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? 

Food is Life. Life is Food

Mazagran Dunedin. Photo from neatplaces.co.nz

I haven't blogged in quite a few weeks now. Now don't jump ahead and say my lazy behavior is the culprit because honestly, I am not lazy. I hate sleeping in too much, I could never watch a television series on repeat all day, or drool over cat videos while the dirty dishes pile up. This idea of life doesn't exist in my books. I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that. In saying that, I am not one to judge. I do like watching movies in the evenings and having an afternoon nap on a Sunday but I feel like I need to be deserving of these pleasures. A week of productivity and hard work should be rewarded with an insistent 'I do what I want attitude'. 

Productivity and hard work. What does this mean to you and how hard should we really be working? I haven't blogged in a few weeks not because I've been too lazy but for two other simple reasons. Firstly because last time I uploaded my fresh, and quite frankly rather insightful post, it was accidentally deleted (how this happened we shall not speak of). The frustration and devastation of all that hard work and time, although enjoyable, seemed to be wasted. I didn't just give up, that's not something I would endorse, I merely got thinking. That leads me to the second reason I haven't posted in a while, I have been racking my brains over one of life's most 'important' requirements. Work. What does that mean to me? 

I am only 21 and I am months away from completing my degree. I am months away from the real world, from a career that has been flourishing over three years at university. What do I want to do and am I ready for a committed full time career? And after some time, pondering over this quite universal question of a nearly new 21 year old graduate student, I have come back to realise what I love and how wonderful it is. I love writing, it's a chance to have thoughts and record them so that they never evaporate and disappear forever. So that they can develop, be nurtured, so they can grow and be shared. Thoughts are precious, they are one of a kind and I want mine to be happy, inspiring, wonderful. The second thing I love, naturally, is food and coffee. I appreciate that many people can say that they love these things, and I'm sure they do, but when I say I love them I mean it in an entirely different way to the average Joe who approves the flavours of most meals. I mean passion, I mean interest, and I mean extraordinary. I see cuisine as something I can explore and experiment with, something I can continuously share with people. To me food and coffee is about exploring an infinite pathway of knowledge on taste, aesthetic presentation, health and well being, cultures, social experience, and life. Food is something that everyone around the world can understand, it is something different cultures, ethnicity's, and even classes share. I want to explore the variety, the options, the possibilities...

I don't want to live a life where my career owns me. I want to live a life of happiness, doing what I want and what I want to do is travel, write, eat, share, and experience. I want to make the most of everyday whether I am down here in Dunedin studying my nights away or roaming the streets of France admiring the lovers. Life should be about doing what you love and sharing it with others. And for me, one of my passions is food so now, I'll start there. Food is life and life is food. So take a piece, eat it, and enjoy it completely

The question that surely remains for now, what does Dunedin have to offer that is special and unique? This is my final year and I will spend it exploring the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city. I will gain experience before I move onto the next saga of my life. The next step? Out for dinner with my man on Friday... let us see what Dunedin has to offer.

This right here is what I love. I apologise for no real food critiques or recipes this time. 

-Sophea

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

When the McHenri Conquered McDonalds

You may be feeling seedy a smidgen too often around this time of year.  I cannot speak for you but when I am on holiday, wine and food are in the top list of priorities. Just a wine or two with dinner every night of the week can amount to continuous mornings of sleepiness merged with greasy cravings. And the only way to satisfy these cravings and cure the droopy eyes is to eat the greasy food, right? McDonalds? KFC? Easy, right? What do you usually get? 

I'll cut straight to the point, I hate fast-food and I always have. For me it is not just that is is unbelievably horrible for you and shouldn't be classified as food, it's that it tastes like sloppy cardboard injected with flavoured hormones and preservatives. I always explain to my friends that you can get food elsewhere that is not only real food but delicious and even cheaper. Stop being sucked in by their clever marketing, get off your, perhaps hungover, buttocks and look around! There is a bigger and much better world of food out there, real food! Why have fake greasy food when you CAN get the real deal. 

Here's proof. The most amazing, delicious, slightly greasy, REAL breakfast burger. Meet Little Henri's 'McHenri'. 

McHenri

The first two times my sister took me to little Henri all the McHenri's had sold out, they are that popular! I wish I could go back soon. This is unquestionably, hands down, beyond any doubt, the BEST breakfast burger I have ever eaten. The fresh brioche bun is lightly toasted and filled with bacon, perfectly scrambled egg, emmental Swiss cheese and kasundi Indian chutney. The combination is to die for, so much so that this utterly glorious burger deserves the attention of this whole blog post. The rest of Little Henri will simply have to wait. 

