Tag: paleo

‘Tis the Season..!

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‘Tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-laa-la-la-la-la!

Christmas is fast approaching and everyone is thinking of their holidays – lounging in the sun, eating merry puddings, drinking merry cocktails and just generally taking it easy and relaxing. if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere somewhere, you might be all wrapped up in a holiday scarf, drinking eggnog and enjoying various pumpkin-spiced-goodies. Aah – the holidays – enjoyed everywhere!

I think most people might have their Christmas trees and decorations up already, but if you’re a traditionalist the tree will only go up 12 days before Christmas (UK) or on Christmas Eve (Germany). The Americans start to ‘deck the halls’ straight after Thanksgiving, which is close to the beginning of December in any case… But honestly, some people have their homes all kitted out by the middle of November already and some even as early as the beginning of November!

Retail shops tend to put up their decorations earlier too and have their merchandise on the shelves from mid-October, which frankly, is just too early in my opinion. But then again, I suppose they only have a short period in which to sell all their Christmas merchandise.

There are no traces of Christmas in our house yet – apart from the delicious and boozy fruitcake I baked on Tuesday. Perhaps some mince pies and eggnog next week?
{This fruitcake might not make it all the way to Christmas, let alone get a cap full of brandy every week – it’s just too delicious! I even had some for breakfast this morning..!}

In the spirit of the ‘jolly season’, I made venison kebabs with figs in a Port reduction:

Venison kebabs & Port figs Venison kebabs & Port figs

 

I used venison kebabs that we had made for us – marinated in Woolies’ BBQ marinade. Of course, you can make your own marinade too! You could also use any meat for your kebabs…

For the figs, you will need:

Turkish figs, dried

Port {Cape Ruby}

Castor sugar

Water

Cover the figs in Port in a small sauce pan and bring to the boil.  Add a tbs or 2 of sugar and a splash of water and let it simmer until it has reduced to a rich, syrupy sauce and the figs are soft.

Serve with buttery butternut mash {I added a dollop of butter and a bit of water to the raw butternut and let it steam in the microwave} and a green salad {lettuce, mangetout, cucumber, avocado and feta cheese}.

Delicious – enjoy! x

Crispy Grilled Chicken Livers with Seasonal Veggies

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I do love chicken livers, but hate cooking them! The way they pop and splatter everywhere… My dad taught me a nifty little trick; putting a weight on top of the livers while they fry will prevent them from popping and also make them nice and crisp. Using a lid will just make them boil… So gross!

Tonight’s dish consists of 5 components – wilted spinach, buttery grilled sweet potatoes, grilled aubergines, tomato relish and crispy grilled chicken livers. This is such a great dish – perfectly filling, bursting with flavour, yet light and delicate. {This would make a perfect meal-in-a-jar too!}

Crispy Grilled Chicken Lives

Wilted Spinach:

Roughly chop 2 handfuls of spinach and sauté in butter. Add a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Sweet Potatoes:

Peel and thinly slice 3 sweet potatoes. Place in a baking dish, add a few dollops of butter and a sprinkle with a bit of nutmeg. Bake at 180C for about 45minutes.

Grilled Aubergines:

Slice one aubergine into 1/2cm slices, brush with olive oil and grill in a hot pan until golden and cooked.

Tomato Relish:

Slice one small onion and sauté in olive oil. Add 2tsp tomato paste and let it caramelise. Add a handful of small Roma tomatoes, cut in half. Flash fry for a few minutes, but don’t let it cook until mushy.

Crispy Grilled Chicken Livers:

I used 500g of chicken livers. Heat about 100g of butter and a splash of olive oil in a non-stick pan along with 2 red chillies and a clove of garlic, chopped. Add livers, season with salt and place a heavy pot on top. Fry until you can hear the livers starting to pop, then turn them over. Fry until both sides are crisp and brown. You might need to do them in two batches.

