A delicous day yesterday

20^th September 2018

Do something instead of killing time, because time is killing you.

Much better food day yesterday I can report, good old scrambled eggs and tomato on toast for breakfast, then I spent a bit of time in the kitchen and made a fish pie which we shared for lunch and for tea I had bubble and squeak, mmm.

Now I roasted a diced butternut squash and a bulb of garlic cloves (skin left on) together in a tray covered with 1/2tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp dried oregano and I had a packet of saffron that’s been in the cupboard forever so I threw them on too and mixed it up all in a tablespoon of oil, then roasted for half hour.  It was delicious, I used some in the fish pie and the butternut squash, but I could’ve honestly sat and just ate it as it was, that tablespoon of oil made a massive difference to the flavour and as the entire tray would only be 4SP it’s worth using.  I whizzed the rest up in my food processor with some Greek yogurt and my eatlean protein cheese shaker (like parmesan), it’ll make a tasty pasta sauce or a dip, really good.

I never even contemplated snacking which I was pleased about, went to bed at 9ish after a nice glass of red feeling good about my day in every way, thankful that all my loved ones were safe, especially after those terrible winds and some of the news stories!

I’m super excited about the new WW cookbook that arrived yesterday, so many recipes for me to try, this might be just what I need to get me back on track, I’ve already bought the ingredients for two of the recipes, mmm nom nom.

I do want to cook a recipe with aubergines in it, wanted to for a while, mostly because I don’t like them, but I haven’t tried for a long time so I may like them now.  There’s a ratatouille in the book but I’ve just seen one that I fancy, it’s full of cheese which should make it lush.

Aubergine and tomato bake

• 3 large aubergine sliced into 1cm slices
• 150 g mozzarella (12SP)
• 100 g Parmesan/Pecorino grated (14SP)

For the sauce

• 1 red onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 250 g mushrooms sliced (I used portobellini/chestnut)
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes / 500g cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil finely chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and grill in a hot griddle pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 200°c.
3. To make the sauce, sauté the onion in a saucepan in a splash of oil until soft and translucent.
4. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry until the mushrooms are golden brown.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced slightly.
6. To assemble the bake, layer the grilled aubergine with the sauce and cheese in an oven-proof dish, reserving some of the mozzarella to finish the bake off with.
7. Place the dish in the oven and allow to bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then serve with salad/bread of your choice.

Anyway, I have a super busy day, 5 meetings, a long conference call, I’d like to make one of those recipes but we shall see what the day brings.

Have a very great day BeYOUtiful, I’m going to do my best to have another delicious day!