Lamb Shoulder

Lamb Shoulder

I don't really know what to call this recipe as its a bit of a mish mash of flavours that I think go well together. Its simply a roast lamb dish.

Ingredients

1/2 shoulder of lamb
3 cloves of garlic
a bay leaf
a star anise
tin of tomatoes
1/2 pint of boiling water
2 carrots
potatoes (as many as you want for each portion)
1 apple
2 tbs cumin powder
lamb stock cube
1 tbs coriander powder
1 tbs turmeric powder
salt and pepper
good handful of parsley
zest and juice of a lemon

Method

In a roasting tin place the garlic cloves (skinned and bruised with the heel of your hand), bay leaf, star anise (broken in the hand), tin of tomatoes, water, the apple (core removed and cut into quarters), the carrot cut into big chunks (about a third of a carrot at a time).

Place the lamb shoulder on top and put cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, lamb stock cube and salt and pepper.

Cover the whole tin in foil and place into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees C.

After 45 mins remove the foil and baste the meat with the juices. Return to the oven for 15 minutes then remove and baste once more, before placing back in the oven add the potatoes. Return to the oven for an hour - baste half way through.

Remove the meat from the tin and leave to rest. Whilst the meat is resting remove the carrots and potatoes from the tin and mix into the remaining liquid the parsley (roughly chopped), lemon zest and juice. This makes a lovely sauce to serve the meat with.

Pot Roast Pheasant

Pot Roast Pheasant

Game season is in its full throw so the Farmer's market in Preston City Centre is overflowing with all sorts of Game.

Not being certain as to the age of the bird always makes choosing a Game recipe a bit tricky, only if you get a bird not yet plucked will you be sure of the age and sex.

For pheasant a good way of being sure of not ending up chewing on a tough bird for an evening is to pot roast it. This is my recipe:

Ingredients

1 whole pheasant
8 dried apricots
a large glass of red wine
a double measure of cooking brandy
6 smoked garlic cloves
salt and pepper
3 carrots
a large handful of oyster mushrooms
a bay leaf

In a large casserole dish place the pheasant (make sure all the bits of feather ends are removed).
Add the apricots, garlic cloves, red wine and brandy and bay leaf.
Season and place in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees C for an hour, basting half way through.
Add the carrots, cut into rough batons
cook for a further 15 minutes then add the oyster mushrooms, taking the opportunity to baste the bird again. Leave in the oven, uncovered, for a further 15 minutes.

Let the bird rest before serving, the left over cooking liquor makes a wonderful sauce straight from the pan.

Ostrich Steak with a Simple Paprika Sauce

Ostrich Steak

We have an ostrich farm close by to where we live and the meat is top draw.

Cut a couple of baking potatoes into wedges and bake at 200 degrees for 35-40 minutes

In the same oven dish add some chopped peppers for 20 minutes and some baby tomatoes for 10 minutes.

In a frying pan heat some olive oil and goats butter until close to smoking.

Add well seasoned ostrich fillet steak to the pan, three minutes each side. At the same time add a dozen chopped mushrooms to absorb the flavors from the pan.

Remove the ostrich to rest and add 200ml of creme fraische with a tablespoon of paprika and stir through.

Seafood Paella

Seafood Paella

A loin of cod (skinned)
12 king prawns (cooked)
4 baby octopus
6 asparagus spears
an onion
a clove of smoked garlic
safron (soaked in 200ml boiling water)
6 chestnut mushrooms
12 fresh basil leaves ripped
250ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper
paella rice
glass of white wine
ounce of goats butter

Chop and fry the onion in a big glug of olive oil until clear.

Add the paella rice and stir until the grains are starting to look clear.

Add the glass of white wine until absorbed by the rice

Then add the safron and its stock and the vegetable stock.

boil for 25 mins or until the rice is cooked

add the cod cut into chunks and the vegetables. After 2-3 minutes add the prawns and the squid cut into rings/tentacles (remember to remove the spine).

After 2-3 minutes stir in the butter and basil then serve.

Thai Tuna Stir Fry with Coconut Milk

Thai Tuna Stir Fry with Coconut Milk

1/2 an inch of fresh ginger
1/2 a star anis
1/4 tsp astofedia
2 birds eye chillies
1 clove of garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tin of light coconut milk
250g fresh beansprouts
2 bok choi
2 kafir lime leaves
6 shitake mushrooms
6 button mushrooms
chopped coriander
2 Fresh Tuna steaks
250g wild rice

Grind the ginger, star anis, half the chili, black pepper, astofedia and garlic in a mortar and pestle.

Add to a hot wok with a dash of groundnut oil heated until just short of smoking. Fry for a minute and the add the beansprouts.

Stir fry for 3 minutes and add the kafir lime leaves, add the two types of mushrooms (sliced). After a minute add the bok choi (chopped)and the rest of the chili.

Add the coconut milk and heat until boiling. Then add the tuna (cut into strips)for 3 minutes.

Add half the chopped coriander.

Serve on the wild rice and sprinkle with the rest of the corriander

Spicy Lentils

Heat a tablespoon of groundnut oil in a small skillet pan.

When hot add 3 crushed cardomon pods, sprinkle of fenugrek, sprinkle of coriander powder and some crushed chillies. After a minute or so add a chopped red onion and fry until soft.

Add a good portion of dried red lentils (I use the variety that do not require overnight soaking).

Stir the lentils into the onion and spice mix and start to add some stock. Keep adding the stock a little at a time (a bit like a risotto method) topping up when the lentils have absorbed the previous stock.

Towards the end throw in a few green beans.

Cod in Lemon and Garlic

In a dish layer slices of lemon and a sliced clove of garlic.

Place a fillet of cod on top and season the flesh of the cod with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the cod with a good glug of olive oil, sprinkle with some chopped parsley and then layer a sliced clove of garlic and some lemon slices.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.

Ideal served with french beans and boiled new potatoes.

Spicy Sicillian Sauasages

This is a good quick throw together dinner

Sausages have traveled a journey over the last few years with wider varieties being available in the supermarkets.

These sicillian sausages were made with lots of garlic and crushed chillies.

Cut the sausages into big bite size pieces and cook in a frying pan in olive oil and part way through cooking add a half dozen ripe baby tomatoes cut in half. Add a dash of balsamic vinegar and half a dozen pickled green chillies roughly chopped into 1 cm long bits.

Either serve with cous cous, bulgar wheat or wholemeal pasta (as we did)

Potato, Mushroom and Stilton Bake

Potato, Mushroom and Stilton Bake

We had some friends over for dinner and had some left over Stilton - this was a good quick rustle up dinner.

Chop a dozen mushrooms into halves and scatter in the bottom of a lasagna dish. Add 6 chopped spring onions and drop two teaspoons worth of dijon mustard around the dish.

break the stilton into small hazelnut size chunks and spread evenly around the dish.

Add a teaspoon of dried sage.

Layer the dish with sliced new potatoes that I boiled for 5 minutes and then spread some creme fraiche on top and season with black pepper.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 30 mins.

Rabbit Risotto

Rabbit Risotto

Last nights rabbit was stripped of any extra meat (particularly the fore legs) and then added to a litre of water and a couple of bay leaves and boiled to make some stock.

This was used as the stock for a risotto which was warmed to just short of boiling for the risotto making.

Fry a chopped red onion in olive oil until soft and add a crushed clove of garlic.

Fry a cup of arborio risotto rice for 3 minutes or until the rice starts to go see through. Add a glass of white wine and wait for it to be absorbed by the rice.

Add a small ladle of stock at a time replenishing when absorbed by the rice. Continue until the rice has become soft.

Add a chopped red pepper (helps with the colour) and half a dozen chopped mushrooms.

Stir through a tablespoon of grated parmesan and a knob of goats butter. Season to taste.

Roast Rabbit with Sausage Stuffing

Roast Rabbit with sausage stuffing

Take a fresh rabbit - we got ours at the local farmer's market and drizzle with olive oils and a crushed clove of garlic.

Make the stuffing using sausage meat. We just took some black pepper sausages (with a sprinkle of crushed chillies) and removed from their skins - about 3 was enough to amply fill the rabbit.

Wrap the stuffed rabbit with parma ham, drizzle with olive oil and season

Put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for an hour basting every 15 mins and turning over half way through.

I should have taken a photo of the rabbit before I took the meat off as it looked quite impressive, was just keen to devour it.

Using up the rest of the Vegetable Ragu

I used it to top some seasoned salmon and mixed with fresh parsley and a chopped clove of garlic. I baked in an oven for 20 mins - delish!

Vegetable Ragu Pasta

place in a roasting dish 9 cherry tomatoes, half a courgette, a sliced green pepper and a sliced yellow pepper, half a winter squash (chopped into chunks) and 6 mushrooms.

Coat in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 40 mins

Blitz with a hand blender until a pulp

Fold in a 250ml tub of creme fresh - this is the ragu

Boil some spaghetti, drain then mix in the vegetable ragu and heat through for 3 mins.

I served it with some boiled asparagus (entirely optional) and threw over a few ripped basil leaves

Vegetable Gratin with Asparagus

Thinly slice a sweet potato, 2 parsnips and half a winter squash

par-boil for 3 mins

layer in a baking dish

infuse milk and creme fresh with a clove of garlic (crushed)then pour over the vegetables.

bake for 50 mins at 180 degrees

layer whole asparagus spears and top with grated sheep's wensledale cheese (a hard, sharp sheep's cheese) and half a ball of mozzarella.

Bake for a further 10 mins (or until the cheese is properly melted and just starting to turn brown)

Chicken And Tomato Casserole

Chicken And Tomato Casserole


Boil 8 small potatoes in salted water, drain and bash with the back of a fork.

De-skin 12 cherry tomatoes by blanching in boiling water for 10 mins then plunging in cold water before peeling off the skin.

Skin and de-bone 6 chicken thighs and chop into large chunks (2 or three pieces per thigh. Season well with salt and pepper and in a casserole dish fry in olive oil for 5 minutes.

Mix all the ingredients together add 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, a good glug of olive oil, a big pinch of dried rosemary, 2 bay leaves & more salt and pepper.

Cook in a preheated oven (without a lid) for 25 minutes.

Turkey Burgers

Turkey Burgers

Season turkey mince, 1 tsp of oyster sauce, 1 tsp brown sauce and 3 tsp pasata, handful of chopped coriander and a finely diced red onion. Mix by hand and grill for 5-6 mins on each side. Serve with wholemeal rolls and diced tomatoes with ripped basil dressed in olive oil

Springbok and Sundried Tomato Tart

Springbok and Sundried Tomato Tart

Make some short crust pastry and shape into a deep flan case. Blind bake and let cool.

Fill the case with springbok sausage meat (previously sauted in a pan till cooked through), 4 tbs pasata, 6 sundried tomatoes in olive oil, 125g ball of mozarella torn into pieces and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 25 mins till cheese is melted through.

serve with salad

Crocodile steaks with sweet potato chips

The initial 6 weeks probation is over so I am switching to only things that we cook now .

Crocodile steaks with sweet potato chips

Cut 2 sweet potatoes into chunky chips coat in about 2 tbs of olive oil, drizzle with 2 tsp clear honey and sprinkle with salt. Scatter a few cloves of garlic (crushed with the heel of the hand) into the roasting tray and roast for 20 mins on a high heat.

Meanwhile season 2 crocodile steaks (from www.alternativemeats.com) and in a hot pan melt an ounce of goats butter until going nut brown - add a chopped red onion, fry until translucent. Fry the crocodile steak for 2 mins each side. Set the croc to one side to rest and add 2 tsp of rosemary and lime jelly and mix into the onion and remaining butter. Pour over the croc steak.

serve with steamed French beans.

Day 48 Saturday 6/10/07

Breakfast

Benecol probiotic drink
Slice of wholemeal bread

Daytime

Played full game of rugby against Vale of Lune drew 23-23
4 pints of beer (2 bitter, 2 lager)

Eve Meal

Andalaucian pork with bulgar wheat

Marinade seasoned pork in paprika, chopped garlic, dried oregano, thyme and sage and olive oil (marinade for a couple of hours)griddled in olive oil
Peppers sliced (red, green and yellow) roasted with basil garlic and Feta cheese for 40 mins
Served with salad and avocado dressed with a Dijon dressing.
Bulgar wheat soaked in boiling water for 20 mins with salt and olive oil fresh chopped coriander mixed in at the end.

½ bottle of French red (Cotes du Rhone) and ½ a bottle of French white (viognier)

Pros – vegies

Cons – no proper breakfast

Day 47 Friday 5/10/07

Breakfast

Shreddies with goats milk
Benecol probiotic
Cup of tea

Daytime

Cup of vending machine coffee
Mixed dried berries

Eve Meal

Seared scallops on watercress salad

Heat olive oil and butter in skillet
Sear seasoned scallops in pan add strips of serano ham
Serve on watercress (nice and peppery) with a pesto dressing (tsp of pesto, olive oil and white wine vinegar)

Roast monkfish in serano ham

Wrap seasoned monkfish tail (light on the salt because of the ham) in serano ham inside the wrap add a teaspoon of garlic jelly then sprinkle with smoked paprika. Roast in the oven for 30 mins

Serve with pan seared broccoli with capers

Baked figs with goats cheese with forest honey

Halve 2 figs put a teaspoon of soft goats cheese on top and bake for 10 mins. Drizzle forest honey on top when cooked

Pros – fish

Cons – goats cheese

Holiday Food

Day 38 Wednesday 26/09/07

On Holiday heading to Normandy

Breakfast

Bowl of Shreddies with semi skimmed goats milk
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink
Glass of pomegranate juice
cup of tea

Daytime

Cup of vending machine white coffee
Humus and falafel sandwich on wholemeal bread
Ham and goats cheese hot pita pocket

Eve Meal

Roast Chicken with baked potato, carrots and chard with gravy

1/3 a bottle of NZ White wine
cup of coffee

Pros – plenty of veg

Cons – ham and cheese in the pita pocket and the skin on the chicken

Day 39 Thursday 27/09/07

On Holiday in Normandy

Breakfast

Bowl of museli with semi skimmed milk
Slice of toast with jam
cup of tea

Daytime

Two ham and tomato wholemeal rolls
Pint of heineken

Eve Meal

Camembert and Normandy ham on toast with Dijon dressing dressed salad
Beef bourginon (2 pieces of shin beef slowly braised in a red wine sauce with 3 potatoes) – very simple but very lovely
Crem caramel

Red wine, a whisky
A coffee

Pros – breakfast

Cons – ham and cheese and beef for evening meal

Day 40 Friday 28/09/07


On Holiday in Normandy

Breakfast

One croissant
Slice of bread with jam
cup of coffee
glass of orange juice

Daytime

Goats cheese baguette and a glass of cider

Eve Meal

Sep ravioli in a creamy sauce
Rare steak with chips and salad
Choc moose
Red wine & a whisky
A coffee

Pros – not sure really

Cons – beef in the evening and croissant

Day 41 Saturday 29/09/07

On Holiday in Normandy

Breakfast

Slice of bread with jam
Natural yoghurt
cup of coffee
glass of orange juice

Daytime

Salmon salad
Lemon sorbet
orangina

Eve Meal

Trout in a crème fraiche and herb sauce
John Dory fillet in cider sauce with leeks and potatoe
Cheese course and lemon sorbet
Glass of pommeau, ½ a bottle of Sancere & a whisky
A coffee

