Roast chicken with runner bean babies!

Just a regular roast chicken, served with oven-crisped new potatoes and root mash, but I wanted to record the first time ever of using ... runner bean babies!!

We have maintained our allotment very poorly, this year, and the remaining runner bean crop had got so old and woody that it would have been impossible to eat the pods; inside them, however, we found these little beauties!  We removed the pale green husks as well, and were left with little green beans that tasted as sweet as fresh peas when raw, and had a very mild flavour and almost "creamy" texture when lightly boiled in salted water.

They would mash easily and are mild enough to take on most flavourings, so would be ideal as a bruscetta topping; I have also kept some raw to enjoy in a salad.  You could also add them to soups and stews, for a little extra fibre.

Lime and ginger salmon

This was a dish of two halves, in our opinion ... the salmon was exquisite, but the vegetables were unpalatable because of the rice vinegar, which made them sour and bitter at the same time, YUK!  Hubby followed the recipe in the BBC Good Food magazine and only used one tablespoon of the vinegar (rather than the two suggested) but it was still overpowering.

However ... the same marinade was used to cook the salmon and made it absolutely delicious!  Strange, but true.  This is a very low calorie meal, as no oil is used, but I think next time I would use the marinade for the salmon and use a tiny bit of oil for the veg ... maybe then I could taste the lovely vegetables and not just vinegar!!

Barbecued Duck and Pineapple Salad

Another meal from the BBC Good Food Magazine, this duck and pineapple dish brought lots of "oohs", "aahs" and "mmmm"s from my husband!  The flavourings were surprisingly mild, considering the chilli, garlic and ginger components ... and the fresh, sweet/sharp flavour of pineapple with lime juice dressing cut through the richness of the duck.

We used Gressingham Duck Breasts and, although the recipe suggested removing the skin, beating them flat and barbecuing them ... we chose to leave the lovely skin on, leave them plump and pan fry them, finishing off in the oven.  They were incredibly tender and beautifully flavoured, and the dish itself was surprisingly filling.  Nice one!

Butternut squash salad

V  This dish is called a "salad" but is eaten warm and, as you can see, we made it a main course.  We followed the Good Food Magazine recipe and found it was enough for us, followed by some fresh British strawberries and single cream.  Without a dessert I don't think it would have been enough on its own, especially for my husband who is diabetic and needs a substantial meal before having his evening insulin shot.  (Very low in calories, so also good for dieters!!)

The whole thing took a mere 45-50 minutes to prepare and cook and, because there is no meat involved, was a very low cost meal; it was also nutritious and extremely tasty, with lots of different flavours and textures.  We also loved the look of it, with the jewel-like colours of the golden squash, emerald broccoli and ruby-red dried cranberries.  Definitely one we will be enjoying again!

Seafood Curry (John Torode recipe)

I've never been a great one for using recipes (other than for baking) but as I receive a monthly copy of the BBC Good Food Magazine, I thought I should make an effort!  So yesterday, hubby and I planned a menu for the coming week, including five meal ideas sourced from the magazines.

This was the first contender, a nicely spiced but not too hot Seafood Curry by Masterchef's John Torode, and it was quite lovely.  We made a few changes, because we already had some fish and shellfish in the freezer (and we halved the ingredients, which made plenty for two people), then we served it with John's suggested accompaniment of carrot & cumin salad and some cauliflower florets, steamed in a lidded frying pan with a little oil, mild curry spices and tomato puree.

V  John's recipe allows you to make the curry sauce separately (in advance, if you wish), so making a veggie version of this would simply mean cooking a few vegetables first, then adding the sauce ... or why not make up some felafel mix and cook them in the pan before adding the sauce.  You could then serve it with rice or similar accompaniments to ours.  It really is nice enough to serve to guests, too ... but cheap enough for a midweek treat!

Spicy vegetarian wraps

V  We are really enjoying what we eat on the food combining plan, but sometimes we need a break from the usual "meat-and-vegetable" protein meals and fancy a carb-based one instead.  Both pasta and potatoes make a nice change for us, but last night's meal was based around Discovery wholemeal tortillas and was filling, cheap, easy, healthy ... and utterly delicious!

We made a fairly dry vegetable chilli (carrots, onions, peppers, cubed marrow, mushrooms, tomato puree, kidney beans and seasonings), warmed the wraps, then served them with a selection of accompaniments.  Clockwise from bottom: sliced avocado, soured cream & chives, tomatoes, grated cheese and shredded lettuce.  You may also like to include salsa and/or refried beans.

Stifado beef

This is one of hubby's specialities ... a Greek-style braise of beef with onions (shallots work best), carrots, red wine, seasoning and warm spices (either cinnamon and nutmeg, or - better still - a proper blend of Stifado spices, available from specialist shops, some supermarkets, or ... Greece!!).

When I took a photo of it for this blog, hubby said, "Please don't ask me for the recipe!" so I didn't!!  Basically, I believe he just cuts the meat into large chunks, dips it in well-seasoned flour (salt, black pepper and smoked paprika) and seals it in a little oil in a large, heavy-bottomed casserole dish.  I know he also adds whole (or halved) carrots and shallots (or thickly-sliced onion), the spices and wine, a bay leaf and some beef stock and lets it simmer for a long time (couple of hours or more) to tenderise, stirring occasionally.

Yesterday, we had it with some lightly cooked fresh cauliflower and a sort of "bubble-and-squeak", made from mashed root veg and sauteed leeks and cabbage, enriched with a little freshly-grated Parmesan, butter and black pepper.  It was lush!

Greek-style lamb meatball wraps

I've been receiving a monthly subscription copy of the BBC Good Food magazine for well over a year, but  have used very few recipes from them ... even though so many of them look extremely mouth-watering and tempting!  I guess I've been cooking for so long that I just buy some meat, fish and/or vegetables and "instinctively" know what to do with them.  But it's good to try different things and although we already have a varied and interesting diet, my husband and I have both been keen, of late, to experiment with even more different flavours, cuisines and (in particular!!) portion control.

So we had this, from the September issue, last night: Greek-style lamb meatball wraps.  They would have tasted more authentic if we'd had proper Greek-style flatbreads, like the ones they sell "Giros" in, but we used wholemeal tortilla wraps instead (they are so much tastier than the white variety, are very light and less prone to breaking).  The only thing I did differently was to add some tzatziki ... good job I did, because although the dish was very tasty (and filling ... couldn't finish the second one), without the tzatziki it would have been too dry for my palate.

V  Some little nut rissoles would be a good substitute here, or felafel perhaps?  Just make sure whatever you use is well flavoured, or it will get lost among the hummus and tzatziki.

Ham and mushroom pasta

Not exactly a "Carbonara", but a tasty substitute when I haven't the time (or can't be bothered!!) to follow a recipe.  I simply sauteed chopped onion and mushrooms in a little oil (covering the pan to help form some juice), made a roux with a little flour, added milk and brought to the boil.  Near the end of cooking, I added strips of tasty ham, just to heat through.  Meanwhile I boiled some pasta (wholemeal & white mixed), arranged a salad garnish on the plates and made some proper garlic bread!

When everything else was ready, I finished off the sauce with a bit of cream and served in bowls, topped with Italian seasoning and thin shavings of Parmesan cheese ... which melted flat while I was setting up the photo!!  Never mind, delicious it was indeed.

V  To make this one "veggie" is simple ... just leave out the ham!  The Parmesan gives some protein, so there's really no need to add anything else, although you may want to increase the seasonings/flavourings ... perhaps with a little smoked paprika?