I've had a crappy day today (yesterday now
) and I'm not eating much at all which is good for the ongoing diet but could do with some quick and inspiring recipes to tempt me to eat. So nothing from Cacks latest book then. I got the garden done on Sunday and have aching arm muscles, very pleased with myself for getting it done instead of putting it off longer.
Sorry you had a crappy day x
Ok, so I am trying to put myself in the mindset of when I don't want to eat... and it's hot (or is here at any rate), so I am initially thinking simple things that minimise clean up, or where the effort is done way before you have to eat, and a range of different flavours.
I had a bad couple of days at the end of last week.. I ate caprese salad and bread for two evenings. I sliced big tomatoes, and halved little cherry tomatoes earlier in the day, then left them marinading in best extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and the tiniest pinch of suger, in a bowl, covered, for a while. When I needed to eat - onto a plate, tore some mozzarella over them, and some basil leaves (no need for any knife action), jiggled it all together with another drizzle of oil and ate with fresh bread.
Slightly more fancy, but needs to marinade so can be done day before or hours before you want to eat. Block of feta cheese, pat dry and put in a bowl. Add a sliced chilli, 2 tbsps of olives (capers, FANCY, would also not go amiss here), a few sprigs of rosemary and a tsp of dried oregano, black pepper and a few good glugs of olive oil. Leave to marinade in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. When you want to eat, take feta out of marinade and put on a plate. Halve or quarter about 200g or more of cherry tomatoes, toss them in the marinade and pour over. Nice again with bread or squidged into flatbread or pitta.
Oh, my daughter's favourite wrap is dead easy too. Already poached salmon fillet (for ease, obviously you can do your own, but, effort, if you want to, then into foil parcel with a squeeze of lemon and into the oven for 20ish mins), avocado, baby spinach or other leaves. Sauce of equal parts mayo (ON BRAND) and yoghurt, snip some chives in if you can be bothered. Spread flatbread/tortilla with sauce, flake over salmon, add sliced avocado and leaves, roll up and eat.
Easy pasta, from Nigella in this instance, but does take two pans, so I sometimes find it too much.
150g spaghetti per person
3-4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
big pinch chilli flakes (or more if you are me)
sea salt
Cook spaghetti. A few mins before it is done, gently heat oil and add garlic and chilli flakes until they smell, um, right. Add a couple of tbsps pasta water. Stir well and take off the heat. Tip in drained spaghetti and toss together. Sprinkle with salt and serve. Can add chopped parsley. I often don't.
Nigella makes no mention of parmesan or other cheese here, but I often add parmesan or grana padano, because I like cheese. A lot.
Another easy pasta (again Nigella, from How to Eat)
Cook some long thin pasta. Melt 2tbsps butter in a saucepan with a tsp olive oil. Add 2 garlic cloves, crushed with a knife and chopped rosemary. Remove garlic when it starts to brown and smell garlicky(!). Crumble in about 1/2 a chicken stock cube, add a bit more butter, a glug of white wine if you have some handy and a tbsp of pasta cooking water. Drain pasta, add, stir, grate parmesan, eat.
Bit more cooking:
Based on Nigella's traybake for chicken and sausages with a sort of sage and onion flavour. I use a large pack of chicken thighs. Grab a big plastic bag, and put the following in:
2 onions (white or red) peeled and cut into 8ths,
Juice of 1 lemon, and once squeezed in, cut the squeezed out halves into quarters and chuck that all in too
125ml olive oil
1 tbsp dried sage (you could go rogue here with other dried herbs of your choice, thyme is good, as is oregano for more Italian flavour)
2 tsps English mustard (I often leave this out)
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
Then add the chicken thighs and squidge about. Leave to marinade in fridge for several hours or up to two days.
To cook: high sided baking tin, preheat oven to 220 (200 fan), let chicken come to room temp and arrange everything from the bag in the baking tray, chicken skin side up. Tuck in 8-12 sausages of your preference (I use lincolnshire if sage and italian ones if I go with oregano, but don't be constrained by my preferences). Bake for an hour to an hour and 15. Check it after an hour.
I tend to eat with salad and bread, but you could bung a jacket potato in at the same time and eat with the easiest veg (peas for me).
Leftovers are good for sandwiches or wraps or salad, or I would think as a sauce for pasta if you shred the chicken a bit and chop up sausages, but that's a bit of a guess I've never done it.
Another cooking thing, but so simple for all the delicious Chinese flavours. I made this yesterday and am reheating for dinner tonight:
Red braised pork (Fuchsia Dunlop)
Packet of pork belly from the supermarket (around 500-700g)
2 inch piece of ginger
2 spring onions
2 tbsp veg oil
500ml chicken stock (cube/gel absolutely fine)
3 tbsps brown sugar (light or dark, I tend to use light)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine (or medium-dry sherry)
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 star anise (it says that, I tend to chuck a whole one in)
Cut the belly into 2-3" pieces. In a casserole pan or large saucepan, add the oil, heat and stir fry for a couple of mins. Then add all the other ingredients and let it simmer, partially uncovered and occasionally stirring on the stove for 2 hours, or until sauce is reduced and glossy and sticky.
Pork will be tender, sauce will be super umami.
You can reheat this gently on the hob, so easy to make in advance. I serve it with plain rice (one of those microwave packs would be fine), and steamed greens of whatever kind I have lurking in the fridge. This is very rich, so I like plain things with it and a little goes a long way.
Ok. I will stop now.
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I know self-diagnosis is accepted by a lot of folk but it always seems to be used by those who want an excuse for their shortcomings or have a host of other certain conditions like fibromyalgia. Has she 99% got that, too?
