250g Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
200g Dried penne or fusilli pasta
A generous grating Nutmeg
30g Freshly grated grana padano
250g Ricotta

Method
1. Heat 40g butter in a pan, add the spring onions and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Squeeze excess water from the spinach and add to the pan. Leave over a low heat to absorb the butter.
3. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions.
4. Season the spinach and onions with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
5. Add 20g grana padano.
6. Drain the pasta and tip into the spinach.
7. Stir in the ricotta mixture and spoon into a buttered dish.
8. Scatter with the rest of the grana padano.
9. Melt the remaining butter, trickle over, place under the grill and heat until golden.

Serves: 3
Per Serving:546 kcal, 22.7g protein, 28.2g fat, of which 16.8g saturated fat, 53.7g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 4.0g fibre and 1.0g salt

I don't know if I would cook this again. For one, the recipe was too heavy on the spinach and I would maybe have added another cheese, like some mozzerella. And, for whatever reason, it is incredibly heavy on the tummy. Definitely not a date-night meal. I am also shocked by how much is leftover. This is disappointing, because I didn't really enjoy the meal much to begin with. Additionally, I have the pasta issue I addressed above.

But Ray loved the meal. He said it was like a quiche, but with pasta instead of egg. He thought it was so great, he went back for seconds, whereas I could barely finish my first bowl. Ray also declared he would be finishing the rest of it tomorrow. Go figure!

So we were split on the last recipe for the day.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 5

Apparently I had been saying I was cooking the wrong thing tonight. I thought the prawns were int he spinach pasta bake! My bad. Tonight is the Penne with Prawns and Courgettes. The current standing for the week on meals is 3/4.

Penne with Prawns and Courgettes
Serves: 4

Per Serving:440cals; 10g fat

Ingredients
350g Dried penne
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 Courgettes, trimmed and cut into batons
2 Garlic cloves fat, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 glass Dry white wine
1 x 220g pack Cooked large king prawns
½ Lemon zest grated
a handful of Flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method
1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the penne according to pack instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil, add the courgettes and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and golden, stirring in the garlic and chilli for the final 2 minutes.
3. Next, add the wine and prawns, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.
4. Drain the pasta and toss with the prawn mixture, lemon zest and parsley.
5. Season to taste.

Tonight was another hit! Ray speculated that pork would go well, because of the citrus and that was when I told him that instead of zesting, I added lemon juice. It created an absolutely delicious sauce which went remarkeably well with the pasta and vegetables. We will definitely be making this again. That's 4/5 for the Sainsbury's experiment, with only one dish left for tomorrow night, which should also yield leftovers for a mix-n-match dinner evening Monday night.

As for it making 4 servings, I have to disagree. Maybe 4 servings for 4 children, but this hardly made a large frying pan full. I guess it depends on how much pasta you add. We didn't have a huge pan to add a ton of pasta. So if you have more people, portion your pasta accordingly. I'd just cook a whole pack and save the cooked pasta for a pasta salad lunch the next day.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 4

Night 4 we cooked the meal we were supposed to cook on Night 3. The chicken has finally thawed out and the carribean smells of Jerk Chicken with Coconut Bean Rice can now waft through our small flat.

Jerk Chicken with Coconut Bean Rice
Serves: 4

Ingredients
200g Long grain rice
1 x 410g tin Black-eye beans
1 x 400ml tin Coconut milk
8 Chicken thighs
1½ tbsp Jerk seasoning mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 Zest and juice of lime

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
2. Bring a pan of water to the boil, and simmer the rice for 10 minutes.
3. Drain, return to the pan with the black-eye beans and their juice and the coconut milk.
4. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
5. Toss the chicken thighs with the jerk seasoning mix and the oil.
6. Fry over a high heat for 3 minutes in a large ovenproof frying pan.
7. Add the sliced onions to the pan, lift the chicken on top, fry for 2 minutes, place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes until cooked through
8. Serve on the coconut bean rice sprinkled with lime zest and juice

Sadly, we did not completely enjoy this dish. The coconut and bean rice was bland and just didn't really fill the hunger niche. Something was missing from the recipe with that rice. Plus my husband doesn't like this kind of rice, he prefers a completely savory rice.

