Pulses for protein

Nannyp · Pulses for protein

Whilst our doctor was passionately trying to sell us the Protein diet from Monaco, this morning Rolling Eyes She said that alongside the 4 wonderful sachets of protein replacement meals, twice a day we could also have legumes et crudites. Whilst i was jumping up and down for joy...I was trying to work out what was the difference.....in my understanding legumes are vegetables (and I think they could be pulses??) and crudites are vegetable sticks.

She wants Mark to lose at least another 4 kilos, and as we have stagnated for a couple of months and he has shown no weight loss, she was waxing lyrical about this. I was horrified.....after a year (almost exactly) of re educating ourselves and our stomachs, a year of eating well, healthily and sensibly, she now wants him (us) to eat nothing but the above for the month!! No meat, no fish, no cheese! Oh and the best bit......200 euros per person, per month.

So, I understand that she wants us to cut down on meat, which has fats with it, and replace our protein intake with pulses. Yesterday, I made that gorgeous, pea and ham soup....already planned before the Dr's....and we have had it again tonight for our supper.
Lunch was chick pea curry with rice...so we have had plenty of pulses today, and very little meat.

I need recipes and interesting things to do with pulses, chick peas, lentils etc....something good enough to distract me from the lack of meat!! This will also help with our need to cut back on money, as the exchange rate has plummeted again today

MissMuppet

I don't think I posted it on here but I saw on UK TV Food the other week a recipe that looked lovely, that used chickpeas! Will go and find it and post it in recipes...

dingsy

I think because there's been no further weight loss, you have to do a bit more to shift it now? But not sure that this is the way-it sounds like these "faddy" type of diets that will give you weight loss, but only for a short while? Fortunately pulses are filling, but can get a bit tedious.....

Nannyp

Yep...I've already made some adjustments....and we'll step up the lack of exercise

dingsy

Yes- exercise makes a big difference-good luck!

Nannyp

Well, Mark has lost another kilo, in just 2 days, and he hasn't been out lumberjacking yet today

caprice62

I love rice and peas
fry a chopped onion and garlic add some cumin seeds add green lentils cook with a little water for a few minutes add rice and water and cook
when I was a veggie I used to use red lentils in just the same way as I did minced meat so we had
lentil burgers,curry, loaf, lasaggne,bolognese etc

Nannyp

I will experiment soon. Sounds nice

caprice62

as I was posting my neighbours came for supper I have loads of pulse recipes and will dig them out for you when I can I did read in a womans mag left by a visitor that chillis boost the metabolism and advised putting a few flakes in your morning herbal tea but also if your body is used to your now diiminished intake of calories perhaps eating differently to kick start you again ?? after having my thyroid removed I was advised to keep my metabolism kicked in by haveing a cracker or a few nuts every hour (ect) I try and have a pasta every dinnertime to keep my metabolism kicked in and for breakfast eat yog with seeds and a banana (on the days I cannot eat I do balloon slightly ) try the www.ithyroid.com forum for hints on kickstarting the metabolism also my friend (who has an eating AND weight prob) has started to lose a\ lot of weight with the tesco eating plan good luck and dont lose heart

Nannyp

Thanks Lesley

We're not losing heart by the way, it's the Dr who is

Nannyp

Okay guys, step up the ideas for what I can cook please.

I have the added motivation of a plummeting exchange rate (lost 80 euros on our money transfer this month and will probably lose another 80 easily next). This means, I am going to have to make meals out of cheap products, but they must be healthy and low fat. Not much to ask, but fire away

dingsy

Best option, I always think is baked pots, which you can fill with anything. Or lashings of homemade soup. Really don't know how many more variations on beans/pasta/rice can be too exciting or original....but I'll do some googling,x

Nannyp

I bought a load of leeks yesterday, so will be making a large, leek and potato soup.

I saw the end of a Nigella programme, last night (I don't normally watch) and she was making some lovely halved, and stuffed baked potatoes. I used to do something like that, so will be doing that again....have ordered some strong cheddar to be brought over, as we can't buy much of it here.

Please to see that there is a limit to what I can make with my beans

Quite happy with chilli, shepherds pie, and spicy bean burgers, so not bad....oh and chick pea curry.

dingsy

Agree on the beans-I love them too, but really, it's always going to be a variation of tomato+spicy for them. Mind, that's good for baked pots!

Manta Ray a l'Anglaise

I can't help you too much NannyP - not a fan of beans. . . or chick peas. . . Anyway, I made some nice carrot & coriander soup and put lentils in it, which made it much more substantial. At this time of year I buy the pony a 28lb net of carrots most weeks, they cost about the same as 2kg would in the shops. . . . . carrots feature a lot in my cooking at this time of year

Carrots - lots
onion, leek, celery
a good shake of lentils
seasoning
chicken stock - good quality cubes will do
tin of tomatoes or a good dollop of paste
seasoning
ground coriander (you should have some left from the curry

)

Cook the veg, tomatoes and lentils in the stock, put through a blender or mouli when cooked, adjust the seasoning and add a deesertspoon full of ground coriander to a meduim sized saucepan of soup - add more if necessary.

When you make the leek & potato soup (love it - yummm) add some pearl barley as well, that will make it more substantial. Or you could make Irish stew with neck of lamb, or Scotch Broth with no meat but a hearty soup.

Chick pea pate

Soak chick peas overnight, rinse and cover with fresh water add a handful dried apricots and salt, simmer gently till chick peas are cooked, drain but save the water, pass the chick peas and apricots through a mouli, add some cooking water if necessary to soften it, check that it tastes okay, you should be able to taste the apricot. Put it in a dish and leave to cool. Use like ordinary pate.

I made that recipe up for a veggie friend, it's quite nice

Nannyp

Thanks for the soup recipe...I am hoping to do some soups tomorrow, ready for Jo and Phil next week.

caprice62

middle eastern beans

8ozs beans
2 1/2 pints stock
2 teasp paprika
.. .. cinnamon
2 cloves garlic crushed
2 sticks sliced celery
2 tabls chopped parsley
2 oz currants

soak beans as usual
preheat oven to 3/325
put beans into casserolewith 2 pints of stock and everything else mix cover and cook after about 2 hours check to see if it needs more stock cook for about 1 more hour
to serve s and p and sprinkle with almonds

sweet and sour beans

60z red kidney beans
1pt water
2 peppers red
2 tbls cornflour
1 tablsp tamari sauce ( soy if you have not got tam)
1/2 pt stock
2 tblsp tom puree
1 .. brown sugar
4 .. cider vinegar
4 .. olive oil
2 medium chopped onions
1 large clove garlic

soak beans and simmer for 1 hour
drain
core peppers and cut into strips

put cornflour into bowl and add tam, stock, t pur, sugar and vinegar
heat oil in pan and add onions cook until golden add peppers
mix in the beans
pour in cornflour mix and cook out

caprice62

can you give us a list of the pulses you have please