Fullers Folio Blog - Fullers Folio

Ham Green Pepper Broccoli and Leek Noodle Recipe

12/4/2012

I had a friend who used to answer when asked what shall we have for tea, “Jump at the fridge door”. They meant that they would look in it and see what jumped out at them. Well the recipe was so inspired.

Normally when I record a recipe on the blog I have tried it a few times, and even sometimes remember to have a camera at hand so can take some shots, but this time this is not the case. Though it was invented, we thought it tasted so good that it should be recorded before forgotten, and as such it may as well be put on the blog.

The idea of the recipe was one that could be made very quickly, and cooks as being prepared. The ingredients given below make a quick meal enough for two. It took the length of time to cook the noodles – I also prepared and lit the fire whilst doing this at the same time so it is very easy!

Ingredients

No more than 3 tsp of olive oil
2 Leeks
1 Head of Broccoli
1 Green pepper
2 Slices cooked roast ham (enough for two)
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Chinese five spice
One good squirt of tomato purée (You could use tomato ketchup instead if do not have any purée to hand)
2 Chopped tomatoes for decoration
Enough noodles for two

Method

Put the noodles in a pan add water and put on to boil (The aim is to have the rest ready by the time the noodles are cooked)
Put a large non stick frying pan on high heat and add 1 tsp olive oil
Finely chop leeks and add to pan stirring as required
Chunkly chop green pepper and add to pan
Add a little more oil if sticking
Chop Broccoli to roughly thumb size pieces and add to pan
As soon as everything coated with oil add Chinese five spice, stirring continuously
Chop the ham into thumb sized strips and add to pan – keep stirring
Add 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar keep stirring
Add 1 tsp soy sauce keep stirring
Add squirt of tomato purée keep stirring
Add 1 more tsp of vinegar and 1 more tsp soy sauce and keep stirring.
(If the mixture is too dry and sticking to the pan you can add a spoon full of water from the noodles)
Noodles should be done by now.
Drain the noodles (if fat is not a worry, put back in warm pan and add 1 tsp olive oil and stir round before serving)
Serve as noodles in a bowl or on a plate with the ham & broccoli mixture on top. Decorate with a chopped tomato.

Enjoy

PS This will give a slightly crunchy texture to the broccoli (The more it is cooked the less good it does you as cooking breaks down the good bits of it). If you add it before the green pepper it will cook a bit more.

Chocolate Brownie – Low Fat Recipe

11/12/2012

We have now made these several times and their only fault is that they taste delicious so you want to eat more of them

Ingredients

130 gms (5 oz) plain flour
40 gms (1.5 oz) cocoa powder (Not sweetened hot chocolate powder)
100 gms (3.5 oz) soft brown sugar (can reduce this to 70 gms 2.5 oz if do not have a sweet tooth)
30 gms (1.25 oz) dry milk powder
130 gms (5 oz) apple sauce (unsweatened)
1tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp baking soda
1 medium size egg white beaten

Optional extra - can add 70 gms 2.5 oz chopped dark chocolate to the mixture

Method

Lightly grease a medium sized baking tray (will rise so needs to be around 5cm (2 inches) high
Preheat oven to 180 °C (350 °F )
Sift the flours, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a large mixing bowl
Add the chopped dark chocolate
Beat together in a separate bowl (or use food processor) the brown sugar, milk powder, apple sauce
Add the lightly beaten egg white with a spoon until all mixed
Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until fully combined
Spread evenly into the prepared baking tin
Bake for 20-25 minutes in oven. Check with fork or skewer (insert into centre and if comes out clean then cooked)
Cool on a wire rack
Cut into squares.
Keep cool in airtight container (With padlock!! to stop instantly vanishing)

Enjoy..

Blood test results

7/17/2012

So finally after 18 months of pain and diet, having lost around 70 lbs in weight. (This equates to a good few inches round the waist and over a shirt collar size) I have finally got back a set of blood results that are normal. My liver has finally settled down and is working normally again.

Treats!!!

My doc has said that I am now allowed the occasional treat, and this seemed a good excuse to show a picture of a distillery from Islay.

