Courgette Gratin

April 16, 2014April 16, 2014Leave a comment

From The Real Meal Revolution, this courgette gratin is a goodie!
Rich, creamy, garlicky goodness – it’s the perfect accompaniment to any meat dish and packed full of goodness & flavour.

You will need:
800g courgettes, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and squashed
250ml cream
100g butter
A handful of thyme sprigs
1 onion, roughly chopped
Hard cheese, like pecorino or Parmesan
Salt & pepper

Place the courgettes, onions, garlic and thyme in an oven dish, toss it all together and press it down into the dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Dollop the butter on top and pour over the cream.
Bake at 150C for about an hour and a half, then sprinkle with cheese and grill until the cheese has melted.

Great with chicken, great with a steak, it’s one of those dishes that is so yummy and memorable – a must-make!

Enjoy! X

Meatless Monday Melanzane

April 14, 2014April 14, 2014Leave a comment

Meatless Monday? What’s that..?! Just kidding.
If you’re looking for a comforting, filling dish that is also meatless and tasty, well this is the dish – Melanzane Parmiggiano.
It ticks all the boxes:
Tasty – check.
Rich and warm – check.
Cheesy – check.
Filling and comforting – check.
{Of course, you can also have it as a side dish with a scrummy roast chicken}

You will need:
2 large aubergines, sliced
Olive oil
Thyme
Tinned tomatoes
Tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
Sweet basil leaves, chopped
Parmesan cheese, grated
Mozzarella cheese, grated
Salt & pepper
Peppadew spice
Garlic, finely chopped {2 cloves}

Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil and grill in a pan until both sides are golden. Once all the aubergine slices are cooked, set these aside.
Using the same pan {I hate doing dishes and loading the dishwasher, so I use as little pots & pans as possible!}, heat some more olive oil and sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic and tomato paste {2 tbs} and let it all caramelise.
Add the tin of tomatoes, a few thyme sprigs and chopped basil. Season with salt & pepper and let it reduce slightly to a nice and rich tomato sauce.
Pre-heat your oven to 180C.
In a large casserole, place a layer of aubergine slices and season with peppadew spice. Add a layer of tomato sauce and sprinkle with both cheeses.
Add another layer of aubergines, season, add sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake this in the oven for about 30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and has formed a golden brown crust.

Enjoy with a salad and a nice glass of vino! {No reason to go meatless AND wineless..!}
X

Countdown to Two Oceans

April 12, 20143 Comments

Eeek – in exactly one week’s time, I’ll be running my very first half-marathon and just about the world’s largest one at that… {Two Oceans Marathon}
No pressure.
The furthest I’ve actually run, is 15km and it went fairly well, so I do feel ok for this 21, but I’m still nervous. I’ve decided not to run 21km before this race, because I reckon if you know what to expect, it’s scarier than not knowing. Rather be surprised on the day and that way you can just push through and do it, instead of knowing in your mind what’s waiting and fearing it.
That’s generally my motto in life. Look, it’s not for everyone, but I don’t like to prepare for stuff.
There, I’ve said it!
Obviously the are exceptions, but what I mean is, if you are going to do something difficult, obviously know the basics but don’t over-analyse, over-prepare or over-think!
You should be able to run. {Check.}
You should have run before. {Check.}
You should have run at least 10k. {Check.}
…and then it can stop right there.
{Look, I might feel different in a week’s time…}

From Monday, I’m going to try and exercise more and hopefully this bloody cold will be gone by then! I’m also going to eat better {no more sweets…} and try and get more sleep.

In the meantime, I found this picture on The Paleo Network and found it quite inspiring:

I won’t be throwing in the towel! X

Caprese {stuffed} Chicken

April 10, 20142 Comments

Call me a fanatic, but I do love a caprese salad! The simple, yet bold flavours just speak to me.
I love the classics in general; I was just telling a friend the other day about how I switched from my ever-trusty Essie Mademoiselle nail varnish {super safe and classic – a nude if you like} to a more daring {!!} nude…with a hint of glitter! How wild!
My best friend also always jokes that her mom and I always go for the same outfits and we both love navy! {I’m not allowed to buy another navy coat this winter..!}
But, in my defense, her mom dresses great and navy will always be a classic.

