Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Dinner Wednesday 31 January - Quorn Sausages with Celeriac Mash, Veggies and Cheesy Veloute Sauce


Quorn Sausages with Celeriac Mash, Veggies and Cheesy Veloute Sauce
I had some new Quorn red Pepper Sizzler Sausages as they have been on half price special at Sainsburys - 99p a pack of five. so, I had:

2 Quorn Sausages
100g broccoli - steamed
160g cauliflower - steamed

Celeriac Mash
120g potato
130g celeriac
Boil the potato & celeriac together until soft. Season & mash well. I did not add any butter or mix as I was having it with:

Cheesy Veloute Sauce
1 pint vegetable stock
4 tablespoons/60ml single cream
2 tablespoons cornflour
100g half fat mature Cheddar cheese
small handful parsley, chopped
Combine the cold veggie stock with the cornflour and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add the cream & garted cheese and continue to cook and stir until cheese melts - keep the heat low so you do not curdle the cream. Finally, add the parsley and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 220.8
Carbohydrate (g) 8.1
Protein (g) 16.7
Fat (g) 13.5
Fibre (g) 0.1


Nutrition Data for full meal
Calories (kcal) 550.8
Carbohydrate (g) 37.1
Protein (g) 41.4
Fat (g) 27.1
Fibre (g) 11.9

Lunch Wednesday 31 January - Composed Salad with Seared Swordfish


Composed Salad with Seared Swordfish
130g swordfish steak, seasoned and seared on either size until cooked
100g romaine lettuce
1 fat, vine tomato
100g cooked fine beans
3 quails eggs, hard boiled
50g pepperoncini (pickled peppers)

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 284.4
Protein (g) 32.5
Carbohydrate (g) 13.6
Fat (g) 11.0
Fibre (g) 4.5

A nice high protein lunch after my Pilates class - I was ravenous when I came out!

Breakfast 31 January - Low Fat Pineapple Cottage Cheese and Coffee


Started off with a tub of Sainsbury's "Be good to yourself" low fat cottage cheese.

And had my first EVER Pilates class today at 11:00. It was fun but bloody hard work!

Dinner Tuesday 30 January - Shrimp Scampi with Rice & Asparagus


Shrimp Scampi with Rice & Asparagus
50g long grain rice, cooked
2 cloves garlic
1 serving of Truffle Butter
175g large raw prawns, cleaned & deveined
small handful fresh parsley
squeeze of fresh lemon juice
1 spring onion, finely shredded

Melt the Truffle Butter and add the garlic. Cook over very low heat until garlic softens. Add the prawns and cook for 2-3 minutes until they are just pink. Do not over cook.

Add the chopped parsley, shredded spring onions and fresh lemon and toss together.

Serve over the cooked rice and garnish with

100g hot, cooked asparagus

Nutrition Data for full meal
Calories (kcal) 418.0
Carbohydrate (g) 43.1
Protein (g) 45.5
Fat (g) 8.6
Fibre (g) 2.7

Truffle Butter
40g butter
35g black truffles, chopped fine
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt & pepper

Mash everything together and divide into 5 portions. Shape each portion into a coin and chill.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 61.9
Carbohydrate (g) 0.6
Protein (g) 0.4
Fat (g) 6.4
Fibre (g) 0.4

Lunch Tuesday 30 January - Seared Swordfish with Vegetables


Seared Swordfish with Vegetables
130g swordfish steak
1 tablespoon capers
150g new potatoes, boiled & mashed
100g carrots, steamed

Again, no recipe here. I just seasoned the swordfish and seared it over high heat on either side in a non stick pan. It was garnished with the capers & served up with the plain mashed spuds, steamed runner beans and carrots.


Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 305.7
Protein (g) 28.8
Carbohydrate (g) 34.6
Fat (g) 6.7
Fibre (g) 7.7

Breakfast Tuesday 30 January - Mango


Got some bargain mangoes in Chapel Market - 4 for a £1 and the size of your head.

So, ate one for breakfast!

