Because Breakfast should not be boring!

Please, not another day of oatmeal….

Yip, that was my thought exactly, so instead I’ve decided to indulge in a healthy high protein egg white omelette with a spinach, mushroom and cheese filling.  And to round it of  I’ve sprinkled some roasted black sesame seeds on top.

I almost forgot I had these black sesame seeds in my pantry, off course I’m obsessed with it now, they are just so darn pretty! don’t you agree?

Now go on! have some eggs for breakfast and remember omelets is great for supper too.

Recipe 

 

 

yields 2 omelets 

4 egg whites and two whole eggs

90 ml water

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of frozen or freshly chopped spinach

1/2 punnet of mushrooms sliced

1/2 onion

60 g  low-fat  cheese

Olive oil

tbs sesame seeds (roasted over a dry hot pan)

Fry your onions and mushrooms in a separate pan until brown and cooked through add the spinach and fry for another minute or two and set aside.

Beat the eggs and water together in a bowl and flavour with salt and pepper to taste.

Heat your egg pan and add some olive oil.

Add half of the egg mixture in your pan, cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the egg sets but still soft and moist on top.

Add half of the mushroom mixture and half of the cheese on one half of the omelette.

Flip other half over and fry for another 30 seconds until the cheese is melted.

Repeat process with rest of the mixture for the second omelet.

Serve hot and sprinkle with some sesame seeds before serving.

Now go on! have a omelette for supper too.

 

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Low fat – Green Thai Curry Chicken

Anyone suffering from Alektrophobia?

I nearly passed out laughing about this very unusual phobia.  Alektrophobia is the fear of  Chickens.

I Remember my dad never ate Chicken, he couldn’t stomach the though of having Chicken for Supper as he witnessed a Chicken being  slaughtered as a child.

If you enjoy low-fat, healthy Chicken with a good dose of spice and the strong flavour of curry than this recipe is a keeper!

Recipe 

500 g Chicken strips

1 onion sliced

1 punnet of button Mushrooms

1 Cup of Green, yellow and rep peppers (half of each color pepper cut into Julienne slices)

15 ml olive oil

2 tsp Green Thai Curry paste (See tips below)

1 small tin of low-fat coconut milk +- 100 ml

Salt and pepper to taste

5 ml Vegetable spices (optional)

Fry your sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers and Vegetable spices in the olive oil  for +- 5 minutes.

Add Chicken Strips, and fry until the Chicken are cooked through.

Add the green Thai curry paste and mix through, pour the coconut milk over and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with Basmati rice.

A healthy low-fat meal that is cooked in 30 minutes, the left overs makes for a great lunch the next day.

Enjoy!

Tips 

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Remember the more Green Thai Curry paste you use the stronger and hotter the taste will be. If you don’t like too spicy food add less curry paste to the dish.

The coconut milk balance the strong flavours of the curry and also forms a lovely sauce for the dish.

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Homemade Hummus

Adapt or die is something our Highveld woman knows all to well.

It is not uncommon for us to substitute ingredients as you never find ingredients you need in our shops.

Because I love Hummus so, so much I had to alter the original recipe a bit as it is such a waste for me to buy a huge bottle of tahini  to only use 2 tbsp every time I make hummus. Because just how much tahini can one eat, right?

I’ve replaced the Tahini paste and Olive oil with Sesameaseed oil as Tahini is made of sesame seeds, at least the Sesame seed oil last longer in my pantry as I can use it in my stir fry’s ever so often.

The fat content of this recipe is much lower as I only use 3 tbs of sesame oil. Keep refrigerated and use within a week.

Hummus 

1 glove of garlic

3 tbsp Sesame seed oil

2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed is the best!)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed

+- 2tbsp water

Salt and black pepper to taste

In a blender chop the garlic, sesame seed oil, and lemon juice. Add the chickpeas and pulse for +- 1 minute.

Add +- 2 tbsp of water to the mixture and pulsate for another 1-2 minutes.

