Salads are the obvious choice for a low calorie dinner but even salads can weigh in at more than 300 calories per serve.  Take the the trusty Caesar Salad, as tasty as it is with it’s crispy croutons, salty bacon, creamy sauce and shaved cheese you would be hard pressed to make a portion for under 500 calories per serve.  I am quite partial to a Caesar Salad though so I’ve had a stab at adapting it to fit the 300 calorie requirement.  No it’s not as good as the real deal, but swapping the cheese and bacon for asparagus significantly reduces those calories. It’s another great option for a fast day dinner and with the quantity of lettuce you can eat, it looks like a generous plate of food!

Chicken, Asparagus and Egg Salad (serves 2, 326 calories per serve)

2 large eggs (55g)
160g asparagus spears (weight after woody ends removed)
200g baby Cos lettuce
200g chicken breast, skin and fat removed
spray oil
salt and pepper
60g reduced fat Greek style yoghurt
3-4 anchovy fillets (8g)
10ml lemon juice
5-10ml water

Start by hard boiling the eggs.  Put the eggs in a small pan and cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water starts to boil time for 4-6 minutes depending on how hard you want the yolk to be.  I was using my mini Frizzle eggs so I boiled them for 2 minutes as they are half the size of a shop bought egg.

Blanch the asparagus in the water with the eggs for the last minute. Once the eggs have been boiling for the required amount of time drain them and cool immediately in cold water.

While the eggs and asparagus are cooling roughly chop the lettuce and place in a large bowl.

Heat a spray of oil in frying pan on medium high heat. Thinly slice the chicken breast and fry for a couple of minutes on each side until cooked through. Set aside while you make the dressing.

To make the dressing put the anchovies, yoghurt and lemon juice into a mini food processor and blend to a smooth sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and a 5-10ml of water to make a dressing consistency.  If you don’t have a mini food processor you can chop the anchovies and stir through the other ingredients, this make a more rustic dressing.

Toss the lettuce, asparagus and chicken with nearly all of the dressing.  Halve the eggs and serve on top of the salad and drizzle with the remainder of the dressing.

Asian flavours are always good and are naturally healthy and low in calories. And as a bonus, they are even lower in calories if you cram them full of veggies instead of noodles or rice.

I’m not really sure where this recipe comes from but it’s a combination of my favourite Asian ingredients served in a broth.  I guess it broadly leans towards Thai, but without the usual heat and a few non-Thai ingredients.  Oh well, as long as you are not a purist you should enjoy this hearty broth.

This dish also works well when your husband doesn’t want to join you on the diet, as you can satisfy a hungry appetite by adding in some noodles.

Asian Chicken Broth (serves 2, 295 calories per serve)

6g garlic, finely sliced
10g fresh ginger, finely sliced
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced
1 red chilli, seeds removed, sliced
500ml stock
100ml water
200g chicken breast, skin and fat removed
150g oyster mushrooms
1 can baby corn
1 small can of water chestnuts
30ml fish sauce
juice of 1 lime
150g baby spinach leaves
1 tblsp coriander leaves, chopped

Put the stock, 100ml of water, garlic, ginger and kaffir lime leaves in a large pot and bring to the boil.  If you like a chilli hit add your chillies too, but I prefer mine on the mild side so I add the chilli at the end.  Simmer the stock with a lid on for 5 minutes so the flavour infuse.

Slice the chicken breast into bit sized pieces and add to the stock with the mushrooms.  Continue to simmer gently with a lid on the pan for another 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes the chicken should be cooked through.  Add the baby corn and water chestnuts and allow to heat through for 1 minute (they don’t need cooking).  Finish the broth by adding the fish sauce, lime juice and spinach.  Stir to combine the flavours and wilt the spinach.

Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with the coriander leaves.  Serve with noodles if not limiting yourself to 300 calories.

All weights calculated after peeling, calories counted via CalorieKing.

Having never had to worry about dieting, it wasn’t really on my radar and I had not developed the self control required for such things, but when my BMI finally tipped from the OK to the not so OK it was time to do something about it (I was by now more than 20kg heavier than the day I got married).

