What to have for Breakfast when you are not eating wheat or sugar...

No wheat or sugar for breakfast?  I find this rather challenging at the best of times.  Somehow sugary carbs are the easiest option to shovel down your gob when you've had a rubbish night sleep due to the nocturnal activities of your family.

So on Day 2 of my new regime(Day 1 started just before lunch), I find myself scratching my head wondering when I last didn't have sugary carbs for breakfast.  So this is going to be a challenge.  Although I'll probably get into a breakfast food groove for the week and stick with it.

So after a scratch through my store cupboard and fridge I assembled a bowl of fruit salad (half a can of fruit salad in fruit juice) along with some fresh mandarins a dollop of lite greek yoghurt a drizzle of honey, and some toasted sesame seeds.  Not bad... actually pretty good.  I think I will stick with this, varying the fruit according to what is in my fruit bowl.  On the weekend I might take a walk on the wild side and have some weight watchers chicken bacon with scrambled eggs or a nice omelette just to add some variety into the equation.

My go-to dinner when feeling heavy... Tofu Ramen

This is the meal I eat sometimes several times a week when I am feeling heavy.  It is very tasty, healthy and easy to make.  As I have decided to cut out wheat based carbs for the next 2 weeks, I am not including udon noodles in my bowl, but my partner will be enjoying them as per usual.

Tofu Ramen Recipe

Ingredients(for two)

1 block of tofu
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Broth Ingredients
3 cups of water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons of sugar or sugar substitute
1 teaspoon ginger
3 teaspoons chicken stock powder

Veg Ingredients
4 slices mushrooms
10 snow peas
1.5 cups bean sprouts
1 big handful baby spinach leaves
1 spring onion

chilli oil
1 packet instant udon noodles

Method

First things first, chop the tofu into decent size chunks and fry until crispy in a non stick frying pan with the sesame oil.  If you are feeling like something more meaty, then some sliced seared rump steak, sliced cooked chicken breast or a handful of cooked prawns also work really well.

Prepare the broth my mixing all the ingredients in a saucepan and bringing to the boil.  Add the thinly sliced mushrooms and snow peas and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Add the bean sprouts and simmer for another minute before adding the baby spinach leaves and removing from the heat.

To assemble the dish, put half a pack of udon noodles in the bottom of each bowl.  Add half the broth to each bowl, and then top with crispy tofu.  I then sprinkle some chopped spring onions over the top before making is spicy with some chilli oil.  The chilli oil I prefer in Asian dishes is the one pictured above.  Very good in small quantities.

Snack Attack

Snacking.  Always a challenge.  Especially when you have been at home in quarantine for a whole week looking after a chicken pox infested pre schooler.  And no wheat based carbs or sugary snacks allowed.  That seems most unfair, but the following snacks have helped me get through the week without feeling as though I'm suffering too much.

Fruit
My favourite fruit of the week is definately the mandarin.  I imagine each sweet segment as being a jelly bean.  They are so delicious this season.  Three cheers for whoever grew such mandarins.  I am currently eating 3-4 of these a day, randomly, in emergency situations when sugar cravings set in.  My other favourite is dried apple rings.  In moderation to the mandarins due to the natural sugar content.

Dried Apple Rings

Miso Soup
Bought in sachets from the asian section in our local supermarket, add the paste to a cup of hot water, and voila you have a steaming cup of miso, very good at dealing with hunger pains and three thirtyitis.

Instant Japanese Miso Soup

 
Hummus
Home made hummus on brown rice crackers, or a blob on a slice of cucumber is very appetising.  I will be posting a separate item on home-made hummus, as it's so good, 'much better than the supermarket' says my hummus-loving 7 year old


Toasted Seeds
Dry fried pumpkin and sunflower seeds are a good alternative to nuts as they taste good, one tends to eat less of them, so less fat consumed.

Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds

Broccoli Salad

For lunch I have just enjoyed a delicious broccoli salad loosely based on Jamie Olivers Cowboy Salad (minus the bacon and much less fat in the dressing) - basically take a head of broccoli and cut into nicely sized florets(not too big) and blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Add 1 chopped tomato, and several chopped spring onions to the broccoli. I then added a can of smoked chicken breast, but you could add tuna, tofu, or any other protein of your choice that's healthy. Even Weight Watchers chicken bacon would be really good in this. I then made a dressing of 1/2 clove crushed garlic, salt and pepper, 1 tsp Dijon mustard. 3 tbs wine vinegar, and 1 t oil. Mix it all together and you have a healthy salad lunch for two.

Chocolate Brownie Heaven

These are really good, much nicer than chocolate cake, and can be piled up nicely on plates at dinner or birthday parties. Instead of birthday cake, pile these up and spike with birthday candles. There are never any leftovers. Do not bake these if you are on a diet, they are evil!

Ingredients

340g dark chocolate

255g unsalted butter

3 medium eggs

255g dark muscovado sugar

110g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

100g chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 170C and butter and line a 23cm cake tin. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. In a bowl, over a pan of hot water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Whisk the eggs and slowly add the sugar. Beat in the chocolate mixture and gently fold in the flour and chocolate buttons. Pour into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes until the surface is set but a skewer comes out with a little of the mixture clinging to it. Remove and cool slightly before placing on a wire rack to cool. Cut into pieces and keep in a tin or in the fridge. I find these easier to separate if you slice them up then put them in the fridge for a couple of hours before separating them, as they can be quite delicate.

Boysenberry and Apple Strudel

Tomorrow night we have decided to only have desserts for dinner because we can. As this isn't 'best practise' when it comes to parenting, I was trying to think of a recipe that might contain fruit and protein, that might be 'almost healthy'. Then the word 'strudel' popped into my mind. No, it is not healthy, but it is good, and if you're only going to eat desserts then why not have your favourites. It does contain fruit and ricotta cheese which is healthy, just ignore the sugar and butter parts of the recipe. If you want a truly healthy dessert, try freezing banana and strawberry bite size pieces. Blend these with a little yoghurt/milk until it reaches ice-cream consistency. The end result is sugar free ice cream which can be lactose free if you use soy milk or yoghurt.

Anyway, back to the strudel...

75g butter
90ml light muscovado sugar
3 egg yolks
1 lemon, grated rind only
¼ tsp nutmeg, grated
250g ricotta cheese
8 large sheets filo pastry
200g boysenberries
2 apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp sliced almonds
icing sugar, for dusting
To serve créme fraîche


Preheat the oven to 190C. Soften 15g of the butter. Place it in a bowl and beat in the sugar and egg yolks until light and fluffy. Beat in the lemon rind, nutmeg and ricotta. Set aside. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan. Working quickly, place a sheet of filo on a piece of greaseproof and brush generously with the melted butter. Put a second sheet on top and repeat the process. Continue until all the filo has been buttered and layered. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the filo pastry and spread until it covers the pastry - leave a border around the edge. Scatter over the apples and boysenberries. Fold in the filo border and use the greaseproof paper to carefully roll up the strudel. Grease a baking sheet with butter and place the strudel on top. Scatter the almonds over the top. Bake the strudel for 35-40 minutes until golden and crisp. Dust with icing sugar and serve with créme fraîche.

Simply Sushi Salad

This was such an obvious combination to put into a salad, I don't know why I never though of it before especially considering that I eat sushi as often as possible. Tastes like sushi but without all the fuss of rolling it (although that is something I really enjoy but only when I'm in the mood). My 5 year old won't usually eat salads, but has now changed his mind. I will have him eating greek salads by the end of the summer.

Sushi Salad

2 cups basmati rice

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 cloves garlic finely chopped

2.5cm piece ginger finely chopped

1/2 cup soy sauce (tamari, kikomen)

3-5 chillis finely chopped(optional)

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

8 nori sheets cut into small strips

150g smoked salmon

1/3 cup toasted sesame seeds

1/2 bag baby spinach leaves

1 avocado (optional)

Cook rice according to packet instructions. Heat sesame oil in pan and fry garlic, ginger and a dash of soy sauce for a couple of minutes. Put rice in bowl, and pour over the aromatics, left over soy sauce and vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and mix together garnishing with chopped avocado. Would also be lovely with garlic prawns, roast peppers or cucumber.