Recipes: Beans Galore

First off, I hate the internet. More specifically, the providers of it. There is always some problem that they are trying to fix, or some scheduled maintenance or one of the other million excuses and thus, we have been without a consistent connection for the past 3 days. Arjan has phoned the company about 4 times and each time has been given different ‘advice’, none of which has solved the problem.

Anyhoo, if you are reading this then I have managed to get online for long enough to transfer it from a word document and upload the pictures!

I was feeling lazy this fast-day and rather than thinking up my own recipe I just found one online and gave it a try. I found this one for Cheesy bean & sweetcorn cakes and thought “cheese?! Surely not!” but heavens above, there is actual cheese in this recipe! Now, I may have mentioned it before, but Arjan is a complete cheese-fiend, I’m fairly sure he would bathe in it given the chance, so I knew this would go down well.

The recipe was very simple but I was a little sceptical as to whether this would be filling enough, but the 8 patties you get are pretty big and considering they are about 80% beans they do a good job of staving off the hunger.

I added a bit of extra chilli powder to the mix because instead of jalapenos we only had pickled peppers (the super long, pale green, mild ones) and I wanted a little spice in there. 

I would definitely suggest using this method to keep the patties separated, although I would try putting another sheet of parchment between the bottom layer and plate as they were very stuck. 

One thing I will say is that the patties did not hold together well when cooking, I suppose the egg was put in to try help with that, but it didn’t seem to at all. I had to be very careful when flipping them over and then reshape them quite a bit by pushing the edges in.

They tasted pretty good though and the salsa went very well with them (I make a mean salsa if I do say so myself).

All in all they were a success and I’ve got a second batch in the freezer just waiting for another diet day. 

BBC GoodFood has some good dieting recipes and even a slider where you can set the limits for calories per portion or you can choose what type of diet you are on. Last week I also tried these Cajun meatballs and they were awesome! 

Recipe: Kedgeree...ish

I've been really hankering for some fish recently, not sure why as I don't really like it most of the time, but occasionally I get a craving.
Seeing as today has been a fast-day, I knew it couldn't be fried and encrusted in some sort of tasty batter, so I tried to think of the next best way I like fish. Kedgeree!
My mum used to make this every now and then when I was little and I've always enjoyed it, the warm curry spice, the crumbly fish and the creamy egg all go so beautifully together. Perfect for the cooler months.
So, I did the maths and worked out a recipe that was low calorie and incorporated the essential elements of kedgeree.
Sadly, smoked haddock is hard to come by here, but I made do with regular and it came out just as nicely in the end.

Kedgeree: Serves 5

600g haddock (smoked if available) = 444 kcal

370g rice = 477 kcal

200g frozen peas = 136 kcal

3-4 onions = 46 kcal

5 poached eggs = 320 kcal (64 each)

1 tbsp butter = 102 kcal

2 tbsp curry powder

1 clove garlic

salt

pepper

fresh parsley

squeeze of lemon juice

Total = 1542 kcal

Per portion = 308.4 kcal

• Cook rice either in microwave or pan, whatever method you prefer. Set aside until needed
• heat a pan with enough water to cover the fish, with two bay leaves, pepper, salt and a halved onion (you can also do this step with milk or with half milk, half water) until simmering
• Add the fish, simmer gently for 4-5 minutes, remove from liquid and cool slightly before removing skin and flaking (luckily mine was already filleted and skinned so I just had to flake). Set aside until needed.
• Chop onions, it doesn't matter how, I did a mix of very small and very large pieces to add to the texture of the dish.
• heat butter in a pan (use oil if you like but I think butter tastes better in this) and gently fry the onions until softened, then add the spices and fry gently. 
• Add the finely chopped garlic and fry until aromatic, then add the rice and mix through. 
• Defrost the peas by running under warm water in a sieve, then add to the rice mix. 
• Add the fish to the rice and heat through. 
• Whilst heating, poach the eggs making sure they do not over cook and the yolk stays runny. 
• Check the mix for seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon juice and finely chopped parsley.
• Serve in a bowl with the egg over the top.

You will no doubt find more authentic recipes for kedgeree online, but this was really tasty and who can argue with those calories?!