The water makes the hummus more creamier since we have reduced the oil in the recipe.

Season with salt and pepper and enjoy with crackers, instead of butter on pita’s  or sandwiches or as a dip for raw veggies.

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Curry Chicken fillets with Chutney and Coconut

This is not your typical “Kerk bazaar” (Church fete’) Curry and rice recipe, but I’ve tried to adopt a much healthier version for an old classic.

Traditional Curry and Rice, as our  South African folks would tell you consists of Curry Mince / lamb with added vegetables such as carrots, potatoes or peas over a bowl of white long grain rice.  Don’t confuse this curry with your traditional Indian curries, they are two completely different meals.

At any good Church Fete’ you would have the additional trimmings to enrich your (plastic) bowl of curry.

First you have your bowl of sliced bananas mixed with mayonnaise and a tad bit of condensed milk that you would spoon over your curry, more than 2 tablespoons is considered rude as you need to keep in mind that everyone else in line behind you also want some.  If you are brave enough and don’t mind the church aunties giving you a dirty look than go ahead, have another table-spoon!

Secondly comes the Tomato Sambal that normally consists of diced Tomato and onions with a dash of salt and pepper.

Then comes the ever popular Mrs. Balls chutney, one tablespoon is efficient and lastly,  a healthy heaped teaspoon of desiccated coconut is added on top.

My husband and son loves mixing everything together before they eat it, I prefer eating it as is,  in layers.

For the recipe below I’ve used Chicken breast which I’ve  marinated in a Curry yogurt marinade. The white rice is replaced with brown rice for a healthier option and low-fat mayonnaise and low-fat chutney was used.

A great mock recipe that fools the taste buds but still pleases the senses.

Enjoy!

Curry Chicken Fillets

400 g – 500 g Chicken Breasts (sliced in half-length ways)

175 ml plain yogurt

2 tsp curry powder

or alternatively mix your own curry powder

(1 tsp Dahnia and Jeera powder mix, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/2 tsp ginger powder)

salt and pepper to taste

Cut chicken fillets length ways in half and pound the chicken fillets gently between two sheets of cling film.

Mix the curry, salt and pepper and the yogurt together. Rub the yogurt mix over the chicken breast and pour the rest of the mixture over the chicken in a container and marinate over night or at least 3 hours before cooking.

Grill chicken fillets in a pan with a little olive oil until done. Serve with the following side dishes

Cooked brown rice 

Tomato and Onion Sambal 

Chop 3 firm tomatoes and 1/2 onion , season with salt and black pepper

Banana and mayonnaise 

Slice 2 bananas and mix with 4 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise

Serve Chicken breast with a dollop of Chutney and a teaspoon of desiccated coconut on top besides the side dished on your plate.

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Low GI Carrot Cake

 

Carrot Cake anyone?

Made this a few months ago and never got time to post it…story of my life!

I’ve been crazy busy and somehow got lost in work and other chores and as usual you get up one morning and realize you feel like you do because again you put other people’s needs in front of your own.

Isn’t it just a curse. Well I’m claiming back my time!  that means I’m going to make time to blog, play Golf, and get my house in order (so much pins that I want to try out…Yes you know what I’m talking about my fellow pinterest junkies )

Anyhow, try this gorgeous moist low GI carrot cake, to die for!

Ingredients

200 ml (180g) “lite” margarine

250 ml (1 cup) castor sugar

3 eggs ( 2 whole eggs + 1 egg white)

250 ml  (1 cup) cake flour, sifted before measuring

pinch of salt

5 ml (1 t) bicarbonate of soda

10 ml (2t) baking powder

7 ml (1 1/2 t ) ground cinnamon

2 ml (1/2t) ground nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

250 ml (1 cup) oatbran

125 ml (1/2 cup) grated carrot

1 grated apple

150 ml (3/5 cup) sultanas

Icing

250 ml (1 tub) cottage cheese

* I’ve use kraft’s less fat cream cheese in my recipe

60 ml (4 t) icing sugar

5 ml (1 t) vanilla essence

Cream margarine and sugar together 

in a separate bowl, sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate, spices and baking powder together. Add oatbran, lifting the mixture with a spoon to incorporate air.