Such is the caprese, it will always be fab and you can never go wrong – it’s a definite classic!
So, just to liven things up a bit, I decided to do a different version of the caprese – a hot version with chicken.

You will need:
6 chicken breasts, boneless {skin on or off, but to be honest I think on would be better, but what a mission to find! And when you do find it, it’s not boneless?!}
12 thin slices of mozzarella cheese
Plain cream cheese
12 basil leaves
Olive oil
Butter
Salt & pepper
Small rosa tomatoes
A handful of pine nuts, toasted

Start by slicing open the chicken breasts, but don’t cut them all the way through, it should look like a little open book, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Now, get a good chunk of butter and a splash of olive oil heated in a large pan and gently cook the inside of the chicken breast. {With the open side facing down in the pan.} This will ensure that the chicken cooks more easily and doesn’t become bone-dry. You just want the inside to be slightly cooked and golden, not cooked all the way through.
Remove from the pan and then start stuffing the chicken:
Spread a dollop of cream cheese
Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts
Place basil leaves
Place slices of cheese
Close them up and tie with string
Return these to the hot pan and cook until the outside of the chicken is golden brown.
Remove them again and set aside.
Add more olive oil to the same pan and add the tomatoes {keep them whole}. Cook on low heat until the tomatoes have gone soft and formed a reddish oil. Return the stuffed chicken to the tomatoes in the pan and let everything heat through.

So delicious- enjoy!

{Serve it with cauli mash or a simple broccoli salad: baby salad leaves with wild rocket, watercress and lightly steamed broccoli, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.}

Very Most Delicious Chicken Curry

April 9, 2014April 9, 2014Leave a comment

Oh {head wiggling} here is my recipe for the very most delicious chicken curry {more head wiggling}…

Hehe, if you’ve ever been to India, you’ll get this… If not, it’s time to visit India!

We spent a year and a half in India and like I’ve said before, the curries we get here in SA, and most probably anywhere else outside of India, are not the same as you’d find in India. Yes sure, you’ll get your butter chicken anywhere in the world, as well as the touristy spots in India, but even then it’s not quite the same.
Nevertheless, the food you would eat at people’s homes or tiny authentic, local ‘restaurants’ or ‘dhabas’ were always the best! You can taste all the different spices and everything is always made with only the freshest ingredients. The dishes were also never extremely hot & spicy, just the right amount of chilies were used.

You’ll notice my curry doesn’t look creamy, even though I used coconut cream. This is just to give it a bit of a coconut flavour, nothing too overpowering.

You will need:
1 whole chicken, broken down into pieces {use everything, even the leftover carcass bit, as this adds to the flavour and nutrition}
1 onion, chopped
Yellow mustard seeds {1 tsp}
Whole coriander seeds {1tbs}
Curry powder {masala powder, includes turmeric} {2 tbs}
Black onion seeds {kalonji} {1 tsp}
Green cardamom seeds {3, bashed to open up the seed}
Garlic {3 cloves, chopped}
Ginger {thumb sized piece, chopped}
Tomato paste {2 tbs}
Chopped canned tomatoes {1 tin}
Coconut cream {3 tbs}
Fresh coriander to sprinkle on top
Chicken stock {1 cup}
Salt
Olive oil
Butter
1 large sweet potato, diced

Start by sautéing the onions in butter and olive oil {you could also use coconut oil} in a large pot. Add all the spices and fry until fragrant.
Salt the chicken and add all the pieces to brown. Once the chicken has browned, remove it and the onion & spice mixture and set aside.
In the same pot, caramelise the tomato paste and add the tinned tomatoes to form a rich tomato sauce.
Return the chicken, onions and spices and add the stock and sweet potato.
Season with salt and let it all simmer away for about 50 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

Sprinkle with fresh coriander {use the stems and leaves!} and serve.

