NOT “BATTER”ING AN EYE!

Karina’s Healthy Cooking Tips!

There are many ways to cut on fat whilst cooking. See the below short list which may help keep healthy cooking habits:

• Avoid cooking in batter. Grill your fish and bake your chips.
• Stir-fry, adding a very small amount of olive oil or another good oil.
• Steam your vegetables until just cooked. Try not to overcook vegetables, as some vegetables loose their crunch and also loose nutritional content.
• Roasting your meats and vegetables is quite healthy and it also enhances the natural flavours.
• Try using olive oil, instead of butter, in your cooking. This helps reduce consumption of saturated fat from butter.

There are plenty more healthy cooking tips, however, this will do for now.

Have fun in the kitchen!

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

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“FRET NOT” FRITTATA!

Karina’s Mini Sweet Potato Frittata Cupcakes!

Remember my last recipe called ‘Silly “Dill”y,’ where I used roasted sweet potato to make a healthy and delicious Low GI sweet potato salad? Well, there were some leftovers from the salad, so I used all the leftovers as prime ingredients for this recipe. If using the leftovers in this manner, this is an ultimate time-saver, money-saver and food-saver recipe, where all leftovers are used, so there is no waste! This recipe is also environmentally friendly, due to re-using of ingredients to eliminate waste.

Ingredients:

• 300g leftover roasted sweet potato salad (refer to previous recipe)
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup thickened light cream
• 1 pinch black pepper
• 1 birds eye chilli, chopped finely

Method:

Preheat oven to 200° C.

Using a large bowl, beat your eggs and cream together, until well combined. Once well combined, mix all other ingredients together with your beaten egg, until evenly incorporated.

Using non-stick 12 mini-cupcake moulds, pour this mixture into each mould, then place in the oven for 10 minutes. Once 10 minutes are over, turn the oven to ‘off.’

Compiling the Beauty:

Take the Mini Frittata Cupcakes out of the oven, then place two cupcakes on each plate.

Serves 6 as an appetiser.

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

STOP BEING TOO “CHEESY!”

Healthy Low-Cheese Focaccia Pizza!

Jamie Oliver’s Focaccia Ingredients:

Go to: http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com/core_jo/images/jhcs-docs/doc3720.pdf for Jamie Oliver’s awesome Focaccia Recipe 🙂

Karina Teuma’s Pizza Ingredients:

– 1 x Jamie Oliver Focaccia Recipe

– 2 large red banana capsicums, deseeded and sliced thinly

– 2 small zucchini’s, sliced thinly, then cut into medium-sized strips

– 24 medium-sized kalamata olives, pits removed, sliced in half

– 2 medium-sized shallots, sliced thinly

– 2 medium-sized pink onions, cut in half, then sliced thinly (or you can use red onions)

– 200 g mixed grated low-fat cheeses: mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan (or you can use only low-fat cheddar)

– 500 g vine-ripened cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

– 8 rashers of rindless bacon, fat removed, sliced roughly

Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

– 1 pinch of pepper

– 4 tablespoons of mixed, dried italian herbs

– 280 g tomato paste

– 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

– 6 cloves of garlic, minced finely

Garnishing Ingredients:

– 4 tiny bunches of fresh oregano, leaves picked

– 2 tiny bunches of fresh rocket, leaves picked

Method to make Jamie Oliver’s Focaccia:

Go to: http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com/core_jo/images/jhcs-docs/doc3720.pdf for Jamie Oliver’s awesome Focaccia Recipe 🙂

Method to make Karina Teuma’s Pizza Toppings:

After following Jamie Oliver’s focaccia recipe, but before you put the focaccia in the oven, it’s time to prepare your pizza, as follows:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C.

Keeping your focaccia on your baking tray, as per Jamie Oliver’s instructions, combine all your pizza sauce ingredients and mix well. Evenly and very gently, spread your pizza sauce onto the focaccia, until well covered. Sprinkle your pizza ingredients onto your pizza, in any order you prefer, however, ensure you sprinkle your cheese on your pizza last.

