Breakfast Wednesday 20 June - Rhubarb & Pear Smoothie

Bacchus by Caravaggio

Popped the other portion of stewed rhubarb in the blender with a pear and some yoghurt and whizzed it all up.

Nice!

Heading off to Lisa's for a Summer Bacchanalia. The first summer we were in London, we spent the whole of the summer solstice sitting up, drinking, eating and setting the world to rights. Not sure we will manage to see the sunrise in twenty years on, but we will see how we get on anyway.

Of course, the solstice is not really until tomorrow (21 June 2007 at 18:06, to be precise), but being older and fartier, we are busy then (well, I have an appointment at The Heart Hospital on Friday AM and don't want to have been sitting up all night boozing when I have an ambulatory BP monitor fitted!)

Here is to longer days and shorter nights!

Dinner Tuesday 19 June - Crab, Asparagus & Baby Corn Egg Drop Soup

Crab, Asparagus & Baby Corn Egg Drop Soup
1 pint vegetable stock
3 tablespoons Shao Shing rice wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 thumb ginger, grated
1 can crab white meat (120g)
150g baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces
120g asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
1 free range egg
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 spring onions, slivered

Add the Shao Shing, soy sauce and ginger to the vegetable stock and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and baby corn and simmer for a few minutes, until just barely tender (3-4 minutes).

Add the crab meat. Beat together the egg and sesame oil. Drizzle the egg into the soup, turn off the heat and cover. Allow to stand for about 3 minutes, for the eggs to set. Stir in the spring onions and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 367.7
Carbohydrate (g) 17.0
Protein (g) 43.3
Fat (g) 14.2
Fibre (g) 5.4

Lunch Tuesday 19 June - Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes & Rocket

Gnocchi with Cherry Tomatoes & Rocket
100g gnocchi di patate
1/4 pint vegetable stock
1 garlic clove, crushed
10g sauce flour
30ml single cream
25g Parmesan, grated
100g Santini cherry tomatoes, halved
50g wild rocket

Make a simple veloute by combining the garlic, sauce flour and vegetable stock. Cook over low heat until thickened. Add the cream and season with salt & pepper. Add half the cheese and reserve the other half for garnish.

Meanwhile, cook the gnocchi. To serve, add the gnocchi, rocket and cherry tomato halves to the veloute, combine briefly and turn out into a serving dish. Garnish with the reserved cheese and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 545.9
Carbohydrate (g) 84.8
Protein (g) 21.9
Fat (g) 13.5
Fibre (g) 1.7

Breakfast Tuesday 19 June - Stewed Rhubarb & Yoghurt

Started off with coffee, stewed rhubarb and 150g natural yoghurt.

Stewed Rhubarb
380g rhubarb, cut into 1" segments
3 satsumas, peeled and all pith removed.

Combine & cook over low heat until rhubarb is just tender - about 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste if desired.

Rhubarb has a tendency to go to mush in seconds flat, so watch carefully unless you like mush.

This made two portions.

Dinner Monday 18 June - Spinach Omelette with Asparagus & shallots

Spinach Omelette with Asparagus & Shallots
2 eggs
30g grated Parmesan cheese
120g spinach
2 garlic

3 shallots (about 100g
120g asparagus

This is just a two egg omelette, filled with Parmesan & some fresh spinach wilted with a couple of cloves of garlic.

Served with it is some slice shallots & asparagus spears, sauteed in a little spray olive oil.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 378.9
Carbohydrate (g) 6.5
Protein (g) 34.0
Fat (g) 24.2
Fibre (g) 5.5

Lunch Monday 18 June- Composed Salad

Composed Salad

½ jar marinated artichokes (100g)
1 homemade dill pickle
4 quails eggs
1 portion Mushroom Pate
3 ribs celery
100g fine beans
100g cherry tomatoes
2 Crisprolls

Arrange it all on a plate and dig in.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 429.1
Carbohydrate (g) 32.6
Protein (g) 30.2
Fat (g) 20.7
Fibre (g) 17.5

Breakfast Monday 18 June - Just coffee

See what happens when there is no cereal?

