You can’t be in the Merry Berry Month of May and not have a strawberry recipe. This one is an absolute gem, too. How can something look so good and be so low in fat?! Well believe me it can. This beautifully light and fruity cake is decadent yet dainty. You’ll wow your friends with this timeless masterpiece.

Recently, we went to my in-laws home in the country for a long weekend. They subscribe to a number of great magazines and newspapers which I love to pour through when I’m visiting. This time I saturated myself in Good Housekeeping magazine and its endless tried and tested recipes. I came home with at least 6 new recipes to try but none was more exciting than this gateau. I couldn’t wait for a reason to make it. It was an absolute stunner and I promise that if you make this, your family and friends will be shocked when you tell them that it has only 136 calories and 1 gram of fat! Crazy, right?!

PLEASE NOTE:

1. This recipe MUST be made a day in advance. It isn’t a particularly complicated recipe but it does need at least 8 hours to set.
2. It works best if you use an 8 inch round cake pan with a removable bottom.

Ingredients:

For the cake:
Butter
1/2 cup or 50 grams self-rising flour
2 large eggs
1/4 cup or 50 grams caster (or superfine) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing (also known as Powdered or Confectioners’) sugar for dusting

For the filling:
2 cups or 500 grams 0% fat Greek yogurt (I suggest you use something like Dannon Oikos Plain Greek Nonfat Yogurt in the US or Total 0% Greek Yogurt in the UK)
9-10 small strawberries
3 sheets of leaf gelatine or 1.5 teaspoons powdered gelatin
10 oz or 284 gram jar of no sugar added strawberry jam (In the UK, Good Housekeeping suggests using St Dalfour Strawberry High Fruit Content Spread.  In the US you can use something like Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves)
1 large egg white

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C.

2. Use butter or vegetable fat to grease the cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.  Use flour to dust the inside of the pan.

3. Remove the yogurt from the fridge and set aside so it can sit and raise to room temperature.

4. Beat the eggs and caster sugar  together with an electric mixer (with a whisk attachment) until pale and fluffy.  Good Housekeeping says, “It should leave a trail that lasts about 5 seconds when beaters are lifted out of the mixture.” This took about 5-7 minutes.  Don’t panic just keep with it.  GH also suggests starting the mixer on lower and increasing the volume gradually for the fluffiest result.

5. Fold in the flour and vanilla gently with a large metal spoon until just combined.

6. Pour the cake batter into the pan and carefully level the mixture.

7. Bake for approximately 25 minutes until “risen and golden.”  Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes.

8. After 10 minutes, gently remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Make sure to peel off the parchment paper at this stage as GH says it will be harder to remove later.

9. Clean the cake pan.  GH suggests regreasing the pan before lining the side with parchment paper.  I did this but the butter hardened and it was hard to remove the parchment from the sides when the time came.  I personally suggest you just slightly dampen the sides of the cake pan with some water before lining.  This will help the lining stick but will evaporate while the gateau sets and should make it easier when you remove the pan from the gateau.  Leave the bottom clean and ungreased.

10. Once the cake has cooled completely, use a serrated knife (like a large bread knife) to carefully halve the cake horizontally. Take one half and place it cut-side up in the bottom of the cake pan.

11.  Now top, hull and halve the strawberries. Make sure you are using small strawberries as the filling will be less than 1 inch high.  What I didn’t do but I highly suggest is that after you’ve halved the strawberries you line them up and trim the tops again so all the strawberries are uniform in size.  This will help the top layer of your cake to sit evenly on the gateau.  You can save any of the excess strawberry bits (minus the green tops) to fold into the yogurt mixture below just before you add the egg white.  Or just snack on them as you go.  Hint:  A fun way to hull the strawberries is to pop a straw up from the bottom until the top pops off.

12.  Line the strawberries around the edge of the pan with the topside down and berries are side-by-side. The inside of the strawberries should be touching the parchment paper.

13. Follow the instructions now on how to prepare your gelatin. I used leaf gelatin so had to soak the sheets in cold water for approximately 5 minutes.

14. In a small pot warm your strawberry jam until runny.

15. Add the gelatin to the warm (but not boiling) jam.  If using leaf gelatin then make sure you squeeze out the water before adding to the jam.

