Mother's Day Mealie Bread

Happy Mother's Day to all Women who have in some way or another offered nurturing, caring, wiped snotty noses, kissed booboos, and given hugs to any of God's Creations. Where Love is needed, to give it without thinking twice, without wanting anything in return, is next to Godliness. Love is the Mother of Creation. 

Today, instead of me having the joy of being with my son, I had to leave him at his Dad's house. So off he went with a box of chocolates for his step mom, and as I ran an errand before I got home, I noticed that even on Mother's Day, the workers were mainly female. I remembered the days where I worked every Public Holiday, weekends, and sometimes pulled a double shift at the restaurant on Public Holidays to make a few extra bucks. I told my kids, that Mother's Day was an everyday event. Be grateful daily for the gift of life, and reward the Creator with becoming great in your own way. 

So, with the Mealies I bought yesterday on my way back from the Church grounds, I decided to make my Son's favourite dish - Mealie Bread. Seeing that I am alone at home, I will do what mom's always do... they serve with Love :)

Here goes...

Ingredients

4 Mealies on the Cob

1 Cup cake flour

2 teaspoons Baking powder

Pinch of Salt

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

1  Egg beaten

1/2 Cup milk

2 Tablespoon Melted Butter (microwave for 30 Seconds)

1 Tablespoon Vanilla Essence

Method

Preheat oven to 190 deg cel.

Cut the Mealie kernels off the cob with a knife.

Then using a stick blender, whizz them to resemble a milky mass

Sift the flour and baking powder together and add to the ground mealies

Add the beaten egg, milk, butter, sugar, salt and vanilla essence, and mix with a whisk until all ingredients are folded in well.

Line a baking tin with baking paper and grease the paper

Pour out the mealie mixture into the tin

Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the skewer comes out almost dry (Not too dry - as the mealie bread should be moist inside)

Turn out on cooling rack and once cool, enjoy with butter and your favourite beverage. 

Homemade Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup - Paleo

When I went to the East with my friends, (Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore) there was a restaurant in Beijing that our tour guide took us to, which served the best Peking duck in the whole of China (at least that was her opinion) beside the Peking duck, (with fried scorpions on the side) we had THE most amazing cauliflower and potato soup that I have ever tasted, or attempted to make. That beautiful taste still lingers in my memory :-)

Many attempts by myself to recreate that gorgeous velvety taste, but none came close! This attempt was the closest I have come.  It was about 80% there :-)

Ingredients
1 Large Onion chopped in chunks
1 small to medium sized cauliflower head - chopped (small florets)
2 small or 1 medium sweet potato(s) - Peeled and chopped
1 heaped teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1.5 liters of water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Fresh parsley or coriander

Optional
1/2 can coconut cream or coconut milk

Method

1. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan, and brown chunks of onion on medium to high heat
2. Add garlic and spices and stir and then add chopped cauliflower and sweet potato
3. Stir well until the spices are mixed well with the veg
4. Lower the heat and add salt to taste and then either cover the pot and allow to simmer on the stove or transfer to a slow cooker. 
5. After 15 minutes add the water and bring to a boil. 
6. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, 
7. Turn of heat and allow to cool - if you have a blender like mine that pops its lid when hot substances are liquidised. Once cooled, then liquidise.

Alternatively, use your stick blender and blend in the pot.

Taste and if it needs more salt and/or pepper  add accordingly. If it is too thick, add more water.

Optional
You can add if you like, half a can of coconut cream or coconut milk (Jemz or homemade) to the pot of soup, for additional creaminess, alternatively, just serve as is, with a dollop of coconut cream and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley or coriander for each serving.

Try this Seed Bread in a Mug to accompany your delicious soup :-)

Cauliflower and Sweet potato soup cooking

Cauliflower and Sweet potato soup - served

 

My friends and I at the Great Wall of China
Holly from Alaska, Haarsha and Lee from SA 

Food, friends, travel and great memories turns life into a great "movie" - Especially with all our sincere hearts and souls that was in it - One great adventure indeed :-) 

Homemade Butternut Soup - Paleo

Second to my favorite creamy chicken and mushroom soup, is butternut soup! 

