Bubble and Squeak is the queen of leftovers, particularly if you have leftover mashed potato. As it’s full of vegetables, Bubble and Squeak makes a healthy breakfast alternative to cereal, or a great lunch.

The recipe below isn’t really a recipe, more a description of the last lot of Bubble and Squeak we made. The whole point is to use up whatever leftovers you have in the fridge. Some nice additions might be leftover roast meat or even leftover rice.

Serves: Depends on how much leftover ingredients you have.

Method

1. Combine mash, greens, egg, cheese and salt until well mixed. If the mixture is a little on the sloppy side, you can add a little flour to help bind the mixture so that it stays together as it cooks.
2. Heat a frypan to medium and add a little butter or oil to the pan. Dollop spoonfuls of mixture into your frypan and cook until golden on both sides.
3. Serve warm.

What’s your favourite way to eat Bubble and Squeak?

I’m thinking topped with some cooked bacon and a drizzle of maple syrup would be nice, but maybe that’s pregnancy cravings kicking in.

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This recipe combined two ingredients that I had left over: almond meal left over from making almond milk, and whey, left over from making cottage cheese. I also had plenty of apples that needed using up and a kilo of homemade yoghurt in the fridge, and that’s what frugal cooking is about really, making things out of what you have on hand.

And I have to say, these have to be the most moist and delicious muffins I’ve ever made, definitely my favourite – I’ve made them several times since taking this photo.

If you prefer you can grate the apple, although I dice it fairly finely and little bursts of apple is quite nice. I leave the skin on; anything to cut down on work, and all the nutrients are in the skin anyway. For a different flavour, add a little cinnamon to the batter.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. Cream butter and sugar until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time.
3. Sift in the flour and baking powder, adding the husks to the bowl. Add the almond meal and stir to combine.
4. Add the milk, yoghurt and apples and stir until just combined.
5. Spoon mixture into muffin tin and bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
6. Leave to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

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1. homemade almond milk and almond meal
2. Quick Apple Crumble
3. wholemeal apple pancakes

Almond milk is something that I’ve been wanting to make for a long time, but it wasn’t until I took an online wholefood course that I finally got up the courage to try it. It is actually quite easy to make, only takes a few minutes and tastes great, especially in smoothies, hot chocolate and hot chai tea.

There is a generous amount of almond meal left over after making the milk and this almond meal makes baked goods taste moist and fabulous (at a fraction of the cost of store bought almond meal). I have baked with it as it is once the milk is extracted, and I have dried it in the oven – both work fine although as there is more moisture in the un-dried meal, so you may need to adjust your baking recipes slightly.

Method

1. Place almonds in a bowl to soak over night. In the morning, add the dates and let them soak for 10 minutes or so until soft (you can soak these overnight as well if you like – they look absolutely terrible in the morning but are quite edible).
2. Strain almonds and rinse. Place almonds in a blender with the dates and 4 cups of water and blend on high for a few minutes until liquid and the almonds have been ground to meal. Depending on your blender, it may need a motor rest or two during blending.
3. Place a strainer over your bowl and a clean tea towel or nut bag in the strainer (cheesecloth isn’t fine or strong enough unless you double or triple fold it). Draw up the sides of the cloth and then gently twist and squeeze the milk into the bowl. Continue to do this until you have the milk separated from the meal (you may find it easier to do this in batches). The milk can be refrigerated for 2 – 3 days, it will need a bit of a shake before drinking as there is some settling.
4. The meal can be used as is, refrigerated for a few days or frozen. You can also dry the meal. To do this, set your oven to it’s lowest temperature, spread the meal onto a tray and leave it to dry for a few hours (I dried it for about 5 hours). If your oven doesn’t do low, you can heat it slightly every half hour or so and then turn it off to keep the temperature low. Alternatively, if you have a dehydrator, you can use that.
5. If you prefer, you can run the dried almond meal through a coffee or spice grinder or blender for a few seconds to get a finer texture. Refrigerate or freeze meal.

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Waste is very much part of the modern food production system. It doesn’t have to be. Here’s an infographic that shows how we can close the loop and reduce the waste when it comes to our food.

