Quick Rice Patties

The one expense we have complete and utter control over is groceries. 

We choose how much we spend and what we spend it on. Sometimes we can spend within our budgets, sometimes the budget just isn't enough.

Right now, everyone is searching for cheap, tasty meal ideas. Between shortages, inflation, and rising interest rates, grocery budgets are taking a beating.

This recipe is one my Mum made for us as children. It's one of my very favourite meals, and now my own family loves it too.

Good hot or cold, quick rice patties are tasty and cheap.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. 

Quick Rice Patties

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 cup rice
1 tsp Marmite/Vegemite/Promite
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 egg
good pinch mixed herbs

Method:
Cook the rice in boiling, salted water. Drain well. While the rice is still hot, add the Marmite, peanut butter, onion and herbs and mix well. Stir in the egg. Take tablespoonfuls of the mixture and shape into patties. Fry in shallow oil until lightly brown and golden on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper.

Alternatively, for a low fat version, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake the patties in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

This recipe is a part of the $2 Dinner Recipe File on the Cheapskates Club website.

Schnitzels

Schnitzel with herb roasted potatoes

Schnitzels feature heavily on our menu.

I love them because they cook quickly, the kids love them because the leftovers make great sandwiches the next day and Wayne loves them because they make a hearty meal.

It comes as no surprise that I get a lot of questions about how we can possibly have schnitzel so often when even chicken fillets are around $10 a kilo (I NEVER pay more than $6/kg for chicken fillets), with beef and veal being upwards of $15 a kilo.

I'll let you into a little secret - my schnitzels are vegetarian! I make them myself from scratch and they are delicious, tender and moist. They are also a fraction of the cost - around $2 for five large schnitzels.

Don't be put off by the fact they are vegetarian, try them. They really are something special.

Cath's Schnitzels

Ingredients:
1 cup gluten flour*
1 cup water
2 eggs
1 tsp Marmite (or Vegemite)
breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

Gravy:
1 pkt French onion soup mix
1 tsp Marmite (or Vegemite)
2 cups water

Method:
Mix gluten flour, water, 1 egg, marmite and torula yeast together with a fork until dough forms. If you have a food processor, place all ingredients in bowl and process until dough forms. Roll dough into a log and slice into six evenly sized pieces. Beat the remaining egg, dip each schnitzel into egg then into breadcrumbs. Refrigerate 30 minutes to let crumbs set. Heat oil in a heavy based frying pan. Brown each schnitzel on both sides. Drain on paper towel. When all have been browned add soup mix, marmite and water to pan. Stir until boiling. Return schnitzels to pan, turn heat down and simmer gently for 30 minutes. You may need to add more water to the gravy during this time. After 30 minutes the schnitzels should be puffed and the gravy thick.

Serve hot with vegetable and gravy or cold with salad. They are also great on a roll or sandwich with lettuce and mustard mayo.

I often mix these up, and use a tomato gravy instead of the brown gravy. It's easy to make, tomato paste and a little cream (or sour cream works too).

To serve, a mushroom gravy goes nicely with the schnitzels and veggies.

These schnitzels can be frozen in the gravy and then just thawed and heated for a quick dinner.

*Gluten flour can be bought in the health food aisle at the supermarket or from health food stores, but it is much cheaper to buy in bulk, it's about half the price. I suggest, if you aren't a baker who uses gluten flour, to buy a small packet to try the schnitzels and if you like them, then consider buying in bulk from a local wholefoods/bulk foods store.

Scrumptious Savoury Scones

These scones are good for morning tea, lunch or afternoon tea. They fill hungry tummies and cost hardly anything to make.

Scrumptious Savoury Scones

Ingredients:
3 cups SR flour
600ml thickened cream
1 cup grated cheese
1 tsp finely chopped chives

Method:
Mix flour, grated cheese and chopped chives together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the cream and mix to a soft dough. Use your hands if necessary. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured cutting board and gently press out until about 2cm thick. Using a glass or scone cutter dipped in flour cut scones. Place on a greased baking sheet with the scones just touching. Bake in a 200 degree Celsius oven for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

The scones will rise higher and bake better if they are just touching each other on the baking tray. You can easily pull them apart once they are cooled.

This post has been shared at The Cheapskates Club

Take an $8 Barbecue Chook……

Coles have reduced the price of their regular barbecue chickens to $8.

Now I'm not normally a fan of the good old Aussie barbecue chook, mainly because they have been in the past rather expensive.

