2020 weekly - week 39 (27th week of confinement)

20/09/2020, Sunday

My physio routine this coming week.

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Last third of the year 2020. A true Annus Horribilis world wise. Looking on the bright side, my leg has improved so has my health. Working from home seems to have a positive effect on couple relationship. Not sure why. Perhaps less external stress and more time together. Not a completely annus horribilis on the personal level then.

Totally hooked on Battlestar Galactica (BSG) series. Apparently we are so very late to the scene. It was first aired in 2004! Well, I re-found my love for Sci-Fi with BSG ever since they showed me a faster-than-light jump!

Summer lingers on. Usually the temperature never exceeds 20C in September. Nowadays, it's hovering between 20 and 24. Planted bluebells and tulips today. Every time we go to the garden centre, it's dangerous.

21/09/2020, Monday

These IT band exercises seem to have instant effect on my left knee! Last week I didn't do it because of the hectic schedule and I suffered knee pain instantly even though I only ran once. So last weekend I was determined to repeat my IT band exercises and today, voila, placebo or not, no more knee pain!

Total running distance: 5200 meters
Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 + 2200 meters

22/09/2020, Tuesday

Well, COVID-19 restrictions are back. New cases are doubling frighteningly fast so are the hospital admissions. Most new cases are with young people between 20 and 29. I really don't understand. What could be more important than your health? If small sacrifice makes combatting COVID-19 more effective, it's no brainer. Not only are we going to lose all the good work and the sacrifice back in March, by the look of it, COVID-19 is slowly getting out of our control.

Come on, people. 

24/09/2020, Thursday

Made an appointment for all the vaccinations recommended by my consultant. It takes two rounds! Oh well. Better to be protected than not.

Total running distance: 5200 meters
Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 + 2400 meters

25/09/2020, Friday

Left leg is not happy today. Mostly knee pain but a different way than last week. I will try heat pad later.

Total running distance: 4800 meters
Longest non-stopping distance: (1200 x3) meters

I make - Applesauce Oat Bread

You can see I am in the quick bread phase. Here is another quick bread recipe.

I picked up the habit of eating applesauce from my mother-in-law. She used to have compote de pommes (sometimes with plain yogurt) after dinner as dessert. What a nice way to finish a meal without extra burden on the stomach. Since then, I started to eat compote de pommes with Greek yogurt as part of a meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner). I just love it. Where do I get my compote de pommes? It's homemade, of course. And it couldn't be easier. Just cook peeled apple chunks and 1/4 cup of water until they all go soft or pulpy. Add a tablespoon of sugar if you prefer. If you use Bramley apple, a particular variety in the UK, it cooks to a mush. You don't even have to get your blender out.

Today is first day of Autumn. When the weather gets colder, breakfast with toasted quick bread is a really nice way to start. Goodbye overnight oats, see you next summer. 

Applesauce Oat Bread

1 cup (100 g) porridge oats
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup (140 g) gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp ground cinnamon*
1 tsp ground ginger*
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg*
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey*
a scant 1/2 cup (100ml) plain Greek yogurt (10% protein, 0% fat works fine)
2 tbsps vegetable oil

Soak porridge oats with applesauce for an hour. I find that soaking the porridge oats in advance brings out better texture. If you are in rush, you can skip the soaking stage.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs until slightly frothy. Add brown sugar/honey, 100 ml Greek yogurt and vegetable oil. Stir until well combined. Stir in the porridge oats and applesauce mixture. This is your wet bowl.

Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet bowl and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. If the batter seems a bit dry (i.e. extra flour at the bottom of the bowl), add more Greek yogurt, one tablespoon at a time. Batter will be thick and lumpy – this is fine. 

Pour batter into prepared loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until top is set and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check at 40 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow bread to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing and setting on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:

1. This is a fairly spiced bread. Your kitchen will smell fantastic and autumnal during baking. Feel free to adjust the level of spice to your liking.
2. My preferred level of sweetness for quick bread is 1 tbsp sugar. Feel free to up the sugar to 1/4 cup or more.

2020 weekly - week 38 (26th week of confinement)

13/09/2020, Sunday

My physio routine this coming week.

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Looks like today and tomorrow are going to be Indian Summer for us so I made the grilled lamb and carrot pilaf last night. The cumin scented carrot slivers brings out an earthy flavor, different and reassuring. This combo of lamb and rice always conjures up a vast Mongolian mountain plain for me. 

15/09/2020, Tuesday

Decided to take the plunge by taking French B1 again. My first ever online class by Zoom. Worked out  much better than I expected. We can be broken up in smaller groups, in any number. The teacher can drop in and out of the mini groups and check the progress. Highly impressed. I'm going to have fun!

