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Tip Store: Cooking: Soups and Stews
Ready Made Veggie Stock
Approximate $ Savings: Say $30 a year
I Microwave my veggies with a very small amount of water, but there is always some moisture left in my utensil. I wash and save my milk cartons and just keep adding this liquid to my carton. In no time I have a lovely stock for soups or casseroles. As we eat heaps of veggies, I have lots of stock to add. Just tear the carton open, frozen, add to pot or slow cooker, with small amount of water and gently defrost/simmer whilst preparing your casserole or soup ingredients. Also when cooking cauliflower or broccoli I add more water than normal, and use this extra liquid to make my cheese sauce. Nice and tasty.
Contributed by Anna Crerar, 21st March 2013
I Microwave my veggies with a very small amount of water, but there is always some moisture left in my utensil. I wash and save my milk cartons and just keep adding this liquid to my carton. In no time I have a lovely stock for soups or casseroles. As we eat heaps of veggies, I have lots of stock to add. Just tear the carton open, frozen, add to pot or slow cooker, with small amount of water and gently defrost/simmer whilst preparing your casserole or soup ingredients. Also when cooking cauliflower or broccoli I add more water than normal, and use this extra liquid to make my cheese sauce. Nice and tasty.
Contributed by Anna Crerar, 21st March 2013
Soup for Health
On Fridays, I make up a big pot of soup for the weekend. I buy some cheap soup bones from the supermarket or chicken frames/necks from the deli section, which are very cheap. I use a generic brand packet of chicken noodle soup mix and about 1/2 a cup of soup mix. Then I throw in a chopped onion, chopped celery stalk, Swede or turnip (parsnip is too dear), potato and any odd vegies from the fridge that I can find - including stalks. That way, I use up all the left over vegies and there is none wasted. I also use broccoli stalks etc in stir fries. If anyone is sick in the family, I use chicken for my soup, and throw in at least 3 cloves of garlic ( as this is a natural antibiotic). If anyone has a cough, I also throw in a bit of chilli powder, as this helps to clear the lungs of muck. We rarely have to go to a doctor and I find that after eating my 'medicine soup', we recover from colds and flu quickly.
- Contributed by Christine, Invermay Park, 25th May 2009
- Contributed by Christine, Invermay Park, 25th May 2009
Make Minestrone Soup Out of Nothing!
Approximate $ Savings: $10
Keep an ice-cream container in the freezer and use it for all the small vegetable leftovers: from stir-fry's, or the children's fresh veg platter, from the water used to cook veggies with. I also put in leftover homemade gravy, and I use water and a wooden spoon to work off the leftover meat and juices from the roasting pan. When I've gathered enough, I'll use it as the liquid for cooking up pumpkin, blend it all down with a blender stick, and add peeled tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, and season to taste.
- Contributed by Lorraine, Blackburn North, 4th May 2009
Keep an ice-cream container in the freezer and use it for all the small vegetable leftovers: from stir-fry's, or the children's fresh veg platter, from the water used to cook veggies with. I also put in leftover homemade gravy, and I use water and a wooden spoon to work off the leftover meat and juices from the roasting pan. When I've gathered enough, I'll use it as the liquid for cooking up pumpkin, blend it all down with a blender stick, and add peeled tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, and season to taste.
- Contributed by Lorraine, Blackburn North, 4th May 2009
Souper Dollar Saver Meal
Approximate $ Savings: $10
I found meals are getting very expensive, especially meat can cost up to $10 a meal. I tried doing pumpkin soup, homemade from scrap. Grated an onion, cook in a knob of butter, add pumpkin and I put in sweet potato, boil up, till pumpkin is nice and squashy, then I just mashed it and added milk. Was a big hit, no complaints. I now try to do this once a week to help save the budget. Often pumpkin is 99c a kilo, so works out a really cheap meal.
- Contributed by Karen, Warragul, 23rd April 2010
I found meals are getting very expensive, especially meat can cost up to $10 a meal. I tried doing pumpkin soup, homemade from scrap. Grated an onion, cook in a knob of butter, add pumpkin and I put in sweet potato, boil up, till pumpkin is nice and squashy, then I just mashed it and added milk. Was a big hit, no complaints. I now try to do this once a week to help save the budget. Often pumpkin is 99c a kilo, so works out a really cheap meal.
- Contributed by Karen, Warragul, 23rd April 2010
Edith's Leftover Soup
Approximate $ Savings: Approximately $10 a week.
I call this my leftover soup. Each week the night before shopping day, I chop all the unused veggies into cubes, add some mixed herbs lots of garlic and veggie stock powder. Simmer for about an hour, by this time the veggies are really quit soft. I then add about half a cup of rice and cook for a further 10 mins. This serves as a thickener. Cool and store in the fridge. For the next few days we have a very tasty snack for when the hunger pains attack or a quick lunch with a slice of bread. Heat in the microwave and dilute with water approximately veggies 3/4, water 1/4. No waste and we have fresh veggies every week.