I can by whole chickens for $2.99/kg. That makes a No. 20 (2kg) chicken $5.98 and that chicken will give me 12 serves of meat and the bones to make stock or soup. I can get three, usually four, meals from one chicken and no one goes hungry.

But sometimes I don't have the time, the energy or the inclination to wash, dry, season, stuff and roast a chicken. Sometimes picking up a barbecue chook is the better option. Remember, Cheapskating isn't about paying the lowest price all the time, it's about saving money, time and energy and being a good steward of your resources.

So yesterday while I was in Coles with Mum (Thursday is her shopping day) I picked up a barbecue chicken; here's how I used it.

First, I cut the wings and drumsticks off it - they are one meal for four.

We'll have them with roast veggies (potato, sweet potato, onion, carrot, parsnip) and steamed greens (beans or peas, broccoli or cauliflower) and gravy.

Secondly, I pulled the breasts off it.

One breast was shredded to make Curried Chicken. Yes, one chicken breast, shredded with a couple of forks, gives enough meat for six serves of Curried Chicken. The other breast was shredded and put in the freezer. It will be used to make the chicken filling for the pancakes we have on the menu next Friday. I make a white sauce, add a little diced onion, some sliced mushrooms (re-hydrated from the bulk lot I dried in January) and a little cheese and the chicken and it's delicious.

Then I pulled the rest of the meat off the bones and put it in the freezer.

I'll use this meat for Chicken Fried Rice or Chicken Salad Sandwich Filling - whichever we'll need first. Right now it will probably be for chicken salad for sandwiches as we've a day out four wheel driving with friends planned for next week and I know we'll be super hungry after being out in the cold and the walking and so on we'll be doing.

Lastly, I put the bones into the slow cooker with water, some celery tops, a sad carrot, and a large onion and let it cook overnight to make stock.

I use stock to cook rice, it gives it a really lovely flavour. We have curried chicken on the meal plan and we always have rice with it, so I've planned to have the stock on hand for this purpose.  I also use it to make gravy - again it gives the gravy a much richer flavour.

The rest I'll use to make Grandma's Chicken Soup for lunches next week. I won't have the whole chicken for this, obviously, as I've used it for other meals, but it will still be flavourful and healthy and the bones will give up the rest of the chicken meat.

Making Meals Cheaper

Classic cottage pie - leftover mashed potato, cooked mince, peas, carrot, onion and gravy

How do you make meals cheaper? If you follow a recipe exactly it can really blow your food budget right out of the black and into the red, often with just one meal.

I've seen the ads on television for $10 family dinners and I can tell you that not only are they over-priced but my budget runs to $5 per dinner, $3 per lunch and $2 per breakfast per day. I don't include the cost of the vegetables we grow; I actually take the cost of the seeds from my mad money, gardening really is something I enjoy and see as relaxing so that is free food.

These days I automatically make recipes fit my budget. That means they must be cheap. They must be nutritious. They must be quick and easy to prepare. And they must pass the Family Approval Test.

So how do I make meals cheaper without starving Wayne and the kids?

Portion control - if a recipe says "serves 6" then I make sure I get six serves and put the "spare" in the freezer for a freezer meal.

Measure accurately - when a recipe says half a cup or one tablespoon that's what I use. When it says to use a pinch of something then a pinch is what I use - a pinch being the amount I can pick up between my thumb and index finger. When it says 700g meat - I weigh out 700g and use it. Measure accurately and your recipes will be a success and you won't be wasting ingredients.

Pic of measuring cups and spoons

I buy meat in bulk. Real bulk - a minimum of 10 kilos chicken fillets/mince/steak/chops/sausages/roasts at a time and I only ever buy when it is on sale - I never, ever pay full price for meat.

I always pull the tenderloins off chicken fillets to use them in another meal. They make great skewers, can be diced for enchiladas, crumbed and baked whole, minced to make pie filling, poached and shredded to make chicken salad - you are limited only by your imagination and recipe collection.

For my family of five I use two chicken breast fillets per recipe for cassseroles/enchiladas/pies/stir fries/apricot chicken/cacciatore etc. That is plenty of meat for the five of us, with two small fillets weighing around 400g - 500g. If the fillets are large I use one fillet and two tenderloins.

Those chicken fillets are diced into small chunks. Chunks go much further than serving a whole breast per person.

