Za' atar spiced cauliflower steak

Its not very often that I get to have a steak. However, this is exactly what I had for dinner last night. I had a very satisfying and hearty dinner which I could not imagine to have come in at much more than 150 kcals on my ‘2’ day of the 5:2. So, what was this steak? It was a griddled cauliflower steak that had bite and was full of flavour from the addition of the now very readily used za’atar that Sister in law Spread bought me for Christmas. I served this alongside some robust roasted beetroot and onions as well as green beans steamed to al dente perfection. For my sauce/gravy, I opted for some low fat yogurt with garlic and coriander. Trust me, I was full at the end of the meal, and that was after an hour of hot yoga!

What you will need

1 head of cauliflower

2 tea spoons za’atar

1 tea spoon olive oil

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1 clove garlic

Fresh coriander

Firstly prepare the cauliflower by removing the head from the leaves. Next, slice down the middle vertically, and then repeat two more times at about 1.5-2 cms widths. This should give you two cauliflower steaks. Reserve the rest for another meal and set the cauliflower steaks down.

Next, add the za’atar to the oil and stir together with some salt. Using a brush coat each side of the cauliflower with the spiced oil.

Place a griddle pan on to heat and when hot, place the steaks flat side down. Cook each side of the steak for 5-6 minutes or until cooked through the tickest bit, the stem.

Meanwhile, mix together the fresh yoghurt with the crushed garlic clove, some seasoning and freshly chopped coriander.

Serve the steak with the yogurt and other side dishes of your choosing.

 

Chana dal bel puri

Bel puri is very common street food snack all over India and is delicious served alongside a spiced and warming cup of masala chai mid afternoon. The main ingredient to this dish is the spiced and roasted 'chana dal' which is made up of split yellow lentils. They can be spiced and roasted at home, or you can buy these ready made from a specialist Indian grocers. As I had the ready made version, this was a fantastic lunch option on my 5:2 diet.

What you will need

200g masala chana dal

1 medium red onion

1 medium tomato

1 green chilli

Fresh coriander

1-2 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 tea spoon chilli powder

1/2 tea spoon ground cumin

Sev to serve (optional)

 

Prepare by firstly finely chopping the onion, tomato and green chilli.

Stir the chopped ingredients into the masala chana dal and add the chopped fresh coriander. As the chana dal is already spiced and seasoned, carefully add in more salt to taste and the extra spices of chilli powder and ground cumin.

Just before serving, add the lemon juice and top with a tea spoon of sev for extra crunch and texture. The lemon juice will soften the chana dal, so the dish should be eaten immediately.

For a similar Indian snack, see my recipe on chana chaat.

Mozarella, tomato and coriander salad in a spicy yoghurt dressing

Taking inspiration from the classic Italian mozzarella and tomato salad, I turned it Indian. How did I do that you might well ask, well, I swapped some of the classic Italian ingredients which we all know and love so well, for some Indian ones. I used fresh coriander instead of basil and a cumin and chilli spiced yoghurt dressing instead of balsamic vinegar to reinvent this dish. Also, if you are really really careful with the oil, this is another 5:2 delight, hopefully coming in at under 250 kcals per portion. As you know, this is not a precise science for me, so do check your own packets of cheese and yoghurt etc.


What you will need
2 balls of mozarella (I used Galbani half fat from Waitrose)
2 medium/large tomatoes
Fresh corainder

For the dressing
2-3 table spoons natural or greek yoghurt
2 tea spoons ground cumin
1 table spoon olive oil
1 tea spoon chilli flakes
1/2 tea spoon paprika


Firstly slice the mozzarella and tomatoes into the same number of slices. Layer them up on a plate and tear over a small handful of fresh coriander.

Next drizzle over the yoghurt, season with salt and set aside.


Place the olive oil in to a pan, adding the cumin, paprika and chilli flakes, heat the oil up for 30-60 seconds, until lightly smoking then drizzle over the salad.

Serve the salad as it is or with a lovely crusty loaf to help soak up the yogurt and spice dressing.

The Pelham Arms, Lewes

We were in Lewes again this weekend; doing a spot of visiting with the in-laws. As usual, this called for a meal out. The meal on this ocassion was lunch and we ate it at the Pelham Arms, a stones throw from the house.


The pub was fairly busy, however we had a table for six reseved in a nice spot, around the corner from the main room. We arrived and swiftly assessed the menus which offered the usual gastro pub staples of burgers, fish and chips etc. It also had a great selection of sandwiches, served on fresh sourdough bread with skin on chips, as well as a couple of specials such as a butternut squash soup and wild mushroom and goats cheese truffle arancini.

