Cook with Us #29: Vegan Koftas Lunch for 2 people ONLY 1.85 SBD! FEED YOURSELF WITH SBD EARNINGS!
I really loved the theme for this weeks @cookwithus challenge: Budget Meal!!!! I agree that people spend too much on convenience food and eating out. As someone who has worked in a restaurant I know first hand it's not worth it, when you can cook your own food, much fresher, cheaper and better than a lot of restaurants. Sure they make it look really fancy but with not much effort you can also have a fancy meal at home!
I haven't had an official income since June this year, instead i've been living off my earning on Steemit. Even though I can make nice food and get some good snaps, i'm still living very frugally, so it is entirely possible to feed yourself with steemit dollar earnings!
Being smart about where you shop is crucial and that doesnt mean the budget isle in your local supermarket. Search around your local area, get outside the urbanization and see if there are any farms. I get my vegtables and some fruit from a local farm intiative, everything is unofficially organic and delicous.
You can see pictures of it in my previous post, it's so quaint!
The price is really good.... for example this massive bunch of kale you see in my food shop picture below was only 1 euro! Actually the picture of the fridge is food shopping for 2 people lasting one week. We also buy some extra bits from various local shops, fruits, dried pulses, nuts & seeds, oats, gluten free flours and occasional luxury items, oils, nut butters, stuff for baking.
Everything in the fridge cost under 20 euros: 19.66 to be precise, you can check the receipt deducting the walnuts 3.51 which were not included in the picture (because I forgot to add them!) We also got the mushroom and the salad for free, because the shop keeper/farmer called Victor is so nice! By the way I don't normally keep tomatoes in the fridge, they are just there for the photo! Actually I tend to switch the fridge off as it starts to get colder because I mainly eat fresh food and it saves on energy.
For the challenge we had to make a separate shop for our budget but because i'd already done my food shop before I saw the challenge, I did all the workings out below, so that I would stick to the budget and guess what? I was under budget!:
I also grow some of my own greens on my balcony in containers. I only planted the seeds in mid September, I sow thickly then thin out as im tight for space. I find sowing thickly does encourage them to grow but then after a certain point if I don't think thin them out quick enough they'll be starved for nutrients. I often make compost teas and keep it all totally organic of course! It was a bit over due for the mustard greens and kale to be thinned out, so timing worked perfectly for this challenge:
The lemon was picked from a tree outside the apartment building and the parsley from my herb container! All these will be used for my recipe to make this delicious lunch time meal: VEGAN KOFTAS!
Here is the full recipe above and i'm just about to put it up on my website too! The recipe is fructan free (FODMAP diet) which means no fresh onion or garlic, if you like to have these in your food, go ahead and add them in. As you can see I also used some pantry items: brown lentils, chickpeas, salt and spices.
here's some photo's of the kofta making process below.....
The final picture is me sitting outside on my balcony, enjoying a little bit of sunshine and digging to this delicious lunch, with my partner and scrapping over the last bit of red pepper humus!
By the way the humus and the slaw were included in the budget too! I used the other half of the red pepper, the left over chickpeas, a little olive oil, apple cider vinegar & salt blitzed together and there you go, fresh and tasty!
Thanks to @curie and @sneaky-ninja for supporting the contest! Thank you to the Cook with Us team - @chefsteve, @pandamama and @offoodandart for running the comp!
www.celestialcow.com
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Awesome entry @celestialcow! You really know how to make a budget meal! I remember reading a book once that showed what typical families from all around the world bought for food for a week. Each family spread out their food on a table and listed what they paid for it. It was fascinating to see how families that had all natural vegetarian based diets were able to buy so much more food for so little money versus families that bought meat and processed foods. Seeing your fridge reminded me of that book. It is so impressive that you bought all of that food for twenty euro. It is also impressive that you are living off of Steem!
I also like how you grow some of your own foods which is a great way to have fresh and cheap food. I like how you foraged the lemon! Your kofta look amazing with the hummus and slaw. What a great budget meal. Thanks for showing us how so little money can go so far without compromising quality or taste!