Even we don’t stick to a completely closed system (if we buy fruit and vegetables as well as grow them for instance – and then there’s the little question of, erm, human waste product), by using the cycle outlined below as much as is possible within the restraints of our individual circumstances, we reduce the waste that is inherent in our modern food system.

You can download a PDF version of this infographic here.

If you think my first attempt at an infographic isn’t too disastrous and would like to share it on your own site, you can embed it on your website using the following code:

<a href="http://frugalandthriving.com.au"><img src="http://frugalandthriving.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/sustainable-vegetable-lifecycle-infographic.jpg" alt="Sustainable Veggie Lifecycle" width=”500” border=”0”/></a>
<p>Source: <a href="http://www.frugalandthriving.com.au">Frugal and Thriving</a></p>

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It’s just past tomato season; I made this relish back at the end of February when tomatoes were at the peak of their harvest. This tomato relish has lots of flavour and is great with vegetable fritters, on steak sandwiches or as an accompaniment to meat.

The sweet / acidic flavours will depend on the tomatoes and apple, so add just a little of the sugar and vinegar to start with, ‘reduce’ the relish and then add a little more to taste as necessary. You can always add more, but you can’t take it out if it’s too sweet or acidic.

This relish stores well in the fridge for a few days or you can double or triple the recipe and bottle it for later. Makes approximately 1 cup.

Method

1. In a saucepan, sauté the onions in a little oil over medium heat until soft. Add the apple and garlic and continue to cook for a further couple of minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, mustard, allspice, sugar and vinegar, stirring.
3. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until reduced to a consistency that you like (I reduced mine for about 20 minutes).
4. Serve warm, bottle in a sterilised jar and process or let cool and refrigerate until use.

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1. tasty vegetable fritters with tomato relish
2. chicken and sun-dried tomato pasta bake
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If you’re wanting to increase your vegetable intake, these fritters are a quick and easy way to do so. Kids and adults alike love them, and they make great lunches. Serve hot or store in the fridge for a speedy snack.

I served these with a homemade tomato relish, I’ll share that recipe next week.

Makes about 10 fritters.

Method

1. Squeeze excess moisture out of grated vegetables.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
3. Heat a fry pan with a little oil or butter (I like to use a little of both). Form / dollop fritters in the pan with about 2 tablespoons of mixture. Fry on both sides until lightly golden.
4. If serving hot, keep warm in the oven until all fritters are cooked.
5. Serve with homemade tomato relish (recipe next week) or bottled relish or chutney or sour cream.

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1. tomato relish
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A recipe that’s a little different today – something that is edible, but not something to eat.

Homemade play dough is a fraction of the cost of store bought, is something that can be whipped up in minutes (with or without the kid’s help) yet can keep children amused for hours.

Play dough is definitely a favourite activity in our house. It keeps the little fella happily amused rolling and cutting or just pressing matchbox cars into it. Sometimes he will cook me play dough sausages and pancakes in a little toy frypan he has. Other times we will make ‘worms’ by pressing the dough through a garlic press.

If the little fella wants to help me cook dinner and I would prefer him not to help (like when I’m cutting up raw chicken or I’m feeling a little frazzled), I get a clean chopping board and a small knife and let him stand on a chair and practice chopping his play dough beside me. Maybe it’s the change of location, or being able to cook ‘with’ mum, but it means we can work in companionable proximity without him getting in the way.

I tend to make up a batch of play dough and then divvy it out a quarter at a time, keeping the rest in an air tight container in the pantry. This makes it last a bit longer – it doesn’t take long before the dough is full of dirt cat hair, despite the fact that our cat ran away over a month ago. If left out, the dough dries out pretty quickly. I keep it in a little airtight container on the little fella’s table. Even in the direct sun, once it’s in the container it will stay pliable.

Method

1. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl. In a jug, combine the wet ingredients and then pour into the dry ingredients.
2. Mix until the dough comes together then turn out onto the bench and knead lightly until smooth (good job for the kids although check that it isn’t too hot first).
3. Depending on the flour or how much food colouring you add, the dough may come out a little sticky. If the dough is too sticky, knead in a little extra flour until you have a smooth dough.