This realisation coincided with my husbands need to reduce his cholesterol, so now seemed to be the perfect time to give it a go, that and the fact I refused to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe.  In a bid to help, my mother sent through some information about a new diet that everyone is talking about in the UK, the 5:2 diet. The 5:2 diet claims to help you live longer, reduce your cholesterol and as an added bonus lose weight.  The idea being you eat whatever you want for 5 days of the week and to balance that out have two fast days a week. The fast days encourage your body to breakdown the fat and cholesterol that usually just hangs around, unless you are an exercise enthusiast, which I am not.

The initial sound of this was horrific, I could never go without eating! But in actual fact, when they say “fast” days they actually mean limit your calorie intake to 500 calories for women and 600 for men.  I investigated what this would look like in real terms, and it actually seemed achievable.  You can read more about the diet here.

So 6 weeks in I am feeling slimmer and healthier and I have lost a whopping 5.7 KG. I still have a few more kilos to go and I imagine it will become more difficult as I get closer to my target weight but for now I am as pleased as punch.  It suits me because I love to cook, eat and dine out, which in my eyes is not enjoyable if you are always watching what you eat.If I can eat what I want for most of the week, and control it on days I am working, it could be the answer to my prayers.  I pick the fast days according to what I have on in the week, there is no particular recommendation as to which day is better – too easy.

A typical fast days eating looks like this: a slice of toast for breakfast (100 calories), a bowl of soup for lunch (100 calories), a small piece of protein and veggies for dinner in the evening (300 calories), and only water to drink.  I thought I would be starving without snacking but I have learnt that feeling hungry is actually not so bad, especially when it is doing you good.  I don’t feel hungry all day and I never feel more hungry than I do on other days.

In order to not feel too hard done by I need to eat something three times a day even if it is something small.  I’m also not very good at eating the same thing too often, especially two days in a row (although fast days do not have to be consecutive days, but sometimes it works out like that).  I thought it would be difficult to find recipes that fit the bill and still make me feel like I’ve eaten but as this seems to be the diet for foodies there are a few fellow bloggers posting great recipes to get me started, like Karen at Lavender and Loveage and Fiona at London Unattached.

I cannot guarantee that you are able to eat exactly what you want and still lose weight, as I have dramatically reduced cheese, butter and cream for the rest of the week due to the low cholesterol side of things, but even in the week I ate roast goose (crispy skin included), chocolate and wine I still lost a small amount, so once I reach my goal I think it will work for maintenance, no holds barred.

As a food lover, I find it really important to have variety in my diet, so I am now on a mission to find a variety of low calorie meals for fasting days. Here is a recipe for my new favourite grain bourghal.  I am using the CalorieKing app to calculate my calories, so hopefully they are accurate.  Quantities can be increased for non-dieters or non-fasting days.

Bourghal, Tomato and Capsicum Salad with Griddled Chicken Breast 285 Calories (serves 1)

25g bourghal
1/2 small clove garlic
80g tomatoes
80g capsicum
15g spring onions, white part only
15g sliced, pitted black olives
10g mint leaves
10g parsley leaves
20ml  fresh lemon juice
100g chicken breast, skin and fat removed, about 1 cm thick
salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Put the bourghal in a large bowl and cover with plenty of boiling water and leave to stand for 45 minutes.

Finely chop the garlic, tomatoes, capsicum, spring onion and herbs and set aside.

Just before the bourghal is ready, heat a griddle pan to high.  Season the chicken breast and spray with a small amount of oil.  Cook the chicken for 8-10 minutes until cooked through, turning half way. Allow the chicken to rest while you assemble the rest of the dish.

Once the bourghal is tender (45 minutes soaking) drain to remove all excess water.  Return to the bowl and stir through the chopped garlic, vegetables and herbs.  Season to taste with the lemon juice, salt and pepper. If it is not a fast day it also tastes great with some extra virgin olive not, but that would tip this dish way over the magic 300 calories.  Serve with the chicken.

Calorie count is a guide, and worked out based on the quantities stated.

Whatever your thoughts on the monarchy you can’t deny that 60 years service is a pretty impressive achievement.  I’m hanging out for 10 years long service leave and I’ll be amazed if I last that long with the same employer, but to do 60 years in the same job is pretty incredible. So on that note, I couldn’t let the Diamond Jubilee celebrations pass without a little mention on here and I don’t need much of an excuse to cook a nice meal.