Assemble and enjoy! X

 

 

 

Moroccan-inspired meatloaf with a Mediterranean salad

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Tonight I made a meatloaf {I know, I know..! But seriously, it can be yum.} with Moroccan-inspired flavours, along with a Mediterranean salad of green beans, roasted red peppers, cherry tomatoes and capers.

As it’s Wednesday and we had running club right in the middle of dinner prep time, I needed to make something in advance that can just be heated up later. It also needed to be something that doesn’t take up a lot of prep time, because I was busy baking some seriously delicious cupcakes {will post recipe and pics tomorrow!} and I’m also trying to cut down on multi-tasking…

http://www.zaparents.com/2013/10/30/multi-tasking-bad-for-moms/

Right, so here’s my recipe for Moroccan-inspired meatloaf with a Mediterranean salad:

For the meatloaf, you will need:

500g mince {I used venison}

1 egg

1 cup of puréed pumpkin

1tsp each of peppadew spice, salt and cumin

2 red chillies, finely chopped

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped

Mix all together and place in a greased loaf pan and bake at 180C for an hour until cooked through. The meatloaf is quite juicy because of the pumpkin, so you won’t get that brick-like texture!

For the salad, you will need:

4 small red peppers

green beans {about a handful}

cherry tomatoes

capers

olive oil

freshly ground sea salt

red wine vinegar

Roast the peppers by placing under the oven’s grill for 30 minutes, rotating as it blackens. When blackened all around, place in a glass bowl and cover with cling wrap. Let it cool.

Boil beans in salty water until just tender, blanch with cold water. Let it cool.

Once the peppers have cooled, peel off the charred skin and remove the seeds. Tear into strips and toss with the beans. Add cherry tomatoes, leaving some whole and chopping a few. Add the capers, drizzle with olive oil and the vinegar and finish off with a sprinkle of ground sea salt.

Enjoy!

{I would serve the meatloaf with a dried peach and prune compote, but I honestly forgot to make it! Oops..}

Moroccan-inspired meatloaf Mediterranean Red Pepper Salad

Roast Veg Terrine

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My latest obsession – terrines – and here’s another one, a roast vegetable terrine.

I love that they’re quite easy to make and that they can be made in advance. I made this one on Wednesday morning for Wednesday evening {it takes about 8hrs to set} but then we never had it then… We joined a running club {I know – shock, horror! I call myself ‘The Reluctant Runner’ but I actually do enjoy it, just need to run more often, hence the joining of the club} and had a run on Wednesday evening which ended up in drinks afterwards, etc.

Right, so the terrine was eventually enjoyed tonight, along with grilled fish {snoek} and rocket leaves from our very own veg garden.

For the terrine:

6 assorted bell peppers, roasted {place in oven under the grill for about 40minutes, rotating as they char. Once charred all around, place in a large bowl and cover with clingwrap until cooled. Peel off the charred skin and remove the stalk and seeds.}

1 head of garlic, roasted {drizzle garlic with olive oil and bake at 200C for 40minutes}

6 zucchinis, thinly sliced and grilled until just tender

basil leaves

1/2 a cup of fresh tomato juice

1/2 a cup of chardonnay

salt & pepper to season

1 tbs + 1 tsp gelatine powder

Line a loaf tin with clingwrap and ensure that there is some extra hanging over the sides of the tin and set aside.

Bring the tomato juice to the boil, season with salt & pepper. In a heatproof bowl, sprinkle the gelatine over the Chardonnay and then melt this over the steam from the tomato juice. Once the gelatine and wine has melted, add to the tomato juice and remove from heat. Do not let this boil any further. Squeeze the roasted garlic from their cloves and blitz into the tomato mixture.  Let it cool before starting to assemble the terrine.

Start by dipping the basil leaves into the tomato & gelatine mixture and laying them in the bottom of the pan. Next, dip half of the roasted peppers into the juice and gently place them on top of the basil leaves. Dip the roasted and sliced zucchini in the mixture and layer all of it onto the peppers. Place another layer of basil leaves on top of that and finally, do a last layer of peppers. Pour the remaining gelatine mixture over all the layers, wrap the clingwrap tightly and place a weight on top. Refrigerate for at least 8 hrs.

