Nachos, My Way

Nachos. Na-chos. Even the word sounds stuff-it-in-your-mouth-able. Doesn't it? Sure, it isn't the healthiest meal you can whip up, but sometimes only a plate of crunchy tortilla chips drenched with toppings and gooey cheese will do the trick. The best part for me is that string of melted cheese when you pick up the first chip. And when you take that first crunchy-spicy-cheesy bite? Man you know that belly-bliss is not far off. Arrrrrriba!

Serves 4 - 6

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
500g (1 lb) mince
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
salt & pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 avocados, skinned
1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
tortilla chips
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
1 1/2 cup grated cheese
1 small cucumber, diced

1. Saute onion in olive oil until softened. Add mince and fry over medium-high heat until nicely browned.
2. Add spices, salt, pepper, tomatoes and sweet chilli sauce and cook for another few minutes until flavours are well developed and mince is saucy but not too wet.
3. Meanwhile make the guacamole - mash the avo, add fresh coriander and lemon juice and season to taste with salt & pepper.
4. To assemble nachos, arrange tortilla chips on individual serving plates. Top with mince, then add dollops of guacamole and yoghurt. Scatter cheese on top and place in microwave for a minute to melt the cheese. Top with a handful of the cucumber pieces and serve warm.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 774.4 Total Fat 45.3 g Saturated Fat 16.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.3 g Monounsaturated Fat 13.7 g Cholesterol 127.5 mg Sodium 1313.1 mg Potassium 1386.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 45.3 g Dietary Fiber 9.2 g Sugars 11.6 g Protein 47.5 g

Spaghetti a la Carbonara

One mouthful and I was addicted. I can't believe I'd never had it before Wednesday - of course I'm talking about that silky-smooth-richness that is carbonara sauce.

The venue: Primi Piatti.
The diners: myself, TheHusband and my parents.
The verdict: OhMyGoodnessIHaveBeenMissingOutWhyDidn'tAnyoneTellMeAboutThis?

Of course I had to find a recipe to re-create this classic in my own kitchen. A google search rendered loads of recipes for Carbonara, some using cream (not traditional), some wine (a must), some cooking the eggs slightly, others not at all. Amateur Gourmet's recipe seemed the easiest to follow and posed the least risk of accidentally scrambling your eggs - a horror that befalls many when making Carbonara. I did adapt it slightly - most notably adding spring onions to the mix. Not sure how traditional that is, but that's how I fell in love with them at Primi, so spring onions, in my mind at least, were essential.

So here's how I made mine last night:

Serves 2 (people in love with each other & Carbonara)

250g (1/2 lb) spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
125g (4 oz) bacon, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup dry white wine
4 spring onions, chopped
2 eggs, at room temperature
50g (about 1/3 cup) grated parmesan cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
a handful of French chives

1. Bring salted water to the boil in a medium-sized pot. Add spaghetti, lower heat and simmer for 8 - 10 minutes, until cooked to your liking.
2. In a seperate frying pan, cook bacon over high heat in the olive oil until crispy. This should take about 3 - 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for just a minute more to release the flavours, then immediately add 1/2 cup of white wine. Cook over medium-high heat until all the liquid has evaporated (another about 5 minutes).
3. Add the spring onions to the bacon, together with the rest of the white wine (1/2 cup). Lower heat and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
4. Meanwhile, break the eggs into a big bowl, whisk lightly. Add parmesan and whisk again to combine.
5. By this time both the bacon and spaghetti should be done. Working quickly, drain your spaghetti (but reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid) and immediately add to the eggs. Stir fast for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Add bacon as well as the reserved cooking liquid to loosen the pasta. Snip a handful of french chives into the pasta, season with a little bit of salt and lots of black pepper and serve immediately.

Prepare to become addicted...

Nutritional info (Per Serving) : Calories 844.4 Total Fat 26.7 g Saturated Fat 9.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 11.8 g Cholesterol 323.0 mg Sodium 1,279.5 mg Potassium 500.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 100.6 g Dietary Fiber 3.1 g Sugars 0.0 g Protein 46.3 g

Silky Aubergine with Asian Flavours

I didn't believe Jamie Oliver when he said that steamed aubergine was a fantastic thing. In my mind it couldn't be anything else but mushy and rather flavourless. Surely it needed to be fried in oil or at least roasted in the oven with a drizzle of oil to be properly appreciated? Turns out Jamie was right. Steaming the aubergines renders them light, flavourful and most of all silky-silky. Oh and the onion! I forgot about the onion. I was a bit skeptical as I layered the onion in with the beans, but thought oh what the heck. But to my surprise it came out beautifully soft (but not too soft) and sweet. And can you believe the whole meal is done in less than half an hour? With ZERO fat? Yowzer. I'm curious to see what other culinary delights my bamboo steamer has to offer!

