The Protein Queen

I was in a rush so wanted chicken fast. Here’s what I did:

1. Butterfly 2 chicken breasts and pound between 2 sheets of clingfilm until 1 cm thick.

2. Chop 1 clove of garlic and briefly cook with a little oil in a large frying pan.

3. Sprinkle chicken with pepper, salt, dried basil and dried oregano. Place herby side down into hot frying pan. Repeat herb sprinkling on other side. Turn chicken once and dry-fry until cooked through.

4. Just before you take the chicken out of the pan, squeeze over 1/5 a lemon.

EAT! I had a little light mayo with it. 

Serves me.

In a jar put 1tbsp Dijon mustard, 5tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1tsp vegetable oil, salt and black pepper. Screw the lid on and shake. 

For extra flavour, you may like to add a whole garlic clove to marinate, or some fresh herbs.

Source: Dr. P. Dukan, The Dukan Diet, Hodder and Stoughton, London, UK, 2010

epicureanbodybuilder:

If you like old fashioned cake donuts, then you will love these protein donuts. I haven’t quite decided on a name for this (if you have suggestions, send them my way!) but after MANY experiments, I think this one is a keeper. 

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I just ate a delicious bowl of Shakshouka. The recipe is from my favourite food blog, www.poormansfeast.com written by the talented Elissa Altman. Spicy and comforting - it reminded me of goulash soup - perfect for the rapidly approaching Autumn.

Serves 4

1-1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - I used a few squirts of 1 cal spray instead.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon paprika (I prefer Pimenton dulce)

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 jalapeno, finely chopped

1 800g can chopped tomatoes

8 large eggs

crumbled feta or for a Dukan friendly option use FF natural yoghurt

chopped parsley, for garnish

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and add the cumin seeds. Cook until they become fragrant and toasty brown in color, and add the paprika. Stir well, and add the onion, garlic, and jalapeno. Cook over medium heat until the onion becomes transluscent, about 6 to 8 minutes.

2. Pour the tomatoes into the pan, stir to combine, and raise the heat to bring to a boil for 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and continue to cook for about 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down, and the sauce has thickened slightly. Taste for salt and season as needed.

3. Carefully break each egg into the pan, spacing them apart by a few inches. Cover and cook until the eggs are whites are firm and the yolks are cooked, but still a bit soft, around 4 minutes.

4. Serve immediately in deep bowls and top with yoghurt and parsley

Its times like these when I believe Dukan is the tastiest diet ever!

epicureanbodybuilder:

A slow cooker and spices are all you really need for this hearty no fuss meal.

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A match made in heaven that I could eat every day. Hurry up and cook chicken, I’m HUNGRY!

The walk from bed to fridge just seems too far, too far!! Then again I do love eating in bed so I could snuggle up with a pot of cottage cheese and Tumblr… maybe I’ll bother.

I had this for breakfast with scrambled eggs sprinkled with chives - it was delicious and incredibly satisfying. The batter forms something between an omelette and a pancake, making it perfect to use in the place of bread. Think sandwiching a turkey burger between two small galettes or topping with smoked salmon.

1. In a small jug, mix 1.5tbsp oatbran, 1.5tbsp of FF quark/fromage frais and 1 egg.

2. Either sweeten with 1tbsp of sweetener (for sweet galettes) or a little salt (for savoury).

3. Lightly oil a non-stick frying pan and pour in the batter. Cook for 2-3 mins on each side.

Makes 1 large galette (20cm diameter) or 2 smaller ones. Serves 1.

Eat fresh and hot or wrap in foil and keep in the fridge for up to a week. Freezable.

Source: p.70, Dr. P. Dukan, The Dukan Diet, Hodder & Stoughton, London, UK, 2010

To liven up meat!

Use FF natural yoghurt and mix with 1tbsp Dijon mustard (or to taste) until the consistency of mayonnaise. Add a dash of vinegar, salt, pepper and herbs.

Source: Dr. P. Dukan, The Dukan Diet, Hodder and Staughton, London, UK, 2010.

Watch recipe21 mins

Tempt your taste buds with a hot and juicy tandoori chicken recipe, served with a cooling dip.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• 1.75kg/4lbs chicken drumsticks, skinned

• pinch salt

• 2 lemons, juice only

• 500g/1lb 2oz natural fat free yoghurt

• 3-4 tbsp tandoori spice mix

For the dip

• 3-4 tbsps natural fat free yoghurt

• pinch salt

• pinch sweetener

• 5 fresh mint sprigs

• 1 green chilli, deseeded, sliced

Preparation method

1. Cut deep incisions into the chicken flesh with a small, sharp knife. Place the chicken into a bowl and sprinkle over the salt and the juice of two lemons, massaging into the chicken until well coated.

2. Whisk the yoghurt and tandoori spice mix in a bowl until well combined. Pour the marinade onto the chicken and massage into the flesh. Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge overnight.

3. Preheat the grill to high.

4. Lift the drumsticks from the tandoori mixture and gently shake off any excess. Place a wire rack over a roasting tin and lay the drumsticks upon it. Grill for 20 minutes, turning regularly, or until richly burnished and the chicken is cooked through. Add more lemon juice to taste.

5. For the dip, place all of the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve alongside the chicken drumsticks.

Adapted slightly from Simon Hopkinson’s recipe via BBC Food.