Chilli con carne

Howzit

I Love Mexican food. Here's my first attempt at cooking chilli con carne. It turned out great. Quite easy to make, just remember to soak the beans overnight. Add more chilli if you like a bit more kick.

Ingredients
500g lean minced meat
250g dried black beans, soaked and cooked
1tbls oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1tsp chilli powder
1tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sugar
1 tbls tomato concentrate
Salt
Pepper
125-180 ml water
Serve with rice, guac, nachos, tortillas etc

Serves 4

*Soak dried black beans overnight in tepid water for 8hrs, then rinse and cook for 40min with a 

few bay leaves or sea weed

Heat oil and cook the onions for 5-10minutes until it is slightly translucent then add meat, breakup the meat with the spoon, brown for 10min on medium heat.

Then add the crushed garlic, chopped green pepper, chilli powder, paprika powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
Add the chopped tomatoes and sugar, mix the water and tomato paste and add to the pot
Bring the mixture to the boil then turn down the heat
Gently simmer for 20-30min
Occasionally stir and add water if it dries out

Then add the pre-cooked,  pre-soaked beans and simmer for 15min.
Turn off heat and let flavours combine and develop for 10 min

Served on a bed of basmati rice


             OR/And


Nachos, Guacamole and a Corona

Happy Days

Nutrition  100g Black Beans               

• Fiber 61%
• Iron 28%
• Thiamin 60%
• Folate 111%
• Potassium 42%
• Magnesium 43%

%Daily Value*   (these are approximate amounts)

Banana Walnut Muffins

Howzit

So its my mother-in-laws birthday and I baked her one of her favourites Banana Walnut muffins
Happy Birthday Mamma
Enjoy xoxox

Ingredients

100g walnuts, toasted, chopped and cooled
230g cake flour
130g sugar
1tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
pinch of bicarbonate of soda
1tsp cinnamon
2 eggs, beaten
120g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
450g ripe bananas, mashed
1tsp vanilla extract

                                    

Preheat oven at 180°C

Grease a 12 cup muffin pan with butter or non stick cooking spray (or insert paper liners)

Bake for 20-25min

Makes 12 muffins

                                     

Toast the nuts on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10min, let them cool

Combine all the dry ingredients together

flour

sugar

baking powder

salt

bicarbonate of soda

cinnamon

cooled nuts

In a seperate bowl combine all the wet ingredients

eggs

vanilla extract

melted butter

mashed bananas

                                  

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and lightly combine together with a wooden spoon, just until the dry mixture is covered. The batter should be chunky NOT smooth.

                                  

Spoon the batter into the greased muffin pan. 

                                   

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes.

Check with a toothpick if the muffins are ready, toothpick should come out dry and clean.

                                     

Let the muffins cool

                                    

*When I mix together muffin batter I count 10-15 folds, this way the muffins do not end up dry.
*Grease the pan with some butter using wax paper
*Use eggs that are room temperature

Happy Days

Nutrition: 100g Banana 

Bananas are good for the heart, bones, digestion, and high blood pressure. Bananas are also a good energy booster.

• Vitamin C 14%
• Vitamin B6 19%
• Folate 5%
• Potassium 10%
• Manganese 14%
• Fiber 10%

% Daily Intake Value* (these are approximate amounts)

Romany Creams

Awe Awe

Romany Creams are popular in South Africa and are coconut chocolate based biscuits. It is sold there in all supermarkets and used in many dessert recipes. So as it is one of my favourites, I have decided to make my own since I cannot find it  anywhere here in Italy, "for the love of lemons!" Here is my take on it. Found this recipe in a cook book and tweaked it to my liking. Made 84 biscuits and 42 romany creams. Wow! Mind you, this was my first attempt at baking Romany Creams!

Ingredients

200g sugar

200g butter or margerine

65ml corn oil 

2 eggs

500g cake flour

65ml cocoa powder

5ml baking powder

pinch of salt

200g desiccated coconut

200g dark chocolate

Set oven to 180°C

Cream together sugar, butter and oil then mix in eggs, combine well.

In a seperate bowl sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt then add coconut

Add the dry ingredients to the creamed sugar mixture and mix until you have a stiff dough

Roll out on a floured surface to about 5mm thick and cut out rounds about 5cm in diameter. I used a tot glass. Scrape the top with a fork for a rough texture. 

Place on a baking sheet with baking paper and into the heated oven for 12-15minutes

Cool the baked biscuits on a rack

Melt the chocolate on a pot of boiling water

Between a pair of cooled biscuits add about a teaspoon of melted chocolate.

Set aside and let the centres to cool or place in the fridge for 10minute. And then nom nom!

CHE BON!

Happy Days

Nutrition: 100g dried coconut. It is very high in saturated fat 285%

• Fibre 65%
• Total fat 99%
• Iron 18%  

% Daily Values* (these are approximate amounts)

Guacamole

Howzit?

So today I thought I'd share my Guacamole Recipe. I love guac or anything edible with avocado for that matter, it is not just great tasting but nutritious.

Ingredients
2 Avocados, peeled and pitted
1tblsp Onion, diced
3\4 Garlic clove, minced
1tblsp fresh Coriander , chopped
1 Tomato, diced
1\2 Lime, juiced
1tsp Salt
Pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper or paprika (optional)

Mash all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Refrigerate an hour before serving for better flavour.

*Adjust ingredients to your taste                                                                                 Serves 2-3

*Save the pit and store with leftovers to keep the guac from turning brown

Nutrition: 100g Avocado - it is great for the skin, protects the liver, helps to lower cholesterol, an excellent antioxidant and contains good fat (monounsaturated).

• VitaminE 10%
• VitaminC 17%
• VitaminB5 14%
• VitaminB6 13%
• VitaminK 26%
• Potassium 14%
• Folate 20%
• Fat 23%
• Fiber 27%

%DailyValue*

It is an all round nutrient dense fruit, which puts it on the top of my favourites list.

                                                                                                                                       Happy Days 

Just Peachy!

Finally I have arrived in the world of bloggers. Finding my feet won't be easy however I feel the time has come to find my own space on the World Wide Web. Still deciding on what the content might be based upon because I am a lover of many things : Travel, Cooking, Yoga, Nutrition, Fashion, Beauty, Dogs, Gardening, Psycology etc. So perhaps a general lifestyle blog. By no means am I an expert on any of these subjects, it will be based off of my personal experiences and knowledge, an honest overview and opinion. Here we go!

Lets start off with one of my many favourite recipes, Peach Cheesecake

Ingredients 
 350g Condensed milk
 200ml Fresh cream
 250g Philadelphia cream cheese
 420g Canned peach slices, drained
 2 Lemons
 2 tsps Gelatine
 80ml Hot Water
 200g Digestive biscuits

Combine condensed milk, fresh cream and cream cheese in a bowl.
Puree the sliced peaches in a blender and add to mixture.
Squeeze the juice from the lemons, removing any pips and add to mixture.
Soften the gelatine in hot water and mix well, then add to mixture.
Mix cheesecake until smooth  *Adjust sweetness to your liking
Crush the biscuits

Place a layer of biscuits then cheesecake mixture in tall glasses or dessert bowls (as I have done) and allow to set in the fridge for an hours or more. *I filled up 10 dessert bowls

Enjoy!



Nutrition: 100g peach                                  

•  Vitamin A 7%
•  Vitamin C 11%
•  Calcium 1%
•  Iron 1%
•  Potassium 5%
•  Fibre 6%

 %Daily Value*