For chicken schnitzels a breast fillet is sliced through to make two portions and then pressed out with my fingers. If it's a larger fillet I get three schnitzels from it. And they are easier to slice if they are partly frozen.

A mince based meal is 750g of mince and bulked out with more vegetables, pasta, rice, fresh or dried silverbeet, minced mushrooms or rolled oats.

Leftovers are always planned, never an accident. They are used for another family dinner, as the base of a new family dinner or for freezer meals on an MCBB night.

A roast chicken is used for tea on Sunday night, a stir-fry or pies or enchiladas later in the week and the frame is then used to make soup or stock. If it's a big chicken there may be enough meat left to make chicken salad for sandwiches too.

Roast lamb or beef is similar. Tea on Sunday night (we always have a roast on a Sunday), then the rest of the meat is sliced for another dinner and the scraps are diced into a curry or a French Shepherds Pie and the bones (if any) used for soup and stock.

Because we grow most of our vegetables there is very little to waste. Tonight for example I ran outside and picked a Chinese cabbage, a red capsicum and some spring onions for the stir-fry (and we're having the sloppy joes that were on the menu next month).

Sauce bottles are rinsed with a little water, cream, milk or vinegar depending on the type of sauce to get every drop out.

Bread ends are used for stuffings and to make dried bread crumbs.

Veggie peelings go into stock, to the worms or to the compost bin.

Bones are composted in the Bokashi bucket after all the meat has been pulled from them and they have made stock.

And of course I use my favourite spatulas to scrape out jars, cans and bottles. Scraping the peanut butter jar provides enough spread for two more sandwiches! The Vegemite jar is rinsed with warm water (not hot, it will explode) and used to make a rich gravy. Jam jars get rinsed with milk to make yummy milk shakes.

These are just a few of the ways I make a recipe cheaper. They work for my family and they certainly work for our grocery budget. This year the aim is $80 a week for the five of us and so far we are on track.

Easy Chicken & Parmesan Risotto

This recipe is from the Cheapskates $2 Dinners e-book.

Ingredients:
50g unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 chicken breast fillets, cut into small dice
2 cups  arborio rice
1.5L chicken stock
1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
100g roasted capsicum, thickly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Olive oil, to drizzle

Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and place a 5-litre casserole dish in oven to heat.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and sauté until soft. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to colour, then add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to the boil, then pour everything into the preheated casserole dish. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and give everything a good stir, then cover again and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. By this time all liquid should have been absorbed. If it hasn't return to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently stir through the parmesan, capsicum and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and basil, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve on a bed of baby spinach if liked.

Crispy Potato Cakes

Ingredients:
1kg potatoes, peeled and grated
1 onion, grated
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup seasoned dry breadcrumbs

Method:
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions eggs and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Add some oil to a heavy based fry pan. Drop mixture by the spoonful into the hot oil. Brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and serve hot with a salad.

Corned Beef Pie

This was one of my favourite meals when I was growing up. Little did I know that it was made from leftovers.

Ingredients:
3 – 4 cups of cold corned beef, diced
½ cup sliced green beans
½ cup corn
½ cup pickles
4 cups mashed potato
2tsp butter, melted

Method:
Mix diced corned beef, beans, corn and pickles. Place in a greased pie dish. Mash the potatoes but don't add milk or butter. Spread over the top of the mixture in the pie dish. Brush the top with melted butter. Cook in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for 20 minutes until potato is golden and it is warmed through.

Twice Cooked Veggie Quiche

This is the perfect dish for "clean out the fridge" day, the day before garbage day, or the day before shopping day, when you need to use up all those odd leftovers lurking in the fridge.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
425g can creamed corn
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
2 cups of chopped leftover vegetables - potatoes, broccoli, zucchini, pumpkin, carrot, cauliflower etc.

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Butter a large quiche or pie dish. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, flour and salt. Stir in corn and grated cheese, add the chopped veggies and pour into buttered dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes until centre is firm. Let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing to serve.

$2 Dinner Tuesday - Easy Chicken & Parmesan Risotto

Ingredients:
50g unsalted butter 
1 large onion, finely chopped 
1 chicken breast fillets, cut into small dice
2 cups  arborio rice
1.5L chicken stock 
1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
100g roasted capsicum, thickly sliced
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Olive oil, to drizzle

Method:
Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius and place a 5-litre casserole dish in oven to heat.  Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, add the onion and sauté until soft. Add chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes until it starts to colour, then add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add stock and bring to the boil, then pour everything into the pre-heated casserole dish. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and give everything a good stir, then cover again and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes. By this time all liquid should have been absorbed. If it hasn't return to the oven, uncovered, for 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and gently stir through the parmesan, capsicum and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with extra parmesan and basil, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve immediately.

