Dinner Sunday 9 September - Pittsburgh Potatoes

Pittsburgh Potatoes
150ml milk
50ml water
15g cornflour
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillion powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
50g Emmental cheese
215g potatoes, steamed and cut into dice
4 shallots, diced (about 95g)
1/2 green pepper, diced (about 70g)
1/2 yellow pepper, diced (about 70g)
1/2 red pepper, diced (about 70g)

Make a veloute by combining the milk, water, cornflour and vegetable bouillion powder. Cook over low heat for about 5 mintes until thickened. Add the mustard powder, Worcestershire sauce and cheese. Cook for a further 5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Spray a non-stick skillet with a little oil and saute the shallots & peppers until softened. Combine with the potato cubes and veloute. Turn into a small casserole dish and bake in a moderate oven untl browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes

Served with steamed broccoli.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 567.4
Carbohydrate (g) 75.7
Protein (g) 26.6
Fat (g) 18.9
Fibre (g) 6.3

Lunch Sunday 9 September - Chick Pea & Runner Bean Salad

Chick Pea & Runner Bean Salad
1 can chick peas, drained (240g)
150g runner beans, cut into bite sized pieces and steamed
20ml macadamia nut oil
40g Manuka honey
30g grain mustard
1 lemon, juiced
250g cherry tomatoes

60g wild rocket
80g baby spinach

Make a dressing by combining the oil, honey, mustard & lemon juice. Season with salt to taste and plenty of black pepper. Add the chick peas and beans and combine well. Leave to stand for 30 minutes. Just before serving, add the cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered.

Combine the spinach and rocket and use to line a plate. Mound the salad on the leaves and serve.

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 351.3
Carbohydrate (g) 43.0
Protein (g) 11.8
Fat (g) 14.9
Fibre (g) 8.4

Breakfast Sunday 9 September - Guess what?

Yet more banana bread & coffee!

Dinner Saturday 8 September - Cauliflower Cheese

Cauliflower Cheese
2 baby cauliflower (about 200g)
Veloute with Edam
215g potatoes
150g runner beans

No real recipe; just cut the potatoes into wedges, sprayed them with a little olive oil and roasted them until cooked & browned.

Steam the cauliflowers and tunner beans. Serve the sauce over the cauliflower and with potatoes and runner beans.

Nutrition Data for meal
Calories (kcal) 492.8
Carbohydrate (g) 62.6
Protein (g) 31.5
Fat (g) 14.1
Fibre (g) 9.2


Veloute with Edam
200ml vegetable stock
10g cornflour
30ml extra thick single cream
50g reduced fat Edam cheese
Combine the cold stock and cornflour. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until thickened. Add the cream and grated cheese and continue to cookj over low heat until cheese is melted.

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 240.1
Carbohydrate (g) 14.9
Protein (g) 19.8
Fat (g) 11.3
Fibre (g) 0.2

Lunch Saturday 8 September - Minestrone Soup

Lunch was the other portion of Minestrone Soup.

Breakfast Saturday 8 September - Banana Bread

Yep, you guessed it, Banana Bread and coffee (again).

Dinner Friday 7 September - Thai Red Curry with Noodles

Thai Red Curry with Noodles
1 banana shallot, sliced
30g Thai red curry paste
200ml water
1 ounce/28g creamed coconut
125g fish balls
50g baby corn, cut into bite sized pieces
80g sweet orange pepper,cut into bite sized pieces
100g sugar snaps, cut into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon sugar
50g rice stick noodles, cooked or soaked according to pack instructions
1 tablespoon fish sauce
handful coriander leaves
2 spring onions, finely sliced

Spray a non-stick wok with a little flavourless oil and fry the sliced shallots until soft. Add the curry paste and saute for a minute to release the flavours. Add the water and creamed coconut. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the vegetables and fish balls and simmer for about 3 minutes, until vegetables are just tender but still crisp. Add the fish sauce, sugar, coriander and sping onions and stir to combine.