Pile of Sticks

But I still have to be careful and watch my diet. The docs software (always blame the system if one is giving bad news) says that I still need to loose a few more pounds and have an average weight that hovers around this lower level. I feel as if I will end up as a bag of bones – a bit like this pile of sticks. The good thing about all this is that I have learnt to appreciate and understand a lot more about what I am eating and the affect food has on our bodies. Lets hope that the next test in a few months time is just as positive.

Low fat Fig and Walnut Bread Recipe

7/9/2012

Fig and Walnut Bread

This is something that I have been experimenting with over the last few months as eating bread is something that I enjoy, but have to be careful about as so often it is either full of fat or calories. So I have been trying to perfect a healthy loaf full of goodness that tastes lovely. Hopefully you will agree with me

Dough - being knocked out.

Ingredients

280ml water
1.5 tsp lemon juice (or lime juice both taste good)
100g – wholemeal flour
60g – oats
350g white flour
30g skimmed milk powder
1.5 tsp dried yeast
1.5 tsp sugar
1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
40g-50g broken walnuts (these are expensive but taste lovely)
40g-50g of quarter chopped figs
Handful of Pumpkin seeds

Dough rolled in flour

A brief scan on the internet lists numerous health benefits from the ingredients. I have listed just a few below-

Oats - Oatmeal and oat bran are significant sources of dietary fibre. This fiber contains a mixture of about half soluble and half insoluble fibers. One component of the soluble fibre found in oats is beta-glucans, a soluble fibre which has proven effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

Olive Oil - Using olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, rather than a saturated fats or polyunsaturated fats can:

Reduce blood pressure
Inhibit the growth of some cancers
Benefit people at risk for or with diabetes
Lessen the severity of asthma and arthritis
Actually help your body maintain a lower weight

Walnuts - More than a decade of scientific evidence shows that incorporating walnuts in a healthy diet reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood vessel elasticity and plaque accumulation. Walnuts have also been shown to aid in the lowering LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol)

Dried figs are excellent source of minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Pumkin Seeds - They promote overall prostate health and alleviate the difficult urination associated with an enlarged prostate.Improved Bladder Function. They contain L-tryptophan, a compound naturally effective against depression. Prevention of Osteoporosis Because they are high in zinc, pumpkin seeds are a natural protector against osteoporosis. Low intake of zinc is linked to higher rates of osteoporosis. Pumpkin seeds effectively reduce inflammation without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.They prevent calcium oxalate kidney stone formation, according to studies. They also Lower Cholesterol as they contain phytosterols, compounds that that have been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol. The same phytosterols that lower cholesterol also protect against many cancers.

Make a hole in the centre of the dough

Method –

I use a bread machine to make the dough putting the yeast in first and the liquid ingredients in last. Use a fruit setting and add the chopped nuts and figs when the machine beeps or when the first kneading has finished.

Cut with a knife

When the dough cycle has finished place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knock back slightly

Lightly oil a baking sheet

Shape the bread into a ball

Make a hole in the centre with ones finger

Cut with a sharp knife

Brush with Milk

Sprinkle with pumbin seeds

Allow to rise for 30-45 minutes

Brush with milk

Cut the crust and enjoy

Put into a preheated oven at 200 degrees centigrade

Bake for around 35 minutes (30-40 mins) – It burns very quickly so need to watch and check – ready when hollow sounding when tapped.

Place on rack to cool – and then enjoy - with a nice healthy salad

The Best Flapjack Ive Ever Tasted

3/30/2012

Yesterday we went exploring south of the Tyne, eventually making our way down to Temple Sowerby, but on the way we stopped off for a morning coffee at the Whitefield Village Pantry. This is run by my friend Dave, and having heard all about it from his partner Ed, I wanted to see what it was like for real.

As I may be accused of being biased in my comments I will let those of Pauline my wife who has never met Dave before be recorded. Along with her coffee, she had a lovely looking flapjack, which I was hoping to have a small bite of (as still on diet), but while Dave was explaining his plans for their garden, the flapjack all vanished with the comment “That was the Best Flapjack I've ever tasted”. She then went on and asked Dave the secret of the recipe, but I will not reveal that here – If you want to find that out you will just have to go to Whitfield yourself and try one. Who knows Dave may tell you, though I know he is very keen on winning the local cake competitions, so he may not be that forthcoming.