$2 Dinner Tuesday - Seasoned Rice

Rice based dishes are very cheap and Seasoned Rice makes a great side dish, or add some extra ingredients and turn it into a one-pot main meal.   Leftover meat or chicken, salmon or tuna, even leftover cooked veggies can be added at the end of the cooking time to create delicious dinners.

Seasoned Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup long-grain rice
Flavouring
2 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups hot water

Method:
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the rice, stirring constantly, until it takes on a translucent quality; do not let the kernels pop. Slowly stir in the water, then the flavouring of your choice. Bring to a full boil; cover and lower heat. Simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until nearly all of liquid is absorbed and the rice looks just a bit too moist to serve. Turn off heat, cover and let stand for ten minutes before uncovering and serving.


Flavourings

Chicken:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
3 dashes ground black pepper

Beef:
3 beef stock cubes, crushed
3 dashes ground black pepper

Onion:
3 onion or beef stock cubes, crushed
2 teaspoons finely diced onion
3 dashes ground black pepper

Mushroom:
3 chicken or beef stock cubes, crushed
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
3 dashes ground black pepper

Celery:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
3 tablespoons dried celery flakes
3 dashes ground black pepper

Curry:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
1 teaspoon curry powder

Saffron:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
1 pinch saffron
1 pinch turmeric

Oriental:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
1 small onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons dried celery flakes
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp soy sauce

Spanish:
3 chicken stock cubes, crushed
1/2 green capsicum, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
dash of chilli powder
2 tbsp tomato paste

$2 Dinner Tuesday - Feed the Family with Six Burgers

In these times of making the most of every dollar I spend when I shop, I have had to make some changes to my family's eating habits. My family love rissoles and hamburgers for dinner but to buy them from the supermarket costs me $4.00 for six burgers. The kids are fussy about eating veggies and burgers on their own just aren't enough for growing bones so I came up with an idea that has added a heap of hidden healthy ingredients and increased the size of my meal by more than double. I have just made my six burgers into seventeen by following these really simple and extra healthy steps. My youngest still eats mashed veggies, so I mashed up the six ready made burgers back into a mince, mix in an egg, some wholemeal flour and wholegrain breadcrumbs, a couple of cups of grated cheese and four generous scoops of the mashed veggie mix then season to taste. I then re-roll the mixture into burgers, coating them lightly with the breadcrumbs and cooking them. Now my girls have a burger with some sauce in a wholemeal bun, but hidden within the burger is up to eight different veggies, eggs, cheese and of course lots of fibre. The added bonus to this recipe is that all the family can enjoy burgers because now there are seventeen to share rather than six! My husband loves them in some bread (he is a self confessed meataholic - never, ever eats veggies!), I enjoy them with some sautéed veggies and gravy on the side. All in all, I have increased the amount of food on the table, increased the nutritional value and fed a family of four with no leftovers! My meal just cost us approximately $2 per person and we are all stuffed full. 

Contributed by Charisa, Pooraka

Tip of the Day 9 February 2010

 Light Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Odd though it may sound, a light soup is often an easy and appetising  meal during summer. Long periods of hot weather can dampen appetites so this very frugal, extremely tasty summer soup is ideal. It uses lots of summer vegetables and is perfect for using up leftover roast chicken. It also freezes well.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup of sliced celery
1 carrot, diced
2 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced
1.5 litres chicken stock (homemade or use stock cubes)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup diced red capsicum
1 cup diced yellow squash
2 cups cooked chicken, diced

Method:
Place the oil into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and
cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Pour the chicken stock into the kettle then season with salt and pepper.  Stir to combine all ingredients. Bring the soup to a steady boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Add capsicum and squash, cover and continue to simmer another 15 minutes. Stir in the diced chicken and cook uncovered another 10 minutes.

Tip of the Day 2 February 2010

The Sandwich Factory

Lunches for school or work can be expensive if you have to buy them each day. Save yourself time and money by making a weeks worth of sandwiches on one night (we make ours on a Monday night) and then freeze them. We also make up the drinks for the week and store them in the door of the fridge. Then each morning, everyone just takes a sandwich or roll, drink and fruit and off they go! Even little children can put their lunch items in their lunchbox or bag. 