Serves 4

2 aubergines, cut into cubes
200g young green beans, trimmed and cut in half
1 onion, cut into cubes
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
jasmine rice, to serve

1. Place aubergine into a large colander, sprinkle with some salt and let rest for about 10 minutes to draw out the juices. Pat dry.
2. Meanwhile, heat some water to boiling point in a large frying pan. Place your bamboo steamer in the pan and layer the aubergines onto the steamer trays. Cover and steam for about 5 minutes until soft and silky.
3. Remove aubergines and set aside. Layer beans and onion pieces onto the steamer trays and steam for about 10 minutes, or until cooked through (but not mushy).
4. Remove the steamer from the frying pan, throw out any remaining water and add the vegetables to the pan. Mix together with the garlic, teriyaki sauce and soy sauce, and cook for a minute or two over medium heat, to blend the sauces together.
5. Serve warm over sticky jasmine rice.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 82.1 Total Fat 0.5 g Saturated Fat 0.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 1,698.4 mg Potassium 392.0 mg Total Carbohydrate 18.0 g Dietary Fiber 5.0 g Sugars 3.4 g Protein 3.3 g

Chickpea, Carrot & Currant Salad

So after all the soups and potato bakes and cupcakes, it was time for something a little lighter (and healthier), right? Right? And since I didn't have a lot of time to prepare a meal before our weekly dance lesson (yes, TheHusband and I are taking ballroom lessons and enjoying it a lot!), a quick salad fit the bill perfectly. The folks over at Fitsugar provided the recipe (adapted slightly by yours truly), and we provided the eager hungry tummies. It works out well, you see?

Serves 2 hungry people (with enough leftovers for lunch today)

2 tins of chickpeas, rinsed
2 large (or 3 medium) carrots, grated
3/4 cup currants
1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
1 teaspoon paprika
salt & pepper to taste
240g (8 oz) halloumi, cut into cubes
flour for coating

1. Mix chickpeas with the carrots and currants in a salad bowl. Add fresh coriander, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, paprika, salt & pepper and let rest for the flavours to mingle. Preferably an hour, but we gobbled it up in 10 minutes and it still tasted good.

2. Now heat some oil in a frying pan. Coat halloumi in flour, and fry over medium heat until golden brown.

3. Serve salad scattered with fried halloumi cubes.

Salad will keep in the fridge for a few days (without the halloumi).

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 580.5 Total Fat 33.6 g Saturated Fat 2.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 2.2 g Monounsaturated Fat 12.8 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 383.9 mg Potassium 548.8 mg Total Carbohydrate 53.3 g Dietary Fiber 7.6 g Sugars 1.5 g Protein 19.4 g

Sweet Potato Burritos

When I saw this recipe on Fitsugar, I thought it sounded pretty interesting, but what with our new resolution to shape up and tone up I knew I had to give it a go. It promises to be low in fat and low GI but still high on taste (no mean feat...) and it really delivers on that! As an added bonus it's also a great end-0f-the-month-money-is-low type of meal and for this I love it even more. I served mine with a dollop of salsa, a sprinkle of coriander and some sliced avo and cucumber salad on the side, which really complemented the meal quite nicely. This got the thumbs-up from TheHusband as well, who is normally a bit suspicious of my vegetarian fodder. He is a big meatlover (especially chicken) and lives in fear that I'll convert back to vegetarianism and doom him to the same "fate"!

Makes 6 burritos

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tins (400g each) kidney beans, drained

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 heaped teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt to taste

2 medium sweet potatoes
sweet chilli sauce

6 flour tortillas, warmed

1 1/2 - 2 cups grated gouda/cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Place sweet potato in a microwaveable bowl and microwave on high for 8 minutes until soft. Mash and add salt to taste.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and gently saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes, until soft. Add to food processor with half the kidney beans and water, and process to a smooth puree. Mash the rest of the kidney beans with a fork and return to the frying pan together with the bean puree. Add spices and cook for another 2 - 3 minutes until fragrant. Add salt to taste.
4. Smear a little bit of sweet chilli sauce on a tortilla, top with a spoonful of beans as well as a spoonful of sweet potatoes. Add some grated cheese on top and fold tortilla up like a burrito. Place in a ovenproof dish and repeat with the rest of the tortillas.
5. Bake for 10 - 15 minutes and serve with tomato salsa spooned on to the burritos and some sliced avocado on the side.

