Kat’s Italian inspired zoodles.

INGREDIENTS:
2 medium zucchini
150g mushrooms
handful of spinach
a good glug of olive oil (I use chilli infused)
100g mascarpone
1-2 tbsp green pesto (as you prefer)
salt & pepper (to taste)
sriracha (optional)

METHOD:
Top and tail the zucchini, then chop into zoodles. You can also slice them like ribbons with a peeler or mandolin; whatever floats your boat.

Into a large pan, add the oil and zoodles and let them fry over a medium heat. While you’re sweating off the liquid, chop your mushrooms and thinly slice your spinach. 

Once the excess moisture has left the zucchini and they start to brown, add the mushrooms, spinach and garlic powder, then season with salt and pepper. 

Once the mushrooms are sufficiently cooked, add in the mascarpone and pesto, then stir until the sauce has warmed through and the zoodles are coated thoroughly.

Slam onto a plate (if you haven’t already eaten them out of the pan) and season if required. I like to drizzle mine with sriracha, but it tastes equally good without... I just love chilli. If you do this, be mindful of the carb content of your sriracha sauce as it does have a small amount of sugar in it.

KETO-NOMS! 

90 Second Keto Bread

Today, I made keto bread! I’m sure most of you seasoned keto-ers already know about the 90 second bread recipe, but it was news to me! 😍 Cheese and coleslaw butty for tea. Magic 💫

For fellow newbs, here’s what to do:

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 tbsp oil/butter (I used chilli oil!)

3 tbsp ground almonds

1/2 tsp baking powder

Method:

Mix all the ingredients and pour into a little microwaveable bowl (grease it first). Put it in the microwave for 90 seconds and that’s it! slice it across the middle, stuff with goodies and chomp. 😎

Pizza Style Portobello Mushroom Recipe

On my quest for low-carb meals, I've just knocked up these bad boys - pizza style portobello mushrooms! 

Here's the recipe; you won't be dissapointed by their awesomeness.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Large Portobella Mushroom Caps

100g Pizza Sauce

1 large Mozzarella ball (sliced)

4-5 Cherry Tomatoes (sliced)

Basil leaves (torn)

Oregano

Garlic salt

Black pepper

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

Take out each mushroom stem, chop it up and then put it back into the cap.

Add a dollop of pizza sauce to each mushroom. 

Slice the mozzarella ball and place it on the top, then finish with the sliced tomatoes, some torn basil leaves and a good shake of garlic salt, oregano and black pepper.

Put the mushrooms on a wire rack and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Voila! Nommy nommy low-carb goodness.

Chinese Hot & Sour Soup Recipe

HOT & SOUR SOUP

Over 15 years ago, I was sat in a Chinese restaurant in Benidorm which served "Hot & Sour Soup" - I have tried it many times since, but it's never been the same. Well today, I finally managed to replicate it... I am in heaven! 😍

Here's how to make a batch of this gorgeous stuff for yourself...

INGREDIENTS:

2tsp peanut oil

70g mushrooms (sliced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tbsp ginger (minced)

1.2 litres vegetable stock

60ml rice vinegar

3tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp chilli garlic paste

1 tsp agave (or any liquid sweetener -  

       1tsp honey works)

1 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp water

1 head of pak choi

4 spring onions + extra for sprinkling 

1 tbsp toasted sesame oil

Black pepper

2 eggs (beaten)

Chilli oil

METHOD:

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the mushrooms and sauté for two minutes.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about another minute stirring constantly.

Add the stock, vinegar, soy sauce, chilli-garlic paste and agave, and bring to a gentle simmer. 

Stir in the pak choi, spring onions, sesame oil and some pepper, then simmer for another few minutes to let the flavours mix.

Combine the cornstarch and water in a separate bowl until there are no lumps. Slowly add this to the simmering pot, stirring well until it starts to thicken, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Beat the egg in a small bowl or cup and then, in a fine stream, pour it into the soup. Stir soup several times.

Serve in bowls, sprinkled with extra spring onions and drizzled with chilli oil. 

Kat's Ratatouille

Worthy of Remy the rat himself, here is my recipe for a delicious ratatouille, without those horrid aubergines...

If you would prefer a more authentic version, drop the peppers and add sliced aubergine; though personally, I think the peppers add a sweetness which makes it way better!

INGREDIENTS:

- 500ml Passata (garlic & herbs)

- 6 large tomatoes

- 3 peppers

- 2 large onions

- 2 large courgettes

- 100g Parmesan/grated Italian hard cheese

- Olive oil

METHOD:

Pre-heat the oven to 200° (180° fan). 

Take a large baking dish and pour the passata into the bottom. 

Slice the veg and put it into the dish in rows, alternating the slices to make it look pretty.

Sprinkle with 50g of the cheese, cover with foil and whack it into the oven. 

After an hour, take it out and remove the foil.

Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle on the remaining cheese and put it back into the oven for another half an hour. 

Serve however you like; I dish it up in bowls with big chunks of buttered farmhouse bread on the side. 

NOMTASTIC!!! x

Friendship

There are days when I mourn the friend I never truly had;

Though they are now few and farther between, for which I am grateful.

Pay mind to who you trust with your heart and the words with which they can break it;

Strive not to collect relationships as though their number be a measure of your worth. 

Treasure the friend who proves faithful to the last. It only takes one for you to feel truly blessed indeed.

~ Kat Thorpe  16/09/2016

Pokémon Go...

...just because. 😹