Chicken egg fried "rice"..

This is a really quick and easy variation of the cauliflower 'rice' that I posted as part of my Tikka Masala recipe. It's a great way to use to up leftover meat and vegetables instead of a boring stir fry dish.

• 2 cooked chicken breasts
• 50g chorizo
• 1 red pepper
• 3/4 brocolli florets
• 1 small carrot
• handful of mushrooms
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onion
• 1 green chilli, seeds removed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 50g frozen peas
• 2 large eggs
• coconut oil
• tumeric
• smoky paprika
• fresh coriander

Start by prepping all your meat and vegetables so everything is ready to just add in to the wok. Chop all your vegetables into similar sizes pieces, dice your cooked meat, and grate your cauliflower with the garlic and ginger. (Pulse it in the food processor to save time... if you don't have one, buy one... you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!) 

Firstly cook your veg until slightly softened in 1/2 tsp of coconut oil. It's a good idea to cook the vegetables in stages to retain their individual colours and flavours. Cook each vegetable over a moderate heat for 3/4 minutes until just about cooked, and remove from the wok while you cook the next vegetable. 

Leave cooked vegetables aside with your meat until needed. 

Next, add grated cauliflower, garlic, peas and 1 cup of water to the wok and cook for 6/7 minutes until soft but still with some texture... you don't want cauliflower mush!

Make a well in the centre of your 'rice', and crack the two eggs into the centre. Leave alone to set slightly. Once the eggs start to become opaque and scrambled, break them up and stir through the 'rice' 

Add in your cooked meat and vegetables, and season to taste with lots of your favourite spices. 

Continue to toss up until warmed through. 

This recipe serves 2, and is a cheap meal with lots of protein... an added bonus is that is actually tastes better than traditional egg fried rice! 

Paleo and I...

I've mentioned "Paleo" a lot in my previous posts, I'm a little surprised at that since I really don't like the label. When people realise you follow a Paleo lifestyle, a lot of people aren't really sure what it involves, and assume it's a fad diet that's trendy at the moment. For me, it's far more important that what I eat and drink doesn't harm my body, rather than obsessing over whether or not it comes under a strict Paleo protocol. For that reason, I'm flexible with my food, and will lean towards Primal sometimes... I like cheese sometimes ok???? It doesn't cause me any allergies etc, so I'm not going to live a life of deprivation! I do try to go for raw milk cheese where possible though... keep it as wholesome as possible :) 

I fell into this lifestyle accidently if I'm honest. I touched on my background briefly in my first post.. I've been through chemotherapy, radiation, countless surgeries (seriously, I have lost count), blood transfusions, hair loss, a bottomless bottle of tablets that just keeps on throwing more medication at me and  more needles than a needle exchange programme. Long story short, I've been pretty ill. There have been days where I've felt too sick to get up, to exhausted to carry on, and then the days where I physically haven't been able to stand up. Those days are the worst. My legs don't work sometimes. That's devastating, not just to me, but to those around me who have no idea how to help. Thankfully, those days are in the minority. 

25 May 2011 I decided that I was going to change things. I had been overweight for as long as I could remember, but things had gotten out of control. I'd love to blame the medication for weight gain, but in truth it was laziness and eating too much of the wrong food. I changed my diet, opting for animal protein, vegetables, naturally occurring high quality fat sources and some fruit. I didn't even realise I had switched to a Paleo lifestyle... to me, I was just eating good quality food. Keep it simple... eat meat, vegetables, nuts and fruit. That's not so hard right? 

I was amazed at the changes I saw in myself. 

Weight loss

Seeing the scales going down, and my clothes getting looser was a huge motivator to keep going. The best thing of all... there was no paying someone to weigh me, being told what to eat or calorie counting. Eating clean and sensibly, is never going to make you fat.

Increased energy levels

I had more energy, and I wasn't eating a carb loaded diet???? But doesn't the food pyramid say I should fill my body with bread and pasta?? Guess what, the food pyramid is WRONG. The human body doesn't need all those carbohydrates we've been told (by the food industry) that we need to survive. Lower carb intake means less glucose in our body, so guess what... our body burns fat for energy. How can that be a bad thing? AND you'll have sustained energy levels throughout the day, none of this 3pm carb crashing that has you reaching for a Mars bar...

