nutritious – Page 8 – My Whisk and I

Potato-Rösti Vegetable Bake

June 30, 2021June 19, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is an easy vegetarian bake for weekday dinners and needs only a salad to accompany it. Serves 6 hungry adults.

Potato crust:
600g potato, unpeeled
5ml garlic salt
40ml flour
1 egg

Filling:
2 onions
250g mushrooms
250g zucchini
250g cheddar cheese
4 eggs
125ml cream
5ml salt
5ml mustard

For the potato crust:
Preheat your oven to 180℃ and grease a loose-bottomed cake tin.
Spread a clean tea towel onto a work surface and grate the potato directly onto it, with the skin on.
Fold the towel over the potato, gathering all ends together and twist and squeeze the potato over your kitchen sink until all the excess moisture has been removed. Put the potato into a mixing bowl.
Sprinkle the garlic salt and flour over the grated potato and mix through with your hands in order to distribute all ingredients as evenly as possible.
Now add the egg and mix in the same way.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin and press it tightly into the base and sides of the tin with the back of a spoon.
Place the cake tin on a flat baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

For the filling:
Put a frying pan on to medium heat and add some oil to it.
Slice the onions and fry them until soft and translucent. Spoon the onion into a large mixing bowl.
Turn the heat up to high, slice the mushrooms and add them to the hot pan. Cook until caramelised. Spoon into the bowl with the onion.
Grate the zucchini and cheese directly into the mixing bowl with the onion and mushroom. Mix together.
Spoon the vegetable-cheese mixture in to the potato crust. Set aside.
Add the eggs, cream, salt and mustard to a mixing bowl and whisk together. Gently pour over the vegetable mixture.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, until golden and set.
Remove from the oven and stand in the baking tin for 30 minutes.
Slice and serve warm.

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Cauliflower Mash

May 18, 2021May 18, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This cauliflower mash is silky smooth and makes the perfect base for a curry dish or stew. Add some steamed or roasted veg for a complete vegetarian meal.

about 700g cauliflower (one average head)
125ml milk
125ml cream
2,5ml salt
30ml butter

Cut the cauliflower into chunks, including the stalks, and place in a saucepan.
Add the milk, cream and salt and bring to a boil – DO NOT LET IT BOIL OVER!
Turn the heat down so that the liquid simmers lightly, put the lid on and allow to simmer until the cauliflower is soft enough to insert a toothpick into it easily.
Pour the cauliflower-milk mixture into a blender and add the butter. Process until the mixture is smooth and silky.
Season with salt, pepper and some more butter.
Serve warm with your favourite casserole or as a delicious side.

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Bitter Chocolate Banana Bread

May 11, 2021May 8, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This banana bread is delicious and chocolatey without being sweet and has incredible depth of flavour. I have included the substitutes for ingredients in brackets, to make it vegan. Enjoy this tea-time bread with a spread of salted butter.

220g banana, mashed (about three bananas)
5ml apple cider vinegar
35g butter, melted (nut butter)
300ml milk (soy milk)
100g sugar (Erythritol/any other sweetener)
a pinch of salt
200g flour
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
10ml baking powder
50g cacao powder
40g + 40g dark chocolate, chopped

Preheat your oven to 180℃ and line a small bread tin (22cm X 11cm) with baking paper.
Mash the banana with a fork in a mixing bowl.
Add the vinegar, melted butter and milk and mix through with a spatula.
Add the sugar to this mixture and stir through.
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and cacao powder into the bowl and mix well.
Stir in 40g of the chopped chocolate.
Spoon the batter into the prepared bread tin and sprinkle the other 40g of chopped chocolate on top.
Bake the bread for 1 hour 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread, comes out clean.
Take the banana bread from the oven and lift the bread from the tin by holding the ends of the baking paper.
Cool the bread completely on a cooling rack before cutting.
Serve with a spreading of salted butter.

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Filled Pumpkin Muffins

April 23, 2021April 22, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

These pumpkin muffins are deliciously moist and has the traditional cream cheese frosting in its centre with a crunchy strudel-like topping! For those who prefer not-so-sweet it is a perfect nutritious treat! This recipe yields 12 – 16 regular sized muffins.

For the topping:

125ml flour
62ml brown sugar
62ml oats
a pinch of salt
60ml butter, room temperature

For the filling:

230g cream cheese, room temperature
62ml sugar
2,5ml vanilla

For the muffins:

250ml pumpkin purée
2 eggs
125ml brown sugar
45ml vegetable oil
62ml honey
2,5ml salt
1,2ml ground ginger
5ml ground cinnamon
5ml baking powder
2,5ml bicarbonate of soda
180ml milk
375ml flour

Preheat your oven to 180℃.
Line a muffin tray with paper cups, spray each cup lightly and set aside.

For the topping:
Add the flour, sugar, oats and salt to a mixing bowl and give it a stir to mix the ingredients.
Add the butter to the dry ingredients and rub it into the dry mixture with your fingertips until you have a coarse crumb texture.
Put aside.

For the filling:
Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to a mixing bowl and beat with a spatula to combine.
Put aside.

For the muffins:
Add all the ingredients EXCEPT THE FLOUR, to a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a spatula.
Now add the flour and mix until just incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
You will be left with a runny batter.

