Soulful Chicken Soup

June 12, 2014Leave a comment

What is the ultimate comfort food? What would you say?
Is it something that is so good, it’s bad for you, or is it something so full of nourishment and goodness, filled with childhood memories?

It depends on how you look at it…

I think that a hearty bowl of chicken soup is one of those ultimate comfort foods – full of nourishment, it warms you up on a cold winters night, it soothes away any discomforts and illness – it’s like the ‘mother’ of all soups! Literally. It is like a mother’s touch – soothing, comforting and healing.

There are many, many different versions of chicken soup, but this has got to be my favourite. All thanks to my talented brother, who taught me how to make this.

You will need:
1 onion, chopped
A handful of baby leeks, or 2 large ones, chopped
250g streaky bacon or pork rashers, cut into strips
Chicken {you can use just the carcass, or for a meatier soup, use a whole chicken, already roasted}
1 liter of chicken stock
1 egg
Olive oil
Butter
A splash of dry white wine

Sauté the onion and leeks in some olive oil and butter until soft.
Add the bacon and fry until cooked. Deglaze the pot with a splash of wine and then add the chicken and the stock and simmer for a couple of hours until the chicken falls from the bone.
The flavour should also be nice and intense.
Just before serving, drizzle a whisked egg into the soup to create little egg drops – delish!

The egg adds a bit of body and a slight creaminess, it’s really fantastic.
I’ve been using chicken and bacon ever since I’ve first made this soup – such a winning combo.

Alright, give this soulful chicken soup a try – it’s a goodie! X

Winter-ish Salad with bacon, poached eggs and loads of other goodies

June 10, 2014June 10, 2014Leave a comment

I literally have a fridge chock ‘n block full of lettuce – in a variety of sizes and types… In the middle of winter…
Why?!
Anyways, so I thought I’d better use some of it, and concocted a delicious salad that’s actually perfect for winter.
This will be a fab brunch salad too!

You will need:
A variety of salad greens {I used baby butter lettuce, watercress, wild rocket and bay spinach}
1 avo, diced
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Olive oil
1 tbs dijonnaise
Boerewors {roughly 700g}, chopped into bite-sized pieces
250g streaky bacon, cut into strips
Poached eggs {1-2 per person}
Red wine vinegar

Place the sausage and bacon in an oven dish and grill in the oven for about 35 minutes, rotating it every so often so that everything can brown nicely.

Drizzle the salad greens with some olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar and add the cheese and avo.
Mix the dijonnaise with 2 tbs of olive oil and sprinkle half over the salad.

Poach the eggs by bringing water to the boil in a deep pan or a small wok{I used a wok} and create a swirl. Add a splash of vinegar.
Once the water has reached a gentle boil, carefully place each egg into the water with a teacup. Let it cook for about 6 minutes for medium.

Add the bacon and sausage to the greens, then place the poached eggs on top and drizzle with the remaining dijonnaise dressing.

Voila – delish – enjoy! X

Slow-cooked Orange Spiced Pork

June 9, 2014Leave a comment

Hello and brrrrr…!

So, it seems that winter is here in all its glory. Freezing mornings and nights, with chilly yet sunny days and we just had a very, very cold weekend…
I sound a bit like the weather man, don’t I..?

Anyways, it’s that time of year when we crave warm comfort foods, usually in the shape of one-pot-meals or something baked and cheesy and carby… So if you’re trying to stay good and on the Banting or Paleo path, it’s really not that difficult! Ok fine, we all crave those carby things in winter, but you can still indulge in some serious comfort food, while sticking to your eating plan.