It was a shame really that we were not there a bit later as the lunch offerings looked really tasty as well, (not the usual boring fayre) especially as a new lovely looking cake was just coming out the oven as we were leaving. We wish them all the best for the future, and will label them as a “Good Choice Foods” establishment – more on this to come.

Spicy Beetroot and Lentil soup – Thai Style- Recipe

3/22/2012

I had some potatoes and beetroot that needed eating up and rather than just make a plain vegetable soup I thought I would experiment with a Thai version that is full of good things. The fact that my three monthly medical check-up may have had something to do with this. With a quick search on the internet - Some of the key ones are listed below.

Coconut – good at reducing body fat - One of the reasons why coconut is effective in reducing body fat and lowering weight is because it contains fewer calories than any other fat. For this reason, it has gained the distinction of being the world's only natural, low-calorie fat. Medium-chain triglycerides in coconut are smaller than other fats and, therefore, digest very quickly, so quickly in fact, that the body uses them as an immediate source of fuel rather than pack them away in storage inside our fat cells. MCT are used to produce energy much like carbohydrates and, therefore, they do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats. For this reason, they do not supply fat to fat cells or contribute to weight gain.
Beetroot – high in anti-oxidants - Beetroot (along with carrots) are abundant in beta-carotenes, the red/yellow/orange anti-oxidants that are especially good in helping ward off colds.
Lentils – source of vitamins and fibre – Lentils provide B vitamins that are fantastic for energy, immune health and mental clarity. They contain fibre to help keep you regular and bind with toxins and waste products from the body for elimination. Lentils also contain amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, a source of which is very important for those following a vegetarian and vegan diet.

Ingredients (this makes enough for 2 good portions or 4 smaller ones)

100g lentils
500g chopped potatoes
500g raw beetroot, scrubbed and coarsely chopped
sea salt, and freshly ground pepper
a dash of olive oil, for shallow-frying
600 ml vegetable stock
400 ml coconut milk – This can be made from dried grated solid coconut, or a tin of coconut milk
juice of 1 lime
1 large onion, finely chopped (can be red onion if prefer)
5 g cumin seeds (ground) or 1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp curry powder/paste

For the garnish: (this makes enough for 2 good portions or 4 smaller ones)

up to 100 ml cider vinegar,
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
a sprinkling of brown cane sugar if have a sweet tooth – but not really needed
½ cucumber, finely diced
½ red pepper, finely diced
50 g, finely chopped walnuts
2-3 spring onions, finely diced
1 chilli, finely chopped
fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (Can be 1 tsp dried if don't have fresh)
fresh coriander, finely chopped (Can be 1 tsp dried if don't have fresh)

Method

In a large heavy bottom pan add the oil, chopped onion cumin and curry and fry until transparent
Add chopped beetroot , and chopped potatoes and briefly stir so coated in the spicy mixture
Add vegetable stock
Add lentils, and bring to boil gently
When simmering add coconut milk, bring back to the boil and simmer for about an hour – depends on size of chopped beetroot (Top up with water if necessary) - till beetroot is soft
When beetroot soft put the whole mixture in food processor and blitz
Put back in pan and bring to a gentil boil, add lime juice and salt pepper as required (It will be quite a thick red/pink liquid).

To make the garnish – This is the raw ingredients that are added to the centre of the soup when in the bowl which a contrast of texture/taste to the food

In a medium sized bowl add the chopped, cucumber, red pepper, spring onions & chilli and stir round until mixed together
Add mint and coriander – making sure evenly spread throughout the mixture
Add balsamic vinegar, stirring well
Slowly add the cider vinegar spoonful at a time siring well– amount does depend on wetness of resultant mixture – you do not want to flood it
Finally add nuts again mixing well
Taste – can add the sugar if needed, or some more lime juice
Leave to stand for at least 15 minutes

To serve – place hot soup in large bowl then spoon garnish gently into centre of soup. Some will sink but some will remain on the top of the soup. Serve with warm crusty bread enjoy..

Low Fat Stuffed Chicken Breast with Plums Grapes and Marmalade Recipe

2/18/2012

This is a very simple recipe that can be cooking whilst the rest of the meal is being prepared.