16. Pour the jam in a heat-proof glass bowl and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

17. Once cooled stir the yogurt into the jam until combined.

18. In a separate bowl, whisk a large egg white until it holds soft peaks.

19. Quickly but gently fold the egg white into the yogurt and jam mixture until just combined.

20. Pour the mixture into the cake pan being careful not to knock any of the strawberries down.

21. Place the remaining cake half onto the gateau, cut-side down. Pressing down carefully.

22.  Chill the gateau in the fridge for at least 8 hours.

23.  When ready to serve remove the gateau from the pan and peel the parchment away.

24. Dust with sugar and serve.  Do not allow it to sit out too long, keeping any remaining cake chilled. Enjoy without guilt!

The fresh coffee flavour is crisp and cutting and really works with the sweet muskiness of the blueberries – particularly as they gain a slight sharpness during cooking! The hint of spices added joins the two flavours and warms the overall taste.

Definitely not the most attractive bowl of porridge but don’t let that put you off!

Blueberry Coffee Porridge (cooked on the stove)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 45-50g rolled porridge oats

1/2 cup / 120ml milk of your choice

1/2 cup brewed coffee (1 tsp of your favourite instant coffee granules with boiled water)

1/2 cup / 80g  fresh/frozen blueberries

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch ginger

tiny pinch salt

(optional: sweetener to taste e.g. tsp honey/syrup/brown sugar/sweetener)

Method:

1. Bring liquid to the boil in a saucepan (make sure the coffee mixture is not too hot!)

2. Add oats and reduce heat to medium – Take a deep breath and enjoy the gorgeous coffee aroma!

3. If you are using frozen blueberries add them now, along with the ginger and the cinnamon

4. Once the mixture has thickened add the salt. If you are using fresh blueberries add them now

5. Add any extra ingredients at this point (e.g. nuts, chocolate drops etc.)

6. Once the consistency is as you desire, transfer the porridge to a bowl. Serve with any other toppings you wish (e.g. splash milk, yogurt, nuts, – I mixed a handful of walnuts into mine)

7. Enjoy!

1/4 c fat-free ricotta cheese

1/4 c plain non-fat yogurt

1/2 c raspberries

1/4 c water

1/2 c skim milk

Approximately caloric information

Calories 340

Fat 2g

Sodium 463mg

Carbs 44g

Protein 34g

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Dairy-Free Margarine (such as Earth Balance Soy-Free) or Olive Oil
• 2 Medium Leeks, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds and halved (about 3 cups)
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Lemongrass or 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemongrass
• 4 Cups Vegetable Broth , v
• 1-1/2 lbs Russet Potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (skin on for that “rustic” part)
• 3/4 to 1 Teaspoon Salt, or to taste (I used 1 teaspoon total)
• 1/8 Teaspoon White Pepper (optional)
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat the margarine or oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the leeks and lemongrass and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the leeks soften quite a bit and just begin to brown.
3. Add the broth, deglazing the pan if needed, and bring the soup to a boil.
4. Add the potatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
5. The original recipe called for using an immersion blender, leaving some chunky, but I don’t have one. So I placed half of the soup in my blender, and carefully (make sure that lid is covered, you don’t want hot soup flying out!) whizzed it until creamy and relatively smooth. I then added this back to the pan along with the white pepper and gave it all a stir to combine.
6. Taste test and season to taste with more salt (I used another 1/2 t). If using black pepper, this is the time to add it, or you could let each person grind in their own.

Notes

This classic French dish is perfect as a side dish for an evening meal for two, or as a terrific first course for a party.

WILD MUSHROOM TERRINE
Services 6ish

1 pound wild mushrooms
4T butter, unsalted
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2t Dijon mustard
4 medium eggs
1C creme fraiche, or sour cream if not available, NOT low fat
1 pinch nutmeg
2T parsley, chopped
salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 325F. Line 2, 8oz., or 1, one pound loaf pan with parchment paper.

Clean the mushrooms thoroughly, then roughly chop them to uniform size. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then saute the shallots and garlic. When you see the shallots taking on some color, add the mushrooms and saute for about 10 minutes. You want the mushrooms to give up their liquid. (If need be, saute the mushrooms in two batches).

Meanwhile, beat the eggs together with the creme fraiche and mustard. Add the nutmeg and parsley, season with salt and pepper.

Remove the mushroom mixture from the skillet with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid behind, then divide into the pans. Pour the creme fraiche mixture over the mushrooms and bake for about 15 minutes, or until set. Let cool slightly, or chill for later. This is best served at room temperature.