On this ocassion, strangely, I opted for the vegetarian sandwich which was brie, lettuce and home (read pub) made chutney with chips. The bread was soft and wholesome, with thick slices of brie inside and plenty of tangy sweet chutney. The chips were fabulous, thin and crisp, and most definitely worth the visit.

Gipsy Spread and Brother in law Spread had the mackerel on toast with poached egg, which they throughly enjoyed, particularly as Gipsy Spread had also ordered a portion of the fabulous chips to accompany his main.

 

Sister in law Spread had the cod loin goujons, again, with those fabulous chips. Father in law Spread and his partner both had the lamb burger, yes, served with those sumptuous chips.

The ales were flowing for some, whilst I had the Concha y Toro red wine which was bursting with berries and warm from black pepper. The inglenook fireplace was just behind our table, but sadly was not lit this Saturday afternoon. There were dogs in the pub, a sign that this is a real pub for locals.


The only down side was when I followed some poor unsusepcting woman into the toilet, thinking there would be several cubicles and not just the one toilet.


The food was all presented well, portion sizes were generous and we all left sated and content from an afternoon well spent in this local stalwart. It is worth a visit, even if just for the chips!

Penne with caramelised onions in a yogurt sauce

Look out cream, its all about the yogurt now for me when it comes dressing pasta in a rich white sauce. The advantage of yogurt over cream is of course its lower fat content, but I also love the freshness of it and the slightly tangy sourness it brings to a dish. It is used to dress pasta in the Middle East a lot, with Ottolenghi including a shell pasta dish with a yogurt sauce in his book  'Jerusalum'. I had also had the filled pasta in a yogurt sauce (manti) in Turkey, which is similar to the sauce for Turkish eggs. Today I had a yogurt sauce with sweet, caramelised onions and some piquent pine nuts.


What you will need
3-4 onions
2 cloves garlic
304 table spoons low fat natural yogurt
1 table spoon pine nuts
1 tea spoon paprika
Penne pasta
Parmesan
Lemon thyme


Firtly, peel and thinly slice the onions. Heat a table spoon of oil in a pan and gently caramelise the onions for 15-20 minutes until softened and golden brown. Keep stirring so as not to burn.

Whilst the onions are cooking, crush the garlic and add the yogurt, seasoning well. Top with the lemon thyme leaves. Leave the sauce aside to get up to room temperature.

Place enough penne on to cook for two people.  Once cooked, drain and stir through the yogurt sauce.


Finally add the pine nuts to a dry pan with the paprika and toast for 1 minute.

Serve the pasta topped with the onions, pine nuts and freshly grated parmesan.

Gipsy Spread of course had some pork sausages with his and we both had some of this very decadent garlic pizza bread with it. After all, the whole point of the 5:2 diet is that I can indulge on a '5' day.

Sweet and sour chickpea curry

The convention for our team meetings at work has been to bring cake. We work literally around the corner from Konditor and Cook, so we have been spoilt with sweet, rich and gooey cakes of every brownie variety possible. However, it has come to light that one of the team is not so keen on sweet things, so I suggested cheese and crackers for our next team meeting. Well, it also turns out one of the team doesn't eat dairy!


With this in mind and as tomorrows meeting runs up to lunch time, I suggested I bring in an 'Indian Feast', akin to a thali really, which I think everyone will enjoy. See the work Diwali effort. So, I thought I would cook up this sweet and sour chickpea curry, to be accompanied by a dahl, gujerati noodles and an onion raita.


What makes this dish sour you might ask? It is the combination of two indian souring agents, tamarind and the kokum. The kokum is part of the mangosteen family. It is usually dried and used as a souring agent in dahls and curries, often replacing tamarind. I have, however gone crazy and used both in mine as the flavours are distinct and different, as different as tamarind and lemon are from one another.



What you will need
1 tea spoon mustard seeds
2 onions
4 cloves garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
15-18 curry leaves
1 star anise
8-10 cloves
1 kokum (optional)
2 tea spoons ground cumin
2 tea spoon ground coriander
1 tea spoon tumeric
1/2 tea spoon garam masala
1-2 tea spoon chilli powder
2 green chillis
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tins of chick peas
2 table spoons of tomato puree
1 tea spoon sugar
1 tea spoon tamarind concentrate


Firstly slice the onion, crush the garlic and either grate or finely chop the ginger.


Next, place a tea spoon of oil on to heat, adding the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the onions, ginger and garlic and soften for 5-6 minutes, before adding the star anise, curry leaves, cloves and kokum.


