Stuffed Marrow

Although the photo doesn't look very appetising, this was actually a tasty and filling meal.  I cooked some lean Scottish minced beef in a frying pan, with onions, garlic, tomato puree, a little Lea & Perrin's, black pepper and beef stock; then I peeled and de-seeded a small marrow (halving it lengthwise), which I placed in a small roasting tin and filled with the mince mixture.  I put a little water in the bottom of the tin, topped the mince with grated cheese and sliced tomato, then covered it all with foil.  I cooked it in a fairly hot oven for about 3/4 hour, removing the foil halfway through to let the top brown nicely.

I served this with some re-heated roast vegetables left over from the night before (which I seriously overcooked!!), some steamed carrots and cauliflower cheese.  A traditional meal that is, I think, served all too rarely these days.  Marrows are also extremely easy to grow, so would be even cheaper than buying ... which is already pretty cheap!

V  I think a rich, savoury mince is essential when filling such a bland vegetable, so try using Quorn mince and follow the recipe above ... but be very careful not to overcook it!  Alternatively, make up your favourite nutroast recipe, spice it up a bit, and use that instead.

Pork au poivre and lovely veg

Although slightly disappointed in the quality of the meat (a bit chewy), this was still a scrumptious meal!  I seasoned the pork steaks liberally with black pepper and paprika, then griddled them; meanwhile, I roasted some parsnips and steamed some carrots, peas and cauliflower (finished the latter off in the oven with a little grated cheese).

When the pork was almost done, I transferred it to an oven dish, with some creamy gravy (just Bisto granules, made up thick, with double cream stirred in).  I crushed a few black peppercorns and threw them in with the gravy, then let the dish simmer in a hot oven for about 5-10 minutes.  Absolutely gorgeous!

Pesto pasta and garlic mushroommmmms!

V  Couldn't resist adding the "mmmm" on the end of "garlic mushrooms", because they were so divine!  As was the pesto, which I made myself ... my first time, believe it or not, although Warren's made it several times before.  Simply served with a salad and some grated cheddar, it was a bloody fantastic dinner, actually!

Fish pie ... "food combining" style!

(Tuesday night's meal - 12th July)

Hubby and I love a good fish pie, but mixing protein (ie fish) and carbs (ie potato) is against the basic premise of food combining, which is how we are choosing to eat at the moment ... so, I improvised!  I used the same mixed fish (packs available at the fish counter of most major supermarkets, or get some from your monger) and baked it in a little milk and tarragon.  Meanwhile I made a root mash, using swede, carrot and parsnip, seasoned with black pepper and mashed with butter.

When the fish was just cooked, I added some sweetcorn kernels and some natural yogurt to the dish, piled the root mash on top and finished off with some grated cheddar.  I put it back into the oven to heat through and brown, then served it with some steamed sugar snaps.  Hubby thought it was delicious, but I wasn't convinced ... for me, the strong flavours of the swede and parsnip were fighting with the delicate fish and I only really enjoyed each of the bits separately.  It just didn't work as a whole dish, for me; having said that, it was near enough for me to try altering the proportions and give it another go.

Cheesy rice-stuffed peppers with ratatouille

Another scrumptious meal that was relatively cheap, wholesome and quick to prepare.  We used a tub of Ken Hom's Egg Fried Rice that we had in the freezer, but it's easy enough to make a risotto instead.)  First, I fried some chopped chorizo in a non-stick pan, then added the tub of (defrosted) rice and 2/3 tub of Philadelphia Cream Cheese over a gentle heat until the cheese was well mixed with the rice and starting to melt.  I added a little black pepper and paprika, then piled it all into red pepper shell halves (we especially like the long, sweet red variety), which were in a small roasting dish with a little water in the bottom; I covered this with foil and put it in a med/hot oven for about 20 minutes.  At this point, I removed the foil and sprinkled grated cheddar on top and replaced in the oven - minus the foil - for another 10 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, I had been putting together a beautiful ratatouille (chopped carrot, sliced onion, aubergine and courgette, all fried in a little oil, then seasoned with black pepper and Italian seasoning [or herbes du Provence/mixed herbs] and finished with some passata) and butter-steamed, chopped curly kale.  It was a wonderfully balanced and satisfying meal, with a variety of textures and gorgeous flavours.