Nutritional info (per burrito): Calories 592.1 Total Fat 17.5 g Saturated Fat 6.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 7.7 g Cholesterol 22.2 mg Sodium 1,378.6 mg Potassium 513.2 mg Total Carbohydrate 87.5 g Dietary Fiber 10.0 g Sugars 6.1 g Protein 20.2 g

Finnish Pancakes

I poached this recipe from Omnomicon a while ago and have made it a few times since. It's really easy and quick as well (bonus!), especially if you're like me and not too keen on cooking up a storm early in the morning. This would be just as good as a dessert - it actually reminds me a of a crustless milktart (South African recipe) that my mom used to make. I serve mine sprinkled liberally with cinnamon and drenched in syrup. As we would say in Afrikaans, it's 'lipleklekker' (lip-lickingly-lovely).

3 tbsp butter, melted
4 eggs
2 c milk
1/2 c flour
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Put butter into an ovenproof dish (similar to one you would use for lasagne) and place in the oven for a few minutes to melt.

3. Meanwhile, beat eggs until foamy. Add milk, flour, sugar and salt and mix well (there should be no lumps).

4. Carefully pour into dish on top of the melted butter (the butter will mingle a bit with the batter) and bake for 20 - 23 minutes.

Notes:

a) This rises up sky-high while in the oven, but quickly deflates after you take it out - this is normal and to be expected.

d) This recipe from Love and Olive Oil looks very similar, but is made by placing apple slices sauteed in butter in the bottom of the oven dish, instead of the butter. I'm very keen to give that a whirl as well.

Nutritional info (per cupcake): Calories 191.4 Total Fat 10.8 g Saturated Fat 5.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g Monounsaturated Fat 3.2 g Cholesterol 163.4 mg Sodium 118.2 mg Potassium 57.8 mg Total Carbohydrate 16.1 g Dietary Fiber 0.5 g Sugars 4.1 g Protein 7.5 g

Fish burritos with guacamole and coleslaw

Based on this recipe from Food & Wine. This is a great meal when you're short of time but don't want to run to the nearest take-out menu. It received the thumbs-up from TheHusband on Saturday, which is saying a lot, considering he is not all that fond of fish. The flour coating turns lovely and crisp around the fish without the use of too much oil - a great healthier alternative to battered and deepfried fish and dare I say even tastier. The smoked haddock imparts a nice flavour here, if it was hake I would up the spices a bit to compensate.

Serves 2*

2 smoked haddock steaks
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cajun spice
1/4 head purple cabbage
1 tsp sugar
lime juice
1 avocado
a few sprigs of fresh coriander
salt and pepper to taste
2 tortillas
2 tbsp mayonaisse
2 roma tomatoes, diced
sweet chilli sauce

1. Mix flour & cajun spice in a bowl. Dip fish in the flour mixture and pan-fry in a little bit of oil until cooked through and crispy on the outside.
2. Meanwhile, slice the cabbage thinly, mix with sugar and a squirt of lime juice. Leave to marinate while the fish is cooking.
3. In a separate bowl mash the avocado with a bit of lime juice, add salt & pepper to taste. Finely shred the coriander and add to the avocado, stir to combine.
4. To assemble, place each tortilla (warmed up) onto a plate. Spread down the middle with mayonaisse and top with the cabbage. Add spoonfuls of guacomole on top, as well as the tomato. Lastly top with the crispy fish steaks (you can cut the fish into chunks first if desired) and drizzle with the sweet chilli sauce.
5. Serve immediately.

* These made two very generous servings, our burritos didn't even close up! So you could definitely stretch this to four servings. I would just double up on the avocado - no-one likes stinginess when it comes to guacamole! 

