Week 5 - Low Carb Bootcamp - time to get rid of all the Valentine's treats!

[BIWI]

I rather suspect that a lot of us have been so far off the wagon this weekend that it's disappeared over the far horizon!

having to post on the spreadsheet may sober us all up, in more ways than one!

I hope any cheats were enjoyable. There's nothing worse than deciding to cheat and then not liking it.

But from now, it's time to buckle down and get back into the swing of things. If you did cheat, please don't complain that the scales aren't being kind to you. It's an inevitable consequence.

So let's focus on a really strict week, recognising that this is the end of our first half of Bootcamp.

Good luck to us all

My meringue roulade was a real success: made it for a friend's garden party 18 months ago when we could do that sort of thing and it was just as popular as the "real" (ie with sugar ) pavlova that I also made. The only thing "wrong" with the roulade was that I didn't have enough raspberries

Looking at that Diet Doctor recipe, I can't see how the meringues produced would be "crispy". The recipe I used for the roulade made it very clear that using erythritol resulted in soft/marshmallowy meringue - hence making the most of that attribute in a roulade.

The lamb and leek hotpot, adapted from a recipe book, was divine. I have posted the recipe!

@Lyrata and @1stMrsF I love your NSVs. There are obviously lots of benefits to losing weight but wearing smaller clothes is my favourite.

I am making that ratatouille tomorrow! I've been wanting to do one for ages and I happen to have all the ingredients, lounging in the fridge wanting to be eaten.
DH made his amazing chili tonight, I'm going to have to pick out the kidney beans, aren't I? I'll try to pretend it doesn't have nearly 100g of dark chocolate in it (to be fair, it's over 12 portions), not to mention all the onions. No taco shells though, I've rescued the 3 biggest lettuce leaves to substitute but they're iceberg so probably will end up all down me! If I'd known, I'd have bought suitable lettuce. Lots of soured cream and cheese though.

Zoom bingo with SIL again tomorrow, she was sad I didn't join in last week (all the prizes I bought were sweets and chocolate) so I bought some mini wine bottles and if I win I will have one. Not had a drink for about 3 weeks.

That roulade looks amazing @prettybird I may have to find an occasion for which to make it. It isn't my birthday until August. Perhaps Mothers day? Spent most of last year's crying or sulking as I'd lost my Mum 4 months before, MIL 4 weeks before and we were in lockdown so didn't get so much as a card. I can make myself a Pavlova!

If I may be be so bold Ragz...

parmesan basket for your chilli

@RagzReturnsRebooted that sounds like a horrible Mother’s Day. I lost my mum 25 years ago and it took a long time to feel OK about it. I hope this year is better and I’m sure a good roulade will help.

We’re having an Indian takeaway tonight. Am planning tandoori lamb chops and brinjal bahji. Does that sound OK? I would so love some daal!

@RagzReturnsRebooted - biggest problem with making the roulade and a pavlova at the same time was the gazillion egg yolks I had to use up afterwards

Lots of rich spaghetti/courgette carbonara and rich scrambled eggs

Do you think celeriac would convert well to Duchess potatoes @prettybird and other cheffy types? The egg yolks put me in mind of them!

www.taste.com.au/recipes/duchess-potatoes/c1d62843-e294-4025-88cd-389b8b0441c5

Omg duchess potatoes are such a faff. Every time I make them I get grumpy and swear I’ll never make them again. Then I forget... on the other hand they freeze well so you can make a big batch and have them ready made!

I’m thinking I would probably do it half and half with potato but I’ll leave it til after BC.

You could try it and report back to us!

I think that celeriac would work well. You might need to ensure that the cooked and soft celeriac is nice and dry (steam it after cooking?) before mashing it (I find a potato ricer good) and/or use an extra egg yolk for the right consistency.

Just remembered that I've also made fondant celeriac very successfully

I thought I'd found a recipe and then this happened Nink Have I stumbled across the dark web?

what is this about

Fortunately the link didn't work

https://islandparadise.fandom.com/wiki/DuchessCeleriacc_Potatoes

Oh fondant celeriac sounds great (and more suited to my laziness)!

lol at that link...I’m worried about almost all google results these days, tbh...

When were you planning to tell us about the celeriac fondant @prettybird?!

@prettybird

My meringue roulade was a real success: made it for a friend's garden party 18 months ago when we could do that sort of thing and it was just as popular as the "real" (ie with sugar ) pavlova that I also made. The only thing "wrong" with the roulade was that I didn't have enough raspberries

Looking at that Diet Doctor recipe, I can't see how the meringues produced would be "crispy". The recipe I used for the roulade made it very clear that using erythritol resulted in soft/marshmallowy meringue - hence making the most of that attribute in a roulade.

@prettybird it was quite chewy. The texture didn't bother me, it was the taste. Not sure if it's the sweetener or if it's because I used powdered egg white. Never tried either before, just had the powder in the cupboard and thought I'd give it a go. The meringue had a distinctly fishy edge

Your roulade looks awesome!

I should warn those making the ratatouille that the quantities there are recommended for 4 portions but it makes absolutely LOADS. I usually get 2 big dishes out of it and freeze one for later

Ha! Found the celeriac fondant on the recipe thread of all places. Nice try pretty, but you won't fool us that easily

Do you freeze it right at the end, ouch, or at an earlier stage? And do you have to defrost first? DH is aubergine-phobic, but all the more for me!

@nowlook

When were you planning to tell us about the celeriac fondant *@prettybird*?!

I only remembered because it came up in my Facebook memories as a meal that I'd had years ago I'd actually forgotten about it

At the time, I didn't do much with celeriac so I think I wasted all the offcuts rather than making delicious creamy mash with it

I cook it all the way through and freeze the finished dish. Generally take it out of the freezer to defrost before reheating but I think it would be fine to bung it in the oven on a relatively low heat

My recipe for the week:

Chicken wings baby!

Feeds two greedy gooses

2 big supermarket packs of chicken wings
200 ml Franks red hot original sauce (not the buffalo wings one, check the ingredients)

120 g butter

300g sourcream
2 teaspoons mayo
200g blue cheese (Cashel blue or Roquefort)
2 shallots
Big punch of flat leaf parsley

3 sticks celery

1. You can either deep fry or roast the chicken wongs until they are nice und crispy. I deep fried mine.

1. Prepare the blue cheese sauce. Crumble the cheese into a bowl. Finely dice the shallots. Chop the parsley. Add the sour cream and mayo . Put it all into a nice shallow bowl. Slice the celery batons. Put them onto a nice side plate, if you're feeling fancy.

1. Put the butter and hot sauce into a sauce pan, simmer on a low heat until the butter is melted.

1. When the wings are done (wait until they are crispy, you don't want flabby bleurgh chicken wings - if you prefer them this way we cannot be friends) put them into a big bowl and pour the sauce on top. Toss them with a big serving spoon until they are all coated. Place onto plates to serve.

Eat in front of the t.v., like the greedy goose you are. Congratulate yourself for drinking sparkling water with your wings when you really wanted a beer.

DD made the TikTok tomato pasta ( basically roast cherry tomatoes with olive oil , garlic , oregano, salt and pepper and a block of feta , mash all up , add pasta , and dinner is served )
I had mine on long stem broccoli and some ham hock was lovely !
Then , for dessert I’d made the chocolate cake from Diet Dr , served it with whipped double cream and a few raspberries
Not brilliant photos , but you’ll get the idea