Queen Elizabeth took over the job when her father died in February 1952 but she wasn’t formally crowned until the Coronation on June 2nd 1953.  To celebrate the occasion a new dish was created called Coronation Chicken: a creamy blend of chicken, mayonnaise and curry powder with a few raisins and almonds thrown in for good measure; served cold, either on it’s own or as a sandwich filling.

Jubilee celebrations are an excuse for friends and neighbours to get get together and throw a street party or barbeque.  That means you have to put on a good spread of British food. To add to the celebrations for the subsequent jubilee celebrations, Coronation chicken was updated for the Golden Jubilee in 2002 and again this year for the Diamond Jubilee.  I searched around for inspiration and found offerings from a variety of chefs, none of which tempted me, as they mostly involve pairing chicken with mayonnaise and fruit, which goes against my strict food rules.

In his latest book, Jamie Oliver provided the closest version of this dish that I would eat.  However, pineapple and cucumbers are two ingredients you won’t find in any recipes on this blog.  So I adapted the flavours inspired by my new found love of Thai cuisine.  The original dish was based on the flavours of the Empire, which in post war Britain amounted to the exotic curry powder but today I can afford to splash out on fresh ingredients such as garlic, coriander, lime and chilli. This is a great salad to be served as part of a Jubilee street party or barbeque salad and is adapted from Jamie’s Great Britain. I think Jamie has nailed this one with the toasted cashews and crispy chicken skin – sorry, this is not a dish for my healthy Australian friends!

Diamond Jubilee Chicken (serves 6-8)
8 chicken thighs, skin on (this is important!)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
salt and pepper to taste
2 limes
1 handful of cashew nuts
1 tablespoon of black sesame seeds
1 handful of snowpeas (mangetout)
8 radishes
8 spring onions
1 fresh red chilli
200g creme fraiche
small bunch fresh coriander

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. To make the marinade, put the coriander seeds, grated ginger and garlic, shredded kaffir lime leaf, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add the lime juice and olive oil to make a loose paste, you made need to adjust the quantities depending on how juicy your lime is. Slash the meat on the chicken thighs to allow the marinade to penetrate the flesh.  Rub the majority of the marinade into the flesh coating the skin briefly.  You could leave this to marinade for up to an hour in the fridge, but I didn’t have time, so I just put it in a roasting tin, skin side up, drizzled the skin with a tiny bit more olive oil then put in the the pre-heated oven to roast for 50 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and comes away from the bone easily.

While the chicken is cooking, prepare the rest of the salad.  Finely slice the radishes, snow peas and spring onions and chilli and set aside.

To make the dressing combine the creme fraiche with the juice of one lime.  I added the lime juice gradually as you may not need all of it.  Stir through some chopped fresh coriander, reserving some leaves for the garnish. Season to taste.

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the skin from the thighs in one piece. Place the skin upside down on a clean baking tray and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and cashew nuts.  Put back in the oven for 5-8 minutes until the skin is really crispy and the cashew nuts are starting to brown.  Do not forget them, as they will burn easily.

Remove the chicken from the bone and shred into large chunks with a fork.  Discard the bones, fat and gristle.  Pour the fat and juices from the pan into a jug, discarding the fat and keeping all the sticky juices and cooked ginger and garlic.  In a bowl, combine the chicken meat with the leftover juices, garlic and ginger. Then add the sliced radish, snowpeas, spring onion and chilli and stir through 3/4 of the creme fraiche dressing.

To serve, place the chicken mixture on a platter and scatter with the cashew nuts and chopped crispy chicken skin, followed by some of the reserved coriander leaves and the last of the creme fraiche dressing.  Perfect as part of your Jubilee street party spread.

Sausages

What do you do on a rainy Sydney Saturday? Well you could go to the aquarium, or you could go to a museum, or you could go to the cinema (I’ll save that for a rainy, Sydney Sunday), so failing all that I cook.  It can get a bit hot in Sydney in summer for lengthy cooking processes, so we eat VERY seasonally in our house. Summer is for salads and BBQ’s and anything else that is quick to prepare. Winter is roasting, stewing, comfort eating and for meals that involve a bit of preparation.  With the weather cooling down for winter I took the opportunity to stock up the freezer with sausages.

