On gifts and things

The Tallest and I have sent out the invitations and keep getting asked "so what do we give you as a gift?". To be honest, we don't need anything, money is helpful but not necessary, we've lived together for over 5 and a half years, so have most of the things we need, though a heavy duty broom for the patio and some gardening equipment will be much appreciated by me (really need to start my herb and veg garden).

But if I were one of those freak brides who through a tantrum because they want some overpriced piece of gadgetry, any of the following will be much appreciated by me (I'm kidding of course, I'll get them for myself eventually):

So what do you eat?

I get this question a lot, I mean at least once a day. It doesn't take long to work out that my eating habits aren't the norm. My work colleagues, bless them, know and understand why I have a "second lunch" at 3pm.

Since November last year I was determined to get healthy and feel better about myself, especially with the impending nuptials in a few months time. So, I started going to the gym. This soon led to analysing and completely redesigning my diet. I stopped having sugar in my tea and coffee, eventually I'd cut coffee out almost completely and only have one or two cups of black tea a day. I started eating 5 - 6 meals a day to give my metabolism a boost and keep my blood sugars regular. I eat more raw fruit, veg and wholegrains than I ever did (for me this was one of the bigger achievements, since I never touched fruit as a kid and salad? FORGET IT!).

To support my body, since the gym sessions turned into 3, then 4 and before I knew it I was going 5 - 6 days a week, I do take supplements and protein in the form of either shakes or bars (but strictly only after workouts) to help repair and maintain the muscle. My calorie intake is quite low compared to average (but quite normal and safe for someone of my height), so I have to be very, very careful with food choices.

So here's the breakdown of an average day:

Meal One: Usually porridge made with water, with fresh fruit, some nuts and a little honey. Though I have experimented and made rice porridges, semolina and polenta for breakfast. If I do have toast, it'll be a seeded wholegrain bread topped with things like ricotta and peaches.

WORK OUT

Meal Two: A protein bar or protein shake, and I'll eat some fruit with a cup of tea when I get to the office.

Meal Three: Lunch will always have a complex carb added to it to keep me going the rest of the day, for example, yesterdays lunch was sushi and rice, today it's wholemeal pitta, ham, tomatoes and goats cheese, tomorrow is bulgar wheat with ricotta, chicken and broadbeans.

Meal Four: Usually steamed veg or a salad with some chicken, or I'll have fruit and a raw chocolate bar (such as the Nakd bars) as a treat, though I usually have yoghurt and some carrot sticks with low fat hummus. Depends my mood.

Meal Five: Something snacky like a handful of blueberries, a few nuts or some crudites.

Meal Six: I avoid complex carbs in the evening since my body does not need the energy before I go to bed, so to wind down I'll have a herbal tea (fresh mint or chamomile) and dinner will consist of veg and meat in some form (more often lately I omit the meat, but The Tallest will grump about it). E.g. an vegetable and fish curry (made with a little oil and tomato based), or a clear broth with loads of veg and free range chicken, or the summer favourite, griddled lamb steaks with harissa rub, courgettes, peppers and aubergine.

I've found eating this way had helped a lot, I don't have sugar crashes any more, I wake up feeling much better without any bloating from cutting out complex carbs in the evening, my complexion has improved. I'm slowly moving towards cooking methods that are as quick as possible, especially when it comes to vegetables to make sure as little of the nutrients as possible are damaged.

Mind you, I still will make a roast from time to time, and stews are fantastic, as they're usually packed full of veg (great way for sneaking in vegetables for kids to eat since they won't see them as easily). Though I've laid off the cakes and biscuits almost entirely but will very occasionally make low-far bran muffins (fantastic for breakfast too, with a bit of ham and soft white cheese, yum).

And with that, I'm off to the gym.

More food discoveries

Found a New Favourite Food™ at the supermarket the other day. With my determination to eat a better diet, I'm always on the lookout for foods to snack on which are a bit better for me than the average chocolate bar. Enter raw fruit, nut and cocoa bars in the form of Nakd Cocoa Loco:


Seriously addictive, I had two bars yesterday and another today, at about 100cal a bar, it's a lot better for you than the average chocolate bar and you get one of your 5 a day too (really, you should be eating a lot more than this, but that's another rant). They have other flavours too including Apple Pie, Berry Cheeky and Banana Bread (sadly I can't have this one because I'm allergic to banana), but will definitely be up for trying the others – possibly even work out how to make my own, since the ingredients are all easily sourced. For now, I'm quite happy scoffing on a Cocoa Loco bar with my cup of coffee for morning tea.

On things grown locally

I, and I assume, like a lot of my fellow foodies try and buy produce locally, rather than the sort that is shipped in from other countries (obviously with exceptions where some fruits and vegetables just can't be grown in the British climate).

Since I moved to the UK five and a half years ago, I've made a lot of firsts when it comes to eating food in season. It DOES taste better, lasts longer and without the overwhelming guilt of air miles. I remember the first time my future-mother-in-law cooked me asparagus, it was the beginning of the very short season and she simply steamed it and served it with salt, pepper and butter. It was heaven.

