Making salads interesting and varied – using left-overs for flavour and crunch

flidfit Uncategorized , , , ,

Our lunches are usually a salad or soup (depending on the weather!), but my salads are rarely replicated in terms of what they contain or what I serve alongside them.  I have heard people refer to salads as “boring”, but they’ve clearly not eaten one of mine!

We are off for the weekend, so my challenge is using up lots of bits and pieces from the fridge.  Usually I add things like celery, red pepper, radish, beetroot, red onion, tomatoes, cucumber, apple… but examining the contents of my salad drawer today I realised I was going to have to be inventive.

I was limited to using what I found laying on my half empty fridge shelves – half an apple, a tiny scrap of celery, lettuce and some sprouted seeds…. but also a few gems left from meals earlier in the week – half a buffalo mozzarella, a blood orange, a single slice of Torchon ham and a couple of Lidl stuffed vine leaves with dill and mint.

Mozzarella definitely lacks flavour, and we had a tiny portion each (30g) so I decided to zing it up using the chopped blood orange, a few chopped pecans and walnuts and some balsamic glaze.  It’s amazing what these few ingredients did for the Mozzarella and for the salad as a whole!  A 20g portion of  walnuts and pecans provided a lot of extra flavour and crunch for just 140 calories and the orange balanced the balsamic glaze beautifully.

Total of 351 calories for this plate of flavour, colour and crunch!

Air fryer corned beef hash – 634 calories

flidfit Uncategorized
Served with peas and sweet chilli sauce

Who doesn’t enjoy a corned beef hash!  Easy to make with standard store cupboard ingredients, filling and nutritious.  Comfort food.

I’ve taken my version of this recipe to the next level by the addition of a crispy cheesy topping.

Preparation in the air fryer is both quick and easy, just one dish required.  You can also prepare this as far as adding the topping – then just finish off in under 20 minutes in the air fryer.

Preparation Time:        10 mins

Cooking Time:               20 mins

Serves:                              2

Calories per serving:     634

Ingredients:

Potatoes, red, peeled                             –      450g

Corned beef, Princes                             –      207g

Spring onions, washed and
chopped into short lengths                  –      100g

Olive Oil                                                  –      7ml

Parmesan cheese, finely grated          –      2 Tbsps/20g

Onions, peeled and finely diced         –      ½ Med/90g

Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated        –      40g

Breadcrumbs, dry white or panko     –      20g

Sweetcorn, tinned, drained                 –      75g

 

Method:

Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes (about 1.5cm).  Peel and dice an onion. Put both into a shallow dish that can be used and fits into the air fryer.  Add the  olive oil to the potatoes and chopped onion, some salt and pepper and mix well to ensure that the potatoes are coated in the oil.

Place into the air fryer on the air fry setting at 160 degrees for about 15 – 20 minutes – until the potatoes are softened.  Stir occasionally and don’t allow to burn – a golden colour is fine.

Open the can of corned beef (best to chill in the fridge overnight to make this part easy!). Allow 100g of corned beef per person.

Cut the corned beef into large (2cm) chunks.  Stir the cubes into the potato/onion mixture ensuring that they are evenly combined.  Add about the drained (tinned) sweetcorn kernels. Stir through.

In a small bowl, mix 40g of grated mature Cheddar, 20g of finely grated Parmesan and 20g of Panko or other white dried breadcrumbs.  Mix until combined and sprinkle over the corned beef and vegetables in the dish to ensure complete coverage.

IMPORTANT FOR NEXT STAGE: Cover dish with a lid or with foil… placing in an air fryer will cause the breadcrumbs to fly about all over the place – this ensures they stay in the dish! I speak from experience!

Place the covered dish back into the air fryer, 160 degrees for about 7 minutes, then remove cover / lid, raise the temperature to 200 degrees and continue to cook for a further 5/6 minutes until the cheese is melted and breadcrumbs are toasted to a nice golden colour.

I served mine with peas and a generous dollop of sweet chilli sauce…..

