Lunch Sunday 16 September - English Onion Soup

English Onion Soup
10g Butter
2 Tsp/10ml Olive Oil
1 Tbsp/2g Sage (I used some fresh)
4 (110g) Shallots, sliced thin
20g (4 fat cloves) Garlic, sliced thin
350g Onions, sliced thin
100g Leeks sliced thin
1 Serving/20g Stock, Vegetable, Concentrated, Marks & Spencer*
1 Pint/568ml Water
(basically, 1 pt of decent stock of whatever ilk you fancy)
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

Melt butter & oil together is a large pan. Add the sage leaves and frizzle for a moment, then add all the sliced alliums and stir well to coat everything with a bit of oil & butter.

Cover and cook over LOW heat for about 50 minutes, stirring from time to time. The idea is to get everything softened & caramelised and let all the natural sweetness of the onions come out.

Next, add the stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste, along with the worcestershire sauce.

Make 4 giant croutons by slicing through the baguette at an angle to maximize surface area. Toast the baguette croutons, top with 50g grated cheddar, good & sharp and grill until melted, bubbly & brown.

Divide the soup between two bowls and top each with a pair of croutons.

Slurp away!

Makes 2 servings
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 200.3
Carbohydrate (g) 19.5
Protein (g) 4.7
Fat (g) 11.4
Fibre (g) 4.6

Breakfast Sunday 16 Spetember - More Banana Bread

Started the day with 2 slices of banana bread and coffee.

Dinner Saturday 15 September - Wild Rice & Vegetables with Cheese Sauce

Wild Rice & Vegetables with Cheese Sauce
220g cooked wild rice
100g broccoli, steamed
100g fine beans, steamed
1 serving Veloute Sauce with Emmenthal

Emmenthal Veloute
200 ml vegetable stock
10g cornflour
30ml extra thick single cream
50g grated Emmenthal cheese

Combine the cold stock with the cornflour and cook over low hat until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Add the cream and grated cheese and cook while stirring until cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt & pepper and serve.

Makes 1 large serving
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 301.2
Carbohydrate (g) 14.8
Protein (g) 17.1
Fat (g) 19.3
Fibre (g) 0.0

Nutrition Data for meal
Calories (kcal) 564.7
Carbohydrate (g) 63.4
Protein (g) 31.5
Fat (g) 21.4
Fibre (g) 9.1

Lunch Saturday 15 September - Cream of Vegetable Soup

Cream of Vegetable Soup
100g leeks, sliced
400g potatoes
1 clove garlic
small handful parsley
300ml vegetable stock
100g carrots, finely diced
80g celery, finely diced
50 fine beans, finely diced
50g asparagus, finely diced
70g broccoli, finely diced
200ml soya milk (or ordinary milk - I had some soy milk I did not especially care for on it's own I wanted to use up!)
few sprigs parsley

Place the leeks, garlic and potatoes in a pot and cover with the vegetable stock.

Simmer until potatoes are cooked (about 15 minutes) and then liquefy in a blender. Add more stock/water if necessary.

Add the finely diced vegetables and milk and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Add a small handful chopped parsley, correct the seasoning & serve.

Makes 4 Servings
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 122.6
Carbohydrate (g) 22.1
Protein (g) 5.8
Fat (g) 1.5
Fibre (g) 4.0

Breakfast Saturday 15 September - Banana Bread and plums

Breakfast was two slices of banana bread, 4 plums and coffee.

Dinner Friday 14 September - Wild Rice & Pressed Tofu Salad

Wild Rice & Pressed Tofu Salad
200g cooked wild rice
25g oyster sauce
60g sugar snap peas, blanched
50g spring onions, finely sliced
80g marinated pressed tofu
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 thumb ginger, grated
handful fresh coriander

Combine the oyster sauce with the garlic & ginger. Toss with the rice, peas, tofu, spring onions and coriander and serve!

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 498.8
Carbohydrate (g) 61.0
Protein (g) 34.9
Fat (g) 13.9
Fibre (g) 6.5

Lunch Friday 14 September - Cream of Vegetable Soup

Cream of Vegetable Soup
100g leeks, sliced
400g potatoes
1 clove garlic
small handful parsley
300ml vegetable stock
100g carrots, finely diced
80g celery, finely diced
50 fine beans, finely diced
50g asparagus, finely diced
70g broccoli, finely diced
200ml soya milk (or ordinary milk - I had some soy milk I did not especially care for on it's own I wanted to use up!)
few sprigs parsley

Place the leeks, garlic and potatoes in a pot and cover with the vegetable stock.

Simmer until potatoes are cooked (about 15 minutes) and then liquefy in a blender. Add more stock/water if necessary.

Add the finely diced vegetables and milk and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

Add a small handful chopped parsley, correct the seasoning & serve.

Makes 4 Servings
Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 122.6
Carbohydrate (g) 22.1
Protein (g) 5.8
Fat (g) 1.5
Fibre (g) 4.0

Breakfast Friday 14 September - No prizes for guessing...