The chicken was fine, but it would have essentially been a chicken breast with jerk seasoning anyways. I didn't have a bakeable frying pan, so I had to use a casserole dish to finish cooking the chicken. I'd prefer to just make a skinless chicken breast with jerk seasoning and some rice pilaf or other savory rice with some broccoli. I don't really enjoy chicken with the skin on, because it has a tendency to get a bit greasy.

Tonight was a miss, but at least now we have jerk seasoning to play with on our own time with other foods. Tomorrow I think we'll be enjoying the Prawn and Spinach Penne Pasta bake.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 3

Night three was a disaster. Our scheduled meal was supposed to be Jerk Chicken with coconut bean rice, but I forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer and it didn't thaw in time for dinner. So we switched things around and made the Chorizo and Pasta Hot Pot.

Chorizo and Pasta Hot Pot

Ingredients
100g pack Spanish chorizo
2 onions
390g carton chopped tomatoes (or can of chopped tomatoes)
250g pack conchigliette
400g White farmhouse loaf (or any preferred thick cut bread or rolls)

1 vegetable stock cube (or chicken) or 1 liter vegetable stock

1 small can of preferred peas

Method
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or saucepan and add 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped. Add 1 x 100g pack Spanish chorizo, with each slice halved, and fry until crispy.
2. Add 1 x 390g carton chopped tomatoes and stir in 250g conchigliette.
3. Add 1 litre vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube, and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add 1 can peas and cook for another 5 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the peas are cooked.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Serve in large bowls with chunks of bread on the side

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

What a hit this was. It was even supposed to make 4 portions, but made roughly 6 portions, so now we have lunch for tomorrow! I was so thrilled with this dish. It is a perfect "winter" dish or comfort food. I love one-pot dishes and I was so nervous about this because of our last chorizo experiment with the tomato pancakes, but this was so delicious!

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 2

Tonight we made our second dinner from my Sainsbury's shopping experiment. I chose to make the Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles dish. I was a little unsure about this dish, mostly for Ray, because he doesn't like avocado very much, but it had hints of oriental noodle flavors that I have played around with in the past. My only personal concern was for the rice noodles, which I struggle with cooking.

Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles

Ingredients
60g (2½oz)Thai rice noodles
2 large avocado
2 large red chillies
2 limes, zest and juice
1 pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1 handful Frozen Soya beans, defrosted
1 x 220g pack Cooked jumbo king prawns
3 tbsp Chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp Chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp Chopped peanuts

Method
1. Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, then leave to cool.
2. Peel and chop the avocado, and finely chop the chillies, removing the seeds. Toss the lime zest and juice in a bowl with the chillies, sugar, sesame oil, avocado, soya beans and a pinch of salt.
3. Add the prawns to the bowl with the herbs and noodles.
4. Toss together and serve in bowls, scattered with the peanuts.

Serves: 2
Per Serving:602cals, 38.8g fat, of which 7.1g saturated fat; 31.5g carbohydrate; 31g protein; 1g added sugar; 0.6g salt; 6.1g fiber

Tonight's dish was almost a miss. I originally forgot the pinch of sugar and my portion had a few too many soya beans. I ended up cooking the shrimp in some garlic and a little bit of butter before adding, which really helped enhance the dish. I have no pictures, because I thought the dish would not be a re-do, but Ray ended up enjoying and we're going to try to make it again at a later date. It was very easy to make and very filling, because of the vegetables.

Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1

Night one of the experiment will be the Thai burgers and since it was just the burgers, we decided to add a soup. Our Damhead order came this afternoon, so we decided to make a parsnip and leek soup. I'm not really sure how the two will go together, but I'm thinking the playful flavors of the two will pair well.

