Feeling ‘Blue’!

Karina’s Super Healthy Blueberry, Strawberry, Mint and Yoghurt Smoothie!

My recipe really couldn’t get any easier. Try this with your kids, they’ll love it, plus, they’ll get heaps of happy-feeling-good-for-you nutrients into them! Give it a go…you really can’t go wrong 🙂 Just make sure you don’t put your kids anywhere near the blenders. Your kids can pour all the ingredients in though, while the blender is switched off 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 1 stalk of fresh mint, stem removed
• 1 cup fat free, no added sugar, natural yoghurt
• 5 medium-sized fresh strawberries
• 1/2 a cup skim milk
• 4 blueberries and two small sprigs of mint, to decorate

Method:

Pour all your ingredients into a large milk-shake container, then whizz the lot up using a stick blender until nice and smooth.

or

Pour all your ingredients into a blender, then whizz the lot up until nice and smooth.

It really is that easy!

Compiling the Beauty:

Pour your delightfully healthy concoction into two tall glasses.

Decorate each glass with one small sprig of mint and two blueberries.

So, next time you’re feeling ‘blue,’ make sure you drink my Feeling ‘Blue’ Super Smoothie, to help you feel a little better!

Makes two tall glasses.

Relax and enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

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‘Choc’-A-Block!

Karina’s Healthy Cooking Tip!

If you feel like you can’t fit anything else in your pantry, because it’s ‘choc’-a-block, think again. There is always room for dark chocolate, once you know the benefits of it.

Listed below are only a snippet of some of the benefits of high quality, high percentile dark chocolate, when consumed in moderation:

• Is high in antioxidants
• May improve brain function
• Is lower in GI than milk chocolate
• Can be lower in sugar than milk chocolate (depending on the percentage of cocoa content)
• Is nutritious
• Is delicious
• Is a natural mood enhancer

So, if you like ‘choc’olate, make sure your pantry can take one more item: dark chocolate, the 80%-99% kind! You don’t want your pantry to be that ‘choc’-a-block, that you can’t store great, high percentile dark chocolate!

Enjoy your dark chocolate in moderation 🙂

Karina x

Holy Cannelloni!

Mum’s Low-Fat and High-Taste Cannelloni!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 packet of cannelloni (250g per packet)
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to line your baking tray

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 kg low-fat ricotta cheese, crumbled with clean hands
• 1 large handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely, stalks removed
• 5 large free-range or cage-free eggs
• 1 small pinch of salt
• 1 large pinch of pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

• 800 g tomato Puree
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2/3 cup of water
• 2 tablespoons of italian mixed dried herbs
• 1 large pinch of black pepper

Topping Ingredients:

• 3 rashers of bacon, fat removed, cubed small
• 1 handful of finely grated Romano Cheese, to cover

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C. While your oven is pre-heating, you can lightly oil your baking tray. Try to grab a large family-sized ‘lasagne’ shaped baking tray for Mum’s recipe.

Using a large mixing bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, then mix until well combined. Once all your filling ingredients are well combined, use a small spoon (or piping bag) to fill your cannelloni tubes with this mixture, then set aside briefly.

Using a medium-sized pot, turn the stove to ‘medium heat.’ Combine all your sauce ingredients into this pot, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes, until the sauce has heated through. Once your sauce has heated through, turn your stove to ‘off.’

Using the lightly oiled baking tray, pour 1/3 of your tomato sauce mixture onto the bottom of your baking tray. Gently place all your cannelloni tubes over your sauce mixture, then top with the rest (2/3) of your sauce. Sprinkle over your topping ingredients, then cover with aluminium foil.

Place your covered cannelloni inside the oven, then cook for 45 minutes, at 200°C. Once your cannelloni has cooked for 45 minutes, remove the aluminium foil, then return this back into your oven to cook for a further 15 minutes, or until the Romano Cheese has melted and the bacon is slightly crispy. Once cooked, turn your oven to ‘off’.

Compiling the Beauty:

Serve on a plate, then pour yourself a nice glass of wine.

Serves 8!

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

That looks ‘Grate!’

Karina’s Environmental Cooking Tip!

When you next consider buying kitchen gadgets, give vintage gear a go! Not only do they look ‘grate,’ they also help the environment remain beautiful, by reducing the consumer demand for new utensils. This in turn: reduces consumption, reuses what’s already there, is usually cheaper, makes your kitchen look ‘grate’ because of your vintage ‘grater’ and is probably built to last!

