The 'Here's what I had for dinner last night' thread - Part I

trackguy

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

Hi trackguy, do you have a recipe for the green rice?

xxxkarenxxx posted this recipe a while back, here it is again...

xxxkarenxxx wrote: »

Here is the recipe I use

400g basmati
1 clove garlic
1 small onion
2 handfulls corriander
a large bunch of parsley
4 tbsp olive oil
600ml chicken stock

whiz the garlic onion and herbs in processor with splash of water and half the oil until you have a thick puree.

Heat remaining oil in saucepan and fry the puree for 5 mins.

Add the rice, pour in the stock and simmer for 15 mins.

Cover with a lid and put in a low oven bout 120 degrees for 30 mins to finish cooking.

Its a great alternative to plain boiled rice

the beer revolu

trackguy wrote: »

Pork Pibil, from a Thomasina Miers recipe.

Slow-cooked neck of pork cooked in a sauce of orange juice, achiote paste, herbs and spices. Served with green rice, refried beans, pickled red onion and manchego cheese.

I've done that a few times using this recipe. What I like about it is that that it really tastes nothing like anything else I've cooked. Problem is that I can't find annato seeds any more.:(


Had some rough puff pastry left over from last weeks pie so I mad another one. Chicken, leek and bacon this time. The only issue I'm having with these pies is getting the consistency of the filling right. I put in what I thought was a stiff velouté mix but when cooked the filling was a bit too runny. But nobody wants a dry pie either

LaChatteGitane

the beer revolu, you're very good at pastry art. :cool: Love the piggy and the cockerel.

the beer revolu

Twas mrs beer did the cockrel.

homemadecider

Pad thai, from Bill Granger's recipe. The flavours weren't quite right and I'm a novice to Thai food so didn't know how to tweak it. Too much lime? Not enough lime? Will try again another time from a different recipe. Anyone got one to recommend?

trackguy

Teriyaki Rib-Eye Udon Ramen

xxxkarenxxx

Cod in Porterhouse Hop Head batter with twice fried chips and home-made tartar sauce

Dizzyblonde

Lamb casserole and mash - if it looks a bit mean on the plate it's because I'm trying to reduce my portion sizes

[URL="[IMG]http://i49.tinypic.com/1zqwn6d.jpg[/IMG]"][/URL]

oscarBravo

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Lamb casserole and mash - if it looks a bit mean on the plate it's because I'm trying to reduce my portion sizes

I bought smaller plates to help with that problem

Dizzyblonde

oscarBravo wrote: »

I bought smaller plates to help with that problem

So did I, now I just need to use them... :rolleyes:

Pigwidgeon

Last night was the definition of I'm starving wears quick thrown together dinner. I ended up having lamb chops, sauteed onion, some salad and coleslaw. It turned out surprisingly nice for how quickly I made it.

Emeraldy Pebbles

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Lamb casserole and mash - if it looks a bit mean on the plate it's because I'm trying to reduce my portion sizes

It doesn't at all! But it's interesting and eye-opening what people can consider a small portion. Bet you were plenty full!

Emeraldy Pebbles

Pigwidgeon wrote: »

Last night was the definition of I'm starving wears quick thrown together dinner.

I did that last night too. Fried onions and chicken fillet on white bread with butter. Soooo good though.

the beer revolu

Trackguy and Karen are back with a bang - I'm bloody well going to have to up my game again! I thought I missed them but now I'm worried about my food ego.....again!!:D



Last night was a bit of a use up stuff and scavenge dinner:

Heated up the last of the chicken pie and had that.
I also had some chicken stock from making the pie left over, some wilting spring onions, a sad stick of lemongrass, a pack of just hanging in there coriander and the end of a pack of miserable little prawns in the freezer.

So heated put on some udon buckwheat noodles to cook, heated up the stock with the lemongrass and a couple of slices of ginger, stirred in some tom yum paste and threw the prawn and spring onions in for the last minute.
Combined the noodles with the soup and scattered over the coriander.
All took less than 10 minutes and was very, very tasty.
We was happy - no pics, though.:(

leahyl

I am always amazed at the standard of cooking in this forum - everything looks soooo good! I don't get to cook much for myself cos I'm still living at home but hopefully when I get my own place I will become a bit more adventurous in the kitchen - God knows I have enough cookbooks to keep me going anyway!:D

Minder

Dinner tonight was a thai salmon curry. I had galangal, lime leaves and lemongrass to pimp the flavour of a shop bought red curry sauce. Add the salmon in large pieces for a few minutes before serving so that it was just barely done. Served with jasmine rice, steamed french beans and beanshoots.

LaChatteGitane

First night back home after spending some time looking after my mother who had surgery on her foot.
I did make dinners but no pictures.

Tonight I needed something quick.
Low carb tortilla wraps with chicken strips, cheese and an avocado (still a bit too firm)/spring onion and tomato salsa.

tmc86

LaChatteGitane wrote: »

First night back home after spending some time looking after my mother who had surgery on her foot.


an avocado (still a bit too firm)/spring onion and tomato salsa.

Hope you mother is ok LaChatte.

Always find it hard to find ripe avocados!

Tonight I made a pre gym meal of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, button mushrooms and spring onion (and a cup of coffee)



After I made honey and chilli salmon with steamed broccoli and cabbage and Cous Cous (raisins, tumeric and green jalapeño)



Definitely had my salmon quota for the day!

oscarBravo

tmc86 wrote: »

Always find it hard to find ripe avocados!

I am utterly spoiled by my last couple of visits to Chile, where they are so plentiful that they sell them from stalls on the side of the motorway at prices as low as 1000 pesos (€1.60ish) for 5kg! They are so incredibly ripe, they're almost like butter.

The trick of ripening them in a paper bag with some apples in a warm place seems to work.

LaChatteGitane

tmc86 wrote: »

Hope you mother is ok LaChatte.

Always find it hard to find ripe avocados!

Thank you. She is fine and walking (albeit slowly and with her stick). I had to 'spy' on her to see if she could get to the toilet on her own first before I left her during the night. She can also make a half cup of tea and take it to her sittingroom without too much spillage. Now it's just her dinners that I bring and serve (and do the dishes, laundry and dusting...)


I usually buy avocados a good few days before I want to eat them and leave them to ripen at room temperature.
Yesterday, however I had a craving for avocado and took the one that I thought was the softest. Obviously still a bit firm.
In some supermarkets you can buy the ones 'ready to eat' but they are not always what's promised on the label :mad:

oscarBravo wrote: »

I am utterly spoiled by my last couple of visits to Chile, where they are so plentiful that they sell them from stalls on the side of the motorway at prices as low as 1000 pesos (€1.60ish) for 5kg! They are so incredibly ripe, they're almost like butter.

The trick of ripening them in a paper bag with some apples in a warm place seems to work.

Or with a banana.:)

hardCopy

As a recovering fussy eater, I've never really eaten eggs.

As part of my latest health kick I decided to give them another try and made my first omelette last night.

It was savage! I'll be finishing the box of eggs tonight I think.

Lots of Orange Bell Peppers, Courgette, smokey bacon flavoured ham and low fat mozzarella.

Seaneh

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Lamb casserole and mash - if it looks a bit mean on the plate it's because I'm trying to reduce my portion sizes

Hey, this might be worth thinking about.

That plate is huge, so when you put a fairly normal sized portion on it, it will look like not a lot of food. And there is a lot of truth in the saying "you eat with your eyes" if it looks like not a lot, you can trick yourself into think it's not much food, and thus, feel unsatisfied. Consider buying yourself some smaller paltes, even if it's just one or two, and use them as your "everyday" dinner plates. The plate will look fuller and your brain will be tricked into thinking it's a bigger portion.


Also, we in Ireland tend to completely over fill on our starches. We aleays portion too much potato/rice/pasta/noodles, which, if you are trying to control portion sizes, is where you can end up snookering yourself withour realising it. I do it all the time myself. Getting better at it though! Your starch should be at most 1/3rd the total weight of the food on your plate, on that plate, it looks like the spuds are probably over 50%. And I know it's easy to do because we love our spuds (especially mash, nomnomnom) but if you're trying to be goiod to yourself, take another half ladle of casserole and a little less mash. You will actually probably feel fuller for longer because of the added protein.


Just my observations

Looks lovely btw. Now I want lamb casserole.

tmc86

Seaneh wrote: »

Consider buying yourself some smaller paltes, even if it's just one or two, and use them as your "everyday" dinner plates. The plate will look fuller and your brain will be tricked into thinking it's a bigger portion.

I read somewhere as well that if you eat from a blue plate you feel fuller quicker and end up eating 25% less than what you would have eaten from a white plate! There must be some association with the colour blue and satiety!

Just did a quick google search and there are a few links explaining it -
http://colorgenicstest.com/Goldin-Girl-Column/find-out-how-eating-from-a-small-blue-plate-can-help-you-lose-weight.html

Emeraldy Pebbles

tmc86 wrote: »

Tonight I made a pre gym meal of scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, button mushrooms and spring onion (and a cup of coffee)

I just want to put my face in those scrambled eggs.

xxxkarenxxx

Thai Beef salad with toasted cashews

Loopy

oscarBravo wrote: »

I bought smaller plates to help with that problem

So did I.
It really makes a difference - my old man came over for dinner yesterday and his plate looked loaded and he said I'll never eat all that, it was actually quite a small portion though and he demolished it. Small plates ftw
It was chicken casserole and brown rice btw, no pics.

Edit: I just read back up through the thread (I always read it arseways) - do I have to paint the bloody plates blue now.
Bourrrnsss!!

the beer revolu

Free range pork mince stirfried with ginger, garlic, chilli, onion, spring onion (white part), preserved black beans, soy sauce, rice wine, beer, reduced chicken stock and finished with coriander, spring onion greens, sesame oil and toasted cashews. Served with stirfried mini pak choi and Thai white rice.

homemadecider

Seaneh wrote: »

Hey, this might be worth thinking about.

That plate is huge, so when you put a fairly normal sized portion on it, it will look like not a lot of food. And there is a lot of truth in the saying "you eat with your eyes" if it looks like not a lot, you can trick yourself into think it's not much food, and thus, feel unsatisfied. Consider buying yourself some smaller paltes, even if it's just one or two, and use them as your "everyday" dinner plates. The plate will look fuller and your brain will be tricked into thinking it's a bigger portion.


Also, we in Ireland tend to completely over fill on our starches. We aleays portion too much potato/rice/pasta/noodles, which, if you are trying to control portion sizes, is where you can end up snookering yourself withour realising it. I do it all the time myself. Getting better at it though! Your starch should be at most 1/3rd the total weight of the food on your plate, on that plate, it looks like the spuds are probably over 50%. And I know it's easy to do because we love our spuds (especially mash, nomnomnom) but if you're trying to be goiod to yourself, take another half ladle of casserole and a little less mash. You will actually probably feel fuller for longer because of the added protein.


Just my observations

Looks lovely btw. Now I want lamb casserole.

I agree. Looks gorgeous but doesn't look like a small portion to me. Look at the mound of potato! Get rid of most of that and replace with greens, job done. Also I sort of have a love affair with brocolli, love that stuff.

Faith

Friendly reminder that we're not in the Diet forum here, folks . Our posters are welcome to eat as much mashed potato as they like!

tmc86

Faith wrote: »

Friendly reminder that we're not in the Diet forum here, folks . Our posters are welcome to eat as much mashed potato as they like!

I'm glad you said that as I'm off out to Paulie's Pizza tonight- will post pics if I remember