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.

 

Read Full Post »

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.

Read Full Post »

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 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

__________________________________________________________

Read Full Post »

Rosemary and Orange Sunday Roast Chicken

 

 

Rosemary is probably one of the greatest herbs to compliment a Roast Chicken, pair it with Oranges and you have a winner Sunday Roast without much effort.

I’ts been said that a thriving Rosemary bush in a family garden indicates a female head of the household. Well I’ve got 3 different variations of Rosemary (Pink, blue and white)  growing in my garden and boy oh boy are they thriving!  Seems my husband’s allegations of me constantly wanting to wear the pants in the house might not be all that wrong.

Rosemary is also associated with memory were in ancient Greece students would adorn their hair with sprigs of Rosemary while studying….now I’m just wondering  how I would look attending my meetings with Rosemary in my hair, Greek Goddess!

And don’t forget that a sprig of Rosemary under your pillow will protect you from evil spirits and nightmares.

Recipe 

1 Whole Chicken 

Juice of 2 fresh oranges  

15 ml Robertson’s Chicken spices 

1 Sprig of Rosemary 

600 g Baby potatoes 

Rinse Chicken and rub with the Chicken Spices, place in your Roasting pan (with lid). 

Cut the Rosemary sprig in 3  pieces and place in the Roasting pan with the Chicken. 

Peel baby potatoes and add to the pan. 

Add juice of 2 oranges over the Chicken and the potatoes, place lid on and bake in 180 degrees oven for +-  1 1/2 – 2 hours until Chicken are super moist and soft and golden brown. 

Read Full Post »

Healthy Energy Bars

I firmly believe that one should have a little treat while on any diet or healthy eating program.

Why? Because we are human and we humans like sweet chocolate things! That’s it.

This is a great lunch box treat and it also qualifies for that chocolate graving attacks that sneaks up on you after eight at night just before bedtime, and that’s normally the time that my mind and body is divided in thought. If you ever had to talk yourself out of a slice of toast before bedtime you would understand what I mean!

I love this recipe because it contains all healthy ingredients, no sugar, just the natural sweetness of the dates and a crunchy bite from the nuts.

I have successfully halved the recipe since pitted dates only come in 250 g packets and because our family only consists of 3 minus the grumpy one that doesn’t have a sweet tooth at all!

Recipe

300 g moist pitted dates – roughly chopped

250 g Cashew nuts

100 g Raw Almonds

50 g Cocoa Powder

a Pinch of Salt

2 – 3 tbs cold water

Spray a cookie sheet/tray with a non-stick spray.

Pulse the chopped dates, nuts, cocoa powder and salt in a food processor and process until the texture is coarse.

Add a little water at time until it forms a dough ball in the food processor. The consistency should still be fairly dry. Press into the pan and cut into squares. Chill for at least an hour in the refrigerator. Keep bars chilled in an airtight container.

Tips

__________________________________________

Add 50 g of desiccated coconut to the mixture. 

____________________

Read Full Post »

Whey Protein, Oats & Banana pancakes

Well as you can see I got stuck on the oats pancake recipes! This batch was super good and super yummy. I’ve added Whey protein for that extra protein punch and a banana plus fructose to sweeten things up a bit. As with any eating clean diet you can really only eat so much oats and egg whites for breakfast, this is a great alternative for that once in a while treat, quilt free off course! The Whey Protein powder is optional and won’t make any difference to your pancakes as per the previous blog entry. I’ve used Chocolate Whey Protein  powder but you could use Vanilla flavor too. The pancakes tend to brown very quick and because I’m no food expert I will guess that it could be from either the fructose or the Whey protein powder in the batter, simply cook them on a lower heat.  Add some healthy fat in the form of peanut butter and enjoy with a cup of coffee for a great breakfast after that power workout!