V  To make this vegetarian, simply omit the chorizo ... and maybe add a little chopped chilli if you would still like that touch of heat.

Spicy bean-burgers in pitta

V  Wow, this was a taste sensation!!  Neither of us felt like cooking, very much, so last night we had a "convenience" meal: grilled Tesco "Nacho" vege-burgers (vegetable and bean with a crushed nacho coating) served in a warmed, split pitta with salad and a (homemade) blue cheese dressing sprinkled with a little dried mint.  Absolutely delicious ... but one should have been enough, really.  (Got to get to grips with this portion control thing!!)

Garlic prawns with avocado and salad

Friday 8th July:

King prawns on the menu again!  This time they were simply cooked in butter and garlic, with a few drops of Tabasco sauce.  We piled these (still hot) into a couple of avocados and drizzled them with soured cream and a dusting of smoked paprika.  We then served them on a huge salad, accompanied by some coleslaw and celery, nut & apple salad and topped it with a few seeds.  A substantial meal without being overly filling ... and absolutely gorgeous!

Thai-style prawn stir-fry

"Thai-style" in as much as it was flavoured with chilli, ginger and lime ... but it wasn't a hot dish really, just gave it a nice "bite".  I also used black pepper and a tiny bit each of soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce.

First I stir-fried most of the vegetables together in oil (carrot batons, green pepper, courgette, mushrooms, onion, pak choi stalks, green beans and calabrese stalks), alternating between stirring them over a high heat and "steaming" them over a low heat with the lid on.  They took about 10 minutes (max).

Then I added some mange tout and sugar snap peas, which I stir-fried quickly, before pushing the veg to one side and adding a bag of raw prawns.  These took a couple of minutes to turn pink (while being turned) and then I stirred it all together and put in a bag of beansprouts.  (At this point I added the flavourings.)  It was very yummy ... and I managed to eat almost all of mine with chopsticks!!

Kleftiko for Sunday roast!

We bought a lovely boneless joint of lamb (shoulder) which Warren browned in some oil, added sliced onions, then continued to cook on the hob in a lidded casserole (Le Crueset) with lamb stock, red wine, garlic and black pepper.  (He usually adds a little rosemary as well, but he forgot this time!)  After a couple of hours, the meat didn't need carving as it just fell away in big lumps and the onions had melted into the unctuous gravy ... just like a Kleftiko should be!

We served it with roasted parsnips, leeks and fennel, some braised red cabbage, and steamed carrots, green beans and calabrese.  Such a delicious meal!  One of those meals that was so pleasurable with every mouthful, that I didn't want it to end!!

Cajun chicken breast with ratatouille and Greek salad

Our fab new griddle (on the new oven) came into play again, last night, as Warren coated a couple of Willow Farm chicken breasts with cajun spices (perhaps a little over-generously!!) and griddled them before finishing off in the oven.  Unfortunately, the dry and spicy smoke that came off it caused us both to cough a lot and we had to open all doors and windows and put the griddle pan in a bowl of cold water to calm it down!!!

Anyway ... it tasted delicious (if a little hot!) and made a wonderful meal sliced on top of a simple ratatouille (pan-fried onions, carrots, celery, courgettes, aubergine, peppers, mushrooms and tomato puree) and accompanied by a little Greek salad on the side.  We also topped the chicken with a dollop or two of soured cream, just to take the edge off the spicy heat a little ... PHEW! 

Cheese-topped nutroast and veg

V  (This was actually Thursday night's meal.)  We decided to try a packet of Granose Nut Roast (not realising that peanuts were the second ingredient and not recommended on the Hat Diet that we are semi-following!); it was very nice flavour and texture and incredibly quick and easy to make ... but, for me, the consistency was too soft.  I like a nutroast to be firm and "sliceable", more like a meatloaf consistency; this one just didn't "set" so we couldn't have sliced it, even though the photo on the front of the packet showed the thing sliced!!

However ... it made for a very tasty meal, topped with melted cheese and served with gravy and vegetables: roast mixed veg and steamed green beans.  I'd certainly use it again for convenience (if there wasn't time to make my own), but I might mix it with a little vegetarian stuffing next time, just to give it a firmer consistency.