alternative dinner sidelines

[voltanapricot]

I'm living away from home for the first time on a budget, I'm also bored of eating rice and pasta everytime I eat. What other things can you eat as a sideline with say, chicken? Maybe a bit of fish for whenever I feel like spoiling myself.

I've never tried hummus, what's that all about? What do people eat it with? There are other things that intrigue my tastbuds like cous cous, does that go with a sauce or something? I really haven't got a clue, I'd love to hear some suggestions to mess about with. I'd like to learn how to make new and interesting dishes so I may impress my family and friends at Christmas for all of five minutes, maybe.

I should mention I don't have an oven, just an electric hob and George. I don't even know how relevant that is to my question. See? No clue!

[cosmo105]

hummus is a kind of dip or spread made from garbanzo beans. it's got a mild, kind of creamy taste but can be flavored to all kinds of wonderful things. it's especially good on bread with sprouts and avocado. :)

cous cous is actually a kind of wheat pasta. little granules of it.

you might want to try wild rice pilafs. those can be quite yummy (and much more nutritious than just white rice).

you can grill veggies on the george foreman! i haven't done it myself, but i know it can be done. bell peppers and aparagus and all. mmm mm.

without an oven, that makes it rather difficult. erm, what is a hob exactly? a monster that warms up food in its mouth for you? i'm assuming that's what it is.

ah, isn't it liberating being out on your own? :)

[HEIRESS]

ok I googled hob, and its like some weird british mini stove-top/toaster oven deal?
what are its limits as a cooking device, we must know!

boiling up some yams or sweet potatoes and then mashing them is fun and kind of unexpected

get a steamer insert for you pot and then you can steam veggie weggies and of course, edamame!

and yeah pilafffss are good, when you go to boil your fancy non-white rice just throw in some lil baby cut up chunks of pepper, onion and garlic into the mix and just let that shit cook away merrily

[SandyLove]

I'm not sure how you feel about tofu, but i love it. I buy the medium to firm cube of tofu and dice it into smaller cubes and throw it into a tomato sauce, good especially if your entertaining vegetarians or if ur bored of ground beef sauce.
Also if you want to make a creative funky salad, no heat required you can make a veggie tower consisting of a round slice of egg plant as your base, then some lettuce leaves then a tomato slice then a thin slice of goat cheese, then some more lettuce, another tomato slice and you can alternate your items and u can go as high as you want. garnish with a sprig of rosamary and raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

[cosmo105]

i would highly recommend getting a mini rice cooker (it can steam veggies too) and/or a mini crock pot. you can work wonders with just those two things, and they can usually be found at yard sales and thrift stores. mini crock pots are usually extras that come with large ones, and people often don't use them. they're perfect for just one little sweet pea like yourself.

[na§tee]

aahhh how sweet, out on your own now! my little girl all growns up! :o

erm, yeah. when you say sideline i assume you mean something to eat in addition to your chicken or fish or what not. baby potatoes are always good. you can par-boil them and then lightly fry with some garlic, onions, some bacon if you're cheeky. it's like a mini rosti. also, roasted vegetables are your friend. ahh shit you don't have an oven. crap. but still - grill them as cosmo said. also, start making salads - even get good pre-bagged salad from a grocers, whip up a dressing with white wine vinegar, olive oil and mustard, chuck it over, get some feta in there, s'all good baby. normally with a piece of salmon i marinate it with some soy sauce and brown sugar and have it with salad. delish!

when i was a student these were my staples:
- chilli.
- spaghetti bolognese.
- red wine & mushroom pasta 'N' sauce on two slices of toast (oh so that's how i got fat i hear you say!).
- vegetable chilli pasta.
- repeat.

oh, you can make soups. soups last really long.
and thai vegetable curry. buncha vegetables (and chicken or prawns if ya like), coconut milk, soy sauce, thai green curry paste, that's it. lasts ages.
casseroles, too. i mean, it's winter and you're british. go for it! braising meat, vegetables, no problem. eat with rice or in a baked (shit, sorry! microwaved) potato.

