Meals On Speed

I always get good results with this simple cupcake recipe from Loubi Lovers. Here I’ve adapted it for those days when only chocolate will do.

Chocolate Cupcakes (adapted from Loubi Lovers)
112g butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup castor sugar
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the oil. Add in one egg at a time, incorporating well with each addition. Sift in baking powder, flour and cocoa powder. Mix to combine and stir in the milk gradually until the batter is fully incorporated. Pour into cupcake cases and bake.

The addition of Egyptian qahwa powder spiced with cardamom brings beautiful depth to this frosting and tempers the sweetness. If you do not have this coffee mix on hand, use a teaspoon of espresso powder mixed with finely ground cardamom.

Chocolate Marshmallow Buttercream
200g softened butter
100g icing sugar
70g chocolate milk powder
30g cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cardamom flavoured coffee powder
4 tablespoons milk
100g marshmallows

Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients and milk and beat until combined and creamy. Put marshmallows in a glass bowl and microwave until soft and puffy. Work fast to beat the soft marshmallow into the buttercream. The resulting frosting will be soft and spreadable. If you require firmer swirls, refrigerate before piping.

Click on the following image to download the recipe card (15cmx10cm).

 Crossposted on saaleha.com/mealsonspeed

Potato salad is such a misnomer; boiled spuds slathered in cups and cups of mayo and creams, scarcely a green about. It’s a carb coma in a bowl but it just wouldn’t be a pukka South African braai without a ladleful of this homey deliciousness cosying up to the sausage and chops on your plate.

I tried to lighten things up by using light mayonnaise, fat-free yogurt and non-dairy dessert topping for creaminess. Mango plays well with the tangy sauce and adds textural diversity with a serving of summer.

Mango & Potato Salad (Serves 12 as an accompaniment)

• 1kg baby potatoes (boiled and quartered)
• 2 – 3 mangoes cubed

For the dressing:

• 300g light mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP fat-free yogurt
• 1 packet Orley Whip (non-dairy dessert topping)
• chopped chives/salad onions (to taste)
• chopped Italian parsley (to taste)
• citrus/lemon pepper (to taste)

Arrange potatoes and mangoes in a serving bowl. Set aside.

Prepare the dressing by combining the mayonnaise, yoghurt, orley whip, chives, parsley and pepper. Stir well.
In a separate bowl, beat the Orley Whip until it’s foamy and airy and can still be poured.
Fold the beaten Orley Whip into the mayonnaise mixture.

Pour the mixture over the potatoes and mangoes. Gently stir to ensure that the chunks are well-coated.
Cover the bowl with cling-wrap and refrigerate until required.
This is best made a few hours in advance to allow time for the flavours to develop.

Cross-posted on www.saaleha.com/mealsonspeed

Cross-posted on www.saaleha.com/mealsonspeed

I know just a handful of people who do not go goosey-limbed at the thought of having a full bottle of Nutella cradled in their palms. There’s something about that chocolate spread that induces a Pavlovian reaction at its very mention. It’s almost sacrosanct. So much so that my little concoction may be considered a blasphemy.

If you’re looking for a home-made chocolate spread that’s closer to the original try any of the following recipes.

http://bonvivant.wordpress.com/2010/12/20/the-season-for-giving/
http://www.sugoodsweets.com/blog/2005/12/nutella/
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2010/02/chocolate-hazelnut-spread/

My version incorporates walnuts and is influenced by the toffee-notes in the agave nectar I used.

½ cup raw cocoa nibs (look for it in a health food store)
¾ cup lightly bashed walnuts
1 teaspoon instant coffee
6 Tablespoons agave nectar (I found a bottle at Pick N’ Pay)
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
1 crack of rough salt

Lightly roast the cocoa nibs and walnuts in a oven set to 180 degrees Celsius for about 5-7 minutes. You want to release their flavours, not overly brown them.
Finely grind the cocoa nibs and walnuts once they’ve cooled down.
Add the instant coffee and a crack of salt to the ground mixture.
Pour in the agave nectar and canola oil.
Stir until everything is incorporated.
Decant into a glass jar and serve as a sandwich spread or biscuit filling.