 

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)               633.5

Protein (g)                       42.5

Carbohydrate (g)           54.0

Fat (g)                             28.2

Fibre (g)                            5.5

Fruit & Veg                       1.8

 

Crispy cheese and breadcrumb topping

Air fryer recipe – Red cabbage, carrot and apple stir-fry with honey, mustard and apple cider vinegar dressing (118 calories)

flidfit Air Fryer , ,

I have to say – like many others, my purchase of an air fryer at the end of last year has revolutionised how I cook and shaved hours off my time spent cooking!  My fan oven sits there sad, cold and very, very clean!

It wasn’t a considered purchase, the air fryer “craze” hadn’t really taken off – but it happened that the model and design of the air fryer I settled upon was perfect for me to use – as a disabled woman with limited reach and dexterity.

I bought the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 ClearCook 5.7L Air Fryer at the bargain price of £70 and it’s been worth every single penny.  I love the clear window and interior light which enable me to peek at the food and check on progress as it cooks without the need to open the drawer every time.

Experimenting with using my air fryer in a slightly different way, I tried this vegetable accompaniment for tonights dinner.  It was quick and easy – the most time was spent in prepping the vegetables, and I have to admit that I delegated this responsibility to the wonderful Sam who works for me.  After all, I can’t really afford to lose any more fingers….

These long thin strips of colourful vegetables are cooked “al dente” in the air fryer to retain some crunch, and dressed with a lovely sharp dressing – best eaten warm, rather than hot.

Once cooked, it provides a colourful accompaniment to any dish  – I had mine with a ready-made shop bought chicken steak – which rather brought the whole meal down a notch.

Still, we live and learn….

If I made this again, I’d probably add half a red onion, finely sliced – and another apple.  Oh, and increase the quantity of dressing.  Clearly, the chicken steak won’t feature on my plate any time soon….

My julienne peeler was used to cut the carrot into long thin strips – and my super sharp santoku knife to achieve the strips of apple and finely shredded red cabbage.

Red cabbage, carrot and apple stir-fry with honey, mustard and apple cider vinegar dressing

Preparation Time:        20 mins

Cooking Time:               10 mins

Serves:                              3

Calories per serving:     118

Ingredients

Carrots, Raw, Peeled                         –   3 Carrots/225g

Red Cabbage                                       –   3 Servings/300g

Apples, Jazz,                                       –   1 Apple /120g

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                      –   10ml

Vinegar, Cider                                    –   1 Tbsp/15ml

Honey, Clear, Runny                        –   1 Tbsp/15g

Mustard, Dijon                                  –   1 Tsp/10g

Method

Finely slice/shred half a red cabbage. Peel and julienne the carrots. Chop the apple into matchsticks (no need to peel).

Toss the shredded vegs and fruit in a large bowl with the olive oil.

Pre-heat the air fryer – 160 degrees air frying mode.

Place the mixture into the pan of the air fryer (remove the bottom grate first). Cook for 10 minutes. stirring half way through.

Make the dressing by whisking together the mustard, apple cider vinegar and honey – adding salt and pepper as required.

This should be served warm, rather than cold and can be enjoyed alongside any main course dish.

Add a sprinkling of nuts on top – but don’t forget to add the calories – they are not included in this recipe!

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)      117.3

Protein (g)                2.1

Carbohydrate (g)   19.1

Fat (g)                       4.0

Fibre (g)                   4.8

Fruit & Veg              2.9

 

Sliced vegetables ready to go!
Cooked vegetables which have retained their vibrant colours and a good amount of “crunch”

 

Creamy fish pie, 496 calories

flidfit Recipes , , ,

This may seem like a lot of work, but it only uses one pan and a saucepan for the mashed potato.  And believe me, it is REALLY worth it!

