Cruise (PV): Vietnamese Pancakes with Nuoc Cham sauce

Pancakes

2 Tbsp of Quark

2 Tbsp of Oat Bran

1 Egg

Whisk ingredients together and 'fry' to make the pancake.

Pancake Ingredients

Couple of handfuls of chicken pieces (1" chunks) dry fried with Thai Spices.

Handful of bean sprouts

Handful of sliced onions

Handful of sliced red peppers

2 Tbsp of ripped fresh mint

Arrange on pancake and fold.

Nuoc Cham Dipping Sauce (prepare 1 hour before)

1 Tbsp fake sugar

125ml warm water

60ml Fish Sauce

60ml White wine vinegar

1/2 juice of a lime

4/5 Cloves of Garlic minced

3/4 Birds eye chilli peppers chopped small

Combine water and sugar to dissolve. Add the rest and stir. Done.

CRUISE (PV): Tom Yum Soup

Using only allowed ingredients. Unfortunately coconut milk is not allowed and I've used as little oil as possible. Tastes really good and very filling, but I will add more chillies next time.

Serves Two

For the Tom Yum Paste

2 Garlic cloves

2 Lemongrass stalks

Thumb sized piece of ginger

1 Bunch of Coriander (stems only, keep leaves for garnish)

2 (hot) or 3 (hotter) birds eye chillies (the little ones)

1 large shallot

2 tbs water

Juice of a lime

For the soup

400ml skimmed milk

200ml vegetable stock (using low sodium stock cube)

Bag of frozen prawns or mixed seafood, whatever you like best. Chicken would work too.

Two handfuls of beansprouts

1 Red pepper sliced very thin

4 spring onions (chopped)

1 lime

Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

Put all the Tom Yum paste ingredients in the blender and make a paste. Put in saucepan with a quick spray of oil and 'fry' slowly for 10-minutes, stirring all the time. Then add milk and stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 15-minutes. Strain and throw out the 'bits'. Then whilst still on the heat, add the seafood for a couple of minutes until cooked.

In two large bowls place red pepper, beansprouts, and spring onions in the bottom, then pour in the soup and leave for a couple of minutes. Squeeze half a lime in each and some coriander.

ATTACK and CRUISE (PP): Chicken Foodle soup

Chicken and fake noodle (Foodle) soup. I love this and it is really filling.

Serves Two

Two Chicken breasts cut into smallish chunks

Half a shallot

Heaped Tbsp of finely chopped ginger

Two or three cloves of finely chopped garlic

Tsp of Chinese 5-spice (or more if you want)

Dried Chilli seeds to taste (for me it is lots)

Low sodium Soya sauce

Knorr Low sodium chicken stock cube

Dry fry the onion, garlic and ginger for 5-mins. Add chicken, 5-spice and chilli seeds. Cook further 5-minutes. Add about 700ml boiling water and chicken stock cube. Add Soya sauce to taste (for me about 5 shakes). Leave to simmer for about 15-mins. Then beat egg in a bowl, give the soup a good old stir to get it spinning and pour egg in over the back of a fork.

CRUISE (PV): Lemon iced yoghurt with rhubarb compote

Serves two

Ingredients

1 Lemon

3 sticks Rhubarb

Ginger

Sweetener

Large Pot of low fat yoghurt

Shred the lemon peel and cut into julienne (thin strips). Put in saucepan with 150ml of water and 1 tbsp of sweetener, and bring to boil then simmer for 30 mins. When cool add to yoghurt and mix. Put in freezer for about 4 or 5 hours, taking it out every hour or so and stirring it up.

Cut Rhubarb into 1" chunks, add juice of the lemon and a tsp of grated ginger, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes. Then add 'sugar' to taste. In my case it was a tbsp. Let cool then when 'iced yoghurt' is ready pour on top.

Handy Websites

I should have read a bit more before I started (but I may have never started then). But anyway, here are other websites I've discovered along the way:

My Dukan Diet - Good for basic information and a good base to adapt recipes.

Daily Mail - Good article with excellent recipe ideas.

Hub Pages - Good general information and some recipe ideas. Lots of links.

Dukan Facebook - Need to search around but some ok recipes.

DukanItOut - More recipes.

Rhubarb

Just found out that you can include Rhubarb on your PV days as it is officially a vegetable! Obviously sweetened with sweetener.

Side Effects and other issues

Yes there are side-effects. Yes it is a bit boring, IT IS NOT FOREVER. Yes, it is hard work, but what isn't? There are however some side-effects.

1. Constipation. I didn't do 'number twos' for about six days. No big deal. I wouldn't say it was 'normal' 5-weeks later but then I am eating radically different food. The oat bran is supposed to help that. I guess there is also a lot less 'stuff' hanging around in my gut so I don't need to go as often?

2. Stinky Breath. Didn't happen to me, but I do chew (sugar free) gum a lot anyway. If it does happen take a toothbrush and mouthwash with you.

3. Kidney damage. Drink LOADS of water.

4. Which brings me to: Peeing a lot. This is a bit of a nuisance and requires planning. I am drinking a lot more than I am used to, therefore I pee more. I get up at least twice in the night and have to go a lot more often when I am out.

5. Tiredness. I feel a bit fatigued some of the time, but not to the point that it affects my job/life. I have always had trouble sleeping but now I am sleeping like a baby.

6. Social life. I have avoided socializing a bit, and it is a bit boring drinking soda water in pubs. Eating out is really difficult and you have to be a bit 'American' when ordering. No oil, no butter, no bread etc. I am sure that my many requests have been ignored occasionally. I basically avoid eating out or entertaining. Again, IT IS NOT FOREVER. I have a couple of regular restaurants who are very accommodating (to a point). The few times I have cooked for guests I have made 'Blackened Cod' with cucumber 'tagliatelle'. Sashimi is a good option too. Dessert? Forget it, it is a case of watching them tuck in.

7. Relationships. As I do all of the cooking in my house it is difficult on my partner who has to cook. I have been making us both the same food more or less but adapting the non-Dukan plate. Last night I made filet steak (M&S £5 each, bargain) with a zero fat pink pepper sauce. It was a protein only day so I skipped the salad and (obviously) the fries. I recently made Vietnamese pancakes on my PV day (shrimps, chicken, beansprouts and onion) but used sweetener in the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce, and made my oat bran galette as my 'pancake'.

8. Snacks. On PP days, as far as I can figure it out, there are no possible snacks. I have tried experimenting, but so far have just come up with small versions of the main food I already eat. I never really liked biscuits but there is maybe something possible there? No popcorn. No Wasabi peas. No nuts. No seeds. This is quite annoying BUT in 5-weeks I am out of the habit already. I think this is the point?