Slimmercook

These are a traditional Christmas treat in Greece. This is one third of my mother-in-law’s recipe, hence odd measurements; the full batch is for sharing with her offspring (my husband and his sister) and treating any visitors during the festive season, but my husband and I like them so much that I make extra [...]

This is a classic Greek dish, served at Christmas in some regions. I use celeriac (the big round round root in the ground below celery). My other-in-law makes it with the Greek selino, a herb which looks rather like parsley, blanched to reduce bitterness. If neither is available use regular celery.
1 kg [...]

In these credit crunch days it’s necessary to be frugal, and I’ve always felt unhappy about wasting food when so many people are starving in the world. This recipe combines both sentiments, and is a good way of clearing away the last bits of ice cream cluttering the freezer at the end of summer [...]

This is the standby of every Greek homemaker of the older generation when she wants to offer a home-made sweet to unexpected guests. Very quick and easy.
The classic recipe is very easy to remember:
1 cup olive oil
2 cups coarse semolina (number 4 in Greece)
3 cups sugar (but I use about 2 cups)
4 cups water
First [...]

This is the best recipe for angel food cake that I’ve come across. I make this regularly because Son doesn’t like egg whites, so whenever I poach or fry yolks for him I save the raw whites in the freezer in a lidded measuring cup until I have enough. Fat-free, but very high [...]

Over the middle, entering the final stretch.
Soup as usual, plus 300 – 550g lean beef and up to six tomatoes.
I’ll cook mine up as follows:
1 onion, finely chopped
Dry-fry in medium hot pan until it caramelises. Add a little water if necessary to stop it from scorching. Add:
500g very lean beef mince
Stir it around [...]

As I’ve already said in the previous post, I lost 700g on the first day of the CSD. Just water I’m sure but still, an encouraging start. Husband’s relative lost over 11 kg in three soup cycles, a friend lost 5 kg in two cycles and has kept it off for about two months–neither [...]

The cabbage soup diet has been doing the rounds for decades, in various versions. Some are ascribed to famous hospitals which however deny any connexion. This is a crash diet and must not be undertaken by people with serious health problems. If in doubt, consult your doctor. After one week maintain [...]

I know that this blog is titled Slimmer Cook, but since I’m not dieting strictly yet I thought I’d use this month to share some favourite non-slimming recipes. I believe no food should be “illegal” (to use a very old Weight Watchers term) because this can lead to wanting it so much that one [...]

I’ve stopped following the Rosemary Conley plan so I’m no longer using the cookery book. This recipe is my own adaptation of a classic Greek and Turkish dish. The name means the Imam fainted, different versions say because it was so delicious, or because he found out how much (expensive) olive oil was [...]