Week 18: "Avoid fruits and nuts. You are what you eat." – Jim Davis (Garfield)

Week 18: (mostly) Slow in London by our community manager

The week I make laksa for the first time. Used to be my first stop hangover cure from Malacca cafe in Adelaide Central Market, best laksa in Adelaide.

Monday 20th October 2014

The usual breakfast of a boiled egg with or without E5 spelt toast (usually sourdough but it was sold out), and a cup of Colombian coffee with raw milk.

Lunch: piece of the pumpkin and purple potato tart and some roast vegies I made yesterday expressly for work lunches. A banana, another coffee.

I think I should get into the habit of having nice gnocchi in the freezer. It's such a great warming comfort food on a wintry night. I had it with romanesco (making my way through a whole one bought 2 weekends ago) yellow courgette, a few plum tomatoes and grated cheddar and some double cream that keeps on giving. The use by date is 10th of this month. I keep sniffing and looking, it's still good.

A Picnic bar.

Tuesday

The usual breakfast.

Lunch: Piece of the pumpkin and purple potato tart and some roast vegies. A banana, another coffee.

Had the idea that I was going to make something coconut-y noodly soupy laksa-ish and with tofu and vegies and grated ginger and chilli etc cos it was cold and raining and wintry. But I discovered that M&S, as I'd partially suspected, did not sell tofu, it's kinda useless for raw cooking ingredients. And I was not going to backtrack to another store that may or may not stock it. So instead I bought their vegetable moussaka which was a huge size and says don't reheat. So I heated half and also wanted some vegetables but different to what I've been eating recently so fried up some frozen corn and spinach with chilli and garlic. I quite liked the moussaka and it got some lentils into me.

Of course, some M&S choc coated one of my 5 a day raisins.

Wednesday

The usual breakfast.

A bought baguette with tuna & cucumber, a banana, another coffee.

Last half of the vegetable moussaka with slow fried romanesco, yellow courgette, frozen spinach and corn, Sriracha.

Thursday

The usual breakfast.

Lunch: my home made pumpkin and purple potato tart and some roast vegie. Another coffee. Love Coco di Mama. A banana.

I went to M&S again. This could become a bad habit. But I was really tired and it had been a long day. Left with my dinner of vegie pasta bake and choc coated honey comb. As soon as I got home I poured myself a single malt. Sipped it all evening.

Friday

The usual breakfast.

Lunch: my home made pumpkin and purple potato tart and some roast vegie. Another coffee. Love Coco di Mama. A persimmon and 2 satsumas (office fruit basket).

After drinks after work you don't want to cook something complicated or time consuming. So - toasted sandwich with all the usual ingredients except instead of halloumi I used tofu + fried egg, tomatoes, mayonnaise, Sriracha sauce.

A Picnic bar.

Saturday

The usual breakfast. Another coffee at the market. Some wonderful fresh Medjool dates. Went ingredient shopping for the rest of the laksa ingredients - I am still craving it.

My first laksa was alright but not brilliant. I'd used a recipe which called for coconut milk and stock, so I found the soup a bit watery for my liking. Other ingredients: fresh garlic, chilli and grated ginger, the last of the romanesco!, fried tofu pieces, and some noodles that had been lingering in my cupboard since my pad thai infatuation 2 years ago. Maybe I'll try a laksa paste next time.

2 Daim bars and some extra mature cheddar upon my return home.

Sunday

The usual breakfast.

Last 1/2 a tin of baked beans on toast.

Improved the rest of the laksa by buying half of the Longdan Asian supermarket in the afternoon. Along with some thinly sliced yellow courgette, the improvements were: