Soybean is a complete protein and really delicious when mixed in a salad with crunchy vegetables. I have used black soybeans in this salad but any soybean can be used.
250ml soybeans, cooked according to packet instructions baby spinach, finely chopped purple cabbage, finely shredded pomegranate seeds feta cheese, crumbled
Dressing: 30ml lemon juice 15ml red wine vinegar 5ml mustard 5ml garlic, minced 15ml honey 60ml olive oil
Add all the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together until amalgamated. Add the salad ingredients to a platter or bowl and drizzle the dressing over.
The best of two worlds!! A delicious chocolatey brownie base with a velvet baked cheesecake topping!
For the brownie base: 115g butter 115g dark chocolate, chopped 200g caster sugar 2 eggs 50ml milk 115g flour
For the cheesecake topping: 500g cream cheese, room temperature 125g caster sugar 3 eggs 5ml vanilla 125ml Greek yoghurt
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 22cm loose-bottom cake tin. Add the butter and chopped chocolate to a heatproof mixing bowl and place it over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir every now and then until melted. Remove the bowl from the head and add the sugar. Whisk until the ingredients are amalgamated. Add the eggs and milk and whisk to mix. Add the flour and stir through until the mixture is just blended. Scrape the mixture into the prepared cake tin and even it out with a spatula. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 160℃. Add the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat together on high speed until you have a smooth mixture. Scrape the bowl down once or twice in between mixing. Remove the bowl from the mixer and add the yoghurt. Stir the yoghurt through the cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture onto the baked brownie base. Place in the oven and bake for 55 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a cooling rack to cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Run a knife around the edge of the cake before removing the sides of the cake tin. Cut into slices and drizzle with melted chocolate to serve.
Preheat your oven to 190℃ and spray an oven-proof dish or casserole of about 18cm X 28cm. Set aside. Add all the sauce ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk together until the sugar has dissolved. Put aside. Cut the chicken in to 2 – 3 cm chunks, season with salt and pepper and toss together in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken and mix to coat all the pieces. Heat about 3cm of vegetable oil in a saucepan. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and fry the pieces in batches, in the oil, until golden. Place the fried chicken into the prepared oven-proof dish. Keep going until all the chicken has been fried. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cook in the oven for 40 minutes. Give it a stir once or twice during cooking time. Serve the sweet-and-sour chicken on steamed rice or noodles, with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
This recipe is easy, quick and really big on flavour. The recipe will feed 8 hungry adults.
500g dried pasta 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced a handful of parsley a handful of basil 2 heads of broccoli ( I know it sounds like you are about to feed an army!!!) 5ml salt 2,5ml black pepper 1 stock cube 250g cream cheese 30ml lemon juice
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Cut the broccoli florets from the stems and add them to the pasta during the last 2 minutes of cooking time. Reserve 250ml of the pasta water before draining the pasta and the broccoli florets. Keep aside. Chop the broccoli stems and add them to a large saucepan with a good dash of vegetable oil. Turn the heat on to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft. Add the 250ml pasta water and the stock cube and cook until the broccoli stems are soft. Take the saucepan off the heat and pour the mixture into a liquidiser. Add the parsley and basil and blitz. You are aiming to have a chunky, very thick sauce. Pour this sauce back into the saucepan, add the salt and pepper and then stir the cream cheese into the mixture. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted and is incorporated into the rest of the sauce. Add the lemon juice and stir through. Now add the pasta and the broccoli florets. Stir the mixture so that everything is coated in the sauce. Serve immediately.
This traditional dessert, also known as Pots de Crème, is super easy to make. It is a rich and creamy no-bake dessert and most of all, it is deliciously smooth and not airy like a mousse. I serve this dessert in espresso cups as I find a larger serving too rich and overwhelming. This recipe yields 10 espresso-cup servings or 6 individual servings in standard ramekins.
250ml cream 100ml milk 160g dark chocolate, minimum 70% cocoa, chopped 40g brown sugar 3 egg yolks 5ml vanilla
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan and slowly bring it to a simmer. Take the saucepan from the heat the moment it starts to simmer. Add the chopped chocolate and stir the mixture until the chocolate has melted completely. Add the sugar, egg yolks and vanilla to a mixing bowl and whisk with electric beaters until pale and fluffy. Drizzle the chocolate mixture onto the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Remember: pour slowly, whisk quickly! Keep going until you have added all of the chocolate mixture. Divide the mixture between ramekins/espresso cups and allow to cool completely. Place the cups on a baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour or until you are ready to serve. I serve my chocolate pots as they are but this dessert is often served with Chantilly cream.
This potato dish is a quick weekday dinner for vegetarians or a substantial side dish to any meat. If you don’t have ricotta cheese on hand, get the recipe from this site and make your own. Yields 6 – 8 portions.
6 large potatoes 350g ricotta cheese 4 eggs, lightly beaten 1 onion, finely chopped a handful of chives, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 40g parmesan/pecorino cheese, grated
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a 20cm X 28cm baking dish.
Peel the potatoes and boil them until just cooked. Slice them into 1,5cm cubes and put aside. Add the eggs to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Add the chopped onion, chives, minced garlic and parmesan to the egg mixture and whisk together. Now add the cubed potato and mix through. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes until golden. Serve with a green salad.
This is one of my favourite French desserts and really easy to make. Make the crêpes the day before you need them and simply reheat them in the orange-caramel-syrup before serving.
