Pistou - A veggie photo story

This weekend I made a big pan of pistou soup. It is very similar to minestrone soup with a fresh pesto type sauce dropped into the centre. After trying it at a friends we discovered the recipe was in a book we already owned by Rachel Khoo. The recipe is on  the BBC website here. I made a half quantity (which gave 3 big servings) and added a stick of celery that wasn't in the recipe.

Sauerkraut experiment

Rather than being the name of a stereolab album. I've been meaning to experiment with fermentation as a means of food production. We all love beer, but there must be other things to make with making stuff go off.

I recently bought a book on fermentation and the history and cultural significance thereof. Whilst very good, I thought I'd try this simple recipe for sauerkraut as a first step.


First sterilise the jars (weird huh given that I'm cooking with bacteria)

Then core and chop the cabbage

Massage in the salt for 5-10 mins

Put in jar, cover with a whole cabbage leaf and weigh down with a smaller jar (full of water)

cover with a jam or cheese cloth

wait...

And if you do decide to make some more... buy at least 2 cabbages!!

New year, new me?

Unfortunately not. Same old me...

So this will be the year I run a triathlon and as a result finally get into the shape I should have been in years ago. Don't misunderstand me. Whilst I have wanted to sort out my body shape for years, it is an irony that a non-vanity based motivation finally seems to be working. My body is to be an engine capable of powering itself in many different modes for sustained periods. To do this it must be more streamlined and better fuelled, stronger and able to push hard for longer. This is what has finally tricked it into shedding the kgs added over the years through cheese, bread, beer and sugar.

Dramatic though that all sounds it is the little things that have really started to make a difference.

• Less eating and drinking out in the week. 
• Taking my own lunches to work (Today I have wholegrain barley and vegetable stew - fortified with pea protein). 
• Riding the Brompton most days to get just a bit of exercise in even when I'm doing nothing else

Eventually it is treating it better and not denying myself that is turning out to be the key.

I've also bought a little more new kit

• Merrell Bare Access 2 running shoes
• Asics Windstopper tights and winter shirt
• Garmin Forerunner 310XT and bike mounting kit
• Masters and beyond - book about training in middle age

All of which I'll cover the why and wherefores shortly but all in all I'm quite excited about the future. 

Weird food when left to my own devices

What do vegetarians eat #2?

Weird stuff