Pros – fish

Cons – creamy sauces, cheese and butter in cooking

Day 42 Sunday 30/09/07


On Holiday in Normandy

Breakfast

Two mini pain au chocolat, 2 mini Danish pastries
Slice of bread with jam
Natural yoghurt
cup of coffee
glass of apple juice

Daytime

Ham and Goats cheese baguette
Banana
Bottle of lemonade

Eve Meal

Terine (mixed meat)
Steak (rare) with roast potatoes and Yorkshire pudding type bouls
Cheese course
Apple tarte with crème fraiche
Red wine, white wine & a whisky
A coffee

Pros – not sure really

Cons – beef in the evening and pastries

Day 43 Monday 1/10/07

On Holiday in Normandy

Breakfast

Slice of bread with jam
cup of coffee
glass of pear juice

Daytime

Flamenkuche (Alsatian thin based pizza type thing) with crème fraiche, emental, ham and mushroom topping
Nibble of Mel’s goat’s cheese salad
Pepsi

Eve Meal

Deep fried nibbles (a chicken wing, onion ring and a potato/cheese thing)
Bison steak with chips
Red wine
Armagnac and a coffee

Pros – Bison

Cons – chips, flamenkuche

Day 44 Tuesday 2/10/07

Travelling back from holiday

Breakfast

Full English (bacon, sausage, hash brown, beans, scrambled egg, grilled tomato)
Orange juice
Cup of coffee

Daytime

Pint of Heineken
Chicken salad sandwich
Chocolate chip baguette
Orange and mango smoothie

Eve Meal

Take away from the local curry house
Tandori chocken
Curry sauce
Naan bread
Pint of lager
½ a bottle of cotes du rhone
benecol pro biotic drink

Pros – none really

Cons – the lot!!

Day 45 Wednesday 3/10/07

Breakfast

yoghurt

Daytime

Cup of vending machine coffee

Eve Meal

Pan fried tuna with mango cous cous

Sauté onion, mushrooms and courgette in olive oil
Add tuna and sear making sure to leave the middle pink
Serve on cous cous – soak in boiling water and add 3 tsp of mango chutney
Serve with watercress

Pros – fish, veg, yoghurt

Cons – missed lunch

Day 46 Thursday 4/10/07

Breakfast

Shreddies with goats milk
Benecol probiotic
Cup of tea

Daytime

Cup of vending machine coffee
Pastrami and salad sandwich on wholemeal bread

Eve Meal

Chicken fusili with pesto and vegetables

Grill chicken breasts
Sauté mushrooms, tomatoe and courgette with a splash of Worcester sauce
Boil dried wholemeal fusili as per pack instructions
Chop chicken and mix with a few teaspoons of pesto, the veg and the pasta
Add black pepper and ripped basil leaves to serve

Pros – evening meal

Cons – pastrami at lunch

Day 37 Tuesday 25/09/07

Breakfast

Bowl of Special K with semi skimmed goats milk
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink
cup of tea

Daytime

Two cup of vending machine white coffee
Ham, sheep’s cheese and lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread with flora proactive spread and fig and chilli jam (from the farmer’s market)
Glass of pomegranate juice

Eve Meal

Roast Veg with pesto Pita Pockets

Chop one butternut squash, a white turnip, a red pepper, a green pepper, a red onion, 3 cloves of garlic and half an aubergine into rough size pieces (roots smaller than vine items) sprinkled with salt, pepper and dried oregano a glug of olive oil and a couple of bay leaves
Roast in the oven at 200 degrees C for 45 mins

To serve smear the inside of a pita pocket with Pesto and add a generous portion of the veg.

½ a bottle of crianza Spanish red wine

Pros – plenty of veg

Cons – ham and cheese in the sandwich but it was a lean piece of ham

Day 36 Monday 24/09/07

Breakfast

Bowl of shredded wheat with semi skimmed goats milk
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink
cup of tea

Daytime

One cup of vending machine white coffee
Ham and lettuce sandwich on wholemeal bread with flora proactive spread and fig and orange liquor preserve (from the farmer’s market)

Eve Meal

Oriental cottage pie (inspired but modified from Simon Rimmer on Something for the Weekend on BBC2 yesterday)

Topping – one sweet potatoe peeled, boiled and mashed with dash of goats milk, salt, pepper and a sprinkle of sesame seeds

Filling – fry off in olive oil one onion sliced, when browned add 6 button mushrooms (quartered), then after a couple of minutes add chopped water chestnuts (from a can) and 3 sliced carrots (in rings). Cook for a couple of minutes and add sauce as below

Sauce – olive oil in a sauce pan, add a chopped clove of garlic, 2 tsp ground ginger and a tsp of crushed chillies. Add 50ml dry sherry, 75ml red wine, 30ml soy sauce & 10 ml oyster sauce then 150ml veg stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins

Add sauce to filling and transfer to oven proof dish then spread topping on and crisp under the grill

Serve with pickled red cabbage (more Lancashire than Beijing – but what the hec)

2 glasses of sherry and 2 glasses of red wine

Pros – plenty of veg

Cons – ham in the sandwich but it was a lean piece

Day 35 Sunday 23/09/07

Last Night

Had a half bottle of Italian merlot (won at the pub quiz) it needed food to make it palatable so had some sheep's cheese on 3 oatcakes.