 

Recipes: Fire in the hole!

Today marks another successful fast-day on the 5:2 diet and has been finished with a delicious (if I do say so myself), low-calorie meal.

On today's menu: Thai Green Curry with prawns!

Now I'm not a big fish person, unlike my boyfriend (for some of you this may conjure visions of the creature from the black lagoon, but less excitingly, I mean I don't enjoy the flavour), with the exception of sushi and fish'n'chips there are few fish dishes I will eat and enjoy. I don't mind prawns though, depending on what they're in, and considering that they are a fairly low-calorie protein source they're perfect for diets.

I am however, a huge fan of spice!! I've grown up with cream-cheese and Cholula hot sauce sandwiches in my lunch box and my tolerance and enjoyment of chili heat has only grown over the years and Thai Green Curry is one of my favourite dishes.
I would normally make this with chicken but considering that 500g of breast is 860 kcal (compared to 526 kcal for prawns) and coconut milk adds a lot to the calorie count, I'm saving chicken for later in the week.
Whilst we're still on the topic of spice, I realised I made a bit of a mistake while cooking this dish. When I say I like a hot green curry I kid you not, I'm talking lips humming, nose running, occasionally-makes-you-cough kind of hot. My mother-in-law does not like spice at all, though she did enjoy green curry a surprising amount last time I made it (albeit a watered down version). This time I may have forgotten who I was cooking for and used the normal amount of paste, until I tasted it and found it to be hot enough for me... I managed to rectify this slightly by adding a little water to the sauce, thinning the flavour a bit. Oops.

This is a fairly flexible recipe, you can add whatever vegetables you fancy and whatever meat (although I do recommend chicken, particularly thigh meat as it stays juicier) so you can adapt it to what you can find in your area, although it's fantastic with aubergine and this is the traditional vegetable to add.
I would normally make this with a selection of the unusual types of aubergines we could find at our local exotic grocer in Brighton, and sometimes add fresh shiitake mushrooms (if I can get them) which have a wonderful chewy, meaty texture.
Little mange tout stay beautifully crisp and sweet if added to this at the last minute and green beans (as I used today) perfume the curry with their light, beany flavour.

Prawn Thai Green Curry: Serves 5

500g Prawns = 526 kcal

400ml coconut milk = 720 kcal

500ml chicken stock (from a cube) = 20 kcal

1 large aubergine = 87 kcal

250g mushrooms = 40 kcal

250g green beans = 78 kcal

50g green curry paste = 70 kcal

1 tbsp sunflower oil = 120 kcal

1.5 tsp sugar = 24 kcal

total = 1685 kcal

Per portion = 337 kcal

• Prepare your prawns in whatever way necessary (peeling, deveining etc).   
• Heat oil in a large pan, stir fry the paste until fragrant then add half the coconut milk.
• Add the prawns to the pan and cook briefly.
• Add the rest of the coconut milk and the stock.
• Chop the aubergine into large chunks, half the mushrooms (quarter for bigger ones) and chop the ends off the beans.
• Add the vegetables and simmer until softened.
• Add the sugar and season to taste.

Us dieters ate this on its own like a soup, the non-dieters ate this with rice. (I would normally serve it with sticky, sweet, delicious coconut rice which you can find recipes for online) Keep in mind that the calorie count per portion was probably fairly generous as there was more than exactly 5 portions of this.

It's hot, fresh, filling and full of goodness! I would eat green curry once a week if I could and never get bored. This comes with my highest recommendations! Enjoy!

Recipes: Healthy, Happy, Hungry....

I have officially caught the blogging bug. I woke up in the early hours today and found myself completely unable to get back to sleep, my head swimming with ideas for future posts full of witty remarks and brilliant advice! I couldn’t wait to grab the laptop and start tap-tap-tapping the keys.

Luckily after a snuggle with my big spoon I managed to get a couple more hours of shuteye.

During my nocturnal musings I struggled to choose which post I would, essentially, christen the blog with. Should it be fashion, food, make-up? Well fashion and make-up were quickly disregarded as I currently have a massive cold-sore and I’ll be damned if there’s a camera going anywhere near me right now! 

So after a bit more thought it hit me. It’s the start of the new year. What is the one thing people are most obsessed with at this time?