To the margarine and sugar, add eggs one by one, adding 2 or 3 tablespoons dry ingredients with each egg. Beat no more than 1 minute after each addition.

Stir the rest of the dry ingredients into the egg mixture using a wooden spoon. Fold in the raw carrots, apple and sultanas.

Place in a greased 25 cm round cake tin and bake at 160 degrees for 30 – 45 minutes. leave to cool completely.

Mix ingredients for the icing and spread over the cake.

 

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Quinoa and Beef Salad – High protein lunch

Did you know that Quinoa is in fact a seed and not a grain?

I’ts high in protein, good news for body builders, fitness fanatics and vegetarians and it’s also gluten-free.

I love the texture of Quinoa, it’s very similar to couscous although you cook it like you would cook rice.

Try this high protein salad for lunch, a great and filling super food for when you hitting the Gym in the afternoon!

Ingredients 

500 g Beef cut into thin strips

1  1/2 cups of cooked Quinoa

3 tbs of Olives (pitted and sliced)

1/2 cup of cooked Corn

3 sprigs of spring onion

1/2 onion finely diced

Salt to taste

Olive oil for frying

15 ml of Salad Dressing of your choice

Fry the onion and the beef  in  a little olive oil, set aside. Chop the spring onions and add to beef. In salad bowl mix together the remainder of the ingredients adding the beef last. Add Salad dressing of your choice and mix through one last time.

Serve hot or cold.

Tips

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Quinoa contains a chemical called saponin that has a bitter soapy taste. Most commercial Quinoa will already be washed, but it’s a good idea to rinse it before you use it in case there are residues.

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Healthy Bites – Bell peppers with Cottage Cheese and Olives

 

Now who doesn’t like snacking, how about a healthy little bite with crunch to keep the hunger at bay until your next meal.

Try this Bell pepper and smooth Cottage Cheese with Olives. I’ve used Jalapeno and Cheese flavoured low fat Cottage cheese for some added flavour but you can also use Hummus instead.

Simply cut a red, yellow and green pepper into fingers and top with a dollop of Cottage cheese, place an Olive on top and voila!

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Fat free, Sugar free Jelly glasses

Desserts, this can be a tricky one since the most enjoyable desserts are high in fat.

Here is a healthy alternative, sugar-free, fat-free jelly in two-tone, served with a piece of canned fruit (in juice not syrup) at the bottom of the glass. Just enough to hit that sweet spot.

Serve it in your prettiest glasses, you can also add a  dollop of low-fat custard to the top.

Watch out for the Fat free Jellies at your local grocer, I love this Simply delish Zero range. It needs no refrigeration, it’s suitable for vegetarians and diabetics, I’ts Gelatine free (Halaal approved), Tartarzine free with no added preservatives….did I mention it’s fat-free and sugar-free?  and most importantly it taste great.

 

 

Ingredients 

2 different packets of Jelly

I’ve used Pineapple and Cherry flavour.

1 tin of fruit pieces in juice

Make jelly according to the instructions on the back of the packet.

Place fruit on the bottom of your glasses, I’ve use a Pear and a cherry for each glass. Pour the Pineapple jelly half way into your glass. In the meantime vigorously mix the cherry jelly with an electric beater until the jelly are full of air bubbles and foamy. Top the glass with the rest of the cherry jelly and let it set. Chill in the fridge until serving.

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Healthy Hake Fish Cakes

 

What to do with Hake?

My husband is a Salmon kinda guy and I’m Hake kinda girl.  I love fish cakes but the problem with most recipes is the high carbohydrate content with all the added flour and breadcrumbs.

I’ve adjusted the recipe accordingly and it was still pretty darn good, the mere thought of having a healthy fish cake was enough to make me smile.