Serve over the cooked rice noodles.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 642.3
Carbohydrate (g) 76.4
Protein (g) 24.1
Fat (g) 24.6
Fibre (g) 9.9

Lunch 7 September 2007 - Marinated Tuna Steak with Thai Style Salad

Marinated Tuna Steak with Thai Style Salad
1 tuna steak, marinated in:
1 tablespoon fish sauce
juice ½ lime
1 teaspoon grated kra chai
1 clove garlic

Marinate for 30 minutes or more and then grill the tuna steak as you like it.

Thai Style Salad
1 bunch radishes, sliced (90g)
1 carrot, sliced thinly
1 rib celery, sliced thinly
2 spring onion, sliced thinly
4 tablespoons Thai Style Dressing

55g watercress
25g mixed fresh herbs (parsley, coriander etc)
Mix together and use to line a plate. Mound the salad and tuna steak on top and serve.

Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 286.5
Carbohydrate (g) 15.6
Protein (g) 52.5
Fat (g) 2.4
Fibre (g) 4.7

Breakfast Friday 7 September - Banana Bread and plums

Breakfast consisted of a slice of banana bread, four plums and coffee.

Dinner Thursday 6 September - Herb Salad and Tofu Jerky

Did not really have a "proper" dinner. I had a big herb salad, but then as not very hungry so just ate a few pieces of Tofu Jerky.

This is something I have been experimenting with since I ran out of the tofu jerky I brought back from California in April.

What I have been doing is buying tofu, wrapping it up in several layers of paper towels and then pressing it between two cutting boards weighted down with cans. The idea is to get as much water out of it as possible. I will leave it pressing all day.

Next, cut it into thin strips and lay it out on baking sheets that have a little bit of depth (so the marinade will stay put). Cover the strips in marinade and leave to marinate over night.

Next morning, place the sheet in a slow oven - like Gas 1 - and leave to roast/dehydrate until dried, but not crispy. Usually takes a couple of hours.

I have made a variety of marinades - BBQ, Thai, Chinese style and they have all been pretty tasty.

Next time, I will take photos.

Lunch Thursday 6 September - Minestrone Soup

Minestrone Soup
2 Tsp/10ml extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 ribs celery (about 80g)
1 small yellow pepper, chopped (about 80g)
1 broccoli stem, chopped (about 35g)
80g fine beans, cut into 2cm lengths
2 courgettes, chopped (about 225g)
100g savoy cabbage, shredded
1 can peeled plum tomatoes in juice (400g)
1 can kidney beans (240g drained weight)
½ teaspoon dried marjoram
small handful fresh basil
750ml vegetable stock
50g fettucine or other pasta, broken into short lengths

Saute the onions, garlic & celery in the oil until the onion is soft & translucent.
Add the pepper, broccoli, fine beans, courgettes, cabbage, tomatoes, kidney beans and herbs. Cover with the stock and simmer over low heat until all the vegetables are cooked, about 30 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about another 10 minutes depending on your pasta.

Serving with grated Parmesan, if desired

Makes 2 servings

Nutrition Data per serving
Calories (kcal) 393.3
Carbohydrate (g) 59.5
Protein (g) 21.6
Fat (g) 8.0
Fibre (g) 15.5

Breakfast Thursday 6 September - Banana Bread

Breakfasted on a slice of banana bread, four plums and coffee.

Dinner Wednesday 5 September - An evening on Upper Street, Angel Islington

Met Marcel for drinks at Piano & Pitcher. Had a bathtub full of white wine spritzers, then headed off in search of food.

Ended up in Young's Chinese Restaurant on Upper Street for dinner and ate:
- Crispy seaweed
- Sea Spice Prawns
- Plain fried noodles
- Mixed vegetable stirfy

Glad to report that Young's is still a reliable place for decent Chinese food. Nothing spectacular, nothing rubbish, just reliable and predictable.

Young's Restaurant
154 Upper Street
London
N1 1RA

Lunch Wednesday 5 September - Risotto with Seared Scallops & Prawns

Risotto with Seared Scallops & Prawns
1 teaspoon olive oil
500ml vegetable or fish stock
55g arborio rice
110g raw scallops
65g raw prawns
1 pat Herb Butter

100g asparagus, steamed

This is just a plain risotto with the seafood and asparagus.