Picture from Deb Thompson Art

Dinner Monday 29 January - Monkfish and Vegetable Stir Fry


Monkfish and Vegetable Stir Fry
1 thumb of ginger, peeled and grated
2 clove garlic, crushed
2-3 chillis, chopped fine
235g monkfish, cut into cubes
80g sugar snap peas, blanched & refreshed
100g baby corn, blanched & refreshed
110g asparagus, blanched & refreshed
150g bean sprouts, blanched & refreshed
3 tablespoons Shao Shing Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
handful coriander leaves


Spray a non-stick wok until a little sunflower oil and heat until good and hot. Add the ginger, garlic and chillis and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the monk fish cubes and toss & stir fry for a further minute. Add the blanched vegetables and keep tossing until they are just cooked. Use the Shao Shing to cool the wok a bit when it gets very hot.

Finally, add the soy sauce, oyster sauce & spring onions. Toss well to combine and serve.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 352.8
Protein (g) 51.5
Carbohydrate (g) 30.0
Fat (g) 3.3
Fibre (g) 7.2

I would not normally have such a large portion of monkfish, but I had loads of fish in the fridge after my M&S extravaganza, so decided to have a feast.

I was also pleased to discover that Wing Yip Shao Shing style cooking wine is made in the EU, so I can get the authentic taste without support China or buying Chinese made goods.


Wing Yip

Lunch Monday 29 January - Fish Hash with Broccoli, Carrots & Runner Beans


Fish Hash with Broccoli, Carrots & Runner Beans

130g halibut, poached
150g new potatoes, cut into cubes and parboiled for 3 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 echalion shallot
1 spring onion, slivered
1 handful parsley, chopped
Saute the garlic and shallot in the oil for a few minutes, then add the potato cubes. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are browned. Allow about 30 minutes.

Flake in the haddock and add the spring onions and parsley and warm through. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Served with 125g steamed broccoli, 160g steamed runner beans, 1 steamed carrot.

Nutrition Data for full meal
Calories (kcal) 465.2
Carbohydrate (g) 41.3
Protein (g) 35.0
Fat (g) 19.3
Fibre (g) 12.2

I had a bit of leftover haddock from the night before, so decided to make one of my favourite simple meals, a fish hash.

Breakfast Monday 29 January - Comice Pear & Hi Bran Toast


Started the day with a nice fat comice pear & some toasted M&S "Hi Bran" bread.

I love pears! So here is a nice picture of one

Dinner Sunday 28 January - Scallops, Pak Choi & Ho Fan in a Japanese Inspired Broth


Scallops, Pak Choi & Ho Fan in a Japanese Inspired Broth
1/4 litre homemade prawn stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin rice wine
35g ho fan vermicelli noodles
1 small pak choi (about 100g)
2 spring onions, sliced very fine
220g raw scallops
7 Spice Pepper

Add the mirin & soy to the prawn stock and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook the noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes until tender. Stream to pak choi over the cooking noodles.

Add the scallops to the stock and poach gently for 3-4 minutes until just opaque.

Arrange the noodles in the bottom of the bowl. Arrange the steamed pak choi in the bowl. Ladle over the scallops and hot broth.

Garnish with the spring onions and 7 Spice Pepper.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 329.9
Protein (g) 31.5
Carbohydrate (g) 38.1
Fat (g) 4.1
Fibre (g) 4.3

Lunch Sunday 28 January - Haddock with Shallots, Spinach & Potatoes


Haddock with Shallots, Spinach & Potatoes
1 tablespoon (15g) butter
4-6 echalion shallots (about 280g)
4 cloves garlic
1 glass (125ml) white wine
150g raw spinach
1 Cyprus potato, cubed and par-boiled for 3 minutes
225g haddock
salt, pepper, nutmeg

Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet and add the garlic and sliced shallots. Cook over low heat until caramelised, about 30 minutes or more.

Add the spinach, the potatoes and the wine and simmer, covered, for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg.

Season the haddock fillets and roll up. Tuck into the dish and cook, covered, for a further 7-10 minutes until the fish flakes with a fork.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 573.6
Carbohydrate (g) 61.0
Protein (g) 57.6
Fat (g) 11.2
Fibre (g) 11.7

Another bigger than usual meal! The fridge is stuffed after my M&S blow out, so I am eating for England at the moment.

