SILLY “DILL”Y!

Karina’s Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Dill!

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 kg sweet potato, cut into large cubes
• 5 cloves of garlic, peeled and kept whole
• 5 rashers of rindless bacon, fat removed
• 1 tablespoon of wholegrain mustard
• 150 ml thickened cream
• 2 tablespoons of roasted aioli

To Garnish:

• 1 large bunch of fresh dill, stems finely chopped and leaves left in small pieces
• 1 pinch cracked black pepper

Method:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°C. Once preheated, place 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a large baking dish, along with your sweet potato and whole garlic pieces, then place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Once the garlic is cooked, turn the oven to ‘off,’ then take your garlic cloves out of the oven. Return your sweet potato to the oven, then allow the sweet potato to cook for another 5 minutes using the residual heat of the oven to cook the sweet potato.

Using a large bowl, mash your roasted garlic cloves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, along with the roasted aioli, wholegrain mustard, thickened cream and cracked black pepper, until it forms an even and smooth paste. Place all your roasted sweet potato pieces into this bowl, mixing well until evenly coated. Set aside in the refrigerator until you have cooked your bacon.

Using medium heat, briefly heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large fry pan. Once heated (should only take a few seconds), place your bacon rashers into the hot fry pan, then cook, without disturbing or turning, for 2 minutes on each side, or until crispy, then turn the heat to ‘off.’

Once the bacon has cooled enough to handle it safely, cut the bacon into small strips, then set aside.

Compiling the Beauty:

Take your sweet potato salad out of the fridge, then spoon a quantity large enough for one serving, into your favourite bowl. Sprinkle your sweet potato salad with enough crispy bacon and a fine, but vibrant, sprinkling of fresh, elegant dill.

Serves 4

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

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“BRUSH” OFF THE FAT!

Karina’s Fresh Golden Blush “Brusch”etta!

Ingredients:

• 1 very small brown onion, diced finely (you can also use spanish or pink onion)
• 100 g Golden Blush cherry tomatoes, diced finely (you can use any type of cherry tomatoes)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 rasher of rindless bacon, fat removed, ripped roughly
• 1/2 a tablespoon of olive oil

To Serve:

• 1 pinch of crushed black pepper
• 2 slices of super grains bread, toasted
• 1 small sprig of fresh oregano, leaves used, stalks removed
• 6 leaves of Mint Basil, stalks removed (you can use sweet basil, if you don’t have mint basil)
• 2 tablespoons of caramelised balsamic vinegar (you can use balsamic vinegar if you don’t have caramelised balsamic vinegar)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Method:

Turn your stove on medium heat. Adding your olive oil to a medium-sized pan, cook your bacon for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy. When crispy, add your garlic to the bacon, then cook for 20 seconds. Once cooked, turn the heat to off.

Compiling the Beauty:

Toast your super grains bread, then place onto your plate.

Mix your cherry tomatoes and onion together, then pile this mix onto your toasted bread. After this is done, place your garlic-bacon mix on top of this.

Top your bread with your fresh oregano, fresh mint basil, cracked black pepper, olive oil and caramelised balsamic vinegar.

Put your feet up and relax!

Serves one.

Enjoy!

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

AVOCA”DO” THE RIGHT THING!

Karina’s Lean Avocado & Chicken Burgers!

This burger is great for your health. Get some into your belly and enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

Mixture:

• 500 g lean chicken mince
• 1 very small pink or red onion, diced finely
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 200 g peeled sweet potato, grated finely
• 1/12 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 egg
• 4 tablespoons of fresh and roughly chopped parsley, stalks removed

Additional:

• Sweet chilli sauce to serve
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil, to line baking tray
• 1 handful of fresh rocket leaves to serve
• 4 crusty and fresh low GI rolls e.g. wholemeal, soy & linseed, or any Low GI bread rolls you like.
• 1 medium avocado to serve, sliced thinly.

Method:

Preheat your oven to 200°C.