A few neglected vegetables in my fridge urgently required a bit of attention, and I decided to whiz them together to create a wholesome sandwich spread/snack dip.

Microwave chopped aubergine and courgettes with a few drops of water, some avocado oil, whole cumin, coriander powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Process the cooked vegetables, along with a round of feta cheese and half a teaspoon of schug (you could use any sort of green chillie pickle) until the mixture reaches a grainy consistency.

Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve with crackers or on toast.

Cross-blogged on www.saaleha.com/mealsonspeed

I’ve taken to starting some of my mornings with a glass of beetroot juice.

Apparently the ruddy beet is something of a super-food and a good way to bolster my attempts at living more wholesomely

When they’re not juiced, they’re also pretty good at being baked.

I found a fuss-less recipe for beetroot cupcakes at Varsity View and was really pleased at light and springy they turned out.

Crowned with a pop of lemon buttercream and a cherry on the top, these are pretty and palate-pleasing enough for special occasions or lunch-box specials.

Even though the original recipe indicated a yield of 12 medium-sized cupcakes, I ended up with 34!

Beetroot Cupcakes
via Claire at vview.co.za

• 3 eggs (I used extra-large)
• 300g sugar
• 175ml canola oil
• 5ml vanilla essence
• 60ml hot water
• 240g cake flour
• 15ml baking powder
• 1 ml salt
• 5ml ground cinnamon
• 2.5ml nutmeg
• 200g finely grated beetroot
• 100g finely grated carrot (you could probably substitute this with more beetroot)
• 50g coarsely chopped pecan nuts or walnuts

Preheat oven to 180ºC and prepare baking pans.
Separate the eggs.
Place the yolks into a large mixing bowl or a food processor, and add sugar, oil, vanilla essence and hot water.
Beat or process until just combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices and beat until smooth.
Add the carrots, beetroot and nuts, mix until just combined.
Beat the egg whites until stiff (I got mine to the stage where I could turn the bowl over without the whites falling out)
Fold into the batter until evenly combined.
Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and cake tester comes out clean.

 

For the Lemon butter frosting

• 60g butter
• 130g icing sugar
• 15ml lemon juice
• 30ml finely grated lemon zest

Combine ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat until well combined.
Add lemon juice if more liquid is required.

(I started with 100g of butter and adjusted the other amounts to taste. Really liking the tang, I ended up using the juice of one lemon.)

Cross-blogged at www.saaleha.com/mealsonspeed

I first sampled a smudge of cranberry pecan drizzle and cream cheese on a cracker at my cousin’s house.

It was one of those flavour-experiences that leave an indelible stamp across sensory memory.

When I had to prepare items to take along to a workshop and high tea I was presenting at, I knew it would be a perfect savoury side to a table set for sugar-shock.

However, I was not able to get to the stores in time to purchase the brand I’d first tried (I think it was called The Cook Sister) .

Well, necessity is the mother of Improv, guided by that midwife, Google.

My browsing found that orange was a common pairing with cranberry in chutneys.

With walnuts and dried cranberries on hand, the addition of orange marmalade sounded like just the right element to bring in the desired piquant stickiness.

A quick stop at a Woolworths Food yielded serendipitous finds in the form of Fair Trade Original Citrus Pepper and Verlaque’s Fruit-Infused Balsamic Reduction made with preserved cranberries.

I had all the makings of a show-stopper savoury accompaniment that could take its place on both a festive and casual tablescape.

• 200g dried cranberries
• 200g chopped walnuts
• 2 TBSP cranberry flavoured balsamic reduction (you could also use any balsamic vinegar with true fruity notes)
• 5 TBSP orange marmalade (choose a brand with a good amount of rind)
• 1 TBSP maple/pancake syrup (I like Woolworth’s Pancake Syrup, it’s very flavourful)
• A few grinds of citrus pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients and leave overnight for the flavours to meld.

When ready to serve, unmould a block of good quality cream cheese and spoon over the cranberry and walnut topping.

Accompany with a selection of crackers and crusty breads.

Cross-posted on www.saaleha.com/mealsonspeed