It was a week of old favorites and new flavour sensations this week! I think I'm finally getting into the swing of this new eating plan. And it's amazing how my food cravings have gone away, I hardly ever think of eating chocolate any more. I just wish I could cut down on my crisp habit (Both King and Hunky Dory's Cheese and Onion crisps have no actual cheese in them, so I've been indulging in them a LOT).
Breakfast
1. This week I tried a new breakfast from my favourite Chocolate Covered Katie site, it's a dish I've made before but even though I only put in about 1 tablespoon of sugar (she suggested 2) I still found it too sweet. Next time I'll just rely on the raisins to add some sweetness as I'm not a fan of sugary breakfasts anyway. This keeps well for a couple of days so I made it the evening before for breakfast - and had tons left for the next couple of days.
Lunch
1. Aubergines were on sale in my local supermarket so I thought I'd try making an aubergine based dip for my lunch (once again I waited to make it until I was using the oven anyway as it seemed crazy to use that much electricity just to cook one aubergine). I was afraid it would turn out bitter but I was pleasantly surprised, it was really tasty with vegetables, salad and bread. Unfortunately it think I needed a protein source as well as it wasn't quite filling enough for me. The next time I make it I'll have some hummous with it for a proper mezze plate.
Lunch is where I struggle most to find interesting recipes that aren't soup, I tend to have leftovers a lot, so any suggestions are welcomed!
Dinner
1. This is a great fish pie recipe I've made many times. I wasn't sure how it would turn out using non-dairy milk (Koko dairy free), sunflower spread and no cheese, but I thought it was worth a try. I was really surprised. It was very similar to the original, just a tiny bit sweeter (I think it must have been the type of milk I used). I left out the eggs so it's only 3 steps :D
I served it with fresh broccoli and lemon garlic kale for a great weekend dinner.
2. Thai vegetable curry with mae plow red curry paste
I had a craving for some thai food during the week, so I made a simple thai vegetable curry and just threw in any bits of veg I had in the fridge and freezer.
This Mae Ploy brand of curry paste is really delicious (but quite high in salt so I only use it occasionally). It isn't vegan, it has fish paste in it, but it is dairy free which is something. You can get it in most asian shops, and the taste is streets ahead of any jarred thai curry sauce, and it requires very little work. Just fry about a heaped tablespoon of the paste in a saucepan for a minute or two, add a can of coconut milk, stir well to incorporate the paste and then add your meat or vegetables and simmer until cooked. Check their cooking instructions for meat, I simply add diced root vegetables first as they take longer to cook, then other veg when they are about halfway done. Then serve with rice.3. I was told by a friend that Alpro soya cream was really nice, so I made up my own recipe for a vegan ‘carbonara’ style pasta dish. I simply sauteed some red onion, garlic, sliced courgette and added some quorn bacon slices that I cut into strips, then added alpro soya cream and some nutritional yeast (just to give it a bit of savoury flavour) and served it with spaghetti.
4. This vegetarian moussaka is another old favourite of mine. To modify it I replaced the white vinegar with cider vinegar, left out the feta and parmesan and added some goat's cheese instead. I also grill all of the vegetables untill they soften - no oil necessary so it's much healthier. It's just a bit more work unfortunately, I usually make this at the weekend when I have a free afternoon. This dish takes quite a bit of time, but it makes enough for four dinners, and leftovers taste even better the next day!
5. And finally, here is a recipe for a healthier version of Old El Paso fajita spice mix:
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp oregano (preferably the Mexican variety)
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried onion powder
- 1 tsp dried garlic powder
- 1 tsp chipotle chilli powder (use smoked paprika if you can't find this)
Mix together the ingredients and store in an airtight jar. This recipe makes about 5 tablespoons of spice mix.
The instructions on how to cook with it are at:
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