Place your pizza in the oven for 20 Minutes, or until the cheese is golden and bubbly and the bread is cooked. After your pizza has cooked, turn your oven off.

Compiling the Beauty:

Sprinkle your garnishing ingredients on top of your pizza, then cut into desired pieces. 

Grab one glass of your favourite healthy drink and relax.

Serves 10-12 as a meal

Enjoy!

Karina x

“CRUMBLE”ING WITH DELIGHT!

Karina’s Healthy Strawberry, Cinnamon and Almond Crumble!

Ingredients:

• 600 g fresh strawberries, halved
• 2 tablespoons of stevia
• 1 cup instant oats (natural oats)
• 20 g olive oil spread, brought to room temperature
• 40 g almond meal
• 1/2 tablespoon almond essence
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Method:

Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, by mixing with a wooden spoon until very well combined.

Pour all your ingredients into a baking dish. Your baking dish does not need to be greased or lined.

Bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown, then turn your oven off.

Compiling the Beauty:

Put the telly on, grab your favourite bowl, then pile your steaming hot crumble into your bowl. Pour low-fat hot custard or freezing cold low-fat ice cream on top.

This crumble is also delicious the next day, over your favourite low-fat and low-sugar yoghurt! It’s great for breakfast too!

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

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

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

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

Don’t be ‘Chicken!’

Karina’s Delicious and Spicy Baked Portuguese Chicken!

Don’t be ‘chicken.’ You know you want to try this recipe! This one is a flavour explosion…bring it on!

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

– 1 x 1.8 kg whole chicken (dead, of course)

– 6 garlic cloves, grated

– Juice of 1 lemon or 1 orange, whichever you have around. (lemon is better)

– 1/2 tablespoon of salt

– 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

– 1. 5 tablespoons of paprika

– 2 tablespoons fresh oregano

– 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Just combine all the above ingredients together in a bowl, then your marinade is complete.

For the basting sauce:

– 1/2 teaspoon of fiery chilly paste (try to get a hot one with seeds in it)

– 30 grams of olive oil spread (reduced saturated fat)

– 5 garlic cloves, grated

– 1 tablespoon of olive oil

– A light sprinkle of salt

– Juice of 1 lemon or 1 orange, whichever you have around. (lemon is better)

– 2 Bay leaves, lightly scrunched by hand

– 4 tablespoons of whisky

Just combine all the above ingredients in a bowl, then your basting sauce is complete.

Method:

Rinse your chicken, then pat it dry with a paper towel. Butterfly your chicken by cutting carefully down the backbone on one side with a sharp knife, then press the chicken down firmly to ensure it is flat. Tuck the wings inside the chicken, to prevent charring whilst baking. Carefully disjoint the chicken by running your fingers down the bone line of the legs, then grabbing two bones that run into each other, then snapping them (just like a dislocation: poor chicken). Do this for the two leg bones. Once the dislocation process is complete, then slash the chicken’s meatiest parts deeply, so that the chicken cooks evenly whilst in the oven. Once this is completed, pour all the beautiful marinade directly onto the chicken, then massage all this flavour into the chicken, onto the skin, under the skin, all around the skin, then into the cuts of the meatiest parts of the chicken. Place marinated chicken into a bowl, then cover with cling film. Leave in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (if you like your chicken spicy, then leave it in for 2 hours).

Once the chicken has marinated for your preferred timeframe, leave the chicken in the refrigerator until your oven has been preheated. Preheat your oven (fan forced) for 15 minutes, turning your oven to 200°C. Once preheated, lightly oil (with olive oil) your baking dish, which should be large enough for your chicken. Place your beautiful marinated bird into your pre-oiled baking dish, then place it in the oven. Cook your chicken, skin side up, for 30 minutes, without turning. Baste your chicken with half of the basting sauce, then place your chicken back into the oven, skin side down. Cook for another 30 minutes, then baste your chicken with the remainder of the basting sauce.  Place your chicken skin side up, then cook for a further 15-30 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear and your bird is fully cooked. Once fully cooked, rest your bird outside the oven for about 10 minutes. Turn your oven to ‘off.’