When the onions have browned and become translucent add all the ground spices (coriander, cumin, tumeric, garam masala and chilli powder) and cook for one more minute before adding the chopped fresh green chillies.


Next, add the tinned tomatoes along with the same amount of water to the pan, season with salt and add the drained tins of chickpeas.


Bring the pan up to boil before stirring in the tamarind concentrate, the sugar and the tomato puree.

Turn the heat down and reduce the curry sauce for 15-20 minutes until the desired consistency.

Serve with rice or naan bread. I of course had spicy noddles, a refreshing raita and a comforting dahl with mine.

Asparagus and gruyere filo tart

We are suffering this morning after a full day of drinking. We had been out for lunch to the Michellin starred Benares and had Champagne cocktails and then paired wines with our meal. We had then gone on to some friends joint birthday, where effectively we finished drinking about 12 hours after we started. So, todays dinner had to be super easy. This is where this tasty tart comes in. It is also lighter than most similar tarts which use shortcrust pastry as this uses filo.


What you will need
4 sheets filo pasty
1 leek
200g asparagus tips
2 table spoons creme fraiche
4 eggs
100g gruyere cheese
1 tea spoon mustard


Firstly slice the leeks and wilt in some butter for about 5 minutes.


Next, prepare the asparagus stalks and steam until cooked.


Mix together the creme fraiche, eggs and mustard, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add the cooked leeks and grated gruyere cheese.


Prepare the filo pastry by layering two sheets horizontally, then two on top vertically, in a greased rectangular dish.


Top the egg mix and then arrange the asparagus spears over the top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the egg mix has set and the pastry has browned and crisped up.

Serve with a fresh green or tangy lemon and potato salad.

Benares, Mayfair

Everyone knows that January is a time for a more laid back approach to eating and drinking than the fevered frenzy of the Christmas and New Year’s excesses. However, this is also precisely when the restaurants will be trying to tempt you with tantalising offers of delicious food at a fraction of the price it is the rest of the year. It was with such an offer that I was lured in.

 

I have wanted to eat at Benares for years. A Michellin starred (for the 8^th year) Indian restaurant, I can’t imagine anything better! It was with great anticipation I attended the first ever Jaime Oliver Big Feastival, knowing that there was to be a Benares tent. Imagine my disappointment then, when on the day, the only thing they we’re selling was chicken tikka pie… not suitable for vegetarians.

So, Gipsy Spread and I (me, more so) have been very good so far in January, drinking less and trying to eat healthier. So, I thought we deserved a treat this Saturday. It was going to be a write off in the health stakes anyway as we were out celebrating several friends birthdays. I booked us in for the three course menu with champagne cocktail.

We arrived and the venue was wonderfully laid back and relaxed, not pretentious or stuffy at all. The staff and the service were also excellent from start to finish.

We wanted to enjoy the experience and planned on having a long lunch, so started the meal off with a cocktail aperitif.

We opted for the Indian themed silver spice cocktail which really showcased the beauty of the chilli; it provided a subtle sweetness, with a little bit of fiery heat at the back of the throat. We took our cocktails, which were served with a wonderfully smoky roasted almonds to our seats to begin our culinary journey.


We were promply given a dish of incredibly light popodums, served with three fabulous chutneys of pinapple, tomato and mango. We had to be careful and pace ourselves for the three courses ahead.

I started with the smoked kidney beans tikki, mango relish which was also accompanied with an airy yoghurt foam. The kidney beans were spiced beautifully and were light and delicate, offset perfectly by the slightly sour yoghurt and sweet mango chutney.

Gipsy Spread had the samosa, but not as we know it. His was a (seasonal) venison samosa with a tamarind and pear chutney. He loved it.

What more could this meal bring? It had all tasted fantastic and been presented so beautifully so far.


We had also chosen the wine pairings with each of our dishes, brought over by the sonmmelier when each course was served. This was a great idea as I sampled wines that I would not normally have tried. In particular, was the crisp, fresh, fruity and honeyed wine from the Alsace which was paired with my main course of cottage cheese kofta, classic korma. I would not normally order a Korma, but it was the only vegetarian option and I was not disappointed. The koftas we're delicately spiced and the sauce was sweet and creamy, plus fragrent with rose water and petals and pistachio oil.

 

Gipsy Spread opted for the roasted organic chicken supreme “vindaloo”, masala corn and carrots. The portion sizing could not be faulted and all the main dishes came with a rich dhal to share, a fragrent plus pilau rice and light and fluffy naan breads.