Thank you for sharing all that @chefsteve. Even before I was strictly vegan for the ethics, I was pretty much vegetarian because I could not afford meat. Its true what u say about traditional diets around the world. Meat is mostly reserved for special occasions, because the lifestock are their assets. The modern consumer diet could learn alot from that. Its sad to see that packaged meats get thrown in the bins when out of date, so much wastage, and unnecessary life lost!
I can buy my food off steem income but nothing else, thankfully my partner is able to pay the bills. Although things aren't always secure with steem. This is why I'm working quite hard o my website, which I would not have the motivation to do if I was in an energy zapping job. There is a big expectation in the west that we must get high paid jobs. My family think I should work in a kitchen but as someone who worked in a restaurant I know how stressful and tiring it is. For me I prefer to live frugally than have a massive bank balance. I spend more time outside and feel alot happier than when I had to work for someone else!
Another one for the cookery book - well done @celestialcow for an amazing and detailed post
Haha thanks!
wow,,, so inspiring.. and WHAT a nicely laid out fridge. I never thought to use trays before.. Genius!
i havent had koftas since Shabbat with Grandma about 18 years ago! hers were made from lamb, but these look just as tastey (dont tell Grandma i said that)
Ive been eating out every day for nearly three weeks now.. cant WAIT to get back in my kitchen! .. where we can control the quality and know what we are really eating!
<3 xx
Thanks sounds like you are on a fabtastic journey eco-Alex, if you ever stop by in Spain.ill be delighted to cook you any of my recipes!
ill Remeber that.. !!! xxxxx
These koftas look really delicious, and so popping with colour! I bet they were amazing with that red pepper hummus. I love hummus!!!
I had never heard of chia egg until you mentioned it and I did a bit of research. Thanks for introducing me to it :)
Hehe I love humus and bean dips so much! I don't need replacement for mayo or sauces, i just eat humus!
I only found out about the chia egg this year! so great isn't it? And you can do the same with flax seeds too!
@celestialcow great write up i dread to think how much that would cost me if i bought it from a uk supermarket. Love how you broke it down to work out the eqivalent SBD. Hope your well
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This is why I'm so thankful to move to Spain! For my diet and lifestyle and budget it fits me well! Good to hear from u!!!
Had no idea koftas could be cooked like this. Wow! Looks good and makes me want to try it.
Veganized you can cook anything, altho not lamb koftas they are still fantastic! :) thanks
Wow @celestialcow, love your food and the way you've done your post, reminds me of how I used to calculate portions when I was involved with catering on a strict budget:) What a great entry!
hehe yea. i like to use half of things alot and then i'll use the other half for something else! really stretches things out!
These look so delicious my friend! Well that whole platter would be gobbled up in no time if you brought it to my house. :) Love the fridge shot, as well. Always neat to see what you can get for your money. Very cool that you are able to use Steem to help put such wonderful food on your table!
haha and i waould gobble all ur food too! if u ever come to spain let me know, ur welcome at my table! steem income is going down a bit atm so lets see what the future holds :)
Oh I wish I could make it over there some day! I've never been to Europe, so I would love to visit. Quite a few folks have started accounts over at Whaleshares, as well. Not sure what the future will hold for that platform or what the coin is worth right now, but perhaps if you have time you could start an account over there, as well? @evecab and @moonunit finally talked me into it. @thekitchenfairy and the @cookwithus team are on there, too.
O wow thanks for keeping me in the loop for that one! One day if these coins go to moon, 🚀 we will be going where ever we want
@evecab and @moonunit finally got me over there. I'm definitely not ditching Steem, but it's fun to have another place to interact. And you never know, if they both take off then we'll be really set! :)
I signed up but still waiting for an email.
It took a few days for me I think...If you need help check in with @moonunit. He's a witness over there and all over the discord channel. :)
Love your tips on creating in the kitchen without breaking the bank. And I think growing your own herbs/veggies is so rewarding. Great idea to make the vegan koftas. They look so delicious especially with the red pepper hummus and refreshing slaw. Thank you for your entry and good luck!
thank you so much! growing my own is vital. Those mustard greens were so mustardy! u dont even need mustard sauce. They are not available in the shops so its great to have the specialist things too!