16/09/2020, Wednesday

Discovered a blog which uses Greek yogurt for many baked goods. Why is it special? Because in most cases, it eschews the need of fat. Was I intrigued? Yes. Was I doubtful? Absolutely. Did it work? Perfectly! I couldn't believe it. The texture is not gummy nor dense. Tastes like normal banana bread to me (the recipe I chose). It won't be the last!

17/09/2020, Thursday

The main meetings are behind me. Time to go back to the park!

Total running distance: 5200 meters
Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 + 2000 meters

19/09/2020, Saturday

Woke up to a sad news, one of my heroes passed away. Such a fighter and inspiration. I will remember you forever, RBG.

I make - Easy Char Siew (Chinese Grilled Pork)

I am getting to know British Pork again. A half teaspoon of baking soda transforms all Asian pork dishes. The traditional method is to oven grill Char Siew. I prefer a stovetop version for quicker and more tender pork.

Easy Char Siew

450-500 g pork shoulder, slice into strips
1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp Chinese 5-spice

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp miso

1 garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp mild honey (or brown sugar)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp soy sauce (gluten-free if needed)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine (or sherry)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water

Combine everything except water. Marinade the pork for a few hours or overnight.

Heat a frying pan on medium. Grease the bottom of the pan with a tablespoon of oil and put the pork slices on top. When the pan juice starts to bubble actively, pour 1/2 cup water in. Cover the pan to cook for 20-30 minutes. Uncover the pan during the last 10 minutes.

I make - Almond Paste/Marzipan

This has to be the biggest revelation this year culinary wise, homemade almond paste or marzipan. According to Nigella Lawson, the definition is country dependent. In the US, almond paste is made with equal parts of ground almond and sugar (by weight), whereas marzipan has higher ratio of sugar (~75%) than almond (~25%). If your intention is to cover a cake, then go for the higher sugar version as it is easier to roll out. For me, it's mostly used as an add-in ingredient, for cakes, scones, cookies/brownies and festive breads. 50%-50% will do for me.

Being an almond lover, I can't believe it took me that long to make my own. It is a great add-in alternative, other than the usual choices of dried fruits, nuts or chocolate. On top of that, it tastes great and super easy to make your own. I think it deserves a post on its own. 

Almond Paste

150 g ground almond

150 g icing sugar (or royal icing sugar with egg white powder added)

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp amaretto (or water)

1/2 tsp almond extract + 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

a few turns of salt grinder (optional)

drops of water to adjust the consistency

Combine ground almond and icing sugar in a mixing bowl. Pour water, amaretto/water, extracts and salt on top. Use a rubber spatula to combine. Press the mixture to the bowl to help paste form. When there is little ground almond left in the bowl, knead the paste with your hand. If you still see ground almond lying behind, add a few drops of water to bring it in. I add 1/2 tsp water at a time. Shape the paste into a log or a slab and wrap it in cling film or plastics. I am the slab type.

Chill the wrapped almond paste in the fridge before using. Refrigeration firms up the texture and also develops the flavor further.

I make - Greek Yogurt Banana Oat Bread

Being a big fan of Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, I mostly make smoothies or use in savory dishes, apart from eating straight out of the pot. I do bake with yogurt, but with the plain regular one. Recently I just discovered a whole new baking world with Greek Yogurt. This is quite fabulous. Not only does Greek Yogurt give a protein boost to the gluten-free cakes, but also it reduces the need of fat, sometimes eschewing entirely.

I've tried Greek Yogurt Brownies. There are several versions I wanted to try. The one with not much flour was the first one I tried and it tasted surprisingly good. A bit more like cheesecake texture but nonetheless enjoyable. The next version on my agenda uses more flour. I can imagine the texture should be more brownie like. 

I also made Oat and Honey Quick Bread. By the way, I recently discovered that quick bread is a better option for me than gluten-free yeasted bread as breakfast or a quick meal. It's quicker, chewier and tastes like the gluten-ful version. Gluten-free yeasted bread, however well made, always leaves me feel synthetic.

Today I made my beloved banana bread with Greek Yogurt. I was doubtful and intrigued when I saw the recipe with Greek Yogurt and No Added Fat. My experience with Oil/Butter Free cakes is usually gummy and dense. Well, let me tell you that this recipe changed my view and my world. It tastes just like normal banana bread when freshly out of the oven and toasts great the day after. Wonderful.

Don't get me wrong. There will be places for butter and oil in my baking (and cooking in fact). Let's say I am saving my butter quota with some Greek Yogurt Baked Goods.