Improved mood

I touched on this before... I was seriously depressed for a while. Don't ask if it was my weight, my illness or other stuff... it was most likely a combination of things. Clean food definitely helps your mood. I think I'm a far more pleasant person to be around these days.. (I can hear some people sniggering from here... shut up!) Don't forget the insane PMS behaviour.. sugar causes a spike in insulin levels, and then a sharp drop, this affects our mood and may turn us into scary scary hormonal people that nobody wants to be around... 

Better skin

I suffered with eczema and psoriasis from my mid teens (albeit mind cases of both). I'm not kidding... I don't even own any pots of potions for either skin condition these days. If you eat crap, you're never going to look great!

And the big one for me... 

Being sick was taking over my life, and it was taking away from my life. I couldn't do things I wanted to do because of a compromised immune system...going shopping would be taking a risk. I couldn't go out with friends because I was too exhausted.

None of that actually really matters when you're faced with far bigger struggles...These are the things that nobody ever wants to hear... 

• "Chemotherapy & radiation haven't worked as well as we hoped"
• "Surgery didn't get all the tumour because it was too risky" 
• "Your blood pressure is too low, it would be too dangerous to give you a general anaesthetic so we'll just give you a local anaesthetic instead"...Holy crap!!
• "Your hair is going to fall out" 
• "Let's try Cryotherapy on your brain"....ouchie!!!
• "I can't guarantee you'll get the use of your leg/arm back again"..

And the list goes on... I think the worst part of all of that, was the sound of them saying my weight may have been a factor in my illness. Had I brought this on myself??? If I had, I was going to do whatever it took to fix it... 

I now realise, that whilst my weight probably didn't help, it's all too easy for doctors to focus on one factor and place blame. I focussed on that for so long, and became so determined to lose weight, that when I did, and I wasn't miraculously cured, I was disappointed. I had set myself up for a fall.. "I lost all this weight, and it didn't make a difference... I'm still not well" was the overriding thought. 

I was wrong... 

• Eating whole foods boosted my immune system; I got far less infections and colds during my treatment than other people, and as a result, treatment didn't need to be interrupted to allow me build up my energy. 
• While I can't deny that my energy levels dipped during treatment cycles, I was always able to get up and do a little bit of activity to maintain my energy. Sounds mad right?? I still went to the gym, and I always felt better afterwards. My mood improved, energy levels improved, and I got out of the house.  
• My mood was so much better when I ate well, and as a result, I was far better equipped to deal with day to day struggles and keep focussed on what mattered. 
• I've lost half my body weight... that's incredible, and I am so proud of that achievement. 
• I'm almost done with all the horrible treatments *fingers crossed*

Did I mention that I was wrong?? 

Oh and did I mention that I've also got Multiple Sclerosis and a blood disorder that will never go away? Yeah that sucks... boo hoo etc etc 

I can't control them, I can however be as healthy and fit as possible to make sure I am better equipped to get over any of the barriers they put in my way. I have consistently ignored medical 'experts' and dieticians telling me to follow the food pyramid, and I've seen incredible results. These medical 'experts' have consistently refused to acknowledge that my nutrition and training are in any way linked to an improvement in my health. One doctor in particular told me (referring to Paleo) that "No amount of hippy fad diets will keep me from a wheelchair". You know what? Fuck him. I'm sorry, but that's as succinct as I can be when it comes to summing up my feelings towards him.   

Fitness is hugely important as a compliment to good nutrition for overall health. I'm fitter, and stronger than I could ever have imagined when I started training.... but I'll ramble more about that later, since it's become a huge part of my life. 

Long story short...stop eating crap! Give the Paleo lifestyle 30 days, and then make your own decision...

Orange "Nutella" cake

I felt a little guilty about my last post... a chicken salad... really Diane??? Seriously?? I'm afraid I was serious, but hey, now that we've had a wholesome (but yummy) salad, and we're feeling oh so healthy. .... let's have a treat. That's how this works right?

There's so many paleo friendly recipes out there, it's a little overwhelming when you go to choose just one. If you're going to go to the expense (lets face it, good food is more expensive), and the effort of baking a cake, you want to be sure that it's a good one. I mentioned before about not falling into the trap of thinking that just because it's paleo or primal etc, that it's an all you can eat buffet... Cake is still a treat.. Paleo cakes usually require nut flours which are pretty high calories, so just bear this in mind and maybe just have seconds, but not thirds! :) 

I was baking for a friend who adores Terrys Chocolate Orange bars and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, but has recently converted to eating a grain & refined sugar free diet. What better treat for her than to make a cake that tastes like both, but without all the processed ingredients.. 