I got three bags for echalion shallots at Sainsbury's for 10p each, marked down as they were short lived. I don't really worry much about "best before" dates for things like onions and shallots - it is pretty obvious when they are on the turn and these were sound.

Breakfast Sunday 28 January - Tofu and Gochujang Wrap

Tofu and Gochujang Wrap
I had some strips of leftover fried tofu from last night, wrapped up in a tortilla spread with Gochujang, which is a Korean chilli paste. All wrapped up with chipped lettuce & tomatoes.

Forgot to take a picture, but here is what Gochujang looks like:


The Wikipedia says:
"Gochujang (고추장、苦椒醤) is a spicy Korean condiment, made from glutinous rice powder mixed with powdered fermented soybeans, red chili powder, and salt, and fermented, traditionally in the sun. Other grains can be substituted for the glutinous rice, including normal rice, wheat, and barley. A small amount of sweetener, such as sugar, syrup, or honey is also sometimes added. It is a dark, reddish paste with a rich, spicy flavour.

It has been used in Korea since the 16th century, after chili was first introduced."

Dinner Saturday 27 January - Tofu & Crayfish with Mixed Peppers, Sugar Snaps & Udon


Tofu & Crayfish with Mixed Peppers, Sugar Snaps & Udon
1 tablespoon oil
1 thumb ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic
2-3 green chillis
1 Marmara pepper, cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
100g sugar snap peas, blanched
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons/50g yellow bean paste
50d udon noodles, cooked according to pack instructions
85g crayfish tails
125g tofu, cut into cubes and browned in a non stick skillet
3 spring onions, sliced
handful coriander leaves

Add the oil to a wok and heat. Saute the garlic, chilli and ginger for a minute, then add the peppers and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes.

Add the sugars snaps, yellow bean paste & spy sauce. Mix well and cook for another minute.

Finally, add the cooked noodles, crayfish &tofu cubes. Mix well and heat everything through.

Add the spring onions and coriander and serve.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 530.0
Protein (g) 39.7
Carbohydrate (g) 70.4
Fat (g) 10.9
Fibre (g) 9.7

Lunch Saturday 27 January - Smoked Trout with Celeriac "Chips"


Smoked Trout with Celeriac "Chips", Spinach & Broccoli
125g smoked trout
185g celeriac
150g spinach
2 cloves garlic
125g broccoli

Cut the celeriac into chips, spray with olive oil and season. Bake in a moderate oven until browned and cooked, about 30 minutes.

I had the celeriac chips along with some spinach sauteed with garlic, a pile of steamed broccoli and a smoked trout fillet.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 309.5
Protein (g) 39.2
Carbohydrate (g) 22.3
Fat (g) 7.8
Fibre (g) 10.5

Breakfast Saturday 27 January - A Modest Fry Up


Fried Egg, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Toast
1 large, free range, organic egg
3 Portobello mushrooms
1 teaspoon butter
2 clove garlic
small handful fresh parsley
1 fat vine tomato

I sauteed the Portobello mushrooms and garlic in the butter until cooked. Push the mushrooms off to one side in the skillet and fry the egg in the same pan.

I had the fried egg and sauteed mushrooms with 1 sliced tomato and 2 slices M&S Hi Bran bread, toasted. The total calorie count also included one litre of coffee and 200ml semi skimmed, organic milk.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 517.5
Carbohydrate (g) 51.9
Protein (g) 35.6
Fat (g) 19.0
Fibre (g) 6.7

Dinner Friday 26 January - Leftover Crayfish Gumbo



Jus had the other portion of leftover Crayfish Gumbo with 50g jasmine rice.

Lunch Friday 26 January - Smoked Trout with Cole Slaw


Smoked Trout with Cole Slaw & Salad

120g mixed leaves
125g smoked trout fillet
1 fat vine tomato

Coleslaw
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 spring onions, shredded
60g celery, sliced fine
60g carrots, grated
80g Savoy cabbage, shredded

Make a dressing my combining the vinegar, sugar, caraway and mayonnaise.

