Basiliciousness part two!

This recipe isn't really much of a recipe at all. It's just an amalgamation of two intense flavours tempered with little "toasties" :-)

To make:

• Zoesh about 8 tomatoes in a food processor and then simmer them on the stove for ten minutes with some salt.
• Garnish with fresh basil (in fact, just after this photo was taken, I threw in a whole handful of basil leaves and it was sublime!)
• Top with a mini gluten-free "toastie" (recipe below), which are just slices of day-old homemade potato flour scones drizzled with olive oil and grilled till crispy in the oven. (Crumbled cream crackers, croutons or melba toast would make a great substitution if you're blessed enough to be able to eat gluten).
  

Scones
(gluten-free)

Makes 12

This recipe comes from a TV show which used to air on South African TV when I was little called "Kideo", presented by the lovely Natasha Sutherland (the ex-wife of that philandering, ridiculously corny singer, Steve Hofmeyr) and a talking donkey puppet called Mr Chinwag!

You cannot ask for a simpler, more reliable recipe, which makes soft, delicious scones when baked with cake flour. Obviously, having to de-glutenise the recipe changes things a little.

Yes, the recipe is still reliable. Yes, the scones are still mouthwateringly soft WHEN EATEN STRAIGHT OUT THE OVEN AND STILL WARM! As soon as these reach room temp and you've only used potato flour, they get rigid. BUT that's what makes them perfect for slicing and grilling into "toasties", so it's a win-win situation :-)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• (if you're using normal cake flour made from wheat OR a gluten-free cake flour mix which you can substitute cup-for-cup, follow recipe as is. However, if you are using only potato flour, you will need to allow for about 1 cup of milk or just over).
  
• 1/2 tsp bicarb + 1 tsp creme of tartar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1. Beat egg & mix all ingredients together with a spoon.
2. Bake in a buttered cup-cake pan for 12 - 15 minutes (or till golden) at 175 to 180 degrees Celsius.
   

Basilicious!

My twenties have brought with them a taste for fresh basil that my teens did not harbour. I am an avid balcony gardener, and proudly nursed a fledgling basil plant to glorious and riotous bloom right through the highveld Winter of 2009 (a miracle in itself, apparently, when even Keith Kirsten says to rip 'em out and start fresh in Summer), only to have a garden critter who likes the taste almost as much as hubs and I decimate it a month before Spring. The joys of pesticide-free gardening, right?

So the fresh basil for today and tomorrow's recipes comes courtesy of a friend and colleague of mine, Carolina, who gifted me with a large ziploc bag full of beautiful basil before Winter gets its claws in.

Cheesy Sweet Potato with Leafy Greens

1. Scrub sweet potatoes and bake, wrapped in tinfoil, in an oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 60 minutes.
2. Once soft, slice open about three-quarters of the way through, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and insert a slice of Gouda cheese. Pop the potato back in the still-warm oven for about 5 minutes till the cheese is melted.
   
3. Serve on a bed of salad greens (I used sweet iceberg lettuce, fresh basil and cucumber slices).
4. Born-up-a-gluten-free-tree!
   

Kettlebells

My new-found enthusiasm for fitness has culminated in a more open-minded approach to exercise. Since it's my week in-between the finished boot camp and the next one (yes, I signed up for a second one), I'm trying to keep up my fitness levels.

My brother, a life devotee to exercise/fitness fanatic of note, who has completed such hardcore sporting events as the Comrades Marathon and Ironman South Africa, has recently started supplementing his swimming and boxing training with kettlebell workouts. As such, he offered to introduce me to this rather odd workout and I thought that this week was a good time to try it out.

Apparently, the origins of kettlebell use are obscure, with the Russians believed to be the ones to popularise it, while the robust heaving and throwing nature of Scottish Highland games hint at the possibility of something similar being developed in the Celtic culture. Either way, kettlebell training seems to be quite du jour in the US, with proponents such as Pavel Tsatsouline and Mike Mahler pushing the overall strength-cardio benefits of this workout form.

Using a 7kg kettlebell, I did 10 rounds of a beginner's kettlebell progression workout my bro brought along for me, which I've uploaded here if you'd like to try it for yourself. If you do a web search for kettlebell training/workouts, you are bound to find a website (or twenty) which demonstrates the form of these exercises via video uploads.

Verdict? It was an enjoyable 30-minute workout which left my heart pounding and my shoulders aching. And while I wouldn't say that I was hooked by this workout form enough to run out and buy my own kettlebells, I would highly recommend it for anyone who is bored with their hum-drum gym routine and wants a strangely robust new challenge which makes you feel as if you're getting in touch with your prehistoric genetic roots. :-)

Perfect Potatoes v. 2

Fun to eat, these potato "subs" are perfect
eaten like a sandwich!

Steps:

• Bake a few small - medium potatoes in the oven for 45 - 60 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
• Allow to cool slightly, slice open three-quarters of the way through, sprinkle with low-fat feta cheese and garnish with a baby spring onion.
  

