Monday, November 29, 2010

Sweetpea: What sup: chicken, parmesan and creamy tomatoe pas...

Sweetpea: What sup: chicken, parmesan and creamy tomatoe pas...: "Perfect meal for when you feel like comfort food packed with strong flavours. It's quick and easy to prepare and is scrumptious. Fry onion..."

Sweetpea: What sup: salmon, edamame and potatoe stack

Sweetpea: What sup: salmon, edamame and potatoe stack: "Last night I decided to spend the evening in and create a special dinner for my husband and I. We bought fresh salmon and prepared it in the..."

Sweetpea: What Sup: Thai Green Curry

Sweetpea: What Sup: Thai Green Curry: "Shopping List: 4 chicken breasts cut into cubes, 1 packet Green Curry paste, garlic, chilly, corriander, baby marrow, mung beans, onion and ..."

Sunday, November 28, 2010

What sup: chicken, parmesan and creamy tomatoe pasta with salad

Perfect meal for when you feel like comfort food packed with strong flavours. It's quick and easy to prepare and is scrumptious.


Fry onions and fresh thyme with chicken pieces till meat golden brown, add can of chopped tomatoes and 2 tbs of tomatoe paste to the pan. allow to simmer for 10 min. While you are simmering sauce put pasta on to cook (any pasta will do, I used spaghetti). Take sauce off the heat and add cream, stir gently and add to the cooked pasta in an oven proof dish. Then sprinkle the Parmesan and make on high till cheese melts. Serve with salad.

Salad: Lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot and beetroot, steamed asparagus and sour cream and chilves for the for dressing.

What sup: salmon, edamame and potatoe stack

Last night I decided to spend the evening in and create a special dinner for my husband and I. We bought fresh salmon and prepared it in the oven (fish coated with a sauce containing chopped coriander, little sweet soy and squeeze of lemon. The fantastic thing about fish is that it cooks in no time! We preheated the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and baked it for 8 min. I made a potatoe stack with sour cream, chives and parmesan and steamed some edameame beans as a side. The meal was fantastic and a real treat.

What sup: Dinner at Thai World Harfield Village in Claremont

Last week we went out for dinner to Thai World and had a lovely meal with friends. We had sweet and sour pork ribs to start, the owner recommended them. I had a soup  for my main and hubby ordered a green curry.

The best meal at the table was definitely the ribs. They were cooked to perfection and the meat fell off the bone. The sauce was so morish! If you want to go the Address: 2nd Avenue, (Cnr Second & Surrey Street)
Harfield Village in Claremont.This is a highly successful restaurant has been operating since October 2000 and is efficiently run by husband and wife team. Thai World has built up a good reputation and we will definitely be regular customers.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

What Sup: Thai Green Curry

Shopping List: 4 chicken breasts cut into cubes, 1 packet Green Curry paste, garlic, chilly, corriander, baby marrow, mung beans, onion and a splash of coconut cream (1 cup). 

These are the frozen coriander cubes. I used 2 blocks for this curry.
I love the frozen garlic and coriander available at Woolies, they pop out like ice cubes and the perfect amount. Quick and easy and no chopping involved.

Fry chicken and onion in the curry paste for 5 min, add the baby marrow and mung beans and stir so that the paste covers all the ingredients and fry for further 5 min.

Add in half a cup of water and 1 cup coconut cream and reduce temperature, let simmer for 30 min untill all the vegetables cooked and sauce thickens.

Serve with a little sweet chilly sauce.

Sweetpea: Salad

Sweetpea: Salad: "Decided to make the healthy salad instead of the pasta(being a good girl seeing as Im not getting to the gym!) Used what was in the fridge: ..."

Sweetpea: What sup: Wine farms in Cape Town

Sweetpea: What sup: Wine farms in Cape Town: "We had a great day out and about!We started at Meerlust with a little wine tasting. The 2005 Rubicon was to die for!If only we had the R240 ..."

Sweetpea: What sup: Celebration food

Sweetpea: What sup: Celebration food: "She got the job! This was definitely reason to celebrate, it's always the best feeling to see your friends succeed! I decided to spoil my fr..."

Sweetpea: What sup: The Humble Potatoe

Sweetpea: What sup: The Humble Potatoe: "The humble potatoe is the base of so many great dishes! I decided to use spuds in 2 dishes this week: A new potatoe salad recipe and a cotta..."

Sweetpea: What sup: Foodbarn Deli in Noordhoek Cape Town

Sweetpea: What sup: Foodbarn Deli in Noordhoek Cape Town: "My brother in law came to visit this weekend and a really great spot I remembered while driving around Cape Town was the Foodbard Deli in No..."

Sweetpea: What sup: Sweet Sticky Chicken and salad

Sweetpea: What sup: Sweet Sticky Chicken and salad: "Marinade meat for hour in fridge. Marinade. Grill on open flame and enjoy with a side salad. Summer salad to go with flame grilled sti..."

Sweetpea: What sup: the braai sarmie

Sweetpea: What sup: the braai sarmie: "For me the best part of the braai is the 'starters'. The Roosterbrood is something I crave all Winter and is a simple sandwhich with tomatoe..."

Sweetpea: Fishy Friday

Sweetpea: Fishy Friday: "Its the weekend baby!We off to a restaurant in Kalk Bay called Cape to Cuba. Seafood is a must and can't wait to see what's on offer at this..."