Crêpes: 750ml cake flour 2,5ml baking powder 5ml salt 500ml milk 250ml water 125ml sunflower oil 4 eggs
Orange sauce: 45ml caster sugar 250ml orange juice the zest of one orange 5ml lemon juice 15ml brandy 50g butter, cubed
For the crêpes: Add the flour, baking powder and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer fitter with the whisk attachment. Whisk the milk, water, oil and eggs together in a separate wide-mouthed jug. Turn the mixer on to a low speed and add the liquid ingredients in a very thin stream. Keep whisking and pouring until all the liquid has been added. Turn the mixer on to a higher speed and whisk for at least two minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer, cover with plastic wrap and allow to stand for 1 hour. Heat a crêpe pan/frying pan until hot. Add a small amount of vegetable oil and swirl it around the pan. Pour the oil out and put the pan back onto a medium-high heat. Spoon a ladle-full of the batter into the pan and cook until small holes appear over the entire surface of the crêpe. Flip the crêpe and cook for 1 minute on the other side. Slide the cooked crêpe onto a plate and continue baking the rest.
For the orange sauce: Tip the caster sugar into a non-stick frying pan on medium to low heat. Allow the sugar to melt without stirring it. You want the sugar to turn a caramel colour without burning it – watch it like a hawk and do not walk away from it! Take the pan from the heat when the sugar is brown enough and add the orange juice, orange zest, lemon juice and brandy. Return the pan to a very low heat. Do not panic if the sugar has seized, continue heating over a low heat and stir lightly until the sugar has dissolved completely. Now start adding the butter, one or two cubes at a time while stirring constantly. Keep going until you have incorporated all the butter. Bring the mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly and has a lovely gloss to it.
Fold each crêpe into half, and then fold it again so that you have a more-or-less triangular shape. Gently slide the folded crêpe into the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Serve immediately.
Chocolate and pear is a match made in heaven and with this delicious chocolate pastry as a base, few desserts will be able to compare to this tart!
Poached pears: 3 ripe pears 750ml water 250ml sugar 15ml lemon juice
Chocolate pastry: 80g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa 175g butter, cubed 230g caster sugar 4 egg yolks 10ml vanilla 15ml milk 50g cocoa powder 350g cake flour
Chocolate frangipane: 120g dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa 120g butter, cubed 120g caster sugar 5ml vanilla 2 eggs 125g ground almonds 25g flour
Poaching the pears: Pour the water into a small saucepan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Turn the heat on to medium and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Peel, halve and core the pears and add to the poaching liquid. Cut a square of baking paper that is large enough to cover the saucepan. Scrunch the paper up and then slide it down into the saucepan until it touches the poaching liquid. Bring the poaching liquid to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently until a wooden skewer can easily be inserted into the pear quarters. Turn off the heat and allow the fruit to cool in the poaching liquid. Remove the pear once it has cooled and keep aside. Simmer the poaching liquid until it reduces to a syrup. Reserve this to glaze the tart with once it comes from the oven.
For the chocolate pastry: Chop and melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir until silky smooth and completely melted. Take the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Add the cubed butter, sugar, egg yolks, vanilla and milk to the bowl of a food processor and blitz together. Pour in the slightly cooled chocolate and pulse to blend in. Sift the cocoa powder and flour into the chocolate mixture and blitz until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball of pastry. Wrap the pastry with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for one hour.
Lightly spray a tart tin with baking spray. Roll the pastry to a thickness of 3mm and line the baking tin on the bottom and sides. Place the pastry case into the freezer for 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 180℃. Line the pastry case with baking paper and baking beans and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the chocolate frangipane: Keep your oven on 180℃. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir until completely melted. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and the eggs and beat together, scraping down once or twice, until well blended. Add the almonds and flour and fold into the egg mixture with a spatula. Pour in the melted chocolate and stir once again to incorporate, with the spatula. Spread the frangipane mixture onto the baked pastry case. Slice the pears and position each sliced half onto the chocolate frangipane, spacing it so that there is enough space for all of the pear. Bake the tart for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the reduced poaching liquid (syrup) onto the warm tart. Allow to cool in the baking mould. Serve with a sprinkling of icing sugar or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Pistachio nut butter is relatively low in calories and fat but high in protein. Spread it on toast, stir it into oatmeal porridge or mix it into a cookie batter. You will need a powerful food processor to process the nuts.
Choose the amount of nuts – I used 500ml Blanch the pistachios for two minutes, drain and spread them onto a tea towel. Rub the between the cloth to remove the skins. The more skin you remove, the greener the pistachio butter!
Now roast the nuts at 170℃ for 7 minutes. Add the pistachio to a food processor and blitz until creamy. Scoop the nut butter into a glass jar and store in the fridge.
This is fragrant dessert with rose water and honey and is based on the traditional Roz bel Laban. The recipe provides 6 generous portions depending on the size of the glasses or bowls it is served in.
500ml milk 250ml cream 2 cinnamon quills 6 cloves 1,2ml ground cardamon 250ml rice 30ml sugar 500ml water 83ml condensed milk 30ml butter 30ml rose water honey and pistachio nuts to serve
Add the milk, cream, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon to a saucepan. Turn the heat on medium and wait for the mixture to come to the boil. Turn the heat down so that the mixture simmers and add the rice, sugar and water. Allow the mixture to simmer until the rice is cooked, stirring continuously. This will take 30 – 40 minutes. Do not leave the mixture – keep an eye on it! Take the saucepan from the heat and add the condensed milk, rose water and butter. Stir thoroughly. Spoon the rice pudding into glasses or serving bowls. Drizzle each dessert with honey and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts. The rice pudding is best served warm.
My Whisk and I 