Health! Gyms experience roughly a 30-40% increase in members as a result of new years resolutions, the internet is heaving with juice cleanses, detox diets and tummy tightening work-outs and people are desperate to shed that Christmas-dinner-induced weight gain.
I too am a sheep in this desperate flock, and though I didn’t actually gain weight over Christmas (internal cheering and fist pumping ensued when I first hopped on the scales after the holidays) I am not exactly feeling my best.

So along with the bf and my father-in-law, I embarked on a quest to become a better me! After some careful consideration and plenty of research we decided to try out the 5:2 diet, which seemed a lot less faddy than others and, although it doesn’t promise any huge, immediate weight loss, looks like a diet that can really become a part of day to day life for the long haul.

The idea is that 5 days of the week you eat completely normally (we’re not talking burgers and deep-fat fried everything now, but a normal balanced diet) and for 2 non-consecutive days you fast and eat 500kcal for women or 600kcal for men. That’s ¼ of your daily recommended intake.

It’s been one of the most popular diets of 2013 and for a reason. Because it’s only two days a week, the fasting days don’t seem like a struggle and the hunger feels oddly empowering because you know it’s good for your body to have that recuperation time.

It has however been testing my basic mathematical skills, which have been little exercised since university.  But I enjoy taking the time to plan out a delicious and super healthy meal that everyone can enjoy together twice a week, and so for any other 5:2ers out there looking for food inspiration, I will be sharing my recipes for fast day dinners!

On Monday we had a delicious lemon-y couscous with roasted vegetables and just a sprinkle of crumbled feta, for tonight’s menu I’m making a chicken stir-fry with noodles and what I think is technically referred to as a ‘butt load’* of veg.

Chicken veg stir-fry: serves 5

270g dried Mie (egg) noodles = 945 kcal (cooked)

2 cloves garlic = 8 kcal

1 tsp 5-spice

1 tbsp oil = 119 kcal

1 chicken breast = 260 kcal

1 onion = 46 kcal

3 Peppers mixed colours = 120 kcal

1 large carrot = 30 kcal

2 cup mushrooms = 30 kcal

1 large leek = 54 kcal

3 tbsp soy sauce = 14 kcal

1 knob ginger = 19 kcal

1 tbsp honey = 64 kcal

1 chicken stock cube = 20 kcal

1 tbsp corn flour = 55 kcal

total = 1784 kcal

Per portion = 357 kcal 

·      Boil the noodles for however long stated on packet, drain, run under cold water to stop cooking and set aside
·      Boil 300ml water in a pan, stir in stock cube, honey, cornflour, soy sauce and grated ginger. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency then remove from heat.
·      Thinly slice (Julienne) carrots, peppers, onion and leek into matchsticks. Chop garlic into fine pieces. Slice mushrooms thinly.
·      Cut chicken into very thin slices and then into strips (this will make one breast go through the whole stir fry without adding too much of those calories).
·      Heat oil in wok or frying pan, add garlic, chicken and 5-spice powder (or whatever seasoning you choose), cook till chicken whitens.
·      Add vegetables and cook briefly to retain nutritional value.
·      Add noodles and sauce, distribute evenly in pan and heat through.
·      Serve with thinly sliced spring onion as a garnish and add hot sauce or chilli powder if you like.

(note: This recipe was calculated for 5 people, 2 of whom were not on the 5:2 diet and were eating larger portions, so the Kcal per portion were lower than stated for dieters and higher for non-dieters)

I have literally just finished eating and I must say, I was impressed by how tasty ‘healthy’ can be! There was a mountain of veg, so I did need to split this all up between two pans whilst cooking. I had mine with a sprinkle of chilli pepper and the bf had his with sambal, the heat really works and chilli is good for the metabolism, so win-win! All washed down with a hot mug of jasmine tea and I feel perfectly satisfied! (I skipped lunch today so I also have enough kcals left over for a pre-bed snack if necessary)

I hope you give this recipe a try even if you’re not on the diet!

*fun fact: a buttload is an actual unit of measurement used for wines and alcoholic beverages!

P.S. Apologies for the photo quality, my camera battery charger is currently MIA.