Add the oil to a small sauce pan. Add the rice and stir over low heat to coat each grain with oil. Toast over low heat for a minute or two, but do not brown.

Keep the stock simmering in another pan and add it to the rice, one ladleful at a time. Cook and stir until each ladle of stock is absorbed, then add another. Keep cooking and adding stock until all stock is used up and rice is cooked, about 20 minutes. Add plenty of fresh black pepper and a little salt to taste.

I like my risotto fairly soft, but not soupy.

When the risotto is nearly done, melt the herb butter in a skillet and sear the scallops and prawns until just cooked. Season and serve with the risotto & asparagus.


Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 470.4
Carbohydrate (g) 47.8
Protein (g) 34.2
Fat (g) 15.7
Fibre (g) 2.4

Breakfast Wednesday 5 September - Banana Bread

Breakfast was two slices of Banana Bread and coffee.

Dinner Tuesday 4 September - Stir Steam with Fish Cake

Stir Steam with Fish Cake
125g broccoli
65g baby corn
125 Chinese fish cake
50g rice stick noodles
1 portion Chinese style sauce for stir-steam
handful coriander
2 spring onions

Ah, my old favourite, the Stir Steam. See here for recipe.


Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 465.1
Carbohydrate (g) 75.7
Protein (g) 26.4
Fat (g) 4.3
Fibre (g) 7.5

Lunch Tuesday 4 September - Loyd Grossman Quorn & pasta

1 pack Loyd Grossman Sundried Tomato & Basil style Quorn pieces
65g Boccoletti pasta
10g grated parmesan

This was another one of those "bargain" deals. I had noticed the new range of Loyd Grossman Quorn products and wondered what they were like, but thought they seemed a bit over priced.

Found this pack marked down to half price as it was "Best Before" tomorrow, so decided to give it a try.

It was OK, but nothing more than that. I would not buy again and I still think they are overpriced at £2.29 per pack.

Nutrition Summary
Calories (kcal) 486.1
Protein (g) 26.7
Carbohydrate (g) 65.1
Fat (g) 13.2
Fibre (g) 7.8

Breakfast Tuesday 4 September - Banana Bread & Lychees

Breakfasted on 400g lychees, a plum, 1 slice banana bread and coffee.


Banana Bread
3 very ripe bananas (about 265g)
2 large, free range, organic eggs
100g soft light brown sugar
275g plain white flour
2 teaspoon baking powder

Mash bananas and mix with egg. Add sugar and beat well. Sift together flour & baking powder and mix into the banana mixture. Beat well.

Pour into a greased loaf tin and bake in a moderate oven (about 350°/Gas 4) until lightly browned and set, about 35-40 minutes.

Makes one 650g loaf.

Nutrition Summary
Per 100g
Calories (kcal) 295.0
Protein (g) 8.7
Carbohydrate (g) 57.2
Fat (g) 3.3
Fibre(g) 3.2

Dinner Monday 3 September - Egg Fu Yung

Egg Fu Yung
150g bean sprouts, blanched
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 spring onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 thumb ginger, grated,
2 large, free range, organic eggs
½ teaspoon sesame oil

Spray an 8" non-stick skillet with a little flavourless oil. Add the beansprouts, celery, spring onion, garlic & ginger and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Beat together the eggs and sesame oil and pour over the vegetables. Cook, covered, over low heat until eggs are set and bottom is golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Turn out and serve with:

Fu Yung Gravy
200ml vegetable stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
sprinkle of Five Spice Powder
1 tablespoon cornflour

Combine cold vegetable stock with cornflour in a small sauce pan. Add the other ingredients and cook over moderate heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.

I had a portion of stir fried veggies with this, too:

3/4 yellow pepper
100g mangetout
1 spring onion

Nutrition Summary for Full Meal
Calories (kcal) 337.1
Protein (g) 18.2
Carbohydrate (g) 33.3
Fat (g) 15.1
Fibre (g) 6.2

Lunch Monday 3 September - Leftover Lentil and Kale Soup

Polished off two portions of the Lentil & Kale Soup from the other day. Fibre a-go-go!