Support and ideas for those on low-carb diet

It's right up DBH's street.

That sounds lovely Mamie I've saved it to my home screen ready to move into recipes. Thinking Saturday.

Here
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/06/aubergine-cheesecake-vegetarian-recipe-ottolenghi

Aubergine cheesecake?

I think we will do that next time Mamie. Poor DH was very disappointed He's not a very experienced or intuitive cook and tends to follow everything to the letter, whereas we would probably think 'hang on....'

The Turkish 'cigars' with were delicious and very filling. I could only manage three. I'm thinking they'd be good in a picnic or as an appetiser at a BBQ.

Just had a quick look at the recipe and it does sound like a lot of oil. Think I would just brush the aubergines with oil and roast them, then use a little bit more oil for the rest. I do find I have to adapt the quantities; there is one recipe where she uses eight preserved lemons and I use two!
The aubergine cheesecake was delicious, we finished it up with salad for lunch today.

Total disaster last night. Dinner completely inedible.

DH cooked the Stuffed Aubergines with lamb, onions and tomatoes (Karniyarik) from Persiana. Anyone else tried this and if so how did you prevent the aubergines from being fatty and soggy and yuk? DH did drain them as suggested

I agree about globe artichokes being a lot of effort, though we are still growing them.
Have decided I really must try harder with the Ottolenghi "Plenty More" book, so am making his aubergine and tomato cheesecake tonight. You lightly roast the sliced aubergine and layer them with cherry tomatoes and oregano, then make a custard of eggs, feta, cream cheese and cream (though I have substituted a fresh goat's cheese as we have no cream cheese) and bake in the oven.
Looks promising - will let you know!

I dread that happening to us, I swear we are almost out of gas and that DBH twiddled with the little red pointer when he shouldn't have.

I did poached chicken breasts, picked loads of mangetouts and inevitably ended up with lots of peas too. I also picked loads of small globe artichokes, boiled them in water and white wine vinegar, then grilled them in olive oil and garlic. the chicken breasts were fried off in olive oil and butter and then kept warm while the other veg were cooked in it, with spring onions and parsley added.

It took me at least half a day just to get rid of all the bugs in the artichokes, I forget this every year. We will have big ones as a starter tomorrow. I love the fact that they are no work to grow, but they certainly make up for it in the amount of preparation required. Or I could of course acquire a liking for blackfly and earwigs...

We are having roast duck with courgettes and purple / green beans from the garden. We have, however, just found that both gas bottles are empty so the courgettes will be done in a parcel (the oven is electric) and the beans in the microwave. The limoncello sauce will be a bit of a challenge.

I had chicken curry on cauliflower rice. I sort of forgot somehow that I wasn't going to be tasting normal rice, it gave me quite a shock. As a result I do think I would never spring it on someone as a surprise.

Love Persiana (though I do adapt the recipes a bit).
DH was cooking tonight and it was fab. Wilted spinach, lightly fried salmon, tarragon and creme fraiche, mixed together and served with a few tiny new potatoes from the garden.

I keep meaning to get that book!

OK the sauce contains honey but you only need to serve a small dollop to get the flavour.

I made some spicy root vegetable patties last weekend. The recipe was from Persiana and I just left out the boiled potatoes. Beetroot gave them a lovely colour and the date and tamarind sauce that goes with them was delicious.

It does sound delicious, my beetroots aren't big enough yet though as I sowed them very late. I love them raw grated finely, mixed with loads of olive oil and lemon juice and seasoning, and a huge amount of chopped mint. It's so hard to find raw beetroots now though, I have to go to the market.

Love beetroot! Something very 'of the earth' about it. You just know it's got to be good for you.

That sounds really delicious. We have eaten beetroot all the way through the diet, love it.

Exactly!

Boiled up two of our allotment beetroot today. Sliced them, placed on baking tray, drizzled with rapberry balsamic vinegar (unearthed from back of cupboard), placed a ring of goat's cheese on each, a dash of black pepper and under grill till bubbling.

Quick, easy, tasty. Just what a bank lunch should be.

not bothered by natural sugars in beetroot as still losing weight slowly but steadily

So, on the régime where you lose weight without counting calories, recording what you eat or doing frantic exercise.....
Today we had a mini salade niçoise for lunch and tonight is the first minestrone entirely made from this year's vegetables from the garden.

I think escalivada would keep a good few days in the fridge. I use plenty of olive oil and take them out as needed.
I sometimes put leftovers in a salad with a base like quinoa or pearled spelt and add preserved lemons, cumin and pistachios (or anything you like really!).

Broad bean pod chips are really more like hot crisps, absolutely delicious but feel healthier to eat.

I thought I had better return to quinoa, I wasn't being very good and was in danger of starting to put weight back on. So made a huge pizza for the males, but I arranged my quinoa on a plate and covered it in roasted Mediterranean veg, a few slivers of salami, olives and feta so that it looked like a pizza. I quite like cauliflower rice, but needed more than that today. I did a lot of hefty gardening in 28C sunshine.

How long will escalivada keep once cooked? The reason I ask is because i got carried away with buying peppers, onions, courgettes, aubergines etc at yesterday's Farmers Market......we're going to have to get inventive or be put off certain veg for weeks!

Sorry Jings . Escalivada is barbecued whole vegetables. You cook on barbie until skin is black, put in brown paper bag for ten minutes, skin and soak in olive oil, salt and pepper. Not really that high falutin...