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Late last year I read the book Eating Between the Lines: Food and Equality in Australia (no longer, it seems, available – I borrowed it from the library). While this book raised many interesting points, the one that resonated with me the most was the observation that Australians are very, very good at accepting and incorporating other ‘ethnic’ cuisines into our diet, and yet we’ve all but ignored the foods of our own country.

Apart from being the food source to Aboriginals for thousands of years, Australian native foods also helped keep early white colonists alive. However, native foods soon gave way to more traditional and familiar European foods, and apart from macadamia nuts and the occasional interest in ‘exotic’ cuisine, Australian native foods haven’t enjoyed widespread popularity.

I think this is a real shame. It’s at our own loss that we have, by and large, ignored our native food source. It doesn’t make sense that you can buy chia seeds (native to Mexico) at your local supermarket while wattle seeds, for instance, are much harder to source.

Native foods are, obviously, perfectly adapted to growing in this country’s climate. They are also very nutritious: the Kakadu Plum is thought to be the richest source of Vitamin C of any food in the world. And if you forage for wild foods, then they are also free.

My own exposure to native foods has been limited to the occasional Quandong jam that my dad used to make, some lemon myrtle tea, as well as macadamia nuts, of course. And if you count kangaroo as bush tucker then yes, I’ve eaten that too (there’s an irony there – a nation that’s all but rejected it’s own native food is also one of the few that eats it’s national emblem).

But I’ve been looking into ways to widen our palate by making native Australian foods a regular addition to our diet.

Below are the five steps that we are taking to incorporate native Australian foods into our diet, beginning with the easiest. If you would like to explore native foods but find the idea of foraging for your own a little daunting, you can go the baby steps route like we are taking.

One reader, who does have experience in foraging, was wondering if there are other like-minded people out there who forage for food in Australia. If you do forage for native foods, it would be wonderful if you shared your experiences in the comments below (and there’s a link to a native foods forum in the resources if you’re looking for other passionate foragers). I would also like to hear about the experiences of others as I am very interested in learning more.

1. learning about bush tucker foods

If you’re new to Australian native foods, then the first step is to learn about what’s available. Information overload can be counter-productive, which is why it’s best to pick one food at a time to explore (something that I am doing).

Choose a native food (one that is palatable and not just edible) that grows in your local region, and learn how to identify it, it’s natural environment, it’s seasonality, what parts are edible, how to grow, how to harvest it and how to prepare it, use it (some plants are also medicinal) and cook with it.

Buy some. Try some. Taste it. Cook with it yourself. Grow it.

And familiarise yourself with native foods one plant at a time. The knowledge you gain through this process will be more valuable than any single book.

At the end of the article is a list of resources, including information on various plants, to help you get started with this process. Your local library will also have books on native foods.

2. buy foods made from native ingredients

We went to the food festival in Kenilworth over the Easter break and came home with a local product: a lovely jar of bush tucker / Moroccan fusion simmer sauce. At $8 a jar, it wasn’t cheap, but as the lady suggested, we only used about a third of the jar, so it will make three meals for the three of us.

Once you begin to look, there are actually lots of ready made products that incorporate native Australian ingredients (like sauces and jams); local markets are one of the best places to find these products. They make a good introduction both to the taste of native foods as well as ideas on how to use them.

Another place to find these foods is in your health food shop (and even sometimes in your supermarket). Lemon Myrtle tea is a good example. This is the one I’ve tried, although there are many different brands (as well as different native teas).

3. buy native ingredients to cook with

The next step is to buy raw native ingredients to cook with, things like native herbs and spices or native fruits and greens at your local markets. Find ingredients in specialty stores, health food stores, greengrocers, at local markets or online.

There are many recipes online to guide you in using native foods, although it will be a lot more fun to experiment and come up with your own recipes.

4. Grow native food plants in your garden

This is the aspect of native foods that I’m particularly interested in: incorporating native food plants into the garden. The benefits of growing your own bush tucker are many.

Firstly, and particularly if you’re buying from nurseries that specialise in native food plants, you can be assured you’re eating plants that are not poisonous.