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 620.4 Total Fat 27.3 g Saturated Fat 4.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 7.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 11.0 g Cholesterol 5.0 mg Sodium 666.6 mg Potassium 798.1 mg Total Carbohydrate 62.3 g Dietary Fiber 10.2 g Sugars 16.0 g Protein 35.1 g

Indian Pork with Pickling Spices

This is what I made last night, based on Meena Patak's recipe. It is hands down one of the best tasting things I've had in a while. And so simple! Let me tell you, the lemon pickle flavour is out of this world! If you haven't tried it before, and you can get your hands on a bottle (I use Patak's Lemon Pickles. How original...), please do yourself a favour and and give it a whiff. That alone will convince you of the wonders that lie inside that bottle. This is so different from the normal flavours I associate with Indian food, you know, spicy & creamy & tomatoey, but you know, sometimes you just don't feel like something heavy & creamy. Right? Right. So this one is for when you feel like something a bit lighter, more zesty and refreshing. Best of all, it only takes about 30 minutes. Now that's what I call a good deal.

Serves 3

1 tbsp oil
450g pork, cubed
half of a medium yellow bellpepper, sliced into strips
125g babymarrow, sliced diagonally into thickish slices
a handful of springonions, chopped (i like to chop into biggish pieces, but it probably doesn't make a difference)
2 tablespoons of lime pickle
2 tablespoons of mango chutney (if you can't get mango, use normal chutney, but add a bit of sugar)
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup uncooked brown rice

1. First get your rice going - add 2 cups water, salt and cook for about 25 - 30 minutes.
2. Next, heat up the oil in a pan and add the pork. Fry for about 3 - 4 minutes over high heat, then add yellow bellpepper.
3. Fry another 2 - 3 minutes, stirring every so often, then add babymarrow.
4. After another 3 minutes, when babymarrow is starting to soften, add the spring onions, lime pickle and mango chutney. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower heat, cover with lid and cook for another 5 minutes until veggies are soft but still crispy and pork is cooked through.
5. Serve over brown rice.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 402.0 Total Fat 19.6 g Saturated Fat 5.3 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.6 g Monounsaturated Fat 3.5 g Cholesterol 62.5 mg Sodium 1613.7 mg Potassium 86.6 mg Total Carbohydrate 19.2 g Dietary Fiber 2.1 g Sugars 0.3 g Protein 29.1 g

Spaetzle with Bacon and Celery

This is YUM YUM YUM!!! Please don't be put off by making the spaetzle from scratch, it really is quicker to make than you think. I made this last night and the whole thing took me 30 minutes from start to finish.

I first read this in a cookbook about Eastern-European cooking. Unfortunately I can't remember the name, but would love to buy the book - they have some very good recipes in there, including Uzska, some lovely little Polish filled dumplings, rather like ravioli... But I'm going off on a tangent again. The spaetzle is unbelievable and the addition of the bacon & celery just elevates it to heavenly. I'm 1/8th German (my grandmother's father came here from Germany), so this dish makes me feel all German! Or maybe that's just my excuse for eating copious amounts of it's buttery goodness??

Warning: those on diet better stay away from this one, it contains a ridiculous amount of butter. I try to make up for it by using low-fat (3g) bacon, but I think I might just be fooling myself...

Serves 3 - 4 people (depending on your appetite - last night me & hubby went back for seconds and managed to eat everything between the 2 of us, it's so yummy!)

250g (1/2 lb) bacon, chopped
1 big bunch of celery, chopped (I usually include the leaves as well, but it's up to you if you just want to use the stems)
1/4 - 1/3 cup of butter
salt & pepper to taste

For the Spaetzle:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs

1. First make your Spaetzle - mix all the ingredients together until smooth. Set aside, while you bring a big pot of salted water to the boil and get started on the bacon & celery topping. 2. Dry-fry the bacon in a frying-pan until nice & crispy. (if you're using very low-fat bacon, you might have to add some butter here). Add the celery, turn the heat down to medium low, add half the butter and cook until softened and fragrant. Add salt & pepper to taste. I normally add a little bit of garlic to this as well, but not everyone is a garlic freak like I am, so feel free to leave it out!
3. By now your water should be boiling. Spoon the spaetzle mixture onto a big plastic/glass chopping board (I find those handle easier than the wooden ones). Now the labour-intensive bit starts, but don't worry, it goes very quickly! Holding the chopping board over the pot of boiling water, scrape the spaetzle mixture bit by bit into the pot, so you're forming little strands of spaetzle. Don't add too many pieces at once, I normally do this in 3 of 4 batches, depending on the size of the pot you have. The spaetzle will quickly rise to the top of the water - this means they are done and you can scoop them out with a slotted spoon. Continue until all the Spaetzle has been cooked. This should take no longer than 10 minutes for all of them.
4. Now add your spaetzle to the bacon & celery mix in the pan, add the rest of the butter and fry for a minute or 2 to coat the spaetzle with all the flavours. Add salt & pepper to taste & serve while still warm.

