Spiced Beef Satés

I was lucky enough to find a packet of thin sirloin steaks in Tesco, which were perfect for this dish. You need a reasonably good cut of meat, but it doesn't matter if you cook it in strips as I did, or cubes. If you haven't got tamarind powder, you can use lemon juice instead.

Serves 3

550g sirloin

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tso cumin seeds

1 tsp tamarind powder

1 small onion

2 garlic cloves

1 tbsp sweetener

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

If you are using the thin slices, cut the beef in one inch width and the length of the steaks. You basically want long, thin strips of meat to thread on to skewers. Alternatively, cut the meat in 1 inch³ cubes.

Dry fry the spices until they are fragrant and beginning to brown, then grind them to a course powder. Put the onion, tamarind powder, sweetener, soy sauce a 3 tablespoons of water in a food processor and blend well. Mix with the spices and place in a bowl with the beef. Toss well together and leave for at least an hour to marinade.

Thread the meat strips on skewers in a concertina fashion and grill until cooked through, basting with the marinade as it cooks.

Indonesian satés are usually served with a peanut sauce, but I served mine with Sambal Kecap (spicy onion dip), Sambal Kol Kembang (spiced cauliflower), lettuce and potatoes (as my dad doesn't like rice). 

 

Turkey Saltimbocca Skewers

Turkey fillets flattened and rolled up with red pepper pesto, sage leaves and Parma Ham, then cut into short pieces and skewered. I served mine on jewelled amaranth, and as I was eating it suddenly panicked about the syn value of amaranth. I always assumed it was syn free, and checking it afterwards I was right. Phew! Amaranth is a grain that was popular with the Aztecs and ancient Mexicans, and is regaining popularity as a healthy alternative to rice or couscous. I simmered mine in some stock with chopped red and green peppers and baby sweetcorn.

The plates were a gift from a very good friend in Texas, and the skewers I brought back from  Burkina Faso. 

Turkey Saltimbocca Skewers

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

300g turkey fillets

½ red pepper

50g tomato purée

bunch sage leaves

4-5 slices Parma Ham (same amount as the number of turkey fillets)

Flatten the turkey fillets as much as you can, either by using a kitchen mallet or a rolling pin, covering the meat with cling film to stop it splitting. Liquidise the half a red pepper and mix with the tomato purée, then spread on each of the flattened turkey fillets. Place the sage leaves on top and then the ham. Roll up from the long side and cut each roll into slices around one inch thick. Thread the slices on to skewers, ensuring that the ends of the rolls are secured well. Grill on a high heat for 10-15 minutes, until the turkey is cooked. Serve with accompaniments of your choice.

WARNING: if using metal skewers, they will be hot. I know, I am sporting two nice little blisters as I write this. 

http://www.slimmingworld.com/

Wednesday 25^th April

There are many reasons why I decided to do a food blog – partly because so many people ask me for copies of my recipes, partly to keep me on the straight and narrow throughout my journey to a slimmer me, and partly because I thought it would be a good way of showcasing my love of cooking and photography.

I love going to local food stores and market when I travel, to see the different ingredients available, and maybe, if I'm lucky, try something new. We are very fortunately here in Bristol in that we have a fantastic ethnic supermarket with all sorts of unusual goodies (Bristol Sweetmart). Yesterday I bought some green bananas and for lunch today I adapted a recipe to fit in with the Slimming World plan.


Check out the Slimming World Website for details of the plan.

Generally speaking my cooking is far from an exact science, I usually add a little bit of this and a little bit of that until it tastes right. If you want a more detailed description of your recipes you are reading the wrong blog. As far as I can I will try and give the syn value (it will mean something to those of you following the Slimming World plan, the rest of you feel free to basically just ignore that information)

Back to the green bananas. Trying to peel them proved harder than I expected and when I sliced off a small piece to taste I can't say I was impressed. It tasted a bit like, well, unripe bananas. Not a pleasant taste at all. The finished product, however, was delicious!

Spicy Green Banana Salad with Sweet Ginger Chicken

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

3 green bananas, julienned or grated

small handful of grapes, halved

bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced lengthways

about ¼ of fennel, thinly sliced

small handful of mange tout, thinly sliced lengthways

juice of ½ lemon

small chilli, finely chopped

2 tsp sweetener

2 chicken breasts

knob of fresh ginger

juice of ½ lemon

1 tsp soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp sweetener

Cube the chicken. Whizz together the lemon juice and fresh ginger in a lisuidiser until a smooth and thick liquid. Add soy sauce and sweetener and coat the chicken well. Leave to marinade while you make the salad.

First make the salad dressing so that this is ready when you cut the bananas to stop them going brown. Mix together the chopped chilli, sweetener and lemon juice and stir well with the julienned bananas, making sure they are well coated. Add all the other salad ingredients and toss the salad well.

Thread the chicken cubes onto skewers and cook at 220°C for 10 minutes or so until the chicken is cooked through and nicely browned on top. Serve with the salad. 

I was very apprehensive when i first started to eat the salad, although my husband assured me it was 'very tasty' (I was still busy taking photos of the dish as he was tucking in). He was right, it tasted nothing like the initial flavour and the combination mix was indeed very nice. Phew.