Mix together the cabbage spring onions, carrots and celery. Pour over the dressing and combine.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 298.2
Carbohydrate (g) 23.2
Protein (g) 35.1
Fat (g) 8.4
Fibre (g) 9.5

Breakfast Friday 26 January - Avocado Wrap



Mashed avocado & tomatoes in the last of the plain flour tortilla wraps.

Dinner Thursday 25 January - Cauliflower in a Cheesy Veloute Sauce


Cauliflower in a Cheesy Veloute Sauce
150g new potatoes, boiled and mashed
200g cauliflower, steamed
100g runner beans, steamed
2 Portobello mushrooms, grilled

Cheesy Veloute Sauce
1 pint vegetable stock
4 tablespoons/60ml single cream
2 tablespoons cornflour
100g half fat mature Cheddar cheese
small handful parsley, chopped
Combine the cold veggie stock with the cornflour and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Add the cream & grated cheese and continue to cook and stir until cheese melts - keep the heat low so you do not curdle the cream. Finally, add the parsley and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 220.8
Carbohydrate (g) 8.1
Protein (g) 16.7
Fat (g) 13.5
Fibre (g) 0.1

Nutrition Data for full meal
Calories (kcal) 390.0
Carbohydrate (g) 39.5
Protein (g) 25.3
Fat (g) 15.4
Fibre (g) 6.4

Lunch Thursday 25 January - Cous Cous Salad & Smoked Trout


Cous Cous Salad & Smoked Trout
125g smoked trout fillet
1 fat vine tomato, sliced
70g wild rocket

Purple Cous Cous Salad
50g dry cous cous
80ml vegetable stock
1/4 red onion (about 35g)
50g red cabbage shredded
small handful each fresh coriander & parsley
juice of a fresh lime
1 clove garlic
Cover the cous cous with 80ml hot vegetable stock. Leave to stand about 15 minutes; fluff with a fork.

Toss together the onion, cabbage, herbs, lime juice and garlic. Combine with the cous cous and mix well.

Line a plate with the rocket. Arrange the cous cous, trout and tomato slices on top.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 406.9
Protein (g) 39.1
Carbohydrate (g) 49.4
Fat (g) 5.9
Fibre (g) 5.9

Breakfast Thurday 25 January - Last of the Multiseed Bagels

All gone, no more.

Dinner Wednesday 24 January - Quorn Sausages, Mashed Spuds & Veggies


Quorn "Smoky Red Pepper Sizzlers", Mashed Potato, Peas & Carrots
Sainsbury's had some Quorn products on sale for 99p each, including these "Smoky Red Pepper Sizzlers", so I picked some up.

Rather boring I suppose - bangers and mash with peas & carrots. Still, they were not bad as these things go - I would buy them again.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 361.5
Protein (g) 20.4
Carbohydrate (g) 43.7
Fat (g) 12.9
Fibre (g) 12.1

Lunch Wednesday 24 January - Lunchbox in Peterborough

No picture, 'cause I packed a lunch box to take to Peterborough and did not get a chance to photograph it before taking off. But it contained:

85g crayfish dressed with light mayo and Mauritian chilli paste
125g mixed leaves
1 tomato
2 ribs of celery
2 carrots
2 Dark Rye Ryvita
2 Pågen Krisprolls

all packed up in my nice 4 compartment Lock & Lock storage box


Lock & Lock website

Breakfast Wednesday 24 January - Bagel & Braeburn Apple



Another M&S multiseeded bagel with a Braeburn apple. Eaten en route to Peterborough again.


Big surprise when I woke up - SNOW! We hardly ever seem to get snow in London these days. I tried to take a picture before heading off the get the train to Peterborough, but it was still quite dark out and it is quite hard to see the snow.

Dinner Tuesday 23 January - Chicory au Gratin


Chicory au Gratin with Spinach, Carrots and Tomato
1 pint vegetable stock
4 tablespoons/60ml single cream
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 heads (about 300g) chicory
35g Parmesan cheese, grated
small handful each fresh tarragon and parsley

Halve the chicory lengthwise and braise in the vegetable stock until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain well and arrange in an oven proof casserole dish.

