Frugal Feast #3

Welcome to week three of ‘Frugal Feast’, a scrumptious regular feature which I’m working on with the fantastic Eva from Girl Counting Pennies! Our Frugal Feast feature is a collection of frugal recipes designed for people on a tight budget like us. Eva and I are both working very hard to save money in order to pay off our debts faster and grocery shopping is one area where we have both cut back significantly. Our aim is to provide recipes for meals which are cheap to make without compromising on deliciousness!

Every fortnight on Tuesdays, Eva will be posting her Frugal Feast recipe here on A Disease Called Debt and I will be posting mine over at Girl Counting Pennies – so don’t forget to visit Eva’s blog to view my recipe after reading hers below!

FRUGAL FEAST: Vegetable Stir Fry

Hello everyone! I am Eva and I am working on our Frugal Feast feature with Hayley. I hope you have enjoyed our recipes so far! Today I thought I would share my quick and easy vegetable stir fry recipe which I normally make when I am short for time.

This past weekend has been rather busy and as a result, I decided to make something quick and simple for dinner on Sunday, and my vegetable stir fry was exactly that! Not only has this recipe saved me time, it also turned out to be super delicious… and cheap to make, of course! Enjoy!

Ingredients list and cost breakdown

Stir fry noodles 200g                                       £0.25
I used Vitasia Chew Noodles from Aldi
Coconut Milk (half a can, 200ml)                     £0.33
I used Vitasia Coconut Milk from Aldi
Oriental Mix Vegetables (half a pack, 250g)    £0.50
Salt and chilli powder to taste                          £0.01
1 tbsp soy sauce                                             £0.01
2 tbsp lemon juice                                           £0.03
1 tbsp olive oil                                                 £0.01
1 tsp brown sugar                                           £0.04

I have used frozen vegetables this time around since my sister had them in the freezer for ages, but I normally use fresh ones whenever I make a vegetable stir fry (I add onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, baby corn, broccoli and shredded cabbage to the mix).

The above ingredients make two adult portions at 58p per portion.

Equipment

You will need one small saucepan, a wok (or a large frying pan), a wooden spoon to stir, a bowl (or a cup), one tablespoon and one teaspoon. Naturally, you will need a knife to chop your vegetables if using fresh ones.

Step 1: Prepare stir fry sauce

Prepare your stir fry sauce by mixing coconut milk, soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and salt/chilli powder together in a bowl or a cup.

Step 2: Prepare vegetables

Warm a wok or a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil and your vegetables. If you are using a frozen vegetable mix, add all vegetables at once and simmer over medium heat stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.

If you are using fresh vegetables, add diced onion and thinly chopped carrots first. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes and then add the rest of your vegetables (shiitake mushrooms, baby corn, broccoli and shredded cabbage). Mix all your vegetables together and stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Step 3: Cook noodles

Cook noodles according to package instructions in a small saucepan, which is normally 8-12 minutes. Once ready, drain them thoroughly.

Step 4: Mix all your ingredients together

Add your noodle to your vegetables and stir them together. Now add your sauce and stir some more on medium heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste test and if you think something is missing add to taste! Serve hot and enjoy!

Author Bio: Eva is a personal finance writer and blogger living in London, United Kingdom. She is currently documenting her journey to debt freedom over at her blog Girl Counting Pennies. You can also find her on Twitter.

_____________________________________________________________________________

If you’d like to be kept updated with future posts, please consider subscribing by email or RSS to make sure you don’t miss them!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Related posts:

• Frugal Feast #2
• Frugal Feast #1
• My list of free or cheap things to do!

*Image courtesy of Eva from Girl Counting Pennies