Jersey Royal potatoes are another and I make a point of buying a couple of bags every year, savoy cabbage too...the list goes on.

Today brings me to my newest discovery, while feeling a little peckish, I was about to pick up my usual tub of blueberries (sadly grown in Turkey) when I glanced up and saw these strange extra large blackberries grown in Kent. I've never been a major fan of blackberries because of the tartness, but thought I'd give these a go. My lord, they were delicious, the right amount of sweetness and tartness and with a size that makes it feel like a proper snack food – I scoffed the lot.



A little research (I read the label) led me to discover they were Karaka Blacks, originally from New Zealand, but grown in the UK and are the sweetest variety. They look like mini corn cobs to me, but definitely a new favourite. I bought them in Waitrose, but I'm sure they'll be available elsewhere.

Savoury porridge

With this whole new (ok, the last 5 months) fitness regime I must admit I've become a porridge addict. I actually go to bed looking forward more to breakfast than coming home from work to prepare an evening meal. So this has lead me to some experimentation and a bit of inspiration from some medieval recipes.

I've had almost every combination of sweet porridge imaginable, with ricotta, pistachios and honey, with almonds and sour cherries, with plain old honey or a few blueberries. Even getting my flavourist future mother-out-law to make up batches of essences and flavours for me so I can have perceived sweetness/alcohol flavours without the sugar or the alcohol (she's made me a cracking rose water and almond flavour - my current favourite, creme bruleé is next).

This soon led me on to researching porridge in other countries, like the awesome savoury rice porridge from Korea and other East Asian countries, polenta with syrup and nuts from Italy and semolina, thanks to my mum reminding me I used to scoff it when I was a kid.

So this morning I tried my hand at savoury porridge (I did have one failed experiment a year ago by mixing cheddar into a milk-based porridge - it was gross), inspired by a few medieval cooking books I came across recently. This time, it turned out fantastically and made me feel fuller despite the same calorie amount as the sweet porridges I'd normally make.

Ingredients:

35g Scottish oats
200ml water
5 slice of ham (I used pork loin since it's lower in fat and not boosted so much with water)
10g shaved parmesan cheese
pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
A few raisins (optional)

Method

In a small saucepan, combine the oats and water, bring to boil and allow to simmer.

Tear the ham into chunks and add to the porridge and stir in the olive oil and pepper.
Stir in the cheese and if using (I find the sweet and salty combo is perfect with the pork loin ham), the raisins.

Once porridge is cooked through, serve.

You could probably throw in a few fresh herbs in too like a little sage or parsley. Totally up to you.

Cake Trolley

At my work we have a cake trolley every Thursday, I volunteered to do it yesterday and as a treat, rather than shop bought stuff I made my own:


You'll recognise a couple of the pastries, the cake is a recipe based on my mum's cherry and almond sponge cake, though I added orange blossom water and pistachios on top. Will make it again soon and write the recipe up for you guys.

Pie Week

Was approached by Lurpak again for a recipe, this time to celebrate British Pie Week (1-7 March). I've sent them my mum's recipe for a tradition Maltese pie called an qassatat (the Q is silent, pronounced AHS-SAH-TAHT), it's kinda cross between a pastry and an open pie - basically street food in Malta. The easiest filling to do is ricotta the other is a beef and peas mixture (Mum's version included curry powder so it tastes a little like a samosa), there's also another traditional filling of spinach and anchovies - but I've never had a taste for hairy fish.

For the short crust pastry (or you can buy it ready made):

Ingredients:
1 lb plain flour
8 oz unsalted butter
2 eggs
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
Cold water if needed

Method:
Cream the butter, eggs, pepper and salt together, gradually add the flour, working it in until it turns into a dough, if the dough is too dry, add a little water, about a tablespoon at a time. Roll into a ball, cover in a damp tea towel and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

For the ricotta filling:
1 lb ricotta
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp salt
a cup of finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Optional: fresh broad beans, but make sure to peel off the outer skins)
Optional: a couple of heaped tablespoons of parmesan cheese.

For the glaze:
A beaten egg mixed with a couple of tablespoons of milk


Method:
Mix the ricotta in with the parsley, salt and if adding it, broad beans and/or parmesan cheese. Gradually add the beaten eggs so the mixture is still firm, but not runny.

To make the pies:
Take a small ball of dough and roll it out so it's about 12cm in diameter and about 3mm thick - use a saucer as a cutting guide.

Drop a heaped tablespoon of filling into the centre and wet the edges of the pastry with a little water.

Gather the edges of the filling and pleat it around the filling by pinching the edge around it, but not seal the top so the filling still shows. (this takes a little practice, it should look a little like a deflated balloon, here's a picture I ganked off another site: http://emod-content.crmondemand.com/2e0bae65-1670-42cb-a792-bbf6b6ff879b/images/Qassatat.JPG).

Glaze the pastry with egg yolk and milk.

Place on a greased baking sheet and back in the oven for 30mins at 200 deg, then turn it down to 180 deg, continue baking until they're a golden brown.