Home Alone Cooking: Gok’s Broccoli Sesame Soup

Posted on September 25, 2016 by lindaharley

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I was poaching an egg for my breakfast – it sat atop a bundle of asparagus, steamed in the microwave, wrapped in a slice of smoked salmon.  You don’t need a recipe for something so quick and simple, but it was very very good, and would work on a low cal day too.

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Anyhoo, I decided to poach an additional egg for use later.

Gok’s soup had as its main ingredients broccoli, split into stalks and tops,  and spring onions.  The stalks and spronions were sauteed in a little coconut oil, and then the tops were added, along with a cup of chicken stock, and a half cup of cooked rice (I use some from a pack of microwave rice, lime and coriander flavour). The recipe called for fresh ginger, but I didn’t have any so I added a few slivers from my sushi ginger jar.

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Simmer everything together for about 15 minutes, until soft.  Blend with a dash of sesame oil and soy sauce in my trusty stick blender. (I’ve been using this every day for the past while – I don’t even put it away any more!)

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Presentation is important for this one – put the egg in a bowl, and carefully pour the soup around it.  Drizzle with some sesame oil, sprinkle some sesame seeds, and a few dots of chopped chilli (I get mine from a jar).

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It looked really pretty!

If I was doing it again, I would do the egg fresh, so that it was warmer, and runny.  But the combination of smooth green soup, the soft egg, the crunch of seeds and a kiss of chilli was a winner.

 

 

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Home Alone Cooking: Best Sweet Potato

Posted on September 24, 2016 by lindaharley

After an all day dance course, I was pretty hungry this evening, and ready for a satisfying dinner.  So I decide to try what Ella called her “best baked sweet potato recipe”.

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The baked sweet potato bit was easy – the recipe suggested baking in the oven for an hour, I used the microwave option in 10 minutes.

The main filling was half a can of black beans, drained and rinsed, with some sliced mushrooms, and a whole 3 cloves of garlic! Other seasonings were a teaspoon each of chilli flakes and ground coriander.

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The dressing was made from tahini, honey, olive oil, and the juice of one lime.

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And I got to use my lickle whisk!

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The potato was split open, and half an avocado spooned into it.

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Topped with the bean and mushroom, and then drizzled with the dressing. Colour wise it was a bit brown.

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Was it the best baked sweet potato ever?  Well, I licked the plate clean….

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Home Alone Cooking: Pad Thai

Posted on September 24, 2016 by lindaharley

img_0544Ella’s recipes are pretty versatile, and it’s easy to swap in ingredients that you have to hand.  In my case, a leek, some button mushrooms, and a few radishes.img_0545

I sliced these finely, and sauteed them with some bell pepper in a little coconut oil.  Look at those vivid colours!

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I soaked some fine rice noodles in boiling water, and then stirred them into the veg.

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The sauce was delicious, and I’ll be making it again:

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For 2 portions

  • 8 tablespoons olive oil
  • 15g fresh coriander
  • 3 tablespoons almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon tamari
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 3 crushed garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Blend everything together in a food processor.

Stir the sauce through the noodles and veg.

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Not for a low-calorie day, but a very quick and easy satisfying dinner.

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Home Alone Cooking: The Shappin!

Posted on September 22, 2016 by lindaharley

Well, I have another week ahead of me catering for myself, so as usual I will be experimenting with some veggie/ vegan/ healthy/ low cal recipes.

To clarify, I’m not exclusively veggie or vegan, but I do like to experiment with dishes that are.  Lots of my friends and relatives follow this way of eating, and I like to have a range of dishes in my repertoire.

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Low cal wise, I  try to follow a 5:2 approach, though admittedly I’m not the best adherent.  But a tasty low-cal recipe is another handy addition to the recipe bank.

I’ve found that wheat and/or gluten does mess a bit with my digestion.  I’m not celiac, but I find my body does better when I limit wheat and carbohydrates.  As a runner and dancer, that’s quite important, as fuelling for intensive exercise sessions is crucial!

So my first step was to stock up with suitable ingredients.  Working full-time, I find that the click-and-collect option provided by supermarkets is a godsend, and Tesco do a collection spot right across the road from my house.  I was able to place my order while having my morning cuppa on Wednesday, and pick it up on the way home form work on Thursday.  No waiting, no hours and petrol spent going to the supermarket, and a very friendly bit of chit-chat with the delivery guy. Marvellous!

Now, Tesco didn’t have all the fancy ingredients I wanted, so I supplemented that with a call into Holland and Barratt, and the Aladdin’s cave that is Sawyers, Belfast, about 50m from my office.

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So here’s the whole haul of ingredients.

Leafy green veg – kale, spinach, broccoli and asparagus.

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Other veg – squash, peppers, mushrooms, avocado, sweet potato

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Fruit – pink grapefruit, figs, pomegranate, lemons and limes

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Store cupboard – lentils, cacao nibs, cacao powder, and baobab powder

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Tins – black beans, coconut oil, coconut milk, ginger curd, almond butter

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Dairy and dairy-like – almond milk, oat cream, cottage cheese

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So, with all these jewels, plus a few things I already have….what shall I make first?

 

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5:2 recipes: Cactus Salad

Posted on September 13, 2016 by lindaharley

I’ve a terrible habit of picking up bargains when I see them, especially more unusual items.  I came across this jar of cactus tips in Dobbies sale, and couldn’t resist.

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It had a salad recipe on the side, which I decided to try out.

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The other ingredients were a spoonful of salsa, and a chopped tomato and onion.

I’m not a big onion fan, but as long as it’s finely chopped and has had time to marinate a bit, it’s OK.

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I nearly came unstuck (if you see what I mean….) by my failure to be able to twist off the lid.  But I discovered that this pokey device at the end of a tin opener

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is not just for taking stones out of horses hooves, it can be used to prise under a lid and break the seal.  Voila!

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The cactus tips were rather good, a nice crunch, not an overpowering flavour.

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Calorie wise this was a total winner.  I omitted the oil from the recipe, and honestly it didn’t need it. The whole jar of drained cactus was about 10 calories. The tomato and onion added 30, and the most calorific element was the spoonful of salsa, at 40.  But the whole big satisfying bowlful was under 100.  It would make a great accompaniment for a slice of ham or chicken, for non-vegetarians.

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I’ll definitely be looking out for bargain cactus in the future!

 

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