How often do you give your kitchen fridge and cupboards a spring clean? We honestly don’t have a set schedule that we stick to, but we do love to have a mooch to see what we have and what meals we can use them to prepare. Often, we make some of the best meals when the cupboards are almost bare.

In one of the challenges on the TV program Shop Smart Save Money, we were asked to look at what Caroline (one participant), has in her fridge and cupboards and come up with some meal suggestions for her, using just a few additional ingredients if necessary.

Did you manage to watch the episode? It was ace! You can search for it online on Channel 5. We presented three meal suggestions and Kelly, the other savvy shopper also did three.

We have included photos to help you to recreate your favorite recipes. We also share photos of the day in studio when we finally got to meet Caroline for the first time.

We are also linking up with Katy Kicker in sharing the meals we are planning. There will be 6 meals for dinner as we have a birthday celebration to attend as a family.

The sticky BBQ wings were our favourites. So suited for the time of the year too.

Caroline’s Meal Suggestions based on what she had in her cupboard and fridge

We must point out that we enjoyed this challenge as Caroline had so much store cupboard ingredients with which we were familiar so dish suggestions were easy. If you are unfamiliar with some ingredients, a quick google search will tell you how you can use the particular ingredients and also what ingredients are similar.

 

Jamaican Rice and Peas with Brown Stewed Jerk Chicken

 

Seasoned Semolina with Fish Curry

 

BBQ Wings and Wedges

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t the dishes look absolutely yum? Well, see below, the list of ingredients you will need as well as the method for making them. We share money saving tips too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rice and Peas and Brown Stewed Jerk Chicken

Ingredients for Rice and Peas

 

100g  black eye peas (kidney beans are traditionally used for this dish)

400 ml of coconut milk

2 cups basmati rice

2 sprigs scallion or spring onion

1 clove garlic

1 scotch bonnet pepper

½ tsp dried thyme (or fresh)

1 tsp salt

 

Method

Add the black eye peas including the liquid along with the coconut milk and whole scotch bonnet pepper to a large saucepan with the spring onion, garlic, thyme, and salt.

Add 2 cups of water, stir and bring to the boil.

Allow boiling for 10 minutes. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper.

Add rice, stir and reduce the heat to its lowest setting and simmer until the rice is cooked. DO NOT STIR WHILE COOKING.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Brown Stewed Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

3 Chicken legs and 3 chicken thighs

2 tsp salt

2 tsp jerk seasoning or use this recipe to make your own jerk marinade

2 tsp sugar

3 cloves garlic

1 stalk scallion/spring onion

½ cup cooking oil

1 onion

2 bay leaves

1 large tomato

1 red bell pepper

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp all-purpose seasoning

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried thyme (or fresh)

1 tbsp ketchup (or any red sauce)

2 cups hot water

Method

Season chicken with salt, black pepper, all-purpose seasoning, paprika, and garlic. Let stand for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Fry chicken on medium to high heat for 3 – 5 minutes on each side until brown. Remove chicken from the pan.

Remove half the cooking oil from the pan and use the remaining oil on low heat to saute onions, peppers, and tomato until onions are translucent.

Add thyme, ketchup, jerk seasoning, bay leaf and one cup of water to the pan and stir.

Season with salt and black pepper. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add chicken to the gravy.

Add one cup of hot water and reduce the flame to low. Cover pan and simmer for 15 minutes until chicken is tender and gravy is thickened.

Serve rice and peas with a salad or cole slaw. Any addition of meat is optional as the beans are already rich in protein. You would need to make a suitable gravy to go with it. You will find a recipe for a red onion gravy in this post.

 

 

 

 

 

Seasoned Semolina with Fish curry

Ingredients

2 white fish   350 – 400 g (filleted)

2 teaspoon mild curry powder

50 g coconut cream

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tablespoon oil/butter

1 cup of hot water.

 

Method

Saute onion and garlic in oil/butter.

Add curry and turmeric, then coconut cream which has been dissolved in hot water, along with salt, pepper and thyme.

Allow simmering for about 10 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, Add fish and simmer for a further 7 minutes.

Serve hot

Suitable accompaniments include naan, rice, chapatti, and mashed potatoes

 

 

Seasoned Semolina

 

Ingredients

2 cups semolina

1 heaped tablespoon vegetable seasoning

1 carrot grated (coarse)

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks celery

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2 tablespoon oil

2 cups hot water

100g peas

 

Method

Grate the carrot and chop celery.

Saute onion and celery in oil.

Add hot water, salt, black pepper along with peas, carrot and vegetable seasoning (or stock cube)

Once it starts to boil, add semolina and stir occasionally until it is cooked. Keep tasting and add hot water to cook as desired. (takes approximately 20 minutes)

 

BBQ Wings and Wedges

Ingredients

500g chicken wings

1 tsp salt

½ cup oil

1 tsp black pepper

For BBQ Sauce:

3 tablespoon ketchup

4 tablespoon BBQ Sauce

2 tablespoon orange juice

1 tsp paprika

 

Method

Season chicken with salt and black pepper. Set aside

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the BBQ sauce. Set aside.

Fry chicken wings in a frying pan until skin is crispy.

Heat the BBQ sauce in a saucepan or in the microwave until just as bubbles start to form.

Once the chicken is fried, remove from pan. Place on a baking tray. Brush on BBQ sauce. Place in oven at 180 degrees for 25. Turn Halfway through, and brush the other side.

 

Potato wedges

Ingredients

3 – 4 potato wedges

Salt + black pepper

Herbs/seasoning of choice (eg mixed herbs, thyme, rosemary, turmeric)

Method

Cut potatoes into wedges and parboil for about 7 minutes.

Place potatoes on the tray.

Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and black pepper and herbs of choice.

Place in oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes

Prepare potatoes and wings on separate surfaces to avoid cross contamination

Fry wings and boil potato wedges

Wings placed on tray, allowing you to brush with hot BBQ sauce. Potatoes are placed on a tray then olive oil is drizzled over and then herns and seasonings added

 

I hope you found it easy to follow these steps and that the dishes look and sound yum too! Do let us know if you plan to try one of these. Whatever you do, don’t go out and buy all new ingredients before you have a look to see what you already have so that less food goes to waste.

 

As a family we have also planned for these dishes after doing a clearout of the fridge and cupboards:

Homemade fish pies 

Chickpeas Curry with Rice and Peas

 

Oxtail and Rice with salad

We hope you have been encouraged to go look around in your fridge and store cupboards to see what you have before you make your meal plans and before you go shopping for additional ingredients.

You may just find that you don’t need to spend much money at all.

Jo, Leisa, Kelly, Caroline, and Andy in the Shop Smart Save Money studio at Bradford shopping centre.

Then with Gabi and Alexis

 

Wanna challenge us? Let us know some of what you have in your fridge and cupboards and we will give you some meal ideas. Go on, try it.