I guess I really should not complain. Just coffee for brekkie today.

Dinner Sunday 17 June - Quorn Escalope & Veggies

1 Quorn Creamy peppercorn Escalope
150g kale
100g onion
2 garlic
150g new potatoes
2 carrots

Sauteed the kale with onions and garlic and served it up with the Quorn escalope, mashed new potatoes and steamed carrots.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 463.7
Carbohydrate (g) 60.1
Protein (g) 17.7
Fat (g) 18.1
Fibre (g) 16.2

Lunch Sunday 17 June - Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

Broccoli & Cheddar Soup
100g onion, chopped
380g broccoli
400ml vegetable stock
10g butter
10g sauce flour
30ml single cream
50g reduced fat Cheddar Cheese (I had LesKol)

Saute the onion in in butter until soft & translucent. Add the sauce flour and cook over low heat to make a roux. Add the vegetable stock, a little at a time, until a smooth sauce is formed

Add the chopped broccoli, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until broccoli is soft.

Blitz with a hand blender or in a blender jar and then add the cream and most of the cheese, reserving a bit for garish.

Heat through without boiling and serve garnished with the reserved cheese.

Makes one large serving
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 462.1
Carbohydrate (g) 24.8
Protein (g) 33.1
Fat (g) 25.2
Fibre (g) 10.6

Breakfast Sunday 17 June - Hallelujah! The All Bran is gone

No more All Bran Flakes!
No more Horlicks Light!


So, I had a smoothie made from mango, apricots, satsumas and lime instead

Dinner Saturday 16 June - Prawns & Noodles with Stir Steam Sauce

Prawns & Noodles with Stir Steam Sauce
50g Chinese noodles (ho fan type)
200g broccoli
1 sweet red pepper
110g prawns
1 spring onion
1 Chinese style stir steam sauce

This is yet another variation of the good old stir steam. I just steamed the broccoli and red peppers over the sauce, cooked the noodles in the sauce, and combined it all together!

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 448.7
Carbohydrate (g) 59.6
Protein (g) 38.0
Fat (g) 6.5
Fibre (g) 7.8

Lunch Saturday 16 June - Thai Mango & Prawn Salad

Thai Mango & Prawn Salad

Make a dressing of:
1 garlic, crushed
2 chillis, sliced fine
juice 1 lime
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce

Combine:
handful coriander
2 spring onions, sliced
110g prawns
1 mango, cut into chunks (about 230g)
2 tomatoes, cut into chunks (190g)

Add to the dressing, combine gently and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 380.7
Carbohydrate (g) 76.3
Protein (g) 21.3
Fat (g) 2.5
Fibre (g) 10.6

Breakfast Saturday 16 June - Cereal, again

Yes, I am still wading through the All Bran Flakes and Horlicks.

Dinner Friday 15 June - Just aimless grazing...

Did not really eat a meal in the evening - just sort of grazed. I had a herb salad and a "Primal Strips" Texas BBQ veggie jerky strip, plus a few Brazil nuts. Surprisingly not very hungry, despite dismal lunch.

The veggie jerky is some I brought back from California - really tasty stuff. Wish I had bought more. Oh well, will have to have a go an make some!

Lunch Friday 15 June - The Albion Public House

Met up with Lisa at the gym and we headed out to for lunch after working up a good sweat and having a loll about in the spa.

Decided to try The Albion on Thornhill Road - another Islington institution that I have been frequenting off and on for years. Always has has the most incredible garden (and great old fashioned Sani-flo loos!) Food used to be your standard British pub grub - fish & chips, burgers, lasagna, roasts etc. Always reliable and used to be a favourite Sunday lunch hangout.

Well, sad to report the The Albion has had a make over. It looks very nice - all the horse brasses are gone and it has gone very minimal & trendy, which I don't mind especially. The garden has also had a revamp and looks lovely - and the Sani-flos are intact.