Then got peckish so had a ham and salad sandwich (was a bit naughty and had mayonaise on it)

Breakfast

Apple, mango and passion fruit smoothie
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

Went to the SO Noodle Bar
Had Aubergine Tempura with seaweed
Then had shredded chicken noodles
Washed it down with a bottle of Japanese lager

Eve Meal

Taiwanese Aubergine

Fry a chopped onion in groundnut oil with a centimetre of fresh ginger and a star anise, half way through add a pinch of sugar.
Chop half an aubergine into chip size bits and add to the onion after they have softened
When the aubergine has browned add 3 tbs of soy sauce then 3 tbs of rice wine vinegar then 150ml of water
Leave to simmer for 10 mins then add a tablespoon of oyster sauce and a teaspoon of cornflower mixed into some cold water. Mix through and cook for a further 3 mins.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve


Pros – lots of aubergine

Cons – noodles will have been fried as was the tempura aubergine

Day 34 Saturday 22/09/07

Breakfast

Poached egg on seeded toast (2 slices) with Flora Pro Active spread
Slice of seeded bread toasted with flora pro active and marmite
Apple, mango and passion fruit smoothie

Daytime

2 Nectarines

Eve Meal

Kangaroo Steak

Mel has been on the net for cholesterol friendly foods and put an order in with www.alternativemeats.co.uk so over the coming days we will have Kudu, Crocodile, springbok sausages and wild boar. Tonight we had kangaroo rump steak with veg

In olive oil fry off 3 cloves of garlic roughly chopped, after 30 secs when the oil has taken the flavour add the kangaroo rump steaks (seasoned with salt and pepper) and fry on each side for 6 minuted.

Meanwhile boil new potatoes and with 5 mins to serving add baby sweetcorn

Remove the steak from the pan and let rest for a minute or so, in the same pan used for the meat add a dribble of red wine to deglaze and add spinach, till wilted.

Serve

A glass of rioja and ½ a bottle of Aussie Shiraz Cab Sav

Played a full game of rugby (my brother in law scored twice)

Pros – played rugby and kangaroo is low in cholesterol but does not fail to achieve my manly desire for steak

Cons – only fruit at lunch

Day 33 Friday 21/09/07

Breakfast

Bowl of shreddies
Apple, mango and passion fruit smoothie
Cup of tea

Daytime

Nectarine
Cup of vending machine coffee

Eve Meal

Fillet of Plaice with a spiced Peanut crust

For the spiced peanut crust fry a chopped clove of garlic and a pinch of curry leaves in olive oil. Add pinch of cumin seeds and some crushed chillies then add a handful of salted peanuts (leftover from my flight to Munich this week). Blend the fried off spices and peanuts in a food processor with a tablespoon of houmus and a teaspoon of cumin powder and a teaspoon of tumeric, add olive oil to make consistency become creamy.

Grill the plaice (seasoned with salt and pepper) then smear the peanut paste over the fish and grill till crisped
Serve with salad (lettuce and tomatoes) dressed in a balsamic and honey dressing

1 pint of lager
½ a bottle of Rioja

Pros – fish in the evening

Cons – only fruit at lunch

Day 32 Thursday 20/09/07

Breakfast

2 slices of seeded toast with honey
Apple, mango and passion fruit smoothie

Daytime

1 cup of vending machine coffee
handful of Haribro sweets

Eve Meal

Went to the pub and had fish pie – was a mix of salmon, cod and prawns with potatoes but had a cheese sauce over it. It came with a small portion of veg (broccoli, carrot and green beans)
One pint of bitter and a J2O

Pros – veg and fish in the evening

Cons – lack of lunch and cheese sauce

Day 31 Wednesday 19/09/07

Breakfast

2 slices of seeded toast with honey
mandarin, orange and raspberry smoothie

Daytime

Beetroot soup (from Saturday)
2 cups of coffee

Eve Meal

Swordfish and lemon pepper fishcakes with tapenous stuffed tomatoes

Swordfish and lemon pepper fishcakes from the farmer’s market baked in the oven served with asparagus, baby corn and green beans
Tapenous made from kalamata olives blended with houmous used to fill whole tomatoes scooped out of the seeds and baked in the oven for 25 mins.

½ a bottle of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

Pros – veg and fish in the evening

Cons – none

Day 30 Tuesday 18/09/07

Breakfast

Smoked salmon and gravalax with a slice of brown seeded continental bread
An orange and raspberry smoothie
A strawberry and cherry smoothie

Cup of coffee

Daytime

lunch
Veal with spetzle and broccoli
Glass of guava juice
2 cups of coffee

On Flight
Beef and salad sesame bagel
Slice of apricot tart
Grapes
2 Cups of tea

Eve Meal

Beetroot and Lamb Risotto

Sautee an onion
Add risotto rice
Add stock slowly (beetroot soup (from Saturday) watered down – ¼ soup to ¾ vegetable stock)
Add 6 mushrooms (quartered)
Add lamb (from Sunday)
Add chopped asparagus
Warm through and serve

Pros – breakfast

Cons – too much red meat

Day 29 Monday 17/09/07

Breakfast

Two slices of seaded bread toast with honey
A mandarin, orange and raspberry smoothie

Cup of tea

Daytime

Beef curry with white rice, Bombay potatoes and an onion bhaji (at a conference today)


Eve Meal

Steak with potatoes, green beans and gravy (on the aeroplane to Germany)