Optional: you can grate a bit of cheese on top if you want to go the full artery-clogging way (like we did last night...), but really it's just as delicious without.

Orzo with Feta, Cherry Tomatoes & Dill

Thanks Epicurious for this awesome recipe! It really is proof that the simplest ingredients can taste absolutely amazing if you just give them a chance. I will definitely be making this again & again. I've since tried it with spaghetti as well, but it just didn't have the same effect. The orzo is a must for this one.

Serves 4 (as main) or 6 (as side-dish)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped dill
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
a pinch of sugar
1 cup orzo
a dash of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup crumbled feta
salt & freshly ground black pepper

1. Toss together oil, tomatoes, dill, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper in a large serving bowl. Let the flavours mingle while the pasta is being cooked.
2. Meanwhile, cook orzo in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente
3. Drain orzo and toss with tomato mixture. Add feta and toss again. Serve at room temperature.

Bockwurst with roasted apples and onions

I made this a while ago, but never got around to posting the recipe, so playing a bit of catch-up.

Got this recipe from food24.com and made it with just a few tweaks. I think it turned out quite well, although perhaps a little bit sweet. I think this was exaserbated by me serving it with sweet potato mash. Not a good idea. Next time I'll leave out the sugar and serve with plain mash (as the recipe suggests), or even polenta.

4 Granny Smith apples, cored and quartered
3 onions, peeled and quartered
2 tsps sugar
1 tsp caraway seeds
3 oranges, juice of
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
freshly milled black pepper
4 bockwurst or frankfurters

1. Preheat oven to 180 ºC. Arrange apples and onions in a roasting pan and sprinkle with sugar and caraway seeds. Pour orange juice over and sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, or until onion have softened.
2. Add the sausage to the oven dish, spoon juices over and return to oven to heat through. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Asian Fishcakes with an orange mayo dipping sauce

This is such a Friday-night meal, even though I made mine on a Tuesday evening (granted, it was the night before a public holiday on the Wednesday, so that might explain it). Quick to make - especially if you cheat as I do and use smash (instant mashed potatoes) instead of making it from scratch. I console myself with the fact that the packet of smash does state that it's made of real potatoes...

Anyhow, a quick & easy meal and lovely to eat on the couch, dipping it into the mayo sauce. YUM.
Makes about 16 fishcakes

2 frozen haddock fillets
1 packet of smash,
1/2 onion, cut into big chunks
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2.5 cm fresh ginger, peeled
1 handful of fresh mint
1 handful of fresh coriander
2 eggs, beaten
breadcrumbs, to coat
sesame seeds, to coat
sesame oil for frying

For the mayo dipping sauce:

4 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
2ml orange essence (or use a spoonful of tangerine marmalade like I sometimes do)
1 teaspoon sugar


1. Fry the haddock fillets briefly in some oil and butter until just cooked.
2. Meanwhile, blend together the onion, garlic, ginger, mint & coriander until finely chopped. Transfer to a mixing bowl, adding the smash powder.
3. Add the fish fillets to the blender as well, blend briefly, until well minced. Add to the herb & smash mixture.
4. Add the eggs to the fish mixture, along with enough water to make a softish (yet still firm) batter.
5. In a seperate smaller bowl, mix together breadcrumbs & sesame seeds (about an 8:1 ratio).
6. Heat oil in a frying pan, form fishcakes with your hands, roll in the breadcrumb mixture and fry in the oil until well browned on all sides.

For the dipping sauce:

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Serve with your freshly-made fishcakes.

Italian Cherry Tomato & Mushroom Pasta with an Indian Twist

Just a bit of experimenting in the kitchen, felt like something light and meatless and these were the ingredients I had on hand. Turned out exquisitely even though I wasn't expecting much. The cumin seeds really makes the other flavours pop.

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
250g small button mushrooms
250g cherry tomatoes, halved if neccessary, smaller ones left whole
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried mint
salt & pepper to taste
1 - 2 tbsp basil pesto
1 - 2 tbsp cream
100g rocket
2 tbsp capers

1. Saute onion, garlic & cumin seeds in oil until translucent
2. Add button mushrooms, saute for a few minutes, until starting to soften
3. Add tomatoes, sugar, mint, salt & pepper, turn heat down and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes
4. Add cooked spaghetti, pesto and cream
5. Finally stir rocket & capers through, let sit until rocket wilts
6. Serve immediately, sprinkled with a little bit of cheese - I used boerenkaas with mustard
seeds to great effect, but I suspect fontina would work equally well.

Moorish Crunch Salad

Tried out one of Jamie Oliver's salads for Sunday lunch, with the fried halloumi he suggests as one of the variations. I can really recommend this - it's light, crunchy and very more-ish (pun not intended...). Didn't have raisins on hand, so substituted with grapes - a very good choice, it turned out. Also couldn't find any tahini, so replaced with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce. Because of this I also replaced the vinegar with a squirt of lemon juice as I felt it would be a better match.

Serves 4

300g carrots, peeled & cut into matchsticks
150g radishes, thinly sliced
2 crunchy eating apples, quartered & sliced
1 small handful of raisins
1 handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 handful of fresh mint, chopped
4 tablespoons of sherry or red wine vinegar
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tahini
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted in the oven

Toss together all the ingredients, except for the sesame seeds, until well mixed. Adjust the seasoning if necessary & serve with the sesame seeds sprinkled over. Serve immediately.

Variations:

a) Add pan-seared chicken, prawns or scallops which have been dusted with a little
paprika
b) Fry some halloumi cheese until golden and add to the salad along with some chopped fresh chilli
c) Grill some pita bread & serve stuffed with the salad. Crumble in some feta cheese too.

Spicy Aubergine Stirfry

Another one from the cookbook 'Bowl Food', as part of my 101in1001 challenge. Note to self: Do NOT be tempted to add more chilli or sambal oelek, as the dish is quite spicy already...

Serves 4 

1 tablespoon sambal oelek

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

500g aubergine, cubed

1 onion, cubed

1 large fresh red chilli, seeded & chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves

1. Heat a wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add half the aubergine, and cook, stirring, for 3 - 4 minutes until lightly browned all over. Remove from the wok and repeat with the other half of the aubergine. 

2. Reheat the wok, adding oil to coat the bottom. Add onion, garlic & chilli and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Return the aubergine to the wok, together with the sambal oelek, soy sauce, rice vinegar & sugar and cook, covered, for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander leaves. Serve with rice.

Vietnamese Chicken Salad

This is the first recipe I tried out as part of my 101 in 1001 challenge (nr 023).

So to kick off (and in a somewhat unsuccessful attempt to lure the summer sun to the Western Cape), I've decided on the Vietnamese Chicken Salad out of Bowl Food (pg 23).

It was nice & refreshing, although I made a note to self to keep a closer eye on the chicken next time, as it was slightly overdone. I added a few tweaks here and there, like stirfrying the chicken strips in lemon juice instead of poaching the whole breasts in lemongrass-infused water, and also adding a dash of plumsauce right at the end for moisture, but all in all the recipe stayed mostly the same.

Anyway, here's the recipe, as it's supposed to be made:

Serves 4

375g skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
4 1/2 cups Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
1 carrot, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons peanuts, chopped
1 tablespoon crisp, fried shallots

1. Place the chicken and lemongrass in a deep frying pan of lightly salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 - 10 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked through. Drain and keep warm.

2. Place the fish sauce, sugar, lime juice & sweet chilli sauce in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat for 1 minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the cabbage, carrot, onion, coriander & mint in a large bowl and toss together well. Drizzle over 3/4 of the warmed dressing, toss to combine and transfer to a serving platter.

4. Slice the chicken thinly and diagonally arrange over the top of the salad and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with the extra coriander leaves, chopped peanuts & fried shallots. Serve immediately.

Spiced Apricot Chicken Rolls

Another one from Taste.com.au, but I replaced their turkey with chicken and adjusted the seasoning. Made this last night and it was a big hit with my husband. Of course he loves chicken, so he might've been a bit biased...

