Follow this topicFalafel, roast pepper and feta salad with chilli tomato salsa
Check out this amazing recipe for Falafel, roast pepper and feta salad with chilli tomato salsa - for £1.49 per person!
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Falafel, roast pepper and feta salad with chilli tomato salsa (Serves 4)
It would be wrong to class this as just a ‘vegetarian recipe’. We could all do with cutting down our consumption of meat and fish and this is one of those recipes that doesn’t make vegetarian food a chore. It’s a vibrant dish full of flavours.
There are some wonderfully innovative and top class vegetarian restaurants in the UK (Terre a Terre in Brighton instantly springs to mind), but the problem is these innovative and quality establishments are far outweighed by restaurateurs looking to make a fast buck through higher margins (see Zilli Green in Soho). Throw in the tuts that accompany vegetarians at dinner parties and the obligatorily nut roast, it feels to me we have a little way to go before we reduce our dependence on meat and fish. Try this recipe for starters.
Ingredients
- 1 can of chickpeas, 400g (39p)
- 200g of Greek feta (£1.29)
- 900g of cherry tomatoes (98p)
- 1 bulb of garlic (25p)
- 700g of mixed market value peppers (£1.38)
- 1 pack of red chillies, 50g (50p)
- 1 large red onion (20p)
- 30g of fresh flat leaf parsley (69p)
- 1 lemon (30p)
The cupboard staples…
Sunflower oil, olive oil, salt, sugar, black pepper, cumin, ground coriander, plain flour and chilli powder.
Total cost
If you already have the cupboard staples, then according to mysupermarket.co.uk, this trolley was cheapest at Sainsbury’s where it came to £5.98 - that's £1.49 per head!
Instructions
- Let’s make the falafel first – you can pop them in the fridge until you need to use. You’ll need a food processor as well (alternatively you have some chopping ahead of you!).You need to whizz together the following; the chickpeas (drain first!), 3 garlic cloves, half the red onion, half of the parsley, 2 ½ tablespoons of flour, 2 teaspoons of cumin, 2 teaspoons of coriander, 1 teaspoon of chilli powder and seasoning. Once whizzed in the processor (the mixture doesn’t need to be too smooth) shape into 4 falafels. Place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Now for the roast pepper and feta salad. Get the grill on a high heat, cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and the bitter white membranes and place on a tray along with generous seasoning and a really good glug of olive oil. You want to get some really good colour on the skins of peppers, we’re talking some charring on the skins – it does loads for the flavour of the salad. Grill for around 7 or 8 minutes on each side (on a medium level). Whilst the peppers are grilling you can make the tomato salsa.
- Finely chop 1 clove of garlic, half the red onion, 3 de-seeded chillies and chop the cherry tomatoes in half. Mix together with a pinch of salt, a pinch of sugar, a good twist of black pepper, the juice of half a lemon (tip: roll the lemon along the surface with palm of your hand to extract more juice) and around 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- By now the peppers should be ready. Remove from the grill and leave to cool a little before assembling the salad. Grab a bowl and add the roughly chopped feta, the rest of the parsley, and the peppers roughly chopped as well once they’ve cooled at little. It’s ok to add the peppers if warm still (it helps with the flavour). Finish with the juice of half a lemon and a twist of black pepper. That’s the salads done.
- Now to cook the falafel. Pour some sunflower oil into a deep frying pan (you’re looking for around an inch in depth) and heat to 180C – you can test the oil is hot enough by dropping a few crumbs of bread in the pan. If they fizz up straightaway you’re good to go. If not, wait.
- Place the falafel in the pan gently and fry for around 3 minutes on both sides until golden. Once cooked drain off the excess fat on some kitchen paper and serve with the salads.
- Happy eating!
A bit about the Frugal Recipes chef, Paul Warburton
Paul Warburton, a lovemoney.com staff member, had a hectic career in the world of hot kitchens and screaming chefs before joining the lovemoney.com products development team.
During these years, under the tutorage of some great chefs, he honed his skills in cooking for numbers within a tight cost and portion-controlled environment.
Now he's planning to regularly offer his help to all budding chefs in the lovemoney.com community, so you can enjoy his original, low-cost recipes with your family and friends every Friday for free!
What lovemoney.com readers have said about Paul's other recipes
"We enjoyed this recipe very much: easy to make and even easier to eat!" varneyrob
“Thanks Paul, another great tasting easy recipe. It was my first risotto attempt ever and it was great, I even impressed my in-laws with it. Many thanks...” welshlady
"I made this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Seriously good! Five of us feasted on it, and feasted well..." Ibeshy
"I made this recipe on Saturday night, and my 13 year-old son promptly requested it again for the following night!" Malcolm Wheatley
"This is a cracking risotto recipe. Just had it for lunch & it's a winner. More recipes please. Thanks." SavvyLass
"Another delicious offering from Paul. Thank you - keep 'em coming!" Palefire
Please add your own comments using the comments box below!
If you like this recipe, why not also try Paul's other Frugal Recipes:
Chicken ‘oven baked’ with cream, mushrooms and thyme | Slow roasted pork shoulder ‘Chinese style’ with pak choi | Chilli steak burgers, paprika wedges and homemade coleslaw |Broad bean, halloumi and mint farfalle | My chicken curry, basmati rice and coriander yoghurt | Barbecued whole mackerel and a spicy lime salsa | Moussaka | Pan fried trout fillets with a dill potato salad | Chicken braised with cider and red cabbage (and proper baked potatoes) | Lincolnshire sausages with red onion gravy and thyme and Gouda polenta | Beef enchiladas with a lime sour cream | Slow roasted duck legs and charlotte potatoes with a carrot and cumin salad | Paella | Asparagus and gruyere tart with new potatoes | Haddock fishcakes with radish and watercress salad and lemon crème fraiche dressing | Prawn and pea risotto Honey roasted gammon and apples with champ | Hot chocolate fondants with crème Chantilly | Shin of beef, kidney and ale pie Tandoori chicken with coconut rice & mint raita | Homemade gnocchi with a tomato & thyme sauce, spinach and ricotta | Frugal Pancakes | Griddled black pudding, chimichurri mash and caramelised apples | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Lamb koftas with a feta, mint and chickpea salad & chilli grilled pittas | Pork, rosemary and white bean ravioli with a chilli tomato sauce | Sausage & leek casserole with parsley dumpings | Pork, chorizo & cannellini bean stew | Rabbit, bacon & thyme pie | Potato rosti with creamed spinach and poached egg | Pumpkin and sage risotto | Slow braised oxtail with autumn mash | Spiced whole mackerel with chickpea salad | Twice cooked belly pork (with gravy) parsnips and sweet apple red cabbage | Roasted pheasant | Portobello mushroom, port and stilton wellington | Lemon tart with fresh vanilla mascarpone | Massaman curry | Smoked mackerel pate on crostini and red onion confit |Rolled breast of lamb with garlic mash and Savoy cabbage | Lemon & rosemary chicken thighs | Thai Pollock curry with egg noodles | Chunky pea and ham soup| Spaghetti alla carbonara | Pork stroganoff | Green chilli meat balls, sunflower seed couscous salad and mint yoghurt | Tagliatelle with air dried cured ham and minted peas | Beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise | Mixed bean and coriander green curry with fragrant rice | Egg Florentine with smoked cheddar and rocket salad | Beef, mushroom and thyme pie | Spicy tuna, bean and coriander lasagne | Beef koftas with a feta, spinach and fresh mint salad | Chorizo and pea risotto | Sausage and rosemary hotpot | Beef & thyme (Lancashire) hotpot
Remember, if you're registered on lovemoney.com, you can follow this blog and find new posts as soon as they are published, via your personal homepage. Never miss a frugal recipe again - register now.
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