A friend and ex-colleague, who quit his job to go and sit on Scottish hilltops looking at birds (sorry, "surveying wildlife") is also, it turns out, a rather bloody good writer. Who knew?
His first novel "In Many Ways" was a highly entertaining story of scumbags in Glasgee, violence and bad language. All my favourite things! It's a download only book, available from Amazon. 1,000 downloads and counting. It's less than a quid - go, buy it.
Pete's second novel will be released on 10th March 2012. It's called "Pandora's Pitbull" and I can vouch for it right off the bat. I was lucky enough to be asked to proof-read the book, which I gladly did, so I've had a good preview. No doubt the finished story will be a bit different from the one I read, what with inevitable amendments, re-writes - the usual stuff that editing involves, so I look forward to reading it all over again.
Follow Pete's blog and you can read the stuff that spills out of his heed too.
http://petercarroll.ravencrestbooks.com/
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Biryani and back fat
For the few people who don't know already, I'm on a diet. I've been doing Weightwatchers since August 2011. In those 7 months I've lost just over 3 stone (that's about 30 lbs for my American readers). I've also reduced my waist by 13 inches! I've had to abandon several pairs of trousers because they're too big now, and I had to buy a new belt because I ran out of holes to tighten the old one up by. My bras just hold my boobs now, instead of my boobs plus a load of icky back fat. Things aren't constantly trying to escape any more.
This is ALL good.
There's still a long way to go, but I'm getting there.
The main change I've made to my diet is avoiding eating crap. I have a messed up love/hate relationship with food. The only way it works for me is abstinence. I'm just not capable of moderation. It's taken every single bit of my will power to walk past the constant supply of biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, chocolates and sweets at work and not dive in. It's strategically placed so I have to walk past it to get away from my desk. It's not been easy, but I know me and I know my total lack of control. I'm really proud of what I've achieved so far. It hasn't been easy, yet it has...
The easy part has been working with the Weightwatchers points system. Once you get into it, it becomes second nature. Admittedly, you do have to get a little bit obsessed - one might even say anal. It's the best way to make it work. If you're prepared to 'get with the programme' it does work. I find myself looking at a chocolate digestive now and thinking 'it's not worth it' because it'll mean my options for dinner will be limited.
So I've changed the way I cook too. I measure things. It's all about portion control. The good news is I'm not sitting around hungry all the time. It takes a little work and a little imagination, but I'm a good cook and I'm really good at winging it and making stuff up as I go along. It mostly turns out well. The problem is usually trying to remember what I did, when I try something new.
So, in that spirit, here's tonight's recipe for vegetable biryani. I'd had a bit of a relapse today and at a bag of crisps and 4 biscuits, so I only had 10 points left for dinner. Yikes! That's not many points. But I managed to pull this delicious meal out of the bag and it's so tasty and filling, for only 10 points that I want to remember how I made it - and share it with you.
If, like me, you love curry, this is a great way to get a curry hit, without breaking the points bank.
Great for vegetarians and vegans too.
Vegetable biryani (serves 2)
180g basmati rice
100g frozen mixed vegetables (I used a mixture of peas, sweetcorn, carrot, red pepper & brocolli)
1/2 tsp olive oil
6 mushrooms - quartered
6 cherry tomatoes - sliced
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
A few sultanas
Make spicy curry stock with:
600ml boiling water
Vegetable stock cube
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp each of chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, hot paprika, mustard seeds
1tsp tomato puree
Grease an ovenproof dish or bowl with the olive oil.
Place the rice in the dish, followed by the onion, garlic, mushrooms, mixed veg, sultanas and sliced tomatoes.
Pour over the stock.
Cook uncovered for 40 minutes at 200C (or until rice is cooked and all the stock has been absorbed).
Stir half way through cooking.
I like my food quite spicy. Cut down on the chilli powder if you prefer yours on the milder side.
You can really play around with this recipe. Try different veggies, or you could add some chunks of pineapple and flaked almonds if you want. You could also use a couple of teaspoons of curry paste instead of all the dried spices.
This is ALL good.
There's still a long way to go, but I'm getting there.
The main change I've made to my diet is avoiding eating crap. I have a messed up love/hate relationship with food. The only way it works for me is abstinence. I'm just not capable of moderation. It's taken every single bit of my will power to walk past the constant supply of biscuits, cakes, doughnuts, chocolates and sweets at work and not dive in. It's strategically placed so I have to walk past it to get away from my desk. It's not been easy, but I know me and I know my total lack of control. I'm really proud of what I've achieved so far. It hasn't been easy, yet it has...
The easy part has been working with the Weightwatchers points system. Once you get into it, it becomes second nature. Admittedly, you do have to get a little bit obsessed - one might even say anal. It's the best way to make it work. If you're prepared to 'get with the programme' it does work. I find myself looking at a chocolate digestive now and thinking 'it's not worth it' because it'll mean my options for dinner will be limited.
So I've changed the way I cook too. I measure things. It's all about portion control. The good news is I'm not sitting around hungry all the time. It takes a little work and a little imagination, but I'm a good cook and I'm really good at winging it and making stuff up as I go along. It mostly turns out well. The problem is usually trying to remember what I did, when I try something new.
So, in that spirit, here's tonight's recipe for vegetable biryani. I'd had a bit of a relapse today and at a bag of crisps and 4 biscuits, so I only had 10 points left for dinner. Yikes! That's not many points. But I managed to pull this delicious meal out of the bag and it's so tasty and filling, for only 10 points that I want to remember how I made it - and share it with you.
If, like me, you love curry, this is a great way to get a curry hit, without breaking the points bank.
Great for vegetarians and vegans too.
Vegetable biryani (serves 2)
180g basmati rice
100g frozen mixed vegetables (I used a mixture of peas, sweetcorn, carrot, red pepper & brocolli)
1/2 tsp olive oil
6 mushrooms - quartered
6 cherry tomatoes - sliced
2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1 medium onion - chopped
A few sultanas
Make spicy curry stock with:
600ml boiling water
Vegetable stock cube
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp each of chilli powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, hot paprika, mustard seeds
1tsp tomato puree
Grease an ovenproof dish or bowl with the olive oil.
Place the rice in the dish, followed by the onion, garlic, mushrooms, mixed veg, sultanas and sliced tomatoes.
Pour over the stock.
Cook uncovered for 40 minutes at 200C (or until rice is cooked and all the stock has been absorbed).
Stir half way through cooking.
I like my food quite spicy. Cut down on the chilli powder if you prefer yours on the milder side.
You can really play around with this recipe. Try different veggies, or you could add some chunks of pineapple and flaked almonds if you want. You could also use a couple of teaspoons of curry paste instead of all the dried spices.
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