Serve on a bed of rocket leaves as part of a main meal, or on a crostini as a snack.

Enjoy! X

Roast veg terrine Roast veg terrine Roast veg terrine

Pineapple Roast Chicken & Papaya Salad

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Some people are totally against using fruit in salads or any other main dishes… Not me! I love it! You can do so much – use it in salads, with meats and chicken. It does depend on the fruit, but I do think it really complements meat dishes, just take apples & pork as an example. I’ve been quite inspired by pineapples lately and made a {totally delicious, if I may say so myself..!} pineapple & thyme roast chicken. You will need: 1 whole chicken 1 medium pineapple {peeled & core removed, blitzed in blender} 5 sprigs of thyme freshly ground sea salt & black pepper olive oil Rub the chicken with olive oil and season with salt & pepper. Remove the leaves from 2 of the sprigs of thyme and add to the pineapple. Pour the pineapple slush over the chicken and let it marinade for about an hour before roasting. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Place the remaining 3 thyme sprigs on top of the chicken and roast for an hour until golden and cooked. For the papaya salad: Fresh papaya cubes Fresh basil leaves Grilled plain Halloumi cheese, cubed Sweet corn kernels Chorizo sausages, sliced & grilled Mix together and serve with the pineapple roast chicken. {The natural juice from the papaya is all you need in terms of a dressing!} A perfect Summers dinner – just simple, tasty and fresh! Enjoy! X Papaya & Halloumi salad Pineapple & thyme roast chicken

Summer Lamb Roast

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Ah – the Sunday roast… Surely a tradition in most homes?

With meat-galore and starchy side dishes until the cows come home… To me, the traditional Sunday Roast lunch is more suited to Winter – a kind of comfort meal.

So what to do when it’s Summer or Spring and you feel like making a roast? Well, just skip the heavy side dishes and focus on light and bright salads and veg.

My perfect Summer Roast Lamb:

Roast lamb with a herby rub {sea salt, rosemary, garlic, mustard, black pepper, paprika, brown sugar, lemon zest, nutmeg and bay leaf}

Steamed asparagus with garlic, butter and sea salt

Minty green salad {granny smith apples, mint leaves & cucumber}

Mint dressing for both salad & lamb {fresh mint, whole coriander seeds, apple cider vinegar & honey}

What you need to do:

Rub a leg of lamb (I used 1.3kg leg) with olive oil and your rub mixture an hour or more before cooking for all the flavours to absorb into the meat as much as possible. You can make your own rub with the above ingredients, or buy a ready-made version. I used the Lamb Rub from Woolies – simply divine.

Place the lamb in an oven dish (no lid) and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hrs at 180C – in an oven, Weber or Big Green Egg. I used the Egg of course! {We actually cooked the lamb directly on the grill and used a drip tray underneath, so you get a nice golden crust on all sides of the meat!}

For your salad, cut an apple and cucumber into thin slices and add a handful of roughly chopped mint. {Each person can add their own dressing}

For the asparagus, break off the woody end bit off the stems and steam or boil with a tbs of butter and chopped garlic clove until just cooked. They should still be crunchy – please, no  and limp asparagus!

For the dressing:

Grind a handful of mint leaves and a tsp of coriander seeds in a mortar & pestle until you have a course paste. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar and a tbs of honey. Mix well and keep in a little jug for serving.

Keep an eye on the lamb and don’t let it dry out. It should be moist and juicy and just the teensiest bit pink.

Serve with a Chardonnay and enjoy! X

Summer Lamb Roast

Summer Lamb Roast

A scoop of yumminess

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I’ve been wanting to try and make my own ice cream, but I don’t have an ice cream maker and just assumed that it would be too complicated to try and tackle without one…

But then I thought – just do it! And so I did…

I had heaps of very ripe bananas after a visit to a local farm shop last weekend and so I decided to make banana ice cream. I found a very nice local KZN recipe in my East Coast Tables cookbook.

