Chefhead in London

My life is still up in the air. I haven't got a clue what is going on.

Stupidly, in the midst of all of this, I started a crazy diet a few weeks ago. Although I was seeing stunning results the diet and I didn't get along and I failed miserably, gaining back the weight I lost and making myself feel horribly weak in the process. But what the diet did do was force me to learn how to cook. I have taught myself how to cook all sorts of healthy things and have started using vegetables that seemed exotic and frightening before.

My current foody obsession is stuffing tasty healthy food inside other tasty healthy food to create mouthgasmic flavour explosions!

I have become my flat's reigning queen over all spice decisions. I am the master of spice-rubbed steaks and garlic-stuffed chicken breast. I have become obsessed with red wine vinegar on almost anything, and pickled jalapenos are the most delicious thing when chopped up and stuffed into lean beef burgers. Soak the meat in the pickled juice and it grills up tasting almost like pepper jack cheese. And then just eat the damn jalapenos and pour the juice all over every thing. So. Good.

The diet consisted of mostly veggies, lean meats, and very specific fruit. You could not cook with oil, and you cannot use dairy, processed carbs, or soy. With so few options, I got bored very quickly with raw lettuce and lightly salted chicken, so I became very good at mixing those things together and preparing them in different ways. My home made apple sauce is healthy, has no added sugar, and my entire flat sits down to eat whenever they smell me making it. I sauteed up some beef mince with lots of chopped garlic, cumin, and a hint of basil before stuffing the meat into a scooped-out red peppers that had chopped jalapenos, rock salt, cumin and black pepper floating in water in the bottom of the pepper. I then steamed them for a few minutes before throwing them onto a very hot grilling pan for a few minutes. 15 minutes later I had a delicious meal and the whole house smelled good.

As soon as I can start adding a few more things into my diet again, I have a million ideas for more simple meals that are predominantly meat and veggies. I've become obsessed with cooking- something that used to frighten me a lot.

Anyone want to come over for dinner? I think next week I'm going to try my hand at stuffed eggplant with feta, meat, zuccini, rice, and capers (if I can find good eggplant), and then mash strawberries with mint leaves and stuff them inside apples and steam those for dessert. Lots of stuffing. I like stuffing.

Or or or or, wait I just got ANOTHER idea..... I must go to the kitchen now.

Broadway Market

Today I went to the Broadway Market with a girl from my class.

We began the afternoon with strawberry beer in a cozy little pub while sharing a delicious lavender cupcake. And then we braved the wind to wander the food market. I really lucked out, and for the first time since I've moved here I am excited to cook all the healthy food in my refrigerator.

Currently I am stocked with a huge sweet potato, parsnips, carrots, fresh rosemary, a creamy goat cheese, ripe oranges, green apples, an incredible fresh pesto, organic heirloom tomatoes, green onions, chicken breast, and of course a homemade brownie.

I can't wait to cook dinner!

Along the walk to and from the market my classmate and her boyfriend pointed out all of their local hang out spots. I now know a great Chinese place, a yummy pizza joint, some delicious restaurants, a good local cinema, and some of the best pubs in the area by their standards. It's nice knowing people who have lived here a year longer than I have.

Yeay food and nice people!

Dinner = NOM NOM NOM

One of my room mates and I made dinner tonight. We baked chicken breasts that I rubbed in olive oil and seasoned with black pepper, chili powder, garlic, rosemary, basil, and lemon salt. We baked them with onions and sticks of seasoned carrots and parsnips.

The chicken was crispy with seasoning on the outside, and perfectly moist on the inside from all the olive oil, and the veggies were amazing! We shared half a bottle of white wine, and enjoyed our 20 minute meal that was delicious and healthy.

Go team!

Food

One of my room mates took pity on me as I microwaved a potato for dinner and made me some bacon and chicken on cheese bread to go with it. Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes. Add a few slices of ripe tomato and I was in food heaven.

However good bacon tastes on a normal day, I can promise you it tastes INCREDIBLE when you haven't eaten real protein in three days.

NOM NOM NOM.


I can't believe we're half way through October. I have almost been here one month. It feels longer. And shorter. And I guess about right, too. Before I know it I will be too busy to think, and then it will be our Christmas break, and I'll be flying back to San Francisco for almost three weeks.

My life is definitely not boring.