Today for Sunday lunch all I had was some big tomatoes, garlic,2 eggs, cheese and some leftovers from last nights Peasant Pasta.

So, Bastardo huevos rancheros it is then!

I fried the tomatoes and garlic gently with butter (I've run out of oil) sprinkled some chilli powder, turmeric and oregano. Once the tomatoes were soft I added the leftover pasta, fried that up.
Then I cracked a couple of eggs into the mix, grated some cheese on top and put the lid on for a few moments until eggs were cooked.
Served it with a couple of crackers I found in the cupboard.  Nice!

Real Huevos Rancheros should have potatoes and chorizo in it, I'll show you that one another time.
I'm now eying up a packet of quinoa, a tin of tomatoes and one of tuna for a Sunday dinner treat! Ummm not so sure about that one, I'll let you know.

Cupboard basics, when your ready!

 Fresh Garlic (don't keep it in the fridge, it will go off. Put it in the cupboard.)
Fresh ginger
Salt and pepper (obviously) sea salt is the best and goes a long way, not that expensive.
Chilli flakes
Cumin powder
Coriander powder (fresh is better)
Tins: various beans, pinto, chick peas, butter beans black eyed, etc be brave!
Cheese: hard like Parmesan (a bit expensive so just get a bit but not the already grated kind cos it gone off and is a con)  strong cheddar (keep it in a zip bag in the fridge) cream cheese, but need to be used quick.
Organic (if poss, sock cubes, veg and chicken)
Olive oil!  This is the best for all your health, a little more expensive but goes a long way, get the extra virgin.
Sunflower oil for general frying
Coconut oil if you can get it ( not madly essential but would be very good for you and tasty,)
Coconut milk great for thickening sauce and curries etc
General mixed dried herbs
Fresh herbs, any, what ever you can get.

BIG TIP

Seriously, go to your local Asian or Turkish store, all dried herbs and spices are less than half the price for twice the quantity, so lasts for ever. Also veg is very good quality though not organic. The meat is halal so killed humanly (tastes a bit better) and they mix minces with onion, garlic and chilli if you want.

See you tomorrow, I'll do what I can with I have! Xxx

First recipe - Peasant Pasta

I looked in the cupboard and fridge and this is all I had: one aubergine, a lemon, an onion, 2 bits of garlic, pasta, a tiny bit of pesto sauce, cream cheese, a tin of chickpeas, a piece of dried Parmesan and salt and pepper.

This is how I made my peasant pasta:

• Fry onions until golden, add garlic and thinly sliced aubergines. 
• Fry til golden, with olive oil if possible. Add butter to enrich!
• Boil water for pasta and cook till al-dente (almost done) then drain and cool with plenty of cold water. 
• Leave the pasta until you're ready to add to sauce (It's important to do this as otherwise it just continues to cook and will be disgusting).
• Meanwhile, add chickpeas to the sauce, then the pesto, some warm water and cream cheese. Keep cooking. Add lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper too.
• Gently keep cooking sauce.
• The drained, cooled pasta then needs to go back in the pan. Add the sauce, heat through and serve on warm dishes (from the microwave). 
• If possible, have a simple salad ready. Make this with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes with a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper and mustard if you have them. 

That's it! they all loved it! have full tummies and it weren't half bad!

Tomorrow, I'll see what I have and let you know!

Please send me what you have in your cupboard and if you can get any extras and I WILL suggest a delicious nutritious meal for you and your friends and family! This ain't rocket science! Get cooking! Big love XXX

Why am I here?

Hello! my name is Sabine.

I've been cooking since I was 13, my dad made me - as there was no mum to do it, it was left to me.
I haven't always been strapped for cash and have cooked all the posh stuff too but over the years I have learnt that you really truly do not need a lot of money to make delicious nutritious meals for yourself and your family.
It's about the quality of ingredients and the limits of your imagination. Cooking should not be scary, but I know sometimes it is. We're all so conditioned to assuming the ads are right and that the only tasty food we can have at home is found under a layer of cellophane from the fridge section of the supermarket, or by ordering a takeaway, that we have lost our ability to cook quickly and easily from scratch with whatever we have at hand (with a few extras if they're affordable at the time).

This blog is from the heart! I want to help everyone eat well, I feel strongly about this! And I will be on this ride with you - at the moment I am totally broke, not even on benefits. I cook what I can, what I have and I attempt to budget and work out what I need for the week.

I live with my two big kids  who are both looking for work and my partner. At the moment none of us have cash to splash and are pooling our resources to eat as well as possible.
As it's a new blog I will firstly add a few very cheap and nutritious recipes and then if people are interested, the plan is for you to send me a list of what's in your cupboard and what you can afford to spend that day or week and I will come up with some thing you will love.
Also, I will make suggestions of staples to always have in your cupboard and the kind of shops to get them from to maximise your money.

I'm very excited about this, I hope you enjoy our journey together into food heaven!