Calories: 21, Satfat: 9.97, Carbs: 6.16, Fiber: 0.62, Sugar: 0

Recipe: Rachael Khoo, The Little Paris Kitchen
Photo, courtesy Quinncreative.com

Kent McDonald is a Certified Personal Chef, specializing in cooking for diabetics, living and working on Phoenix, AZ. (c) All Rights Reserved, 2013

Aaah the meal plan is before us again.
Is it just me or do the weeks seem to be coming in quicker and quicker?
Look it’s almost nearly the end of May, and alas, still no sign of summer .

This weeks meal plan comes to you from the dark depths of my freezer.
It’s time I was whittling the food down so I can fill it with BBQ food ready for summer days, well I can live in hope.

Some of options aren’t going to be the healthiest, but I will be cutting the potion size down to, kind of, make up for that. And load my plate with veg or salad.

Here goes

Baked potato with cheese, tuna and salad.
Homemade chilli and rice.
Butter chicken (pataks sauce)
Pork chops (unsure of how I’m doing them yet)
Chicken and bacon lattice
Homemade steak pie
Chicken quarter pounders with salad

Like I said, it’s a proper freezer raid. And I’ll be a few steps closer to emptying the freezer

Hop on over to Mrs M for more inspiration.

Basil Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 c. finely chopped green or red onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
100 grams Boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cubed
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Directions

Warm large skillet to medium-high heat. Sauté the onions and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes, chicken, basil, salt and hot pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium, and cover skillet.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot and tomatoes are soft.

• 1 low sodium taco seasoning mix package
• 2  8 oz containers of fat free cream cheese
• 1 can of fat free vegeterian refried beans
• 8 oz of prepared salsa
• 1 cup of shredded lettuce
• 1 chopped tomato
• 7 oz bag of fat free cheddar cheese
• sliced black olives and  sliced jalapeños (optional)

With a mixer, mix the the taco seasoning and the cream cheese together. Spread in the bottom of a large plate or platter.  Cool in the fridge for 15 minutes. Top with the refried beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, and cheese (and olives and ja jalapeño  if desired). Serve with chips of your choice or veggies.

We all have a sweet-tooth and crave something tasty every now & then. I am not the biggest fan of sponge cakes, I prefer an Apple pie, Cheesecake or a South African favourite; Melktert. I think I discovered the perfect combination by creating my own “skinny cheesecake” with fresh kiwi on top.

We hosted a dinner party during the week and had the opportunity to test out my own recipe. As always, I try to keep my recipes as simple as possible and aim to cut some Calories in the process.

Ingredients:

{Filling}

• 250g x Woolworths Low Fat Cream Cheese
• ½ Cup x Organic Brown sugar
• 3 x Eggs
• 1 tsp x Lemon zest
• 1 tsp x Baking Powder
• 1 tsp x Vanilla Essence
• 1Tbspn x Lemon Juice
• 3 x Kiwi fruit

{Crust}

• 1 C x Woolworths Slimmer Choice Baked Muesli
• 1 Tbspn x Honey
• 1 tsp x Cinnamon

Method:

{Crust} – Pour the cup of Muesli into a plastic bag and beat with a rolling pin until it is finely crushed. Add the honey and stir into the muesli coating it. Heat a pan and slightly roast the honey coated muesli.

Line a baking pan and spray with non-stick cooking oil. Scoop roasted muesli out and cover surface of baking pan.

{Filling} – Start by heating the oven to 160 ⁰ Degrees {Lower temperature, but longer cooking time}.  Add Eggs, Vanilla essence, lemon juice and sugar together in a food blender and mix until smooth. Scoop the entire tub of Woolworths Low Fat Cream Cheese and mix again to form a smooth patter. Pour the mixture over the crust in the pan.

Place in the oven for 40-45 minutes. {Prick with a fork to feel if it’s firm.} Once fully baked, take it out of the oven and place on a rack to cool down. Once the cake has cooled place in the fridge for about 3 hours. <- Yes, all good things take time! Remove from the fridge a half an hour before serving. Cut the kiwi fruit in to slices and place on top.

Tip: If you are use to eating thick cream or ice cream with your slice of cake, how about trying an healthier alternative? Take Fresh Ayrshire Reduced fat Cream +  castor sugar and beat until thick & creamy.

Ready to give this skinny lady a go?

A few notes to remember: prepare well in advance. The secret to the cheesecake is the few hours in the fridge. Be adventurous and use different fruit for toppings. Always remember to use fruits that are in-season, fresh and full of flavour! The last tip; cut and enjoy!

Do you ever need a chocolate fix that won’t leave you feeling guilty after indulging?

These cupcakes(or “pup cakes” as the little one calls them) are the way to go for you then. So moist and delicious no one will know their low fat OR whole grain!! One of my cousins brought these to a family pot luck a few years ago and they have been one of my go to chocolate desserts ever since.  I make them a couple of different ways, one is with the chocolate icing for a serious chocolate fix and the other is with fluffy delicious seven minute frosting that has more of a marshmallow texture.  Brian storm, these need a squirt of the 7 min icing inside and chocolate frosting on top kind of like a Hostess treat I used to know….gonna need to try that! Either way both are excellent!

Makes 10-12 cup cakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup water, or leftover coffee

1/2 cup all natural unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 egg

1/2 cup light or fat free sour cream, yogurt, or greek yogurt, whatever you have handy

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350′F

In a large bowl combine water(or coffee), applesauce, and cocoa powder and mix until combined

Add the egg and sour cream to the wet mix and beat on a low speed until combined

In another meduim bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in thirds at a low speed on your mixer just until combined.

Don’t mix too long or your cakes will be tough.  You can also mix by hand if you like, just take care to make sure all the lumps are mixed in.

The batter will be a little on the liquidy side.

Line or grease your muffin tins and pour or scoop the batter into your muffin pans, whichever you prefer.

Bake cupcakes for 18-20 min, but start checking around 15 min depending on your oven.

Chocolate Icing:

5 TBSP Butter

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

5 TBSP cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

2-4 TBSP milk, start with 2 and see how your icing looks, it should be thick but spreadable.  Add more milk a little at a time depending on what your icing looks like. Powdered sugar can be a bit tricky sometimes and is inconsistent in texture. It’s always best to go with the less-is-more philosophy when making icing.

Seven Minute Frosting:

from Dinners for Winners

3/4 cup sugar

2 TBSP water

1 TBSP corn starch

3 large egg whites at room temperature

Bring water, corn syrup, and sugar to a boil in a heavy sauce pan, stirring, making sure sugar dissolves

Once boiling cook without stirring until 230′F on a candy thermometer, occasionally wash down the sides of sauce pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming.

Meanwhile, whisk egg whites in a stand mixer until soft peaks form.  As soon as the sugary syrup reaches 230′F with the stand mixer running, pour a steady stream down the side of the mixing bowl really slowly. Once you’re finished pouring raise mixer speed to high and beat until thick, shiny and cooled for approximately 7 minutes.  Turn off mixer and you’re done. Now to ice those cupcakes and enjoy!

But those have rules as well:

• No white breads
• No normal noodles
• Always going for whole grain if possible
• No tons of potatoes and other starchy veggies
• No sugar in sauces
• Still not overly fatty or greasy
• No ready meals
• No fast food

So it is going to be a special meal but it won’t ruin all the previous success. Pigging out like having a regular cheat day makes no sense. The metabolism changes and adjusts to the new way of eating, and it is disturbing if you pig out completely.
I tried the cheat day method before. It always made me gain weight back (in one day!!) and I didn’t even feel well. While I was able to eat what I wanted, I always felt sick afterwards, got a headache or felt heavy. So no cheat days but simply some common sense.

No starchy foods:
I will avoid starchy fruits such as potatoes, rice, kidney beans, bananas, avocados, and such.
I am not going to make exceptions because I know from past experience that if I make an exception once I will make it more and more often.

No added sugars:
I will not buy products with added sugars and I will not add sugar into my food.
Not only is sugar pure carbohydrate, the human body doesn’t need added sugar if it gets a healthy, balanced diet.

No bread and noodles:
I am not going to buy any white breads or noodles. That being said, I might, in very rare cases have some whole grain bread or pumpernickel. But this will be a very rare case, and most likely only on days where I work out more than usual.

Low fat products:
I am not buying full fat milk, yoghurt, or cheese. I am not buying cream or whipping cream. I am also not buying saussages, bacon or other fatty or oily foods.

No oil/fat for cooking:
I am not going to fry any food. In order to have food not stick, I will only rub the floor of the pan with a slightly oiled paper towel.

Taking care of my sweet tooth:
I love sweet things so I am sweetening with artificial sweetener. I will make some sweet treats of my own so they don’t have sugar in them.

Juice:
I am going to drink small amounts of juice. Basically I am making sure that I get all vitamines I need. For this purpose I chose high quality juice with no added sugars. Buying the juice I paid attention to the carbs. I wanted that number to be lower than 10g for 100ml.