I’m totally in love with oranges at the moment, they’re in season and packed with vitamins. Yes, they contain sugar and so strictly speaking not quite an eat-as-much-as-you-can item on the Banting list, but just use them in moderation.
Oranges and spices can transform almost any food into a warm, rich winter staple…

Here is my recipe for slow-cooked orange spiced pork:

You will need:
+- 1kg Pork chops or stew cuts
1 orange {half of it thickly sliced! the other half juiced}
3 cloves
3 star anise
1 tsp honey
2 cups chicken stock
Salt
1 cinnamon quill
1 tbs soy sauce
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
1 butternut, diced and cooked

{You will need a slow cooker / crock-pot for this recipe, although you could also make it in a large, heavy bottomed pot.}

The thing I love about using a slow cooker, is that you literally just place everything into the pot, switch it on and hours later you have a fab meal. The downside of using a slow cooker is that you don’t get that lovely browned meat flavour into the food, unless you brown the meat before putting it into the cooker. With this recipe, I don’t brown the meat first, I do it at the end by placing everything under the grill. This gives everything a slightly caramelised effect.

Enough babbling…

Start by placing the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker and just pack everything on top and around:
Place the cloves, star anise, cinnamon and ginger around the meat.
Season with salt. Combine the soy sauce, honey and orange juice and pour over the meat. Place the orange slices, as well as the half of squeezed orange on top and around everything.
Add the stock and let it cook on high for about 4 hours.
Once the meat is cooked {the meat will be cooked but the fat not rendered and still bleak-looking}, remove and dish it into an oven dish.
Drizzle some of the juices over the meat and place the orange slices on top, again. Add chunks of the cooked butternut and make sure everything has a drizzle of juices…
Roast in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until everything is golden and some bits start to get charred.

Enjoy as is, with a glass of dry red of course! You can also add a few bits of mini lettuce or a micro salad, but let’s face it, who wants salad on a freezing night?!
I think it would also work with cauli-mash…

Best Ever Spinach Quiche

June 3, 20143 Comments

Oh my, is it June yet..?!
Where has the year gone? I turn a whopping age on Sat and it still feels a bit unreal… I just can’t cope with the fact that half the year’s gone already, I still feel as if I’m busy settling into the new year, preparing for the year ahead, meanwhile it’s halfway gone!

Anyways, moving along…

I made this fab quiche that is totally ‘good’ in every sense of the word. It’s carb-free and high fat, packed with healthy spinach.
And no, there are no ‘fillers’. I can’t stand it when you have quiche {not at my house!} and you can just taste that it’s been bulked up with flour inside the quiche.

So here’s my recipe for the ultimate spinach and feta quiche – Banting-style of course:

You will need:
200g of spinach, chopped and ready to use
1 onion, diced
100g butter
Olive oil
Nutmeg
1 cup cream
6 eggs
100g mozzarella cheese, grated
1 round of full-fat feta cheese
1/3 tub of cream cheese {Philadelphia or Lancewood}
Pink salt
Black pepper

Start by sautéing the onion in a bit of olive oil until soft, then add the spinach and wilt it down slightly. You don’t want it to be cooked dead…
Add the butter, a pinch of nutmeg and the cream.
Season to taste with pink salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Let this cool.
In the meantime, line an oven dish with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 180C.
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and add the mozzarella cheese and crumble in the feta. Mix in the spinach mixture.
Now spoon half the mixture into the baking dish. Add dollops of cream cheese evenly all over and then cover with the rest of the mixture – the cream cheese should be like a hidden centre of creaminess.
Bake for 30minutes until it is set and golden brown.

This is perfect for lunch, served with some wild rocket or other mixed lettuce and herbs, perfect to pack for a picnic, or even just a light supper.
Ok, let’s face it, you could easily have this for breakfast too – so it really is the perfect breakfast / lunch / dinner dish!

Enjoy! X

A feast of flavours: Middle Eastern style Aubergines with my Cape Malay inspired meatballs

May 21, 2014Leave a comment

I love the fragrant and bold flavours used in Middle Eastern cooking, and also the simple ingredients used. I also love the style of eating – very casual and laid-back, incorporating all the senses.
You need to touch the food, eat with your hands; experience the smell, get carried away by it; see all the beautiful dishes and of course taste the delightful flavours, all the while some fabulous music plays in the background – voila, the scene is set!
A friend of mine prepared the most delicious aubergine {my absolute favourite vegetable!} dish for our monthly book club get-together and I just had to re-create it at home.
Buttery soft aubergines, delicately spiced with cumin and paprika, drenched in a tangy lemon and garlic dressing – yum.
I teamed these up with Cape Malay inspired meatballs and a huge bowl of butter lettuce. Fantastic – you could eat with your hands! {A mini mezze platter…}

The meatballs hinted of a bobotie, with golden sultanas and a hint of apricot, alongside fragrant curry spices.

