Crumbed Prawns on a Sweet Veggie Salad

Ahh seafood, a luxury for a student like myself. How is it that something so simple can brighten up my day in an instant? When I scurried into Harbour Fish yesterday, I was shocked to see a whole bag of crumbed prawns for five dollars. Lucky me.

Prawns. Crumbed prawns. What do people have with prawns? Being such a luxury, I had never cooked them before and rarely get the opportunity to eat them. So I searched high and low in my fridge and decided to use what I had. A few desperate vegetables and a lemon. It was going to be one of those experimental meals. I quickly ran to warn my boyfriend of the potential failure that was ahead, and then started chopping like crazy.

This is often the way my kitchen works. I have learnt to be economical and use up as much as I can whenever I cook. People often ask me how I can afford to cook so many meals that often have  expensive ingredients such as prawns, when I am a student. My answer? Honestly I am still learning but I guess I'll start by saying, don’t go to the supermarket with a strict list, buy what is in season and what's on special, and then come up with your meals. Use leftovers, create recipes, and always keep your spice rack full! You might have the odd disaster, but it is all a learning experience. And sometimes you might just have a wonderful outcome, like I did last night.

A simple cauliflower, broccoli, calvo nerco (kale), and date salad with pre-crumbed prawns. Obviously you can opt to crumb your own prawns or even keep them fresh, but like I said, I bought what was on special at the fish store. With a touch of seasoning and some lemon juice, this dish was divine.

Serves two

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower

1 small head broccoli

Handful of calvo nero (dark kale)

Moroccan seasoning (season to taste)

Salt and pepper

Garlic

1/2 cup dates 

Rice bran oil for frying

1 lemon (zest and juice)

16 prawns (crumbed or fresh)

Grate the broccoli and cauliflower, and finely chop the calvo nero and dates. Fry the calvo nero in the oil until softened. Add the cauliflower, broccoli, dates, Moroccan seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice. Fry together over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the mean time you can either bake or fry the prawns. To bake the prawns, drizzled them in a touch of oil and lemon juice and then bake at 200°C for 10 minutes or until nice and crispy. To fry the prawns, heat some oil in a pan and fry the prawns for a few minutes on each side or until nice and crispy. 

Serve up your veggie salad, place the prawns on top and drizzle with a bit of lemon juice.

This is such a fast and easy meal, enjoy!

-Sophea

Chicken Nacho Baskets

I always get motivated to make something nice for dinner after watching Jamie Oliver on TV. The way he cooks is incredible, a true naked chef. Watching him reminds me to stop being so particular in the kitchen. Cook the way YOU like. Use the in ingredients YOU love. And always add a little extra of your favourite ingredient if YOU want to. Cooking should be enjoyable not stressful. When I'm in the kitchen I like to be in control, it's my space to play, my space to relax, and the decisions are always mine to make.

Tonight, after watching Jamie's 30minute meals of course, I decided to break almost every rule when it comes to nachos. I didn't feel like greasy mince or fatty nacho cheese crisps. I felt like something fresh, like the real deal when it comes to eating REAL food. 

I don't know, sometimes I just hate the thought of processed and genetically modified food. You know that feeling, right? So I found the freshest food I could find in my kitchen that could be used to create nachos and made these, Nacho baskets!

The bonus is, they were super easy and looked crazy cute. So, what did you have for dinner tonight? Want something fresh that feeds that greasy nacho craving you get every now and then? Chuck these together in the same amount of time it takes you to decide if you want supreme cheese or salsa crisps. 

This will serve two

You will need:

3 wraps of your choice 

1 chicken breast 

1 chopped onion 

1/2 green capsicum 

2 large tomatoes 

A few chopped jalapeños 

Fresh herbs such as origano, coriander and parsley 

1 teaspoon paprika

Chilli powder

Chilli flakes

1 tablespoon spoon of tomato paste

Sea salt

Oil (I use rice bran)

Garlic

1/2 can cannelloni beans

A sprinkle of organic golden sugar

Brown your chicken breast in an oiled pan and then bake for about 15 minutes at 180 degrees or till cooked so it's ready for shredding. In the same pan, fry the onion for 5 minutes and then add the herbs and spices. As for the chilli, add as much as you would like. I like it hot so I add a lot, about 1 heaped teaspoon of hot chilli. While this is all frying you may need to add a little more oil.

Take a moment to smell it, isn't it wonderful? The paprika adds terrific colour and smells amazing. Add the tomato paste, capsicum, jalapeños, beans, tomatoes, and then sprinkle over some sugar. Let it simmer. Once the chicken is cooked through, shred it using two forks and then add it to the mixture. 

For the baskets, get reasonable sized muffin tins and drizzle the oil over four of them. Warm the wraps up in the microwave for 20 seconds and place two in their own muffin tin, creating the basket shape. As for the other wrap, break it into triangles and place into the other prepped tins. Sprinkle with sea salt, chilli flakes, and some more oil. I baked mine for roughly 5-7 minutes in a moderate oven and then flipped them all over and baked for another 5 minutes. Or until the edges are browned and they are crispy. 

Fill your baskets up and top with some grated cheese and coriander. I love to have cottage cheese and natural yoghurt on mine too. As for Matt, he is happy with just yoghurt. Drizzle with a bit of lemon juice and chilli flakes and you are done.

-Sophea

Ta da! 

I do what I want in my kitchen and what I wanted was fresh chicken nacho baskets. What do you want in your kitchen? 

Sun Moochers and Smoothie Gangs

Smooth over baby.

Dunedin you have not disappointed me thus far. After coming back across the ditch and leaving the sticky weather behind my hopes of seeing the sun were low. I was nearly going to dust off the old woollies and welcome my winter boots back into the world. However, the sun has stayed with me, and along with it my holiday attitude. I thought I left my laziness and free-will appetite behind, I had even vowed to start a no-carb, smoothie diet. Don't get me wrong, I did great, for a few days, and then the weekend came around. That beautifully unexpected sun was glistening through the bedroom window by 7am, by 7.45 I was off to the market, and by 8.30 I was home with my boysenberries, veggies, and eating my fresh chocolate and almond croissant on the deck. Diet? What diet? The sun made me do it I say! The holiday attitude needs to go!

The sun is glorious down here in Dunedin, and unexpected. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely adoring spending time at the salt water pools and gardening in the sun, but along with those things often comes delicious snacks, ice creams, quick meals, and alcohol. The relaxation is great, but too much of this carry on is starting to leave evidence behind!

So it was official, we were to have one last carb loaded, greasy dripping, quick and easy meal. It was to be our last supper before we join the sugar-free, low carb, and smoothie gang. It would be our last moment to excel as lazy, sun moochers. It would be our last time to make a meal that requires 0% effort and 100% carbs... That's an exaggeration, our last supper would have been healthy minus the greasy bacon and 'carby' focaccia, but you understand what I mean. It's time to start putting more thought, more time, more colour and less nasty 'extra's' into our meals.

Our last lazy lunch: fresh focaccia from the market, organic salad toppings, and top of the range bacon fried in top of the range fat, butter. 

Okay so out last 'supper' wasn't that unhealthy but we did kiss goodbye to two of our favourite things, bread and greasy, dripping butter. Our third favourite, sugar, unfortunately never got to say its goodbyes.

Now to the good stuff. The health fix, the diet, the healthy lifestyle, the detox, the cleanse, whatever you want to call it. It's not going to cost us hundreds, it's not going to starve us, and it's not a dangerously drastic change. Firstly we are doing one week of smoothies for breakfast and lunch, no sugar, and minimal carbs! But don't worry, for dinner we will be eating full meals. 

The trick is to spend time cooking, don't make rushed meals, and don't snack. Plan your meals ahead and fill up the veggie draw. I truly believe that a healthy meal is one that is organic, made from scratch, and is colourful. If you are going to add a packet of flavouring, take a minute to read the ingredients. If you can't understand some of the words, it is most likely you shouldn't be putting them into your body. The first week will be difficult but from then on we will slowly add a few treats back into the routine. I'm not the cold-turkey kind of girl. For the mean time the chocolates and chips are hidden, the fruit is on display, and the blender has been warmed up. Lets hope my greedy sweet tooth doesn't take over anytime soon. 

Here is my most favourite smoothie so far, Banana-Berry Breakfast Blend:

Serves 2:

2 bananas 

3/4 cup berries 

2 Tblsp protein powder

1/2 cup oats

2 cups milk 

Blend the banana, oats, protein powder and milk together until smooth. Finally, add the berries of choice and pulse for a few seconds until just blended. Voila! Breakfast is served. 

I know I'm only sharing one simple recipe today but more smoothies, healthy dinner recipes, and snack ideas will be coming soon. And quite frankly, I am addicted to this breakfast smoothie and haven't ventured any further. As soon as I get sick of it I will let you know. 

What is next on the menu next you may ask? Keep your eyes open for my lunch smoothie and home-made stir fry with easy satay sauce. 

Until next time,

-Sophea

Beetroot and Cauliflower Pizza Base

The pizza oven from heaven. 

What is a better way to finish off a gloomy Monday than make your own pizza night! Gather all your leftovers, purchase all your tantalizing toppings, and don't forget that cauliflower and beetroot!

This picture is all the family's own pizza bases and ingredients! Don't they look beautiful? I love the odd make-it-yourself night! 

I've just had a weekend full of Christmas baking, decorating and A LOT of eating (more posts to come!) so I had to start this week off as healthy as possible. But when my lovely Aunties' suggested pizza cooked in an outdoor pizza oven I just couldn't resist. Healthy, gluten free, beetroot and cauliflower pizza base it was. I've seen so many recipes for cauliflower pizza bases on Pinterest but I just wanted to try something different, something a little more exciting and a pink pizza base sounded pretty awesome to me. So I made sure I had all of my favourite toppings; baby spinach, parmesan, cranberry sauce (the good stuff with whole cranberries!), brie cheese, some figs, smoked chicken, and mozzarella.  Obviously you can choose your own ingredients, but if you want to eat the best pizza in the world I suggest you follow my instructions (I'm kidding, or am I?).

To make your pizza base it's really quite simple. In a food processor blend up half of a medium cauliflower (or a whole small one) and an average sized beetroot. Once blended so it looks like fine rice, microwave in a bowl for 7-8 minutes. Once microwaved, be careful it'll be very hot, wrap the mixture up in a clean tea towel. Squeeze and ring the tea towel with all your might until no more juice comes out. You will be surprised how much juice comes out and how much it will decrease in size! Once you have gotten as much out as possible put the mixture back into the bowl, add an egg, some fresh rosemary, oregano, Italian parsley, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and some salt and pepper. Give it a good mix up and then spoon onto baking paper in a prepared baking or pizza tray. Use your hands to push it out into a good pizza-like shape. It should be moist enough to hold together nicely. I like to make the edges a little thicker. Bake for 15 minutes (or until slightly crispy), then scatter your toppings on and bake for another 15. You're done!

However, cooking in that pizza oven does make it so much more divine... It gives it that smokey flavour! 

Practical, perfect, and pretty pizza! Oh... And healthy! Profitable? You get the point, awesome pizza!

Bon-appetite! 

-Fee

Dairy, gluten and nut free chocolate cake

I haven't posted for a long time. Exams and flat mates that turn out to be crazy seem to get in the way.

For months I feel like a part of me has been missing, not being able to use and enjoy a kitchen to bake and cook in has been traumatic! But now I'm free, and the kitchen is my oyster? Basically I am going to bake, cook, and experiment with food a crap tonne from now on! So watch out...

What a better way to make a come back than sharing a recipe from one of my favourite cooks, Chelsea Winter. I do realise you can find this recipe on her website but I still believe this cake deserves to be glorified over and over again. So, I'll sit here with my piping hot cup of peppermint tea, eat my chocolate cake with strawberries and cream and write about it, the eighth wonder of the world, Chelsea's gluten, dairy and nut free chocolate cake. Too far?

Some might think it's strange but when I saw that this cake had avocado in it, well I was sold. It has no butter, no gluten, and the ingredients that make it decently moist are coconut milk, only healthy oils and of course the avocado. It is a healthy chocolate cake, but don't let this put you off! The whole block of dark Whitaker's chocolate and the cocoa makes for an explosion of chocolate. This recipe is pure genius.

Mine looks a little different but that doesn't matter when it tastes this good. Look at this moist deliciousness... (It was half eaten before I even got a chance to take a picture!

My current favourite recipe is without a doubt this cake. I have nothing to change about this recipe so just click on the link to get the recipe and bake your little hearts away. Serve it with cream or yogurt and strawberries. Divine. 

Just a tip- this cake is HUGE so I wouldn't recommend making it if it's just you, you WILL eat it all. I know I said it's healthier but it's no kale salad!

Bake it. Eat it. Love it. 

Here's the recipe: http://chelseawinter.co.nz/gluten-nut-dairy-free-chocolate-cake/

And here is a piece covered in runny cream that I am about to devour 

Oh and meet Claude, my new kitchen assistant. Thank you for holding my iPad while I bake, you're a star!

- Fee