Thai burgers (would cook again)
Per Serving: 376kcal, 41.3g protein, 11.4g fat, of which 2.8g saturated fat, 28.9g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 1.6g fiber and 1.2g salt

Ingredients
500g Turkey mince
1 bunch Spring onions, finely sliced
1½ tbsp Thai green or red curry paste (we used green)
½ x 25g pack Coriander, chopped
a little Sunflower oil, for frying
4 Crusty white round rolls
½ Round lettuce



Method
In a bowl, mix the turkey mince, spring onions, curry paste and coriander together until well combined.
Season and shape into 4 burgers, about 2cm thick.

Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Halve the rolls and fill with lettuce leaves and a burger.

Note: We used an ale whole grain mustard, as well as ketchup and fresh tomatoes, which worked wonderfully with the burger.



Recipe for Parsnip and leek soup
3 parsnips
2 large leeks
Knob of butter
Olive oil
500ml vegetable stock
Bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic
250ml milk
4 tbsps crème fraiche

Heat a dash of olive oil and the knob of butter in a large, lidded, heavy-bottomed pan. Wash the leeks and slice thinly then add to the pan when the fat starts to bubble. Stir thoroughly until the leeks are covered and then cook on a medium heat until the leeks are soft and translucent, then crush and add the garlic and cook for five more minutes.

Meanwhile, peel and slice the parsnips, then add to the leeks and garlic, stir to combine well, then cover and sweat for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan.

After 10 minutes the parsnips should be soft. Turn the heat up a little and add the stock and bay leaf, plus salt and pepper, then cover and leave to simmer for 30-40 minutes, until it has a soft and mushy consistency. Remove the bay leaf, then add the milk, stir to combine then remove from the heat. Then blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth, return to the heat, and finally, add the creme fraiche for a special creamy finish.

Serve immediately with crusty bread and a bit of grated cheddar. The soup can also be frozen in separate portions. It can be reheated in the microwave, but it’s best heated up in a pan with a little milk.


Note: Next time I would rather cook the parsnips, garlic, bay leaf and leeks in the vegetable stock until tender. Then strain the stock and put the vegetables (minus bay leaf) into a food processor and slowly add back in the stock, which would mean adding a bit more stock than this recipe calls for, since some will boil off when cooking. Then after getting a good texture, but not too thin, add back to the pot and add the milk or double cream. We did not use creme fraische.


Overall, Sainsbury's Experiment Night 1 was a great experience and everything is off to a great start. That is not to say that there won't be some not-super recipes, but at least tonight makes me hopeful.

My Sainsbury's Experiment

I did something crazy today, which was simply on a whim, but I was so taken by the idea, that I couldn't help myself. I was trying to purchase something on Sainsburys.com, but I didn't spend £40, so it wouldn't let me order it. So I was bouncing through recipes (those Fiver recipes that Sainsburys boasts about) and I found some great ideas. And as I looked at them, I noticed you could order the groceries online. You could hit the "order ingredients" and it would take you to a page where you could order all of the ingredients! I was blown away. I ended up picking 6 meals and ordering the ingredients. Some even shared similar ingredients, which allowed me to only purchase some items once. I did notice that sometimes some items weren't listed and I had to hunt them down and add them myself, but that's okay.

So when I did the math, minus the 4 silly cheap items I bought and the £3.50 delivery fee, £42.50 for 6 meals. That's £7 a meal, most of which will have leftovers for the following day (don't do the conversion, because its not applicable to you if you aren't paying according to the living standards of here)! I think that's absolutely brilliant! So here are the recipes from Sainsbury's that I'll be trying:

Chorizo and pasta hot pot
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
100g pack Spanish chorizo
2onions
390g carton chopped tomatoes
250g pack conchigliette
400gWhite farmhouse loaf

Method
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or saucepan and add 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped. Add 1 x 100g pack Spanish chorizo, with each slice halved, and fry until crispy.
Add 1 x 390g carton chopped tomatoes and stir in 120g conchigliette.
Add 1 liter vegetable stock, made with 1 stock cube, and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add a handful of frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes, until the pasta is tender and the peas are cooked.
Serve in large bowls with chunks of bread on the side

Spinach and ricotta pasta bake
Serves: 3
Per Serving: 546 kcal, 22.7g protein, 28.2g fat, of which 16.8g saturated fat, 53.7g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 4.0g fiber and 1.0g salt

