The FastDay Forum

Hairy Dieters sweet and sour chicken is a firm family favourite here. Really easy and absolutely delicious.

Oh great! And I must say I live the sound of the meatloaf too. Watch this space.

Bean

@nursebean I know you are struggling with the ME, but maybe you could do some cooking if you broke recipes into stages and staggered them over a couple of days? For example, the meatloaf recipe called for an onion, celery stick and carrot to be peeled/scrubbed and chopped, then sweated in a covered pan for about 10 mins. You could do the prep sitting down, and while the veg was sweating in the pan, have a little feet up moment. Yuncold even prep one day, cook the next.

The veg could then be left until the next day, in the fridge. Then its just a case of mixing up the mince with some breadcrumbs (again, could be prepared ahead - mine today came out of the freezer) and seasoning, plus the veg. Plop it all into a loaf tin and then it sat in the oven for best part of an hour. Snooze time The tomato sauce didn't take long to prepare but again could be done on a different day and kept in the fridge or freezer, or you could substitute a shop bought sauce.

Thanks very much indeed @Winsome - yes, the only way to do it is in stages. When I'm really bad I can't even sit up for long, but lately I'm entering a good phase so hopefully I'll be able to cook something soon, and that meatloaf sounds relatively easy. I've never had a meatloaf before so it'll be a real treat...hopefully! Do you tend to eat yours in a fast or feast day?

Bean

Well I don't normally cook meatloaf, but I do make meatballs and its not really any different in terms of a mix - just a whole lot less work in terms of shaping and initial frying.

Today was a fast day and the first time I've tried this recipe. Honestly, it was so nice that I would happily eat it any day of the week. Great family food as well.

[wildmissus]

I'm another great fan of the Hairy Dieters. Everything I have tried turns out looking exactly like their pictures. Also their recipes are set out so simply that I can leave instructions for my daughters to prep everything ready for me to start cooking when I come home from work.

Oh now I feel even more determined! Thank you @Wildmissus it's good to have even more positive Hairy reviews!

Bean

[wildmissus]

Meant to say bean that the sweet and sour chicken is a regular in our house. Will be having their chilli tomorrow night and their chicken Thai curry in Thursday. Their two books never make it to the bookcase, they live on the kitchen worktop.

I love that every recipe has a photo of the finished dish so I know roughly what to aim for! their recipes are foolproof IMO, particularly like their Spanish chicken and their piri piri. Yum!

Yes I must say, their recipes do look enticing! Do you have a particular favourite of their books? Actually one thing I'd like to ask. They suggest that a portion of rice be 50 g. Is that 50 g dry or cooked?

Bean

[wildmissus]

Bean, I find their portion sizes quite big. I used to measure rice and pasta as 2oz dry weight per person. 1oz = 28g, therefore 2oz = 56g. These days for myself I use 1 to 1.5oz dry weight rice or pasta.

I guess they work on man-size portions do you find that amount filling?

Bean

[wildmissus]

Yes, OH would get the full 50g dry weight. I find that the recipes that say serves 4 usually serves 5 in our house which means that a portion goes in the freezer for a fast day. BTW, we like a decent plateful of food here!

Good to know!

Bean

Hi All, late dinner today, just finished due to a busy evening. Had chicken in tomato sauce. For the first time I tried courgette 'spaghetti' which really went down well, tried some feta on it too. Don't laugh but never had feta nor courgette 'spaghetti' before. I am really inspired by @sue.q and her willingness to step outside her comfort zone by trying all these new (to us) veggie ideas.
I stirfried the courgette strips with a bit of garlic, they were very nice. Going to have a look through the hairy dieters books tonight ready for tomorrow's meal. I have had them for ages but never cooked anything from them I don't think. Are they a faff for midweek dinners? Thanks x