Ingredients

1 Cup fat-free milk / water

3/4 cup Uncooked Oats

1 cup Oatmeal Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbs Fructose

4 Large eggs whites

1 small banana mashed

2 scoops of Whey protein powder (Optional)

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Directions

Heat the milk or water until hot. Stir in the oats and set aside. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and stir into the oatmeal and milk mixture. Mix in the mashed banana and the egg whites until mixture is well blended. Spray a pan with nonstick spray and cook the pancakes until browned on both sides. If the batter is a bit thick simply add a little milk or water.

Read Full Post »

Healthy Oatmeal Pancakes

Well I’m not exactly sure how it happened but apparently I haven’t been blogging for the last 6 weeks, strange really! Anyway somehow I got caught up with work and other important stuff like exercising, I decided to join the gym which is a bit of a challenge for me with my working hours, dropping kids off for school and the traveling but if you really, really, really want something you somehow make the time for it.

Also decided I’m done with the bad starch and wow, I can actually see results. I only have oatmeal for breakfast instead of toast so I did some experimenting with the oats this morning and came across this great Healthy Oatmeal pancake recipe, not only are they sugar and wheat free they are also low in fat and high in protein!

Drizzle some honey over and enjoy with some fruit for a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Ingredients

1 Cup fat-free milk / water

3/4 cup Uncooked Oats

3/4 Oatmeal Flour (see how to make below)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

4 Large eggs whites

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Directions

Heat the milk or water until hot. Stir in the oats and set aside. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Mix the remaining dry ingredients together and stir into the oatmeal and milk mixture. Fold in the egg whites until mixture is well blended. Spray a pan with nonstick spray and cook the pancakes until browned on both sides. If the batter is a bit thick simply add a little milk or water.

Tips

___________________________________________________________

Make your own oatmeal flour by whisking up a cup of plain oats in a food processor for a minute or two until it is the same consistency of flour.

Add 1-2 scoops of protein powder to the batter, increase the liquid in the batter.

_________________________________

Read Full Post »

Green bean Dish

Green beans is one of my favorite veggies.  When ever my mother use to cook Sunday Lunch I would usually sneak into the kitchen to have a slice of brown bread with thick butter and a tablespoon of the mashed green beans and potatoes on top of my bread. That “stolen” tablespoon of beans hit the spot every time!

This is a healthier version and serves as your veggie and starch portion. It’s also delicious eaten as a vegetarian dish on its own. If you don’t want the starch you can have it without the potatoes.

Serve 6 (as a side dish)

1 packet of green beans +- 400 g - 500 g

1 onions sliced

2 tomatoes cubed

1 punnet of button mushrooms

5 ml Robertson’s vegetable spices

2 – 3 potatoes peeled and cubed

Olive oil for frying

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash your green beans and cut them in half. Cook with the peeled and cubed potatoes over medium heat until soft. Strain and set aside.

In a pan fry the onions with the vegetable spices in a little olive oil until soft. Add the mushrooms and fry for another few minutes. Add the Tomato cubes stirring continuously allowing the tomatoes to break down and forming a little bit of a sauce.

Add the potatoes and the green beans to the tomato mixture and stir through making sure the beans and the potatoes are all coated in the tomato sauce. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Turn the heat off, cover pan with a lid. Serve warm.

Tips

________________________________________________________________

For a little Indulgence add +- 150 ml of fresh cream to the beans and heat through just before serving.

Add chillies for a spicy kick!

____________________________________________

Read Full Post »

Low fat – Creamy Spinach and Feta Soup

We’ve had some really strange weather today, a sudden storm and a lot of rain, not that I’m complaining at all.

I love the rain and the cold weather. With the cold weather comes all my favorite things in life: Hot soups, a steaming mug of hot chocolate, curling up in front of the television with a nice blanket watching your favorite show, cuddling, boots, scarfs, hot stews, early nights, and the list goes on and on!

I love making my Creamy spinach and Feta soup on cold rainy evenings, it’s done under a hour and it taste delicious served with a toasted french loaf or rye bread on the side.