Only last week I ate the last of the duck sausages from the freezer and was keen to a) make more sausages and b) try some flavours I’ve not tried before.  Sausage making is not a quick process, so a very rainy day meant I could set aside the whole day for sausages.

Mincing

Sausage making also calls for a little preparation, which in this case meant an early mark from work on Friday to get to the butchers before it closed.  I felt marginally guilty leaving work early in the name of sausage making, but when you’re the boss (sort of) you can get away with things like that.  The early dart to the butcher was worth it though. Not for the sausage casings or the pork but for the compliments of the new butcher.  I hadn’t been in there for a few months and they have a new employee, who had never been asked for sausage skins before. It threw him a little, he wanted to sell me sausages. When I told him I wanted pork leg or shoulder as well, he asked “What for, roasting?” “For the sausages, of course” I replied. To which he was also a little confused “We sell pork mince, you know.” This then led to the comment that made my week “You look to young to be interested in making your own sausages” and of course I couldn’t resist asking how old he thought I was, and when the answer was somewhere in my twenties he secured my business for life!

Anyway, I digress, I’m here to write about sausages not how my butcher secures more business.  Today’s sausage recipes included two chicken based sausages; a fresh chorizo; kangaroo (more of this in another post). I wanted to make the most of the fresh herbs in the garden before they die a death for winter, so I divided the basic chicken sausage recipe in two.  I followed the chicken, tomato and basil recipe from Charcuterie with one half and with the other half, I combined the flavours that I thought would work. My chicken sausage recipe is as follows:

Chicken and Tarragon Sausages

Chicken, Tarragon and White Wine Sausages
1kg chicken thighs, skin removed
450g pork back fat
10g garlic, finely chopped
30g tarragon, leaves picked and finely chopped
10g fresh parsley leaves, chopped
120ml white wine, chilled
14g salt

Mince the chicken thighs and pork back fat through the medium plate of a mincer. Add the dry ingredients to the minced meat and and combine until the mixture starts to become sticky.  Gradually add the white wine until it is thoroughly combined.  Stuff the mixture into the sausage casings and link into sausages. Leave in the fridge to bloom overnight before cooking.

I have been desperate to make some chorizo sausage since starting the Charcutepalooza challenge.  I haven’t quite managed the cured version yet, but I figured the fresh version would be a good start.  I found a recipe in the Movida cook book which I adapted to my taste, that is I had to reduce some of the hot paprika (I have very delicate taste buds) and added in some white wine to give it some moisture. My recipe is as follows:

Fresh Chorizo

Fresh Chorizo
1kg pork shoulder
200g pork back fat
20g sweet paprika
5g hot paprika
20g garlic, finely chopped
20g dried oregano
100ml dry white wine, chilled
15g salt

Ensure the pork and fat are well chilled before slicing into lengths and mincing through the medium plate.   Add all the dry ingredients and mix well until the sausagemeat starts to become sticky. Gradually add the wine until it is thoroughly combined. Stuff into large caseings and link into desired lengths. Leave in the fridge to bloom overnight before cooking.

Sausage, egg and chips

After all this hard work I had to try some of the sausages. I chose the chorizo, because it is one of my all time favourite sausages and just smelt so authentic I had to give it a go.  Being a rainy Saturday, I thought I should go for some weekend comfort food, so on the menu for Saturday night was sausage, egg and chips. Happy childhood memories, vastly improved by homemade sausages, of the chorizo variety; homemade chips; fresh eggs from a friends back garden.  The flavour of the chorizo was outstanding. It was so close to the real deal, I couldn’t quite believe this could be achieved without curing.

Sausage anyone?

The authenticity came from the strength of the garlic and paprika.  I have my parents to thank for the paprika. I am the proud owner of two tins of La Chinata paprika, one hot and one sweet.  This is a DOC product from Spain, so I don’t think you could get more authentic than that.  It was a Christmas present. Awesome present, but I do feel slightly guilty every time I use it as it wasn’t declared at customs when it arrived in December, no more shall be said about the matter…

The only criticism of the sausage is they are a touch dry, and I guess this might be the case with all of this batch of sausages as none of them contain any breadcrumbs or rusk as all my other favourite sausage recipes do. Always room for improvement, but that’s OK, it just means I get to make them all again.