Hairy Dieters Week 2

I‘ve just completed my second week of meals (and about to begin the third) from the Hairy Dieters cook book and so far it’s all been very tasty and very simple.

The second week comprised of Harissa chicken with Bulgar Wheat, this was delicious, i’m a huge fan of Harissa and i’d never had Bulgar Wheat before so was looking forward to seeing how it turned out. The Bulgar Wheat texture was great and once it had all of the flavours from the salad added to it it tasted great, I’ll certainly be using it as an accompaniment to food in the future, my only slight concern with the dish was the amount of lemon juice, i’d possibly turn that down a little next time. I also added half a corn on the cob (an extra 70 calories) as we had a couple left from the weekend.

Next up were the stuffed peppers, these involved a little more effort than the harissa chicken but it was worth it as they were absolutely delicious, the hazelnuts added a nice crunch as well and loads of flavour, the mushrooms were soft and juicy and the saltiness of the feta worked really well with the fresh herbs….possibly my favourite recipe so far.

Our third and final meal out of the book that week was the no pasta lasagne, I’d seen it on the TV and on a couple of peoples Facebook pages so thought it was time I gave it a whirl. The sheets of leeks worked really well instead of pasta but I think I’d maybe put a few more sheets per layer so its less floppy…or maybe have a smaller portion and just keep the pasta in. The mince mix would maybe also benefit from a big splash of Henderson’s relish and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

This week i’ve pencilled in the spicy bean stew and crispy chicken as well as some of my own recipes including felafil and salad and jalapeno burgers.