Lula, your original post could have been me. As everyone knows, the answer to dieting tends to be 'eat (and drink) less bad shit'.
I suspect that like me, though, you find the actual act of preparing nice-to-eat food to be a part of your daily life which is hard to do without. Yes, I love the dairy fat which gives food such a lovely depth of flavour. Part of the fun of life is wondering what delights lie in your fridge to be transformed later.
Without wanting this to deteriorate into a big bore, I can say that I lost a sum of weight not many years ago with a combination of ultra strictness (no alcohol at all, no bread or potatoes, no red meat) and limited indulgence. I allowed myself small amounts of meat, but skinless chicken breasts were cut in two and frozen. I bought great big expensive prawns and ate them with restraint. For instance, the very cheap packet noodles from your local asian supermarket are about 300 calories, but I could spend an afternoon planning to grill a great big prawn or two in chilli and garlic (and a spot of butter?) to add to the noodles along with some pak/bok choi or even spinach. You can have as much fun planning what to do with half a chicken breast/thigh as you can with the whole thing.
Another idea is the Kedgeree Platform. When you are dieting, what you miss most (apart from the romantic memories of bloated overindulgence) is taste. This is why we like our diary fats - they are peculiarly good at transferring taste to our taste buds - and I suspect that there may be an element of addiction involved, here. My personal addiction is diary milk. If I have proper milk in my house I will drink at least two pints a day. As a result I have UHT, which I cannot tolerate, to put in my tea. My father's addiction is butter, but he has angels on his side.
The Kedgeree Platform is being invented as I type, but is genuinely something which I eat a lot of. Fish goes a long way: if you put salmon or mackerel in something the flavour is quite overwhelming. Oily fish are very flavoursome due to their fat content, but with fish one has the excuse that it is good fat. A small amount of a fatty fish is a good thing for diets. Or you can use a small amount of white fish (skin on)and fry it in butter. Less Omega, equal yum. Whiting is a good balance of the two.
Kedgeree Platform
Small amount of fish, with flavour
Small amount of rice, nearly completely cooked
Brown/Puy lentils to match the rice.
Herbs: parsley, really, if you must.
Cook a small amount of onion or shallot, ideally until it just colours at the edges.
When onions are done, add a small amount of curry powder or paste. The idea is that you should be aware of the curry flavour but it should be an afterthought.
That's it, really, but you can add anything you like:
Chopped egg (for classicists)
Green Leaves (Asian stuff, Mustard Leaves, Watercress, Rocket)
Fruit or dried fruit
Pinch of saffron after soaking it in warn milk
That thing at the bottom of the salad drawer |