Greek Yogurt Banana Oat Bread

- 1 cup gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- a scant 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 flax egg* (1 tbsp ground flax seeds + 3 tbsps water)
- 2 bananas, pureed (200 g or 1 cupful)
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt (10% protein, 0% fat works fine)
- 2 tbsps Truvia sweetener

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Mix flours, baking powder, baking soda, mixed spice and salt in a bowl.

In another bowl beat the eggs and flax egg until frothy. Mix in bananas, yogurt and Truvia. Pour the wet ingredients in to the flour bowl. Stir to combine.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Bake at 180C for 35-40 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test. 

*About flax egg: the original recipe uses 6 Tbsp (90 ml) maple syrup. My bananas are usually quite sweet by the time I use them. So I replaced the syrup with 1 flax egg to give the extra moisture minus the sugar. It works well. You can always use the specified maple syrup instead and skip the Truvia.

2020 weekly - week 37 (25th week of confinement)

06/09/2020, Sunday

I revised my routine again to focus more on the issues I have (i.e. lateral knee pain).

Morning routine:

1. Warm up
    a. Alternating toe and heel walk: 5 minutes
    b. Calf raise on the stairs: 5 minutes

2. Alfredson Protocol: (15 reps on the right leg; 15 reps on the left leg)x3
3. Single leg calf raise: (45-sec on the right leg; 45-sec on the left leg)x3
4. Split (stationary) lunges: (10 reps with left leg forward; 10 reps with right leg forward)x4
5. Sumo squats: 10x4
6. Arabesque: 10secx4 (standing on the left leg), 10secx4 (standing on the right leg)

7. The standing IT band stretches: 30secx3

8. Forward fold with crossed legs: 30secx3

Afternoon routine:

0. Warm-up: Body-weight squat+heel-raise: 20x4
1. Split (stationary) lunges: (10 reps with left leg forward; 10 reps with right leg forward)x4
2. Walking lunges: 4 minutes
3. Running
4. Standing Abs: cross-elbow, chopping, side leg-raise, front leg-raise
5. Push-ups: 10x4

6. Standing hamstring stretches

Night routine:

1. Clam shells with resistance band: 20reps x 3

2. Band walk: 20 reps x 3

3. Cross body stretches: 20 reps x 3

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Did more gardening this weekend and also gave a serious haircut to our "curry plant" (it smells like curry). That's all for this year, I think. Something to look forward to the Spring.

07/09/2020, Monday

Total running distance: 5200 meters

Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 meters + 2000 meters

This new running routine seems to work on my left knee pain. By breaking up my non-stopping run in two chunks seems to work. I did try to run more on the second segment but my knee complained soon. So for the time being, two segments of 2000 meters.

08/09/2020, Tuesday

Marzipan fruit cake loaf. Oh.My.Word. More marzipan chunks next time.

09/09/2020, Wednesday

The more I run, the more I enjoy. Surprising from a person who has avoided running until this year but true. I feel more focused, energetic and relaxed at the same time afterwards. I shall try to keep at it.

Total running distance: 5200 meters

Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 meters + 2000 meters

10/09/2020, Thursday

Non-running day but doing my old routine (minus the running). Man, was my old routine tough or what? I do feel that my legs are stronger than a few months ago. I can finally do the proper walking lunges without breaking a stride. Good workout overall and pleased with myself trying again.

Worked until midnight today. Kind of feeling back in grads school.

11/09/2020, Friday

Busy start today. Driving to the office first to get some paperwork done (still more to follow), grocery run, scone baking, running and all these inserting work here and there.

Total running distance: 5200 meters

Longest non-stopping distance: 2000 meters + 2400 meters

I make - Lazy-Day Scones

These Lazy-Day Scones are strictly not scones as it does not use butter. It uses whipping cream as the sole wet ingredient. The traditionalists may want to look away now. :-)

This method is akin to the American-style drop biscuits, adaptable for sweet or savoury version. This gives crusty exterior, soft centre and buttery taste, highly addictive. Here is my Lazy-Day Marzipan Scones.

Lazy-Day Marzipan Scones

2 cups gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
1 tbsp baking powder
a scant 1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1.5 cup whipping cream (35% fat minimum)
a scant cup of marzipan 1-cm chunks
melted butter to brush the top
extra flour to mould the scones

Preheat the oven at 200C. Line a rectangular baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Pour in whipping cream. Stir a few times to hydrate the flour. Add in marzipan chunks and fold them in until no liquid is seen.

Use an ice cream scoop to portion out the scones onto a baking pan. Don't press the dough too tightly in the scoop. Once the scone is "dropped" onto the baking pan, use floured hands/fingers to pat it to a traditional scone shape. Repeat the process until you use up all the dough. I get 12 scones out of this.