All the elements of this dish is totally Paleo- and Banting-friendly, except perhaps for the teaspoon of apricot jam used… But you could leave that out. Or not, I don’t think a teaspoon will hurt anyone.

For the aubergines, you will need:

Baby aubergines, as many as you want, halved
Olive oil
Salt
Cumin
Paprika
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1-2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Heat a large glug of olive oil in a large pot or pan. Start by placing the aubergines in the pan, with the sliced side down. Get them nice and brown, then turn them over and salt the cooked side. Let the skin side also brown – you might need a bit more olive oil, as they tend to suck it up like a sponge. Once both sides have been browned, place the lid on and let them steam for a few minutes, just to soften them up nicely.
While they’re still hot, sprinkle with a tiny bit of paprika and cumin, then scatter the zest and garlic on top and drizzle with the lemon juice.

For the meatballs, you will need:

Roughly 800g of minced meat {I used Eland, a type of game meat}
Salt to taste
1 egg
1/2 a cup of sultanas
1 tsp smooth apricot jam
2 tbs curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
1 onion, chopped
Olive oil
Zest of 1 orange

Sauté the onion until soft, then add the curry powder, turmeric and cumin and fry until fragrant. Set aside.
Next, mix all the rest of the ingredients, as well as the onion and spices. Make sure you mix it thoroughly.
Heat up some olive oil and fry one meatball to make sure you’ve added enough salt.
If you’re happy, roll the rest of the mixture into bite-sized balls and fry on all sides until golden and cooked through.

Serve with the aubergines and some butter lettuce – simple, delicious, totally satisfying!

Enjoy! X

Orange, Ginger & Soy Broccoli Salad

May 19, 20141 Comment

Winter is here! Eek, it kind of snuck up on us…

We seem to forget about our greens during winter and often just go for the starchy veggies. Salads just seem more summery, like water.
Anyways, there are lots of great salad options for winter, like my Orange, Ginger & Soy Broccoli Salad…

You will need:
Baby butter lettuce
Watercress, baby spinach and rocket mixed
Broccoli, steamed
Pine nuts, roasted
Finely chopped pecans {just a sprinkle}
Halloumi cheese, grilled

For the dressing:
1/2 cup of orange juice
Thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
2 tbs soy sauce
Sesame oil {just really a few drops}
1 red chili
3 tbs red wine vinegar
Bash everything except for the vinegar, orange juice & soy sauce together in a mortar and pestle until it’s all in a paste. Then add about half a cup of orange juice, 3 tbs red wine vinegar and 2 tbs soy sauce.
If you need to, you can add a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the flavours.

Assemble the salad by drizzling the dressing over the lettuce, herbs & broccoli. Add the halloumi and sprinkle with the nuts. Finish it off by drizzling some more dressing over the top.

More lovely winter salads, as well as some other exciting news will follow soon!
X

The Sunshine Award

May 13, 2014Leave a comment

Wow, what an honour to be nominated for an award, yay! I must just say though that I’m rubbish at time – being on time, doing things within a certain time frame, etc etc…
Lindsay from Officially Gluten Free nominated me for this award about a month ago {blush} and in my head I accepted it and posted it onto my blog… But alas, it was only in my head…
So here I am, officially accepting this award:
Thank you, thank you!

