Lamb Curry & Cauliflower Rice

Bee's recipe said to use cooked lamb, I didn't have any, I did have fresh diced lamb so that's what I used.

This is what I did: I fried the onions and garlic, added diced meat and spices, browned this off then added the coconut milk. Simmered for 30 minutes then added the diced butternut squash, cooked for a further 15 minutes until it's soft, add a handfull of spinach put the lid on for 2 minutes then stir in. I served it with cauliflower rice. This isn't Bee's recipe but I did get the idea off the Pig2Twig web site. I grated the cauli in the proccesor, melted butter in a wok, added a heaped teaspoon of cumin added the cauli and stir fried for 3 minutes at the last minute I threw in a handful of slivered almonds, stir through to heat. Half way through the meal, Paul asked if it was coconut rice!!! He didn't miss the rice at all he just thought it had cauliflower in it! How good is that?! Look at the picture, it actually looks like rice. I will be definately doing this again!

Bacon & Avocado Melts

"Absolutely scrummy!" Was how Paul described his breakfast this morning. I had to take it out of the skin for him which made it look a little man-handled, but hey these meals have got to be Dyspraxic friendly. Any tricky manovers with knife fork or spoon could end up with frustration which takes from the dinning experience!!!



My avocados must have been smaller than those that Bee chosen when writing this recipe as I only used 2 rashers of bacon and I still had some left! I also subbed a small piece of finely chopped red onion and red pepper (not sure if that is IPD friendly??) for the salsa as I didn't have any and had no intentions of making any at 6am on a windy Thursday morning. Followed the recipe exactly after that and they were fantastic! The avocado was soft and creamy it went really well with the bacon and cheese...After polishing it off in record time, I felt like I had been hugged by my breakfast ...comfort food for the soul. "This is not diet food, this is Bee's IPD food" This is to be my new catch phrase...she needs a medal!!

Courgette and Gingered Onion Soup

Lunch couldn't come soon enough with this waiting for me!
Loved the courgettes and gingered onions on the top it made it that bit more special. Great taste, very smooth...you could serve this to company just as easy as you could serve it like I did, for lunch!

Salmon & Feta Bake

I used two skinless, boneless salmon fillets which had been cooked in the microwave for 2 minutes so I was able to flake them. Followed Bee's recipe exactly and it turned out browned on top, just set in the middle with a creamy softness between the pieces of salmon and broccoli. Delish!

Bee's Mushroom Soup

I had this for lunch and with the few ingredients I used , I didn't think it would have the depth of flavour that it had....it certainly packs a punch. The only thing wrong with this soup is that I only made enough for two days! :-(

Day 9 - Red Onion & Feta Muffins with Perfectly Cooked Sausages

Perfectly cooked sausages with onion marmalade...need I say more? Picture speak louder than words. Mmmmmmmm!



Red onion & Feta muffins, OH doesn't really like feta but these were a big hit a the feta melted into muffin. A greaat start to the day!

Day 8 - Keema

This is the Keema, made to Bee's recipe, I didn't have cinnamon sticks so I used 1/2 tsp ground and it tasted fine!
Simple to make and smells wonderful!

I served it in iceberg lettuce...looks a little like Yuk Sung at the moment! Dolloped a dessertspoon full of mayonaise with mint stired into it (leave to marinate for a bit) on the top...

...then rolled it up like wrapping fish and chips in paper. Cut the ends to make them neater! Voila! a perfect lunch dish, too messy to eat with your fingers but very tasty..will definatley be making these again.

Day 7 - Butternut Squash, Sage & Brie Quiche

Move over Nigella, Bee Rawlinson is the new Domestic Goddess!

The recipe called them butternut squash, sage and Brie Muffins, but I cooked it in a quiche dish and sliced it like nice little quiche portion to serve as part of our Sunday tea. Even the non Low carber's enjoyed it.

You can find the full recipe in the Neris & India's Idiot Proof Diet Cookbook or find the basic recipe here all you have to add is some small diced butternut squash, which you have fried in butter (with a little oil added to stop it burning) until tender , sprinkle with sage. Let it cool for a while then add diced brie, pour over egg mixture and cook at 180c for 30 minutes.

As you can see in the photo, my squash sank to the bottom of the quiche because I added the cheese while the squash was still too hot and it melted and well, I found it difficult to stir in the egg mixture as it has welded to the bottom of the dish. Next time I'll let it cool, then add the egg mixture, give it a stir THEN add the cheese before putting in the oven.

This was just as nice cold as it was hot!

Day 6 - Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon for Breakfast then Thai Salmon Fishcakes & Portobello Mushrooms with Blue Cheese Dressing later!

How amazing does this breakfast look??? Smoked Salmon and scrambled eggs. What a fantastic way to start the day!

Thai Salmon fishcakes on a bed of mixed salad leaves. I followed Bee's recipe exactly and it turned out wonderful, great flavours and very simple to make.

While our tea was lovely, flavoursome and hit the spot on lots of levels, by 9pm we were hankering after some supper, so I cooked these little beauties!

Portobello Mushrooms with a blue cheese dressing. I followed Bee's recipe but added a chopped up slice of fried bacon, shared it between the 4 mushrooms, used stilton cheese and popped them back under the grill after filling for a minute or two to give a little colour. Oh and I didn't take out the gills...not sure if that adds to the carbs or not but I couldn't be bothered with the faff and anyhoo, I love mushrooms.

Not the best photos…white food is so hard to photograph!

Day 5 - Indian Scrambled Eggs

This recipe can be found in Neris & India’s Idiot-proof Diet Cookbook or on Bee's recipes on pigs2twigs web site

Not the best photo in the world, I cooked this for lunch at my Mum's house and she cooks with electricity…and I cook on Gas. Recipe says the eggs should be fluffy, as you can see by the photo, mine were not! I think this was because I either put too much tomato in or I couldn’t use the silly hob. I will definitely make this again; the flavours worked really well together, next time, less tomato a little less onion and more chilli!!! I will post a new photo as soon as I have made it again (cooked on Gas, may I add!)

Day 4 - Stuffed Pheasant Breast with Celeriac Dauphinoise

My eldest daughters boyfriend is a game keeper and was out on a shoot on Monday. I was given a present yesterday of 4 pheasant breasts. After a search on my favourite web site I found this recipe for Stuffed Breast of Pheasant Encroute. I followed the recipe except for the bit where you have to wrap it in the pastry.
These are the Celeriac Dauphinoises (below) from Bee's recipes on pigs2twigs web site They were really, really nice...so good that we will have them again before the week is out!

Another great meal...can you believe we're on diet?

Day 3 - Spanish Chicken

This was a wonderful dish, the chicken was lovely and tender, the chorizo and paprika gave it a great spanish flavour. Loved the Celeriac Chips, so easy, I just followed this recipe subbing the potatoes for the celeriac. You can find the original Spanish Chicken recipe from Bee's recipes on pigs2twigs web site

Spanish Chicken- this is the recipe with all my subs in it

2 chicken breasts - diced

4oz Chorizo sausage -

3 best quality pork sausages - chopped into small pieces

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tinned pimento (or 1 red pepper),sliced

1 small onion sliced

1 tablespoon of paprika

Olive oil for frying

Heat the oil in a large saute pan or Le Creuset type casserole dish and fry the onion until golden, Add the sausages and brown on all sides, then the chicken.
Chop the Chorizo into bite-sized chunks and add to the pan along with the pimento or pepper, the paprika and the tin of tomatoes and put into a covered oven-proof casserole if not using a Le Creuset dish.
Bung it all in a low to medium oven (gas 3-4) for about 3/4 of an hour or until the chicken is tender. Check halfway through and if it looks a bit dry add a very little chicken stock or water, just remember that there aren't any potatoes to thicken the juices.
Stir in the parsley before serving.

I served this will wilted spinach and Celeriac Greek Style Chips.

Day 2 - Sausage Casserole and Buttered Cabbage

Our meal last night was a sausage casserole with buttered cabbage. Low carb and delicious! I’m trying hard to fit into my salopettes in 3 weeks time.
This is the link for the Buttered Cabbage recipe, and I got the recipe for the sausage casserole out of the Idiots Proof Diet Cookbook, but can also be found in Bee's recipes on pigs2twigs web site

This recipe is the one with all my subs in ...

6 pork farm sausages
splash of olive oil
1 x tin chopped tomatoes
1 bunch of spring onions, sliced (the original had 2 leeks)
squirt tomato puree
1 tsp sherry vinegar

To serve:
Finely sliced steamed, buttered cabbage
grated Parmesan cheese

Chop each sausage into three.
Heat the oil in a shallow pan and fry the sausage pieces until brown all over.
Remove the sausage pieces with a slotted spoon and place in an oven proof casserole dish.
Add the spring onion greens or leeks if using to the pan.
Stir and fry for a couple of minutes then tip in the chopped tomatoes, a squirt of tomato puree and a teaspoon of sherry vinegar.
Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer gently for 5 mins.
Pour over the sausage peices cover the casserole with a lid or foil and put into a medium oven (gas 4 or 5) for 30 mins.
Serve with buttered cabbage and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

It was delish...and the leftovers ( I made myself leave some) re-heated really well in the microwave!

Day 1 - Coriander Chicken and Cauliflower Mash

Day 1 of the Idiot Proof Diet -Here goes...

Recipes can be found in Bee Rawlinson's Idoit Proof Diet Book (See link to the right of this page) or on the web site Bee's recipes on pigs2twigs web site

This looks a little bland on the plate, all being white but the flavours were wonderful! Oh the recipe for the chicken is called Tarragon Chicken...I subbed Coriander as that was all I had, worked out well.

Mummy Ju-Ju Does IPD

Jethro Tart

This is any old tart, this is Jamie Olivers Jethro Tart which is from his Happy Days book . Pine nuts, greek honey sweet pastry served with extra thick double cream. What more do you want from a pudding?

Marie's Golden Jubilee Cake

Almond cake, fresh raspberries and sandwiched together with clotted cream.

The recipe can be found on Marie's Blog, believe me, it is wonderful!

Pizza Hut Dessert for Bex

Bex went to pizza hut and came back raving about a warm cookie dough dessert. I asked on the recipezaars site and my good friend Marie posted this link for a warm chocolate chip pan cookie I tried it yesterday and she declared it a big hit! Thanks Marie!!!

Served with vanilla ice cream

Lesley Waters Victoria Sponge

Simply delectable. All the fancy cakes and desserts in the world can't beat a very traditionally English Victoria Sponge cake, sandwiched together with the best strawberry jam you have. This reminds me of Sunday afternoons when I was a child.

Broccoli, Ham & Cheese Pastries

Made these for the kids as a late lunch, early tea. The two older ones were off out for the evening. Both were to eat somewhere else, so they just needed something to keep them going. They used to have these when they were little from the local pastry shop. Mine were much better...even though I do say so myself...well they were pleased with them as well!

For the kid who won't eat cabbage

Spaghetti carbonara for 1

1 egg
handful of lardons
splash of double cream
3 oz spaghetti
black pepper
handful of parmasan cheese

Cook pasta as per packet instructions.
Cook lardons until crispy, drain on kitchen paper
Beat egg with the cream, parmasan and pepper.
Drain pasta when cooked.
Immediately stir into the sauce mixture, mix to coat all pasta
Return to pan, add cooked lardons (keep off the heat at this stage) and give a quick stir, using the residue heat from the pan to cook the egg. DO NOT OVERCOOK…it turns to scrambled egg – yuck!
If you have done it right, you will end up with a glossy, creamy dish that will be requested time and time again.

Cream of Carrot & Corriander Soup

And the kids made cakes!

Jammy Jobs

Butterfly cakes

Iced Mini fairy cakes with fun sprinkles

I haven't posted recipes for these, but if you want them, email or leave me a comment and I will post it for you!

Lorna's Sunday Tea

The Cake!

This was a joint effort between Bex and her friends...3 layers to stop it looking like a pancake and 2 digestive biscuits holding it up underneath as it wasn't level. Butter icing that could have been a little stiffer and the clashing decorations says it all....MADE WITH LOVE!


Trifle with strawberry jelly and sponge - just how Jo-Jo likes it!

...and the piece De resistance.....Bannoffee Pie

Asparagus Soup with real french bread!

Sunday with the Davies children

I had Sophie (12) and James (8) stay over while their parents celebrated 15 years of marriage in a lovely country hotel.

For breakfast the children had Hot Cakes with an assortment of toppings.

Me and Paul had fluffy scrambled eggs with grilled thick cut back bacon

For Dinner we had...Pork Chops.

I had 6 pork leg chops in the fridge and was unsure of what to do with them. I did a search and found a recipe for a pork dish with pears and orange juice, I printed it off and went to the kitchen to make it...I managed to sub EVERY ingredient and it still turned out lovely.

Pre heat oven to 190c

Fry the chops in a pan with a little olive oil,

When brown put them in a casserole dish in a single layer.

In the remaining oil cook 1 sliced onion until just colouring,

Added 2 grated apples and cooked for 2 minutes

De glace the pan with a bottle of bud (lager)

Sprinkle with mixed herbs and salt and pepper

Bring to the boil then add to the casserole dish.

Cover and cook for 50 Min's.

When cooked, remove meat and keep warm

Bring juices to the boil and add a little cornflower mixed with water to thicken

I served this with French Potatoes,

red cabbage, [no photo] purple sprouting & fine green beans,

carrots and Spicy Sweet Potatoes.

For dessert we had slices of Victoria sponge and squirty cream, not my choice, but the kids love it. The girls had made fthis for us but there is no photo...it didn't last long enough to snap one!