Two great lunches, easily made.

Hot, soupy, flavoursome - who could ask for more?

Sometimes, particularly following a weekend, I'll go to the fridge and find the vegetable drawer is just full of little bits of veggies left in huge bags that are just getting in the way.  I find that quite annoying, as I like to be able to see what's in the veggie drawer, without having to rummage through enormous flapping bags of nothing.

So, I find the best way of getting rid of these bags (without exchanging them for other, smaller bags - like a freezer bag - which just doubles the packaging you've used) is to eat the contents.

Lunchtimes are by far and away the best time for this, as I'm usually only cooking for one (hubby very often will go for a sandwich) and dishes that are primarily vegetable aren't really his favourite thing.

A regular favourite - and way of using up some veggies - is the Ramen noodle.  As a supremely low fat lunch, this can't be beaten - although I do have some issues with the salt contained in the Ramen soup bases.  However, I don't eat a great deal of salt in the course of a day, so an occasional big hit of it won't do me any harm and in fact, probably just boosts my intake in a good way.

This noodle lunch was made by taking a pack of Ramen noodles similar to the Demae Ramen illustrated above.  First of all, take the bowl you're going to be eating from and measure sufficient water to fill two thirds of it.  Pour the water into a small saucepan and put on to boil, adding the "soup base" and "vegetables" sachets from the noodle pack.

While you're waiting, you can be cutting up your veggies to a chopstick or spoon-suitable size.  Bite sized chunks.  For this one, I used tenderstem broccoli, watercress and sweetcorn, so the only chopping that was required was with the broccoli.

Take care with the addition of chilli, as some of these noodle packs are completely vicious where their spicing is concerned.  One of my favourites renders me speechless every time, as I gasp for breath whilst seriously enjoying the chilli effect.

Once the water has boiled, I dunked in the noodles and added the broccoli's stem pieces.  This gives them a little longer in which to soften.  I then added a handful of frozen sweetcorn to the saucepan and measured out enough watercress to fill the bottom of the bowl.

Once the noodles have softened, but still retain a little bite, I turn off the cooker and decant (carefully, remember, it's hot!) the contents of the saucepan in on top of the watercress.  The heat from the liquid is enough to "cook" the watercress, whilst still leaving it with a little crunch.

Gently stir to distribute the veggies evenly, then settle down with chopsticks, a spoon and a huge napkin - because you're going to get it all down your front.  Guaranteed.

Once you're done, sit back with a happy sigh and feel virtuous.

My next lovely lunch was spawned on the back of some leftover plain basmati rice.

Aside from the rice, I also had a leftover leek, some spring onions and some chestnut mushrooms.  I also added a half a red chilli and a handful of frozen peas - plus an egg.


It was so easily done!  Start off with a frying pan to which you add some olive oil.  On a medium heat, add a beaten, seasoned, egg and cook until you have a small omelette.  Set this aside, to be sliced up and added at the end. Next, get the pan really quite hot and add a little more oil if necessary.  Then add the chopped spring onions and sliced leek and fry until beginning to soften.  Add the mushrooms and fry until they are demonstrably cooked and caramelised.  Add the chilli and peas and continue to cook for a minute or two, then add the leftover cooked rice and make sure to cook until it is piping hot.  Rice can harbour some evil germs, so be quite disciplined about getting it heated through.


Add the omelette to the pan and, as a last flourish, add a little light soy sauce.  Toss the rice to mix it through - and serve.


You won't need the enormous napkin for this one - just a smallish one.


With both these lunches, be prepared to have some envious looks pass your way as your companions munch their way disconsolately through a cheese & pickle sandwich.


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Chicken breasts and Shin of Beef

We’ve not long come back from doing the main food shopping for the week and I find myself unaccountably pleased at our purchases made from the local butcher.

Not the shin I bought - but shin nonetheless

Apart from the fact that he couldn’t supply us with a rabbit (although he did recommend a place that could – we’ll pop in there on Friday), we picked up another five chicken breasts for £5, together with 600g of Shin of Beef for a beef stew tomorrow, which cost us the princely sum of £2.something (neither of us can quite remember how many pence the “something” represents), but either way, it’s a fabulous price for some “real” beef.  I say “real” beef, because somehow beef bought from a supermarket just doesn’t feel “real”.  You have no idea how old it is, nor do you know which bit of the cow you’ve got.  I also wonder, sometimes, whether it’s been previously frozen and they’re just not saying.

It’s silly, I know, but I got all nervous about going to the butcher.  Just in case the prices turn out to be horrendously more expensive than the supermarket, or I get asked questions that I’ve no answer to and so wind up looking like a fool.  Lord knows, I should be used to looking like a fool – it happens that often, but it never sits comfortably with me.  However, all was well and we had a nice little chat with him while he was serving us – all about ~shrug~ cutting the grass.

I think all that is why I feel so happy about it.  I’ve always wanted to find a local butcher that I could go to and feel comfortable about asking questions, plus I could have a little chat with, just like two human beings.  I remember my Nanna would shop like that – and it’s so much nicer than the impersonal drifting around your local supermarket.  Mind you, having said that, we’re such a regular feature at our supermarket that the Security staff (who keep the keys for the disabled buggies) are chatting, we’ve established our favourite checkout lady who recognises us every week, I exchange a few words with some of the shelf-fillers, plus some of the other shoppers are just as regular as we are – and have started saying hello back to me when I acknowledge them.  It all helps to make you feel at home in a place, I find.

Not perfect : but getting there!

Anyway, beside all that, last week was momentous on two counts.  Firstly, I made a Toad in the Hole – and you all know what troubles I’ve had over Yorkshire Pudding.  Well, it wasn’t perfect, but it was by far the best Toad that I’ve ever made.  The ends of the sausages got a bit frizzled, but with the @FoodieFellow (the Guerilla Griller) tip to reduce the temperature, the next one could well be that perfect toad.

Looks nice - but what could it be?

The other momentous occasion was that I devised my own recipe from scratch – without using someone else’s recipe as a base and adapting it to my own requirements.  I won’t say too much about it here, as it’ll spoil the blog post about it.  Everyone enjoyed the meal, although there were things that could have been improved upon and which I’ll take into account the next time.  Just the sheer fact that there’s likely to be a next time, is quite a significant improvement in my cooking.

I see that time is marching on towards lunchtime, so it’s time to go and make some Ramen noodles – which are my current passion.  I love that I can use up veggies and that they take seconds to cook (or warm up, in some instances), yet I get a lovely bowl of warming soup piled high with yummy noodles.  I even had to buy some chopsticks so that I could do it properly.  Yes, I do get it all down my front, but isn’t that part of the fun of eating noodles?

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