Asian Fish, Miso Noodles and Crunchy Veg

Meal 111 - December 21st - Asian Fish, Miso Noodles and Crunchy Veg
 
So after pigging out for lunch on our camembert parcels, Lolz decided that it would make sense to go for something a bit healthier for dinner and, having downgraded her seafood fussiness from all seafood to just shellfish, decided that this Asian fish number might fit the bill. It was a brave choice as, aside from being quite calorific when you actually look at the small print, it looked kind of weird in the picture. The fish looked greasy and wet and slimy and generally unappetizing.
 

Mexican Chicken, Wicked Mole Sauce, Rice and Veg

Meal 102 - November 27th - Mexican Chicken, Wicked Mole Sauce, Rice and Veg

There's an episode of Friends where Rachel attempts to make a trifle. Unfortunately, in the recipe book she is working from, two pages have got stuck together and so her trifle ends up being half shepherds pie, with alternating layers of beef, peas and gravy and custard and jam. Hilarity obviously ensues. Today I found myself in Waitrose buying ingredients which included cumin, spring onion, peanut butter, garlic, chocolate, banana, lemon and cocoa powder. I thought nothing of it, assuming they would not all be for the same recipe.

Baked Whole Trout, Jersey Royals, Peas and Mustard Sauce

Meal 101 - November 25th - Baked Whole Trout, Jersey Royals, Peas and Mustard Sauce

The half marathon went well thanks, a solid 1h 38. To achieve that I'd had to consume a mouthwatering cocktail of pasta, porridge, bananas, lucozade and energy gels (not all at the same time obviously) and followed that up with a post race burger and big fry up the following morning. It was time to get back to eating some normal food, and after a 15 minute meal-less weekend, time to return to the challenge. My book is starting to look rather battered and there aren't many recipes that are yet to be crossed off the list but I'd had my eye on this trout recipe for a while and with the day off work, knew we could get to the fishmongers to buy some good quality fish.

Thai Chicken Laksa, Mildly Spiced Noodle Squash Broth

Meal 96 - November 12th - Thai Chicken Laksa, Mildly Spiced Noodle Squash Broth

Unlike many others, I can't help but feel the title of this meal is selling it short a bit - no sizzling or mighty or flashy or killer or crackin', just mildly spiced. It's almost apologetic. But to be honest everything about this dish looked appealing to me. The chicken in particular looked reminiscent of a certain sticky kicking chicken, and the soup, although not something I'd normally have on a weeknight, looked chunky and flavourful enough to just about fill me up. Plus the soup we'd had last week proved to be a massive winner.

Sticky Squid Balls, Grilled Prawns and Noodle Broth

Meal 73 - September 1st - Sticky Squid Balls, Grilled Prawns and Noodle Broth

September for me has always been a bit of a watershed month. It signifies the end of the summer holidays. The weather gets cooler, the days shorter. The countdown to Christmas begins. It's normally around this time I start to think (cue the miniature violins) of all my unfulfilled new years resolutions and what I still want to do before the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Today, I am particularly thinking of the 47 15 minute meals I still need to cook, at the rate of almost 12 per month. Given that I have never cooked more than 10 in a month, things are not looking promising. I was actually hoping to squeeze one more 15 minute meal into August in order to beat this record but unfortunately, my plan was scuppered by a night of semi-impromptu drinking, which ended with a trip to the chippie and a chicken shish kebab.

Black Bean Beef Burgers, Noodles and Pickle Salad

Meal 52 - June 21st - Black Bean Beef Burgers, Noodles and Pickle Salad

Well I'm pleased to report that we did successfully make it to Brighton last weekend. Fuelled by the Incredibly Delicious Chicken Salad and Lolz's pear tart, not to mention an army of Jelly Babies, we negotiated rain, shine, hills, bike jams and even some brake issues before we caught sight of Brighton beach at around 6:30. It wasn't quite 15 minute meals standard but I think I'd thoroughly earned the greasy chicken and chips from the beachfront caff which I ate before heading home (in the car, obviously, although Lolz did make me drive). A busy week meant this was my first post bike ride opportunity to return to my 15 minute meal challenge and with various other trips away over the next few weeks I knew I'd have to make this weekend count - I will be aiming to add three meals to my tally before returning to work on Monday.

Lucky Squid 'n' Prawns, Spicy Vegetable Noodle Broth

Meal 34 - April 13th - Lucky Squid 'n' Prawns, Spicy Vegetable Noodle Broth

With a disproportionate number of seafood dishes in the 15 minute meals book (26, compared to 16 chicken for instance) I knew I had to get in touch with my inner Rick Stein and cook some of them or risk a real fish frenzy towards the end of the year. Amongst those 26 dishes there are three squid ones which I'd been putting off making as, although I do enjoy a good calamari, my knowledge of cooking the things are quite limited.