Because I’ve used my carbohydrate portion for the fish cakes I only had salad with the fish cakes for supper. The left over Fish cakes was great for lunch the next day.

I’ve served the fish cakes with a sprinkling of Chopped up Fennel fond, what a taste sensassion!

Ingredients

Yields +- 15 Fish cakes 

500 g hake fillets (skinless and deboned) completely thawed.

2 shallots finely chopped

4 sprigs of spring onion chopped

8 baby potatoes peeled and boiled until soft

1 whole egg mixed

2 tbs flour

5 ml salt

5 ml Lemon juice

Olive oil for frying

For Garnish

20 ml Chopped fennel fond / Dill

Use a non-stick pan for these fish cakes.

Break up the hake fillets with a fork and sqeese  out most of the water out, add to your mixing bowl.  Add the cooked baby potatoes with the fish and mash together. Add the rest of the ingredients to the fish and the potato mixture and mix through.

Heat your non stick pan and add a little olive oil. Form small balls (about the size of Golf ball) with your hands and flatten.

Fry a few at a time in until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with a hearty Salad.

Tips 

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What is Fennel fonds? It is the top leaves of the fennel plant that have a distinct liquirice taste. You can also use Dill instead of Fennel with any fish dish.

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Low fat – Spicy Chicken Kebabs with Savoury herb rice

I think the idea of going on holiday have finally hit home with me, only 56 days to go!

With that happy thought also comes a bit of beach body anxiety, I’m still have 6 kg to lose before my reaching my goal weight and with all the work stress and other nonsense I tend to lose focus a bit.

I have been going strong with the exercise but I still have days where my training session needs to take the back seat over deadlines and family responsibilities….so dissapointing at times, but such is life.

As they say, a flat stomach happens in the kitchen and I have finally made peace with the idea of having Chicken and Fish 5 times a week instead of red meat, in fact not having Chicken daily makes me a bit nervous.

Off course eating Chicken fillets day in and day out soon becomes boring and then you have to put your thinking hat on to zoosh up something out of the ordinary to keep the family happy.

I’ve made these Spicy Chicken kebab’s last week. Marinating the Chicken overnight really made the meat moist and succulent and full of flavour.

Ingredients For Spicy Chicken Kebabs

500 g Chicken fillets

1 onion

1 red / Yellow pepper

1 green pepper

175 ml plain yogurt

1/2 tsp Masala powder

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Jeera & Dhania mix powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Salt

1 Green Chilli seeded and chopped finely (optional)

Bamboo Skewers

Cut the Chicken fillets in bite size pieces and set aside. Cut the onion and Peppers in blocks and tread the meat alternatively with a piece of Onion and Peppers onto the Skewers. Place kebabs in an airtight container.

 Mix all the spices and the Chilli with the plain Yogurt and pour over the chicken Kebabs making sure every one is covered with the marinate by rubbing it onto each kebab with your hands.

Marinate Chicken Kebabs overnight (or at least 3 hours) and fry in a pan with a little olive oil until the chicken is done and browned on all sides.

Ingredients for the Savoury rice 

1 Cup of Basmati rice

Salt to taste

1 tsp Veggie Spices (I’ve used Ina Parmaan’s veggie spice)

2 sprigs of fresh Thyme

1/2 onion sliced

1 punnet of mushrooms

15 ml Garlic and Parsley butter

Cook the Basmati rice with Veggie spices as you would normally cook your rice, set aside.

Fry the onions, mushrooms and Thyme with the Garlic and Parsley butter.

Mix the mushroom mix with the rice and serve with the Kebabs.

Tips 

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If you don’t have the above spices available you can use 15 ml curry powder instead. 

Use 5 ml dried Thyme if you can’t get any fresh Thyme for the savoury rice 

Soaking the bamboo skewers in water before hand will prevent them from burning when roasting Kebabs on the grill or in the oven. 

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