I give you my delicious orange cake with hazelnut & chocolate icing... hmmm that's not even a little bit catchy! I promise I'll never work in marketing... let's just stick with calling it Orange "Nutella" cake.. 

Orange cake (inspired by 'Mummy Made It' Jaffa cake)

• 6 eggs, separated
• 2 tbsp agave syrup
• seeds from 1 organic vanilla pod
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 3 tsp gluten free baking powder
• 2 tbsp orange blossom extract
• 2 tsbp fresh orange juice
• zest of one large orange

Line 8x8 inch square cake tin with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 160d (fan). 

Add egg whites to bowl of stand mixer and whisk on high until stiff peaks form. Add agave and whisk until combined. 

Add egg yolks one at a time, followed by vanilla. 

(You need to do the rest gently by hand with a spatula or you'll knock out all that air and end up with a flat chewy cake)

Sieve the dry ingredients into your egg mixture, and fold very gently until just combined. 

Finally add zest, orange juice & extract.

Spoon into lined tin and place into preheated oven for 20 minutes or until golden and firm. 

"Nutella" icing

This tastes just like the real thing... 

• 100g hazelnuts, toasted on dry frying pan for 5 mins to help bring out flavour
• 2 tbsp raw cocoa powder
• 5 tbsp almond milk
• 1 large avocado
• 1 tsp organic vanilla essence
• 1 tsp melted coconut oil

Place all ingredients in food processor and pulse until you have a shiny, smooth consistency. 

Refrigerate to allow it to firm up until you're ready to ice your cake. 

Orange syrup

• 5 tbsp orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp Cointreau
• 1 tsp agave nectar/honey 

To assemble the cake

Slice cake horizontally in 3 equal pieces. 

Drizzle orange syrup over one layer of the cake. 

Spread a generous layer of icing on top, and layer cakes. 

Cover cake with icing, and sprinkle liberally with some toasted hazelnut pieces. 

And voilà, you have a gorgeous orange chocolate cake. This cake is really light in texture... that's down to whisking the egg whites separately, and folding the mixture... don't skip this step. It only takes a minute and really is the difference between a spongy and unpalatable, rubbery cake. 

Warm chicken salad with tahini dressing

Thursdays are always my stir fry or salad days... it's nearly the end of the week, and I've lots of leftover bits of everything. I hate throwing anything out, so always find a way of making them into a meal. It's a bit frustrating really, because Thursday always seems to be the day that I'm craving something really specific for dinner, but there's no point doing shopping since I'm rarely at home at the weekends. 

So today's craving is steak. The end. I don't want anything with it, just give me a lump of meat and I'll be happy.. Reality sucks sometimes, and I've only got chicken. Cue a very loud sigh... 

I needed to make something with lots of flavour to make up for the lack of dead cow on my plate. I'm quite sulky sometimes, if I don't really feel like eating something, it'll end up in the bin and I'll end up hungry and skulking around the kitchen at 10pm which can only end badly! 

I've had a jar of organic tahini paste waiting to be put to use for a while, so decided to make a warm garlic tahini chicken salad. This literally took 15 minutes to throw together, so no I don't expect a Michelin star for tonight's efforts, though it tasted pretty great.

Marinade 

• 2 tsp organic tahini paste
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• pinch of sea salt

Brush chicken breasts with marinade, place in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through. 

While you're waiting, steam whatever vegetables you feel like, or make a quick salad. 

When your chicken is cooked, slice at an angle and serve with your salad/vegetables. Drizzle warm marinade sauce over chicken as a dressing. 

I did warn you that tonight's dinner was nothing fancy! Like I said, it tasted good and I forgot all about steak. You don't have to be a fantastic cook, but we all get bored if we eat the same things all the time so it's good to have a few simple recipe ideas to fall back on if you're in a hurry or just feeling lazy. 

Lamb tikka masala (Grain and dairy free)

For some reason my body hasn't realised it's roasting hot outside today, and that I should really be having fish and salad or something... Instead, I've training later, and have had tikka masala stuck in my head for the past few days so decided to retreat to the kitchen and give dinner a little extra time this evening...

