Wednesday, 13 August 2014

chicken got da blues

Hello. So we took our chicken recipe for this dish right out of The Real Meal Revolution. We took out the chilli - just out of preference - and used our standard creamy blue cheese sauce for dipping. This "snack" was absurdly tasty, so delicious in fact that we felt obliged to devour all 8 pieces...



spicy chicken wings
with a creamy blue cheese sauce


8 chicken legs

100g butter

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon dried oreganum

1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon smoked paprika 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


50g blue cheese

100ml cream

1/2 cup grated white cheddar or mozzarella 

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder


preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius

mix the Parmesan, origanum, chilli, parsley, paprika, salt & pepper

melt the butter in a bowl

dip each chicken leg into the melted butter, then into the dry mixture

lay the chicken legs onto a greased baking tray or oven dish

roast the wings until cooked through and crispy (this took us about 45 minutes) 


while the chicken is in the oven, gently heat the cream in a pan

add the blue cheese and cheddar and stir until melted 

combine the arrowroot and 25ml of water

add the arrowroot to the sauce 

stir the sauce continuously until it is completely combined


enjoy the chicken as soon as it comes out of the oven, serving it with the creamy blue cheese sauce



happy fooding!



Sunday, 10 August 2014

crackin' it up

Hello. So today's exploits were openly welcomed into our everyday snack family. We used a simple recipe - conceptualised by my mother-dearest - to create our lovely mixed pepper relish. The cracker recipe was borrowed - and slightly adapted - from The Real Meal Revolution. We tried these cheeky seed crisps out and they were a delightful success! They were easy-as-pie to make and we managed to devour a whole batch in one afternoon (guilty grin) They have certainly generated some excitement in our up-until-today snack-less household. 



piquant balsamic & mixed pepper relish
with crispy seed crackers & cream cheese


3 peppers (red, yellow & green)

100ml balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons of olive oil


80g sunflower seeds

20g pumpkin seeds

30g flax seeds

50g sesame seeds

1 tablespoon psyllium husks

250ml water

1/2 teaspoon salt


100g cream cheese


chop the mixed peppers into small squares

place the peppers and balsamic vinegar in a zip-lock bag

remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal it properly

let the peppers marinate in the balsamic for at least 30 minutes (ideally give them over 2 hours)

once rested, drain the peppers of all excess balsamic vinegar (we kept this to use next time)

heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the peppers until they begin to soften (this took us just over 5 minutes)

store the mixed pepper relish in an airtight container (ours haven't lasted long enough to be able to give you an expiration time)


preheat the oven to 160 degree celcius 

combine the seeds, psyllium husks, salt and water in a mixing bowl

rest this mixture until it is thick and pliable (this should take about 10 minutes)

thinly spread the mixture onto a greased baking tray, ensuring that there are no holes in the mixture 

bake the crackers for about an hour, turning the tray every 15 minutes

watch carefully for the next 20 minutes, only removing them from the oven when they turn a dark golden colour 

let the crackers cool before breaking them into desired-sized pieces


serve your crackers with a large smear of cream cheese and some chunky pepper relish



happy fooding!




Tuesday, 5 August 2014

curry & colenta

Hello. So we based today's meal on a family classic known as "Chicken A La King." We figured we could easily create a curry-version of this meal by simply adding some thai green curry paste... The next challenge came in the form of a starch-substitute. One would usually enjoy a bowl of noodles or savoury rice with a thai green curry, but no such conventional simplicity may be granted to the banters of this world. The idea was then to create the usual cauli-rice - processed and fried cauliflower that gives one the illusion of eating pure starch. Our food processor got a little too excited at the prospect of slicing up the cauliflower, and pretty much ground the vegetable to a near-pulp. We couldn't really fry a cup of cauli-pulp, so we decided to boil it. 10 minutes later we discovered we had created something very similar to boiled cornmeal commonly known as polenta, and we called it... Colenta! So there we have it. A - possibly- new and shiny cauli-concept. 



thai green chicken curry
with sugar snap peas & a side of colenta 


4 chicken breasts

1 - 2 teaspoons thai green curry paste 

250ml fresh cream

200ml coconut milk

100g sugar snap peas

1/2 handful fresh coriander 

2 teaspoons arrowroot powder

1 tablespoon butter 

1 head cauliflower


break the florets off the cauliflower 

process the cauliflower in a food processor until it reaches a fine and uniform consistency

place the raw colenta into a pot, and add 1 litre of boiling water

cook the colenta over the stove for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly

test that it is soft and cooked through before draining off excess water through a fine sieve

set the colenta aside 


slice the chicken breasts into chunky strips

fry the chicken in butter until it is almost cooked through

add the curry paste and cook the chicken until done

add the fresh cream and coconut milk and heat thoroughly

add the sugar snap peas and chopped coriander and stir through

mix the arrowroot powder with 30ml cool water

add the arrowroot mixture to the curry

stir the curry until it thickens


warm your colenta, dish up your curry and garnish your meal with a few sprigs of coriander




happy fooding!




Wednesday, 30 July 2014

rumps aside

Hello. So tonight's dinner - if you call a meal at 5pm supper - was greatly anticipated by the two of us. Every night this week, we would contemplate cooking up that beautiful rump we had recently purchased, yet could not visualise the complete meal. Upon the conception of a luxurious and creamy blue cheese sauce yesterday, our souls were set, and the plan for steak night was in motion. 

This delish combination was fairly quick to cook up - it probably took us about 30 minutes to create, including the preparation time. We were ever so delighted to discover that our steaks were indeed cooked to perfection - soft, juicy and pink on the inside. We devoured our satisfyingly rich portions with a side of avocado, and decided to save our prepared side salad for tomorrow's lunch - it wasn't a hard decision to make, at all. 

Anyhoo, below lies the recipe to our non-studenty student dinner.



simple pan-fried rump 
with a decadent blue cheese sauce 

[serves 2]

500g rump steak

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

40g blue cheese

150ml fresh cream

1 teaspoon arrowroot powder 
(if you aren't carb-conscious, you can use cornflour)

1 twig rosemary


slice the steak into two equal portions

mix the arrowroot powder with a little bit of cold water and stir until combined (set this aside for later)

in a hot pan fry the garlic in the butter for about 5 minutes

fry the meat in the garlic butter, to your preference
(it took us about 5 minutes on each side to cook them medium-rare)

season the steaks with a decent amount of salt and ground black pepper

set the steaks aside 

keep the cooking juices in the pan and add the cream and rosemary 

when the cream starts to bubble, add the blue cheese and stir until fully combined

add the arrowroot liquid and stir the sauce quickly until it acquires a smooth consistency
(the arrowroot thickens liquids a lot faster than cornflour)

pour the sauce over your hopefully still warm steaks and quickly tuck into your meal



happy fooding!



Tuesday, 29 July 2014

something soupy

Hello. So we finally ventured away from the coconut-craze - with very little protest from Carmen's side. Feeling decidedly inspired by the idea of yet another cooking exploit, we thought we would try something new to the both of us... red pepper soup. How peculiar a creation. 

Anyhoo, we found today's recipe in the Lose It! magazine and, as per usual, adapted it to suit our rather particular fancy. 


creamy red pepper & tomato soup 
with basil meatballs

[serves 2]


3 red peppers

1 onion

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 x 400g tin whole or chopped tomatoes

500ml chicken stock

120ml fresh cream

3 tablespoons of butter


250g beef mince

1 egg

3 teaspoons of psyllium husks

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

5 basil leaves (finely chopped)


peel, deseed and roughly chop the peppers

melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pot and fry the onion and paprika until soft

add the peppers and fry for a further 5 minutes

add the tinned tomatoes and stock and simmer for about 25 minutes 
(leave the lid of the pot off)

take the pot off the heat and place the soup into a blender and blitz until smooth
(we used a food processor for this)


combine the mince, egg, psyllium husks, garlic and chopped basil in a medium sized bowl
(the best utensil for this is certainly one's hands)

season the meatball mix to your own preference

roll the mixture into small balls and set aside

melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan and fry the meatballs until they are cooked through and beautifully browned

set the meatballs aside and keep the cooking juices (and by juices we mean delicious fats) in the pan


return the soup to the stove and add the cooking juices 

add the cream and stir until the soup is heated through

season the soup to taste


serve the soup with the meatballs and garnish the dish with a few basil leaves




happy fooding!


Monday, 28 July 2014

much ado about nutting

Hello. We hope you're enjoying the coconut festivities currently going down on our page. We have another beautiful recipe constructed for our - and subsequently your - enjoyment. We created this lovely dish upon return from our late-afternoon lectures in under an hour - the jiffiness surprised us too! 



 coconut & pecorino crusted chicken schnitzel
with a creamy mushroom and cheese sauce

[serves 2]


2 chicken breasts

1 egg

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino cheese

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 sprig of rosemary

2 dollops of butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic

1/2 packet of white or brown mushrooms

150 ml of cream

1/2 cup grated cheddar

1/2 cup grated mozzarella


briefly whisk the egg with a fork in a shallow bowl

combine the coconut, pecorino, smoked paprika and rosemary on a flat surface

place the chicken breasts on a clean work surface and cover them with a layer of cling film - alternatively you can place them in an open sandwich bag

use a mallet to flatten the breasts until they are about one to two centimeters thick

dip each breast into the whisked egg

dip each breast into the dry coconut mixture and set aside

season the chicken with salt and pepper to your preference

melt the butter in a frying pan and fry each breast until cooked through and golden brown (this should take around 12 minutes on medium heat)

remove the cooked schnitzels from the pan and set aside


for the sauce, melt the butter in a hot pan

fry the garlic in the butter for a few minutes

fry the mushrooms until golden-brown

add the cream and reduce the temperature of the stove

add the cheddar and mozzarella to the sauce

let simmer until desired consistency
(this should take around 5 minutes)


serve with a starch or cauli-choice and a handful of blanched green beans 



happy fooding!


Sunday, 27 July 2014

loafin' around

Hello. So this is our second attempt at a low-carb bread loaf - the first being a catastrophic event including flax meal and feelings of severe failure. Today's endeavour, however, reminded us of the sweet peace that one can experience when successful in baking adventures.


This creation surprised us with its delicate moistness and reminded us of a certain coconut tart from grandma's recipe book. If you like your loaves a little firmer, we recommend slicing your bread into equal parts and placing them on an oven rack for 10 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius.


Anyhoo, below lies the recipe we altered and followed to bring us the scrumptious treat that now lies before us...




coconut loaf
1 cup desiccated coconut 
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup plain unsweetened yoghurt
1 tablespoon xylitol
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius 
grease a mini loaf tin with butter
combine the coconut with the eggs
 add the yoghurt, lemon juice and xylitol, and mix thoroughly  
add the salt, vanilla and baking powder, and beat until well combined
spoon into the prepared loaf tin 
bake for 40 minutes, turning tin halfway through  
cover with foil and bake for another 10 minutes
remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before turning onto a cooling tray 
leave to cool completely before cutting into desired sized slices


happy fooding!