A gin and tonic and a glass of red wine
3 beers

Pros – breakfast

Cons – too much red meat

Day 28 Sunday 16/09/07

Breakfast

A mandarin, orange and raspberry smoothie

Daytime

Went to Pizza Express and had ½ a chicken pizza and a glass of Pinot Grigio


Eve Meal

Roast shoulder of lamb

½ Shoulder of lamb studded with garlic and lemongrass, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, roasted for 1 ½ hrs wrapped in foil with foil removed for the last ½ hr.
Served with boiled potatoes, green beans, carrots and lemon chard
On the side a teaspoon of rosemary and lime jelly

½ a bottle of chianti red wine

Pros – loads of veg

Cons – pizza and roast lamb

Day 27 Saturday 15/09/07

Breakfast

A mandarin, orange and raspberry smoothie

Daytime


Went to the farmer’s market that is held at our local church every couple of months. Great selection of vegetables and some nice local lamb plus some fish.

Home made borsch (beetroot soup)

Bunch of beetroot with tops of leaves removed, cut in half
Put in a big casserole and a cup of water added
Add a couple of bay leaves, shake of paprika, salt and pepper
Boil for 15 minutes to get the flavours going.
Add a litre of water and boil for another 15 mins.
Add a small sprig of fennel top roughly chopped (adds a nice aniseed tinge)
Blitz with a hand blender and serve with a few sprigs of fennel top – if I had some crème fresh I’d add a dollop of that but it doesn’t feature in the list of good things to have.

Played a full game of rugby (a 0-0 draw – better than England at least)


Eve Meal

Grilled red mullet with vegetables form the farmer’s market


Sprinkle the mullet with lemon and sea salt and grill for 5 mins each side
Served with boiled new potatoes, lemon chard, green beans and some daikon radish marinated in white wine vinegar

A bottle of Rioja red wine

Pros – loads of veg and fish, homemade soup

Cons – breakfast (or lack of it)

Day 26 Friday 14/09/07

Last night

3 bottles of Nastro Azzuro
3 chocolates (orange cream ones)

Breakfast

1 x banana
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

A chicken and cucumber sandwich on wholemeal bread

a banana

1 cup of vending machine white coffee

Eve Meal

Chicken Pita Pockets with home made salsa


Breast of chicken dusted with lemon pepper, grilled and cut into chunks
Salad made of grated daikon radish (this is an Japanese vegetable that looks like a big white carrot), tomato slices, pickled green chillies, red onion & cucumber.

Salsa made from finely diced tomatoes, half a red onion finely diced a shake of dried oregano, some chopped coriander leaf, a tablespoon of Watties Tomato relish (like a burger relish – adds a little sweet tang) and a half teaspoon of Carribean hot pepper sauce. Variations on this are using fresh chillies and dropping the relish – this makes it less sticky so its prone to fall off your pita bread!

Afterwards had a few dips into some shop bought low fat hummus (I prefer my homemade variety) and some (about 10) Pringles Rice Infusions

A bottle of Italian white wine

Pros – loads of veg with the pitas

Cons – Had 4 pitas and it was white rather than wholemeal bread (all that was in stock when I went to the shop)

Day 25 Thursday 13/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of mango and orange smoothie
1 x bowl of special K (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

cup of tea

Daytime

A beef and sweetcorn sandwich on wholemeal bread
A chicken and sweetcorn sandwich on wholemeal bread

2 bananas

1 cup of vending machine white coffee

Eve Meal

Stir Fried Beef and vegetables


Lean trimmed rib eye steak cut into strips, fried in groundnut oil, removed from pan and drained of oil
Garlic, red onion, mushrooms, green pepper, fresh lemon grass, carrot, courgette stir fried with a dash of fish sauce and soy sauce added towards the end.
Add the sealed beef and stir in a pak choi and some black pepper
Serve

Pros – healthy start

Cons – red meat

Day 24 Wednesday 12/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of mango and orange smoothie
1 x bowl of shreddies with a pear (semi skimmed goats milk)

cup of tea

Daytime

A beef and cucumber sandwich on wholemeal bread
1 banana

1 cup of vending machine white coffee

Eve Meal

Devilled Lamb’s kidneys

Rather than dust the kidneys with flower use cumin powder and a few shakes of chilli flakes
Sauté in a half teaspoon of olive oil
Served with a corn on the cob, green beans, sautéed mushrooms and aubergine

Went for a run this evening with Mel

Pros – healthy start

Cons – lambs kidney

Day 23 Tuesday 11/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of strawberry and banana smoothie
1 x bowl of Special K with a pear (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

cup of tea

Daytime

Some leftover pasta with tomato, broccoli and courgette from the freezer

1 cup of vending machine white coffee

Eve Meal

Leek, mushroom and muscle quiche with salad (leftover from last night)

Served with a watercress and spinach salad with tomato and cucumber dressed with a balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey dressing


Pros – healthy start

Cons – pastry (but used goat’s butter not cow’s butter)

Day 22 Monday 10/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of strawberry and banana smoothie
1 x bowl of shredded wheat with a plum (semi skimmed goats milk)
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

Beef sandwich on wholemeal bread
¾ a prawn mayo sandwich
can of coke zero
can of lilt
dried sharan fruit