- Contributed by Edith, North Rockhampton, 21st August 2008
I call this my leftover soup. Each week the night before shopping day, I chop all the unused veggies into cubes, add some mixed herbs lots of garlic and veggie stock powder. Simmer for about an hour, by this time the veggies are really quit soft. I then add about half a cup of rice and cook for a further 10 mins. This serves as a thickener. Cool and store in the fridge. For the next few days we have a very tasty snack for when the hunger pains attack or a quick lunch with a slice of bread. Heat in the microwave and dilute with water approximately veggies 3/4, water 1/4. No waste and we have fresh veggies every week.
- Contributed by Edith, North Rockhampton, 21st August 2008
Mystery Soup
Wash out a 1 or 2 litre milk carton and open the top. Into this put any drained liquid from cooking or steaming vegetables and liquid from cans of vegetables (if you use them). Close lid and place in freezer. Each day top up with that days juices, left over veggies (anything at all, peas, beans, pumpkin, potato, broccoli, onion etc including mashed potato) and even meat. Cut the meat into small pieces and add to carton. Return the carton to the freezer. When it is full simply tear away the carton and give it all a boil up. With the addition of some seasoning and perhaps a handful of lentils you have a terrific soup full of vitamins and flavour. (if you don't use carton milk you can designate a large screw top plastic jar for the purpose and let it thaw a bit before turning into pot.)
- Contributed by Elizabeth, Leongatha, 19th August 2008
- Contributed by Elizabeth, Leongatha, 19th August 2008
Best Ever Budget Chicken Soup
Approximate $ Savings: $30 a week
I buy 6 chicken frames and make stock with my leftover vegetable peelings, celery heads, onion skins, carrot tops and mushroom stalks. When completed I have a beautiful stock and enough leftover meat from the chicken to make a great soup for lunches and dinners during the week. I add noodles, or miso or any other fresh vegetables I have in the fridge.
- Contributed by Cherie, Wollongbar, 19th August 2008
I buy 6 chicken frames and make stock with my leftover vegetable peelings, celery heads, onion skins, carrot tops and mushroom stalks. When completed I have a beautiful stock and enough leftover meat from the chicken to make a great soup for lunches and dinners during the week. I add noodles, or miso or any other fresh vegetables I have in the fridge.
- Contributed by Cherie, Wollongbar, 19th August 2008
'Free' Vegetable Broth
Wash your vegetables well before peeling them. Keep these together in the fridge until you accumulate a few. Then use them to make a broth. Saves on buying ready made broths or powders. And means using every last piece of goodness from your vegie purchase.
- Contributed by Josie, Regent, 24th April 2008
- Contributed by Josie, Regent, 24th April 2008
Super Saver Soup
Approximate $ Savings: $20
I call it the super saver soup. At the end of the week or the day before shopping for the groceries I open my fridge and remove all vegies. I cut up all and put into a 4 litre saucepan of boiling water, with 2 tablespoons of veg stock. Boil until tender and then puree. It makes wonderful filling soup and uses all the old vegies from the bottom of the fridge. It can be frozen in single serves for lunches or as part of main meals.
- Contributed by Ruth, St. Clair, 24th May 2008
I call it the super saver soup. At the end of the week or the day before shopping for the groceries I open my fridge and remove all vegies. I cut up all and put into a 4 litre saucepan of boiling water, with 2 tablespoons of veg stock. Boil until tender and then puree. It makes wonderful filling soup and uses all the old vegies from the bottom of the fridge. It can be frozen in single serves for lunches or as part of main meals.
- Contributed by Ruth, St. Clair, 24th May 2008
Leftover Ham Soup
Almost everyone seems to have ham and ham bones leftover after Christmas. I cut all the ham off mine after the Christmas dinner and froze slices in bags for later lunches, etc. Once I'd cut the vast majority of ham off the bone, I put the bone in my biggest stock pot, covered it (and then some) with water and left it to simmer for 2-3 hours. I came back and took half of the ham stock out, put it in a bottle and in the freezer for another batch of soup. With the half left in the stockpot, I added two chopped onions, 1/2 tsp bay leaves, 3 medium sized potatoes, peeled, washed and grated and half a cup of dried split green peas, then refilled the stock pot with water. I let that simmer for another couple of hours, then added salt and pepper to taste and we eat it with bread from the freezer that we bought on late night special at the supermarket - a very tasty and nutritious pea and ham soup that cost us next to nothing!
- Contributed by Anita Morgan, 27th December 2007
- Contributed by Anita Morgan, 27th December 2007
Free Casserole Toppings
Don't throw away the "dregs" from the bottom of your cereal packet! It makes a great topping for pasta bakes and cauliflower cheese and it can be used to add body to rissoles and burgers etc.
- Contributed by Fiona, Point Cook, April 13th 2005
- Contributed by Fiona, Point Cook, April 13th 2005