FOOD

In a vain attempt to get in shape for summer…(and not just summer, I may add) I have shocked my loved ones and done what I promised I would never do. I have gone on a diet. I always believed that if you eat sensibly and make small sacrifices (swapping butter for olive spread, swapping white rice and bread for brown and white potatoes for sweet potatoes etc…) you would manage to strike a balance between ying and yang and create equilibrium in your diet. Indeed this is still true… But for example how do you deal with break-ups or job stress and the like? Well a lot of us are emotional eaters and I would also fall into this category… plus the fact that I love to cook, write about food and work in Hospitality, it doesn’t always allow you to exercise as much control on your diet as you would like. Sometimes through stress and other times though laziness, we eat foods that just aren’t good for us and beyond that are extremely fattening. Personally I’m not a junk food lover, in fact I have still kept to my New Year’s resolution of giving up fast-food, and I’m happier for it. But still I do love my food and when you can cook pretty well, you can always cater to your needs!

So almost 2 weeks ago, I signed up to Weight Watchers. I never (ever) thought I would go on a diet again. Diets always resonate with failure for me personally. I’ve dieted on and off since my teens and into my late twenties and it always left a bitter taste in my mouth. But the great thing about Weight Watchers is that there is pretty much nothing you can’t eat and thus it makes it so much more manageable. Despite not being a gym-bunny and absolutely detesting most types of exercise except for boxing (which my doctor has banned me from doing) and walking…. I lost a very respectable 5lbs in my first week! I was so excited I almost fell of the weighing scales at the pharmacy. I have been walking on air ever since and my next weigh-in is due in a couple of days and I’m very excited and keep praying that I will lose at least another 2lbs.

I guess it’s a great time to try and eat lighter food with summer almost here and swimsuit season (my least favourite time of year) around the corner, I am learning to change my eating habits to help re-shape my body in time for the beach. I have booked myself a treat at the end of my first 6 week diet stint and so I’m heading to Cyprus to soak up the sun at a lovely beach resort with spa. Nice…. it helps give me an incentive to work towards and also gives me a reason to stick to my diet so I can look and feel as great as possible. So watch this space people!!! I have a long way to go but I’m doing it one day at a time, little by little… And I feel a lot happier than I have done in a long time.

But I’m not going to lecture you about dieting and instead going to focus on light and refreshing meals and snacks that are healthy and just perfect for summer. I have taken the liberty of sharing a few simple menu suggestions for you that reflect some of my personal favourites that I prepare regularly at home. My first menu idea is a huge favourite with my friends and family, particularly my darling cousin Laily, who always requests this for dinner every time she visits me. I make a simple Asian spread starting with a cold vermicelli rice noodle salad in a delicious dressing with a rocket (arugula) and seared beef dish on the side. The greatest thing about this dish, is that it is so incredibly low in fat and calories, its perfect for those who are watching their weight / cholesterol / fat / carb intake. So here we go…. 6 simple suggestions just for you!

ASIAN/ORIENTAL – Ginger noodles with a rare seared beef salad

Take some vermicelli rice noodles (which are so simple to prepare) and pour hot boiling water from a kettle and cover whichever quantity of rice noodles you have, entirely with the hot water and leave for about 9-10 minutes. I find that running a fork through the ends (half way though) prevents them from sticking to each other. After 9-10 minutes, drained and plunge in cold water to stop the cooking process and then drain again and leave aside. For the dressing, take a good knob, 3 inches or so, of fresh ginger and grate it on the finest side of a grater into a measuring cup or bowl. Add 2/3 of a cup (about 150ml) of light Soya sauce, juice of half a lime (if it doesn’t render a lot of juice, use a whole one) 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli or Thai sweet chilli sauce and about 1 tablespoon of cold water. Stir vigorously and pour on to the noodles and mix with your hands to ensure all the noodles are coated. Leave to one side… and as you do this, the noodles with absorb some of this delicious dressing, which by the way, contains NO OIL! Then roughly chop some coriander (cilantro), finely dice some peppers (any colour) chop some spring onions (scallions) and throw them into the noodle mix and again using your hands, make sure everything is thoroughly combined. At this point you can also crush some peanuts or cashew nuts and toss them in. The point being, add whatever you like, be experimental until you create something you are happy with! Now place in the fridge and leave to chill for a while.