...more banana bread and coffee

Dinner Thursday 13 September - Cod with Noodle Stir Fry

Cod with Noodle Stir Fry
150g cod fillet
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornflour
salt, pepper & 5 spice powder

2 cloves garlic
1 thumb ginger
80g baby corn
60g sugar snaps
55g each red, yellow & green pepper
1/2 pack (100g) straight to wok noodles
1/2 jar Hoi Sin sauce (about 80g)
handful coriander

This is basically just a re-run of the stir fry I had on 11 September with a cod fillet added in.

I was trying to re-create the sort of coating you get in Chinese restaurants on things like Salt & Pepper Squid, but without deep frying. So, I rubbed the fish with sesame oil, the mixed the flour, salt, pepper & 5 spice together and used it to coat the fish. I then baked it is a hot oven for 15 minutes. The result was disappointing - the fish was cooked and tasted fine, but the coating was soft, not crisp. Oh well.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 531.8
Protein (g) 41.1
Carbohydrate (g) 72.7
Fat (g) 8.8
Fibre (g) 8.1

Lunch Thursday 13 September - Composed Salad

Composed Salad
80g Dolce Blue cheese
1 Red Delicious Apple
4 ribs celery
200g cherry tomatoes, slow roasted
30g black olives
250g asparagus, steamed
3 quail's eggs, hard boiled

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 521.9
Carbohydrate (g) 34.4
Protein (g) 29.7
Fat (g) 30.1
Fibre (g) 12.5

Breakfast Thursday 13 September - Banana Bread

Working my way through loaf number 2, so started my day with 2 slices of banana bread and coffee.

Dinner Wednesday 12 September - Baked Cod with Preserved Lemon

Baked Cod with Preserved Lemon & Roasted New Potatoes
150g cod
20g Preserved Lemon
1 teaspoon oil
200g new potatoes
12 cherry tomatoes
110g each broccoli & carrots

Finely chop the lemon and use it to top the cod fillet. Wrap in foil and bake in a moderate oven for about 12-15 minutes, for until the fish is cooked and flakes with a fork.

Served with new potatoes & cherry tomatoes roasted with a little oil and a side of steamed broccoli & carrot.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 431.4
Carbohydrate (g) 51.6
Protein (g) 38.1
Fat (g) 9.4
Fibre (g) 11.1

Lunch Wednesday 12 September - Aubergine Marinara

Aubergine Marinara
This is basically the same as I have made before, like Aubergine Marinara, but in this case, I used a whole half fat mozzarella (125g) instead of 50 of full fat cheese

Breakfast Wednesday 12 September - Banana bread

Started the day with 2 slices of banana bread and coffee

Dinner Tuesday 11 September - Hoi Sin & Noodle Stir Fry

Hoi Sin & Noodle Stir Fry
1 clove garlic
1 thumb ginger
100g baby corn
50g each red, yellow & green peppers, sliced
100g sugar snap peas
85g Sharwood Hoi Sin Sauce
1/2 pack (100g) straight to wok noodles
2 spring onions, sliced
handful coriander

This is just a stir fry, so spray a wok with some oil, fry the garlic & ginger for a few seconds, then add the corn, peppers & sugarsnaps and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until tender.

Add the noodles & hoi sin sauce and continue to stir fry for another minute, until everything is combined and heated through. Add the spring onions and coriander, toss and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 421.9
Carbohydrate (g) 81.3
Protein (g) 15.8
Fat (g) 4.5
Fibre (g) 11.7

Using up some Sharwood's sauces that were on BOGOF or some other "irresistable" offer.

Lunch Tuesday 11 September - Composed Salad

Composed Salad
150g salmon, seasoned with lots of black pepper and roasted
200g cherry tomatoes, slow roasted
130g fine beans, steamed
30g black olives
30g pepperoncini
75g cooked beetroot
3 quails eggs, hard boiled

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 418.6
Carbohydrate (g) 21.8
Protein (g) 49.2
Fat (g) 15.5
Fibre (g) 7.8

Breakfast Tuesday 11 September - Guess what I made this morning?

Yep, I made another loaf of banana bread. I have been enjoying it, so I thought "why not?"

OK, a little boring.

Dinner Monday 10 September - Fettucine Puttanesca

Fettucine Puttanesca
1 teaspooon chili oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
200g cherry tomatoes, chopped
3 anchovy fillets, chopped
10g capers
30g black olives, sliced
handful fresh basil leaves
chilli flakes to taste

70g Fettucine, cooked

Heat the chilli oil in a skillet and saute the garlic until softened but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and fall apart, about 5 minutes. Add the anchovies, capers, blaock olives, chilli flakes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Finally stir in the basil and serve over the fettucine.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 373.0
Carbohydrate (g) 55.4
Protein (g) 12.9
Fat (g) 11.3
Fibre (g) 5.5

Lunch Monday 10 September - Chick Pea and Runner Bean

Polished off the other portion of Chick Pea & Runner Bean Salad

Breakfast Monday 10 September - More banana bread

Last two slices of banana bread, along with a punnet of strawberries and some coffee.