Its so not fair that all things bad for you taste so nice! Not to mention the fact that they are BEIGE. I'm quoting Gillian Mckeith there after she ripped into a 28 stone giant who was a carbohydrate junkie, a bit like myself. She gave him a great pastie recipe which is below and I think it might be worth sampling....
But not yet, I'm still trialing the meal replacement weight loss programme from USA. It ends in a little over 2 weeks. Next week I'll do a write up of the company and you guys can make your own minds up. The support package has been brilliant and the food is so easy to prepare. You literally just heat it up on the hob or in the micro wave and add veggies to it.
Gillian McKeith recons your farts can be positively aromatic on a proper balanced diet, well I am here to tell you that I would NOT want to wear it as a perfume and if Glade brought it out as a room freshener I think "Fruitful Farts" or "Bouquets of Bottom Burps" wouldn't do very good sales wise!!
Lentil and squash pasties
Ingredients
Serves 6
for the filling
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
50g red split lentils, rinsed
1 tsp cumin seeds
100g leek, finely sliced
225ml cold water
½ tsp organic vegetable bouillon (stock) powder
1 tsp tomato puree
100g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1cm squares
80g broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
½ tsp poppy seeds
for the pastry
375g butternut squash baked (see below), mashed and cooled
300g wholemeal plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
60ml cold water mixed with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
To prepare the squash, preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Place one small butternut squash (about 1.2kg) on a baking tray and cook for 45 minutes or until very soft. Allow to cool for 30 minutes. Place on a board. Carefully peel away the skin and remove the stalk. Cut in half lengthways then scoop out and discard the seeds. Transfer the squash to a large bowl and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
For the filling, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium pan and gently fry the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the lentils, cumin seeds and leek and fry for a further minute while stirring.
Pour over the water, sprinkle with bouillon and stir in the tomato puree. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the sweet potato and broccoli, cover and continue simmering for a further 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. The filling should be thick but not dry. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
For the pastry, place the mashed squash in a large bowl. Sprinkle over the flour and baking powder, then gradually stir in the water and olive oil mixture using a large spoon until a soft, spongy dough forms. Place on a lightly floured surface and knead to form a large ball – add a little extra flour if the mixture appears too sticky.
Divide the dough into 12 balls and roll out to around 5mm thick. Using an upturned bowl or biscuit cutter, cut into circles about 12cm in diameter. Place six of the circles on a large baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Divide the filling into six portions and place in a rounded heap in the centre each of these circles, leaving a 2cm gap around the edge.
Brush the edges with a little water and cover with the remaining pastry circles, pressing firmly to make a good seal. Crimp the edges by pinching firmly all the way around. Brush lightly with the remaining olive oil, sprinkle with poppy seeds and bake for 30 minutes until the pastry is cooked and lightly browned. Serve hot or cold.