Breakfast Monday 18 December - Shredded Wheat

Well, time to crack open a new box of cereal, so I opted for the Shredded Wheat. I had two biscuits with milk and coffee.

Only just realised that they are made by the evil Nestle, so will not be buying again. A question for the makers:

If the standard serving size is 2 biscuits, then why are they packaged in lots of 3 biscuits?

Stuff like that drives me mad.

Dinner Sunday 17 December - Cauliflower Cheese with veggies

Quick & Easy Cheese Sauce
8 fluid ounces semi skimmed milk
10g sauce flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried English mustard powder
1 teaspoon Marigold Swiss Vegetable Bouillon Powder (optional)
50g half fat cheddar cheese

I call this my "blender" cheese sauce because that is what I use to make it.
Put the milk in a blender and start it whizzing. Add the sauce flour and seasonings to the whizzing milk and blend well. Cut the cheese into chunks/slices and toss in the blender as well. Give it all a good whizz round on high speed until the cheese is "grated" by the blender.

Pour the contents into a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over LOW heat stirring all the while. It will thicken as it heats, about 10 minutes or so. Watch it like a hawk so the bottom doesn't burn and keep stirring.

No added fat (e.g. butter based roux which is normal in white sauces/cheese sauces) so comparatively low calorie.

Sauce flour is very very fine white flour, especially milled to thicken sauces. I supposed you could substitute cornflour, but I have not tried it.

Makes 2 pretty generous servings.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 155.9
Carbohydrate (g) 11.0
Protein (g) 12.7
Fat (g) 6.8
Fibre (g) 0.3

I used the sauce to make a baked Cauliflower Cheese. I had some leeks, so added some chopped leeks to the cauliflower cheese as a bit of garnish and had the cauliflower cheese with asparagus & runner beans.

Lunch Sunday 17 December - Stewed Okra & Cornbread

Stewed Okra
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 fat tomatoes, chopped (about 300g)
1 onion, chopped (about 150g)
3 medium stalks celery
1 red or green pepper, chopped
5-6 green chillis (or to taste)
1/2 pint vegetable stock
280g okra, trimmed and cut into 1" lengths
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
filé powder - if you can get it

Saute the garlic and onions in the oil until soft and lightly browned. Add the chopped tomatoes, peppers, chillis, celery and vegetable stock and cook covered, over low heat, for about 30 minutes.

When the vegetables are very tender and the stock is reduced, add the okra and cook for about another 10-15 minutes, until the okra is just done. Stir in the parsley and just before serving, add the filé gumbo powder

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 134.7
Carbohydrate (g) 17.8
Protein (g) 6.6
Fat (g) 4.5
Fibre (g) 9.1

Well, I know okra is one of those "love it or hate it" foods, but I love it. Most people have just had it badly cooked and stringy. Stewed okra (sort of a gumbo without the rice or meat) and cornbread muffins is pure white trash Southern comfort food to me.

I got a big bag of okra (aka lady's fingers) in the market today for a quid and got stewing with it's "Cajun trilogy" mates . I even have some filé gumbo (powdered sassafras leaf) brought back from the US to make it 100% authentic!


Cornbread Muffins
150g plain flour
90g yellow corn meal
50g sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons (yup - 5) baking powder
1 large free range organic egg
10ml semi skimmed milk
30g butter, melted


Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl or measuring cup, mix together the milk, egg and butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry all at once and mix just enough the incorporate all the ingredients - do not over mix.

Divide the mixture between 8 paper lined cupcake tins and bake at Gas Mark 6 for about 15-20 minutes, until lightly browned.

Makes 8 muffins.

Nutrition Data per muffin
Calories (kcal) 168.2
Carbohydrate (g) 30.0
Protein (g) 4.3
Fat (g) 3.8
Fibre (g) 1.3

Here are some sassafras leaves. Filé powder or filé gumbo is just dried, powdered sassafras leaves. It adds a unique flavour to the dish, but must not be cooked for it goes all stringy and unpleasant.


