STIR-FRY CAULIFLOWER VEG WITH PORK/CHICKEN, Low carb & fat, Vegan option, Fast, some prep-ahead

BRITISH CAULIFLOWER A LA CHINOISE

Cauliflower & Pork Stir Fry, wallet-friendly with delicate Oriental flavours 

This low-carb, low-fat quick and easy one-pan dish is a real winner at the end of a busy day. 

It's packed with veg and energy-restoring protein.   As well as cauliflower the dish offers mange tout, bell pepper and tomatoes.  The high veg content fills up the belly, leaving little room for foods that are bad for you. 

Lean fillet of pork provides protein without fat but in wallet-friendly quantities. If you're feeling very hungry, add more.  If pork's a problem, chicken is a good substitute. 

Cost: about £1.50
Feeds: one hungry person or two people as part of a three course meal

Ingred:
     3 1/2-5oz/100-150g pork or chicken fillet thinly sliced on the grain  
     Vegan option: firm tofu thinly sliced

 Marinade    
     1 tbsp dry sherry or white grape juice or wine
     1/2 - 1 tbsp lower-salt soy sauce (try Amoy or Pearl River Bridge)
     1/2  tsp grated garlic
     1 tsp grated, peeled ginger
     1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (opt)
     
     1 1/2 cups cauliflower, broken into small florets
     1/4 cup water
     1/4 bell pepper in thin strips
     1/2 cup mange tout, de-stringed*
     peanut (groundnut) or light veg oil

     pepper & salt

     1/3 cup cold water mixed with 1-2 tsp corn or rice flour (the more you use, the thicker the sauce)
     1/3-1/2 tbsp oyster sauce
  
     generous handful baby tomatoes, halved (opt)

Method:

1. Mix marinade ingredients in flat bowl; add slices of meat; stir; leave 10-20 mins - the longer the better
2. In a small bowl mix 1/3 cup cold water with corn/rice flour, stirring well to make a slurry; mix in oyster sauce; set aside
3. Heat a large frying pan over med-high heat, add water & cauliflower, cover; steam cook 2-3 mins shaking occasionally; a knife tip inserted in the centre should meet resistance; pour veg & liquid into a large bowl; set aside
4. Spray frying pan with peanut (groundnut) or lght veg oil; turn heat to high,  toss in pepper slices; stir-fry 2 mins; add mange tout, stir fry another 2 mins; decant into the cauliflower bowl
5. Reduce heat a little & add a little more oil; add meat slices in one layer; leave a minute or so until brown & crusty underneath; turn meat slices over; leave another min or until all the pink is gone then decant onto a plate & keep warm
6. Lower heat to med-high; add just enough water to scrape up brown bits on the pan; add braised veg & slurry (see no 2) and any juices from the pork
7. Cover and cook 1-2 mins or until veg are done to your liking.  
8. Add meat and tomatoes (the tomatoes are barely cooked); Stir 1 min
9. For a low carb meal, serve as is or with a few tablespoons brown rice

Tips:

• the veg can be prepped the night before and stored separately in plastic bags; the marinade can also be made the night before
• to de-string mange tout, use a sharp knife to cut below the curled end and peel back along the top edge; repeat on the bottom 
• as little as 2-2 1/2 oz/50-75gm meat meets protein requirements for one person

For more Stir-frys go to Recipes on the Nav Bar 

                        

Like this? Hate it? Comments or questions, pls email b67goingon50@yahoo.co.uk and say if they can be included in the blog                                         

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.     

HOW TO...MAKE HEALTHY SMOOTHIES

Part of this material appeared in How to...stay healthy while dieting Jan 2017

HEALTHY SMOOTHIES

No-sugar Blueberry Yoghurt Breakfast Smoothie 

Adding some veg or ginger makes this perfect

Replacing meals with a smoothie can lead to good weight loss without damaging the body but there is an art to healthy smoothies.  Too much fruit just adds sugar to the body which has the opposite effect to the one intended.

Fitness Magazine has published some recipes for vegetable & fruit smoothies and 67 was taken by some of the combinations. 

Beetroot & ginger, spinach avocado & mint, spinach cucumber & apple in particular sounded lovely.   

But many contain exotic (i.e. not cheap) ingredients like coconut milk, kale, protein powders or the latest 'it' foods: chia seeds and matcha.  

67 is currently adapting the recipes and will either leaves out the exotic ingredients, find a cheaper substitute or go 'off-piste'.  It may end up with smoothie very unlike the original.

The blends are being tested now and will be posted in due course.

Do have a gander at Fitness Magazine now if you fancy. The recipes are worth a try but remember:

• for added texture, add a couple of tablespoons of Ultra Granola or oatmeal and nuts 
• coconut is high in saturated fat; replace with 0-fat yoghurt  
• plain silken tofu adds bulk

The ideal healthy smoothie has these elements:

• liquid: water, milk, veggie milks, fruit juice, coconut milk (but not for the cholesterol challenged)
• fruit: berries, apples & pears, bananas, grapes, melons
• vegetables: spinach, carrot, beetroot, tomatoes, avocados, 
• protein: yoghurt, nut butters, tofu

Optional but tasty ingredients include:

• texture: nuts, oatmeal, granola 
• flavour: cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla 

      For more smoothie recipes go to Recipes: Drinks (Nav Bar) 

Like this? Hate it? Comments or questions, pls email b67goingon50@yahoo.co.uk and say if they can be included in the blog

DISCLAIMER: The author accepts no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.  Any information not sourced to a second party is the copyright of the blogger.

WHEAT & YEAST FREE OATMEAL MOLASSES BREAD, easy peasy, double duty

You won't taste the oatmeal or molasses in this fabulous easy more-ish bread 

updated Dec 19

Slightly wonky shaped Oatmeal Molasses Bread/Rolls 
'Lovely and moist; once you start you want to eat it all.' 'I really like it; I never eat bread as a snack but I did with this.' Tasters

Here's a heart-friendly bread with a wonderful taste and texture that's full of fibre and vital nutrients. The bread is typical of Irish soda breads and tastes unusually good.  The molasses and oatmeal are barely noticeable but adds a layer of sweet smoky flavour.     

Oatmeal is considered a whole grain powerhouse and helps reduce bad cholesterol.  Doctors recommend eating it daily so if porridge or granola is no longer rocking your boat, Oatmeal Molasses Bread is a wonderful substitute.

Nutrient-rich molasses is high in iron, calcium and potassium. Though it is a sugar, it's low on the glycemic index, causes fewer spikes in blood sugar and can be a healthier option for diabetics. 

The recipe calls for spelt flour but common wheat can also be used. Replacing 1/3 of the flour with wholemeal adds more health-giving fibre.

Cost:  £3-ish (2019)
Makes: one good sized loaf plus 5-6 rolls but recipe halves nicely

Ingred:
    14oz/390 gm plain spelt flour OR 9.5oz/275 gm white + and 4oz/115gm wholemeal 
    3oz/90g oatmeal, blitzed in a blender till fine if poss
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp salt

     4oz/113gm cold dairy or plant butter, in small cubes

    400ml buttermilk* LESS 1/4 cup/60ml
    1/4 cup/60ml molasses
    1 extra large egg, beaten

    Optional extras: zest of an orange
                            generous couple of handfuls sunflower seeds

    Garnish: oatmeal

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375f/190c/170fan/gas5; lay a strip of greaseproof paper along the bottom of the bread tin, overlapping the sides; if the tin is metal, grease the sides 
2. Mix dry ingred in a large bowl; add butter and rub together (or process) until butter resembles peas
3. If using orange zest/sunflower seeds, add here; mix
4. Whisk buttermilk, molasses & egg; beware molasses sitting on the bottom
5. Make a well in the dry ingred; add liquid, stir well until it is absorbed (this may take a few mins); the mix will be thick and unwieldy
6. If making a medium loaf & several rolls divide dough in 2
7. If making a good-sized loaf and a few rolls, divide dough accordingly
8. Scrape mix into bread tin; sprinkle with oatmeal
9. Roll the rest of the dough onto a heavily floured board; scrape together, blending in extra flour; cut into fingers
10. Bake bread for 45 mins, turning the tray once; release bread to check underside; if it does not sound hollow when tapped, cook a further 10 mins bottom side up
11. Bake rolls 30-40 mins

Comments:
'The bread is lovely and moist. Its only drawback is it's a bit crumbly but ...once you start you want to eat it all.'  Middle aged political agent
''The roll is sweet; I really like it. It feels weighty but doesn't eat heavily.  I never normally eat bread like a snack but this I was happy to.' 20-something fund raiser

Tips:

• *replace buttermilk with 3/4 0-fat yoghurt plus 1/4 water Or, in a pinch,   milk plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar, left 15 mins (fortified plant milks also work well here)
• the bread is excellent thickly sliced, in a toaster, OR under the grill
• it perfectly complements strong cheeses - double Gloucester with chives and onion OR Gorgonzola OR Cambozola  

More free-of-common wheat on Nav Bar: Recipes II  (bottom page)

                        

Please leave a Comments in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

WINTER CARNIVAL MIXED SALAD, cheerful & sunny, healthy, can be prepped in advance

A beautiful satisfying late winter salad... 

Carnival Salad with spinach, peas & corn

Here's a salad to lighten the mood as spring creeps ever closer, with substantial ingredients to satisfy the winter palate. 

Fresh spinach replaces lettuce and adds heft, as does peas and corn but tomatoes, cucumber and radish remind us of pleasures to come. Slices of buttery avocado add richness (but can be replaced with butternut squash) and toasted walnuts add crunch.

The salad can be served as a light meal rather than a side with a baked sweet potato or crusty wholemeal bread.  Wheat-free Oatmeal Molasses Bread would be perfect.

Add additional garnishes of orange segments (see Sunshine Salad). or cooked cauliflower florets.

Cost: £1.50
Feeds: 4

Ingred:
     generous 4oz/120gm washed spinach 
     1/3 cup cooked peas (frozen are fine)
     1/3 cup corn niblets (tinned or frozen are ok)
      1/3 cup beetroot, thinly sliced (opt)
     2-3 tomatoes in medium dice, sprayed with olive oil & lightly salted
     1/2 cup cucumber in med dice  
      scant 1/4 cup thinly sliced radish
     1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts, pre-toasted in a frying pan or mod oven 4-5 mins

     Balsamic Vinaigrette, either simple or creamy, depending on taste

Method:

1. Layer ingredients attractively in a salad bowl or platter
2. Just before serving, pour over dressing   

Tips:

• Prepare ingred no more than a few hours in advance, store in separate  containers and assemble just before serving
• For instructions on preparing orange segments, go to Sunshine Salad

For more Salads go to Recipes on the Nav Bar 

                        

                                   Please leave a Comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.