Foods to keep in your cupboard

 Try to keep some basic ingredients in your cupboard or freezer for emergencies. You can make most of the recipes in this book from the foods below. Rolled oats Use oats in porridge, oaty bars, or as a crumble topping for a dessert or in meat patties for hamburgers to make mince go further. Breakfast cereals Eat with milk for breakfast. You can also use them as a snack or as a topping for a fruit dessert. Rice Use it as a side dish for meals like stir fry or in baked meals such as tuna and pineapple rice. Pasta, noodles or vermicelli Use pasta in salads or in main meals with a sauce or in soups. There are many types of pasta (penne, spirals, spaghetti, macaroni etc). Any of these are fine for all the pasta recipes, so choose your favourite type. Couscous is a bit like pasta - quick and easy to use. It takes on the flavour of whatever you add to it. Bread Bread doesn’t need to just be for sandwiches or toast. You can have it with dinner (instead of potatoes, taro, rice or pasta), or in meals like tuna casserole. Choose wholemeal or grain breads when possible as they are more filling than white bread. Store extra bread in the freezer, until you need it. Flour Use flour to thicken sauces, such as white or cheese sauce or for baking pancakes, pikelets, muffins and scones. Flour may be self rising flour or plain flour. Check which one you need for the recipe. There is also wholemeal flour which has more fibre and is more filling. Try mixing wholemeal with white flour to make your baking healthier. Baking powder This helps some of the recipes to rise. It is not the same as baking soda. To make your own baking powder mix ¼ tsp baking soda with ½ tsp of cream of tartar. Powdered milk Make milk up according to the instructions on the packet and use just like fresh milk on cereal, in hot or cold drinks and in baking. Make this up in advance and let it settle to improve the taste. Potatoes, kumara, yam, taro, cassava and green banana are filling and can be boiled and mashed, or baked in the oven, made into hash browns, potato wedges or used in potato salad. When potatoes are in a recipe you can use kumara, yam or taro as an alternative. Always store potatoes in a cool dark place to stop them turning green. How to make your money go further5 Onions These are a very useful ingredient to add flavour to savoury dishes. Store them somewhere cool and dark. Hang them from a secure hook to keep cool air circulating through the bag. This will stop the onions going off quickly. Tinned beans, lentils or chickpeas Use these instead of meat, or with meat to make it go further. They are cheap and healthy. Use them in tomato-based sauce or to add bulk to soups and casseroles. Use chickpeas to make hummus or chickpea patties. Dried beans and chickpeas If you use dried beans or chickpeas you should soak these in water overnight (minimum 4 hours). To quick soak add at least three cups of cold water to each cup of beans in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat, cover and stand (without cooking) for 1 – 2 hours. Beans usually absorb water and soften faster in hot water. Use them in the recipe or freeze in plastic bags for future use. Tinned fish e.g. tuna, mackerel, sardines or salmon Look for fish tinned in spring water or tomato sauce or pour away the oil or brine from the tin before using. Fish goes nicely in sandwiches, on toast, with rice or as a main meal such as tuna casserole or fish rissoles. Tinned or frozen vegetables e.g. peas, sweetcorn, beans These are just as healthy as fresh vegetables. Use them as a side dish with main meals, in soups, or in a sauce as much as you can. They add interest to a salad or you can use in a main dish such as sweetcorn fritters. Tinned tomatoes are really useful for making sauces for curry, mince or pasta. Tinned fruit Tinned fruit can be served at breakfast on top of cereals. It can be great for snack time or in a dessert such as fruit crumble, or just on its own. Choose fruit tinned in natural juices or pour off the syrup as it is very high in sugar. Oil or margarine You can use either of these for cooking. Choose canola, corn, sunflower, soy bean, avocado, peanut or olive oils or margarines when you can. Use only small amounts if you need to watch your weight. Optional extras Herbs, spices and stocks add extra flavour e.g. cinnamon, pepper, mixed herbs, coriander, cumin, curry powder, marmite, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, chilli powder. Use iodised salt in small amounts only