I must say, it turned out great and it was really very easy to make. Not too sweet and not at all lumpy or icy – just perfect. I am definitely going to make heaps more ice cream!

You will need:

4 medium, ripe bananas

3/4 cup milk (I always use full cream)

1/2 a cup of castor sugar

1/2 a tsp cinnamon (I might have used just a tad more…)

2 cups cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

Blitz the banana with a hand blender and set aside. Whisk together everything else, except the cream and stir in the bananas. Refrigerate for an hour.

Whip the cream until quite stiff and fold into the banana mixture. Pour into a wide, flat plastic container with a lid and freeze for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, whisk with an electric mixer and return to freezer. Do this 3 times.

I left mine in the freezer overnight after the whole freeze, whisk, freeze procedure to freeze completely. I took it out about 20 minutes before serving, just so that it it would be nice and soft (but still frozen!) to dish up.

Seriously yummy and very creamy!

Enjoy! X

Banana Ice Cream

Mediterranean Chicken

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I’m suffering from blog-withdrawal! It’s been 5 days since I’ve posted anything, but I’m back now! {We’re going through a rough patch of sleep-training with the boys…}

Anyhoo, so I wanted to dedicate this entire {or most of it in any case} week to terrines and even though they are not at all tricky to make,they do require some planning ahead. You cannot just decide at lunchtime, oh let’s have terrine for dinner… Perhaps I will make one later today for tomorrow.

Right – so, to get back to my Mediterranean chicken – here it is, roast chicken with Roma tomatoes, garlic, capers and fresh basil.

I just love the simple flavours of the Mediterranean, where you actually taste the goodness of each ingredient. We spent a month sailing in Turkey when I was younger and I have some of my best food memories from there! We would have the simplest lunch of just roasted peppers in olive oil, tomatoes, lettuce, feta cheese and freshly baked bread. Perhaps some olives too. Dinner at little seaside cafés would be a choice of fish, chicken or lamb {most probably goat!} served with salty roasted potatoes and a lettuce salad. It would be so tasty because everything is fresh and naturally organic. Oh and of course they have fresh bread and olive oil with just about everything!

You will need the following for my Med chicken:

1 whole chicken, butterflied

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, kept whole and in their skin

a handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped

1 punnet {probably around 400g} of small Roma tomatoes {cherry tomatoes will also do but make sure you use red and juicy tomatoes}

freshly ground sea salt

olive oil

capers

To butterfly your chicken, use a sharp large chef’s knife to cut out the back bone. You will need to press down on the chicken to break the necessary bones and allow it to be flat. Remove the entire backbone and open up the chicken with the cavity facing down into the baking dish.

Rub the chicken with olive oil and give a generous sprinkle of ground sea salt. Scatter the tomatoes & capers all around the chicken and add the whole garlic cloves.

Bake for an hour at 180C until cooked, golden & crispy. Sprinkle with chopped basil just before serving.

 

 

 

Mediterranean Chicken

Enjoy! X

My latest obsession: Terrines

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I’ve been wanting to try to make a terrine for a while now {what could be more paleo?!} and it just seemed so daunting… So I did a bit of reading and research and I realised that it’s actually quite simple, depending on what you want to put in it, etc etc.

{You’ll be seeing a lot of terrine recipes in the coming week or so, as I try out different recipes and flavours and get the gelatine ratio just right.}

I took the plunge on Friday morning and made a warthog terrine {a bit of déjà vu?!} with the last of my frozen warthog roast leftover from a few weeks ago.

You can really go wild and put anything in your terrine, layering different meats or veggies and creating fun patterns to wow everyone as you cut into it.

This terrine, however, I kept quite simple to see whether it would work in the first place and how the gelatine would set.

