Healthy and Delicious Mushroom Straganoff

Straganoff is a Russian dish normally made with beef strips but a few clever substitutes can turn this traditional creamy casserole into a low fat, low calorie and delicious meal.

Mushroom Straganoff

Ingredients: (Serves 3)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion (I used two small onions)
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 400g mixed mushrooms
• 250ml vegetable or beef stock
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons low fat sour cream (I used low fat cream with a squeeze of lemon juice)
• small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
• 250g cooked brown wild rice

Ingredients

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and soften the onion for about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and the paprika and cook for 1 minute more.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook on a high heat, stirring often for about 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the stock and the Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
5. Then turn off the heat and stir in the cream and the parsley. Make sure the pan isn't too hot or the sauce may split.
6. Serve with the cooked rice.

Healthy and delicious

Honey and Soya Glazed Salmon

Very few people include enough fish in their diets. Fish, especially salmon, has essential oils that are very important. When I went to the shop this afternoon I saw that the Norwegian salmon was on special so I decided to get some and make something delicious with it. I served mine with some broccoli, baby corn, carrots and Pak Choi, but it would be delicious with rice, or mashed potato too.

Ingredients: (serves 2)

• Salmon (I used a 100g portion per person)
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Mixed vegatables

Ingredients

Method:

1. Mix the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger in a bowl.
2. Add the salmon to the soy sauce mixture and marinade for a minimun of 15 minutes. (this can be done a while before and left to marinade in the fridge).
3. When you are ready to eat, place the vegatables in a wok with some dried chilli and stir fry.
4. Heat a separate pan for the salmon. 
5. Place the salmon skin side down and cook for a few minute then turn over for a minute.
6. The sauce will reduce and thicken quickly be careful not to burn the sauce.
7. Pour the reduced sauce over the salmon and serve .

Simple and delicious

 

Scrumptious Butternut and Sage lasagne

I went to a fresh fruit and vegetable grocer on the weekend and there was a special on butternut, so as you do I bought a few packs and decided to use the butternut in creative ways. So tonight, I decided to make a butternut and sage lasagna. It was an experiment and turned out well, my family was well impressed. I used the smooth cottage cheese as an alternative to a Béchamel sauce, for a low fat and low calorie alternative but for a more luxurious option use a basic Béchamel sauce.

 

Butternut and Sage Lasagne

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

• 750g butternut
• 1 small red onion diced
• 250g lasagna sheets (I used spinach lasagna sheets as I had some left over)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• Handful of fresh sage
• 250g low fat cream cheese
• 200g mozzarella
• 5ml nutmeg
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

The main ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C.
2. Cut the butternut into smallish pieces and place in a roasting pan with the dice onion, fresh sage and whole garlic cloves. And a good few glugs of Olive oil
3. While the butternut is in the oven, grate half of the cheese and mix with the cottage cheese, salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
4. Roast the butternut until soft and golden this should take 30 minutes approximately.
5. When the butternut is soft mash into a rough mash.
6. Layer the butternut mix, pasta and “white sauce” in alternate layers with the cheese and some sage leaves ontop.
7. Bake in the oven for 30mins or until the pasta is cooked.

Perfection!

Vegetarian option for the day...

This vegetarian dish (Melenzane Parmigiana) is delicious. Whenever we have a glut of aubergines in our vegetable garden this is one of our "go to" recipes! It is flavoursome, filling and fairly easy to prepare. Try it if you haven't before...or even if you have and you know you'd enjoy it! The recipe called for basil leaves, but in Cape Town basil is not in season at the moment, so I went and bought some basil pesto to replace it. It actually worked really well and gave the dish a wonderful taste. Unfortunately I did not put the basil pesto in the "ingredients" photograph as I went to buy it at the last minute.

Here is the recipe:

Melenzane Parmigiana

Ingredients:

• 3 medium aubergines
• 125ml olive oil + extra for greasing the dish and frying the onion.
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped.
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 120ml flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon dried oreganum
• 1 tin tomaoes/ 6 really ripe tomatoes, peeled.
• 25ml tomato paste
• salt and pepper
• 250g sliced/grated mozzerella
• 250ml basil leaves chopped/ 50ml basil pesto
• 100g parmesan grated
• 400ml cream (only if you planning on freezing this dish and reheating it)