Ingredients (enough for 2)

2 Skinned Chicken Breasts (or could be turkey)
8 Chopped & stoned plums
12 Chopped grapes
1 Small finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon of Italian herb mix (or mixed herbs)
1 teaspoon of curry powder
1 drizzle of olive oil
2 teaspoon of marmalade
1 sliced lemon

Method

Mix the chopped fruit, onion, herbs curry powder and one teaspoon of marmalade together in a bowl,
Cut the chicken breast almost in half along its long axis, keeping just enough meat to hold one side together so it forms a pocket
Stuff the breast with the fruit and onion mixture – half in each breast
Put half a teaspoon of marmalade on the outside of each breast, then give a drizzle of olive oil (1 teaspoon max)
Place on a baking tray and place slices of lemon on top of each breast.
Cover with foil and cook in oven for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade

This goes nicely with salad, new potatoes, or a pepper/rice/soy sauce mixture

How to loose 50 lbs in weight (or more) Part Four

2/1/2012

This is the fourth and final part of my blog on how to loose over 50lbs of weight. This will cover my typical menu for the week.

Part one covered incentive, portion size, and meal frequency. Part two covered exercise, hydration, and setting realistic targets. Part three covered the foods that I am allowed to eat and those I do not eat.

I am not a medical doctor or dietician, but due to health reasons was told last year that I needed to loose a significant amount of weight. I have had advice from a number of medical professionals as how to do this, and from their advice I came up with this plan and so far I have now lost over 60 lbs, that is more than 27 kilos, so it does seem to be successful. I have just a few more pounds to go to get to my target weight. - (The lower end of the green band in the doctors BMI chart.). Having successfully lost all this weight, a medical friend said I should share how I did it with others, hence these series of blogs.

So we come to a weeks menu and the aim is to try and make it as least boring as possible. The ultimate as far as to maximise weight loose would be fruit, vegetables, porridge and bran. Nothing else but after a month or so it does become rather boring, so my a typical weeks menu may be as follows

Monday Breakfast bran 40g, unsweetened soya milk, half a pink grapefruit and a chopped pear. Lunch bowl of porridge (30g oats, unsweetened soya milk) other half of chopped pink grapefruit and a banana and an orange. Dinner - Tuna salad – incl chopped carrot and celery no mayonnaise & Fresh fruit salad. To drink during the day black coffee, green tea, 150 ml fruit juice & water
Tuesday Breakfast & lunch the same except change fruit around. Dinner Vegetarian Pasta & Fresh fruit sala.
Wednesday - Breakfast & lunch the same except change fruit around. Dinner Fish, new potatoes and lightly steamed vegetables & Fresh fruit salad
Thursday – Breakfast either bran or porridge plus fruit. Lunch a cucumber Marmite and tomato sandwich plus fresh fruit. Dinner Chicken curry and wholegrain brown rice & Fresh fruit salad
Friday - Back to the bran and porridge for breakfast and lunch. Dinner oven baked fish rolled in oats, baked potato steamed vegetables & fresh fruit
Saturday - if have achieved my target weight loose for the week of 2 lbs then can have a bit of toast for breakfast, if not then the bran and fruit. Lunch could be a tuna and cucumber sandwich. Dinner spaghetti bolognese, using equal amounts of soya and lean mince, and adding some pulses to the sauce to up the fibre level & Fresh fruit salad
Sunday - can be similar to Saturday but maybe have a roast chicken with steamed veg for dinner. Cooking the chicken so it is not sitting in the fat, stuffing it with a lemon and not eating the skin. Absolutely no roast veg!! and a bit of fruit to follow.

Home made soup and a roll are also good options to remember, along with beans on toast (no spread on toast). I have also given some other recipes elsewhere in the blog.

Having typed this out it does make me so look forward to the day when I can just enjoy a normal meal, without having to worry about the consequences, or even a drink or two...

How to loose weight - 27kg or more (Part three)

1/27/2012

This is the third part of my blog on how to loose over 50lbs of weight. This will cover the foods consumed themselves.

Part one covered incentive, portion size, and meal frequency. Part two covered exercise, hydration, and setting realistic targets.

