Recipe: Warming Coconut Noodle Soup

A quick update...

Over Christmas I went a little nuts, ate lots of sugar, too much meat, etc, and ended up with a nasty dose of my old 'friend', not to mention absolutely dreadful indigestion. Yuck. So, I'm going back to basics, at least until my system gets back on track. It's back to checking labels and not eating out for me. Boo.

This evening I really fancied something noodley and spicy and coconutty. The red chilli sauce I normally use as a base turned out to have corn syrup in it (I swear it didn't use to!), so I had to make do with other ingredients. This is what I came up with. It was surprisingly delicious and made enough for two generous servings.

Warming Coconut Noodle Soup


2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (or as much, or little as you like)
1 red chilli, finely chopped with seeds
About an inch of ginger peeled and shredded
Sesame oil
1 tin of coconut milk
1 yeast-free stock cube dissolved in a 1/4 pint boiling water
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp ground coriander (adjust to taste)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
half a tin of Marigold braised tofu (inc. the juices)
a sprinkle of Maldon salt
freshly ground black pepper
half a large onion, finely sliced
1 red pepper
a couple of handfuls of lettuce or something 'green'
1 nest of noodles

Add a splash of sesame oil to a hot wok. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and stir for a few moments. Add the onion. Fry for a couple of minutes, until the onion is starting to soften and turn golden. Add the red pepper. Fry for another couple of minutes until the pepper starts to soften. Add the basil, coriander and cinnamon. Stir well and fry for a few moments to release the flavours.

Add the coconut milk, stock and lemon juice. Stir well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and add the 'chunked'  braised tofu and juices (the liquid aminos replace traditional fermented soy sauce in this recipe). Stir and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the noodles. Coat them well in the soup mixture. Allow to bubble away and thicken slightly.

When the noodles are just about cooked, add the seasoning (to taste) and the lettuce. Give the mixture a good stir. Once the lettuce has wilted, the soup is ready to eat. Yum!

Wah! Where did I go?

The blog disappeared for a few days when Blogger's automated system decided seemingly arbitrarily that it convened the terms and conditions. After a bit of foot stamping, I got an apology and the blog was reinstated. Phew! My apologies for any inconvenience caused while The Cardboard Diet was offline.

Update

So.... the doctor prescribed me Canestan cream and a tablet. Like a good girl I took/used them. I dunno what happened, but they must have released all the dormant yeasty-beasties in my system from their slumber; I have ended up with probably the worst thrushy flare-up in years. Scuse me while I screeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmmm in frustration!

Anyway, back at the doctor's today, during an MOT of my lady bits, I explained the frankly piss-poor treatment I had received from the conventional medical profession in the past. She was really shocked, especially about me being told by a gynaecologist at a hospital which shall remain nameless that I was unlucky and would just have to deal with it (I swear I'd been marked down as 'neurotic'). She revealed that there are LOADS of other treatments to try (besides endless and useless Nystatin pessaries). For starters, she's put me on a course of a fairly heavy-duty anti-fungal treatment (taken orally). I start tomorrow. Here's hoping.

But, just because I have had to resort to medication, I don't intend to stop eating well. The Candida Diet is simply a healthy way to eat (providing it isn't taken to extremes), and I have renewed determination to get back on the straight and narrow, and keep it up.

Kicking thrushy butt

Long time, no hear (from me). I thought I had kicked thrushy butt, but recent events have conspired to reveal that, oh no, the Candida is still there wreaking its evil, yeasty ways in my nether regions.

So, while I'm waiting to find out what my surgery/local hospital indeed to do about it, I've returned to Angela Kilmartin's advice:

• avoid 'sweaty' clothing - though this does mean that I might have to give up running, which will be a real shame;
• tighten up the diet - not a lot, but, clearly, too much refined sugar has been passing my lips recently;
• shower, don't bath;
• three soup spoonfuls of yoghurt before every meal (yuck); and
• a tsp of olive oil per day (also yuck).

I should also get my hands on some caprylic acid tablets too. Oh joy.

The moral of this story is stay vigiliant against the thrushy battalions, cowered, but not beaten, ready to attack at the slightest opportunity.

Bastards.

Much overdue update

Just popping in to say that I am still maintaining, though I'm able to tolerate the odd bit of refined sugar now and then (so, I no longer have to miss out on birthday cake, etc). My digestive system seems to be considerably more robust: I managed to survive two hefty courses of antibiotics between December and March without ill-effect. Brilliant news.

My thesis is also finished - I should graduate this July - so my stress-levels are much reduced. My skin is virtually clear of acne. I'm running two-three times a week and I feel great! So, stick with the candida diet. It *is* tough, and you may only take baby-steps in the right direction to begin with, but progress is still progress.

It's been a long time...

...so. to cut a long story short I shall declare just these following missives.

I got through Christmas well.  I allowed myself some treats, but didn't get carried away.

Since then I have come to the conclusion that yeast is not a big problem for me.  I mean eating it. So, I've started to eat slow-risen breads like ciabatta, which have no added sugar (which remains the devil).   

The BBC Good Food website is an enormously useful resource of simple and easy to adapt recipes.

Oh, and I have a few new recipes to write about.