 

Creamy Fish Pie

Calories                       496 per portion

Serves                         4

Preparation Time        45 minutes

Cooking time               40 minutes

 

Ingredients

200g     Leeks, trimmed and washed

25g      Flour, Plain

350ml   Skimmed milk

150g     Petit pois (frozen)

25g      Flour, Plain

130g     Haddock fillets, smoked, skinless & boneless

140g     Cod, Fillets, skinless & boneless

45g      Butter, salted

180g     Prawns, king, peeled & cooked

 

For the mashed potato topping

700g     Potatoes, Maris Piper

70ml     Skimmed milk

20g      Butter, salted

20g      Parmesan cheese

20g      Mature Cheddar cheese

20g      Panko breadcrumbs, natural

 

(1) Peel and chop potatoes into uniformed sized pieces, put into a pan of water and bring to the boil.

(2) Lower to simmer, continue cooking for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and mash with 70ml of the milk, 20g of butter. Season with salt and pepper.

(3) Whilst the potatoes are cooking, finely slice and wash the leeks.

(4) Heat a large oven and flame-proof casserole on a medium heat on the hob and melt the 45g of butter.  Add the sliced leeks, and fry over a low heat with the lid on until soft (but not browned).

(5) Place the fish fillets together in a large lidded microwave dish. Add 50ml of the milk, and cook on full power for 4 minutes until fish is cooked. Once cooked, being careful not to burn your fingers, remove any skin or bones from the fillets. Reserve the milk for later.

(6) Add the flour to the frying leeks and stir until butter has been absorbed by the flour.

(7) Add the milk from the poached fish a little at a time, keeping the heat low and avoiding lumps.

(8) Once all the poached fish milk is added, add the remainder of the milk to the leek sauce, stirring all the time to avoid lumps.

(9) Switch off the heat. Add the peas and fish to the mixture, flaking the fish fillets into large pieces. Stir until fish is mixed uniformly.

(10) Add the prawns and stir. Transfer to a suitable shallow oven proof container if necessary.

(11) Cover the fish mixture with the mashed potato, level the surface with a fork,

(12)  Cover with the breadcrumbs and two cheeses, mixing these together beforehand.

(13) Place in the hot oven and cook for 35 – 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

(14) Serve with green vegetables – savoy cabbage is perfect!

Crunchy topped creamy fish pie with spring greens and carrot and swede mash

I often double up on the creamy fish mixture and place the second batch into the freezer ready to add the potato topping and enjoy another day.

 

Three Day Water Only Fast – over Christmas 2023!

flidfit Fasting , , , ,

When people asked what I was planning to do and eat at Christmas, they were mostly shocked at my response.  My partner and I had planned to do a three day “water only” fast from 23rd – 25th December.

I have written elsewhere on my blog about the process of doing a prolonged fast.  It most definitely isn’t for everyone!  This is the third time I’ve undertaken a prolonged fast since 2021, two 3 day fasts and one 4 day fast.

I have found it useful to keep a daily diary of how I feel each day and we routinely keep a check on blood sugar reading (blood finger prick test) and ketone levels (also a blood finger prick test).

The aim of the fast is to get your body rapidly into ketosis – and then through carefully restricting carbohydrates, maintain that state for as long as possible.

The aim of fasting for me is enjoy the health benefits of autophagy.

As I’ve written previously about the actual process of the fast, I’m concentrating in this post on the physical effects of my fast – in my experience this has been very different each time.  I’ve also shared what I ate when ending the fast, as we attempted to keep our carbohydrate intake to around 20g per day.  You can read more about that here.

——————-

Saturday 23rd December

Woke about 8am, feeling energetic and positive.

Blood finger prick test done.  2 x cups of green tea, one tulsi and 1 Qi detox.

Usual exercise – ball bouncing 8,000 steps, 1,300 calories.  Felt ok.

Around 2.30pm started to feel colder and tired and started yawning.  I made my way upstairs at about 3pm as I was feeling cold, physically tired (both side effects of fasting) and wanted to watch a film but my partner couldn’t decide on one.  Got into bed with the electric blanket on and watched two films. Lights off at 9pm, slept well until about 7.30am.