Did I mention it was only $6? Ladies and gentlemen, breakfast is served. The brilliantly REAL and more nutritious way to cure weary holiday mornings. 

Until next time Melbourne! In the mean time I'll practice my own replica of this baby. Emmental Swiss cheese and kasundi Indian chutney are new to me but I am definitely going to get some and I hope to share my own McHenri in the future. 

Much greater food does exist outside of McDonalds, you just have to look around! 

-Fee

Mountain of Sweet French Toast

When you are on a jam-packed holiday and you have one night at the beach house with your man, what is there better to do than play cards and make bets on who has to get up early and make breakfast? Best out of five it was, and like the enthusiasticly competitive card players we are, we recorded our desired menus and signed an agreement. There was no backing out. 

I still don't know how he did it. Maybe it was the yearning for French toast and bacon that lit a fire in his belly to win almost every round. Maybe it was this craving for the sweet and decadent breakfast, which I don't cook too often, that assisted his victory. And to tell you the truth, I didn't mind losing on that specific occasion.

The next morning after the squawking magpies drove me out of bed, I hurried to the shop. I truly believe that only the finest ingredients should be used to make French toast. I cannot stand the thought of bland, soggy 'eggy bread'. No, I like my crisp on the outside, fluffy in the middle, and covered in maple syrup. French toast should have a slight spice to it and then be bound with just the right amount of sweet and savoury. It should melt perfectly, seductfully in your mouth.

These are incredibly sweet, and coated in butter. But hey, they aren't made to be healthy, they are made to be delicious. And that is the reason why I don't cook them too much. A treat. 

For the toast you will need:

Fresh bread - I used a loaf that had a nutty taste to it from a wood fired bakery. 

Free range eggs - depending on bread thickness, usually 1 egg per slice

Milk

Cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Butter for frying

To top:

As much good quality bacon as you please

Fresh fruit

Vanilla ice cream

Good quality maple syrup 

One small bar of Cadbury chocolate

Canola oil

Slice your bread to your desired thickness, I prefer thicker. Turn your oven onto about 50 degrees Celsius to keep each piece of toast warm as you cook them one at a time. In a bowl whisk the required number of eggs with about two tablespoons  of milk per egg. Add two large pinches of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Melt one tablespoon of butter in a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat. While the butter is melting put your first piece of bread into the egg mixture. Push it down with your finger tips, turn it over, make sure it is completely covered, and then let it sit for a minute. 

Once the butter is melted and the bread is soaked, carefully place it into the frying pan. There should be a delightful sizzling sound. Leave it for a couple of minutes and in the mean time, get your bacon frying in a seperate pan. I like to fry my bacon in quite a lot of oil at a reasonably high heat to make it nice and crispy. 

Every minute or so, gently lift a corner of your bread with some tongs to check the underside. When it's ready it should be a dark brown in colour and crispy in texture. Once cooked flip it over and repeat with the other side. 

Keep each piece of toast warm in the oven while you cook the rest and finish cooking the bacon. Once everything is cooked and waiting patiently in the oven melt your chocolate bar. For such a small amount of chocolate I just simply break it up into a microwave save bowl. Add a dash of canola oil and microwave it 20 seconds at a time, stirring in-between until it is all melted. 

Now assemble your mouthwatering mountain. Pile it up. Make it high. Make it pretty, and then demolish it. For mine I spread a layer of chocolate on each piece of toast, piled the bacon in the middle, let the strawberries fall where they pleased, topped it with ice cream and then drizzled the magnificent syrup on top. 

Ta da! You are done. Sit down, enjoy, and relax. It's holiday season, the season of indulgence! 

-Fee

The Sisters' at Sorento

I spoke to my man on the phone on New Year's Day because, due to us being too popular and all, we couldn't spend the holiday together. During our excited rush of a conversation we quickly described our events in a few words to avoid being swallowed up in a lengthly conversation. One of the words I used repeatedly to describe my time in Melbourne and out on the peninsula was 'delicious'.

I'm relaxed, my taste buds are oh so satisfied and as I sit on a train traveling from Melbourne back to Ballarat I thought I'd share a few favourite flavours thus far. I'm also going to note how blimin' relieved I am that this train has air-con, considering its 42 degrees Celsius outside right now...

What a better way to spend New Year's Day, and my sister's birthday, than traveling up to Sorento, swimming in the beautiful bays along the way and exploring new flavours... My starving sisters and I were soon satisfied by 'The Sisters', a cafe at Sorento, after a long drive from the city. What an experience, I get way too excited over this kind of thing. 

Today's post will follow the few-word theme, holidays make me lazy! Here are my shots, my favourite flavours, my thoughts, my experience, described with a few words.

Home-grown. Organic. Quirky. 

Perfectly roasted. Variety. Indecisive. 