Here is an interesting article about how to make your own filé .

Breakfast Sunday 17 December - Toast & strawberries

Got two nice boxes on strawberries for £1.00 in Chapel Market yesterday, so they were breakfast this AM along with some of the homemade malted granary bread.

Dinner Saturday 16 December -Roasted Winter Vegetables

Again, this meal was a complete repeat of Lunch on 15 December. I had the other portion of the Roasted Winter Vegetables with some steamed January King cabbage.

Lunch Saturday 16 December - Leftover Fisherman's Pie

No picture, as just had the other portion of last night's Fisherman's Pie with fine beans and broccoli.

Breakfast Saturday 16 December - Malted granary toast and satsumas

Enjoy the winter fruits, so had some nice satsumas with my toast.

Dinner Friday 15 December - Fisherman's Pie

Fisherman's Pie
250ml semi skimmed milk
1/2 shallot (about 50g)
1 bay leaf
a few dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon corn flour

1 teaspoon dried chervil
small handful fresh parsley, chopped fine
10g fresh chives, snipped into rings

110g prawns, cooked
160g cod fillet, cooked and flaked
6 hard boiled quails eggs
2 potatoes (about 380g)
2 tablespoons single cream
50g petit pois

Add the bay leaf, thyme and shallot to the milk. Bring to just below simmering and allow to cook, covered, for about 10 minutes to infuse the flavours into the milk. Strain out the shallot and herbs and discard.

Mix a bit of the flavoured milk with the corn flour to make a smooth paste and then gradually add all of the milk. Cook over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the chervil, parsley and chives.

Arrange the cod and prawns in a casserole dish. Sprinkle over the petit pois and arrange the halved quails eggs on to of the mixture.

Pour over the sauce and ensure that everything is evenly covered.

Boil and mash the potatoes with the cream. Cover the pie with the mashed potatoes and bake in a moderate oven, about Gas Mark 4, for 40 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling.

Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 468.7
Carbohydrate (g) 50.7
Protein (g) 37.9
Fat (g) 14.0
Fibre (g) 4.0


I had the Fisherman's Pie with some broccoli and purple carrots.

Lunch Friday 15 December - Roasted Winter Vegetables

Winter Roasted Vegetables
500g parsnip
250g beetroot
1 red onion
2 echalion shallots
6 cloves garlic
400g butternut squash
salt, pepper, crushed red chilli & herbs to taste

This one is a little different, as the veggies here cook at different rates. The beets can take up to an hour to boil, depending on their size. The parsnips don' t take longer and the squash takes only 20 minutes or so.

Cook the beetroots, unpeeled, in boiling water until tender.

Wash and pare the other vegetables and cut into similar sizes.

Steam the parsnips 5 minutes to partially cook. Place in a roasting tin with the cooked beetroot and slices of the raw butternut squash.

Add the shallots, halved and the garlic cloves. Spray with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and herbs and toss well to coat. I used some more of the Lakeland "Good with Everything" herb mix and some red chilli flakes on the butternut.

Roast in a hot oven for about 35-40 minutes or until everything is cooked and browning on the edges.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 348.2
Carbohydrate (g) 65.9
Protein (g) 11.4
Fat (g) 5.7
Fibre (g) 18.9

I had this with a serving of sauteed January King cabbage.

Breakfast Friday 15 December - Grilled tomatoes and toast

Started today off with two fat grilled tomatoes and some hmemade malted granary toast.

Dinner Thursday 14 December - Fusilli with Hot Smoked Salmon & Asparagus

Fusilli with Hot Smoked Salmon & Asparagus
200g asparagus , steamed until tender
200ml asparagus stock
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons single cream
115g pack of hot smoked salmon
75g whole wheat fusilli

I made this with asparagus stock, but you could use any sort of vegetable stock, I suppose.