For the beef salad, I like to buy sirloin steak (about 200g per person) and using a pre-heated griddle pan on FULL heat I like to char lovely black lines on to each side of my steak giving it a smoky flavour but keeping it nice and rare on the inside. I would cook it for about 1 minute each side and no more. If you don’t like your steak under cooked, use chicken, because the whole point of the dish is to use a ‘seared’ steak (rare inside). Then leave the steak to rest so the juices don’t escape and after about 10 minutes, thinly slice the steak across its width and mix it in with rocket (Arugula) and dress with grated ginger and Soya sauce (just like before) but add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. I also like to toss in some thinly sliced red onion half-moons and some sun-blush tomatoes (like sundried but juicier and less dry). It’s fantastic meal that never disappoints! You can also make a nice green salad on the side (I like using Romaine lettuce) and some cucumber and just dress simply with either lemon juice and Soya sauce or lemon juice and sweet chilli sauce. Also delicious and still very Asian in feel.

INDIAN – Tandoori style salmon or chicken with accompaniments

I love making Indian food, but struggle when I’m trying to watch my weight as most of it is so very fatty. I have found a heavenly yogurt called ‘Total 0%’ that is Greek yoghurt that contains no fat at all and has only 57 calories in each tub. I mix 1 tub with a tablespoon of curry paste (I use Patak’s ‘Rogan Josh’ variety) and use this to marinate either fillets of salmon or strips or chicken and bake in the oven. Preheat the oven to a heat of 250 C (or 480 F) and cook 2 fillets of Salmon or inch thick chicken strips for about 15 minutes (check your chicken especially as some ovens are different to others) and you will have a very low fat and tasty Indian Salmon or Chicken dish ready in no time at all. Don’t forget that basmati rice is good for you and is a great accompaniment to this style of dish and serve with a little mango chutney to make it extra special. I also like to make a little cucumber, onion and tomato salad with lemon juice dressing (salad Shirazi) on the side. It’s delicious…

GREEK – Refreshing watermelon and feta salad with grilled rosemary chicken

This is so simple that there is absolutely no excuse NOT to make it! Take 2 chicken breast, cut them into strips (about an inch thick) and season with Schwarz chicken seasoning and some dried rosemary and grill on a griddle pan using a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Once cooked, keep aside and squeeze some lemon on them. For the salad, cut up some watermelon into 1-inch cubes, cut some good quality feta cheese into 1-inch cube, thinly slice some red onions into half moons, roughly chop some fresh mint and take some baby gem lettuce and tear into pieces… Mix well together in a big bowl, use about a tablespoon of olive to the juice of 1 juicy lemon and add a pinch of dried mint and salt and pepper and pour over your ingredients and serve! It’s absolutely delicious and so refreshing… just perfect for a summer’s day!

ITALIAN – Oven roasted Cod with Bruschetta

Place a 150-200g portion of cod (or any chunky white fish) on a large piece of oven / grease-proof paper, drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil, season well with salt and pepper. Finely slice one garlic clove and place the slice on and around the fish, finally take some cherry tomatoes on the vine and place on top of the fish, and squeeze with a little lemon. Create a parcel using the oven paper by bringing in all 4 corners and scrunching at the top to create a seal. Roast in the oven at 200 C (400 F) for 15 minutes. Use that 15 minutes to finely chop some tomatoes (vine tomatoes are the most flavoursome) and season well with sea salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil and add a generous pinch of freshly chopped basil to taste. Toast some thickly sliced ciabatta bread and allow to cool. Once cool, take a raw clove of garlic and rub it vigorously on the toasted bread and drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on to the bread and top with a generous amount of the chopped tomato mixture to make ‘Bruschetta’. Buon appetito!

Other great ideas….

Gorgonzola, pear and walnut salad with spinach leaves and watercress. Dress your leaves in a mixture of red vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper. Grate a whole pear straight into the salad itself but also core another 2 pears and thinly slice them and add to the slice. Lastly using your hands, just crumble some of the cheese into the salad and you are done!

Mediterranean ‘Orzo’ pasta salad. Cook your ‘Orzo’ pasta per the packet instructions, rinse in cold water, drain and empty into a very big bowl. Add capers, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, diced peppers, chopped parsley, chopped Kalamata olives, finely diced red onion, crumbled feta cheese and dress with red wine vinegar and as little olive oil as you need to use. You can serve this as it is, or mix in some canned tuna (in water) or stylishly serve it with a nice piece of fresh tuna, seared to perfection.

So, do you really need any more convincing? Look how easy it is to create mouth-watering, healthy, low fat and more importantly simple dishes to suit everyone this summer. These are just some of my favourite dishes… Some I stumbled across though casual experimentation and others are borrowed recipes I have adapted to reflect my personal tastes. They are really delicious and perfect for those of us who have little time to cook but still want to eat something truly delicious and flavourful whilst watching the waist line. I challenge you not to enjoy these summer specials…! And who knows? If you are trying to keep the pounds off, these simple summer dishes may help you stay light and lean just in time for swimsuit season! Eat simple, eat fresh, eat well!