If you're Indian and reading this, your head will probably explode in frustration since it's not exactly a traditional tikka masala! Apologies in advance... 

Don't use a pre-packed spice mix or paste.. this takes less than a minute to throw into a wok, and tastes far superior..

Spice mixture

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 2 tsp tumeric
• 2 tsp smoky paprika
• 3tbsp organic tomato paste
• pinch of sea salt

Add all the above ingredients to wok with a little melted coconut oil, and cook over a moderate heat for 2 minutes to release the flavours. 

Meat

• 1lb shoulder of lamb

Add cubed lamb pieces to the wok, and cook quickly to seal the meat. Once the meat is cooked, remove from the wok and set aside. Keep the juices from the meat in the wok to cook your vegetables.

Vegetables

You can add any vegetables you like to this curry, and it'll still taste great. I used a little of everything I had in the fridge... (Broccoli, bell peppers, butternut squash, spinach, mushrooms) Add to the wok and cook over a high heat until they are cooked, but still have some bite. 

Sauce

• 1 can organic chopped tomatoes
• 2 tbsp coconut cream
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

You'll need the wok for your 'rice', so add the meat, vegetables and sauce ingredients into a saucepan and leave to simmer over a moderate heat. 

Cauliflower fried 'rice'

Honestly it's gorgeous! Try it once before you knock it...It is really similar in texture to couscous, and so flavoursome, I haven't come across anyone who hasn't come back for more!

• 1/2 head of cauliflower, grated in the food processor (or by hand if you've lots of time, and have no use for your knuckles) 
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup of water
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp fresh coriander
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp fresh mint
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Simple instructions as always... throw all the above into your wok. Cook over a moderate heat until cauliflower and peas are cooked. This will take around 7-10 minutes... keep tossing up the 'rice' so it doesn't stick or burn. 

Serve your lamb with a generous amount of 'rice', and enjoy! I swear this is so nice that it feels like a 'treat' meal :) 

Chicken fajitas

Once I became comfortable with the principles of Paleo/Primal, I became more confident about experimenting with new recipes and finding inventive ways to recreate conventional recipes. I always loved fajitas, and so began the hunt for a grain free recipe for wraps that would be equally tasty as the wheat variety. Recently I've found that I'm getting very good at these little challenges... 

I wanted to make this recipe one that wasn't relegated to my treat category because of high fat content from nut flours. I decided to try out cauliflower wraps. This recipe seems to be all over the internet, so I'm not sure who deserves credit for it...but seriously, thank you!! 

Cauliflower garlic tortilla wraps

• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 1 egg
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp mixed herbs

Pulse cauliflower in food processor until you have fine rice-like shredded pieces. 

Steam grated cauliflower for 10 minutes, until soft. 

Place cauliflower in a fine sieve to cool and drain any excess water (stir it up a few times to help speed this up)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. If the mixture isn't stiff (resembling mashed potatoes), you may need to add a little almond/coconut flour to thicken it up. 

Spread a layer of the mixture in a circle on parchment paper approx 1/8" thick. You need it thick enough so it's sturdy enough to roll when baked. Keep the thickness of a wheat tortilla wrap in mind. 

You should get four 6" wraps from this mixture. 

Bake in a preheated oven (160d) for about 10 minutes, or until firm to touch. 

Using a fish slice/palate knife, flip the wraps and bake for a further 3 minutes just to firm up the other side. 

Once baked, set aside to cool. 

Chicken fajita filling

• 2 chicken fillets, diced
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 red chilli, deseeded
• 1 medium carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• handful of sliced mushrooms

I'm assuming we're all pretty smart, and know how to cook the above ingredients so I'm going to keep this really brief. 

Add chicken, onion, garlic and chilli to wok with a little coconut oil over a high heat. 

Add remaining ingredients, and any other veg you have in the fridge. 

Don't overcook, you don't want dry stringy chicken or mushy vegetables. 

Spicy tomato sauce

• 1 can organic chopped tomotos
• dried chilli flakes
• smoky paprika
• black pepper
• fresh basil leaves

I'm a pretty lazy cook, but it generally works out... Tomato sauce should be quick and easy! 

Add all the sauce ingredients to the fajita filling in the wok, and cook over a moderate heat for 5 minutes. Everything will be cooked now, so it's fine to taste the sauce to make sure it's flavoursome enough for you. 