You’ll be rewarded with a very tasty, delicious chicken curry packed with flavour. If you want it a bit hotter, just add a small red birds eye chili, sliced lengthways.
The broth is so healthy and tasty and will do just the trick to keep the flu at bay.
Enjoy! X

Introducing the Paleo ‘Boerie’ Burger…

April 4, 2014Leave a comment

It’s been a while since we’ve made paleo burgers, don’t ask me why… It’s such a yummy, easy & quick supper and tastes waaaay better than a normal bun burger. {Trust me on this one!}
So while I’ve been battling to come up with new food ideas and scrummaging through the freezer, I decided to make boetie burgers! That’s like a hamburger, but made from Boerewors meat. {Boerewors is a traditional South African sausage, made from minced beef, pork and/or lamb coriander and other spices and has quite a distinct flavour. It’s not a very fatty sausage.}
I also recently heard Wimpy’s new ad for their boerie burgers but haven’t seen or tasted it, so no idea what it actually is, but it did give me an idea!
Now, I’m sure you’ve seen {and hopefully made} my Paleo burgers, where I use thick slices of grilled aubergine as the ‘bun’? Well, same concept, but instead of using regular minced meat for the patty, I used Boerewors meat.

So, here it is:
Roughly 500g boerewors, removed from the outer casing
A handful of fresh coriander
Salt
1 egg

For the construction of the burger {add or omit as you please}:
Thick slices of aubergine, brushed with olive oil and grilled
Grilled bacon
Slices of fresh tomato
Caramelised onions
Sliced mozzarella
Fresh baby leaves
Cream cheese mixed with fresh avo, salt & pepper

Remove the boerewors meat from the outer casing and mix it with a spoon to combine properly. Add chopped coriander, salt and egg.
Mix it well to combine and shape into burger patties.
Grill until just cooked.

Use the aubergine slices to contain everything and layer all the rest inbetween.

Enjoy! X

What inspires you?

April 1, 2014April 1, 20143 Comments

What inspires you? What inspires me?
Well, a lot of things inspire me, but at the moment I’m in need of some inspiration. Sometimes you just fail to find inspiration, it’s like you just don’t see anything, nothing speaks to you.
That sounds a bit dark…
But I’m sure you know what I mean? Sometimes you just feel so caught up in the daily stuff {be it work, home things, the kids, hubby, whatever} that you battle to dream a bit, plan ahead, let your mind wander.

I’m often inspired by other people and what they’ve accomplished, especially in the food industry and especially if they started small. I love Masterchef and love seeing all the innovating dishes the contestants produce. I must admit, I don’t read a lot of foodie magazines, I prefer browsing Pinterest and buying a really decent cookbook, and then the occasional magazine when the cover grabs me. Oh yes, and of course I must always have the Sarie Kos edition, an Afrikaans foodie magazine that’s just fab!
I enjoy reading food blogs too and am in awe of the amazing things these people produce, as well as the great pictures.

My family inspires me. Not just the foodie ones, the others too!
My kids inspire me. My friends inspire me. The outdoors & nature inspire me.

At the moment, I feel a bit uninspired and bogged down by the daily grind…
So – chin up and time to get inspired!

What inspires you? X

Pear & Roquefort Salad

March 25, 20142 Comments

It’s pear season – yay! {I think?!}

I had a fabulous salad at a friend’s house the other day, inspired by a salad from Tasha’s, with blue cheese, pears, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes.

Pears and blue cheese {or actually Gorgonzola and Stilton and perhaps a few other soft ripened cheeses} is such a classic combination and can be used in many different ways. I love it as a salad, because it just cuts down on being too sharp and rich and you can really make a meal of it.

For my version, I decided to leave the tomatoes and mushrooms and instead focus on the pears, cheese and bacon.

You will need:
2 pears {forelle pears are always nice and sweet, but any will do}, sliced
Mixed baby salad leaves
Wild rocket
1/2 a vanilla pod, seeds scraped
2 tbs caster sugar
125g bacon bits, or regular bacon, chopped
Butter
Roquefort cheese or any blue variety
Balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Start by poaching the pears in butter, then add caster sugar and the vanilla seeds. Let it slowly simmer until soft.
Fry the bacon until cooked and crispy.
Toss the salad leaves, add bacon, pears and crumble the cheese on top.
For the dressing, mix balsamic vinegar with a little bit of the pear syrup. Drizzle over the salad with some olive oil and finish it off with wild rocket.
So so so easy and super tasty!

Enjoy! X

Shepard’s Pie – Banting-style

March 24, 2014March 24, 2014Leave a comment

I suddenly have ‘Gangnam Style’ in my head..! {Hehe}

Is it just me, or does anyone else like to make casseroles, one-dish-oven-dishes or similar things on a Monday night?!
It just seems like the logical thing to do to ease into the week and get your bearings straight. It also feels very comforting to start the week with some comfort food {all Paleo / Banting of course!}.

Ok, so my Monday night comfort dinner is from the Real Meal Revolution and substitutes mashed potatoes for cauli-mash and it is rather delicious.

I adapted the recipe slightly – here it is:

You will need:
500g venison mince
250g bacon, diced
Butter
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 carrot, finely grated
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Tomato paste
5 baby Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup beef stock
Salt & pepper to taste
Peppadew spice
2 sprigs of thyme

Start by frying the bacon and mince in the butter and let it brown {you will need a large pot, or do it in batches}, season with salt and peppadew spice.
Once the meat has browned, remove it from the pan, add another dollop of butter and sauté the onions, celery, garlic and carrot. Add the meat, tomato paste, thyme, stock and tomatoes and let it simmer for an hour.
Season to taste.

For the mash topping:
1 large head of cauliflower
2 egg yolks
100g of butter
Nutmeg
Salt
Cheese, grated

Steam the cauliflower florets until tender, then purée with a food processor or stick blender.
Add the egg yolks while blending and then the butter. Make sure the butter melts into the mash.
Season with a pinch of nutmeg and salt.
Layer the mince mixture in a large oven dish and top with cauli-mash and grated cheese.
Place it under a hot grill for 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and has turned a golden, bubbly brown.

Enjoy with a herb salad. X

{The kids’ verdict: Francois (the baby) absolutely loved it and gobbled an entire bowl, while Seb didn’t want to eat it…
My other boy (hubster!) also loved it – but then again, he will eat just about anything and even better if it’s made of mince! Anyways, it was good and a definite do-again!}

Meatballs with caramelised onions & mushrooms

March 19, 2014March 19, 20141 Comment

Don’t you just hate those days when you have x, y, z ingredients and you can’t seem to picture a whole dish..?!
I had mushrooms – had to use them soon, I had onions and I had lettuce… {Mince in the freezer.}
There were also a few other bits and bobs in the fridge, but nothing that made sense. I decided on meatballs and everything else was still a blank.

For the meatballs you’ll need:
500g venison mince {or beef}
Salt & pepper
Cumin, about a teaspoon
Cayenne pepper, a sprinkle
1 egg
Bacon fat {for frying}
Mix all together and shape into small bite-sized balls. Fry in bacon fat.

I prepared my never-fail caramelised onions to go with the meatballs, because they go with just about anything, plus the venison goes very well with something slightly sweet.

You will need:
1 onion, sliced
Butter
Balsamic vinegar
Honey
Sauté the onion in butter until soft, then add a tbs of honey and balsamic vinegar and let it caramelise.

You can have the meatballs just like this, topped with some caramelised onions on a bed of baby lettuce – perfect – or you can add a moreish mushroom sauce.

You will need:
Brown mushrooms
Cream
Butter
Salt

The best way to prepare this entire dish is as follows:
Start by making the onions.
In that same pan, fry the meatballs.
Again, in the same pan, make the mushroom sauce. That way you get the additional flavour from the bacon fat and meatballs infused in the mushroom sauce. That is the key!

So, to make the mushroom sauce, add some butter to the pan and sauté the mushrooms until soft. Season with salt and add about half a cup of cream. Let it reduce a bit and voila.
Finish it all off with a handful of wild rocket and a drizzle of olive oil.
You have the comfort of the meatballs, with a bit of sweetness from the onions, an earthy mushroom sauce {just enough, not to drench the dish in a creamy sauce} and fresh, sweet, crisp greens. A perfectly balanced meal!

I must say, this would also work really well as an appetizer for a dinner party – it’s certainly elegant enough and very tasty, plus you could make everything in advance and just assemble it on little side plates to serve. I would just make it a smaller portion, perhaps 2 meatballs per person.

Enjoy! X