You can make a jus to go with this bird. All you need to do, is pour all the juices which run off from your baked chicken, into a small pot, then bring to the boil. You can slightly thicken this jus if you like a thicker sauce, by mixing some corn flour in with this to make a smooth sauce. Alternatively, you can just leave the jus the way it naturally came out of the chicken, bring to the boil, then pour over your chicken. I prefer the more natural jus. Just delicious!

Compiling the Beauty:

Arrange on a plate with your favourite Low GI vegetables. I love baked sweet potato chips and greens.

Serves 6

Enjoy!

Karina x

You’re Sweet Enough!

Karina’s Healthy Cooking Tip!

To begin with, you don’t need much sugar, as you’re sweet enough! A healthy alternative to sugar and honey is Rice Malt Syrup. Rice Malt Syrup is also Gluten Free and made from 100% Brown Rice. Rice Malt Syrup is also 100% fructose free.

Why not just buy sugar?

Rice Malt Syrup provides a stable supply of energy, dispersed over a long period of time, which prevents the well-known 3pm slump, along with preventing spikes in your blood sugar level and associated crashes within your blood sugar level. Sugar, on the other hand, does the exact opposite. Sugar releases your internal sugars much faster, causing spikes within your insulin levels, creating your well-known 3pm slump and impacting on fatigue and other health issues.

Is there any controversy surrounding the usage of Rice Malt Syrup?

Yes, there is, however, according to: http://www.thenaturalnutritionist.com.au/rice-malt-syrup-the-scoop/, “recent research by scientists at Dartmouth College, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) in 2012, found consumers were ingesting potentially harmful levels of arsenic via rice and Rice Malt Syrup. This report understandably discouraged some consumers from purchasing Rice Malt Syrup, but it’s important to keep these studies in perspective. Remember, we live in Australia and Pure Harvest is flying the flag in chemical-free products and environmentally sound manufacturing techniques.” In other words, be careful what type of Rice Malt Syrup you buy.

The choice is yours. I still use honey, as opposed to sugar in my cooking. I occasionally use Rice Malt Syrup also. Either way, Honey is a much better choice than sugar, as Honey is lower in GI than sugar.

Happy reading…. I hope you make the best decision for your health when you’re cooking!

Enjoy!

Karina x

No Grain, No Gain!

Karina’s Super-Healthy Brown Rice Omelet Appetisers!

Ingredients:

– 1 cup brown rice (boiled for 30 minutes, then drained)

– 4 eggs, beated (1 egg for rice mixture, 3 eggs for omelet)

– Cracked black pepper

– 1/4 cup reduced fat cheese, grated

– 2 low fat, chicken sausages, cooked, then sliced into bite-sized pieces

– 1 handful of roasted sweet potato, cubed small

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 220°C, for 15 minutes.

Combine cooked brown rice, reduced fat cheese, one beaten egg and one large pinch of pepper.

Lightly grease a large half-dozen cupcake tray, then mould your rice mixture into the cupcake moulds in the tray. Ensure you firmly pat the rice to form the shape of the moulds, so as to compact this rice nicely.

Once oven has been preheated, place the rice moulds into your oven for about 15 minutes, or until the rice is crispy and dry.

Once your rice moulds are ready, whisk your 3 eggs, with a pinch of pepper, then pour this mixture into your rice moulds. Top your egg mixture with the sliced cooked chicken sausage and your roasted sweet potato pieces, then place back into the oven for a further 10 minutes, or until your egg has cooked.

Compiling the beauty:

Arrange on a plate, to serve immediately, as an appetiser. If you are out and about, you can wrap these beauties in aluminium foil, then bring these with you. These are a very nutritious and convenient snack food.

Serves 6 as an appetiser.

Enjoy!

Karina x