Serves 4

4 skinless chicken breast fillets
1 lemon, rind of, grated
180 g dried apricots
125 ml low-fat plain yogurt
10 ml ground cumin
5 ml ground turmeric
5 ml ground coriander
2 garlic clove, crushed
2 pinches salt
pepper, to taste

1. Cut each chicken breast horizonally down the center to make two thin slices. Add some lemon rind and pepper to once side of each slice then cut the dried apricots on top.

2. Roll the chicken slices to wrap them around the apricots then insert a cocktail stick to hold the roll in place.

3. Mix the yogurt with the coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper and garlic. Brush or rub the sauce into the rolled chicken breasts.

4. Arrange the chicken in a dish and cook in a preheated oven at 190°C for 25 - 30 minutes. Check the chicken is properly cooked.

Blue Cheese Polenta with Balsamic Mushrooms

Recipe found on Taste.com.au in my search for Low GI recipes. Tried it out and it was really good. I adjusted some of the quantities to my taste (I'm a big garlic & cheese lover), so feel free to reduce the garlic or blue cheese as it might be a bit much for some. However if you're a fan, like me, this will definitely hit the spot. The combination of flavours (cheesy polenta with sweetish mushrooms) is amazing.

Serves 2

375 ml chicken stock
250 ml low-fat milk
110 g instant polenta
50 g blue cheese
15 ml olive oil
250 g button mushroom, halved
3 garlic clove, crushed
1 sprig fresh thyme
30 ml balsamic glaze
100 g rocket (aragula)
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Place the stock and milk in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over high heat. Gradually add the polenta in a thin steady stream, stirring constantly until well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 - 7 minutes or until polenta thickens. Stir in gorgonzola or blue cheese and season with with salt & pepper.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 - 7 minutes or until golden.

3. Add the garlic and thyme to the frying pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds or until aromatic. Add balsamic glaze and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes or until heated through.

4. Divide the polenta among serving plates. Top with the mushroom mixture and scatter with the rocket leaves. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato & Leek Soup

With autumn kicking into gear, it was time for the first soup of the season and I decided that a creamy potato soup was in order. However, wanting to spice it up a bit, I changed a few details: substituting the potato for sweet potato, adding some rocket and as an afterthought, some mustard. I know, I know, sounds a bit unorthodox, but trust me - the mustard & rocket makes this spectacular.

1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped
3 leeks, sliced into rings
1 medium brown onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock
125ml (1/2 cup) cream
125ml (1/2 cup) milk
2 handfuls rocket
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
olive oil or butter
salt & pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil or butter in a large pot. Add the onion, leek & garlic and saute over medium heat until soft.

2. Add the sweet potatoes & chicken stock, lower the heat and simmer, covered until the potato is cooked through. Mash the potato using a fork (don't worry if a few chunks remain).

3. Add the milk & cream and stir until well combined and the soup looks creamy.

4. Turn the heat off, adding the rocket, mustard, salt & pepper to taste. Stir through and serve warm with buttery toast.

Squid Ink Tagliolini

Found this in a little shop in town the other day, and I just had to snap it up. Had no idea at the time what I would do with it, as I've never had it before. Searched a bit on the internet, but, though I saw some interesting recipes, nothing really grabbed me. So I decided to wing it and hope for the best. This is what I came up with and it tasted pretty damn good, if I do say so myself (although I have to admit, the pasta didn't really taste any different to normal pasta!):

serves 2

good handful squid ink tagliolini
approx 2 large handfuls sundried tomatoes, marinated in oil or soaked in hot water for a few minutes
125 ml cream
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a chenin blanc)
1 tin smoked mussels
1 tin smoked oysters
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Cook the tagliolini in plenty of salted boiling water. I added the drained oil from the tin of mussels, which seemed to add nicely to the flavour.
2. Put the sundried tomatoes in a food processor and blend until smooth. Spoon into a saucepan and warm up, adding the cream. Stir until well combined, add the wine and cook for about 5 minutes or so to give the flavours a chance to blend. Add the drained mussels, oysters and black pepper.
3. When the pasta is done, drain and drizzle with some olive oil.
4. Divide the pasta into individual bowls, spoon over the sauce and sprinkle over some chopped basil.

Nutritional info (per serving): Calories 794.4 Total Fat 18.4 g Saturated Fat 7.9 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.8 g Monounsaturated Fat 2.5 g Cholesterol 82.4 mg Sodium 940.0 mg Potassium 196.8 mg Total Carbohydrate 115.6 g Dietary Fiber 2.9 g Sugars 17.0 g Protein 36.7 g