Ingredients
50g Butter
A bunch of Spring onions, finely sliced
250g Frozen chopped spinach, thawed
200g Dried penne or fusilli pasta
A generous grating Nutmeg
30g Freshly grated grana padano
250g Ricotta

Method
Heat 40g butter in a pan, add the spring onions and cook for 2 minutes.
Squeeze excess water from the spinach and add to the pan. Leave over a low heat to absorb the butter.
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions.
Season the spinach and onions with salt, black pepper and nutmeg.
Add 20g grana padano.
Drain the pasta and tip into the spinach.
Stir in the ricotta mixture and spoon into a buttered dish.
Scatter with the rest of the grana padano.
Melt the remaining butter, trickle over, place under the grill and heat until golden.

Thai burgers
Per Serving: 376kcal, 41.3g protein, 11.4g fat, of which 2.8g saturated fat, 28.9g carbohydrate, 0g added sugars, 1.6g fiber and 1.2g salt

Ingredients
500gTurkey mince
1 bunch Spring onions, finely sliced
1½ tbsp Thai green or red curry paste
½ x 25g pack Coriander, chopped
a little Sunflower oil, for frying
4Crusty white round rolls
½ Round lettuce

Method
In a bowl, mix the turkey mince, spring onions, curry paste and coriander together until well combined.
Season and shape into 4 burgers, about 2cm thick.
Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick frying pan and cook the burgers over a medium heat for about 6 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
Halve the rolls and fill with lettuce leaves and a burger.

Penne with prawns and courgettes
Serves: 4
Per Serving:440cals; 10g fat

Ingredients
350g Dried penne
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 Courgettes, trimmed and cut into batons
2 Garlic cloves fat, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 glass Dry white wine
1 x 220g pack Cooked large king prawns
½ Lemon zest grated
a handful of Flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped

Method
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the penne according to pack instructions.
Meanwhile, heat the oil, add the courgettes and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened and golden, stirring in the garlic and chilli for the final 2 minutes.
Next, add the wine and prawns, bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Drain the pasta and toss with the prawn mixture, lemon zest and parsley.
Season to taste.

Prawn, Avocado, Lime and Chilli Noodles
Serves: 2
Per Serving: 602cals, 38.8g fat, of which 7.1g saturated fat; 31.5g carbohydrate; 31g protein; 1g added sugar; 0.6g salt; 6.1g fiber

Ingredients
60g (2½oz) Thai rice noodles
1 large avocado
1 large avocado
2 large red chillies
2 limes, zest and juice
1 pinch of sugar
2 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
1 handful Frozen Soya beans, defrosted
1 x 220g pack Cooked jumbo king prawns
3 tbsp Chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp Chopped fresh mint
2 tbsp Chopped peanuts

Method
Soak the rice noodles in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain and rinse in cold water, then leave to cool.
Peel and chop the avocado, and finely chop the chilies, removing the seeds. Toss the lime zest and juice in a bowl with the chilies, sugar, sesame oil, avocado, soya beans and a pinch of salt.
Add the prawns to the bowl with the herbs and noodles.
Toss together and serve in bowls, scattered with the peanuts.

Jerk chicken with coconut bean rice
Serves: 4

Ingredients
200g Long grain rice
1 x 410g tin Black-eye beans
1 x 400ml tin Coconut milk
8 Chicken thighs
1½ tbsp Jerk seasoning mixed with 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Medium onions, peeled and sliced
1 Zest and juice of lime

Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C, fan 200°C, gas 7.
Bring a pan of water to the boil, and simmer the rice for 10 minutes.
Drain, return to the pan with the black-eye beans and their juice and the coconut milk.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
Toss the chicken thighs with the jerk seasoning mix and the oil.
Fry over a high heat for 3 minutes in a large ovenproof frying pan.
Add the sliced onions to the pan, lift the chicken on top, fry for 2 minutes, place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes until cooked through
Serve on the coconut bean rice sprinkled with lime zest and juice

My delivery is on Tuesday, the same day as my fruit and veg delivery from Damhead, so I hope to incorporate the two. EXCITEMENT!!!!