Cook the pasta according to package instructions. meanwhile, make the sauce by heating together the crushed garlic, asparagus stock and cream mixed with the cornflour. Cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, until thickened.

Add the asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces and the smoked salmon, flaked. Stir in the cooked pasta and serve.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 557.4
Protein (g) 45.4
Carbohydrate (g) 60.1
Fat (g) 15.3
Fibre (g) 11.7

Lunch Thursday 14 December - Prawns with mixed leaves and Salsa

Salsa
1 fat ripe tomato, chopped (about 150g)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
50g spring onions, finely sliced
large handful fresh coriander leaves
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 clove garlic, crushed
4-5 chillis, chopped (or to taste)
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 103.0
Carbohydrate (g) 20.2
Protein (g) 4.2
Fat (g) 1.1
Fibre (g) 4.8

This salad is another "garbage salad" - it is made up from some beetroot leaves, some radish leaves and some romaine lettuce. I also added some raw beetroot cut into fine julienne. I love my "free" salad (and have written about it before ).

I just filled the bowl with the mixed leaves, piled the salsa on top and garnished with 100g of prawns.

Breakfast Thursday 14 December - Malted Granary Bread & clementines

Decided to celebrate the demise of the M&S museli by making some bread. So, I made a simple malted granary loaf and somehow, I never got around to taking a photo of it. Oh well - you know what bread looks like, right?

Malted Granary Bread
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons yeast
500ml warm water
400g Hovis Malted Granary flour
200g extra strong white bread flour
1 large free range egg
40g dried skimmed milk powder
55g malt extact

Add the sugar and yeast to the warm water and leave to "bloom" for about 10-15 minutes.

When the yeast is foaming, add the malt extract, milk powder, egg, salt, and malted granary flour. Mix well to a batter or sponge and leave to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Stir down and add half the white flour. Mix well and turn out onto a board covered with the rest of the flour. Knead until all the flour is incorporated and the loaf is smooth and elastic.

Pop into an oiled bowl and leave to rise, covered, for about an hour or until double in bulk.

Knock back and knead again for 100 strokes or about 5 minutes.

Shape into loaves and leave for the final rising.

When well risen, bake in a moderate over, around 350 degrees or Gas 6 until browned and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.

I did this as one large loaf in a bean tin (see here for the bean tin story)

Dinner Wednesday 13 December - Cod with Coriander Sauce

I had a huge bunch of coriander from Chapel Market and was trying to think of ways to use it, so I made this sauce which is loosely based on pesto.

Coriander Sauce
60g walnut pieces
6 small green chillies
3 clove garlic
juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
50g fresh coriander leaves
salt & pepper to taste
Process all ingredients together in a blender, food processor or mortar & pestle to a rough paste.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 231.4
Carbohydrate (g) 4.9
Protein (g) 6.7
Fat (g) 21.0
Fibre (g) 1.5

I used one portion on top of a cod fillet which I then baked and served with some runner beans and broccoli.

Nutrition Summary for entire meal
Calories (kcal) 431.6
Protein (g) 43.1
Carbohydrate (g) 12.4
Fat (g) 23.7
Fibre (g) 7.6

Lunch Wenesday 13 December - Roasted Winter Veggies & Brussels Sprouts

Just finished off the second portion of winter roast veggies from yesterday with a nice big (200g) portion of Brussels Sprouts.


Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 399.9
Protein (g) 15.9
Carbohydrate (g) 65.6
Fat (g) 9.3
Fibre (g) 20.8

Breakfast Wednesday 13 December - Last of the M&S Muesli!

Yay! I have finally finished off the last of the M&S Fruit & Bran Muesli. This means that I now only have:

1) Shredded Wheat (18 biscuits)
2) All Bran (750g box)
3) Morn Flake Oat bran

left in the house. The cereal hoard is diminishing!

The muesli met its end with another Rocha pear and some clementines.