I was full by this point, however, I really wanted to sample the rasmalai and chocolate dessert and so pushed on through to my Michellin starred dessert. I was glad I did, the dessert was creamy, nutty and sweet, and again, presented creatively. Gipsy Spread opted for the date sticky toffee pudding with a subtle hint of cardomom and bay leaf ice-cream.

We ended with a fabulous champagne and elderflower cocktail and yet more sweets, with these wonderful petit fours from the house. The chocolate praline was rich and velvety with the toasted hazelnuts through it, the jelly tasted like pear drops and the buscuits were fragrent with rose.

 

The experience was some of the best of Michellin starred dining. I want to eat here again and again and again. Unfortunately, I'll have to save up to do this again, but perhaps as a treat or for a birthday? In fact, we did seem to be surrounded by tables celebrating birthdays and the set menu over lunch is great for this.


So, I'll just say, I'll be seeing you again soon Benares.

Za'atar squash and chickpea salad

I was given a giant jar of za'atar by Sister in law Spread at Christmas and I have been experimenting with it ever since. Za'atar is a blend of herbs and spices from the Middle East. It includes thyme, marjoram, sesame seeds and sumac. It can be added to soups and casseroles whilst baking, but can also be used as a garnish, for example on poached eggs. I used it today to roast my squash in, for a tasty, simple and mainly under 300 calorie dinner for a '2' day of my 5:2 diet.


What you will need
500g peeled and cubed butternut squash
2 cloves garlic
2 onions
1 tin of chickpeas
Lettuce
4 tea spoons za'atar
1/2 lemon
2 tea spoons pomegranite molasses


Firstly, peel and slice the onions into sixths. Add the onions to a roasting pan with the squash. Drizzle over a very small amount of olive oil, add the crushed garlic cloves and sprinkle over 2 tea spoons of za'atar and some salt. Roast in the oven for 40-45 minutes at 220 degrees until cooked and caramalised.


To make the dressing, mix together the juice of half the lemon juice with the pomegranite molasses.


Next, drain the tin of chickpeas and add to the cooked squash with the rest of the za'tar and toss together.

Serve on top of some fresh crisp lettuce leaves, dressed with the lemon juice and pomegranite molasses.

Creamy mushroom, spinach and pea spaghetti

I’m not a huge fan of overly creamy pasta sauces, however this one is much lighter as I use half fat crème fraiche and elevate it to further lightness by the addition of lemon zest and juice. It is a really simple sauce that will only take five minutes to make whilst the spaghetti is on to boil.


Also, I have been craving pasta on the 5:2 diet and this gives me a massive carbohydrate punch without any of the guilt of a fatty sauce. It is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the creme fraiche and peas, against the savoury and earthy spinach and mushrooms, topped off with beautifully salty fresh parmesan.

 

What you will need

250g chestnut mushrooms

100g spinach
200g frozen peas

2 cloves garlic

2 table spoon crème fraiche

75ml white wine

1 tea spoon mustard

Spaghetti

1 tea spoon lemon juice
1 tea spoon lemon zest

Parmesan cheese

 

 

Begin by putting the spaghetti on to boil making sure the water is salted well. This should be enough for 4 people (I know this is a subjective measure, so I’m not specifying weight.

 

Next slice the mushrooms and place them in a frying pan to sauté in a tea spoon of olive oil. Meanwhile crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan with plenty of salt. Cook the mushrooms for 2-3 minutes until softened, and then add the spinach, stirring to ensure it doesn’t stick to the pan.

 

After another minute of two, add the wine and the peas before stirring through the two large table spoons of crème fraiche, the mustard and the lemon zest and juice. Stir to bring the flavours together and add plenty of black pepper. Cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat to reduce slightly.

 

Next, drain the spaghetti, reserving 4-5 table spoons of the cooking water.

 

Add the cooking water to the crème fraiche sauce and mix together, before adding the spaghetti and tossing through.

 

Serve, topped with grated fresh parmesan and sprigs of lemon thyme. Gipsy Spread, of course had steak on the side of his!

Breakfast tacos

We are still ploughing through the freezer with the un-enviable aim of defrosting the poor thing very soon; well, as soon as we manage to eat it empty. It might also come as no surprise to you that I still have a packet of corn tortillas left from the score I made at Borough Market in November when catching up with old University chums.


Eating out the freezer proves to be quite the culinary challenge and as I picked up five avocados this Friday (again at Borough), inspiration struck for Sunday brunch. Corn tortillas, avocados and eggs equalled the perfect breakfast taco.


