Cooking the Steps with Spangles

No, not those Steps.

So I officially started stepping up today, and although this forum is to keep step-3-and-above foods out of the main forum, I thought I'd share my recipes (successful or otherwise) from today - on step 2.

To a large extent, my ideas have come from the CWP book 'Meals in Minutes', and therefore seem to go against the simple ingredients lists given in the handbook. I have faith that CD have done their homework and i'm ok. Where i've made 'off book' substitutions, i've checked myself that the cals and carbs are ok. Recipes in the book all serve 2, but my quantities are for one.

Ok - so today I made a variation on the spinach frittata recipe in the book.

1/4 of an onion
1 clove garlic
marigold reduced salt boullion
6 button mushrooms
75g spinach
1.5 spring onions
2 eggs

salad leaves

make up a little boullion with water in a frying pan over heat (the book says 3 tbsp water - i needed much more), add the chopped onion and garlic and sort of fry.
Then the mushrooms and spinach - allow to wilt/soften
lastly the spring onion - the book says this should be part of a salad with chicory and radish. I don't like chicory or radish so i put the spring onion in the pan and had a handful of salad leaves instead.
beat the egg with some black pepper and add to the pan.
allow to cook through for a few minutes and then put under a grill to finish.

now. then.

what you get there is a very well-stuck frittata that comes out in bits. I think in future i'd be inclined to do the veg with the stock in the microwave, then add to a pan sprayed with frylite.

at any rate, i feel stuffed. tasty (though my fear of salt causing water retention made it a bit bland: eggs need salt)... i truly hope it hasn't knocked me out of keto. I'll keep you posted.

I'm now going to have a plain, fat free yoghurt flavoured with a touch of water flavouring, for dessert. Dessert! Such luxury...

Tomorrow I'm going to have a bit of fish on a bed of puy lentils. I *know*...!

How exciting! Xx

innit?

Sounds lush. I'm drooling at the thought, anyway. As for it coming out in bits, maybe it's time to invest in a new non-stick frying pan? Any excuse to treat yourself to something new, right?

And by the way - meant to say before - well done on getting to this point. :clap: You're such an inspiration to so many folks, including people like me who've lingered around here for what seems like forever!

x x x

Thanks petal - but yeah, that was with a good non-stick pan. egg sticks - whatchoogonnadoo?

still in keto, but have more of an appetite today. i think i've just piqued my interest in food again. That and not being at work, i've more time to think about it. will report back when i've cooked tonight's effort.

also today i have been planning next week's menus. red meat! f*ck me!

Yummy I cannot wait for a medium rare fillet steak! X

So - fish with puy lentils

100g of white fish fillet (actually I had 95g of sea bass)
38g dry weight puy lentils
25g carrot
2 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
100g cucumber

Simmered the lentils with the carrot (25g is about half a small carrot, btw!)
microwaved the mushroom (should be a stick of celery, in the book, cooked with the carrots - but i don't like celery.
Grilled the fish for a few minutes.
Served with cucumber - in the book it's courgette ribbons, but again - i don't like them.

Verdict: wow so yummy! I've missed fish - we used to have it at least twice a week. The lentils were a little bland, but i've just realised they were sposed to be mixed with vinaigrette.

Oooh that does look very nice !! Lol x

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and again - still in keto. puy lentils are a pretty good low-carb carb substitute then. 38g felt like loads.

today I won't document - just a mushroom omlette. I'm off to stay with a friend overnight and it's easier if i eat before i go and take my packs - then eat when I get back tomorrow.

tonight i made the stir fried prawns from the CWP handbook. i think i might want to marry chinese five spice seasoning. also, noodles!

Now - the book says 30g rice noodles per person. BUT it assumes dried noodles, and i bought pre-soaked ones... so I gave myself 40g (which still wasn't very much).

anyway, nice. deelish. spices. yes.

Get you...like a veritable delia smith, only with a bit more flavour!

I have to get in on this now...watch me gooooo

Wow you're doing great. I've never eaten lentils before -how long did they take to cook?

I should be starting 1000kcals in a couple of weeks so it's great to read how you're getting on

depends how firm you like them, really. bring to the boil then maybe 15-20 mins simmer?

OK should all the water evaporate, like cookng rice?

spangles, try paprika I instead of salt ... Works for me when Ido scramble eggs on SS+.

So exciting you moving up steps and great recipes!

edit @Lose to win:

nope. i should say, i dunno about other types of lentils cos i don't like them.

You can let the water evaporate but you need to cook them in some olive oil first! Which obv is not allowed. If you cook lentils I put a touch of gram massala in there, no salt, but you could probably use low sodium stuff?

ok -today: seared oriental chicken

200g chicken breast (that's huge: i used 150g - the size of the biggest chicken breast i could find)
100g pak choi
2 spring onions
1 clove garlic
five spice
boullion and water
soy sauce

rub chicken with five spice (and crushed black peppercorns, if you like them, which i don't)
sear on both sides in a griddle pan for 15 mins or so. you could also use a grill.

'fry' spring onions and garlic in made up boullion. (Book doesn't use garlic - uses ginger and chilli instead)
add chopped pack choi until a little softened, add a splash of soy.
Transfer to plate.
when chicken is cooked (so much quicker if you cut it into thick slices first, which i would do next time), slice and lay on top of the veg. except you don't get much veg. i put my chicken next to it. it still tasted nice. very nice.

Another one from the CD cookbook tonight.

Barbecued quorn salad.

138g quorn pieces or steaks
80g asparagus
half a green pepper (ocado sent a yellow one, and it was tiny so i had it all).
rocket and spinach leaves
fat free vinaigrette
balsamic vinegar
150g sweet potato
a dollop of fat free yoghurt.

in advance, put a sweet potato in the oven to bake
in a very hot griddle pan (or on a bbq) sear the quorn and veggies.
toss the leaves in the vinaigrette
put the cooked stuff on top of the leaves
splash on some balsamic
cut open the sweet spud, add a dollop of yoghurt.

What you can't see from the photo, is that this is in a bowl, and so there's a load under the surface. I am stuffed. Interestingly, and i remember my cdc saying right at the start that your tastebuds change - especially WRT sweet things, i now find sweet potato almost unbearably sweet.

However depite that i wasn't really enjoying it, and I was very full, I still made myself eat the whole thing. Hmm... :hmm: