*Potjiekos*

In Afrikaans (which stems from Dutch), a potjie  is a little pot. These pots are, for the most part, really not so little and actually weigh a whole lot since they're made from cast iron.

According to Wikipedia, they were brought to South Africa from the Netherlands in the 17th century. These so called potjie pots (which is a little odd, as it means: little pots pots) usually have three legs for packing coal/wood underneath for cooking, a heavy lid that keeps the contents in even while they're boiling furiously, and a sturdy handle for lifting a heavy, fire-hot vessel.

Almost every culture that has some cold weather during their year-long cycle has some version of stew, and potjiekos (direct translation: little pot food) is basically a very traditional version of just that...stew.

And we all know stew has a hundred-and-one incarnations! Meat, veg and a starch of some sort can be remarkably versatile.

My version is an entirely vegan recipe, made on the day we christened our potjie pot (size: #4, which feeds around 8 - 10 people).

Ingredients:

• 1 kg carrots
• 1.4 kg baby potatoes
• 700 g - 1 kg pumpkin chunks
• 1 punnet each of zucchini + patty pans + baby butternut + baby gem squash
• fresh curry leaves
• fresh rosemary
• fresh basil
• fresh thyme
• salt 
• pepper
• water
• agar-agar

Method:

1. Once the new pot has been 'seasoned' for use by heating over the fire and wiping out with cooking oil numerous times, you're ready to begin your cooking exploits. 
2. Lay the fresh herbs along the base of the pot. Make sure they cover the entire base of the pot. This will do two things: 1 - prevent the vegetables from burning during cooking, and 2 - flavour the entire potjiekos evenly.
3. Cut carrots into chunks and baby potatoes in half. Add them to salted, boiling water in the potjie and cook with the lid on for at least 40 minutes.
4. Test the carrots and potatoes to see that they're almost cooked. Now add all of the softer vegetables: layer pumpkin chunks first, then baby gem halves, then patty pan halves and zucchini chunks. Top with enough boiling water to cover, season with more salt and put the lid back on the pot. It goes back onto the fire for another 30 - 40 minutes.
5. Test that the veg are done. Take the pot off the fire and stir through 1 tablespoon of agar-agar. This will act as the thickening agent (when the stew cools, it will turn slightly gelatinous, but this abates when the leftovers are reheated).
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with basmati rice.
7. You will find that a stew cooked over a fire is infused with a delicious smoky flavour. And you might get a kick out of the authenticity too: (wo)man versus fire! :)

*French for Fun and Practise*

J'ai une soeur. Elle s'appelle Esmeralda. Elle a 26 ans. Elle est avocate. Elle parle anglais et francais. Elle est mariée. Son mari s'appelle Jimmy. Il a 27 ans. Il est un professeur. Il parle anglais et allemand. Ils ont deux enfants. Le fils a trois ans. La fille a cinq ans. Ils ont un chien. Il s'appelle Fred. Le chien a sept ans. Il a faim, bien sur. Tres faim. Quelquefois il mange escargots dans le jardin. Pardon, escargots! 

I have a sister. Her name is Esmeralda. She is 26 years old. She is a lawyer. She speaks English and French. She is married. Her husband's name is Jimmy. He is 27 years old. He is a teacher. He speaks English and German. They have two children. The son is three years old. The daughter is five years old. They have a dog. His name is Fred. The dog is seven years old. He's hungry, of course. Very hungry. Sometimes he eats snails in the garden. Sorry, snails!

*Inspiration...*

*...I need me some of that!*

With a Chaucer assignment due soon,

and a whole bunch of new German/French to learn,

all I *really* feel like doing is

looking at pretty pictures.

Here are a few of my favourites.
(Hover over captions for links).

And P.S. -

Middle English is actually a foreign language -

don't let anyone convince you otherwise!