I remember a time when my boss took me out for a quick lunch and he laughed because he thought I knew nothing about butternut soup, and that I ate nothing but curry all the time. Ha! needless to say, this was in the early 1990's and my boss being Afrikaans, was just starting to learn about Indian culture :-) First step out of Apartheid. 

Enough of the history lesson :-)

There are may ways in which I have attempted to make butternut soup, but I have finally settled with this version and I love it when it leans on the spicy side :-)


What you will need....

Ingredients
1 Large Onion chopped in chunks
600g diced butternut
2 small or 1 medium sweet potato(s)
2 small carrots or 1 large carrot
1 heaped teaspoon garlic
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon mixed curry powder
1 teaspoon Italian herbs (Robertsons)
1.5 liters of water
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Fresh parsley or coriander

Optional
1/2 can coconut cream or coconut milk

Method

1. Heat coconut oil in a saucepan, and brown chunks of onion on medium to high heat
2. Add garlic and spices and stir and then add butternut, carrots and sweet potato
3. Stir well until the spices are mixed well with the veg
4. Lower the heat and add salt to taste and then either cover the pot and allow to simmer on the stove or transfer to a slow cooker. 
5. After 15 minutes add the water and bring to a boil. 
6. Continue to cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, 
7. Turn of heat and allow to cool - (if you have a blender like mine that pops its lid when hot substances are liquidised) - Once cooled then liquidise.

Alternatively, use your stick blender and blend in the pot.

Taste and if it needs more salt, pepper or cinnamon, add accordingly. If it is too thick, add more water.

Optional
You can add if you like, half a can of coconut cream or coconut milk (Jemz or homemade) to the pot of soup, for additional creaminess, alternatively, just serve as is, with a dollop of coconut cream and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley or coriander for each serving.

Try this Seed Bread in a Mug to accompany your delicious soup :-) 

Spicy butternut soup cooking

Liquidised soup, served with a dollop of coconut cream

Less spicy version - 1 teaspoon curry powder instead of 1 tablespoon
and no paprika

For these chilly, cold winter days and evenings, nothing is more comforting than homemade soup!

Bon Appetite :-)

Seed Bread in a Mug - Paleo / Reboot

For most of my soup days, I often think about a nice, soft bread that I could use to mop up the little bits that is usually hard to get with a spoon.  You know? Especially when the soup is really, really good? Not a drop should remain in the bowl :-) 

However being on an eating plan that is Paleo, the word "Bread" causes a major upheaval. Luckily, our friends who are Banting, have these great ideas and I happened to glean and make clean :-)

I was inspired by a recipe from Daleen's Banting Kitchen and tweaked it a bit to suit the eating plan I am on, also I don't have Flax seeds in my grocery cupboard at the moment, but what I do have, is a seed mix called Miracles Plus Plus, by Natures Source, which I substituted for flax seeds. 

Miracle Plus Plus contains Flax seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds.  

It turned out beautifully - almost a nutty texture.

Here is what I did:

Ingredients

• 1 extra-large egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons freshly ground mixed seeds (Miracles Plus Plus) (Grind the seeds in a coffee grinder)
• 2 tablespoons fine or medium desiccated coconut
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• a pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons coconut oil

Method

1. Add the egg and water to a bowl and mix well
2. Add the ground mixed seeds, coconut, bicarb and cream of tartar and salt to a small bowl. Mix the dry ingredients well.
3. Place the coconut oil in a mug, preferably with straight sides. 
4. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave oven on High (100% power) – for 40 − 45 seconds. 
5. Swirl the melted coconut oil to grease the inside of the mug and pour the coconut oil into the wet ingredients. Mix well with the fork.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well
7. Immediately pour the batter into the greased mug. 
8. Microwave on High (100% power) for 1:30 minutes. 
9. Turn the bread out onto a plate. Leave to cool for a minute or two
10. Use a serrated knife to slice the bread. Serve warm with topping of your choice. 
11. Store any leftover bread in an airtight container in the fridge. 
12. My left over seed bread, turned green in the fridge, due to the sunflower seeds, but it was perfectly good to eat, still soft and moist for lunch the next day.

Fresh out of the microwave - Mixed seed bread

Mixed seed bread as an accompaniment to my Chicken chili soup

Tonight's dinner: Boiled egg open sandwich - made with Mixed Seed bread

and Sweet Potato crisps

Enjoy :-)

Homemade Sweet Potato Mash - Paleo / Reboot

Moving from regular mashed potatoes to sweet potato mash was a gradual transition. It wasn't that mashed potatoes was a regular dish in my home, and that is why it was difficult. It was because the thought of mashing up sweet potatoes and expecting it to satisfy as normal mashed potatoes did, was not aligning well in my mind.

One was savory and the other, naturally sweet.

I tried this on my second Reboot Challenge and I have since been a huge fan of sweet potato mash!

When I am feeling experimental someday, I will make sweet potato mash as my Mom used to make normal mashed potatoes - with a bit of crushed garlic, finely chopped green chili, spring onions and coriander and dollops of butter. But ofcourse, I will swap out the butter with coconut oil. :-)

This is how I made my sweet potato mash

Ingredients
A steamer or any microwavable dish with a lid
3 - 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Himalayan Pink Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 Tablespoon cashew nut butter or Macadamia Nut butter

Method
Place sweet potato pieces in a steamer and steam for 20 minutes. If the potatoes are still hard, allow it to steam for another 10 - 15 minutes until a knife or skewer pierces a sweet potato easily.
Transfer steamed sweet potato into a glass bowl and then add the coconut oil, salt, black pepper and nut butter of choice and mash together well.

You will notice that because the sweet potatoes were not in direct contact with the water, they are much more creamier when mashed up. The texture is velvety and rich in taste. Not at all watered down.

Taste and if more salt is required, top up accordingly.

Sweet potato mash preparation  - made with
orange flesh sweet potato

 

Sweet potatoes in the steamer - normal white flesh sweet poatoes

My 25 yr old Nutri Stahl pot/steamer set

Simply delicious :-)

Homemade Burger Patties and Meatballs - Reboot/Paleo

Growing up, it was a treat to have a "Mince Kebab" meal with roti. It just seemed like a dish that Mom made when she had more time in the kitchen than usual, and so that meant me spending more time with her in the kitchen. It was an extra special moment for me.

There were times when she would say, "The kebabs are a little too dry" or "The kebabs have come out really well this time" and it all depended on what she threw into the mix on any given day.

"Kebabs" is a common word we Durbanites use to say "Meatballs", yet the correct Indian word is "Kofta" 

My first try to make these was over 20 years ago - and I made a huge pot full of them for a family of over 25 people! I was too young and nervous to even know if it tasted good :-)

Over the years I adopted my mother's basic recipe but I also tweaked it a little and especially now with omitting wheat from my diet and following Reboot - any binders such as breadcrumbs or corn flour have fallen away in this recipe. I have found that omitting egg isn't a train smash either.

This is how I made my latest recipe of Mince kebabs

Ingredients

• 1 Kg lean mince - I used half beef and half pork.  You could only use beef.
• 1 large onion chopped finely
• 1 Teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs - I used the Robertsons brand
• Salt to taste - I used about a Teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
• 1 tablespoon of crushed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed ginger
• 1 tablespoon of garam masala
• 2 tablespoon of my mixed curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

Method
In a non stick frying pan, heat the coconut oil and fry the onions. In a large dish add all ingredients and once the onions are slightly browned, add them in to the meatball mixture with the oil. This is what creates your sticking magic. Mix well, but not too much, as this will result in tough meat balls. Ensure that the spices are well mixed evenly in the mince.

Roll up into balls - size depending on your choice. Or flatten the meatballs into rounds as burger patties.

If you are using the mixture to make burger patties - use more meat to form the ball and flatten them to form a large circle - once you cook them, (pan fry) they shrink - they become thicker in width and smaller in diameter.