Reduce the braising liquor down to a scant 1/2 pint. Mix the cornflour with a little water and add the the braising liquor. Simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and herbs and pour over the braised chicory.

Top with the grated Parmesan and a grinding of fresh black pepper. Bake in a moderate oven until bubbling and lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 359.5
Carbohydrate (g) 21.4
Protein (g) 16.1
Fat (g) 23.0
Fibre (g) 2.9

Served up with some spinach, steamed carrot batons and a tomato.

Lunch Tuesday 23 January - A Pub Lunch in Peterborough


Went to Peterborough on business and had lunch in a nice pub with quite a good fish menu. I had grilled swordfish with Thai chilli sauce, rice and mixed salad. The fish was nice, the rice portion was HUGE and the chilli sauce was - eh, nothing special, tasted like it came out of a bottle.

This ain't it, but it is pretty close. Must start carrying camera to pubs and restaurants, if only to confirm my true weirdo status by photographing my meals before I eat them.



I feel kind of bad eating a swordfish when I see that picture of him flying through the air...

Breakfast Tuesday 23 January - Another bagel

This is the problem with being to only consumer of people food in the house - once I buy something fresh, I need to work through it and miss out on the variety.

Must start eating from freezer again in an effort to clear some space so I can freeze stuff like this and not be stuck eating a bagel everyday for 5 days!

Dinner Monday 22 January - Crayfish Gumbo


Crayfish Gumbo
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic
4-5 chillis
3 ribs celery (about 135g)
1 red pepper, chopped (about 145g)
1 onion, chopped (about 135g)
pinch thyme
285g raw okra , trimmed and cut into bite sized pieces
1 400g can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
1/4 pint fish or vegetable stock
170g cooked crayfish tails
salt & pepper

Saute the onions, garlic and chillis in the oil for a few minutes. Add the celery & pepper and cooked over low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the thyme, tomatoes, stock and the okra and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the okra is tender.

Finally, stir in the crayfish tails and serve over boiled white rice.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving (not including rice)
Calories (kcal) 249.4
Carbohydrate (g) 22.1
Protein (g) 20.4
Fat (g) 8.9
Fibre (g) 9.4

Lunch Monday 22 January - Composed Salad with Mexican Smoked Salmon


Composed Salad with Mexican Smoked Salmon
125g mixed leaves
110g hot smoked salmon fillet
100g cooked beetroot
1 tomato
100f fine beans
3 hard boiled quail's eggs
30g cornichons
30g pepperoncini (pickled peppers)

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 533.8
Protein (g) 38.3
Carbohydrate (g) 32.3
Fat (g) 28.9
Fibre (g) 10.0

This was a pack of "Mexican Style Hot Smoked Salmon" I picked up in Lidl out in Welling. Not sure they get much salmon in Mexico, but I was hoping it would be a bit spicy. I was wrong. It had a sort of very mild cumin flavour. I added a bit of Montreal Steak seasoning and a squeeze of lime to jazz it up a bit.

Breakfast Monday 22 January - Multiseeded Bagel & Blueberries


Started off today with another M&S multiseeded bagel & punnet of blueberries.

Dinner Sunday 21 January - Marinated Prawns Wrapped in Pandan with Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry


Marinated Prawns Wrapped in Pandan with Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry
120g raw tiger prawns
3 cloves garlic
1 thumb of ginger, peeled & grated
2-3 chillis, sliced
1 tablespoon Indonesian sweet soy sauce (ketjap manis)
1 tablespoon soy sauce

10 pandan leaves

50g baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces
50g mange tout, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 can (about 100g) straw mushrooms, halved

1 tablespoon cornflour
small handful coriander leaves
3-4 spring onions, sliced
50g (dry weight) jasmine rice, cooked

Mix together the garlic, chilli, ginger, sweet soy and regular soy. Add the prawns and allow to marinate at least one hour or up to overnight.

Drain the prawns and reserve the marinade. Wrap each prawn in a piece of pandan leaf and secure with a toothpick. Place the pandan "packets" in a bowl and place the bowl in a steamer. Steam the prawn packets for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick wok with a little sunflower oil and add the baby corn, mange tout and straw mushrooms. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add the reserved marinade to the stir fry.