Some sandwich fillings that freeze well are:
Ham and cheese
Ham and mustard
Ham, cheese and mustard
Peanut butter and jam (I know it's an American thing but it's not too bad)
Cheese and Vegemite, Marmite, Promite
Tasty cheese and jam (again, sounds odd but is very nice)
Deli meats (stras, chicken loaf, silverside, ham, devon etc)
Shredded BBQ or roast chicken and mayo
Leftover cooked sausages, sliced lengthwise with tomato sauce
Leftover cooked steak, thinly sliced with BBQ or sweet chilli sauce

Keep the salad fillings for adding just before eating, they don't freeze and thaw very well. Wrap each sandwich, roll, wrap or bagel well before freezing.

Preparing ahead saves a lot of time and discussion in the mornings and a lot of lunch money each week.

Tip of the Day 12 January 2010

$2 Dinner Tuesday

Beef and Vegetable Pasties
Ingredients:
 400g can Coles Beef Stroganoff or other type of canned meat e.g. mild curry, braised steak and onions etc
1 cup frozen corn and pea mix
4 sheets of puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, lightly beaten

Method:
Preheat oven to 200ºC or 180 ºC for fan forced. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place beef stroganoff in a bowl. Add corn and pea mix and mix well. Cut a 16cm round from each sheet of pastry. Place ¼ of the meat mixture in the centre or each round. Fold the pastry up over the filling to form pasties. Pinch the edges together to enclose filling and seal edges. Brush lightly with egg. Chill pasties for 10 minutes in the fridge. Bake pasties for 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve with tomato sauce and salad.   Serves: 4 Prep: 10 minutes  Cook: 20 minutes

Contributed by Kirsty Harris

Tip of the Day 17 November 2009

$2 Dinner Tuesday

Rice Patties

Ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice - cooked and well drained
1 onion finely diced
1 cup of grated cheese
1 egg (beaten)
1 packet Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix (or whatever else you may have lurking in your pantry that could be used for flavour)
Diced parsley
Salt and Pepper

Method:
Combine all of the above ingredients in a bowl. Put tablespoon portions onto greaseproof paper and shape to make small rissole sized patties. Cook in a moderate oven (180c) until golden brown. When the egg and cheese melt it holds the mixture together. These can be eaten either hot or cold, served as either a snack or with salad or vegetables as a main meal. Usually makes 24 patties.

Contributed by Kelly, Redlynch

Tip of the Day 10 November 2009

$2 Dinner Tuesday

Try replacing lettuce, which has little nutritional value and a short shelf life, with finely shredded cabbage. It can be used in place of the lettuce on salad sandwiches and tacos for a delicious crunch. Use whole leaves in place of rice paper for Vietnamese rolls or as cups to hold potato or rice salads on a plate.

Tip of the Day 3 November 2009

$2 Dinner Tuesday

Spinach and Egg Slice
Ingredients:
500g cooked spinach
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp basil
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1/2 cup cheese

Method:
Cook spinach and drain well then put in a pan with fennel seeds, nutmeg and basil. Turn the spinach over so it gets all the spices. Put in a greased baking tray with deep sides. Beat up eggs with milk and add cheese. Pour over the spinach and if you want to put more cheese on top. Bake in moderate oven till set and golden. I save up all the ends of cheese and freeze them so I have it for this recipe or pizzas .

Contributed by Robyne, Goolwa North

$2 Dinner Tuesday

Mayonnaise Scones

Ingredients:
2 cups SR flour
2 heaped tablespoons mayonnaise
1 cup milk

Method:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Mix all ingredients together until dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to add more milk, one tablespoon at a time, to reach this consistency. Using the heel of your hand, press out the dough on a floured surface, to about 2cm thick. Cut with a scone cutter or a glass. Place on a greased scone tray and bake 10 - 15 minutes until cooked. They should be light in colour and flakey on the outside, not doughy inside. Serve with a side salad and spreads.

Tip of the Day 27 October 2009

$2 Dinner

Quiche
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
4 eggs
1 dollop of cream
Shredded cheese
Diced Ham
Spring onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method:
Line a quiche dish with the pastry and par-bake it for 5 minutes and mix all of the other ingredients together and pour in the pastry. Cook in the oven until the top is golden brown and is firm to the touch.


Contributed by Kathryn