THE RULES

1. Include the Sunshine Award icon in your post and/or on your blog
2. Link to the blogger who nominated you
3. Answer 10 questions about yourself
4. Nominate 10 other bloggers to receive the award
5. Link to your nominees and let them know you nominated them
6. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer

Here are the questions I need to answer:

1. Do you live in the same town/city or country that you lived in when you were a child?
Nooo…
I grew up in Stellenbosh and Gordon’s Bay in the Cape {in South Africa} and now live in Johannesburg

2. If could only spend $10 for the rest of the week what would you spend it on?
I would buy some ingredients and either bake something or cook something delicious… Although, you don’t get much for $10 do you? That’s about R100 in our currency. Ok, no seriously, I would buy:
3liters of full cream milk – we use quite a lot with 2 kiddies around {that’s about $3}
A packet of baby lettuce {you can get 2 for about $4}, because you need to have some greens everyday and can easily zhoosh it up with some other things
Butter – around $3 – I also use this just about everyday for cooking & baking

3. What is your favorite dessert?
Ooh, tough one…
I do love crème brûlée, but am so often disappointed by it when I order it at a restaurant.
Ok fine, let’s say it’s a 3-way tie between crème brûlée, pannacotta and a berry pavlova.

4. What is the most played song on your Ipod/MP3 Player/Phone?
Hahaha it will have to be Santigold, Disparate Youth, not because I love the song, but because Seb, my 3-year-old somehow always selects this song when he plays with my phone!
My current favourite song at the moment is Pitbull & Kesha, Timber.

5. When you were 10, what did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing anything close to what you wanted to do then?
I wanted to be a businesswoman who wears skirt suits… No I’m not a businesswoman who wears any type of suit. But, I have started a small baking business and it’s starting to grow.

6. If you could only eat one meal for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
That’s a tough question! The same meal day after day? Or just one meal again, ever..?
It might have to be pizza…
Or a roasted pork belly, with crispy skin.

7. City or Country? Why?
Definitely country.
I grew up in the city, sort of, and spent most of my adult life in the city and now I live in a country estate with a country feel, in the middle of the city.
It’s just so peaceful and not so rushed and aggressive.
I find living in the city, especially in South Africa, just so aggressive. People don’t have time for each other, they don’t have any patience and everything feels very rushed.
Although I might get bored out in the country somewhere, I still would prefer it, to have space for the kids to play and run around and be free, to be able to grow your own veggies and harvest your own chicken eggs, to enjoy quiet sundowners without the noise of the city and to just relax and stop trying to keep up with anyone.

8. Name one thing that you’re grateful for?
I have the most amazing family!

9. What/Who inspired you to start a Blog?
My dad inspired me, or actually he suggested I do it… That was back when we lived in India. I originally started a different blog about our time there, but that never really took off and then I started this blog some time after that one. It just kind of evolved into a more foodie blog, because that’s what I’m most passionate about.

10. If you won a free vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Another tricky one…
I would hop on a plane tomorrow to the States {St. Petersburg, FL.} to visit my parents! But that would be just to see them!
If I won a free vacation anywhere, I would go to Europe and do a tour of France, Italy, Germany & Switzerland.

Here are my nominees for The Sunshine Award, in no particular order:
1. Journal of a city girl
2. Scarletscorchdroppers
3. The Patrons of the Pit
4. Urban Homestead South Africa
5. Drizzle & Dip
6. Simply Delicious
7. White on Rice Couple
8. Gourmand in the Kitchen
9. Lipgloss is my Life
10. The Food Class

My 10 questions for the nominees to answer:
1. Why did you start a blog?
2. How much time do you spend on your blog in a week? And daily?
3. What would your 3 best blogging tips be?
4. Chocolate or vanilla? Why?
5. How do you prioritise your time?
6. What irritates you the most?
7. How would you celebrate your ideal birthday?
8. Ideal gift?
9. What’s your 3 favourite ingredients or food items?
10. Favourite wine?