Carbs once a week:
I am going to cook food with carbs once a week. For this one meal I will still not overdo it, because stuffing my mouth with a lot of starchy foods might make me gain weight that I lost with a lot of effort. Also those will only be good quality carbs. (See my post “Carbs once a week”)

No torture when invited:
When I am invited, I will not torture myself but enjoy the day. I will eat the cake provided or the creamy soup or whatever is being offered to me. I will still try to politely stay away from stuff that really isn’t necessary (like bread). (See my post “Invitations”)

Shakeology~ Maple Pecan Nutter

1 Tbsp. peanut butter

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

8 pecan halves

1 c water

Approximately Calorie information

Calories: 354

Fat 15g

Sodium 226g

Carbs 34g

Protein 21g

This is the easiest dressing ever…no electrical appliances needed, four ingredients. The ingredients and the way it is prepared are just about as healthy as it gets!
Fresh Lemon Juice is a known anti-oxidant, full of vitamin C, digestive,good for the heart,a blood purifier, detoxifier,helps to keep blood sugar balanced.
Garlic releases a compound called Allicin, responsible for many of the benefits garlic offers up such as healthy liver function, cholesterol lowering, wards off tick bites, helps to moderate stress and fatigue. Effectively kills some food born illness such as E.Coli, Staph. And Salmonella, these are bacteria commonly found on lettuces, spinach.
Olive oil contains a healthy version of monounsaturated fatty acid helpful in the protection of red blood cells, controlling appetite for sugars, retaining sharp memory.

This dressing recipe should be made and used within 48 hours, the garlic needs to be mashed, not minced and not put through a press in order to most effectively release the Allicin. It can be done in a mortar and pistol or with a bit of salt and the side of a knife on a cutting board.

Recipe:
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1/4-1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/3 cup cold-pressed organic olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley(optional)

Mash the garlic clove(s) with the salt. Add the pepper. Squeeze in the lemon juice. With a fork, mix in the olive oil. Stir in the parsley.

Let sit 10-15 minutes, toss fresh organic greens, avocado, tomato or whatever looks good!

The flavor of this dressing is so different than that of a bottled or blended dressing. It will become a favorite and so good for your health!

Caramel Monkey Bread<a
2 (7.5 oz) Pillsbury biscuits
½ c. sugar free maple syrup
½ c. caramel bits
1 tsp butter flavor
Dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray bundt pan with cooking spray. Cut biscuits in quarters and place half the biscuits in pan. Combine syrup, caramel bits, butter flavor and cinnamon in small bowl. Pour half of syrup mixture over biscuits; repeat. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Yield: 8 servings. Per serving= 182 Calories; 3g Fat (15.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 36g Carbohydrate; trace Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 512mg Sodium.

Once upon a time, we’d serve the crudités on a large plate, even with the sauce mixed in with each type of vegetable. For guests, Granny would display them on huge (imitation) silver trays.

That looked like that.
Grated carrot, sliced Japanese turnip, sliced new onion, greens, edamame (they have to be boiled).

Then this became popular to make sushi… So why not rolling in the veggies ?

(Do you notice something weird on the photo ? You should… I had a problem after the shooting session. LOL)

And serving the dressing (soy sauce, black rice vinegar and chili pepper) as a dip.

It’s also really simple and even the most finicketty of eaters goes “oh that was yum” for all they may raise one eye brow at it to start with. I’ve got many converts to this dish so try it and let me know what you think..

To serve 4 hearty meals you will need:

12 sausages. Any “flavour”, tomorrow I am making this with free range pork sausages. I’ve used beef many times too.

A large pot of your fave gravy – mine is brown onion as I find the slow cooking (til they’re almost burnt looking) of the onions just adds so much flavour to the meal. I’d allow 1/3c for each plate of food.

And lucky last: a large pot of your fave mixed mashed up vegetables.

THIS is where it gets down to personal choice but I would recommend 2 parts potatoes, 1 part kumara / pumpkin (either or both), 1 part carrot, 1 part greens (Silverbeet, finely sliced is so cheap and delish) and 1 leek or onion.

Parsnip overpowers the dish, so use it sparingly if you want it. Cauli, Cabbage and Brocolli make the whole thing a bit “smelly” so I don’t tend to go there

If using an onion, just chop it up and chuck it in with the veges then boil all together til tender.  (I saute the leek in a little butter then add it to the mash last)  Drain well and mash with lots of salt, pepper and butter.