Partner woke about 4.30am and got up – he was full of beans (I wasn’t).

Sunday 24th December

Woke about 7.30am, feeling ok, but less energetic than usual.

Blood and ketone tests done.  1 x cup tulsi and 1 Qi detox.

Usual exercise – ball bouncing 8,000 steps, 1,300 calories.  Felt ok.

Monday 25th December 

 Bit of a struggle today and I didn’t come downstairs all day.  Felt very fatigued.  Watched a lot of TV.  Didn’t do any exercise.

At night time, slept quite poorly, tossed and turned, aching kidneys.  But apparently according to my FitBit “slept” over 6 hours and I didn’t feel too tired the next day.

Tuesday 26th December

Enjoyed breakfast and coming out of the fast.  My usual cup of tea (Earl Grey) tasted pretty awful!

Surprisingly after not eating for three days, there is no desperate urge to eat food.  After the first 24 hours without eating, hunger pains vanish and I just don’t miss food at all.  No hunger pangs and no yearning need to eat.

The day seems to last forever without the routine of planning, preparing, eating meals and the tidying up afterwards!

As advised, I limited calories to 446 and attempted to keep my carbohydrate intake to below 20g – which is quite a challenge!  Full fat cottage cheese, kefir, half avocado, mixed berries, a coffee, 1 x tea with semi-skimmed milk.

25g carbs,  446 cals, 389 exercise cals

Wednesday 27th December

Still in ketosis.  We travelled to Stratford to collect my Mum who had been spending Christmas with my sister.  We went armed with full fat cottage cheese and half an apple to eat when there (apples are surprisingly carb loaded).

Ate half an avocado and 100ml of kefir before we left.  Then half avocado and 50g of sauerkraut when we got home.

20.3g carbs, 580 cals, 363 exercise cals

Thursday 28th December

Good sleep, woke at 4.45am (both of us). Feeling full of energy and ready to get up.  Started work on a batch of bone broth and a slow cooker beef casserole.  The bone broth needed cooking on the stove top for over 8 hours so it meant an early start.

I also made a batch of celeriac mash and prepared some Brussel sprouts.  I am planning to do my usual exercise tomorrow and laying off the cooking – we have plenty of food to enjoy.

Interestingly, my pain (which had got quite bad in my knees recently) is so much better.  I will monitor as may be coincidental.

34.4g carbs, 1187 calories, exercise calories 1,256


Friday 29th December

Good sleep, woke 6.30am, feeling refreshed (7+ hours sleep).  Still in ketosis.  As we are at home today, I planned the days menu more carefully so as to ensure minimum carb consumption.

Did my usual exercise session.  Energy levels were good.  Pain had subsided.  Made a batch of celeriac remoulade.  Dinner was steak with a creamy mushroom and mustard sauce which was heavenly!

Drank a bottle of kombucha before bedtime, which bumped up my carbs by 9.1g!!  Lesson learned.

27.7g carbs, 1184 calories, exercise calories 1096

Saturday 30th December

Not a great night as awake for 2.5 hours in the middle of the night.  Not feeling too tired this morning though….

Still in good ketosis – (2.2)  We received a surprise invitation to dinner tonight, a paneer curry – so this may push me out of it!  I have chosen to be the designated driver and will go easy on rice or dessert.

Discovered avocado olive oil, soured cream mashed together – makes a lovely salad dressing.

I wonder what tomorrow will bring with eating out tonight and no control over what will be on offer…..

 139.4 carbs, 1828 calories, exercise calories 1067

Sunday 31st December

Amazing sleep – 7 hours 42 mins and an hour and a half deep sleep, Score 91.  Even more surprisingly, I appear to have got away with still being in ketosis – 5.6 (moderate level)

Enjoyed a lovely meal last night, it was made by someone who was vegetarian.  No alcohol consumed and managed to avoid the nibbles on offer.  We ate various veggie curries, rice and chapati and a very sugary dessert – profiteroles with a chocolate mousse.

