Erm's Photo Diary

[ermintrude]

Thursday 06th - Green

No piccies again as my camera has gone AWOL! Not sure if I left it on the train or it got nicked when I was in the pub t'other night. That'll teach me to go off plan on the beer :sigh:

Breakfast: Coffee & Toast 1 HEXA, 1 HEXB, 2 syns
Lunch: Leftover tamarind lentils along with stir fried mushrooms and mixed veg. About 1.5 syns for tamarind paste, honey and puree and 0.5 syns for mustard.
Tea: Chicken & apricot Middle Eastern stew with bulgur wheat again. Yum, I love this! 1 HEXB & 3 syns for chicken, 2.5 syns for apricots
Snacks: None

Now ebaying for a 'new' camera I loved that damn thing, Ive had it years and its never given up on me! *sob* :cry:

 

[Mumma K]

gutted as well
look forward to the food porn pics
hope you find something on the bay and soon

 

[Clareel]

Aww Ermintrude, sorry to hear about your camera I hope you get a new one for a good price on Ebay.

Could I possibly have the recipe for the Chicken & apricot Middle Eastern stew? It sounds gorgeous!

Thanks x

 

[ermintrude]

Middle Eastern Chicken & Apricot Stew

Serves 3 generously or 4 as 'standard' portions

About 2.5 syns on EE (for dried apricots) IF you add extra Superfree on the side (there's not enough in this recipe)
Or you can HEX/syn the chicken on Green which is what I usually do (plus the 2.5 syns for apricots).

Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp root ginger, grated
- 3 or 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 500g chicken breasts, cut into chunks
- 3 tsp ras-el-hanout or baharat
- 100g dried split red lentils
- 10 ready-to-eat apricots, finely chopped - about 7 syns depending on brand/weight
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 500ml chicken stock
- Handful of coriander, chopped
- Seeds of one pomegranate

Method
- Fry onion, ginger and garlic for about 8 min until soft and starting to brown.
- Season, add chicken, cook for 5 min until sealed
- Add spices, lentils, apricots, lemon juice and stock and simmer for 15 min
- Stir in coriander and pomegranate seeds and serve with rice or bulgur wheat

Tips:
- DEFINITELY use the pomegranate seeds, they totally make it! But only stick them in right at the end, a couple of minutes before you serve, just enough for them to warm up a bit.
- The pomegranate I had trouble with the first few times but I've found the best way to do it is squish it around quite hard in your hands/on the kitchen surface first to loosen the seeds inside, then cut it in half and 'push' the seeds out by holding it with the seed side facing away from you and your thumbs on the round side. They start to come out easily then, just 'wipe' them out with your fingers. Its easier with very ripe pomegranates that have been sitting around a few days.
- I usually use Bart's or Al'Fez ras-el-hanout or baharat, you can get it in all the big supermarkets, but you can make your own, just google for the spice blend recipe.

It's a very mild recipe but delicious and really quick and easy to make. Well I think so, the OH isn't a great fan, but he's a freak It's also REALLY filling!

I got the recipe from here

 

[ermintrude]

Friday 07th - Extra Easy

We have piccies! Dug out the DSLR, its still playing up but at least its turning on at the moment.
Breakfast: Coffee 1 HEXA & fruit salad
Lunch: None except some mixed veggies - I was going like a madwoman from 12:30 until 5 at which point it was too late really as it'd be dinner at 7:30, plus I wasn't really all that hungry tbh, so I just snacked on some mixed veggies.
Tea: After no lunch I had an ENORMOUS tea of Honey's Kerala beef with my mooli salad, cilantro rice & dip. About 1 syn.
Snacks: None

Yow, I didn't realise Id missed a HEX and had only 1 syn. Oops.

This was YUM! (Didnt really go with the mooli salad tho, I overdid the lime juice in that a bit this time ) A bit hot, I scraped about half the seeds out of the chillies and only put 1/2 tsp chilli powder in and no dried chillies. The first half was yumnacious but then I think I hit a whole chilli which made my eyes pop slightly. The b/f's head blew to the other side of the room. He didnt appreciate the lavatory this morning either :8855: Lightweight Deffo make again though, yum yum.

