Frugal foodie Miguel Barclay went from washing up in McDonald’s to a best-selling cookbook author. Here are three budget recipes from his latest book, Green One Pound Meals, focused on plant-based dishes – but it isn’t entirely meat-free.

 Chicken Drumstick Cassoulet

“One of my favourite complete meals in a pot has to be cassoulet. You get the carb element from the beans, a lovely rich sauce and whatever you choose as the hero ingredient.

Here I have gone for chicken drumsticks, which are affordable and delicious.”

(MAKES 1 PORTION)

INGREDIENTS:

◆ 2 chicken drumsticks, skin on

◆ ½ red onion, sliced

◆ 200g cannellini beans (from a 400g tin), drained

◆ Pinch of dried oregano

◆ 200g chopped tomatoes (from a 400g tin)

◆ ½ vegetable stock cube

◆ Olive oil

◆ Salt and pepper

METHOD:

➊ Season the chicken drumsticks with salt and pepper, then pan-fry in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally to colour all sides.

➋ Add the onion and continue to fry for a further five minutes.

➌ Add the cannellini beans (if you don’t have cannellini beans, swap them for canned chickpeas), oregano and chopped tomatoes, then crumble in the stock cube and season. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve.

Leek And Mushroom Barley Risotto

“Leeks and mushrooms are a robust flavour combination that you can always count on: nothing can go wrong when you’re combining these two. It’s guaranteed to be delicious. To make this vegetarian or vegan, omit the Parmesan cheese. If you like, you can replace it with a sprinkling of nutritional yeast.”

(MAKES 1 PORTION)

INGREDIENTS:

◆ ½ onion, diced

◆ Handful of pearl barley

◆ ½ vegetable stock cube

◆ 300ml water

◆ ½ leek, sliced

◆ Handful of mushrooms, sliced

◆ 1 thyme sprig

◆ Small handful of grated Parmesan cheese, plus a few shavings for garnish

◆ Olive oil

◆ Salt and pepper

METHOD:

➊ Pan-fry the onion in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until so­ , then add the barley and cook for a further minute.

➋ Crumble in the half stock cube and pour over the water. Simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes until the barley is cooked but still retains a slight bite, adding more water if needed.

➌ Meanwhile, pan-fry the leek and mushrooms in a splash of olive oil over a medium heat for about 12 minutes until so­ , adding the thyme halfway through.

➍ Stir some grated Parmesan into the barley risotto, then add the leek and mushrooms. Season to taste, and serve with a few shavings of Parmesan to garnish

Banana Peel ‘pulled Pork’

“I saw people cooking with banana peel on the internet and I was intrigued – turns out it’s actually quite delicious if you prepare it in the right way. Banana peel is definitely something I would usually throw away, so technically this is free food.”

(MAKES 1 PORTION)

INGREDIENTS:

◆ 1 banana peel

◆ ½tsp ground cumin

◆ ½tsp smoked paprika

◆ 1tsp demerara sugar (or other brown sugar)

◆ 3tbsp tomato ketchup

◆ 1 soft­ bread roll

◆ 1tbsp coleslaw

◆ Olive oil

◆ Salt

METHOD:

➊ Shred the banana peel using a fork, then pan-fry in a splash of olive oil over a medium for about five minutes.

➋ Add a pinch of salt, along with the cumin, smoked paprika and sugar. A­fter 30 seconds, add the ketchup and simmer for a couple more minutes until the mixture is the consistency and dark brown colour of pulled pork.

➌ Serve in a soft­ roll, topped with a tablespoon of coleslaw.

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