Remove the prawns from the steamer. There should be some liquor collected in the bowl, so add this to the stir fry as well, along with the cornflour mixed with a little cold water.

Cook the veggies for a further minute or tow, until the sauce is thickened. Toss in the spring onions and coriander.

Mound the rice on a plate and serve with the pandan wrapped prawns and stir fried veggies in sauce. Remove & discard the pandan leaves before eating the prawns.

I made this because one of the stalls I frequent in Chapel Market had pandan leaves. You don't see them very often in London (at least, I don't) so when I do see them, I buy them. I first ran across them in Indonesia. These days, whenever i see them, I buy them and makes something!

I like sweet aduki beans cooked with pandan - yum!

Pandan, also known as screw pine, has a most amazing fragrance which it imparts to foods cooked with it. It is widely used in southeast Asia in both sweet and savoury dishes.

It is delicious!

Here is a picture of the prawn parcels after steaming


The Wikipedia says:
"Pandanus amaryllifolius is a tropical plant in the screwpine genus which is known commonly as pandan and used widely in South East Asian cooking. It is an erect green plant with fan-shaped sprays of long, narrow, bladelike leaves and woody aerial roots.

The plant is rare in the wild but cultivated widely for use as a flavoring in cooking. The leaves are used fresh or wilted. They have a nutty, botanical fragrance which enhances the flavor of Thai, Malaysian, and Indonesian foods, especially rice dishes. The leaves are sometimes steeped in coconut milk, which is then added to the dish. They may be tied in a bunch and cooked with the food. They also may be woven into a basket which is used as a pot for cooking rice. Pandan chicken, or gai ob bai toey, is a Thai dish with chicken wrapped in pandan leaves and fried. The leaves are also used as a flavoring for desserts such as pandan cake and sweet beverages.

The plant is sterile, flowers only very rarely, and is propagated by cuttings."

Lunch Sunday 21 January - Wholemeal Fusili with Creamy Asparagus Sauce


Wholemeal Fusili with Creamy Asparagus Sauce

Lunch Sunday 21 January - Wholemeal Fusilli with Creamy Asparagus Sauce


Wholemeal Fusilli with Creamy Asparagus Sauce
150g asparagus, cooked
1/2 pint asparagus stock
2 tablespoons single cream
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon corn flour
75 g dry weight whole wheat fusilli, cooked according to package instruction
10g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Add the crushed garlic to the asparagus stock and simmer over low heat until garlic is cooked, about 10 minutes. Mix the cornflour to a paste with a little cold water and add the the stock to thicken it. Cook over low heat until thickened, about another 5 minutes.
Add the cream to the sauce along with the asparagus, cut into bit sized pieces. Add the cooked pasta and stir through to mix all ingredients.
Garnish the the grated cheese.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 395.4
Carbohydrate (g) 56.7
Protein (g) 18.1
Fat (g) 10.7
Fibre (g) 10.1

This is also getting to be a fairly regular dish in the routine. I like it, it is quick and easy to make and it makes good use of the Asparagus Stock!

Breakfast Sunday 21 January - Multiseeded Bagel and Raspberries


M&S keep sending me bloody "get X times more &More points" and I keep falling for it. This time, their healthy breads range was on sale 3 or 2 as well, so I got multiseeded bagels, wholewheat tortillas and hi-bran brown loaf.

I also loaded up with "5 for 4" vegetable offers and a boat load of fish.

I am over-compensating for my New Year's Resolution not to buy any new objects, except food and medicine.

Because all I am allowed to buy is food, I am buying tonnes of it.

Not good, considering I am already a food hoarder.

Must stop.

Anyway, I broke my fast with an M&S multiseed bagel & a punnet of raspberries.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Dinner Saturday 20 January - Last of the Jerusalem Artichoke & Mushroom Hotpot


More Jerusalem Artichoke & Mushroom Hotpot, this time with with runner beans and beetroot.

Lunch Saturday 20 January - Last of the Chick Pea Tagine with Cous Cous


Last of the Chick Pea Tagine with lashings of fresh coriander!