Herb boxes. Initiative. Grape vines. 

Pork, Apple and fennel. Simple. Satisfactory. 

Salmon tart. Divine. Gorgeous. 

Silky. Unique flavour. Bitter-sweet!

'The Sisters', a must try and worth the visit if you are ever in Melbourne. 

Now I'm off for another drive to a different beach, to brave the heat, and get back to relaxing. 

-Fee 

'Tis the Season to Make Truffles

Christmas treats.

Shopping at this time of year is horrible. In fact, just going anywhere at this time of year is horrible. The roads are bumper to bumper, the malls are full of frantic Christmas shoppers not knowing what the heck they want, and don't even get me started on supermarkets. Supermarkets are the mother of all nightmares at Christmas. The screaming children, that one woman who leaves her trolley in the middle, and the horrible amounts of packaged Christmas puddings and fruit mince tarts hurting your eye sight. I normally love supermarkets believe it or not. I love taking my time, making sure I am picking the best of every item, not missing any aisle. But no, not at Christmas time. I don't like Being pushed and shoved and waiting in line for half an hour. In saying that, this past week I have braved the supermarket a few times and for one reason only, truffles. 

For me, truffles are Christmas. They are worth the blood and sweat of many supermarket trips (blood and sweat at the supermarket, not in the truffles!). The whole process is Christmas fun. When I was younger we would make truffles every year. Eating some, saving some for Christmas Day, and always wrapping some in cellophane to give away as gifts. This year I am happy to be able to enjoy the truffle making pleasures with some family even though I am away from home. 

On two different occasions this week I have tested, trialed, and baked my heart away, making the perfect Christmas treats and gifts. One night was all about the mulled wine, ginger bread men, and fruit truffles with my lovely aunties and the other was a cold glass of sav, salmon on crackers, and sweet truffles with my girls. And what was the result? A slight headache the next morning, oh and some Christmas in a mouthful treats too! 

Now before I show you what I have done I must say that rum ball truffles are most definitely a tradition in my family. Rum and raisin tastes just like Christmas to me. Unfortunately this year I am surrounded by rum truffle haters. So to much regret I have not made any of my beloved, instead I branched out and tried a few newbies. 

Almond malt truffles:

These beauties are so simple, and I guarantee everyone will love em. Even those grinches. 

2 packets of good malt biscuits

1 can condensed milk

1 cup coconut

Almond essence

1 cup dried apricots chopped

50g melted butter 

Coconut for rolling

250g block Whittaker's chocolate

Mash or blend the biscuits, add the coconut, add the butter, add the apricots and give it a good stir. Now, add half the condensed milk and 1tsp of almond essence. Mix it up! Too dry? Add some more condensed milk. Go on, have a bite. Need more almond essence? Add some more! This recipe is great because you just play it by taste and texture. As long as they are moist enough to roll into balls then you are right. I usually add the whole tin, and a generous couple of teaspoons of almond essence. Voila! Roll into balls and coat in the coconut. 

For you chocolate lovers, don't forget to dip them in he silly Whittakers chocolate! Keep refrigerated or they freeze great. 

Tip: to melt the chocolate, chop it up really small! Heat water in a sauce pan until it boils and then turn the heat off. Place a heat proof bowl with the chopped chocolate in it over the hot water (not touching it) and let it melt away, stirring occasionally. It's important to take your time when melting chocolate. It's delicate! However, if your struggling it can help to add a dash of oil. 

*Warning - stolen*

Chelsea Winter's fudgy chocolate truffles

I had to try these out this year. I've never made just plain chocolate truffles which, when you think about it, is crazy! So here are a few pic of my final result. They are truly delicious and not too sweet. I highly recommend them. 

You will notice that I have used Chelsea's truffle coating idea on the fruity truffles (below) Guilty! My aunties and I had so much fun making the beautiful nutty and fruit filled truffles colourful on the outside as well as the inside! So I thought, why not make the chocolate truffles, chocolate-coated!? And I'll be honest, they look and taste bloody brilliant. 

All I did was mix coconut with a bit of cocoa and then rolled the balls until they were completely coated. 

Here's a link to the recipe on her website: http://chelseawinter.co.nz/chocolate-truffles/

For the fruit balls out there I have a recipe that my aunties and I came up with. Just enough chocolate balanced with just enough fruit and nuts. I will note that these are sultana free. I repeat, sultana free! Only the best of the best are in these truffles. And I would like to thank my aunties for all of their awesome ideas when it came to creating these babies. Truly genius. But, I will post that recipe another time... Too many truffles, not enough time!

Remember, truffles make great Christmas decor too

Or even great gifts

Now go on, get your bake on.

-Fee