The Matrix - Re-Evolution!!

clairewop

Good afternoon

Welcome to all the newbies

HL Positive vibes winging their way over to you, when you feel you want to talk about it we will be here.

I'm really struggling today had a really good nights sleep, but when I lie still all night I wake up VERY sore and stiff Managed to go to asda today, but my hipis killing now £15 spent in Asda and nothing much to show for it :eek:

DH said as we are staying away most of the week, it is going to be a very tough month money wise and he thinks we are going to struggle. So looks like a bit of imagination is going to be needed for food etc.

I'm having my nails re filled in half an hour, feel a bit guilty having them done but my mum gave me the money to pay for them, plus I don't get charged full price as its my mate who does them, I only have them done on special occasions. ( had them done for sSIL and BIL 1st wedding aniverary ) and would like to keep them looking good for a while longer.

greenbee

Karmacat - thinking of your cousin, and all my colleagues who are currently facing Irene. I had an email yesterday from a colleague who was expecting to lose power and not get it back for a week. Her water comes from a well, so she's been preparing carefully... She was baking at the time, apparently chocolate cake is non-perishable food!

I now have my iron so will take it at lunchtime. I also have various other supplements and need to order some others. MG - how much linseed did Sugah suggest you added to your food each day? And does she have any suggestions for alternatives when travelling? I don't think I'll fit my coffee grinder and a packet of linseed in my luggage!

I managed the health food shop and chemist, and then didn't feel too good although I did stop off and pick up a whole lot of heavily reduced soap and posh toiletries for my present drawer as I don't plan on going back anytime soon. Food shop didn't happen though, so I may need to do an online order tonight.

Luckily I missed the rain.... As it has now arrived I'm now going to try my high-fibre soup (with added linseeds!) and probably sit and watch a DVD...

Kimsmum

Karmacat thinking of your cousin, and sending postive thoughs

clairewop

Nails Done look lovely again, and my nails are growing lovely underneath.

Triciaxx

Kimsmum : Thank you for sharing that. It's not easy to share that sort of thing with anyone. It took me many years to forgive the betrayal of my first marriage but it was very liberating once I did.

KC : Positive vibes for your cousin. This one missed our Florida relatives but we travelled up the East Coast a couple of years ago and know a lot of the places. We got caught up in a storm in South Carolina and missed a tornado by less than a mile. It brings it home to you how lucky we are in this country.

LOL to we three meeting again :rotfl: I'm afraid I couldn't get eye of newt so had to be creative with aduki beans instead.

Greenbee : I hope you are feeling a little better - you are doing an awful lot for someone on nasty medication. Take care.

MG : I use my sitting room for my 'quiet space'. It has no clutter at all - the one place I insist is cleared. 'My' chair faces the window and looks out onto a park, up a hill, and beyond the houses is green moorland. In the evening, I can watch DHs tropical fish. I think it has saved my sanity a few times so I really think this is an important challenge.

I don't expect you realise just how much help your threads have been to so many of us. For myself, the discussions often seem to be aimed at me as if you have read my mind. Coincidence? I think not.

I'm off now. I so don't do emotional.

greenbee

Aduki bean recipe please Tricia if I'm going to live on beans I want lots of interesting variations!

And I don't feel like I'm doing a lot. I feel as if I spend a lot of time sitting around doing nothing and it really annoys me. I'm not good at it. But I'm NOT going to work...

Triciaxx

greenbee wrote: »

Aduki bean recipe please Tricia if I'm going to live on beans I want lots of interesting variations!

And I don't feel like I'm doing a lot. I feel as if I spend a lot of time sitting around doing nothing and it really annoys me. I'm not good at it. But I'm NOT going to work...

My recipes are usually 'peasant' recipes that I have picked up over the years - this results in a very difficult recipe to follow - a 'handful' is not a useful measure. :rotfl:

I've been asked for this recipe so often that I've had to do a bit of measuring to provide it for family and friends.

