Smoothie, a Bear Called Paddington. Dragon's Egg.

I have been talking about getting enough leafy greens in to my diet so Tuesday morning I made myself a smoothie with 1 cup skim milk, a good handful of mixed kale and chard and a banana. It was delicious. Very simple to make. I meant to add flax seeds but forgot so I will tomorrow. I eat a banana every day anyway – good for cramp which I get a lot of thanks to cholesterol meds. It replaces my regular breakfast which is 181 calories and adds 116 so that isn’t a bad substitute. The banana is already built into my diet. Having read a lot of smoothie recipes I wasn’t sure how this would turn out but it was fine. Gave me the best part of two glasses. I did think of adding a touch of honey if I needed it, but it was quite sweet enough.

The film about Paddington Bear is due to be released in the UK for Christmas. There are several trailers, this is one of them. I will be certain sure to go and see this movie, it looks hilarious. There is another trailer on Facebook which is even funnier.

If you are on Facebook do look at the latest trailer, as I said, it is even funnier than this one. Just go to the Paddington Bear page.

I mentioned that I was reading Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward. I have now finished it and put up a review on Goodreads. It was an excellent book with a great story. OK some of the science was a bit beyond me, but it didn't detract from the story. The concept of a race living on a neutron star who live 100 years in one of our hours was absolutely fascinating. I have ordered the sequel from my library because I enjoyed it so much.

Having some beef, admittedly already cooked, I thought this sounded adaptable.

Ginger Beef Salad with Miso Vinaigrette

Cooking Light
4 servings

Skip the grated cheese and croutons and serve an Asian-inspired salad with homemade seven-ingredient vinaigrette. Serve with soba noodles, followed by dessert.

Ingredients

 

1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons white miso (soybean paste)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
6 cups torn Bibb lettuce (about 3 small heads)
3/4 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Sprinkle steak evenly with ginger, salt, and garlic. Place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
3. Combine cilantro and next 6 ingredients (through chile paste) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle half of miso mixture over lettuce mixture; toss to coat.
4. Place 1 1/2 cups lettuce mixture on each of 4 plates. Top each with 3 ounces steak; top with miso mixture.

Dessert: Heat 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup torn mint, and 1/4 cup water until sugar melts. Strain; cool. Stir in 4 cups halved strawberries.

Have a great day