Alternatively, the dough is stiff enough to roll out and use the traditional scone shaping method. Just dust the flour thinly on the dough and the surface before proceeding.

Brush each scone top with melted butter and bake for 18-20 minutes.Turn the baking pan half way through. When the scones are out of oven, brush more butter on top. Let cool for 20 minutes and enjoy!

I make - Marzipan Simnel Loaf Cake

It's probably the work stress and the cold weather. The need for fattening up is beckoning to me. 😄

Simnel cake is traditionally for Easter but I prefer this light fruit cake to other denser version for Christmas. This time I finally used Marzipan in my Simnel cake. Homemade marzipan is so easy. I should have tried this years ago!

Marzipan Simnel Loaf Cake

For homemade marzipan:
1.5 cup/150 g ground almond
1.5 cup/180 g powder sugar (or 3/4 cup of powder sugar for almond paste)
2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp lemon juice (optional)
1 egg white or 1 tbsp ground flax + 2 tbsp water
Honey or Amaretto to bring the mixture together

Almond paste has equal part of almond and sugar (by weight) whereas marzipan has more sugar than almond. Otherwise, the ingredients are the same.

Combine everything apart from Honey/Amaretto in a large bowl. Mix well to make a paste. If the mixture is too dry, add one tablespoon of honey/amaretto at a time. As long as you can pinch the mixture together and the mixture stays put, it's ready. Put the marzipan into a large plastic bag and knead it a few times. Shape it into a log or a slab. Refrigerate for later use.

This recipe makes more marzipan than the cake requires. Save the rest in the freezer or make a smaller batch of marzipan.

For Simnel cake:

150 g/1 cup dried fruits of your choice, soaked in your favorite liqueur (rum, amaretto or kirsch for instance) for at least 12 hours
150 g butter, room temperature
100 g brown sugar
Zest from one orange or lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mixed spice (essential!)
2 eggs
250 g gluten-free flour (your favorite blend)
50 g ground almond (or gluten-free flour)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
100~125ml milk
1~1.5 cup marzipan 1-cm chunks (homemade or store bought)
Almond flakes or your preferred nuts to scatter on the top (optional)

Start the night before to soak the dried fruits. Thoroughly soaking the dried fruits not only imparts more flavor but also keep the cake moist after it's baked. It's worth soaking the dried fruits at least for 12 hours or a few days.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Beat butter, brown sugar, orange zest, vanilla and mixed spice together until the butter is fluffy. Add in the first egg, beat well before adding the second one.

Put the flour, ground almond, baking powder and salt in the butter bowl. Beat for a minute to combine. Drain the soaked dried fruits and stir into the flour-butter mixture. Mix in 100 ml milk to the batter. You want a thick batter which drops off the spoon with a shake. Adjust the thickness with the remaining milk. You may not need the whole amount of milk. 

Spoon half of the batter into the prepared tin, scatter over half of the marzipan chunks, then the remaining cake batter, finish with more marzipan chunks and scatter the almond flakes (or your nuts of choice) on the top.

Bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes. I do a toothpick test at 30- and 40-minute time points and judge from there.

I make - Honey Oat Quick Bread

This quick bread has no yeast and is quick to knock up. It tastes like sourdough with a slight tang from the yogurt and with a slight chew which I like. Highly irresistible when it's freshly out of oven and good for toasts, too. 

Honey Oat Quick Bread

1 cup porridge oat
1 tsp salt (use 1/2 tsp next time)
1 cup Greek Yogurt (0% works well)
1 cup milk (use 3/4 cup next time)
1/4 cup honey (use 2 tbsp sugar next time)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups gluten-free flour (any blend/combination)

1/2 tsp xanthan gum (if your gluten-free flour does not have it)
1 egg
2.5 tsp baking powder

Oat flakes to scatter on the top of the batter

Combine oat, salt, yogurt, milk, honey and oil in a bowl. Stir to combine. Let the oats soak for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin.

Into the same bowl, add in 2 cups of gluten-free flour, baking powder and 1 egg. Stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and scatter some oat flakes on top. Bake at 180C for 45-50 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test.

I make - Chocolate Fruit Cake

I love a (dried) fruit cake. Not overly studded like the traditional fruit cake but roughly equal parts of flour and dried fruits. I already wrote about my favorite fruit cake recipe. As I am having a craving for chocolate these days, I thought, why not chocolate fruit cake? Here it is.

Chocolate Fruit Cake

150 g dried fruits of your choice, soaked in your favorite liqueur (rum, amaretto or kirsch for instance) for at least 12 hours
110 g butter, room temperature
110 g brown sugar
Zest from one orange
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp mixed spice
2 eggs
100 g gluten-free flour
50 g ground almond
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or dried fruits/chopped nuts)
Almond flakes to scatter on the top

Start the night before to soak the dried fruits. Thoroughly soaking the dried  fruits not only imparts more flavor but also keep the cake moist after it's baked. It's worth soaking the dried fruits at least for 12 hours or a few days.

Preheat the oven at 180C. Grease and line a loaf tin or a 20-cm square/round tin. 

Beat butter, brown sugar, orange zest and vanilla together until the butter is fluffy. Add in the first egg, beat well before adding the second one. 

Put the flour, ground almond, baking powder and salt in the butter bowl. Beat for a minute to combine. Drain the soaked dried fruits and stir into the flour-butter mixture, followed by chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and scatter the almond flakes on the top.

Bake at 180C for 30-32 minutes for a square/round tin. Up to 35 minutes with a loaf tin. Do a toothpick test at 28 minutes regardless the tin size and judge from there.

2020 weekly - week 36 (24th week of confinement)

30/08/2020, Sunday

My physio morning and afternoon routines for the coming week.

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Autumn suddenly arrived this week. Cold, grey and rain. Hubby said it's perfect timing for tomates farcies. Cooking rice at the base of the stuffed tomatoes together in a pot is the traditional way but my rice always turns out mushy in the end. The rice has good flavor, no doubt, since it's able to soak up all the juices from tomatoes and the stuffing. The texture, is a whole different matter. Perhaps it's not surprising as the time required to cook stuffed tomatoes is much longer than that for the rice. 

This time I used Arborio rice for my tomates farcies. Being much bigger grain than my usual Basmati rice, I was thinking it would keep its texture better during cooking. And I was right! Arborio rice cooked with stuffed tomatoes uncovered in the oven for 50 minutes did not give me mushy texture. The rice came out just cooked through with a little bit bite. I stirred the rice half way through the cooking to submerge the top layer of rice to the bottom to help even cooking. I am very pleased with the Arborio version of tomates farcies.

31/08/2020, Monday

Last bank holiday before Xmas. I planted three gorgeous cyclamens along with some hyacinths in the pots. My first gardening since the ankle surgery. I was able to squat down, stay down and come up when I wanted. Quite an achievement itself. It's painful to think back the first three months when I couldn't move. It's sheer will that got me here today. No more surgery please.

My second dinner out as a coeliac went much better than my first one. I didn't realize until I saw the menu that Côte is accredited by Coeliac UK. That explained the professionalism and attention to gluten-free dining. From beginning to the end, I felt very reassured dining there. I don't need to spend 20 minutes explaining and asking all kinds of awkward questions regarding my dietary requirement and still be confident that I will be well treated. Such a lovely experience. Thank you, Côte, I will be back soon!

01/09/2020, Tuesday

Total running distance: 5200 meters

Longest non-stopping distance: 3600 meters

I really need to look up some exercises to strengthen my left leg/knee. It keeps playing up after 9 laps of running!

04/09/2020, Friday

Total running distance: 4000 meters

Longest non-stopping distance: 1600x2 meters

I started to do some strengthening and stretching exercises for my lateral knee pain issue. It's only a couple of days so far so I don't know whether it will work or not. Just to be on the safe side, I also change the way I run. Instead of going the whole log, I now break it into two segments to let my knee recover.

Something has to be good once you are over 40?  

I make - Opium Pork

No joke. This highly addictive pork is probably the best I've ever made. It's Vietnamese inspired but tailored to our taste. Simple marinade, great for grilling on the fire or on the gas hob. I dare you not to devour the whole plate in one sitting!

Opium Pork/Vietnamese-Inspired Grilled Pork Strips

450~500 g pork shoulder, cut into finger size strips
2 tbsps brown sugar
2 tbsps fish sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
2~4 tbsps water (so long there is enough liquid to coat the pork)
1 garlic clove, grated

1 tsp onion powder (or 2 tbsps fresh minced shallots/onion)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Optional flavoring: 1 lemongrass (grated)

cornstarch to coat the pork before frying on the gas hob

Combine everything except cornstarch and let pork marinade for a few hours (overnight better). 

If you want to cook the pork on the barbecue grill, skip the cornstarch coating. If you cook the pork on the stove top, coat the pork strips with cornstarch. This prevents oil spitting and gives a nice and light crust.

For stove top cooking, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a frying pan for a couple of minutes. Grill pork strips until golden brown. Serve with lime wedges if desired.