[mp-seventythree]

Hob is just the Brit word for the gas/electric rings you cook on with pans. I think you guys call it a stove-top or something.

And Clo, try different variations of mashed potato.....mmmmm, mash is good(y)

[voltanapricot]

I haven't been able to view the board for like a week, boo rubbish browsers.

These are all fab suggestions, guys! I'm doing a big shop online for all this stuff when my hallmates return tomorrow, so I'm going to mess about with it during the week. It's a shame that yams are so expensive here (£2.75!). Are they often that expensive? I don't think they're very popular here, but I'm going to trek about some grocers and see if I have any luck.

I'll take pics, I can't wait to experiment. (y)

[b-grrrlie]

I've started using quinoa (http://www.quinoa.net/), delicious in sallads! It costs a bit more than rice, but quicker too cook and tastes much better!

Here potato is the basic food, usually boiled. Then you can mash it, make fries, raw fried in slices, make soup etc etc. And you can grow your own in a bucket full of soil! :D

[jabumbo]

in my ideal fridge, i would have fresh leaf lettuce and mushrooms available every day of the week

[hellojello]

hummus is a kind of dip or spread
is that what you call chick peas over there?
cause over here all hummus Ive ever had, even home made hummus, comes from chick peas.

[Rancid_Beasties]

is that what you call chick peas over there?
cause over here all hummus Ive ever had, even home made hummus, comes from chick peas.
Garbanzo beans = chickpeas. Same thing. I like hommus (thats how i've always seen it spelt), but there are so many better dips out there. Best dip = Chris' spring onion dip. Bloody awesome but not good for you in large amounts.

[monkey]

i like to keep celery sticks in lemon juice and mix them with avocado as a little side salad. all those other suggestions are awesome as well. i buy these (http://www.cascadianfarm.com/products/product_detail.aspx?cat=13&upc=0-21908-50026-3) for a quick side dish. corn on the cob is easy, you just boil it, and it makes a yummy side dish as well. i dont know... vegetables, lots of different ones, theyre usually the yummiest.

[joon]

Not sure if this helps but I am from Texas and some of the cheapest things to eat are tacos. You can used any left over chicken or just straight veggies. Just take tortillas (you can get a huge variety like corn, flour, spinach flavored, or my fave chipotle flavored) just add your meat (sliced or ground) then some lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese) I am a vegetarian so I usually make it with black beans instead of meat.
You can live for days on this and it saves wasting left over veggies and meat.
BUt also black beans and brown rice together are the greatest healthiest combination to keep you going. You can make rice more exciting by adding flavors to it, maybe some broth or taco seasoning or throw some broccoli and cheese in it as a side.
Peanut butter is also good and cheap, on bread or crackers with jelly. hell yeah.
Oh if you do get a crock pot a good thing to do is make a pot of beans, flavor them accordingly and get some tostada shells (they are like crispy tortillas) and for a good week you can live off of chalupas. Take the tostadas and heat them to crispiness, heat your beans (about a cup per serving then smash them like refried beans) this should make a couple of servings then sprinkle shredded cheese on top. They are like big nachos. Add lettuce tomatoes, avocado, etc. on top.

[joon]

also in college on the George, I cooked hotdogs, and grilled cheese sandwiches. They looked funny but they were cheap and deeelicious.

when you are making ramen noodles; explore your options. ontop of making it their way throw in some frozen veggie mixes or some shrimp. you can get very creative and it is relatively cheap. there are many different kinds of frozen veggie mixes to keep it alive. each meal like that costs about 27 cents to make and god knows that is how i got through school.

but back to hummus. man if you can embrace that you will be set. it is really cheap. one year i survived on hummus and pita chips and craisins. with hummus you can make sandwiches on bread, on pita bread, with cucumbers and tomatoes and avocados, or use it as a dip with chips, i like it mixed with salsa and chips.