Dinner this evening was just too fatty/greasy for me – sea bass fillet with keto cauliflower cheese (cheese, soft cheese, butter, double cream)

Drank kombucha before bed (9.6g of carbs)

34.8 carbs, 1611 calories, exercise calories 909

Monday 1st January

Lack of sleep due to seeing in the New Year but also woken with an early morning text from my daughter.

Did my exercise.  Still in ketosis!

Quiet day at home.  Lunch was smoked salmon and scrambled egg followed by half a grapefruit, which was lovely and refreshing.  Dinner was steak with mushrooms, red onion, red pepper, courgette.

34.4 carbs, 774 calories, 1007 exercise

Tuesday 2nd January

Had trouble getting to sleep but then slept solidly for about 6 hours!  One big chunk of sleep without waking.  But little deep sleep. Woke 6.30am.

Still in ketosis – 5.4

Did exercise in 2 sessions as Sam was working with me in morning.  Bounced whilst talking to my sister.  Dinner was chicken parmigiana cooked in the air fryer served with cauliflower rice and soured cream.  Surprisingly delicious.

39.8 carbs, 983 calories, 998 exercise

Wednesday 3rd January

Slept well.  One big chunk of sleep without waking.  But little deep sleep.

Up and exercised, still in ketosis (5.0)

Bit of a slip with a nutty Kind bar during the afternoon, but not bad as almost 2 weeks with absolutely no treats or snacks!  Didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I might though.

Ate an apple late at night.

54.9 carbs, 1078 calories, 1142 exercise

Thursday 4th January

Ketosis level 0.8

Sleep was ok.  Went into town and got soaked in a rain storm.  Could have murdered a slice of Dundee cake with a cuppa when we got back, but resisted.  No keto strips to test tomorrow.  Have ordered more for delivery tomorrow.

Friday 5th January

Decent enough sleep.  Wasn’t able to do a keto reading until the afternoon as we were waiting on a delivery of keto strips.  Did my exercise session.

Still in ketosis. 1.3 (so better than yesterday)

Sister was here.  Made curried parsnip soup which is high in carbs.

 44.3 carbs, 1185 calories, 1524 exercise

Saturday 6th January

Slept well, still in ketosis 6.4.  Probably out tomorrow.  Ate my first bread – toasted bagel thin, slice of toast and breadcrumb topping on a celeriac and parsnip bake.  Made 2 x cauliflower cheeses and made a parsnip and celeriac bake in readiness for this evening (with salmon fillets and tender stem broccoli).  I’ve enjoyed the task of finding foods which will fill us without overloading on the carbohydrates.

144.2 carbs, 1934 calories, 1488 exercise

Sunday 7th January

Out of ketosis, well and truly.  19.3 GKI.  My carbs were 144.2g yesterday (bread, bagel thin, Florentines, parsnip and celeriac bake (breadcrumb topping) and Bombay mix (40g of which = 20g carbs!)

Here’s ’til the next Fast!

 

 

Fennel, Orange and Pecan Salad – 270 calories

flidfit Recipes, Vegeterian

As the weeks move towards spring, sunshine and warmer weather, I fancied putting together a zesty, refreshing accompaniment for my lunchtime meal.

Lunches most days are salad or soup.  These never become mundane or boring as I am always looking for ideas and inspiration to add colour, flavour and texture.

I’ve previously combined orange and fennel, but this recipe works really well.  I combined ingredients from a couple of recipes I found to come up with my own recipe.

The pecans add some protein.  I served it alongside a tempura coated oven baked chicken fillet and a fairly plain green salad (lettuce, cucumber, celery, watercress).

It was a little fiddly to prepare, but good food is always worth the additional time and effort!

