Indian Takeaway!

Here's a couple of ideas for spicing up chicken breast. If you like Indian food it's worth stocking your store cupboard with a few staple spices. I got an Indian spice tin called a 'Masala Dabba' for Xmas this year..best pressie ever!

Both of these recipes make enough marinade for 4 chicken breasts.

Chicken Tikka
Juice 1/2 lemon
Handful fresh coriander, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp root ginger, peeled and grated
1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
200ml low fat natural yogurt
1/4 Tsp grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp mild olive oil
1 Tsp chilli powder
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp garam masala
1 Tsp ground ginger
2 Tsp ground coriander

1) Put everything in a food processor except the lemon juice and blend until smooth.
2) Slash the chicken breasts, pour over lemon juice and then the marinade. Make sure all the chicken is well coated and leave to marinate, covered in the fridge, for as long as possible (ideally over night).
3) To cook, transfer chicken and most of the marinade to a baking dish, cover with foil and pop in the oven for 30 mins or so until chicken is cooked through. Towards the end of cooking time, remove the foil to colour the chicken.

Chicken Tandoor Kebabs
140ml low fat natural yogurt
1 Tbsp mild olive oil
60ml passata (sieved tomatoes)
1/2 Tbsp root ginger, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 Tsp garam masla
1/2 Tsp chilli powder
1/2 Tsp smoked paprika
1/2 Tsp turmeric

Mix everything together and marinade the chicken, covered in the fridge, for 2 to 3 hours. For this I chop the chicken into chunks and thread onto a skewer to make a kebab. To cook, I use a griddle pan (or frying pan) and cook for about 15mins turning the kebabs occasionally.

Sprout & Orange Stir Fry

Makes: 1 x 3 blocks carb, 3 blocks fat

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups / 200g brussel sprouts (2 carb)
1/2 orange, segmented (1 carb)
2 cloves garlic, sliced
Pinch dried chilli flakes
1 Tsp olive oil (3 fat)
2 Tbsp soy sauce (wheat free)
Handful of fresh herbs (coriander, flat leaf parsley)
Optional extra: sesame seeds, 1 Tsp = 1 block fat

1) Prepare sprouts by removing outer leaves and putting a cross in the base (this helps the sprout to cook evenly and quickly).
2) Blanch the sprouts in boiling water for about 8 mins, or until just about cooked through. I do this in the wok that I use for the stir fry, why create extra washing up! Drain sprouts, dry the wok and cut sprouts in half.
3) Now for the stir fry....heat the oil and then add garlic and chilli flakes, keep stirring for a min or so and then chuck in the sprouts.
4) As the sprouts are pretty much cooked, give them a couple if mins to warm through and colour and then add orange segments, soy sauce and a squeeze of orange juice from the other half of the orange.
5) Stir, add sesame seeds if using, a handful of fresh herbs and serve.

Portable Protein Snack

I found this recipe in 'Protein Power' by Michael Eades and have tweaked it slightly.

Makes: 2 x 3 block 'flans'

Ingredients
2 eggs (2 protein)
1/2 cup / 125g cottage cheese (2 protein)
2oz / 57g low fat cheddar cheese, grated (2 protein)
Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Black pepper
Olive oil for greasing tin

I found the easiest way of cooking these is to use a non stick muffin tin.

1) Pre-heat oven to 200c and lightly oil tin.
2) Put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until combined and smooth.
3) Pour into tin, dividing mixture equally.
4) Bake for 20 mins or until browned and puffed up.
5) Remove from oven and use a knife to loosen around the edges. Serve when ready.

TIP: Your puffed up domes will 'flop' slightly when you remove them from the oven, don't worry it happens to us all!. They still taste good though. I've called this portable protein snack as these are good next day in pack lunches, eaten at room temp.

TIP: If you want a Paleo version of this, check out the 'Egg Cupcakes' at http://everydaypaleo.com/

Protein Choices

There's been some chat in the box about food and protein choices, so here's a reminder of what to consider when wandering the supermarket isles.....

Barry Sears defines the quality of a protein source by its fat content, as all protein contains fat

To make it into the Zone Top 100 food list the protein source must contain at least twice as much protein as fat.

Lower fat protein choices will reduce your intake of both saturated fat and also Omega 6 fatty acids, a type of polyunsaturated fat found in all protein sources.

Fish contain another type of fat called long chain Omega 3 fatty acids. These are 'healthy' fats and counteract the damaging effects of Omega 6. So a fish protein choice can be higher in fat and still be considered a good choice if the form of fat is long chain Omega 3 fatty acids.