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Slice the aubergines lengthwise in thickish slices (Don't peel), lay them in a collinder and sprinkle with salt and allow them to drain for 10- 15 minutes.
3. Fry aubergine slices in olive oil until soft and cooked, put aside.
4. Fry the onion in a pot until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, parsley and oregano and fry over a low heat for 1-2 minutes. Do not burn the garlic.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, pinch of salt and black pepper to the onion and garlic mixture. Cover and cook gently for +/- 35 minutes. (If it seems to watery, reduce it for a bit with the lid off)
6. Grease a deep baking dish with olive oil.
7. Cover the bottom layer with aubergine, follow with a layer of the tomato sauce, then a layer of mozzerella. Repeat until you have run out of one of the ingredients.
8. Finally sprinkle with a generous layer of parmesan.
9. Bake for +/- 40 minutes.
10. If you freeze this dish and reheat it, then about 3 minutes before removing it from the oven add 50ml or more cream (depending on the size of your dish) .
11. Serve with a side, green salad, enjoy!

Ready to enjoy!

Recipe Source: Sumptuous, Marlene Van Der Westhuizen

Healthy every day treat!

I have such a sweet tooth and enjoy to treat myself to something sweet everyday but being health conscious I cannot just eat anything I please but when I found this recipe for banana bread I fell in love, its sweet but not too sweet, moist and absolutely delicious! It will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth and is an ideal everyday treat.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 mashed banana's
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (120ml) low fat yoghurt
• 1/4 cup (60ml) vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 200g pecan nuts
• Icing sugar for dusting

Ingredients

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking powder and yoghurt.
3. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
4. In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.
5. Then combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture then add the flour mixture. Stir just until all the ingredients are moistened.
6. Pour into the prepared pan (a loaf tin is best suited) and smooth the top.
7. Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes.
8. When the loaf has cooled, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy with a cup of tea

Enjoy...

Delicious Butternut soup with a dash of heat

Soup can be the perfect meal. Some people may think that soup is boring and that it takes ages to prepare for something that isn't very filling but this recipe is quick, simple and hearty.  Anything can be added to a basic butternut soup recipe. Add a protein to make your soup more filling and any spices or extra ingredients you enjoy. Here I added a variety or spices and bacon and Chorizo (a spicy Spanish sausage) to make it more of a main meal. I also used yoghurt instead of cream as a fat free option. Play around with flavour combinations until you find the perfect one.

Serve your soup with a fresh loaf of your favouite bread.  

Spicy Butternut soup with Chorizo

Ingredients: (serves 2 to 3)

• 1 medium onion (I used spring onions)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50g butter
• 900g pumpkin or butternut
• 1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon dried red chilly
• 1 litre of chicken stock
• 8 rashes of smoked bacon
• 100ml yoghurt or cream
• chorizo and crutons to serve



Ingredients

 Method:

1. Peel and roughly chop the onion and the garlic.
2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy based saucepan and cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
3. Roughly chop the pumpkin into cubes and add to the onion.
4. Cook until the pumpkin is golden brown on the edges.
5. Toast the coriander, chilly and the cumin in a small pan over a low heat for about 2 minutes, until they tart to smell warm and nutty.
6. Grind the roasted spices with a pestle and mortar.
7. Add the spices to the onion and pumpkin.
8. Cook for a minute or so, then add the stock.
9. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender
10. Fry the bacon and sliced chorizo in the pan in which you toasted the spices it should be crisp then cut it up into small pieces.
11. Whizz up he soup with blender or food processor until smooth.
12. Pour in the yoghurt or cream and taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper to taste.
13. Serve piping hot with the bacon and chorizo bits on top with some crutons



Success!

Delicious Granola

Breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day, and my favorite breakfast food is yoghurt!! The perfect accompaniment to yoghurt is granola. Your granola should be crisp, chewy and crumbly. The trick to making a perfect granola is selecting the right ingredients and combining them in the correct proportions.

Here is a basic recipe:

Granola:

Ingredients: (Makes 8 Cups)

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup flaked almonds
• ½ cup cashews
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 4 tablespoons breakfast seed mix (including Pumpkin seeds, Flax seed, Sesame seeds and Sunflower seeds)
• ¼ cup wheatgerm
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup honey
• Optional: 1 cup dried apricots or 1 cup sultanas



Ingredients

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees centigrade (325 F or gas mark 3).
2. Place oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds and wheat germ in a large bowl.
3. In a small sauce pan, over a low heat, warm the oil and honey.
4. Pour the honey mixture over the oat mixture and mix thoroughly.
5. Tip the mixture into a baking tin and bake, stirring every 5 minutes, for 20 minutes or until golden. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
6. Stir though the sultanas or apricots. 

Delish!



When experimenting with different combinations, bear in mind that the volume of nuts should be more or less equal to the volume of oats. This granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 months.