I’ve received the original recipe from a farmer that was one of our clients at the previous company I used to work for. He always told me that his wife makes the Best ever spinach soup! I have replaced the cream with 2 % low-fat milk for a much healthier option and I’ve replace the packet of white onion soup with plain flour.

Serve 6

1 medium onion chopped

Olive oil for frying

1 bunch of spinach (+ – 300g)

1 large potato, peeled and cubed

1 liter of Chicken stock or water

500 ml 2% low fat milk

500 ml of water

60 ml flour

salt and pepper to taste

5 ml celery salt

1 wheel of feta cheese

Fry the onions in a large pot with a little olive oil until soft. Add the chopped spinach to the onions frying it for a minute or two until the spinach have wilted. Add the potato, celery salt and chicken stock to the pot and cook with the lid on until the potatoes are soft. (by now some of the liquid would have evaporated.)

Mix the milk and flour and add soup mix in the pot. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and stir continuously until the soup have thickened, be careful as the soup will splatter. Believe me I have a scar to proof it!

If the soup is a little thin to your liking add some more flour mixed with a little milk.

Season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle some feta cheese as garnish on top of the hot soup.

Tips

__________________________________________________________________________________

You could add bacon or Chicken to this soup for a nice variation.

Fry 2 gloves of chopped garlic with the onions.

______________________________________

Read Full Post »

Healthy oven baked Chimichangas

Fancy a healthy Chimichanga? Try this oven baked whole-wheat and poppy-seed tortilla. Great for lunch and quick and easy to make when you have your prepared tortilla’s ready.

I usually bake a batch of whole-wheat Torilla’s and freeze them to use them later in the week. Use shop bought Tortillas if you are pressed for time, although I could promise you that once you’ve made your own tortillas you will never buy them again.

My recipe calls for whole-wheat flour and poppy seeds bu you could replace it with plain flour instead if you prefer.

Breakfast on the run? than have a look at my previous post for healthy Breakfast Wraps. 

Whole-wheat , poppy seed Tortilla Wrap 

Makes 12 Tortillas

500 g Brown Bread Flour
5 ml Baking powder
2 ml Salt
10 ml Poppy Seed (optional)
60 ml Butter
225 ml Warm water

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter and rub in with your fingertips to resemble   coarse breadcrumbs. Add water and mix until well combined. Turn onto a floured surface and knead for two minutes until dough is smooth.
2. Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll into a ball. Place onto a floured baking tray and cover with a damp cloth. Leave to rest for one hour.
3. Roll each ball out onto a lightly floured surface to form very thin circles.
4. Heat a heavy-base frying pan over high heat and place one tortilla int he pan.
5. Cook for four to six seconds, then turn over and cook for another five seconds. Remove from the pan and cover with a dishcloth. Cook remaining tortillas, keeping the pile wrapped until they are all are cooked.

Filling  

Serve 6

500g Minced beef

5 ml paprika

1 onion sliced

1 red chilli (optional)

2 Tomatoes cubed

2 tbs Tomato paste

1 tbs Sugar

1 – 2 cups  Cheddar Cheese grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil for frying

In a frying pan fry your Sliced onions until soft, add the Beef mince and the Paprika and brown. Add the Chilli and the tomatoes and fry for another few minutes, stirring the mixture allowing the tomatoes to break up. Add the tomato paste and the sugar and a enough water to form a sauce. Gently cook for a minute or two.  Season to taste with Salt and pepper.

Assemble your Chimichanga by placing some of the grated cheese in the middle of the flour tortilla. Add the meat on top of your cheese. Now fold the top part over the meat mixture and fold the bottom part over your top part.  Close your Chimichanga by folding the left and right sides over to the middle. Place your Chimichanga with the folded sides facing down onto your baking tray and bake for +- 10 minutes until brown on top.  Place on a bed of greens and enjoy with quaqamole. 

Read Full Post »