Zone rankings for protein quality is as follows:

Excellent Source
Mackerel
Turkey breast
Haddock
Cod
Salmon
Tuna Steak
Turkey breast, deli
Lobster
Sea bass
Snapper

Very Good Source
Chicken breast
Freshwater bass
Trout
Cottage cheese (1%)
Chicken breast, deli
Tuna, canned in water
Soy products
Emu

Good Source
Pork tenderloin, well trimmed
Tofu, extra firm
Beef tenderloin, well trimmed
Tofu, firm
Tempeh
Tofu, soft

Why not try....Indian Spiced Fish (works well with both Haddock & Cod)

Ingredients for Indian spice marinade
2 Tsp chilli powder
2 Tsp ground coriander
1 Tsp ground cumin
1 Tsp ground fennel
2 Tsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Small knob of fresh root ginger, peeled & grated
2 Garlic cloves, peeled & crushed
Black pepper
2 Tbsp mild olive oil

Mix everything together and coat the fish well with the paste. Leave to marinate for at least 30 mins and then whack it under the grill, leaving the paste on the fish so it forms a 'crust'.

Date & Nut Cookies

Makes: 6-8 cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup / 100g pitted dates, chopped
1/2 cup /100g almonds
1/2 cup / 70g walnuts
1/2 cup / 55g desiccated coconut
1 Tsp coconut oil
1 Egg
1/4 cup / 40g jumbo raisins
1/2 Tsp cinnamon

1) Pre heat oven to 180c.
2) Soak coconut in cold water for about 10 mins to soften, then drain and squeeze out any excess moisture.
3) At same time soak raisins in warm water for about 10 mins until plump, then drain.
4) In a food processor blitz the nuts until you get a fine 'crumb', then add the dates, coconut oil, drained coconut, cinnamon and egg. When fully combined, you should end up with a thick-ish mixture, gently stir in the raisins.
5) Line a baking tray with baking parchment (this is important as it will stop the cookies from sticking).
6) Divide the mixture into 6 to 8 balls and press into a rough cookie shape. Bake for 25 to 30 mins until brown...keep an eye on them.

The dates make a soft 'gooey' cookie rather than a crisp biscuit....to dunk or not to dunk is the question?

TIP: You could use any combo of nuts that you happen to have lurking in your cupboard.

Fruity Cottage Pie

Serves: 4 x 3 blocks protein, 3 blocks carb

Ingredients
15oz / 450g lean mince beef (10 protein)
2 eggs (2 protein)
1 cup / 100g onion, diced (2 carb)
2 apples, cut into chunks (4 carb)
2 Tbsp jumbo sultanas (2 carb)
5 cups / 800g cauliflower, small florets (4 carb)
2 Tbsp tomato puree
4 Tbsp beef stock
Black pepper

For the filling
1) Pre heat oven to 180 / 350
2) In a frying pan 'dry fry' (no need to add oil) the beef and onions until browned. Mix in the apples, sultanas, tomato puree, beef stock and season with black pepper.
3) Transfer the beef mixture to an oven proof dish and cover with tin foil. Cook in the oven for 30 mins. Meanwhile....

For the 'mash'
1) Steam the cauliflower florets for 5-8 mins until soft.
2) Then mash, or use food processor for a smoother consistency. Stir in lightly beaten eggs and black pepper.
3) When the beef has had 30 mins, remove from oven, spoon cauli mash on top and then return to oven for a further 15 mins.

Because you don't need to add any oil for cooking (I found enough was released from the beef even though it was lean), remember to balance your meal with a source of fat. We had a paleo nut cookie for dessert.

TIP: If you're not strictly paleo you could also try adding some grated cheese to the cauli mash, although be careful with amounts as this will increase the protein element.

Question: Missing Mash?

Answer: Caulifaux mash (see what I did there...)

So, here's how the potato measures up to some alternative choices. Using the USDA (US Dept of Agriculture) Nutrient Database I've compared 100g of each item, peeled, and boiled without salt.

For those of you still making your way through the Crossfit reading list on nutrition, Total Carbohydrate can be broken down into simple sugars (which affect insulin) and fibre (which does not affect insulin). In a nutshell, 'good' Carb choices are those which are high in fibre and therefore low in sugar, as this will limit insulin stimulation.

Potato
Calories 86
Total Carbs 20.01g
Dietary Fibre 1.8g


Sweet Potato
Calories 76
Total Carbs 17.72g
Dietary Fibre 2.5g


Celeriac (known in the US as celery root..I think)
Calories 27
Total Carbs 5.9g
Dietary Fibre 1.2g


Cauliflower
Calories 23
Total Carbs 4.11g
Dietary Fibre 2.3g


An interesting exercise to have a look at the nutritional value of potential 'mash' options, but hey, that's what the Zone food block system is for. It does all the hard work for us by providing an easy way of comparing the insulin stimulating affects of various Carb sources, and gives us the tools to make good choices.


Fruity Cottage Pie with Caulifaux Mash coming soon!