Rob Ryan Umbrella from In Good Company

Wooden Letter Rack from Papa Stour

Little Black Sheep Clutch Purse from Misala

All The Buzz Wallet from Mod Cloth

Birds Nest Bell Jar from In Good Company

DIY Chocolate & Coconut Milk Ice-Cream from Vittles and Bits

Tea Cup and Saucer ("January") from Portmeirion's Botanic Garden Collection

Cavallini Paris Rubber Stamps from In Good Company

*Breakfast*

Rooibos Tea and (Gluten-Free) Toast 

with Peanut Butter

Rooibos tea - a South African favourite!

One of the pleasures of childhood was waking up on a Summery Saturday with the entire day stretched before you like a treasure chest waiting to be discovered. No school. Zero responsibilities. Ample sunshine.

But first, breakfast.

And in South Africa, at my parents' house, that usually meant hot white toast with Black Cat peanut butter.

Oh, the simple joy to be found in biting into a slice of crunchy hot toasted bread smeared with (melting) peanut butter that was so gooey it glued your gums together! Paired with a frosty glass of cold milk to make swallowing easier (or possible), it was decadence.

A decadence I have, however, been sorely missing for some years (because, let's face it...sometimes rice cakes just don't cut it!)

So I set about baking some fresh gluten-free bread on Friday afternoon in order to ensure that there would be toast on (this leisurely) Saturday morning.

My Homebaked Gluten-Free Bread Recipe

My bread flour mix:

• 1 kilogram of Entice Rice rice flour
• 550 grams of Nature's Choice potato starch

Mix flours together well and store in an air tight container.

Ingredients for bread:

• 1 kilogram of my bread flour mix
• 10 grams (1 sachet) of instant yeast granules
• 20 millilitres (4 teaspoons) of white sugar
• 100 millilitres (20 teaspoons) of olive oil (or another vegetable oil)
• 500 - 1000 millilitres (0.5 - 1 litre) of tepid/lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt chrystals

Method:

1. Put 250 millilitres (1 cup) of tepid/lukewarm (approximately 37 degrees Celsius, which is body temperature) in a bowl and stir in 20 millilitres (4 teaspoons) of sugar. Allow the sugar to dissolve slightly, then sprinkle the 10 gram sachet of instant dried yeast granules over the water/sugar mixture and stir through briefly. Allow this to sit on the counter for about ten minutes. The yeast will start frothing happily.
2. While the yeast is having a party in a bowl, get out a much bigger bowl. Measure out your 1 kilogram of my bread flour mix and add it to this big bowl.
3. Keep approximately 750 millilitres of tepid/lukewarm water at the ready. Take 250 millilitres (1 cup of that) and stir in 1 teaspoon (5 millilitres) of salt chrystals. Stir until the salt chrystals have dissolved.
4. Make a well in the centre of your flour. Add the 250 millilitres (1 cup) of salty water, the 100 millilitres of olive oil (or another vegetable oil) and the happy frothing yeasty liquid into the flour and stir through.
5. Next, continue adding tepid/lukewarm water to the mixture and stirring it through until the dough resembles something between a scone dough and a cake batter. There is definitely no kneading involved in gluten-free bread making as there is no gluten to make the dough stretchy!
6. Allow the dough to sit on your counter for about 30 minutes while it rises. In the meantime, grease three loaf tins. I would suggest you use those silicone non-stick loaf tins, as the softer dough and use of rice flour can make the end product a little difficult to get out of regular tin loaf pans.
7. Once the 30 minutes has passed, divide the dough into the three loaf pans and allow it to rise for another 20 to 30 minutes. While this is happening, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 Fahrenheit) and shift the oven rack to the middle of the oven.
8. Drizzle some vegetable oil over the top of each loaf, and use your (clean) fingers to spread it (gently and evenly) on the surface of each loaf.
9. Bake the bread (there's nothing quite like the smell of freshly baking yeasty bread), one to two loaves at a time (I would definitely not recommend baking three at a time unless you have a fancy convection oven that distributes the hot air evenly throughout the oven) for 30 - 40 minutes. From 30 minutes, insert a cake skewer or kebab stick into the loaf every 5 minutes till it comes out clean.
10. Leave the loaves in their silicone loaf mould/loaf tin for 10 minutes after baking before turning out.
11. Slice with a sharp bread knife. 
12. Best eaten fresh if sandwiches are what you're after. If not, then keep it wrapped in wax paper/tin foil once cool and keep it in the fridge. It goes quite hard but makes for excellent toast over the next couple of days.
13. Although I have never tried, I suspect it could be frozen and thawed (for toasting) as well.
14. Serve with the topping of your choice and, above all, enjoy the pleasures of eating homebaked bread!