The menu, sadly, has fared rather worse! I had Grilled Halloumi & Roasted Red Pepper on a toasted roll. The roll was one of those airy, nothing-to-it bits of bread - dry, tasteless and just a mere puff of white flour. The halloumi was grilled and warm, but the peppers were cold and clearly from a jar. Very disappointing.

Lisa had a roast belly of pork which was massive, but had about an inch of fat on top of it - not crackling, just plain old fat. It came with a few spuds and not much else. I did not try it (of course) but Lisa did not have anything very nice to say about it - except that there was a lot of it, even if you would not want to eat the thick layer of fat.

The one exception was the chips, which were lovely! Big, fat chips; light and fluffy inside, cripsy and brown outside. But hideously expensive! They were something like £3 a portion and a portion comprised about 8 chips.

Beer is still good here - had a decent pint of London Pride and a refreshing white beer, but I won't be hurrying back for the food any time soon.

The Albion, 10 Thornhill Road, N1 1HW

Breakfast Friday 15 June - "I been working on the cereal hoard....

I've been working on the cereal hoard
All the livelong day
I've been working on the cereal hoard
Just to pass the time away



Yes, more All Bran and Horlicks...

Dinner Thursday 14 June - Le Mercury Restaurant

Met up with Marcel at the Piano & Pitcher for a few drinks, before we wandered off in search of dinner. Ended up eating at Le Mercury Restaurant on Upper Street.

Haven't been to Le Mercury for ages, so decided to give it a try tonight. I found it very good - reasonably priced, good food, nice atmosphere - just as I remembered it. It seems to get mixed reviews at various online review sites, but every time I have been here it has always been decent quality food and a reasonable price - not bad for oh-so-trendy Upper Street.

I started off with a pear, blue cheese and walnut salad. For main course, I had grilled trout fillet with pumpkin puree and steamed mixed vegetables. For afters, we shared a cheese plate which came with celery & apple (my preference) along with the usual biscuits.

Le Mercury
140a Upper Street
London N1 1NY

Lunch Thursday 14 June - Veggie Sausages & Onion Gravy

Veggie Sausages, New Potatoes, Dwarf Beans & Carrots with Onion Gravy

2 Cauldron Foods Cherry Tomato & Basil vegetarian sausages
200g Jersey Royal new potatoes
2 carrots (about 150g)
125g dwarf beans
1 serving onion gravy

Again, no recipe here. Just parboiled the potatoes sprayed with olive oil and roasted in a hot oven along with the veggie sausages.

Served up with onion gravy and steamed veggies.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 447.2
Carbohydrate (g) 71.0
Protein (g) 16.9
Fat (g) 11.5
Fibre (g) 12.6

Breakfast Thursday 14 June - Cereal and raspberries

More All Bran, more Horlicks and some raspberries.

Dinner Wednesday 13 June Grilled Mahi Mahi with Soba Noodles

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Soba Noodles

100g mahi mahi, marinated and grilled (as per 12 June)

100g sugar snap peas, blanched
100g baby corn, steamed
40g soba noodles, cooked
4 spring onions, shredded
1 carrot sliced thinly
1 tablespoons ponzu sauce
1 teaspoon gomasio, to serve

Toss together the noodles and vegetables with the ponzu sauce. Arrange on a plate and top with the marinated and grilled mahi mahi. Sprinkle a little gomsaio on the side and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 404.2
Carbohydrate (g) 54.6
Protein (g) 36.9
Fat (g) 3.8
Fibre (g) 7.6


Ponzu Sauce
120ml good quality soy sauce
45ml mirin
120ml lemon juice
120ml rice vinegar (I used a combination of plain rice vinegar and seasoned rice vinegar)

Combine all ingredients. Store in a jar in the fridge.

Makes about 400ml

Nutrition Summary Total Recipe
Calories (kcal) 319.4
Protein (g) 13.0
Carbohydrate (g)56.6
Fat (g) 0.0
Fibre(g) 0.1