____________________________________________________________________

Fennel, Orange and Pecan Salad – 270 calories

Preparation Time:          20 mins

Cooking Time:               N/A

Serves:                         2

Calories per serving:      270

Ingredients

Fennel, Bulb                                        1 Medium Bulb/300g

Blood Oranges                                     1 Orange/140g

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                           1 Tbsp/15ml

Orange Juice, Freshly Squeezed          20ml

Sumac, Ground                                    ¼ Tsp/0.5g

Pecan Nuts                                          40g

Mustard, Wholegrain                            1 Tsp/5g

Method:

Cut the core from the fennel and shred finely with a julienne cutter.

Carefully cut the peel and pith from the orange. Do this by cutting a slice off the top and bottom of the orange to provide a flat surface, then slice carefully downwards with a sharp knife removing the skin and pith. Try to remove as much pith as possible as this is quite bitter.

Cut the orange into segments and then each segment into three. Combine the orange pieces with the fennel shavings. Sprinkle over the sumac. Add the salt and pepper.

Combine the olive oil, mustard and the juice of half an orange. This is the dressing. Pour the dressing over the fennel and orange and stir gently to combine.

Roughly chop the pecans and sprinkle over the salad.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)                  270

Protein (g)                         4.2

Carbohydrate (g)             14.3

Fat (g)                            21.7

Fibre (g)                            6.4

Fruit & Veg                        2.8

 

Blackberry & Apple Flapjack Crumble – 376 calories

flidfit Recipes, Sweet Treats

Choosing to eat healthily doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to cut out all sweet treats.  When it’s cold and dreary outside, there’s nothing better than a hot home made dessert and crumbles have to be up there in the top 5!

This one comes with a difference – the topping is based on a flapjack mixture using oats and golden syrup.  The end result is a lovely chewy topping.

High in calories, but I only need half a portion to hit the spot.

This uses tinned apples as they were in my cupboard, but fresh apples would work just as well.

________________________________

Apple & Blackberry Flapjack Topped Crumble – 376 calories

Preparation Time:       10

Cooking Time:            25 mins

Serves:                         4

Calories per serving:   376

Ingredients

Breakfast Cereal, Porridge Oats                                –   70g

Flour, Plain                                                                   –   50g

Butter, Salted                                                              –   55g

Syrup, Golden                                                             –   1½ Tbsps/30g

Cinnamon, Ground                                                     –   ½ Tsp/1.5g

Apples, Granny Smith, Canned, Slices                    –   1 Can/392g

Blackberries, Fresh, Raw                                           –   200g

Sugar, Brown, Soft, Light                                          –   100g

 

Method

STEP 1
Heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Place the tinned apple slices and blackberries on the base of a shallow oven proof dish and sprinkle over 30g of the light brown sugar (the remainder goes into the topping).

STEP 2
Mix the oats, flour and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter in small chunks and rub in gently. Stir in the remaining 30g of sugar and rub in again.  If easier, you can melt the butter in the microwave and stir through the dry mixture.

Drizzle over the syrup, mixing with a knife so it forms small clumps.

Sprinkle evenly over the apples and bake for 25-30 mins until the juices from the apples start to bubble up.

Cool for 10 mins (this stage is essential to achieve a lovely chewy texture), then serve with custard, cream or ice cream.  Or as I have done, with creme fraiche.

 

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)          376

Protein (g)                4.9

Carbohydrate (g)     59.0

Fat (g)                      12.5

Fibre (g)                   5.9

Fruit & Veg               2.0

Crispy Chilli Beef – 351 calories

flidfit Fakeaways, Recipes

This is a simple and delicious recipe using mostly store cupboard items.  Be warned that there is a lot of spitting oil in the frying stage, so protective apron, gloves and goggles might be wise at this stage of the cooking!

This only takes a few minutes to make, as long as you gather the various ingredients together in advance.

Definitely a meal we’ll be enjoying again!

If you’ve got any questions or spot any errors or omissions in my recipes, please do let me know!  If you try it, I’d love your feedback.