Spoon into a mound on warmed plates. Top with the fried sausages and finish with gravy ..

It’s filling, so if you have a small appetite, use less or smaller sized sausages. Oh and for the vegetarians, see below – these are my fave snag substitute for this meal!

I like to serve this with fresh buttered white bread to mop up the gravy.
All class here

Enjoy!

Well apart from a room full of puppies or a bucket of cash.

You will need for two…

• Flour tortillas
• Tin of tomatos
• Red onion
• Half a red pepper
• Two cloves of garlic
• 2 eggs
• 25gs of grated cheese
• 1 tblsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp ground corriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground caynne pepper
• Drizzle of sour cream
• pinch of sugar
• seasoning
• Frylite/oil

Method

Fry your chopped onions on a low heat so soft and delicious, add your chopped pepper and garlic (i like to grate my garlic but you can chop or crush if preffered).

Once everything is a bit soft, add the paste and stir through, add your tinned toms, sugar and seasoning and let it cook down on a low heat.

Make two “wells” in the mixture and crack in your eggs, you will effectively be be poaching them but keep an eye on them. I found spreading the white around after a few minutes meant they cooked a bit quicker.

Warm up your tortilla and place flat on the plate, put the tomato on the middle and add a little sour cream (if you want it). next place your egg on top then top with a nice cheddar cheese or the nice spicy mexican stuff if you can get it.

Enjoy!

Banana Ice cream

This is a super easy recipe!! I won’t say its a recipe… cos there is only 1 ingredient… neither is it mine cos I’ve seen many people posting it. I’ve decided to test it out if its real!! Its a low fat ice cream alternative, virtually zero fats actually! Taste delicious and its very very very…… very easy ice cream.

Ingredient (for 1 scoop):

1 large banana, chopped into pieces

Directions:

1. Freeze banana pieces in the freezer till it turns solid. (About 2 hours or more) 
2. Blend the frozen banana pieces with a blender / food processor till a ice cream consistency
3. Serve

**Preferably freeze the banana pieces with spaces in between them for easier blending in the next step

** If banana turns out to be a grainy consistency, use the back of the spoon to “smoothen” the surface and do so for all.

** If banana is too soft, put it back into the freezer for awhile.

The partnership of raspberry and almonds is a wonderful match: The sweetness of the almond softens the sharpness of the fruit but never gets in the way of the delicious flavour. The wonderful mushiness of each sweet raspberry compliments the slight crunch of the flaked almonds. A perfect way to start your morning and keep you going until lunchtime!

Raspberry & Almond Baked Porridge

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 45-50g rolled porridge oats

1/2 cup / 120ml milk of your choice (you could even use almond milk!)

1/2 cup / 80g fresh / frozen raspberries

1/4 cup / 20g flaked almonds

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp almond extract (or 1/2 if you are a real almond lover!)

tiny pinch salt

(optional: sweetener to taste e.g. tsp honey/sugar/syrup/sweetener)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C

2. In a bowl mix the milk, vanilla extract, almond extract

3. Add the oats, baking powder, salt and mix

4. Fold in the raspberries and the almonds

5. Add any extra ingredients at this point (e.g. dried fruit, nuts, seeds)

6. Pour mixture into a sprayed ramekin/oven proof bowl

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes

8. Enjoy!

In digs, we tried to eat fish at least once a week (how does the saying go? a fish a day keeps the doc away? no … that’s not it) but got over it since it’s slightly more expensive than alternative proteins. So when we do make it, it’s always a nice treat. My favourite is Kingklip, possibly the ugliest fish in the sea (apart from a coelacanth, scary!) but definitely one of the tastiest. Kingklip is a firmer white meat but a great cheap alternative is good ol’ hake.

By dusting the fish thoroughly in seasoned flour first and then frying in a little bit of hot oil, the fish goes nice and crispy around the edges but remains nice and flaky and moist in the inside. Effectively, you’re sealing in the goodness.

Side dishes are a bit of a boggy for me because I often think of a great main dish and then fall short on what to serve it with. I like to think of myself as Mr. Greenfingers and I grow a lot of herbs and veggies at home. I thought that a good side to this dish would be creamed spinach since I’ve been growing swiss chard and it was ready to be picked. Also decided that roast sweet potatoes would be a good accompaniment to the fish – a healthier version of fish and chips if you like…

The recipes can be found in my next post and also under the recipes tab at the bottom of the screen. Enjoy