Spoon about 30ml batter into each paper cup, making sure it covers the entire bottom of the cup.
Spoon 15ml of the cream cheese mixture into the centre of the pumpkin batter.
Now cover the cream cheese by spooning another 30ml of pumpkin batter into the cups. You will have 12 – 16 regular sized muffins.
Finally sprinkle about a teaspoon full of the topping onto each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Three-Cheese Potato Gratin

April 19, 2021April 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This is a triple-cheese take on the classic Potato Gratin!

6 – 8 large potatoes
3 cloves of garlic, minced
15ml rosemary, finely chopped
250ml ricotta cheese
250ml mozzarella cheese, grated
250ml feta cheese, crumbed
250ml heavy cream
salt

Preheat your oven to 190℃.
Peel the potato and cut each into slices not thicker than 5mm. Keep aside.
Mince the garlic and keep in a small bowl.
Chop the rosemary and keep in another small bowl.
Add the ricotta, mozzarella and feta cheese to a bowl and mix it through with your hands.
Now, select a medium sized, ovenproof dish and start layering.
Lay a third of the potato slices onto the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping.
Season with salt and then sprinkle with a third of the chopped rosemary and a third of the garlic.
Now spread a third of the cheese on top.
Repeat the layers until all the potato and cheese have been layered, ending with the last of the cheese.
Gently pour the cream onto the cheese layer and tightly cover the baking dish with aluminium foil.
Place the gratin into the oven and bake for 60 minutes.
Check whether the potato is cooked by inserting a sharp knife. If not, or if the cream isn’t absorbed, cover the dish once more and let it bake until fully cooked.
Remove the foil once the gratin is cooked and place it back into the oven for another 30 – 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve as a side dish or as a vegetarian dish with salad.

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Spinach Lentil Dahl

April 15, 2021April 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

If you like Indian food you will love this nutritious Dahl! It is really easy to make and a superb dish to serve when you are having friends over.

45ml ghee/olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
15ml ginger powder
1 chilli, chopped
5ml fennel seeds
5ml mustard seeds
10ml cumin seeds
15ml garam marsala
400g baby spinach
15ml sugar
16 mint leaves
125ml plain yoghurt
500ml lentils, uncooked
10ml salt
1 lemon

Cook the lentils according to the instructions on the packet. Set aside.
Add the ghee to a saucepan on medium heat and fry the onion for 2 – 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and chilli and fry on low heat until fragrant.
Add the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garam marsala and sugar. Stir the mixture for about one minute while cooking gently.
Add the spinach, mint and 45ml water to the saucepan and immediately cover with the lid. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place the spinach and spices into a blender, add 320ml water and blend until smooth.
Pour the sauce back into the same saucepan, on low heat.
Add the yoghurt, salt and the juice of about half a lemon.
Serve with fragrant rice and tomato salad.

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Sheet-pan Fish with Ladolemono Dressing

April 14, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

This recipe works well with any white fish, fresh or frozen, and is the perfect nutritious weeknight dinner. Ladolemono dressing is traditionally Greek and a basic olive oil and lemon dressing that is drizzled onto fish before and after baking. This version has garlic and origanum added and will have you longing for a Greek vacation!

6 – 8 portions of white fish fillet
Ladolemono Dressing:

90ml olive oil
30ml lemon juice
5ml salt
15ml fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, minced

Preheat your oven to 220℃.
Lay the white fish portions/fillets onto a baking sheet and put aside while making the dressing.
Add all the Ladolemono dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until the mixture turns thick and is completely blended.
Spoon half of the dressing onto the fish and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove the fish from the oven and drizzle the rest of the dressing onto the cooked fish.
Serve with a salad or roasted vegetables.

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Barley Salad

April 8, 2021by Karen ClaassenLeave a Comment

Barley is a nutritious whole-grain and makes a delicious salad. In this recipe you may replace the roasted beetroot and carrots with leftover, roasted veg. The dressing in this salad pulls the dish together and perks it up to extra tasty!

250ml pearl barley
750ml water
10ml stock powder
about half an English cucumber, diced
one red onion, diced
a handful of basil and mint, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
about 125ml roasted beetroot, chopped
about 125ml roasted carrot, chopped
125ml pomegranate seeds

Dressing:

60ml lemon juice
zest of one lemon
60ml olive oil
60ml honey
5ml mustard
60ml mayonnaise
5ml salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Add the pearl barley, water and stock powder to a small saucepan and turn the heat onto high. Keep an eye on it as it gives off a lot of foam at first and can cause the pot to boil over.
When the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low so that it reaches a simmer.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the barley is done. The water should be absorbed after 25 minutes and the barley should have tripled in volume. It should be soft but chewy.
Take the saucepan from the heat, fluff the barley with a fork and put aside to cool.

For the dressing:

Add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk for about a minute or until the dressing is amalgamated.

Add the cooled barley to a mixing bowl and mix with the cucumber, onion, herbs, tomato, beetroot and carrots.
Drizzle half of the dressing onto the salad and give everything a good mix.
Add the pomegranate seeds to the salad and drizzle with a little more dressing.
Serve the salad with the extra dressing in a jug.