To assemble

Fill wraps with a generous amount of spicy chicken filling and roll up. 

Place in baking dish, and top with any left over tomato sauce. 

Bake at 160d for 15 minutes, until warmed through and wraps are slightly crispy. 

I serve these with spinach, steamed asparagus and some flaked almonds.

Hope you enjoy, they are equally as nice (if not nicer) than their gluten contaminated wheat version!  :) 

Chocolate protein brownies...

I doubt there are too many people who could honestly say that now and again, they don't crave something sweet. Regardless of our health and fitness goals, we're entitled to a treat occasionally. I may have mentioned my love of cooking, and baking in particular in a previous post and plan to share some recipes as part of my blog.

I don't like calling it a cheat meal... to me that has all sorts of negative connotations associated with it, and feeling guilty about treating yourself the odd time is unhealthy in my opinion. I also think it's really important that if you are treating yourself, that you don't go crazy and undo a week of tough training and clean eating habits. It's for this reason, when I bake, I try to keep things as healthy as I possibly can. I avoid wheat, gluten, dairy (most of the time) and refined sugars. Baking is an exact science, so it's important that the ratio of ingredients is correct in order to produce a cake you actually want to eat! Believe me, I've come out with dry, grey cakes because of overuse of coconut flour... thankfully, you have me to do the testing of recipes on your behalf! 

Brownies are always my go-to recipe if I've to bake in a hurry. They're easy to make, inexpensive and always a crowd pleaser. Challenge was set... to bake a brownie, without all the nasty ingredients I try so hard to avoid... The internet is full of gluten free alternatives and sugar replacement suggestions and  I took a long hard look at potential recipes, but nothing seemed like it was going to yield the desired results. I wanted a chewy, chocolatey brownie that would rival my standard naughty brownie recipe. I set myself a task of taking the best bits of a lot of recipes, and trying to combine them to give a chocolatey, chewy but light brownie that hadn't got an overpowering flavour such as banana or coconut. 

Good news... mission accomplished! I swear these are incredible. I did add Greek yoghurt, which technically isn't Paleo. Who cares... if dairy doesn't make you puke or have some crazy seizure, then it can't be all that bad for you! It's bound to be 100 times better than a lot of  the stuff you've eaten... 

Ok I'm going to stop rambling and share the recipe! I swear it's worth the wait... 

1/2 ripe avocado
1 medium banana, mashed

12 dates
125g Fage 0% Greek Yoghurt (try to buy actual Greek Yoghurt instead of Greek 'style') 

75g Coconut oil (melted)
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
145g almond flour
80g coconut flour
80g unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp gluten free baking powder
50ml strong brewed coffee* 

The best part is how simple this recipe is... 

• Add the first 7 ingredients to food processor and pulse until you have a smooth consistency. 
• Add dry ingredients and pulse again until just combined. 
• *Stir in cooled coffee. This is optional, but really enhances the chocolate flavour of the brownies. 
• At this stage, you should have a thick mixture (similar to thick yoghurt consistency). If it seems too runny after adding the coffee, just add a little more almond flour to thicken it up. 
• Place mixture in 8"x8" cake tin. 
• Bake in fan oven preheated to 160d.

All ovens seem to vary, so as a guide you'll need to allow 20 minutes baking time. You're looking for a firm, just set appearance. Use a skewer to test the centre of the cake, there shouldn't be lots of raw cake mixture on it! Do keep an eye on them though, cakes with coconut flour tend to burn a little quicker than when baking with wheat flour. 

You're now faced with a dilemma... Do you A) Devour them warm or B) Allow them to cool in the tin so you can make them even more decadent with my protein icing... 

I went with B this time... 

Icing recipe: 

1/2 ripe avocado

100g chocolate whey protein powder

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

75g Fage 0% Greek Yoghurt

• Pulse all the ingredients in food processor until you have a glossy, smooth icing.

When the brownies have cooled, spread chocolate icing on top, decorate with chopped nuts (if you're as fussy about detail as I am!), and enjoy... 

These brownies are really good... they're honestly nicer than most standard brownies (and a friend even claims they're nicer than Avoca brownies!!!) 

Stick around... scones, energy bars and even a strangely yummy chocolate bacon cake are coming up....