Charcuterie, Scotch Eggs, Caprese salad.

Now this may come as a shock to most of you, but I have some news – I’ve gone full on Brit. I didn’t plan on it, but since I landed on this drearier side of the pond I’ve grown quite fond of crumpets and adding unnecessary “u’s” to my favo”u”rite words and “s’s” where I hardly reali”s”e they’ve never been before. I can’t quite take to the Celsius, nor have I mastered the gram, but neither has yet to stand in the way of my Brit conversion.

I’ve found that the thing I fancy most is being so damn close to Paris that I can, like, smell the boulangeries (slight exaggeration for comedic purposes). I booked a trip on Eurostar, the swankiest train there ever was, on my first bank holiday weekend here. Once there, I had a charcuterie platter that damn near changed my life. If I wasn’t a lapsed vegetarian before, then I sure as hell am now. The burrata in the upper left hand corner should not be so modest as to hide under that balsamic. It was the creamiest complement to all those cured meats and veggies, and I dare say it was the star of the show. Unreal.

Since being in London, though, I’ve done my best to sample the traditional cuisine. See? There I am posing with a scotch egg! For those who are unfamiliar, the scotch egg is one that is encased in a thick layer of sausage and then deep fried into submission. I may or may not have had a quick nibble before passing it off to my boy to finish, but that’s neither here nor there.

Scotch Egg

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked soba noodles

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 tsp honey

2 tbsp uncooked scallions

8 c fresh spinach

1 spray cooking spray

1 tsp sesame oil (I used toasted)

1 clove garlic

2 c chopped broccoli (my addition)

I’ve had to make a few healthy meals to balance out the Scotch Eggs and charcuteries, though, and the other night I found such a dish via Weight Watchers – Soba noodles with spinach.

Start by cooking the noodles as the package says, drain and place in a large bowl. Add vinegar, soy sauce, honey and scallions. Toss well to coat.

Wash spinach, set aside. Coat a skillet with cooking spray and add oil over medium high heat. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds and add broccoli. Cook for 3-5 minutes until they start to brown, and then add spinach. Cover to  let spinach wilt, another 3-5 minutes. Toss with the noodle mixture and serve.  This was a really simple recipe, and in the future I’ll spice it up with some ginger or red pepper flakes or something. It definitely could have used a kick.

I also made this haddock a few nights ago that came out kind of beautiful, but I’m almost embarrassed by how simply I prepared it. Almost being the operative word here.

Ingredients:

2 fillets haddock

1 tsp smoke seasoning

1 tsp herbe de provence

½  tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp olive oil

juice of a lemon

I started by heating olive oil in my fancy new cast iron skillet over medium low heat, and then I added the fish. I coated each side with the spices, and then cooked for about 2-4 minutes until the fillets were all flaky and clinging to my skillet. Note to self: this fish could stand to be cooked in aluminum foil so’s I’m not scraping it off the pan next time around. Live and learn, I suppose. I finished it off with the lemon juice, and served alongside some sautéed spinach and onions. It was sooo easy and delicious.

On the sweaty side of things, I’ve been doing this Jillian Michaels workout I just lurve. It’s called the “30 Day Shred,” and it’s like having this inspirational badass right in my own living room. And Jillian is there as well! 🙂 It’s this 20 minute circuit training workout that I’ve been doing for about 25 days, so it’s safe to say I’m into it and consider it a fair replacement for logging hours at the gym.

On the days when this inspirational badass is not feeling her butt kicks and plank jacks, I’ve turned to yoga. I know. I never thought I’d be one of those people. The iPad workout has changed me, though, and I’ve been doing these 10-20 minute yoga sessions that are really helping with my flexibility. Highly recommended.

My computer is on its last leg for the evening, so I’ll have to cut this short. I’ll leave you all with the most beautiful caprese salad that I ever did make. No descriptor is necessary, because it’s merely tomato, basil and mozzarella with some olive oil. It is just one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever had the pleasure of stuffing in my dome. See below: