This is an Asian style soup which is by no means authentic but I love the fresh hot and sour taste. This version is easy to make (don’t let the list of ingredients scare you, they are predominantly store cupboard staples) as well as being light and healthy. I use a mixture of fresh and…
Tag: simple
Smoked Mackerel Paté
This is another very simple recipe and great to serve with drinks and other nibbles when entertaining. If the portion size below is too much you can keep this in the freezer and simply defrost and enjoy another day. If you’re using plan soft cheese I would add some fresh herbs, like chopped chives to…
Cannellini bean soup
This is very much a store cupboard meal idea. A hearty and healthy soup that really doesn’t take long to cook at all! If you’d like to make this vegetarian, you can swap chicken stock for veg stock. If you’d like to go vegan, you can remove the Greek yoghurt and Parmesan cheese. It’s delicious…
Curried Roast Cauliflower
Cauliflower is such a flavour carrier when you roast it and you can mix it up with so many flavour combinations. This is my curried combo but you can make it with garlic, herbs and Parmesan or even sumac spice for a bit of a citrus zestiness. To be honest, you could just roast cauliflower…
Italian Baked White Fish
This is such an easy midweek supper and is virtually just an assembly job. The most effort you’re going to put into this dish will be in frying the onions and the garlic. You can use just about any piece of white fish for this recipe and should just pay attention to the cooking time…
Asian Beef Casserole
This is a traditional beef casserole but uses Asian flavours to make an almost “slow cooked stir fry”. It’s delicious served with rice or noodles and can even be used as a pie filling with a shortcrust pastry “top” if you fancy something different. The last time I made this I used cauliflower rice to…
Low and Slow Courgette Soup
I like to make a soup over the weekend so that we have something ready for dinner one evening during the week. Inevitably they are veg soups, they’re easy, tasty and healthy. This one is similar to most of the other soups that I make but the only difference is that I cook the courgettes…
Giant couscous and chickpea salad with feta and mint
At the moment I’m slightly addicted to this salad. As it’s summer I find myself making one of these every weekend alongside a braai with other bits and pieces. SO, SO GOOD! I think it’s the herbs that make it, especially the mint, and the giant couscous which is so nice and “carby”. Ingredients: 1…
Lentils with mushrooms and spinach
This is a really earthy and filling side dish. It goes well with roasted or pan fried white meat such as chicken or pork, a nice piece of pan fried cod or served with griddled halumi cheese. Ingredients: 250g puy lentils (I bought ready cooked ones) 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed…
Oven roasted mixed squash soup
This year in the garden we planted courgette and a yellow squash which we’ve never had before and to be honest I didn’t quite know what to do with it until I made this soup. If you’re South African, it’s similar to a gem squash inside but about 3 times the size with a much…
Garlic infused olive oil croutons
Making croutons is an easy way to use up stale bread, they are tasty, crunchy and so good in soups and salads. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Slice up some stale bread into chunky cubes and drizzle with garlic infused olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil). Sprinkle on some seasoning. I used a mixed…
Cherry tomato pasta sauce
This summer we had a bumper crop of tomatoes in the garden. We had tomato salad almost every night, sun dried tomatoes and of course I made tons of tomato pasta sauce to store for rainy days. Another super easy, super tasty sauce. To store the sauce for longer, top the sterilised jar you’ve put…
Oven roasted “sun blush” tomatoes
This is a cheat way to “sun dry” tomatoes. The flavours are intensified by the slow cooking and they can be kept longer as long as they are stored well. You can make this recipe with fewer tomatoes if you’re trying to use them up for example. Ingredients: 500g sweet vine ripened tomatoes (I use…
Broccoli and cauliflower soup
This is such a delicious soup and so easy to make, not to mention cheap. Serves between 2 and 4 depending on whether you’re serving as a starter or a main course. Ingredients: 900g fresh or frozen broccoli and/or cauliflower – I’ve used both in this recipe but you can use one or the other A…
Lamb and green bean bredie (stew)
This is a family recipe. Very South African. As a child it wasn’t my favourite but now I LOVE it! My Gran used to make it, my Mom makes it and I’m proud to say that it’s still a family favourite. I vary the original recipe only slightly by adding a couple of tomatoes, these…
Fennel salad with cucumber and red onion
This is a fantastically crunchy salad that can be enjoyed with pork or chicken, great as an alternative salad at barbeques. 1 or 2 fennel bulbs (depending on how many people you’re serving) Half a red onion, finely sliced Half to 1 whole cucumber, peeled and sliced (again, use as much as you require) For…
“Creamed” spinach
This is another one of my seriously easy cheat recipes. Simple and healthy, once again I have used one of my favourite “seasonings”, parmesan cheese. 200g frozen spinach 2 tablespoons of low fat natural yoghurt 2 tablespoons greated parmesan Salt and pepper to taste Cook the spinach according to the instructions, I put mine in…
Tomato salad…. so simple… yet so effective
You might question why it’s even necessary to write this up as a recipe because it really is so simple. It’s another one I’ve taken from my mom in law and adapted ever so slightly and I think it’s worth sharing. Firstly, because it is just so good and secondly, because whenever I make this, everyone…
It's my kitchen... 