Welcome

Welcome to my new food blog.  It has been a long time in the back of my mind, but I have finally decided to put the proverbial pen to paper.  This is my food blog, it is where I can share my own passion for food, my ideas for food and how to create dishes to amaze your friends and family.

It saddens me when I walk around supermarkets to see people's trolleys piled high with frozen foods and pre-made ready meals.  Before anyone comments, I have done exactly the same in the past, but in this day and age, when fresh fruit and vegetables are available all year round.  On the downside, the carbon cost of getting the food to each country is damaging the environment.

The world has also gone through tough times, global recession, increased food prices and reduced salaries all mean that the squeeze and pressure on family budgets has increased, and, even if things change over the next few years, imagine the benefit of being able to do more for less?  Also, imagine if you could make normal ingredients (or even value ingredients) look and taste more expensive than they really are.

That is what the driving principle of this blog will be.  A platform to bring good, healthy (mostly) cooking to the world, and to make the food that we all purchase go as far as possible.

My aim is to post a minimum of 3 recipes a week, with detailed steps, ingredients and potential alternatives to the ingredients if the items are not available.  I will also post some more in-depth articles containing skills and cooking options for common ingredients.  I will also be making other random posts as things happen in the world, I visit places of interest relating to food or just a general catch up on the state of the site and the plans for the future.

A foodie's diabetic diagnosis

Well it is one of those things.  In this world the number of cases of diabetes is increasing rapidly.  Diabetes is where the body is unable to handle the glucose in the system.  It is split into two main types:

Type 1 where the insulin producing cells in the body have been destroyed and the body is unable to produce any insulin.
Type 2 where the insulin producing cells are unable to produce enough insulin to handle the glucose in the body.

The first type accounts for approximately 10% of all cases of diabetes in the world.  The second is considered a more lifestyle form of the illness.  And unfortunately the diagnosis that I received.  And I can't complain, to date my diet has been filled with sugary drinks, rich foods and the most delicious cakes in the world.  So was I surprised that my blood glucose levels were high and that the indicators were that they had been high for a fair while?  Of course not.  In some ways I was glad of the diagnosis.

So first steps, at least my Doctor doesn't want to put me on medicines right away.  He wants to see if I can get my blood glucose levels down to a normal level.  By changes to diet and activity levels this is something that should be achievable.  The medicinal route would mean a lifetime on the drugs, managing the illness with both diet, drugs and insulin.  So having this option is a good thing, because it gives me a chance.

Diabetes UK recommend the following steps to reduce the risk of Type 2 Diabetes.

1. Eat regular meals to keep your blood glucose levels stable.
2. Include all the essential food groups every day enjoying at least five portions of colourful fruit and vegetables, starchy carbohydrates (such as grainy bread, wholegrain cereal or oats, pasta, sweet potato or basmati rice), dairy (such as milk, yoghurt, cheese), and a small amount of protein (such as lean meat, chicken, fish, lentils and pulses).
3. Choose low-GI snacks such as fruit, yoghurt, reduced fat cheese and wholegrain crackers or unsalted nuts.
4. Limit unhealthy snacks high in salt, sugar or saturated fat – this is easier if you avoid processed foods and stick to fresh produce where you can.
5. Watch your portions. Eating smaller amounts at main meals and snacks will help with weight loss and improve blood glucose levels.
6. Stick to your recommended daily alcohol limit: this is 2–3 units for women and 3–4 units for men.
7. Complement your healthy diet with at least 30 minutes of exercise, five times a week – and try not to reward yourself with food afterwards.
8. Set yourself goals – mark your milestones and celebrate your successes.
9. Variety is the spice of life – experiment with different foods and keep your exercise interesting.
10. Start today.

Reasonable advice?  Nothing rocket science amongst it if you think about it.  But very easy advice to forget about when you are enjoying life.

So where does this leave me?  Well I have always wanted to create something in relation to food.  I have a passion for it, the same passion that has created my illness.  But perhaps it is time to direct that passion in this new direction.  I want to eat well, I want to have tasty foods, but I also know that I have to be focused on keeping my blood sugar levels down while eating a balanced diet.  I want food to be fun, while still being healthy.

It annoys me when I walk around the supermarket and I see people taking the easy options, the frozen meals, the pre-made items.  And then complaining that either they don't have the time, or the money to be able to cook things from scratch.  When, with a little bit of planning and the right recipe, almost anything they buy that is ready made, can be cooked for the same or less.  And a lot healthier.  And most importantly you know exactly what went into what you have made.

So now we have a starting point.  Time to share more as the days and weeks progress.

Quesedilla

I first came across this dish when I was in the US and we visited an Applebees.  I have to admit that I had never heard of the dish or tasted the dish.  Such a simple dish and quickly became one of my favourites.   I have to admit that we went back there several times and each time it was the first thing that I ordered from the menu.  And the recipe is as simple as it looks and tastes.  The perfect dish for a quick snack when you get in from work.

Ingredients
Large flour tortilla
Grated Cheese
Rapeseed Oil

Basic Quesedilla Method
Heat your frying pan over a medium heat, you do not want to burn the tortilla before the cheese has melted.  Spread the oil around the base of a frying pan, ensuring all of the pan is covered.  Rapeseed oil has a smooth colour and will give a nice flavour to the Quesedilla.  If you want to be really decadent you can use butter.
Place the tortilla in the pan and flip it every 10 seconds or so.  As the tortilla heats blisters will form on the surface of the tortilla.
When a number of these blisters have formed spread the grated cheese over the tortilla.
Turn the heat down low and allow the cheese to melt.  When the cheese melts, fold the quesedilla in half, slice and serve.

The beauty of this simple snack is that you can add other fillings.  The trick is not to over fill the Quesedilla and to select fillings that are complementary.

Chicken - Pre-cook some chicken and thinly slice it before adding on top of the cheese
Onion - Red onion works really well, especially if very thinly sliced.  Adding it later leaves a nice crunch to the Quesedilla
Tomatoes - Normal tomatoes thinly sliced are great (Quesedilla Pizza), but I am also a big fan of Sun-blushed tomatoes.  Their natural strong flavour really adds to the dish
Mushrooms - Try mixing different types of mushrooms to change the flavours

Fakeaway : Sweet and Sour Chicken

One of the favourites from any takeaway.  This dish can be refreshing, although sometimes when you get it from a takeaway it is over sweet.  This version is hopefully lighter and can be made with either chicken, pork or prawns.  Tomato Ketchup can be replaced with the low salt or low sugar versions to make it even healthier.

Ingredients

250g Basmati Rice
100g Spring Onions
Light Soy Sauce
Tomato Ketchup
Large tin of Pineapple
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
300g Chicken Breasts
3 Peppers (mixed colours for presentation)
200g Pak Choi

Preparation

Top and tail the spring onions.  Remove the outer layer of skin of the spring onion.  Slice at an angle and set aside in a small bowl.
Open the Pineapple tin, slice into even sized chunks.  Set aside in a bowl for later use.  Save the juice as well, as this will be used during the cooking.
Clean the chicken breasts, remove any obvious fat and wash.  Slice the chicken into even sized chunks, to ensure even cooking throughout.
Wash the Pak Choi, and slice length ways
Wash and de-seed the peppers and slice thinly into long strips.  Mix together in a bowl.

Method

Bring a large bowl of water to the boil.  You do not need to add salt to the water to help the boil.  Add the rice and cook for approximately 20 minutes.  You are looking for the rice to become soft and fluffy and hold together is small balls.  Once it is cooked, drain and set aside.
Mix together 1 tbsp of Soy Sauce, 100g of Tomato Ketchup, 3 tbsp of the Pineapple juice and 1 tbsp of Balsamic vinegar.  Stir until the flavours are completely mixed and test.  If it is too sharp, or too sweet adjust the flavours accordingly (more pineapple juice or balsamic vinegar).
Heat a wok on the stove and when it is hot add 1 tbsp of Olive Oil and then the prepared chicken.  Stir fry the chicken, ensuring that it is evenly cooked all of the way through.  With chicken it is essential that it is not raw at all.  This should take approximately 5 minutes.  You want a little colour, but not too coloured.
Add the peppers to the mix and stir fry for a further 3-4 minutes.  The thinner you slice the peppers the quicker they will cook.
Finally add the pineapple chunks, spring onions (saving some for the garnish) and pak choi and the sauce that you have made.  Toss the ingredients through the sauce ensuring all of the ingredients are coated and cooked.  The Pak Choi will wilt slightly during cooking.
Once cooked serve on the rice with a few spring onions over the top for garnish.  Serve hot.