Weekend treats

I'm celebrating my last day of four-weeks of hour-long, five-day-a-week, early-morning boot camp classes with one of my favourite things for a weekend treat - cocoa dressed up as a baked good.

I chanced upon this excellent recipe one day when all I had in the way of gluten-free flour was potato flour. Since potato flour likes to be baked with friends, I figured that I needed to find a recipe which minimises flour usage. I immediately thought of brownies.

The original recipe is over at Joy of Baking filed under healthy, low-fat desserts; but I've reduced the sugar content substantially, de-glutenised it and have used real butter/sour cream (I'm SO not one for using low-fat/artificial substitutions because I figure that treats are supposed to be exactly that - TREATS - not soulless imitations of the real thing!) Therefore, I am by no means asserting that these are low-fat, but rather lower sugar and lower fat than, say, a normal cake recipe. As always, moderation is key I suspect.

Quick tip: These are beyond excellent frozen. Yes, that's right, eaten right from the freezer after being frozen for about 12 - 15 hours. It's like some sort of ice-creamy-biscuity-chewy effect which is quite the taste sensation. Try it - you might like it :-)

Chocolate Brownies
(gluten-free)

Ingredients:

• 80 grams sugar
• 75 grams butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
  
• 1 large egg
• 45g flour (I used potato flour)
• 35g cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarb + 1/2 teaspoon creme of tartar
• 60 millilitres (4 tablespoons) sour cream

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees Celsius.
2. Butter a 20cm square pan/oven dish.
3. Beat sugar & butter together.
4. Beat in egg & vanilla.
5. In a seperate bowl, mix together flour/cocoa/raising agents.
6. Fold flour mix into sugar/butter/egg mix.
7. Stir in the sour cream.
8. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes (till edges pull away from tin slightly, but centre is still soft).
9. Remove once cool & place on a wire rack to cool OR leave it in the glass baking dish pre-portioned and loosened, cover with foil/cling wrap and freeze (can be frozen for 1 - 2 months apparently, but it wont last that long unless you have the iron will of, well, Iron Man?)
10. Makes around 6 decadent slices, or 12 littler ones, which I can't handle because it seems cruel to dole them out little-by-little.

Born up a gluten-free-tree and viva cocoa-filled weekend treats!

Perfect Potatoes v. 1

Craving salty crisps?
Wanting something satisfyingly delicious without ingesting too much sodium and oil?
Go for the real deal: the root (so to speak) of the item - blessed potatoes.

Step 1:
Scrub potatoes well coz those peels are staying put! Chop and boil potatoes in salted water till soft, but still retaining their shape.

Step 2:
Saute one of these babies along with some onions in a little oil till soft.


Step 3:
Toss the boiled potatoes together with the sauteed peppers/onions. Sprinkle with feta cheese and garnish with a dollop of basil pesto.

Beetroot

It's a new day, a new week and a new month.

Focus for today? The market veggie produce I picked up and what to do with it without killing it's natural flavour.

First up: Beetroot.

I have noticed that many people seem to harbour an aversion to root vegetables (other than carrots), and perhaps that would be an aversion I shared if I thought the only way to cook such a vegetable was to boil it.

But nay - the secret with these hardy veg is to intensify their natural flavours (which are actually sweet, not bitter).

Best way to do that? Roast them!


First things first:
While the oven is pre-heating to around 180 degrees Celsius, scrub your beetroots (the skins do slip right off after roasting though, for those who don't like the texture), top 'n tail them and line them up on a baking sheet/roasting tray wrapped in tin foil. Roast for around 60 - 90 minutes, until nicely tender but still al dente when poked with a knife.

Raw

Roasted

Next:
While the beets are roasting, pan fry some chicken breasts in a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper over low - medium heat.

Then:
Make some basil pesto by zoeshing together olive oil, fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan/pecorino, salt and pepper.

Finally:
Let your roasted beets cool a little bit, then toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve with a tender chicken breast topped with basil pesto.

Hazel Food Market

Pretorians looking for somewhere close to spend an hour or so on a Saturday morning can meander over to Pinaster Street in Hazelwood for some brekkie, live music and veggie shopping (08:00 to 13:00). Update: Hazel Food Market has relocated to Greenlyn Village Centre, Cnr. Mackenzie and Thomas Edison Streets, Menlo Park.

While the variety of "instant" items aren't huge in terms of allergy-friendliness (particularly gluten), the market's heart is in the right place, and is worth a little visit if you feel like doing something different.

Gluten-free offering: Roasted butternut, feta cheese,
ginger, garlic with a cappuccino.

Hubby's brekkie: Italian bread filled with
fried egg, grilled aubergine and roasted peppers.

My take-home loot: Beetroot, green beans, sweet potatoes,
potatoes and aubergines (bought from the cool produce stall
with the very friendly and very, very tall vendor who offers great cooking tips!)

Watch this space in the coming week
for recipes/photos of my market-veg creations.

Have a fab weekend everyone!