For the terrine:

800g or so of roast warthog, diced {any type of roast pork will do – but do see my previous post about the warthog roast}

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

1 1/2 cups of chicken stock

1/2 a cup of Sauvignon blanc

1/2 a cup of fruity white wine

salt to season

2 tbs chopped parsley

2 tbs chopped Italian parsley

3 sprigs of thyme leaves

250g streaky bacon, diced

3 tsp gelatine powder, dissolved in a tbs of cold water

Saute onion in olive oil & butter and add carrots. Cook until soft.  Add herbs. Add bacon and cook until the bacon has started to go a golden brown. Add a splash of wine to deglaze the pot. Now add the warthog meat, stock and the rest of the wine and simmer for about half an hour until all the flavours have mingled properly. Season with salt if needed.

Strain the mixture and keep all the juices.  Add your gelatine to the warm juices and stir until the gelatine has fully dissolved. Keep the meat mixture aside and allow it to cool before placing it into a terrine pan. {Or a loaf tin – surely it’s more or less the same?}

1 packet of pitted prunes

1/2 a cup of Cape Ruby (port)

1/2 a cup of fruity white wine (I used Robertsons Beukett)

1/2 a cup of brown sugar

1/2 a cup of water

Bring all of the above to a the boil in a small saucepan and let it simmer until it’s reduced by half.  Remove the prunes from the sauce and add the sauce to the gelatine & meat  sauce {above}.

Let this also cool.

Line two standard loaf pans with clingwrap. Place the prunes into the bottom of the pans, followed by the meat mixture. Don’t pat the mixture in, there should be enough space for the sauce & gelatine to go inbetween and allow everything to set. Pour the gelatine sauce into the pans, over the meat and prunes and wrap the overhanging pieces of clingwrap in to cover everything. Place something on top to weigh it down and place in the fridge to cool and set.

I had mine in the fridge for 9 hours and it came out pretty much set. It did firm up a bit more after another day in the fridge.

Warthog & prune terrine image

I’m so glad I decided to make this on Friday morning, as I got a bit sidetracked in the afternoon and ended up having some lovely wine with my lovely neighbours! I took my sons for a walk {one in the pram and the other on his scooter} and it ended up in a whole neighbourly walk with the neighbour’s kids joining us and then the parents too, as we tried to ‘reign in’ all the kids, which then ended in a spontaneous visit at another neighbour’s house for sundowners. And what a treat it was to then find my yummy terrine in the fridge!

Open up the clingwrap at the top and turn onto a serving plate. Remove all the clingwrap and cut thick slices with a sharp knife.

I simply plated it onto some fresh and crisp romaine lettuce leaves with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Delicious! X

Midweek Braai

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It’s been a while since we just plain braaid {is that even a word?!}, so last night we had boerewors and grilled sweet potatoes on the braai, along with a strawberry summer salad.

We’re a bit deprived in the sleep department and decided that a round of sleep training is {very} due for our oldest, Seb… of course, when you sleep train, you have to be devoted to it, blah-de-blah-blah… and then sometimes you have to compromise a bit on dinner. But – if you keep it nice and simple and fire up the braai a bit later when said kiddos are in bed, you can have your cake {dinner} and eat it too!

That’s exactly what we did last night – hubby put Seb to bed while I prepared everything for our braai and got things going. All I had to do was season the sweet potatoes and wrap in tinfoil and make the salad.

For the sweet potatoes:

Use however many you want – I made 4

Wash the sweet potatoes and leave the skin on

Cut a slit on either side of the sweet potato and spread on a dollop of butter

Season with peppadew spice {or any favourite spice or rub}

Wrap in tinfoil with the shiny side on the inside

The sweet potatoes should go onto the grill first, as they take about 45-60minutes to cook. You want them to be nice and soft and allow the butter and seasoning to ‘absorb’ properly. When those are ready, you can put on the boerewors and grill for about 15 minutes on each side – or until cooked {but still juicy!}.

For the salad:

Baby spinach leaves

Rocket leaves

Ripe strawberries

Goats cheese

Balsamic vinegar

Cut strawberries into slices and toss with the leaves. Add chunks of goats cheese and dress with balsamic vinegar.

So simple, yet delicious and perfect for a stressful day. Enjoy! X

Midweek Braai image