1 cup of vending machine white coffee

Eve Meal

Leek, mushroom and muscle quiche with salad
Pastry made with 200g plain flower, 100g goats butter and a splash of water mixed together and left to rest in the fridge
Blind baked for 20 mins and left to rest
Filling – sauted leeks and mushrooms (about 10 mins on a low heat in olive oil), can of Spanish muscles in tomato sauce for the last 30 secs.
3 eggs and 200ml of semi skimmed goats milk (whisked), sprinkle of dried sage
All added to the pastry case and baked in a pre heated oven for 30 mins(ish)

Served with a watercress and spinach salad with tomato and cucumber dressed with a balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey dressing


Pros – healthy start

Cons – prawns at the buffet lunch, pastry (but used goat’s butter not cow’s butter)

Day 21 Sunday 9/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of strawberry and banana smoothie
1 x bowl of special K
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime


Goats cheese salad
Watercress and spinach leaves, tomato, ½ a goats cheese log sliced
Dressed with a garlic olive oil, wholegrain mustard and cider vinegar vinaigrette

1 skinny latte at Costa coffee


Eve Meal

Went for a BBQ at some friend’s – pigged out a bit but it was all healthy stuff (1 ½ venison sausages, jalapeño burger in a white roll, a mackerel, chicken kebabs (3) with chicken breast, onion, peppers and courgette plus 2 chicken kebabs (skewered on a lemongrass with aubergine, courgette and yellow pepper lightly dusted in Thai 7 spice).
Tomato, mozzarella and basil salad (was low fat mozzarella)
Salad leaves dressed with balsamic vinegar

2 glasses of rose (Aussie Shiraz)
3 glasses of white wine (Italian Pinot Grigio)
1 glass of red (Spanish Rioja)

Pros – lunch was healthy

Cons – loads at the BBQ

Day 20 Saturday 8/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of strawberry and banana smoothie
a plum
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

3 slices of wholemeal toast
bowl of red pepper soup
bottle of lucozade
2 pints of guiness (watching the rugby international)

Eve Meal


Leeks and courgette sautéed in olive oil then ½ a glass of white wine added Cornish
lemon sole added to the pan with an extra ½ glass of white wine
Sweet potato chips roasted in olive oil with whole cloves of garlic (1/2 a bulb’s worth)

Later home made guacamole (3 ripe avocadoes, ½ a lemon juiced, olive oil all mashed together), with 3 slices of wholemeal toast then a goats cheese

½ a bottle of white wine (Aussie colombard)
1 bottle of French red (Corbiers)

Played rugby – probably was on for 70 mins we narrowly lost 8-5

Pros – fish

Cons – wine, goats cheese

Day 19 Friday 7/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of apple, kiwi and lime smothie.

Daytime

one cup of vending machine white coffee
a yorkie bar for lunch (was rushing to make golf in time)
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink


Eve Meal

Went to Salvatore’s for a celebratory meal because I had finished my MBA dissertation
Had chicken livers fried in onions as a starter
For mains I had a swordfish steak with carrots, broccoli and roasted potatoes. Veggies were coated in butter (should have anticipated that and asked for them not to be)

1 bottle of Itallian white (½ a bottle of Sicilian and ½ a bottle of Sardinian which Mel wasn’t so keen on so I probably had nearer 2/3 a bottle)
2 brandies later on and an espresso
Then a smoothie (kiwi, apple and lime) when I got home

Played a full round of Golf at Duxbury Park which is a fairly hilly course (had a pretty variable game)

Pros – stayed off the creamy pasta sauces

Cons – chocolate bar for lunch wasn’t too great and a bit to drink in the evening which was fair enough seeing as it was a celebratory meal.

Day 18 Thursday 6/09/07

Last night

½ a bottle of white wine – a bit naughty on a school night but such is life
a plum

Breakfast

1 x glass of apple, kiwi and lime smothie.
2 bowls of shredded wheat (thought Mel hadn’t made any for me so doubled up and she wouldn’t have one.
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

cup of coffee

Daytime

Two cups of vending machine white coffee

1 tuna mayo, cucumber and lettuce sandwich
½ prawn mayo sandwich
½ chicken mayo sandwich
all on wholemeal bread at a buffet lunch at work

Eve Meal


Devilled prawn, mushroom and tomato pasta
½ an onion fried off in olive oil
6 mushrooms sliced and fried off
2 tbs tomato puree fried off
add water to make a rich and thick paste (just a 100ml or so)
throw in some pre cooked prawns just before serving on wholemeal pasta

3 bottles of Nastro Azzuro

went to rugby training

Pros – lots of fibre (2 x shredded wheat portions and wholemeal pasta

Cons – buffet lunch but I resisted the cakes and crisps (again)

Day 17 Wednesday 5/09/07

Breakfast

1 x glass of apple, kiwi and lime smothie.
a smoked kipper (grilled) and 2 slices of wholemeal toast with dairy free omega 3 rich spread.
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

cup of tea

Daytime

Two cups of vending machine white coffee
Cup of vending machine vegetable soup

¾ tuna mayo, cucumber and lettuce sandwich
½ prawn mayo sandwich
¼ chicken mayo sandwich
all on wholemeal bread at a buffet lunch at work

Eve Meal

Salad made of 3 tomatoes, handful of green beans, basil leaves, olives, red onion, anchovies, capers, boiled egg dressed in vinaigrette made of the olive oil in the anchovies tin, white wine vinegar (ration 3:1) and Dijon mustard.