You can either:

• pack them in containers to freeze, or 
• place in an oven tray to grill for 20 - 30 minutes at 200 Deg Celsius.
• set aside for dropping into a tomato based curry or marinara sauce (meatballs)
• pan fry to serve up (burger patties)

Meatballs ready to go in the oven

Grilled Meatballs

 Let's look at the various ways to make a curry sauce and my version of my marinara sauce.


Marinara Sauce
To cook about 15- 16 meatballs you will need:

6 - 8 medium tomatoes grated or 1 bottle Passata
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoon date paste - to cut the acidity
Handful of oregano or fresh basil


Method

In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil and gradually brown the onion. Add the garlic, and other spices and then the tomato/ passata. Stir until all the spices have mixed well with the tomato.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Then add the date paste and herbs with 1/2 cup of boiling water and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the meat balls in gently, one by one and cover the saucepan and allow to simmer for anther 15 minutes. Sprinkle with either more oregano or freshly chopped coriander.

Meatballs in Marinara sauce

Meatballs in Marinara sauce over a sweet potato mash

Variation
To make a curry sauce using the above ingredients, add:
1 tablespoon mixed curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger
A few curry leaves
Fresh coriander

Omit the following
Fresh oregano and basil

To make a creamy curry sauce
2 medium tomatoes grated or 1/2 cup Passata
1 large onion chopped
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon mixed curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger
A few curry leaves
Fresh coriander

1 can coconut milk or 1 1/2 cups homemade coconut milk

Method
In a saucepan, heat the coconut oil and gradually brown the onion. Add the curry leaves, ginger and garlic, and other spices and then the tomato/ passata. Stir until all the spices have mixed well with the tomato.  Cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Then add the coconut milk with 1/4 cup of boiling water and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the meat balls in gently, one by one and cover the saucepan and allow to simmer for anther 15 minutes. Sprinkle with freshly chopped coriander.

For Reboot /Paleo, you can serve up the mealballs with a sweet potato mash or zucchini noodles or Zoodles as it is known.

Alternatively, you could serve it up with a Paleo Friendly Naan Bread inspired by Ashley Thomas. Much of my inspiration lately on healthy living comes from her as well as Prava Singh

Enjoy and live a healthy nutritious, yet tasty life :-)

Homemade Huldee "Doodh" or Tumeric "Milk" - Reboot / Paleo

It is amazing how the "medicine" of the old days that I once hated having, has now become a luxury indulgence.  Interestingly, the mindset change comes from KNOWING your food and being educated in the benefits it carries, rather than just how it tastes.

Whilst blogging about Ginger "Tea", the thought of Huldee Doodh kept knocking on my brain. It wanted me to allow it back into my life. I answered. :-)

I am very happy to announce that Huldee Doodh - the way my mother and grandmother made it, can be incorporated into my new way of eating. :-)

Read about the benefits of Tumeric

Read about the benefits of Ginger

This is how my mother and grandmother made this health elixir - which I have tweaked to make it Reboot / Paleo friendly - by removing the cows milk and adding coconut or almond milk.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil or butter ghee
3 whole cloves
2 small sticks cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon or less of freshly grated nutmeg
3 pods cardamom or 1/4 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated/ground tumeric root or tumeric powder
1 teaspoon freshly crushed ginger root
2 cups (500ml) of either coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk

Optional
A few strands of saffron

Tip
When adding cardamom pods to any dish, it is recommended to slightly pop it "open" - peel it half open but yet, still keep it in the pod so that the seeds, which carry all the flavors are released in the dish being prepared.

Method
In a saucepan heat the coconut oil, add the whole spices, ginger and the tumeric. Mix well and immediately add the coconut milk or almond milk in the pan.  Bring it to a boil while stirring gently over a medium - high heat.

Once boiled, remove from heat and set aside, strain and pour into mugs.

Note
Sweetening is optional and it can be done using raw honey to keep it Paleo friendly. For Reboot, no sweetener allowed.

Picture courtesy Nutrition Stipped

Picture courtesy Nutrition Stipped

For any winter's day or evening this is divine! Cheers to good health! :-)