Now, what’s not to feel ‘grate’ about this!

Have fun in the kitchen!

Karina x

Stop ‘Wine’ing!

The Australian ‘Good Food and Wine Show’!

The thought of a whole weekend dedicated to food and wine, should be enough to stop fanatics from ‘wine’ing! It is a day (or entire weekend) dedicated to manifesting omnivorous culinary adventures, in the form of numerous food and wine stalls, cooking classes and tips by Australia’s culinary experts!

I had a great weekend at Australia’s ‘Good Food and Wine Show.’ I met Australia’s MasterChefs Adam and Billie, along with meeting Gary, for the second time. Let’s just put it this way: it was culinary heaven, from Almonds to Zest!

So, if you don’t want to hear others ‘wine’ing, take them for some ‘wine’ing and dinning!

Keep Cooking!

Karina x

‘Egg’spressing Egg Safety!

Karina’s ‘Egg’cellent Cooking Tip!

Some things are an ‘Egg’cellent idea, however, leaving uncooked egg-based products out of the fridge, is not an ‘Egg’cellent idea at all. In fact, it is one of the worst ideas, when it comes to food safety. Leaving uncooked egg-based products out of the fridge, may cause food borne Salmonella outbreaks and this would not be good.

Although there are many ‘Egg’ceptional tips, when it comes to Egg safety, I will provide you with a select few:

• If your eggs are cracked before you use them, it is safest to chuck them in the bin.
• As soon as you prepare any raw egg-based products, such as Mayonnaise, make sure you place your raw egg-based products straight into your refrigerator and store it at 5°C or lower. Try and aim for 3°C or lower, in case the refrigerator is opened every now and then.
• Leave your eggs in the carton, when refrigerating.
• Maintain proper hand hygiene practices, when handling all food. Thoroughly clean your hands with an adequate cleanser and running water. Clean and dry your hands thoroughly, before and after handling any eggs or egg-based products.

Be safe in the Kitchen!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

You Wanna ‘Piece’ Of Me?

Karina’s Easy and Healthy Grapefruit and Coconut Cake!

Do you wanna ‘piece’ of me? Well, for the sake of my recipe, I hope you say

Nice To ‘Meat’ You!

Karina’s Healthy Cooking Tip!

Normally, I would say, It’s nice to ‘meat’ you, however, not today. In fact, my latest tip is all about saying no to meat, every now and then, so that you can try to avoid ‘meat’ing with bad health issues down the track.

By saying no to meat every now and then, you are essentially improving your health, in many ways, including, but not limited to, the following:

• You are improving your heart health, by avoiding eating too much meat
• You may be able to control your weight easier, in conjunction with regular exercise
• You may reduce your likelihood of contacting some preventable diseases
• Eating fresh fruits and vegetables may make you appear younger, due to the quantities of antioxidants found in these foods
• Prepared in the most natural form, you will consume far less saturated fat eating fresh vegetables, than you would eating meat

So, until we ‘meat’ again, lets hope everyone incorporates more vegetables in their diets 🙂

Have fun in the kitchen!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

‘Rice’ To The Occasion!

Karina’s Low-Gi and High Protein Fried Rice!

Ingredients:

– 1 1/2 cups of brown rice

– 350 g chicken thai fillet, fat removed, then cubed small

– 1 tablespoon of sesame oil

– 1 1/2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce

– 1 1/2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce

– 1 1/2 tablespoons of oyster sauce

– 2 cloves of garlic, minced finely

– 2 shallots, chopped roughly

Method:

Grab a medium-sized pot, then pour water into it, until it reaches 3/4 of the way with water. Place the lid on your pot. Turn the heat to ‘high,’ then bring this water to a boil. Once the water has boiled, remove the lid and stir in 1 1/2 cups of brown rice. Turn the heat to ‘medium,’ then cook, stirring occasionally, for 35 minutes. Once your rice has cooked, turn the heat to ‘off,’ then drain your rice, and return your rice to your pot.

Place the rest of your ingredients, except for the shallots, all together in that pot, along with your brown rice, then cook on ‘low,’ for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken has cooked. Make sure you stir your rice every few seconds, to prevent it from burning.

Once your chicken has cooked, add your shallots, then cook for one minute only. Stir occasionally. Once your shallots have cooked slightly, turn the heat to ‘off.’

Compiling the Beauty:

‘Rice’ to the occasion, by piling your rice in your bowl. Simple 🙂

Enjoy!

Karina x

Serves 3

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma