Life goes on...

...As you may have read over at The Teapot, we have (sort of) decided it's time to say our goodbyes to beautiful George cat. We still keep our eyes open as we go round the village, we still call from the balcony, but we are scaling down on the searching. If he should stroll nonchalantly back into our lives we would be delighted, but we think George has left us.

So, things must move on.

When mum was here we had a lovely time (albeit overshadowerd by George's disappearance) and we spent an enjoyable couple of days in the Cantal region. As this is more the food blog I won't tell you much about it, you can go to The Teapot for that (when I've written it up!) but here's a couple of pictures.
First, Mr FD with our picnic:

We were lucky enough to find a sun drenched picnic bench on a tiny village green, a couple of kilometres off the main road. We sqhared bread, olives, tomatoes, cured ham and cheese, with flat peaches and some buttery gallette biscuits for dessert.

The second is a little puzzle for you.

We ate this traditional Auvergnate meal one day...

On the plate you can see (and easily identify) some green salad, and a slice or two of Cantal cheese. What do you think the other two items on the plate are? Have a guess in the comments section. They were both rather enjoyable!!

Tomorrow is Mr FD's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mr FD!

 

No party, but there is a Cycle Club outing with lunch in a restaurant. I am going to the lunch with Friend Cathy and Sylvie, the girlfriend of another of the cyclists.  We may go here for a walk beforehand (or afterhand, depending on time)

So Mr FD will have a birthday treat!! The Cats have "bought" him a box of choccies. I haven't got him anything but I know there's things he wants to buy, about which I haven't got a clue, so it's better if he buys those for himself!!

I have made him a card though, with pictures of him cycling...

 

Here's a close-up of one of the photos:

That's Mr FD & Louis at the top of Mont Ventoux

 

And inside:

a bike we saw in Salers, decorated for the TdF and a Maillot Jaune

So, back to the food that has been planned for this week:

YESTERDAY: we had Spicy Butternut Stew - which was much nicer than I expected!! I added some chicken when I was sautéeing the squash, and used some chicken stock as well as the coconut milk. Finally, as I found half a packet of chicken noodle soup I threw that in too, to thicken it up.  The leftovers will be zuzzed up to make a spicy soup for Saturday tea.

FRIDAY: (today) - Some vegetable curry from the freezer, with some spinach, mushrooms and chickpeas added to bulk it out. Served with naan breads.

SATURDAY - out for lunch (see above); spicy butternut soup for supper (see above!)

SUNDAY: Chicken and Lentil one pot dinner (WARNING: some of the language oin the preamble to the recipe is a bit "fruity") This is a Slimming World style dinner - due to having a "foie gras" - that is, fat around my liver - I have to start trying to slim down a bit. And try to eat more healthily...With that in mind, I have bought some tofu sausages and tofu-substitute-cream-cheese-like spread for my sandwiches. No more cured meat and cheese for me. Meh.

MONDAY: I'm teaching about 45 minutes drive away, so this is one of the days Mr FD is going to be cooking. I don't have to make it easy for him, as he's perfectly capable, but I like to try to choose relatively easy merals, erspecially as he's still working (though we don't know for how much longer.) So, today I have planned: Roast mediterranean fish, and carrots and broccoli.

 

source: weightwatchers.co.uk

Here's the recipe:

Cook 500g new potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and tip into a large roasting tin. Meanwhile, spray a frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until softened and beginning to colour. Scatter the onion over the potatoes along with 2 quartered tomatoes, 1 sliced courgette and 6 olives. Arrange 2 white fish fillets on top of the vegetables. Cut four slices from the lemon and place one slice on each piece of fish, then squeeze the juice from the remaining lemon over the fish. Pour over 3 tbsp veg stock,(or wine/water)  spray with a little low-calorie cooking spray and roast for 20 minutes.

TUESDAY:  Beef and broccoli (another fruity language warning!) with rice

WEDNESDAY: Here's another innovation I'm trying. Have you heard of "Buddha Bowls"? These are sometimes referred to as glory or hippie bowls; they are hearty, filling dishes made of various greens, raw or roasted veggies, beans and a healthy grain like quinoa or brown rice. Sometimes they also include toppings like nuts, seeds and dressings for added texture and flavour. I am trying one a week to see how they go down... This week's is:

• 1 large sweet potato, chopped into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1.5 cups)
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 large carrot, peeled & julienned
• purple cabbage or vegetable of choice, shredded
• couple handfuls of greens for the base (optional)
• lots of hummus
• sliced avocado
• hulled hemp seeds.

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2.  Spread out the chopped sweet potato on one sheet. Drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon of oil or so and toss the potatoes until coated. Sprinkle with fine grain sea salt.

3.  For the roasted chickpeas: Drain and rinse the chickpeas and then place on a large tea towel and pat until completely dry. Discard any skins that fall off. Transfer the chickpeas to the baking sheet and drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon oil. Rub them around with your hands until lightly coated. Generously sprinkle with fine grain sea salt and your favourite spices. I like to use garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Toss gently to combine.

4.  Place both the sweet potato and chickpeas into the preheated oven. Roast for 15 minutes at 400F and then remove both. Flip the sweet potatoes and gently roll around the chickpeas. Place back in the oven for another 15 minutes or so, watching closely during the last 5 minutes. When the chickpeas are golden and the sweet potatoes are lightly browned on the bottom and fork tender, they are ready to come out.

5.  Meanwhile, cook the quinoa while the roasting is going on. In a fine mesh sieve, rinse the quinoa and then place in a medium pot. Add in 1.5 cups of water and stir. Bring the mixture to a low boil and then reduce the heat to low/medium and cover with lid. Simmer, covered, for about 14-17 minutes (you can check after 13 minutes), until all of the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy. Remove from heat and leave the lid on to steam for another 5-10 minutes or longer if needed. Fluff with fork.

6.  Assemble the bowl: Add a couple handfuls of greens into a large shallow bowl.  When the roasted veggies and chickpeas are done, allow the chickpeas to cool for 5 minutes and then add them on the salad followed by the sliced avocado, hummus, shredded veggies, and hemp seeds.

 Because I have no quinoa I'll probably use couscous, or bulghar wheat. I don't have hemp seeds, so will use mixed seeds instead. My "vegetable of choicde" is broccoli, and the greens will be steamed savoy cabbage. I'll make my own houmous OR just use a tahini dressing instead.

 

Thank you for your comments about Lost George...

                                (an appropriate picture as it looks rather like George)                                       

People have been very kind and sympathetic.

^à)àp=

This is Bib's comment, as she rolls over my keyboard. Thank you Bib.

We hope he will return. 

Thank you  for returning to read this after I have been a neglectful blogger. I will do better from now on.