I am not a medical doctor or dietician, but due to health reasons was told last year that I needed to loose a significant amount of weight. I have had advice from a number of medical professionals as how to do this, and from their advice I came up with this plan and so far I have now lost over 60 lbs, that is more than 27 kilos, so it does seem to be successful. I have just a few more pounds to go to get to my target weight. - (The lower end of the green band in the doctors BMI chart.). Having successfully lost all this weight, a medical friend said I should share how I did it with others, hence these series of three blogs.

So we come to food that is being eaten. The first thing I did was sort out what I could eat/drink and what I could not. Out went

All Alcohol
All diary products
Foods that were generally over 6g per 100g fat in content i.e.
Ready meals
The majority of processed foods
Butter/spreads

In addition I was allowed

One meal of lean red meat per week (no more than 500g)
Around 10 portions of Fruit and Raw or lightly cooked vegetables (not potatoes) a day. Besides helping one loose weight fruit and veg also have other healthy side effects
White meat – skinned Chicken, or Turkey Brest
Fish
Soya products
Pulses
Bran
Oats
Black coffee
Green tea
Fruit juice – need to check sugar levels on this as some have much higher content than others.
Low sugar jams, marmalades
Marmite
Low fat Bread - Home-made
If need a fat then use olive oil

The base line was bran, oats, fruit and veg normally two times a day with a third meal of something else. I have shared some of the low fat recipes elsewhere in the blog. The main challenge with low fat cooking is that the fat adds flavour to the food. How often have you seen a TV chief drizzle olive oil on a dish just at the point of serving or cook in butter just to give that extra flavour?

To avoid the food tasting bland one needs to add lots of spices to the food, probably anything up to twice the amount normally used. Also curried/hot food tends to taste better when it is low fat than other foods. Another good tip is a teaspoonful of Marmite, takes away the blandness of the food.

As I check on my weight progress every day I can see how I am doing and if doing well and hit my target for the week, then I allowed myself a treat of a bit of a high coca chocolate. If I was not doing so well then the bran/oats & fruit option became my third meal of the day, until I had got back on target again.

In my case hopefully I will hit my target weight in the next couple of months and then I can start to enjoy other foods once again. Whatever I hope this has been helpful and I will keep posting low fat recipes as I experiment.

Pasta De Sardine (Pasta in a Sardine sauce recipe)

1/18/2012

This recipe is just for Colin who was complaining that I had not posted any recently.. Though we had this last night for tea, I forgot to take any snapshots of it so you will have to imagine the beautiful pasta covered in the rich fishy sauce..It only takes about 15 minutes to cook, and a couple of minutes preparation. This makes enough for 2 people

Ingredients

1 Can of sardines
1 Can anchovy fillets
1 Can chopped tomatoes
2-3 Coarsely chopped baby tomatoes – not necessary but look good as decoration
1 Onion finely chopped
1 Pepper finely chopped
1 Chilli finely chopped – can be reduced or missed out if don't like spicy hot food
1 table spoon of capers
1 tbs dried basil or handful of fresh basil laves chopped
A drizzle of olive oil, just enough to fry the onions and peppers stopping them sticking to the pan
a dash of balsamic vinegar
Enough dried pasta for two
a vegetable of choice, eg broccoli, or peas, or chopped carrots
Seasoning of salt and black pepper
Grated parmesan – if not on a low fat diet

Method

Remove the backbones from the sardines
Lightly fry the onion, chilli, capers and peppers in frying pan for around 5 minutes
Remove from heat and place in food processor
Add sardines, anchovies, and chopped tomatoes
Blitz in processor for a couple of minutes till have a semi smooth sauce
Pour back into pan and set at gentle heat
Put the dried pasta on to cook
Add basil
Add a dash of balsamic vinegar to sauce and stir to prevent from burning
Start cooking vegetable of choice preferably steaming it
Taste sauce and add seasoning as required – probably black pepper

When pasta and vegetables are cooked transfer all the ingredients to a large bowl and using tongs or 2 spoons, gently combine everything until the pasta is coated in the sardine sauce and the vegetables are evenly distributed. (Add the coarsely chopped baby tomatoes and a little more chopped fresh basil if using them as a decoration and sprinkle with grated parmesan if not on low fat diet) and serve immediately. Goes well with a bit of fresh crusty bread but not if on a diet.

Enjoy...