What sup: Sweetpea Salad

Sweetpea Salad
My husband made the most divine salad for dinner last night. We had left over chicken from the roast we had the previous day and he made a stunning salad with it. The ingredients and flavours worked  together so well: boiled eggs, shredded roast chicken, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, watercress and butter lettuce, toasted rye on the side. The dressing was a sour cream and chives dressing.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

What sup: Sweet Sticky Chicken and salad

Marinade meat for hour in fridge. Marinade.
 Grill on open flame and enjoy with a side salad.

Summer salad to go with flame grilled sticky chicken.
Salad: Cucumber, danish feta, avo,watercress and cherry tomatoes.

Recipe: Add 3 tbs Soy Sauce, 5 tbs honey, little oil and the juice from 1 lemon and mix together. Pour over the chicken pieces and marinade chicken pieces for hour. This recipe is great in the oven if you dont feel like starting a fire! Grill in oven for 45 min at 180 degrees. Serve with a side salad (Cucumber, danish feta, avo,watercress and cherry tomatoes). Dressing for salad olive oil and balsamic with a splash of citrus (I used the juice from half an orange).

What sup: the braai sarmie

For me the best part of the braai is the "starters". The Roosterbrood is something I crave all Winter and is a simple sandwhich with tomatoe, onion, cheese, butter and Chutney (Mrs Balls brand is the best). The way the flames grill the sarmie cant be reproduced in a pan, oven or press! Always remember to butter both sides to prevent it sticking to the grill!

What sup: Drinks and snackies (perfect platter for 4)

The perfect selection of snackies to go with a good glass of vino. Grated mature cheddar, smooth cream cheese with a little smoked paprika and chilly to spice it up, olive and oregano gouda, preserve and crackers.

Monday, November 15, 2010

What sup: Foodbarn Deli in Noordhoek Cape Town

My brother in law came to visit this weekend and a really great spot I remembered while driving around Cape Town was the Foodbard Deli in Noordhoek. What a gem!!!The selection of freshly baked breads and dips are irresistible! I really love the way you can see straight into the kitchen to see the food being prepared. Great spot to visit for some foodie inspiration as the produce is fresh, organic and scrumptious. The only problem is.....you go in to buy some cheese and end up walking out with 4 groccery packets. I also love the fact that they have a lovely coffee shop as well and a selection of books for sale.
We decided to make our own tapas and chose a selection
 of cheeses and spreads to take home.


bigtable
Coffee shop in Foodbard Deli

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

What sup: The Humble Potatoe

The humble potatoe is the base of so many great dishes! I decided to use spuds in 2 dishes this week: A new potatoe salad recipe and a cottage pie ( I needed to de-stress so the mashing and pulverizing of the spuddies really helped…..and it’s a total comfort food!)

The salad was fresh and filled with the Summer flavours I love: bolied new potatoes cut in half, fresh coriander, mustard seeds and lemon. I like mixing all the ingredients when the potatoes are still warm, coats them nicely!
Summer Potatoes: New potatoes coated in mustard seeds, lemon juice, lemon zest, coriander and tsp of mayo.

Next Day:

I also made a Cottage Pie this week after a very busy and stressful day. LOVED the mashing! All you need is some lean beef mince, 1 small tin of tomatoe paste, any chopped up veg, onions, garlic, tbs chutney and gravy powder to thicken the sauce. And the topping of the pie(the best part) ..... Mashed potatoe with butter, salt ,black pepper and a little splash of cream ( I used low fat milk instead as Summer is nearly here and I need to get into a costume).
MASH!!!!!!!

After frying up the mince and veg add gravy powder to thicken
then place in dish and smooth potatoe over the top.

Whisk one egg and pour over the top and bake till egg golden brown

Yum, Cottage Pie Ala Sweetpea



Friday, November 5, 2010

What sup: Celebration food

She got the job! This was definitely reason to celebrate, it's always the best feeling to see your friends succeed! I decided to spoil my friend Meagan in the best way I know how.....create a scrumptious dinner and drink some champagne!
We started with a platter and soup.
Selection of cold meat ,cheese, preserves and crackers. There was biltong on this platter but it disappeared:)

Pea,Mint and Ham soup
We discussed everything form politics to our dreams for the future.......all while the Peri chicken,new potatoes,carrots and butternut with rosemary and green beans with garlic roasted in the oven!I used an unusual spice with the green beans and it was great!I used Dukkah nut and spice blend.
Roasted Peri Peri Chicken with Baby Potatoes and Tomatoes



Green Beans with Onion,Butter,Garlic and Dukkah
 

Butternut,Carrots and Rosemary


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

What Sup: Early dinner close to work

Having to hang around after work for a meeting is never ideal, but the chance to go to a local coffee shop for a bite (and even a glass of wine to keep you sane) is good. Especially when you go out with colleagues that live in the area and know all the hidden gems in and around Durbanville. We off to 33 OXFORD Street
Durbanville, to a little place called Chocolat Coffee Shop (with a name like that you can imagine the sweet treats on offer). The last time I went, instead of getting mints with the bill ...they gave chocolate covered cherries!
I think this is the nicest little coffee shop ever! I love the food, the service and the decor,  they even have a little shop with antiques and little gifties at the back. I can spend hours there and would if I didn't have to be at a meeting by 6pm! 

Chocolat Cofee Shop

Mushroom, roasted butternut, feta and rocket on toasted rye