While your oven is preheating, place all your mixture ingredients into a large bowl, then mix well using a wooden spoon. Once your mixture is well combined, mould your mixture into four large patties, then set aside.

Line your baking tray using olive oil, ensuring your baking tray is cool to the touch and is not hot. Place your four large patties onto your lined baking tray, then place into your preheated oven and bake, for 35 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Once cooked, turn your oven to ‘off.’

Compiling the Beauty:

Lightly toast your fresh bread rolls, then cut each roll in half. Place a few rocket leaves on the base of your bread roll. Place one chicken patty on top of your rocket. Top with your avocado, a dollop of sweet chilli sauce, then close your burger with the crispy top.

Repeat with the other three burgers.

Serves 4

Enjoy!

Karina x

Copyright © 2015 by Karina Teuma

I’ll have “olive” ’em!

Karina’s Super-Quick Cooking Tip: Curing Olives!

The above is a photo of the olives I bought fresh tonight, from my local Italian fruit shop.

I intend to cure these olives, over a course of less than one week. The way to accomplish this, would be to slit the olives on average of five times for each olive, in order to allow maximum water and salt to penetrate these beauties. Hence, my cooking tip is also a time-saving tip! If you wanted to leave your olives whole while curing them, by all means do so, however, they will take much longer to cure, than they would with my method as per my above photo taken today.

My process of curing olives the quick way, involves a simple process, as follows:

Rinse your olives under fresh, running water, then drain your olives. Place approximately 4-5 slits in each of your olives (4 slits for smaller olives and 5 slits for larger olives). Pour all your olives in your large stainless steel pot. Let your hot water tap run for a few seconds, until its hot enough to fill your stainless steel pot, so that it can cover the olives. Pour your rock salt into this pot, then mix well. Rinse, then replace this water with fresh water and salt daily, for up to one week, or until your olives are to the taste you require (olives should be much less bitter). Please note, you only need to soak your olives in hot water and salt for the first day only. For every other day, up untill one week, you will need to soak your olives in cold water and salt.

Once your olives have been cured over the course of one week or less, via my quick version of curing, you are ready to marinate your beautiful olives! Marinate your olives with whatever recipe you prefer, or simply make your own olive recipe up! You’ll love ‘olive’ ’em anyway 🙂

Have fun in the kitchen!

Karina x

Freeze, Busta!

Breakfast, Busy family, Convenient, Cooking Tip, Dinner, Emergency Food, Frozen Foods, Lunch, TIME-SAVER, zerotohero

via Freeze, Busta!

Freeze, Busta!

Karina’s ‘Cool’ Cooking Tip!

There are many ways you can save time in the kitchen. Although I always like to cook fresh from the garden and the butcher, there are times when one may need an emergency supply. Emergency supplies can be a real blessing and you may like to use your emergency supplies more often than originally planned!

The following is my abbreviated list of food categories, which are all freezable:

– Most fruits, provided you will only use defrosted fruits for baking, cooking, or making fruit drinks such as milkshakes. If you eat frozen fruit defrosted, without cooking it, it will stay soggy and not taste very palatable.

– Stock, frozen in small portions (freezer-proof containers or freezer-proof bags). Freezing in small portions allows you to readily take a portion out every time you need it, which saves you a tonne of time! From this, you can make stews, sauces, curries and more!

– Some vegetables are better than others at maintaining some food-integrity after freezing. Examples of vegetables that freeze well are: Carrots, Broccoli, Corn and Green Beans.

– Meat of all kinds: raw or cooked. I prefer to only freeze raw meat, however, if you’re a busy parent, freezing cooked food will save you a bucket-load of time!

– Baked goods of many kinds.

N.B. with all the above mentioned food and food products, it is recommended to ensure the frozen particles do not enter your food. One way to ensure this does not happen, is to firstly place your food into a freezer-proof bag, then into a freezer-proof container, followed by popping it straight into the freezer!

Personally, I prefer to not freeze my cooked food, unless I am in a hurry. These tips will save you loads of time!

Enjoy!

Karina x