This week I am planning on using cherries and figs from the freezer, as we have lots of them. I’m hoping that defrosted figs will work well in this delicious Fig and Almond tart! If we didn’t have our own produce to use up, then I would be choosing pears, oranges and pineapple for desserts, which are all good right now. You can find several recipes for those by looking through the Recipe Index in the menu bar.
I picked up a bargain pack of free range chicken legs, plus I already had a plan to make a batch of meatballs to prepare in 3 different ways (Scandinavian, Italian and Greek style), so this week is more meat-orientated than last. But we will have some fish with salad for lunch on a couple of days, and I am planning to do one of my favourite things ever with leeks – Leek Risotto with Parmesan Crisps. I have a lot of Green Beans in the freezer, plus there is still some kale and cabbage to gather, so I don’t need to buy much in the way of green veg.
Looking ahead to next weekend, I am planning a Greek inspired day. With so much talk of how good the Mediterranean diet is, I don’t need much of an excuse for making Spanakopitta, which makes a great lunch with some salad and can also make a wonderful fast day meal.
It is hard to find the right sort of cheese to make Saganaki with in France, so we bought some Kefalotiri when we were last in England, which I keep in the freezer. You may have seen Rick Stein cooking this on his recent series “Venice to Istanbul“. He suggests using Halloumi, but that is equally hard to source here. Sliced in half, dipped in semolina or flour and fried in olive oil, then drizzled with honey and sprinkled with black sesame seeds…. I remember having it with a fresh tomato sauce in Piraeus, which adds a lovely splash of colour.
We will follow it with Keftedes and Lemon-infused Greek style Roast Potatoes (I think my idea for this comes from Tessa Kiros’ book “Food from Many Greek Kitchens“). Alongside that I plan to serve some green vegetables, cooked in the style of Horta (Mountain Greens) – steamed or boiled shredded kale, cabbage and sprout tops, most likely, as that is what I can gather from the garden at the moment – the key thing is the addition of olive oil and lemon juice!
For dessert I will probably make Hazelnut and Agave Syrup Baklava, but I have a recipe for Knafeh (from Olives, Lemons, Za’atar by Rawia Bishara) – the “shredded wheat” type of pastry that I would love to try. But where do you find katafeh dough (shredded filo) in France? Can I just chop up some filo? Hmm, more research needed here. The only thing missing will be the Retsina, as it will still be Dry January…
I’m planning to add the recipes for the Fig and Almond Tart and the Meatballs over the next few days, but the latter can be found in my book 5:2 Healthy Eating for Life, along with a number of the other ideas in this weeks meal plan.
Have a tasty and healthy week – and try and move more! Wrap up well and get out in the crisp winter air, it may not last long!
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Bacon, Egg, Tomato, Sausage (brunch) | Fresh Fruit | *Chicken and Lemon Tagine, Carrot and Cumin Salad, Gingered Yogurt, Za'atar Flat Bread Fig Tart Almandine |
| Monday | FAST DAY | - | *Carrot and Coriander Soup (100) *Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Trout (160 / 270) Poached Figs with Greek Yogurt (170) |
| Tuesday | Yogurt with Cherries | Smoked Mackerel Salad Fresh Fruit | leftover Chicken Tagine with Cous Cous and Steamed Vegetables leftover Fig Tart |
| Wednesday | Yogurt with Figs | *Leek Risotto with Parmesan Crisps Fresh Fruit | *Scandinavian Meatballs, Lingonberry Jam, Creamy Pepper Sauce, Mashed Swede, Green Beans Cherry Cobbler |
| Thursday | FAST DAY | - | Courgetti with Meatballs in Tomato Sauce (250 / 320) *Poached Spiced Cherries with Fromage Blanc (100) |
| Friday | Wholewheat Toast with Almond Butter | Seared Tuna and Green Beans à la Greque Fresh Fruit | *Chicken with Saffron and Garlic, *Patatas Bravas, *Cabbage Green Pepper and Caraway Salad leftover Cherry Cobbler |
| Saturday | Boiled Egg and Wholewheat Toast | *Spanakopitta with Salad Fresh Fruit | Saganaki with Black Sesame Seeds and Honey *Keftedes, with Greek style Roast Potatoes and Mountain Greens *Hazelnut and Agave Syrup Baklava |
| * indicates recipes that are in 5:2 Healthy Eating for Life # recipes are in Focus on Flavour |
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After that, I am trying to focus mainly on vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, with small amounts of meat, fish and dairy. This is my take on a planet and people friendly diet! Our chickens are still laying, so there are eggs in my plan too. So nothing is excluded, but because we are keen to start the New Year with getting back into shape, we are keeping our calorie intake down and generally that means that meals are lower in carbs. Seasonally speaking, I have cauliflower, Swiss chard, various root vegetables, citrus fruits and pears. But I also have to remember that I have a lot of our own produce in the freezer, so we will use some raspberries this week. 
Thurs, Fast day: 