Breakfast Saturday 20 January - Avocado & Tomato Wrap


Sorry about the picture; it is pretty "soft focus". I am still working my way through this pack of soft flour tortillas, so here is one for brekkie, filled with a small mashed avocado (about 100g) and some chopped tomatoes and spring onions.


Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 388.1
Carbohydrate (g) 35.9
Protein (g) 7.9
Fat (g) 23.8
Fibre (g) 6.2

I really want to get through the leftovers, so today is going to be a repeat of yesterday. Sorry it is more boring that usual!

Dinner Friday 19 January - Leftover Jerusalem Artichoke & Mushroom Hotpot


Well, I did say it was going to be a day of leftovers... so here is some left over Jerusalem Artichoke and Mushroom Hotpot served with spinach sauteed with garlic, steamed carrots and steamed broccoli.

Lunch Friday 19 January - Leftover Chick Pea Tagine & Cous Cous

Just polished off the other portion of Chick Pea Tagine & Cous Cous.

Here is a picture of a traditional Moroccan tagine (which I do not have)

Breakfast Friday 19 January - All Bran and a pear



Well, I am chuffed. I am finally cracking open the last box of cereal in the house - Kellogg's All Bran Flakes.

So, started the day off with a bowl of All Bran and a Comice pear.

Today is going to me a day of leftovers as I seem to have a fridge full of them.

Dinner Thursday 18 January - Thai Inspired Prawn Soup


Thai Inspired Prawn Soup
150g raw prawns
1 pint prawn stock
2 cloves garlic
1 blade of lemon grass
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
50g baby corn
1 carrot, cut into fancy shapes (if you like!)
1/2 can straw muchrooms, drined (about 100g)
4 spring onions, trimmed and sliced finely
25g baby spinach leaves
1 tablespoon nam prik pow paste (Thai black chilli paste )
salt & pepper to taste
small handful fresh coriander leaves

Use the prawn shells to make 1 pint Prawn Stock.

Add to the stock the garlic, lemon grass, fish sauce, sugar. Season with salt & pepper and leave to simmer for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours. (take it easy on the salt, as the nam prik pow to be added later also contains salt).

Add the mushrooms, baby corn and raw prawns and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the nam prik pow, spring onions coriander and baby spinach and remove from the heat.

Ready to serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 332.5
Carbohydrate (g) 18.9
Protein (g) 45.6
Fat (g) 10.2
Fibre (g) 4.3

You can buy Nam Prik Pow ready made, but I make my own.

Nam Prik Pow
4 tablespoons sunflower oi
6 cloves garlic
3 or 4 shallots (about 100g)
large handful Thai dried red chilli peppers (about 100g)
4 teaspoons organic unrefined sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce

Chop garlic fine (you need about 3 tablespoons).
Chop shallots fine (again, you need about 3 tablespoons).
Coarsely chop chilis.

Heat the oil, fry the garlic until golden brown, removve with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same oil fry the shallots until crispy, remove and set aside. Fry the chilis until they darken, remove and place in a mortar with the shallot and garlic. Pound together. Reheat the oil, add the paste and warm through. Add the sugar and salt and mix well to give a thick black/red sauce.

This makes about 15 tablespoons of sauce. It keeps well in a jar in the fridge.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 45.0
Carbohydrate (g) 2.1
Protein (g) 0.5
Fat (g) 3.9
Fibre (g) 0.2

Lunch Thursday 18 January - Seitan Wrap


Seitan Wrap
65g seitan steak
1 plain flour tortilla wrap
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 red onion , sliced finely (about 35g)
1 Marmara pepper
1 clove garlic
2 chilli pepper
50g raw, baby spinach
a squirt of curry flavoured sauce

Cut the Marmara pepper into rings and saute with the garlic and chilli in a non stick pan until softened. Allow to cool.

Spread the tortilla with a bit of curry sauce and add the seitan, cut into strips, spinach, chopped tomatoes, cooked peppers & red onion. Roll up.

I could not fit all the tomato & spinach inside, so left some as garnish.