½ a bottle of French white (Chardonnay)

went for a run with Mel, beat previous time by a minute!

Pros – salad in evening

Cons – buffet lunch but I resisted the cakes and crisps

Day 16 Tuesday 4/09/07

Breakfast


1 x pomegranate, raspberry and cranberry smoothie
a smoked kipper (grilled) and 2 slices of wholemeal toast with dairy free omega 3 rich spread.

cup of tea

Daytime

Two cups of vending machine white coffee

Ham sandwich on wholemeal bread
Dried cranberries

1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Eve Meal


Griled Lamb fillet with grilled tomato, boiled green beans, new potatoes and carrots
Redcurrant jelly on the side – nice and simple but very tasty

½ a bottle of Aussie red (Shiraz/Cabernet Sauvignon)

a plum

Pros – veggies and fish

Cons – red meat but the fat was trimmed off it

Day 15 Monday 3/09/07

Last night

Snacked on dried fruit (mixed berry variety)

Breakfast

1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink
1 x pomegranate, raspberry and cranberry smoothie
½ a pink grapefruit

cup of tea

Daytime

One cup vending machine white coffee

Dried cranberries

Eve Meal


Curried Aduki Beans with home made paneer

Paneer made by boiling a litre of goats milk
Curdled with lemon juice (1 ½ tsp)
Drained through muslin
Under the weight of a pan full of water for 45 mins
Kept in the fridge in water overnight

Aduki beans boiled for 50 mins

Curry
Fry off a tsp of mustard seeds (black and white), cinnamon (1/2 a stick), handful of curry leaves, tsp of fenugreek seeds, 2 cardamom pods, 3 cloves, ½ a chilli (de-seeded) and a clove of garlic sliced (remove from pan and put in a hand blender – with 2 tbs of goats yoghurt blend till fine.

Fry off a red pepper and a courgette ½ a chillie and a clove of garlic (chopped)

Add the spiced yoghurt mix and cook for 5 minutes

Add a tsp of turmeric and a tsp of garam masala, stir through then add another 3 tbs of yoghurt, mix in the aduki beans

Pros – loads of fruit & aduki beans

Cons – yoghurt and frying for dinner

Day 14 Sunday 2/09/07

Last night

1 x pomegranate, raspberry and cranberry smoothie
½ bottles of Valdepenas (Spanish white, quite smokey so had a some olives which made it better)

Breakfast

1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

One cup of tea


Tea smoked salmon
Fillet of salmon skinned and pin boned, seasoned with salt
Smoked over assam tea in a steamer (place tea on a piece of foil in a steamer pan and put the salmon on the steamer level – turn up the heat and let the smoke infuse into the fish). A better method would be to mix the tea with sugar and rice mine was a bit too overpoweringly smokey.
Served with an avocado, tomato and dill salad dressed in lemon juice and olive oil.

1 bottle corona whilst watching the football

Eve Meal

Chilli leftovers from day 4 from the freezer
Served with basmati rice and green beans – I had a couple of pickled chillies as well

½ a bottle of Chilean cabernet sauvignon

Pros – lunch was light and healthy

Cons – Red meat for evening meal and didn’t have a proper breakfast

Day 13 Saturday 1/09/07

Breakfast

1 x bowl of special K with a banana in it (used flora cholesterol lowering milk)
1 x Benecol probiotic cholesterol lowering drink

Daytime

One cup of tea

1 x pomegranate, raspberry and cranberry smoothie
1 x bowl of tomato and basil soup
3 x slices of wholemeal toast with dairy free spread on

1 bottle of lucozade
Played rugby – a full 80 minutes (scored a try and we won 50-0)
Can of Kronenburg after

Eve Meal

Desi Murgh curry (but with turkey steak)
Fry off some onions in sunflower oil
Take them out
Fry off garlic and ginger paste
Add 4 tomatoes (diced)
Add 50g yoghurt (I used goats yoghurt)
Mix in chilli powder, coriander powder, a bay leaf, cardomen pods (cracked), turmeric and cloves
Stir all together to make a paste, add the onions (having blended them down first)
Add turkey (cubed)
Add water
Cook through.

Not a traditional twist but I added red lentils (boiled first)

½ a bottle of Spanish white (sauvignon, verdejo)
½ a bottle of Chilean Sauv Blanc

Pros – lunch was light and healty

Cons – Curry required a bit of frying off (I used sunflower oil – 1 ½ tbs)

Day 12 Friday 31/08/07

Last night

3 Bottle of Nastro Azzuro at the pub quiz

Breakfast

1 x banana
25g dried cherries
cup of tea

Daytime

One cup of vending machine white coffee

1 x ham, salami and lettuce/tomato sandwich on wholemeal bread
1 x bottle of carrot and orange juice

Eve Meal
Gridled tuna steak, marinated in lemon juice served with brown rice, griddled panned mushrooms with an avacodoe, tomato, lettuce and onion salad dressed with a home made vinaigrette.

bottle of macabeo chardonnay (spanish) white and 1/2 a bottle of verdelho (Aus)

Pros – tuna, brown rice

Cons – salami – but that’s the last of it!