_____________________________________

Crispy Chilli Beef, 351 calories

Preparation Time:       15

Cooking Time:            10 mins

Serves:                         3

Calories per serving:   351

 

Beef Steak                                                             –  250g

Eggs, Medium                                                       –  1 Egg/54g

Cornflour                                                               –  2 Tbsps/30g

Salt                                                                        –  ¼ Tsp/1.25g

Pepper, Black, Freshly Ground                           –  ¼ Tsp/0.5g

Oil, Olive                                                               –  2½ Tbsps/37.5ml

Red Chilli Peppers                                               –  ¾ Med/33.75g

Spices, Ginger, & Garlic, Cubes, Cofresh         –  1 Serving/20g

Vinegar, Rice Wine                                              –  1 Tbsp/15ml

Tomato Puree                                                      –  1½ Tbsps/22.5g

Sugar, Caster                                                      –  1 Tbsp/12g

Ketchup, Tomato                                                 –  2 Tbsps/30g

Sweet Chilli Sauce                                              –  20g

Peppers, Red, Raw                                             –  1 Med/160g

Onions, Spring, Raw                                           –  6 Med/90g

Sauce, Soy, Dark                                                –  2 Tbsps/30g

Method

De-seed and cut the pepper into long strips. Cut the spring onion into bite sized pieces at an angle.
Finely chop the chilli pepper.

Place the steak strips in a bowl and add the egg. Mix together to thoroughly coat the steak in the egg.
Add the 2tbsp cornflour, quarter tsp each of salt and pepper.

Toss together to coat the steak. It will be a sticky mixture.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan or wok over a high heat until very hot.

You will probably need to work in two batches, so when the oil is hot, add in half the beef – a strip at a time – and spread it out.

Fry the steak until dark brown and crispy. Try not to move the meat around too much as this reduces the amount of crispiness you get. It generally takes about 5 or 6 minutes to crisp up the beef, with about 3 or 4 stirs during that time.

Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the beef from the pan and place in a bowl lined with kitchen roll to soak up excess fat.

Add a further tablespoon of oil and repeat – cooking the second batch of beef and then placing in the bowl with the first batch.

Once you’ve removed all the beef from the pan, add the remaining half tbsp of oil to the pan and turn the heat down to medium.

Add in the red pepper and cook for 2 minutes until slightly softened.

Add in the spring onions, finely chopped chilli, minced ginger garlic and cook whilst stirring for 30 seconds.

Add the 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp tomato puree, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp tomato ketchup and the sweet chilli sauce to the pan.

Turn up the heat and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until the sauce starts to reduce a little.

Add the beef back in, give it a stir and heat through for 1-2 minutes until the beef is hot.

Serve with rice or noodles.

 

 

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)          351

Protein (g)                23.8

Carbohydrate (g)     27.8

Fat (g)                       16.3

Fibre (g)                      1.7

Fruit & Veg                 1.2

Cauliflower and Cashew Macaroni Bake – 385 calories

flidfit Healthy Swaps, Recipes, Vegeterian

I was inspired to make this when I received a link to a vegan version of the recipe via a website I subscribe to – www.mob.co.uk

I love that so many of the recipes are low cost and use store cupboard ingredients – however, their quantities are usually HUGE and they’re not particularly focussed on healthy foods or weight loss.  They do have a section on Healthy Recipes and also many excellent “fakeaway” recipes which I often drool over!

I’m trying to introduce more vegetarian and vegan foods into my meal planning and to generally cut down on meat consumption. Something we should all be making an effort to do.

This recipe is a take on macaroni cheese but the creamy sauce is made by roasting and pureeing cauliflower and almonds with milk – the result is rather delicious!  However, I was unable to resist the temptation of adding some cheese – as cauliflower cheese is one of my all time favourite meals.

