Anti-Weight Watchers

Since I mentioned it here, I thought I'd share a recipe for Clams Cataplana

Baby Clams Steamed in a Cataplana with White Wine and Tomato Sauce: Almeijoas Na Cataplana

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut in thin strips
* 1 green bell pepper cored, seeded, and cut in thin strips
* 2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
* 2 medium white onions, sliced thin
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 pound dry-cured ham, such as presunto or prosciutto, diced
* 1 pound hard, smoked sausage, such as linguica or chorizo, removed from the casing
* 1 generous tablespoon paprika
* Pinch red pepper flakes
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 cup dry white wine
* 4 pounds small littleneck clams or cockles, scrubbed and rinsed well
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* Portuguese bread, as accompaniment (I use a ciabatta - far easier to get)

Directions

Coat a large Dutch oven with the olive oil and set over medium heat. When the oil forms a little haze, add the bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic; cook and stir for about 7 minutes until the vegetables are soft, but not browned. Add the ham and sausage and stir for 2 minutes to release some of the flavorful fat. Stir in the paprika, pepper flakes, bay leaves, and wine. Simmer and stir for 10 minutes to cook down the liquid a bit. (If using a cataplana, transfer the sauce into the vessel, and proceed as directed.)

Lay the clams in the sauce and toss with a large spoon so they are well coated and some of the sauce is on the top. Squeeze in the lemon juice and shower with chopped parsley. Tightly close the Dutch oven or cataplana and simmer over moderate heat for 15 minutes until the clams open – no peeking. Discard any clams that haven't opened at that point. Remove the cataplana from the stove and open it at the table. Ladle into soup bowls and serve immediately with crusty Portuguese bread.

I decided I would make some homemade cereal bars as they would contain less sugar than shopbought, so I could eat more. Anyway I made some and they are very nice, BUT, whilst looking for ideas I came across one for toffee apple shortbread!!!
You know the millionaire shortbread with the biscuit base, then toffee layer then chocolate?? Well those but with pieces of caramelised apple in the toffee - OMG heaven in a biscuit - and one of your 5 a day!

I go through phases where I cook up a storm or do nothing very much and it is all takeaways. This week the former can be applied to me, I have decided to bake (and eat freeze most of the cooking so that there is always a cake or biscuit in the house at weekends when I cannot be arsed to bake.

Thus far I have made a massive carrot cake - I ate 5 slices yesterday - I just kept taking one whenever I went into the kitchen!! But I froze a load too. I made shortbread, more scones, lemon squares, coconut macaroons (most of these didn't make it to the freezer!), chocolate chip cookies and a cherry and almond cake. I also made a pile of peppermint chocolate sticks, but they went the way of the macaroons.
Today I am going to concentrate on savouries and will be making cheese straws, cheese and onion, cheese and sundried tomato and cheese and bacon savoury scones, lamb pasties and bacon and cheese puffs.

Just thought I would let you all know that I am not being lazy - greedy yeah, but lazy NO.

I just made this gorgeous pudding, which i ate hot with cold vanilla ice-cream, it was lovely and it was a mistake.

I whizzed some butter and light brown sugar together and smeared it over the bottom and sides of a cake tin with a springform opening. I chopped some apples and pears really small and tipped them on top, I then sprinkled this with mixed spice and topped with sponge mixture - baked for 30 minutes and left it to cool for as long as i could stand the smell - not long - burnt my hand undoing the spring side, but it was soooo worth it.

I had been too heavy handed with the sugar because the scales weren't working properly and the result as I tipped the whole thing upside down was a gooey, fudgy appley mess that tasted like melted toffee apples over sponge. I would have taken a photo but there are no batteries in the camera.

Anyway it was very moreish so i am off for a walk in a few minutes to lessen the damage!

Scones of course!
As I have been to the gym this morning and in the interests of the yin/yang balance I decided to make scones - fresh from the oven they are delicious!
If you wanna do it;
Heat oven to 200c and sift into a bowl;
220g plain flour
15g baking powder
50g caster sugar
pinch salt
Add 70g cold butter, and rub into mixture - not too finely
Mix in 60g dried fruit and a grated apple if you have one, if not add another 10g dried fruit or a pear would do. And a pinch of cinnamon
then mix together 100ml milk and 60g fruit or natural yoghurt with one egg
Add this to the dry mixture and using your hand mix it together quickly - overworking will not be as nice. If it is too dry add a little more milk if too wet add a bit more flour - it needs to be dry enough to shape into rounds.
Shape into rounds, flatten a wee bit, brush top with beaten egg or milk and bake for 10-15 mins depending on size,
Serve warm with butter or cream and jam or whatever you fancy x

Where has my sweet tooth gone??

I feel very sad. I bought a caramel shortcake bar to have this afternoon but I tried a bit and really didn't like it, it was too sickly sweet.

I had to have an apple!

I made a dip today with lentils, not something I usually eat, but like this they are scrummy, it's a sort of hummus but with lentils instead of chickpeas.
I threw some finely chopped onions into a pan with some oil and butter to saute down to a yummy softness, then lobbed some chopped garlic and red lentils on top and gave it a bit of a stir. I added some vegetable stock to cover and kept stirring it - a bit like you do with risotto, and when it had no more liquid I added a bit more, until the lentils are really pale and soft. Cook it until it has the consistency of a thick paste. Add some freshly chopped herbs - any will do but I used mint and coriander for a bit of a moroccan feel, I also added a tiny bit of cumin and some fennugreek seeds, you could use these, others or nothing at all. Squeeze the juice of a lemon or a lime into it and season to taste, stir and serve warm with gorgeously soft bread or pitta to dip into it.

It is perfect when you are sitting in your P.Js on the sofa watching some poop on TV.

I am currently addicted to malted milk biscuits, having recently re-discovered them. I prefer them even to chocolate hobnobs.

So what is your current fave?

...when else would I get away with eating chips or chicken kebabs?!

I've been craving kebab sauce, and kebabs are not something I've ever really eaten, to be honest you can count on one hand how many I've ever eaten in my life before I got pregnant but now kebab sauce has become just absolutely wonderful. Can't explain it but not sure I want to either.

I'm loving chips as well. My friend in band who's a couple weeks further along than me can't stand chips, she's gone off them completely but I'm loving them. Not sure if it's the saltiness I like though cause chips are the only things I will put salt on or if it's the smell but again I'm not complaining.

I'm looking forward to any other cravings that come my way, especially of the junk food variety. Thank goodness it's not all the time though or the nurse will be killing me!