Tuscan beans with tomato and sage
This is a great and easy way of cooking beans. They can end up as a stew or soup, depending on how much liquid you include. We eat this with HM bread, as a side dish. These quantities will feed 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish - depending on appetites

The taste is unmistakably Italian, a classic Tuscan dish is called fagioli all’uccelletto, literally means “little bird beans”. The name probably refers to the use of sage and garlic in the dish, which is also typically used to cook small game birds.

Cannellini beans are used for this recipe if you are feeling you want to be authentic but it really comes under the heading of ‘what I’ve got in the house’ cooking and, when I asked about it in Sienna (which is supposed to where the recipe comes from), I was greeted by a torrent of suggestions and sparked a serious argument between a group of Nonnas (grandmothers).

You can either use dried beans — more :money: if you have the time — or the tinned variety. When I am feeling lazy or short of time, I use tinned beans myself.

Although this dish can be found across Tuscany and beyond, it is also common in Italian Jewish cooking.

INGREDIENTS

Half an onion, chopped finely.

Either 300g dry cannellini or aduki beans OR two tins of cannellini or aduki beans in water OR whatever you have to hand.

2 crushed cloves of garlic – this will depend on your liking for garlic but you do need some!.

400g tin of plum tomatoes in tomato juice or 400g of slightly overripe tomatoes. Tip : Reserve some tomatoes to add towards the end – they will taste fresher. Another Tip : Don't pay extra for chopped tomatoes - snip them with a pair of scisssors, much less messy than chopping with a knife.

6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. You can get away with less but it is not an unhealthy fat and you DO need fat in your diet.

5-6 leaves of fresh sage – Tip : If you have sage plants, trim them frequently and freeze the trimmings in polibags – just crumble before using. This is another 'to taste' ingredient.

Salt and black pepper to taste.

METHOD
If using dry beans, soak them in cold water overnight or for 12 hours. Drain, place them in a large saucepan filled with cold water and bring to the boil, cover and leave to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours until cooked.

In a separate saucepan, ideally non-stick, heat the extra-virgin olive oil and add the onion, crushed garlic and the sage.

Leave to cook for a few minutes. Ensure the garlic does not burn — this will make it bitter. Add the tomatoes, season and stir well.

Leave to cook for 10 minutes and then add the beans (either the ones cooked earlier or from a tin drained of its liquid).

Cook over a low flame, covered, for 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally. Some beans may take longer to cook; they need to be tender but still firm to the bite.

Remove the lid and cook for another few minutes until the tomato sauce is reduced.

Once cooked, taste and add more salt if required. Serve with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

I'd love feedback from anyone who tries this.

Igamogam

Tuscan beans with tomato and sage
I am going to give this a go tonight - have 15 tins of cannellini beans:rotfl:found when we cleared out the kitchen cupboards - along with 12 tins of butter beans and 10 tins tuna:rotfl::rotfl:

Thanks Triciaxx

clairewop

Never heard of tuscan beans

greenbee

Fabulous recipe Tricia... Incidentally a handful IS an acceptable measure I've made fagioli all'uccelletto before, but was taught to make it without tomato. And to save some crispy sage for garnish (never works, I eat it all before they finish cooking!). It had never occurred to me to use aduki beans though.

Igamogam - tuna and beans go together very well in salad (add olives too if you have any).

Incidentally, approved food currently have ex-sainsbugs haricot and mug beans at rock bottom prices. (the colour of the pack is a giveaway).

Soup today was nice - 1 can cannellini beans, 1 can baked beans, 1 cup lentils, 1/3 cup split peas, 1 tin toms, the green bits from 4 leeks, approx 1lb carrots, a couple of pinches of marigold stock, a couple of crumbled dried chillies and water to top it up. Left in the SC from about 8pm yesterday to 1pm today, and yielded 10 portions (more like stew than soup, so could well make more soup).