In our current economic times we’re all looking for ways to stretch our dollars, and one great way to do that is with 4-ingredient recipes. These are fantastic recipes that use only 4 main ingredients along with basic staples that you will likely have in your kitchen anyway, resulting in less time and money spent grocery shopping. All recipes have been tried and tested by our team and found to be delicious, and we hope you think so too  

Blue Cheese & Spinach Soup

Ingredients:

150g blue cheese

2½ cups chicken stock (if you don’t have pre-prepared stock, just dissolve 1-2 chicken stock cubes in 2½ cups of boiling water)

150ml single cream

225g chopped spinach (defrost first if using frozen spinach)

To prepare:

Add stock to medium pan and bring to the boil. Add in chopped spinach and reduce heat to medium once spinach is soft. Crumble in blue cheese and simmer for 1 minute or until cheese is blended into the soup. Pour into blender (in batches if necessary) and blend until very smooth. Return to pan and stir in cream. Serve immediately (with crusty bread if desired).

Fruit & Veg Health Drink

Ingredients:

3 carrots

2 apples

1 orange

1 small handful of ice

To prepare:

Wash carrots and apples and peel orange. Cut them all into approximately 1cm pieces. Mix in blender until smooth. If necessary, strain through a sieve afterwards. Add ice to glass, pour drink over it and enjoy!

Note: You can replace the fruit and vegetables with their juice forms and still get a great drink, but you will lose some of the taste and nutrients.

Hummus

Ingredients:

400g can chickpeas, drained

4tbsp tahini
2-3 tbsp minced garlic (or 2-3 fresh chopped garlic cloves)

2-3 tbsp lemon juice

To prepare:

Using a potato masher or fork, mash chickpeas in a medium bowl. For a smoother puree, mix in blender. Return to bowl and add tahini, garlic and lemon juice to mixture. Stir well. If hummus is too thick, add a little water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.  Alterative toppings: chopped red peppers, parsley, olive oil and paprika.     

Crab and Cucumber Wraps

Ingredients:

½ cucumber

300g crab, chopped or shredded

4 tortilla wraps

8 tbsp hoisin sauce

To prepare:

Cut cucumber into thirds, then cut each third into thin lengths. Put aside. In a small bowl mix crab and pepper (to taste). Heat wraps in a small frying pan until they start to show golden brown marks on each side.  Remove from pan and spread with hoisin sauce down the middle. Place some of the cucumber on top, and add the crab mix to the top of that. Roll up. Repeat with remaining ingredients and enjoy!