It was supposed to serve four and as I'd had no lunch I thought Id serve 3 like I usually do, but my eyes were bigger than my belly and for once I couldn't finish it!

This is Honey's recipe and can be found here.

Aaand the scales are doing their usual randomness. After putting 2.5lb ON overnight earlier in the week this morning I LOST over 4lb overnight. Let's hope it keeps it up til Wednesday :sigh:

 

[Mumma K]

that looks really delish indeed
absolutely going to make that in the week

 

[Debridger]

that beef curry looks fantastic

 

[Honeyoc]

Food looking great as usual Ermie, glad you liked the beef curry! Gosh I'm s jealous of your fresh looking salad! Yum!! Do you have a recipe for the mooli salad?

 

[lynica]

Been popping into your diary for a while so thought I'd say hello. your food is amazing an you use so many different ingredients keeping it very interesting. I find I tend to eat the same old same old all the time. After gaining last week for no apparent reason :-( I have made it my mission this week to try new recipes, hence my visit to your diary for inspiration. Thank you for sharing all your lovely food hope you don't mind if I "borrow" a few ;-) x

 

[ermintrude]

Food looking great as usual Ermie, glad you liked the beef curry! Gosh I'm s jealous of your fresh looking salad! Yum!! Do you have a recipe for the mooli salad?

Yup, here we go:

Mooli salad

Ingredients
- 1 mooli, about 6-8 inches
- 2 carrots, about same weight as mooli
- 1/2 cucumber
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp honey 2.5 syns
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1/2 tsp crushed dried red chillies
- 2 red chillies, finely sliced

Directions
- Coarsely grate the mooli and carrots
- Cut the cucumber into quarters lengthways and scoop out the seeds, then slice into matchstick size chips and mix with carrot & mooli
- Mix lime juice, honey, salt, coriander, mint and crushed chillies together
- When ready to serve pour the sauce over the veg and garnish with sliced red chillies

It could do with more sauce tbh, Id double it next time.
It goes really well with the coriander dip too, otherwise it can be a bit dry.

Here's the dip recipe:

Cilantro dip:
- 2 large handfuls coriander, chopped
- Juice of 2 limes
- The green part of 1 spring onion, chopped
- 3 pickled chillies, roughly chopped
- 200g Greek yogurt (I use Total 2%) 0.5 syns

Whizz everything in a food processor until blended and pale green. Keep refrigerated until time to serve.

 

[ermintrude]

Saturday 08th - Red

Breakfast: Coffee 1 HEXA & fruit salad
Lunch:Leftover mooli salad and normal green salad. Box of blackberries in coconut Muller. 1 syn for mooli dressing.
Tea: Pinchitos morunos kebab with double chips and salad. <1 HEXB for extra virgin olive oil.
Snacks: Vino. About 40 syns


God I lurrrrrrrve these kebabs: :drool:

 

[JackieN]

those kebabs look fantastic. I love your food diary Erm.. You are so more adventurous than I am. I am yet to find a plantain . I ordered a couple each shop and they never arrive. Even Waitrose don't have any still can't find an acorn squash either. xxxxx

 

[ermintrude]

those kebabs look fantastic. I love your food diary Erm.. You are so more adventurous than I am. I am yet to find a plantain . I ordered a couple each shop and they never arrive. Even Waitrose don't have any still can't find an acorn squash either. xxxxx

Oh bugger! Youve just reminded me Ive got four plantain in! MUST eat them before they go like the first one did...