My Mamie's Biryani

My hubby and I love stopping by my parents' house on the weekends for some good, old-fashioned down-home cookin' and visiting :-)

My Mom knew Sim and I had been having a bit of a tough week, what with him being booked off with a nasty sinus infection and me being a bit stressed-out with work and whatnot, so she went all out with her very first, homemade chicken biryani - one of my all time fave comfort foods!

Her friend, Roslyn, was consulted for guidance on the general rules and ingredients of biryani-making. According to her: "You need to put lots of spice. The secret's in the spice" (thanks, Ros).

I must say, the finished product was absolutely brilliant (thanks, Mom). This was true soul-food (and sans any possible ingredients that I am intolerant to, guaranteeing nourishment to the cellular level!)

Sylvia's Chicken Biryani
(Serves 6 generously)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups long-grain white rice
  
• 2 cups brown lentils (dal)
  
• 8 chicken breasts (boneless)
  
• 8 potatoes (medium)
  
• 4 onions (small)
  
• garlic
• ginger
• masala (Mom used a gluten-free blend from The Cape Herb & Spice Company called "Cape Country Curry Blend" which contains: coriander seeds; turmeric; cumin seeds (jeera); ginger; fenugreek; yellow mustard seeds; chillies, sea salt, cinnamon; garlic; cloves; bay leaf, turmeric oil; curry leaf)
• rice spice (again, from the Cape Herb & Spice Co., a blend called "Malay Rice Spice" which contains: onion; sea salt; turmeric; coriander (dhania); garlic; fennel; chilli; cumin (jeera); mustard seeds; ginger; cinnamon)
• olive oil

Method:

Step 1:

• Cut the chicken breasts into chunks and rub with masala and salt. Set aside (in the fridge).

Step 2:

• Put the rice on to boil (follow packet instructions) with the rice spice and salt.
• In a seperate pot, put the brown lentils on to boil (follow packet instructions). Once they are cooked, add masala to taste.
• Peel and cut the potatoes. Boil in a third pot with salt till soft.

Step 3:

• Fry the onions, garlic and ginger in olive oil over low heat till translucent.
  
• Add the chicken and cook till done (my mom added some of the boiling water from the lentils and potatoes), adding salt/pepper/masala to taste.

Step 4:

• Assemble the biryani by layering rice - lentils - potatoes - chicken - rice (apparently boiled eggs are also an optional extra).
• Cover with tin foil and pop into the oven to steam (about 175 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes).
• Take out the oven and sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander (dhania) (if you can handle the taste, which I can't).

Mom served this delicious biryani with a simple side salad of lettuce and sprouted legumes/lentils.


Hubby and I got to take home the extra biryani, and recaptured the yum for dinner! :-)

I hope you all have a great week, filled with nourishing moments and good food.

Resolution Evolution

It would seem as if the tide turned somewhere along the road and my blog suddenly took on a foodie edge. Not that I'm complaining - I've enjoyed the re-awakening of this part of my skill set, which was once my day job, now purely used for reasons of enjoyment and sustenance.

Of course, it stands to reason that cranking out sugar-filled baked goods over and over in a perfectionistic effort to create a (mostly) flawless end-product isn't exactly great for one's waistline. Thus, in an effort to "curb my enthusiasm" (pun intended for those who ever watched the rather strange tv programme of almost the same name), I enrolled in ABC's Adventure Boot Camp for Women.

Enter one hour a day, five days a week, totalling four weeks of butt-kicking, sweat-drenched outdoor exercise at 05:45 every morning.

Now, never having been a morning person in any sense of the word, this has been an eye-opening experience in terms of how one's body clock adapts to such time changes (which doesn't stop just because it's weekend, btw - I mean, what is one supposed to be doing at 05:30 on a Saturday morning when everyone else, including the dog, is still asleep?) The perks of this new time-space continuum (other than the perkiness, of course)? I've seen more sunrises in the past two weeks than I've seen in the past ten years!

Nevertheless, it's nearing the end of week two, and I am beginning to see the changes not only in my less snug clothing and newfound fitness, but also in the food choices I'm making. I am the first to agree that food has its place as a mechanism for comfort (not to an unhealthy degree, of course, but sometimes you just want a piece of chocolate cake for the sake of enjoyment after a tough day). However, food takes on a slightly different meaning when it becomes something that has to fuel you for the sake of a tough morning workout rather than just appeal to your tastebuds (which I realise is a luxury in itself when many people are battling just to put basics on the table).

My cravings have begun to lean towards the protenacious - with cheese featuring higher on my list of "yes please" treats than chocolate (I never thought I would lay eyes on that day). My cooking habits have changed too, becoming simpler and healthier.

So I guess, at least for the moment anyway, it's likely that when I post a recipe, it's going to be running on the healthier side of the eating gamut. That being said, my challenge now is to add flavoursomeness (if that's a word) to even the simplest of ingredients so that healthy eating doesn't become a bore, but rather an appreciation of the fact that something can be good, and good for you!