What you will need
3 eggs
50g cheddar
6 corn tortillas or tacos
2 spring onions
1 fresh green chilli
A splash of milk
1 ripe avocado
1 tomato
1/2 tea spoon chilli flakes 
1 lime
Fresh coriander


Firstly prepare the salsa (it's kind of a guacamole). Chop the tomatos and onion and add to the avocado (chop, crush or blend, whichever you prefer) with the chilli flakes. Top with the juice of the lime and some of the fresh coriander.

Next, mix together the eggs, milk, chopped green chilli and chopped onions, seasoning well with salt and pepper.

Next, prepare the corn tortillas as per packet instructions. Mine only need a minute warming through in a frying pan.

Meanwhile, heat a tea spoon of oil in a frying pan and add the egg mix to make scrambled eggs. This should only take 1-2 minutes in a hot pan.

When almost cooked, add the grated cheddar and mix together.

Finally, spoon into the tacos and top with the salsa to serve.

Of course, this flling could also go into the large flour tortillas to make a delicious breakfast quesadilla.

White asparagus with lemon and herb butter

The first week back at work has not been bad, I do however really enjoy my work. The worst bit of the week came today. I had stepped out at lunch time to pop to the Post Office as I'd bought my brother and his fiance an extra Christmas present which I wanted to post to them. I had to walk through Borough Market, which I do every morning and evening, however, Friday lunchtime is when it comes alive with the magical scents and smells of delicious hot foods and samples galore to be tasted. I though, was on a '2' day of my 5:2 diet, so experienced a massive 'fail'.


Whilst feeling despondent, I spotted some fabulous white asparagus for sale at one of the vegetable stalls and the only way to cheer myself up was to buy them. 'A-ha!' I thought. Tomorrow I will indulge, and indeed, that is what I did with this snowy vegetable, treated very simply with a fresh and fragrent buerre blanc to let its subtle flavour shine.


What you will need
2 bunches (500g) white asparagus
1 handful of fresh lemon thyme
40g butter
1/2 fresh lemon


Firstly, prepare the white asparagus by peeling off the outer woody layer of the asparagus spears, just 5cm below the tip down to the bottom.


Drizzle over a tea spoon of oil and toss the spears through.


Next, bring a griddle pan up to heat, before carefully placing the asparagus spears in the pan. Turn every 2-3 minutes for about 10 minutes until browned/lightly charred, smokey and cooked.

Next, gently melt 40g of butter with some salt and black pepper.

Once melted, remove from the pan and add most of the lemon thyme and the juice of 1/2 the lemon. 


To serve, pour the herb and lemon butter over the asparagus and sprinkle with a few extra thyme leaves.

I made a fabulously easy crusty soda bread to go along side it, served wonderfully fresh and warm. Gipsy Spread, of course had a steak and sweet potato wedges with his.

Za'atar spiced baked feta with roasted butternut squash

I'm still trying to create dishes that are maximum taste, but which can work on the '2' days of the 5:2 diet. I know that 40g feta cheese is 100 kcals, whilst 100g of cooked butternut squash is 40 kcals. The recipe below is hearty and robust in flavours to satisfy on any 500 calorie fast diet day. I used the jar of za'tar I got at Christmas from Sister in law Spread to add a Middle Eastern delight to the dish. Za'tar is a fragrent blend of herbs and spices which includes sesame seeds, thmye, oregano, marjoram and sumac. I estimate that a portion of this warm salad comes in at under 250 calories, but you would never guess it from the flavour.


What you will need
500g butternut squash
2 onions
2 cloves garlic
2 handfuls cherry tomatoes (c12)
160g feta cheese
2 tea spoons za'atar
1/2 tea spoon chilli flakes
1/2 fresh lemon
Little gem lettuce


Firstly peel and and chop the squash. Add it to a roasting tin with the thickly sliced onion and thinly sliced garlic cloves. Drizzle over a small table spoon of olive oil and toss the squash through and season with salt. Place the squash in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for 40-45 minutes, tossing once or twice, until cooked and caramelised.


Meanwhile, place the 160g block of feta in a seperate non stick roasting dish and top with the za'atar and chilli flakes, along with the juice of half the lemon.

After 25 minutes of the squash roasting, add the feta to the oven to bake.


After a further 10 minutes, top the squash with the cherry tomatoes and toss.


When the squash has cooked and the feta has browned, split between four protions and plate up a-top some crisp fresh little gem lettuce leaves. Gipsy Spread also had some chorizo sausage with his salad.


You won't believe you are fasting!