Grilled salmon and veggie mash

 Grilled salmon and veggie mash

When you buy a 1kg salmon side, instead of cooking it in the oven, slice the salmon into 4 slides, season with sea salt and pepper and grill on very hot pan.

Veggie mash
Boil peeled carrots and turnips
Once boiled pour the water away, add a knob of butter and mash



Onion/mushroom sautee
Add Olive oil into a large skillet that's on medium-high heat.
Saute chopped onions in olive oil for few minutes. Tip! Do not chop the onions into very small pieces, instead do slices, tastes and looks better!

Then add chopped mushrooms and saute for 5-10 minutes or until tender.
Season with salt, black/white pepper, and any fresh herbs (if you have any..) and little sesame seed oil


Served with boiled asparagus and watercress

Life after Whole Life Challenge - Roasted duck

Our diet has hardly included any dairy and wheat products. And I am still using almond milk (ready bought) and using it on my morning coffee! I do however use milk on my Latte if I take coffee outside home. But no sandwiches, cheese (other than proper gourmet ones last Saturday), so the impact of whole life challenge really had a permanent impact :)

Roasted duck

I recommend to get one that is cleaned and ready to go, it is so easy, just ensure you have enough time as it will be in the oven at least 2 hours (but its so worth it!)

With small knife made cuts between the skin(fat) and flesh all over
Season with Salt and black pepper and rub olive oil onto the skin

If you have leftovers from the duck next day, you can fry it with some red onion

Left over duck roast with fried red onion, boiled broccoli and sweet potato/turnip mash

Pork chops - easy!

This is so easy dish!
Usually I do this with in traditional Scandinavian way, worth of trying as that is yummy!In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs. In a separate small bowl, mix the bread crumbs, salt, pepper, chili,paprika powder, parsley. Dip each pork chop into the egg mixture, then into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly. Place coated pork chops in the hot oiled skillet, and brown abut 5 minutes on each side.).

but this time, as trying to avoid wheat,I just seasoned with salt, pepper, paprika powder, cajun seasoning mix, parsley and fried on a skillet

Whole life challenge finished!!

Friday was the last day of whole life challenge but this journey raised our awareness of food can really do to your body. And the effects can really be seen in only two months. Yes, we craved several foods and the cooking felt so limited or an extra effort. On Saturday we went for a night out and treated ourselves for ribs, wine and some drinks. And next day, as you might guess, not a good feeling. And today we were looking forward for home cooking :)
For sure we will continue cutting down sugars and wheat, although we will keep rye bread and occasional organic bread on our menu. I still have mixed feelings for dairy products, to have or not. And I am an ex-milk/yogurth daily consumer!
All dairy products raise the risk for example for cancer, i.e. It increases the insulin-like I factor that then increases cancer cells. Also, the galactose that is the milk sugar lactose, lowers the activated d-vitamin in the blood stream. Yes, it has calcium but too high levels of it increase especially chance if prostate cancer. CHECK THIS LINK. Alternatives to get calcium? Almonds, kale, broccoli,...So far we have not considered re-starting to use dairy, only exception will be good quality cheese(heading to Borough market next weekend)


Evenings meal was grilled salmon with green salad, sauteed mushrooms and veggie mash

Onion/mushroom sautee
Add Olive oil into a large skillet that's on medium-high heat.
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil for few minutes. Then add chopped mushrooms (if you have, with almond milk) and saute for 5-10 minutes or until tender.
Season with salt, black/white pepper, paprika powder and any fresh herbs (if you have any..)

Tips for a good stir-fry

What makes a good stir fry?

• Use carry paste to bring flavour
• Add coconut milk but don't over do with it!
• Always have a bottle of sesame seed oil in your cupboard (it will last for a good awhile)
• Add fresh ginger

King prawn Stir fry

 Stir fry veggie mix (any, i.e. from Tesco), we usually use the one with mushrooms/beansprouts
 King prawns
 4 cloves of garlic
 1 Onion
 Sesame Oil
 Curry paste (Whole Life Challenge compliant can be found from Waitrose)
 Spinach leafs (if you have any leftovers)
 Salt
 Black pepper
 Paprika Powder
 2dlMilk
 4cm of fresh ginger
 Fresh coriander (not mandatory)

• Start by chopping the garlic and ginger (as finely chopped as you can)
• Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and add garlic, ginger and curry paste (the amount of carry paste depends on how spicy your paste is, if doubts do first stir fry with 1½ teaspoon and if you need more hotness then add just regular hot paprika powder. And on next time use more curry paste
• Stir-fry for just few minutes
• Start adding other ingredients, if you have pre-cooked prawns you can at those last, if not add those now
• Add onion (don't chop it into too small), fry for a minute or two and add the stir-fry veggie mix. Season with salt, pepper, paprika powder
• When its is about two-thirds done, add your 2dl of coconut milk and 2 teaspoons of sesame seed oil
• Let it cook on low heat under a cover and until fully cooked

 
Served with avocado/spinach salad and boiled broccoli/cauliflower

Almond Flour Banana Carrot Muffins - (Gluten and Sugar-Free)

This is the best set of muffins! Highly recommended!

Makes 6 large muffins

    3 dl of almond flour
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
    Juice of 1/4 lemon
    4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    3 teaspoon raisins
    2 teaspoon grated Cardamom (this is a must have ingredient!)
    2 eggs, beaten
    3 tablespoons olive oil
    8 tablespoons coconut milk
    2 dl grated carrot
    2 mashed bananas

• Preheat the oven to 170°C
• In a bowl place the almond flour, baking soda, raisins, cinnamon, cardamom and stir to combine
• In a separate bowl put the eggs, oil, lemon and coconut milk and whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and fold through
• Squeeze the excess water out of the carrots (if watery, mine has never been), mix with 2 mashed bananas
• Add with the rest of the ingredients 
• Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tin or cups and bake for 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed in the centre. 

Just before going to oven

Out from the oven :)

Meatballs

• 500g minced meat
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• salt
• black pepper
• hot paprika powder
• Dried herb mix *not mandatory
• 1/4 dl olive oil
• 2 eggs

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl

Use your washed bare hands to roll meatballs to about the size of a golf ball
Place onto a baking tray and cook in the oven for 30/40mins in 200C

Served with the usual veggie bash and spinach/avocado salad

Sea bass with Veggie Mash and mushrooms

• Sea bass fillets
• Sweet potatoes/Turnips
• Mushrooms
• Red Onion
• Fresh Dill
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Lemon

Fry the seasoned sea bass on olive oil from both sides starting from the skin side.
I a separate pan Saute red onion and mushrooms in olive oil until cooked.



Veggies mash

• Boil peeled sweet potatoes and (turnips)
• Once boiled pour the water away, add a knob of butter and mash