Dinner Tuesday 12 December - Swordfish Steak with vegetables and a creamy sauce

Had the other M&S swordfish steak, so just pan fried it in a non-stick skillet and had with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts and runner beans.

The sauce is basically just a Velouté sauce - vegetable stock thickened with a bit of cornflour and enriched with 2 tablespoons of single cream.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 497.2
Protein (g) 36.9
Carbohydrate (g) 58.0
Fat (g) 14.5
Fibre (g) 10.9

Lunch Tuesday 12 December - Winter Roasted Vegetables

Winter Roasted Vegetables

300g Jerusalem artichokes
300g parsnips
300g baby Chantenay carrots
2 eschalion shallots
6 cloves garlic (or to taste)
spray olive oil
salt, pepper, mixed herbs

This is a bit on an homage to winter veggies - I love the sweet & earthy flavours of Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips!

Could not be simpler to prepare - cut wash and pare vegetables and cut into similar sizes. Steam the Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips and carrots for 5 minutes to partially cook. Add the shallots, halved and the garlic cloves. Spray with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and herbs and toss well to coat. I used some more of the Lakeland "Good with Everything" herb mix.

Roast in a hot oven for about 35-40 minutes or until everything is cooked and browning on the edges.

This makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 329.7
Carbohydrate (g) 59.3
Protein (g) 9.3
Fat (g) 7.2
Fibre (g) 15.0


According to the Wikipedia:
"The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), also called the sunroot or sunchoke or topinambur, is a flowering plant native to North America grown throughout the temperate world for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.

Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has no relation to Jerusalem, and little to do with artichokes. The name Jerusalem is due to folk etymology; when the Jerusalem artichoke was first discovered by Europeans it was called Girasole, the Italian word for sunflower. The Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower, in the same genus as the garden sunflower Helianthus annuus. Over time the name Girasole transformed into Jerusalem, and to avoid confusion people have recently started to refer to it as sunchoke or sunroot, which is closer to the original Native American name for the plant.

The artichoke part of the Jerusalem artichoke's name comes from its taste of its edible tuber, which is a cross between a radish and an artichoke.

The tubers are gnarly and uneven, vaguely resembling ginger root, with a crisp texture when raw. Unlike most tubers, but in common with other members of the Asteraceae (including the artichoke), the tubers store the carbohydrate inulin (not to be confused with insulin) instead of starch. For this reason, Jerusalem artichoke tubers are an important source of fructose for industry. The carbohydrates gives the tubers a tendency to break down and dissolve when cooked, in addition to giving them a legendary facility to produce flatulence.

Jerusalem artichokes are sold in the produce departments of many supermarkets. The freshest roots are plumpish and vibrant in appearance. If they are left too long in the open, they become wrinkled and soft and can develop a bitter taste."

Never noticed that I was especially parpy after eating them!

Breakfast Tuesday 12 December - Muesli & Raspberries

STILL working my way through the M&S muesli.... sometimes it feels like I will never eaten it all.

Anyway, another portion down this AM with a nice punnet of raspberries.

Dinner Monday 11 December - Swordfish Steak and Chinese Style Veggies

Swordfish Steak and Chinese Style Veggies
1 swordfish steak (about 130g)
200g bean sprouts, blanched
1 red Romano pepper, cut into strips
150g sugar snap peas, halved lengthwise
4 spring onions
small handful coriander leaves
1 serving Chinese Style Sauce

This is basically just another variation on my standard Stir Steamed Vegetables . I had a portion of the sauce around, so steamed the sugar snaps and red pepper strips for a couple of minutes, then added the beansprouts, spring onions and coriander to the sauce just long enough to heat everything through.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 368.2
Carbohydrate (g) 31.5
Protein (g) 38.3
Fat (g) 9.8
Fibre (g) 6.1

The swordfish steak is just seared in a non-stick pan - simple. I have not had swordfish is a while and I had forgotten how nice it is. I know that there are a lot of concerns over heavy metals, especially mercury. Must check it out and see if this is still a concern.