Calories (kcal) 391.3
Carbohydrate (g) 46.4
Protein (g) 25.9
Fat (g) 12.2
Fibre (g) 7.0

Breakfast Thursday 18 January - Rocha Pear and Pound Cake


Hmmm - I don't seem to have mentioned the pound cake I made. And looking through the pictures, I don't seem to have taken a picture either, so I have included only a representative pound cake image.

Well, on 4 January I decided to make pound cake. I was coming home from getting my ankle x-rayed and being told that it showed signs of "significant deterioration". I knew that anyway, but it was a bit of a bummer to have it confirmed.

Anyway, got home and thought I'd do some baking. Dug out my grandmother's pound cake recipe and made it.

I gave one to L. and gave half of the other one to my elderly next door neighbours. That left me with half a cake, but it is pretty calorific, so I have been rationing it out. Luckily, it keeps really well. In fact, I would say it is better when it is a week old than when it is fresh!

Anyway, I had the last bit of it for breakfast, toasted. And I had a nice fat Rocha pear, too.

Pound Cake
1 pound butter
1 pound sugar
1 pound sponge flour
5 eggs

Cream butter until very light.
Add sugar and cream together until very light.
Add eggs and cream together until very light.
Add flour and.... you get the idea.

Spoon into two large buttered and floured loaf pans and bake at 325°F (Gas 3) for about 1 hour.

You can add vanilla extract if you like. Some old fashioned cooks add mace. You either need an electric mixer or biceps like Schwarzenegger to make this successfully.

These days, it should more likely be called "Half Kilo Cake" as I make it with ½ kilo of each ingredient.

Made with 500g each of butter, sugar and sponge flour plus 5 eggs, it made two loaves weighed 1715g in total.

Nutrition Data per gram
Calories (kcal) 4.6
Carbohydrate (g) 0.5
Protein (g) 0.1
Fat (g) 0.3
Fibre (g) 0.0

Dinner Wednesday 17 January - Linguine with Brown Shrimp, Asparagus & Truffle Butter


I had some truffle butter portions in the freezer and I had picked up a punnet of Norfolk brown shrimp from Steve Hatt on one of my abortive swordfish runs, so these flavours were crying out to meet one another.

Linguine with Brown Shrimp, Asparagus & Truffle Butter
75g linguine
100g brown shrimp
100g asparagus, steamed until tender and cut into bite sized pieces

Cook the linguine in boiling salted water according to the pack instruction. When the linguine is nearly done, melt the truffle butter in a skillet and add the asparagus pieces and brown shrimp. Toss the in the pan to warm through, then add the cooked linguine and toss everything together.

Simple and delicious.


Truffle Butter
40g butter
35g black truffles, chopped fine
handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt & pepper

Mash everything together and divide into 5 portions. Shape each portion into a coin and chill.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 61.9
Carbohydrate (g) 0.6
Protein (g) 0.4
Fat (g) 6.4
Fibre (g) 0.4


Nutrition Summary for meal
Calories (kcal) 473.6
Protein (g) 36.7
Carbohydrate (g) 58.7
Fat (g) 9.8
Fibre (g) 3.7

Lunch Wednesday 17 January - Mango


Composed Salad with Poached Trout
140g bag of mixed salad leaves
1 trout fillet, poached
lemon juice
100g cooked beetroot
100g cooked fine beans
3 quail's eggs, hard cooked
4 Strawmato tomatoes (120g)
6 Peppadew peppers

I had the other M&S Loch Fyne trout fillet in the fridge, so I just poached it, gave it a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of the Montreal Steak Seasoning and put it in a composed salad.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 408.6
Protein (g) 34.1
Carbohydrate (g) 25.3
Fat (g) 19.3
Fibre (g) 8.8

Breakfast Wednesday 17 January - Avocado on Rye Bread with Strawmatoes


Just a mashed up small avocado on a slice of that dense German wholegrain rye that L. gave me, accompanied by 4 M&S Strawmatoes.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 249.0
Protein (g) 5.5
Carbohydrate (g) 27.6
Fat (g) 12.7
Fibre (g) 3.2


Here's a little picture of the strawmatoes - ain't they cute?