Fried cod with stir-fried vegetables and cassious nuts

Fish means trouble to me. Although I recognise its nutritional value and want to add it into my weekly menu, at the same time I struggle to find recipes that will make it appealing to eat. I will usually result to the strong taste of salmon or disguise cod into something else ( pesto covered). This time I decided to fry my fish and add a chinese touch to it. An easy and delicious recipe.

Fried cod with stir-fried vegetables and cassious nuts

250g fresh cod, cut into 2,5cm cubes, skinned
3 tbsp coconut oil
2.5 cm root ginger shredded
3 fresh onion chopped
1 red pepper cut into small squares
half a courgette cut into small squares
2 tsp rice wine (or wine vinegar)
2 tbsp crushed cassious nuts

In a large wok I will heat 2 spoons of coconut oil and fry the fish for 3 minutes, drain it and put it aside. I then clean the wok thoroughly, reheat it and add the rest of the coconut oil and the ginger, stirring it until fragrant, then add the spring onions, pepper and courgette. I stir everything together, add the rice and cook for one-two minutes. I will finally add the fish and stir to warm through. A sprinkle of crashed cassious nuts ( or toasted pine kernels) on top and my yummy food is ready to eat.

Going sugar free : Glorious vegetable omelette oven cooked and chicken stir fry served with quinoa and yoghurt dressing

It is my second sugar free week and it feels weird, especially when I see me taking on any kind of carb; like making buckwheat flour based pizza at 11 o'clock at night, eating rice cakes all day or devouring large bags of chips. My body, or any unwanted host inside it, craves the sugar in any form, and since it is deprived of the real thing it goes for second best options (it apparently knows that carbohydrates are broken down into glucose).

In my attempt to forget about my sweet tooth I have cooked some really nice savoury dishes, like the following chicken stir fry, which was eaten immediately and didn't even manage to take a photo of it and my glorious today breakfast as seen in the photo.

Vegetable omelette

6 eggs
2 cups finally chopped vegetables (asparagus, mushrooms, onion, courgettes and yellow pepper)
sliced haloumi cheese into cubes
3 spring onions sliced
freshly ground pepper
coconut oil for greasing

While preheating the oven, I will whisk the eggs in a large bowl, then add the chopped vegetables and finally stir in the spring onions and the pepper. I will spoon the mixture into a greased muffin tray, add the cheese on top and let it bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Chicken stir fry served with quinoa and yoghurt dressing

1 chicken breast, no skin, into stripes

1 yellow pepper chopped into small cubes

1/2 red onion chopped into small pieces

50 gr quinoa

250ml water

 half  a vegetable stock cube 

1 Tbsp of olive oil

marinade

1 teaspoon of ground coriander

2 Tbs fresh coriander

2-3 spring onions, finely sliced

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

3 Tbs olive oil

Zest of 1 orange

2 Tbs orange juice

Juice of half a lemon

freshly ground pepper

yoghurt sauce

4 spoons of yoghurt

half a teaspoon of cumin

First I make the marinade, combining all the ingredients together in a bowl. I then add the chicken stripes and let it rest for as long as I can in the fridge. Then I will start cooking the quinoa; I will warm the olive oil in my pan and then saute the onion, being careful not to let it burn. Then I will add the soaked and drained quinoa, and move it around it for a minute. I pour in the cold water and some orange juice and when it starts to boil I will add the stock cube, stirring everything together. I cover the pan and while the quinoa is cooking , I heat some olive oil in a big wok and add the chicken with the marinade and the yellow pepper. I will stir constantly until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. When the chicken is ready and the quinoa has absorbed the water I will place then in a plate with the yoghurt sauce and sprinkle some chopped fresh coriander and orange zest to garnish.

Slow cooked chicken thighs with prunes, sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary

Recently while trying to come up with ideas for a perfect dinner party dish  I remembered this delicious recipe my friend Lito used to cook. So far i have slow cooked the chicken with many different ingredients; in this recipe I was to cook together the chicken with prunes, orange juice, rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes, a combination that in the end brought out a nice balanced flavour.