Woolworths sells a great organic, sugar-free peanut butter.

The only ingredients are tasty, organic roasted peanuts!

This magnificent tea cosy was purchased for me by my darling husband from "Out of Alex" for R165. Not only is it handcrafted, but it works like a dream, keeping one's tea nice and hot for over an hour. Plus it's really easy to wash and supports an excellent cause. For a list of stockists, see their website. Simeon bought it for me from the Bryanston Organic Market (where the company has a stall) which makes for a wonderful Saturday morning outing.

Blueberry Flapjacks

A heart healthy sweet treat to celebrate love week.

Ingredients:

• 12 tablespoons (15ml x 12) chickpea flour
• 10 tablespoons (15ml x 10) potato starch
• 1 tablespoon (15ml x 1) vegan rice protein powder
• 1 teaspoon (5ml x 1) ground cinnamon
• 1.5 - 2 cups (375 - 500ml) filtered water
• 2 handfuls of blueberries
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) oil
• your favourite jam
• double thick cream (optional)

Method:

1. Sift the dry ingredients together.
2. Whisk in 375ml of water till batter is lump free. Add more water a little at a time if a thinner batter is required.
3. Stir through the blueberries.
4. Use a non-stick crepe pan, lightly oiled, to make the flapjacks. Flip when bubbling.
5. Spread with yummy sweet jam and add some double thick cream for decadence.
6. Bon appetit!

And to my bu: you make every day of the year love day! :)

Fragrant Jasmine Rice with Pumpkin, Peas and Arugula

A quick (from start to finish in 20 minutes if you use pre-sliced/frozen vegetables) and tasty meal with a nice mix of flavours that compliment rather than clash. You would not believe it doesn't have butter in it, as the pumpkin lends such a rich and buttery flavour to the dish (so it's healthy too).

• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 500 grams of diced pumpkin
• 250 grams of frozen green peas
• 40 grams of fresh rocket/arugula
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 3 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 large green chilli (optional)

1. Cook the rice in salted water according to the instructions on the packet, which is usually approximately 20 minutes. Boil the pumpkin in the same water. If the pumpkin chunks are small enough, they'll be cooked within this time.
2. About 7 minutes before the cooking time for the rice is up, add the green peas.
3. At the end of the cooking time, drain any remaining liquid. Stir through the rocket/arugula and the olive oil. As you do this, the pumpkin pieces will break up and become mushy, adding a lovely butteryness to the dish.
4. If you prefer an extra zing to your dish, use a kitchen scissors to finely slice in a large green chilli. If not, garnish with something mild like a herb of your choice or cherry tomatoes.
5. Serves 4 - 6 people.

Crunchy Salad

I love finding new ingredients while grocery shopping.

Woolworths is now selling fresh julienned beetroot in small bags in the fresh vegetable fridge.

Beets are one of those maligned vegetables, hated by many due to their association with the bottled pickled variety. But fresh beetroot sliced thinly makes a crunchy, sweet and colourful addition to any salad.

J's Crunchy Salad
Serves two as a main salad or four as a side salad

• 2 x 40g bags of rocket (arugula)
• 1 bag of julienned fresh beetroot (approx. 4 small beets)
• 240g tinned chickpeas (drained)
• 75g raw pistachios (shelled)
• olive oil
• salt

Toss together, dress lightly with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Enjoy.

Carrot and Apple Cake

In addition to gluten-free, I've been baking egg-free and dairy-free of late as well. This recipe is a great place to start if you're baking for someone who has multiple allergies or problems with cholesterol.

I concocted the recipe using my Mom's gluten-free, egg-free banana bread recipe as a starting point, and playing around with egg and butter substitution.

My Mom generally substitutes half a large mashed banana per large egg in a recipe for sweet baking.

For sweet or savoury baking, I've begun substituting 1 tablespoon of whole flax seeds and 4 tablespoons of water per large egg in recipes.

You can also use chia seeds in the same proportions without needing to grind them first. They have the benefit of being milder tasting than flax seeds as well.

Egg-free doesn't have to be scary. Have fun with it.

Click image to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

The Energy to Thrive

Life begets life.  Energy begets energy.  

It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich.

-  Sarah Bernhardt -

Energy highs and lows are the norm for humans.

But for those people operating with autoimmune diseases, it can feel as if the dial is constantly turned to low.

Prior to my celiac diagnosis, energy was a difficult thing to muster. Most afternoons were spent sleeping for hours at a time, with intense headaches, stomach and joint pains, numbed by some form of painkiller. Exercise was an intense chore which left me feeling more broken rather than more energy-filled. 

Cutting out the foods I was allergic to was like an energy awakening. Suddenly, exercise became something to look forward to (imagine that!)

I read a book recently which made a big impact. 

It was one of those impulse airport bookshop grabs just prior to a flight that you can't imagine never having read. It's called: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.

Filled with epic adventure and pure inspiration, the book brings across the thrill of rediscovering what it should be like for every human who has the physical capacity for movement to run (and actually enjoy it...injury free). Minimalist running or barefoot running is another strong topic of debate in the book, which for anyone who has ever had an injury caused by running is something which might peak your interest. 

Inspired by the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico's Copper Canyons, whose culture is built around running long distances in remote locations wearing leather sandals, the book also delves into the scientific aspects of running and running shoes. For instance, have all the advances in running shoe technology really led to injury-free running? For many people with expensive running shoes that control pronation, give arch support and have enough cushioning for your heel striking gait to feel like you're running on clouds (but who still sit with shin splints or foot fractures), the answer is a resounding: "NO!"

I've been pondering this for a few months now, using myself as a guinea pig of sorts. Over the years of starting and stopping running, most often due to shin or knee complaints; upping the weekly mileage has mostly been in new running shoes.  You know, the ones you pay a whole lot of money for to prevent those injuries.

Well, for the past couple of months or so of running, I've been using old running shoes. The ones you're supposed to retire on the advice of running magazines because their cushioning isn't so great anymore, and the support has worn down. You know, the ones that are now supposed to be causing you injuries.

The verdict?

Not a knee or shin complaint in sight.

The premise of minimalist running is simple.

Take away the running shoes designed to alter your foot's natural way of hitting the ground during motion, bring back the feedback your foot should be getting from the ground which allows you to land more carefully, and what you get is a stronger foot and an adapted natural shock absorption system (i.e. your legs) that eventually self-corrects posture and alignment, allowing you to run injury free.

The way a child would run barefoot across a field out of sheer joy.

It's an interesting premise, I think.

So buoyed by months of running happily in old shoes, and a sale on at the Cape Union Mart, Simeon and I came home yesterday excitedly clutching our Merrell barefoot collection shoes.

Now before you scoff, since barefoot running should indeed be free and shoeless, would you relish your foot being cut up by a rusty aluminium can or smeared in dog poop? Me neither.

Thus, barefoot shoes a la Vibram five fingers or the like.

Notice the differences in design from a regular running shoe in terms of slope and cushioning?

Merrell Women's Barefoot Collection: Pace Glove in Dark Shadow

Merrell Men's Barefoot Collection: Trail Glove in Black/Molten Lava

Donning our shoes for the first time, we set out on our evening run marvelling at how much of the ground we suddenly felt and how differently our feet were landing to adjust to that fact. It was the first time while running through the veld that I didn't almost twist my ankle, and I realised it was because I was stepping more carefully over the rocky paths because I could feel the ground! 

Another interesting fact is how much lighter the shoes are versus regular running shoes. Your feet literally feel less heavy to pick up.

Are we hooked?

Definitely!

We'll be interspersing the use of these shoes with our old running shoes, allowing our feet/calves/legs/posture time to adapt gracefully to the landing modifications required. For as Benjamin Franklin said: Energy and persistance alter all things.

To read more about minimalist running online, I recommend the following Running Times article as a starting point: Much ado about minimalism

And in closing, for those of your who have ever not felt quite right after eating a meal (or, let's face it, just felt anywhere close to crappy for days on end after eating certain foods), please do your self a favour and get tested for allergies. Your life will thank you!

Ina Garten's NY Apartment

Happy 2012!

I've been watching episodes of the Barefoot Contessa on YouTube (user "Mr Melodifestivalen" has quite the stash), chuckling at Ina Garten's overuse of catch phrases: 'Use good [insert ingredient]'; 'How easy is that?' (which has apparently been trademarked), etc. and rolling my eyes at the East-Hampton smarminess which inevitably oozes through in some episodes.

Photo: Food Network Humour

Watching Ina interact with her numerous friends at dinner parties, beach grills, and so forth; one really picks up on her inherently controlling nature in the way she orders people around at parties, controls the conversation, tells people what to do/buy, etc. Whether this is a product of editing; an on-screen persona or the true Ina is hard to tell. However, personally, I find these somewhat irritating traits forgivable due to her jovial character (almost always clothed in shents [shirt-tents]) which doesn't come across as overly critical at the best of times.

Juxtapose that with Martha Stewart, the ultimate control-freak and perfectionist who, in my opinion, while being undoubtedly magnificently successful as well, does not posses Ina Garten's on-screen charm; ability to laugh easily (albeit nervously), or warmth of character. I found it interesting to note that, according to the article on Wikipedia, Ina Garten was mentored by Martha Stewart. Hmmm.

And then there's Jeffrey Garten, Ina's puppy-dog-like husband. This man is immensely successful in the business world, which must require the tenaciousness of a bulldog with all the right connections, and yet is content to be portrayed as a soft-hearted slightly dim-witted character in Ina's productions. I have wondered whether his business colleagues watch him onscreen (assuming the upper echelon business types in the US would watch an episode of the Barefoot Contessa starring Jeffrey) and think to themselves: WTF? Regardless, whether his on-screen time portrays anything close to his real-life character or not, it must be love, right.

Photo: Food Network Humour

But whatevs. Her shows are fun to watch for all the things that make them cringe-worthy, with each episode containing enough butter in every cake recipe to stop the heart of an ox (although, nobody rivals Paula Deen on the butter front), as well as the voyeuristic ability to check out the house/garden/beaches/stores of the richer contingent of American society.

Photo: Food Network Humour

Speaking of how the other third lives, I found an article on Ina Garten's New York pad over at HouseBeautiful. Who wouldn't love to walk into a house, see a window and tell the realtor: I'll take it. My goodness, it must be fun to be that rich :-)

Photo: HouseBeautiful

Love the photo/painting above the fireplace. It's so striking.

Photo: HouseBeautiful

 Great pumpkin-coloured tablecloth.

Photo: HouseBeautiful

A window above the sink overlooking the city must be a cool thing to have.

Photo: HouseBeautiful

Photo: HouseBeautiful

Photo: HouseBeautiful

For the full set of photos, and a Q&A with Ina, head over to HouseBeautiful.