Secondly, by planting native trees, you are providing a food source for native birds and insects as well as helping maintain a good balance between native and introduced species and helping to keep endangered species alive. Native plants are also hardy and water wise.

Thirdly, as much of the bush tucker currently consumed is ‘wild harvested’, increasing demand puts pressure on its sustainability. Many native plants are low maintenance so by growing your own, you have the best of both worlds.

If you are interested in adding native food plants to your garden, find out which ones are appropriate for your local climate and start from there. Your local nursery should be able to help or check out the resources section for more information.

5. Forage for native foods

Foraging means food for free, which is always nice. One day I would like to get more into foraging; it’s a great way to supplement what you buy and what you grow. Foraging is also a great way to really understand, appreciate and live within the natural rhythms of the environment.

Of course, foraging doesn’t just mean native foods, there are many introduced plant species (aka weeds) that can be picked and eaten. If you’re in Melbourne, Doris Pozzi does edible weed walks and workshops; she also has a book that you can buy online.

There are two things to keep in mind when foraging for foods. The first is to really make sure you know what you’re picking and eating. It can be very easy to mistake one plant for another, sometimes with deadly consequences. In the reading I’ve been doing lately, I’ve discovered that even within the same species, some plants are edible while others that look very similar are poisonous. Also, some parts of a plant may be edible, while other parts poisonous.

Ideally you would want to take a course or workshop (if you can find one) from someone who knows the native foods in your local area  and can teach you where to find them and how to identify them.

Secondly, keep in mind that some plants are endangered and protected and therefore require a permit to harvest. The NSW variety of Davidson Plum comes to mind here (although the QLD variety is not endangered). You will also need to check out regulations if foraging in National Parks.

Further resources

• Queensland Bush Food Association
• Australian Native Food Industry Limited
• Australian Bushfood and Native Medicine Forum – lots of info here
• Australian Bushfood Magazine
• NSW Flora Online
• Learn how to use bush tucker – ACS Distance Ed Course
• Bushfood shop and their blog with info on plants plus recipes
• Witjuti Grub Bushfood Nursery

If you have any other resources or experience in growing, foraging, cooking or eating Australian native foods, let us know in the comments below.

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Encouraged by the wholefood workshop that I’m taking online, we’ve been having a lot of smoothies lately. We started off gently with some fruit smoothies I used to make years ago and progressively got more daring, adding things like homemade sunflower seed milk and kale.

This particular smoothie is tasty, dairy (and gluten) free and full of nutrition. You can add a teaspoon or so of natural peanut butter (which is what we did) for protein – it will change the flavour slightly.

How much honey you add will depend on your personal tastes and the sweetness of the banana and pineapple. Start with none and add it in as you like.

I use about half coconut milk to a quarter filtered water – you can use just coconut milk for a creamier texture.

You don’t have to add the kale (or alternatives like spinach or silverbeet). Kale is however packed full of Vitamin C and K and is rich in calcium, carotenoids and iron. Adding it to smoothies is an easy and tasty way of increasing raw foods in your diet (and your kids’ diet – the little fella loves these). Add just a leaf or so to start with and increase the amount to taste.

Method

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Serve immediately or chill for later (it will need a good shake if you drink it later).

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If you’re looking for the perfect lemon saving device, then look no further, because have I got a beaut one for you today.

When I first discovered this lemon saver, I fell in love. It keeps our cut lemons fresher for longer – a great way to store lemons in the fridge, reducing waste and saving you money.

This also works well for storing avocados too.

And here it is…

Now I bet you thought I was going to recommend some product . Nah. A rubber band (you probably get some for free with the dreaded junk mail) isn’t made of plastic and doesn’t cost you anything.

I saw a whole heap of fruit savers the other day at the shop for lemons, tomatoes, avocados… this works just as well.

If you’ve got lots of lemons or don’t plan on using the juice soon, an alternative is to juice the lemon and freeze the juice in ice cube trays.

I have to admit though, that a cut lemon half keep for weeks in the fridge, they just dry out a little bit. Slice a thin slice from the top and they juice almost as well as fresh.

What’s your method for saving lemons and other fruits and veg?

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