So this is my version of the Mob recipe:

Cauliflower and Cashew Macaroni Bake – 385 calories

Ingredients:

Cauliflower                                                 –  260g

Carrots, peeled                                         –  100g

Cashew Nuts, Plain, Average                  –  50g

Milk, Whole                                               –  300ml

Garlic                                                         –  1 whole bulb

Breadcrumbs, Panko                               –  50g

Thyme, Dried                                            –  1 Tsp/1g

Rosemary, Dried                                       –  1 Tsp/1g

Parsley, Fresh, chopped                          –  1 Tbsp/3.8g

Macaroni                                                    –  225g

Olive Oil                                                     –  4 Tsps/20ml

Cheese, Cheddar, Mature                       –  50g

Salt, Average                                            –  ¼ Tsp/1g

Pepper, Black, Freshly Ground                    –  ½ Tsp/1g

 

Preparation:  Grate the cheese.

Method:

Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Step 2.
Chunk up the cauliflower and dice the carrots. Toss with salt and a dash of oil and spread out onto a tray.

Step 3.
Roast the cauliflower and carrots at 220°C until tender, this will take roughly 25 mins. Roast the garlic in foil with salt and 1 tsp of olive oil for 25 mins until tender (this can be done alongside the vegetable roasting).

Step 4.
Reduce the oven temperature to 200°C.

Step 5.
Briefly toast the cashews in the oven in an oven proof dish or on a piece of foil. Once toasted, transfer to a blender jug and pour over 500ml of warmed milk. Add the roasted cauliflower and carrots and one of the cloves of garlic (popped out of its skin) blend until super smooth.

Step 6.
Season the creamy sauce with salt and pepper and set aside. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin and save some of the oil.

Step 7.
Toast the breadcrumbs in some of the garlicky oil. Finely chop the thyme, rosemary and parsley and toss through the breadcrumbs.  Pop the rest of the garlic cloves out of their skins, roughly chop and stir into breadcrumb mixture.

Step 8.
Cook the pasta for a couple of minutes less than the pack instructs. Stir through the sauce with a splash of pasta water (if required). You want it a bit wetter than you think. Add the grated cheese and gently stir through. Pour into an oven proof dish and top with the herby breadcrumbs.

Step 9.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbling and golden. Serve with a fresh, zingy green salad or green vegetables.

Nutrition Data Per Serving

Calories (kcal)       384.6

Protein (g)                14.8

Carbohydrate (g)    36.7

Fat (g)                       19.8

Fibre (g)                     3.2

Fruit & Veg                 1.3

 

Easy tomato and lentil soup – 110 calories per 300g

flidfit Recipes

Soup is great in so many respects – cheap and easy to make, a good use of left-overs and warm and filling for those colder days.  A mugful after a walk in the rain, a bowlful with a buttered roll for lunch or a late night low-calorie snack.  Of course, a great way to get your veggies too!

I added a dollop of soured cream to this, but made a large batch which I’ve frozen in freezer bags to enjoy in the weeks / months to come!

Easy tomato and lentil soup – 110 calories per 300g serving

Preparation Time:       30 mins

Cooking Time:            1 hr

Serves:                        6

Calories per serving:  110

Ingredients:

Olive Oil, Extra Virgin                                              15ml

Carrot, Whole, Raw, Peeled                                    85g

Onions, Red                                                              85g

Celery, Raw, Trimmed                                              75g

Garlic, Raw                                                                3 Cloves

Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot                                      1 pot / 33g

Water, Tap                                                                 1000ml

Tomatoes, Tinned, Chopped                                   2 tins / 800g

Lentils, Red, Split, Dried                                          65g

Worcestershire Sauce, Lea & Perrins                    1 Tbsp/15ml

Preparation:

Peel the onion. Peel the carrots. Wash and trim the celery. Finely dice the carrot and celery. Finely chop the onion.

Method: 

Place the oil into a large lidded saucepan and heat over a medium heat, Add the onions, celery and carrot and cook until softened (about 15 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes, stock pot, water and red lentils and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes.

Add the Lea & Perrins sauce, stir through.  Serve topped with plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

This soup is best liquidised, but a stick blender will also work well.

Add a dollop of creme fraiche or soured cream for your very own cream of tomato soup!