5-ingredient Hearty Chicken Livers

May 6, 20141 Comment

I must say, I never used to like chicken livers – well, before I tasted them – in fact, I’m not very keen on most offal or organ meat… The thought really just puts me off.
Chicken livers {and only chicken livers} are now one of my favourites! I love them crispy and spicy, I love chicken liver pâté and I also enjoy them in a creamy sauce.
But, I must say, they’re not really very versatile, I’ve just listed about all the different ways to have them…
I decided to make chicken livers tonight, but I didn’t have any other ingredients to go with it – no cauliflower for cauli mash! Alert – we have NO mash!
A quick squiz around the fridge and I decided to make a hot salad with green beans and tomatoes.
This dish only has 5 ingredients and is super easy to make. The grilling of the livers takes a bit of time, but only just…

You will need:

500g chicken livers, cleaned
Green beans {about 2 cups}
Rosa tomatoes {2 cups}
1/2 an onion
Parmesan cheese {grated, to be sprinkled on top}
{Butter & olive oil for frying and salt to season}

Start by quickly boiling the green beans in some water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large heavy-bottomed pot, heat up a dollop of butter and some olive oil and sauté the onions until soft.
Add the livers and fry on both sides, using another pot to weigh them down. Season with salt.
Do the livers in 2 batches and set aside once they’re done.
In the same pot, add the tomatoes and some more olive oil and sauté them until they start to soften and release some of their juices. Add the green beans and heat them through.
Dish the green beans and tomatoes into a large serving dish. Reheat the livers in the pot and add to the dish.
Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese.

Perfect for a light, yet hearty weeknight dinner or even lunch.

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Winter Warmer Soup

May 4, 2014May 4, 2014Leave a comment

What better soul food for cold winter nights than soup?
I could never make soup for the life of me! My mother makes the most delicious, hearty soups and I would always try my hand at it, but could never get it right…
It would usually taste like tepid dishwater with a few veggies floating around in it! Am I making you salivate yet..? Hehe! Well, thankfully I’ve learnt a thing or two and can now make a decent {and rather tasty, if I may say so myself!} soup.
Here’s my delicious recipe for a hearty cauliflower, chicken & bacon soup:

You will need:
2 chicken carcasses {cooked, leftover from roast chicken, with some meat still on the bone}
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Coconut oil
2 bay leaves
3 peppercorns
Salt
Water
1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
250g streaky bacon
3 sprigs of thyme
1 cup of cream

Start by sautéing the onions in coconut oil until soft, then add the celery and onions. Sauté a bit more and then add the chicken, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns and enough water to cover the chicken halfway.
Let it all simmer away happily for a few hours. Taste it and season with salt accordingly.
{I didn’t use any stock, because the chicken creates the stock, but you could use it if you wanted to.}

Once the broth has properly mingled and the chicken has started to fall off the bone, add the cauliflower florets and cook until tender.
In the meantime, place the bacon in an oven tray and grill until cooked. Let it cool and then chop into bits. Don’t discard the fat!

When the cauliflower is cooked, carefully remove it from the broth and blitz it with a stick blender until smooth. Add the cream and blitz it again.
Add the cauliflower to the broth and stir it through. Add the bacon and drizzle with the fat.

Perfect for a cold winter’s night – it’s so filling and oh-so-comforting! The kids loved it too.
Enjoy! X

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An amazing getaway, great food and fabulous people – total bliss! {All in our beautiful Mother City}

May 3, 2014May 3, 20141 Comment

Where to begin…?
Well, I survived the Two Oceans {just barely!} and it felt GREAT! With legs that wanted to collapse and aching worse than they’ve ever ached, we did it in 2h09m – yay! My dear husband ran the entire race by my side and cheered me on – my hero! {2015 – watch this space…}

I just have to say this, so awesome, we met Prof Tim Noakes en route and Eben had a chat to him – what an inspiring man and so friendly…and fast!
Right, so 21.1km done and dusted, we had an entire week ahead of us to enjoy with our friends and family down in the Cape.
We had plenty of cheese, delectable pâtés and mmmmmarvelous wines…

Gorgeous winelands sunsets and gourmet picnics with fabulous friends and family – what could be better?

A stroll along the promenade to enjoy an ice cream and the magnificent view…

Back home and feeling totally inspired by our trip, I’m ready to roll! And by roll, I’m not referring to the couple of kilos I put on from all the cheese and wine! 😉
No, I’m feeling inspired by all the beauty in the Cape, innovation and self-motivation. {Happy dance!}
Cheers for now – I’ll be dishing out a few winter comfort recipes soon! X

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