Yeah I went to Waitrose yesterday SPECIFICALLY for acorn squash, I was gonna get loads and store them for a while, but I think everyone must be doing it cos they didnt have any In fact all they had were 2 onion squash and one green thing that I forget the name of but looked kinda like a paler, bigger version of an acorn squash. So I got all three and went home moping. :cry:

So Im using the onion squash instead of pumpkin (cos they didnt have any of that either!) and the big green thing instead of acorn squash. Hope it doesnt go all spaghetti-squash on me :sigh:

OH! And the b/f is officially a moron! I mentioned I was using the Big Green Thing instead of acorn squash and he started going ooooh you shouldnt do that. When I asked why he said "it might be poisonous" POISONOUS! :8855: I bought it in frickin Waitrose! I really dont believe theyd have a lotta business if they sold poisonous $hit. When I pointed this out to him he said "oooooh but you might not be meant to eat it raw". Raw. Yeah I walk about eating RAW SQUASH all the frickin time dont I. Bizarre. Absolutely bizarre. I do wonder what goes on in his head.

He does stuff like that all the time though. He also thinks you should follow recipes TO THE LETTER or we might all die or summat. I point out that recipes are, like, a HUMAN CREATION. Emphasis on CREATION ie creative, you know, have a go, see if it works. If not adapt it a bit next time or ditch it or whatever. Cooking is not maths. :sigh: Weird, weird, weird.

 

[silly sausage]

*crying with laughter*

 

[Clareel]

Middle Eastern Chicken & Apricot Stew

Brilliant thank you, I can't wait to try it

He does stuff like that all the time though. He also thinks you should follow recipes TO THE LETTER or we might all die or summat.

This made me lol! My Oh is the same haha X

 

[JackieN]

Erm I know why we all luffs you so much :giggle: :giggle: :giggle: I am sitting here chuckling away to myself, my lot think I'm blooming nuts now :8855: mind you they are possibly right but won't tell them that as I'm always right not them :8855:

Your b/f sounds like my OH you have to laugh at them. I make all sorts of stuff up, recipes that is, and most are fine I do have the odd disaster but not too many. Following recipes to the letter is boring. :8855:

Now no more munching on those raw squash :8855: as if

I was very very disappointed in Waitrose today as the veg was boring :cry: boring boring boring :cry:

I did however come home with boring cauliflower, boring cabbage, but some lovely looking beets

 

[Mumma K]

Have had a good chuckle at squashgate haha men can be such nerds at times
I brought an Onion squash in the week and roasted it today dont know what i was expecting but that wasnt it, it was very bland and not all that pleasent be interested to see what you think once you've cooked yours

 

[craftylucyloo]

Hi Erms. Just popping in for my weekly visit lol. Once a week is about all I can seem to get in for these days. Looks like there's a lot of new food to try. Love the look of Mooli salad but don't know what the heck a mooli is but it looks great and I suppose with that gorgeous dip I could sub it anyway for summat else? Beef stews all looking great too. Lots of new things to try. xxx

 

[ermintrude]

Mumma K - Squashgate, heh very good Onion squash not very good then? Oh boo I was using it for a curry so I giess Ill just have to chuck a lot of chilli in

Lucyloo - mooli looks like a giant white carrot and its a bit like a radish in texture but milder. The mooli salad is basically just like coleslaw but with a spicier less creamy dressing as its an Asian recipe.

Here we go:

The mooli salad's nothing special so dont get excited people! Its just good to have alongside curries and stuff to get your superfree in and contrast the chilli-hotness of stuff. And I like the leftovers as part of me lunch next day

Veg & lentil stew tonight, burnt me veg a bit But tastes yum!

 

[ermintrude]

Sunday 09th - Green

Breakfast: Coffee & Toast 1 HEXA, 1 HEXB, 2 syns
Lunch: Jalapeno hummus with mixed veg crudites, giant bowl of green salad. 2 syns for dressing.
Tea: Roast root vegetable & green lentil soup - Free
Snacks: Peach, apple, pear, box of blackberries in coconut Muller, 2 mugs of Bovril

OMG this stew was FAB!!! :drool:

I'm not generally a fan of soup but I've been having it more recently AS LONG AS it has plenty of solid stuff in it to bite into. This definitely had that! It was more a stew than a soup and it was FAB! Why have I never thought of roasting the veggies before putting them in?! Gives you something to chew on, like having roasties in your casserole, fab! And totally Free! This is definitely going on my regulars list!