: : Herbs : :

So I’m into the 6th day of the Atkin’s diet and onto the 4th session at Unisense. It’s getting slightly easier to plan what to eat for the next day but not always. While preparing for tomorrow’s salad, I was looking high and low for some herbs other than the ones used for curry and assam. Then, I came across this set of herbs given to me by my old boss. The herbs were part of a dinner gift for a Spanish theme function at Hilton (although RM200 per head sounds a bit too stiff for me, even if dinner, wine and entertainment are provided).

And here are the herbs, in simple tin canisters with simple labelling. However, the smell of the fresh herbs were so good that it’s a lot better than the ones found in supermarkets. Titled Italian set, it says on the box that there are gourmet herb and spice mixes from Rakey Watsom Australia by Peter Watson. Well, the aroma wafting out of the little silver tins definitely scream “Quality Herbs are in the House!” I will go through each tin from left to right and what it says on the label.

The first tin is the Italian Herb Marinade that goes well with grilling and barbecuing. It contains the wondrous smell of oregano, marjoram, basil and sage. I’m tempting to seriously try it out but we need to get an oven first. Yes yes, I know, I know. I should be getting one. Soon.

Now this tin containes herbs for Italian Salad and Pasta Blend. As the name implies, it is good for salad as well as pasta. What is inside it? Garlic, parsley, basil, sage, oregano, marjoram and rosemerry, black pepper and dried capsicum. I mixed some of this into the mashed egg yolk with a bit of Dijou mustard and mayonnaise. Was preparing a dip for my sliced cucumber breakfast meal tomorrow morning.

The last one is a Gremolata. What is Gremolata? It’s an italian mix of chopped garlic, parsley and citrus zest (usually lemon rind) that goes well with Osso Bucco, Italian cooking with veal. Sounds so divine. On the tin, it’s mentioned that it would make a great salsa topping verde by adding in some olive oil, capers, anchovy and pound them all together. Wah! It’s a pity that I’m not allowed to eat tortilla chips at this moment. Ah well.

You can read up on advice by Peter Watson here. Seriously, a lot of very good advice on how to prepare a good marinade and use spices. If you wish to order his spices, here is a website that sells his products. Other than that, he doesn’t seem to have an official website.

What am I bringing to work tomorrow? Here they are :

Breakfast

Egg yolk dip mixed with chopped celery, dill, mayonnaise, Dijou mustard until smooth. Dip to be eaten with some cucumber slices.

Lunch

More cut celery, cucumbers, egg whites. To be mixed with some dressing (olive oil, the herbs mentioned above for the salad, bit of Dijou mustard, black pepper). Along with some chicken that is boiled but cut into little cubes. Will rub some pepper and salt into it.

The problem with dieting is that one has to think well in advance what to eat for the day and how to prepare it. Even now, I do not have all the ingredients available as Atkins is more suited for Western dining rather than for Asian cuisine. Although it’s not entirely impossible to do so, it’s not easy to always avoid sugar in the food. The sugar can be both natural and artificial sugar. Ah well. Because of this, I’ve been preparing my meals at home to bring to work.

What’s for dinner? Well, since I’m flying off to Miri for the weekend, my dear and wonderful parents are cooking me a meal. We’re eating some lovely roast pork that was given by Auntie Mimi (who is a wonderful cook, never EVER turn down a dinner invitation!) as well as some veggies. Probably have to skip desserts for the time being.

Having mentioned that I’m off back to Miri, will not be posting any pictures up over the weekend. So, toodle-loo!