Preserved limes

These are a great to have as an addition to all sorts of dishes, they are sour and salty, so add quite a punch. And they are very easy to make.

You need a very clean jar with an airtight lid, lots of limes, lots of salt and some water that has been boiled and is now warm.

Cut the limes into quarters, almost to the bottom, but not quite.

Next fill the lime with as much salt as possible. 

Holding it together, turn it upside down (into the jar) and press some of the juice out. 

Store for a few weeks (or months) turning periodically to make sure the salt dissolves evenly on the limes.

spicy pork with aubergine

Fry some slices of peppers, chunks of peeled aubergine and onions in some oil. Separately fry some pork slices in some oil, draining away any excess liquid until the pork is golden brown.

Add a teaspoon of curry powder to the vegetables. Add the meat. Add around 6 roasted tomatoes or a tin of tomatoes, if you don't have time.

Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Chicken satay with pickled vegetables

I've now lost 28.5 kilos on this low GI diet and I'm feeling so very much better for it. One of the things I keep doing, though, is forgetting how small my appetite now is. I'm cooking too much and putting too much on my plate. The high protein and high fibre aspect of the diet, with very few carbs, means that I am never actually hungry any more and I always feel like I've just eaten a big meal. I'm slowly learning to cook less, or at least put less of what I cook on a plate at a time (it's always great to have loads to snack on for when I know I need to eat and I'm done with cooking as it stops me reaching for the bad for me stuff. This dish is particularly good as it isn't a problem to eat cold and the pickled veggies are great to have in the fridge to accompany all sorts of food. They are quick and easy to make yourself and you can control what goes in - I'm not a big fan of spicy food, so I leave out chillies, but you could add extra. More or less any veggies that can be eaten raw and aren't leaves, are suitable for pickling. Add some slices of lemon - chargrilled is great, and play around with the spices - we used pepper corns, mustard and coriander seeds, but cardomom, poppy seeds, star anise, maybe even fennel seeds can work well. I like it with dill, but again you can play around with any herbs you add.

Make the pickled veggies in advance.
Cut meat into strips. Pound together shallots, garlic, and chilli. Stir in 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, a tablespoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of regular oil. Maranate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. Then barbecue.
For the peanut sauce, add to a blender, 250grams roasted peanuts, 100ml coconut milk, one chilli (or more to taste), 3 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, a tablespoon tomato puree and two spoons orange juice. Puree and serve with chopped coriander.

Pickled veggies

Slice a selection of veggies - we've used carrots, cauliflower, red peppers, and cucumber, together with shallots.

Add some spices - we've used coriander seeds and mustard seeds together with peppercorns.

Heat up one cup of white wine vinegar with one cup of water and a teaspoon of soft brown sugar. Once boiling, turn of the heat and leave to become warm.

Layer the veggies and herbs in a jar. Pour over the vinegar mix and put in the fridge, turning occasionally.

It'll be good after about an hour, but better overnight - or in a week - or two!

Garlic mushrooms with roasted tomatoes and a poached egg

For the garlic mushrooms, finely chop some garlic - as strong as you like it. Fry gently with about a tablespoon of butter. Peel and chop the mushrooms - a selection of different types works best.

Serve with roast tomatoes and poached eggs. Eat immediately.

Roast tomatoes

Cut the top off a 2 kilos of tomatoes and arrange them cut side up in a roasting pan. Put in the oven at around 200C for 2 - 3 hours. These can then be kept in oil (ideally olive oil - and it isn't wasted - the oil takes on a lovely tomatoey flavour) for a few weeks. Great in salads, warmed up alongside meats, in sauces, stews, etc.

Poached egg

To make a poached egg, you need very fresh eggs, some vinegar, and some water, a pan and a slotted spoon.

Put a pan with enough water to easily cover the egg, on to boil. Add a tablespoon of white vinegar (this stops it from spreading out if it's a little old). Break an egg into a small bowl.
When the water is gently simmering, stir it fast with a spoon to create a whirlpool effect and drop the egg into the middle. After a minute, use the slotted spoon to lift the egg out and see if the white looks cooked. You should be able to see when it's done and immediately remove it and serve it.