What Sup: Baked Spaghetti

The good thing about this supper is it easy, cheap and you can cook everything beforehand and just bake it when you are ready to munch!
You will need:
1 onion peeled
2tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped finely
500g mince (you could use pork,beef or chicken mince for this)
2 tbs tomato paste
1tsp chutney
1tbs flour
half cup white wine
2 can chopped tomatoes (I like the KOO brand with garlic and herbs added)
half tsp nutmeg
1 tbs of fresh or dried thyme and oregano
spaghetti
grated Parmesan ( to cover top, this will give it a the crisp cover when baking in oven)

Fry onion and garlic and dried/fresh herbs till oil is infused, add mince continue frying till brown. Sprinkle flour and cook, stirring for few min. Add wine,paste,chutney and canned tomatoes and reduce (cook gently for 20 min). while the sauce is reducing boil pasta (remove from heat and drain when tender but firm). coat with a little olive oil and coat with sauce. Scatter cheese and bake till golden brown crust forms.

What sup: Aubergine sandwich (no bread)

You will need:
1 large aubergine cut into thick pieces (this will be the"bread" in this sambo)
rocket leaves
1 tbs smoked paprika
1 large onion
BBQ sauce (I like Spur BBQ)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 large red pepper
Note:You will need a griddle pan to fry aubergine and peppers, you could use also gas braai griddle.
Coat aubergine in olive oil salt and pepper fry in hot pan, turn after 4 min and continue cooking till cooked through but still firm. Remove from pan and set aside. Add oil to pan and add red pepper, blacken and remove from heat. Lastly fry onion in the BBQ sauce.Now stack aubergine, onion, rocket and peppers. serve with a dollop of mustard.

What Sup: basil, cucumber, grilled baby-marrow and tomato salad

You will need:
5 large baby marrows sliced into ribbons
1 large cucumber also thinly slices into ribbons
2 large handfuls of basil leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut into halves
garlic infused olive oil, salt and black pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
juice from 1 nectarine
Coat in oil and grill the baby marrows in oven till tender, this will only take 5 min in oven
sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss with other salad ingredients. Squeeze juice from nectarine and vinegar over salad and serve.

What Sup: Frozen Chocolate Mousse

With the heat wave in Cape Town this week and the long hot summer days ahead, a frozen dessert recipe is a must. Anyone that knows me well, knows I usually buy desserts from Woolworths as I really hate measuring accurately....I only try dessert recipes that have been tried and tested by family. My sister in law made this mousse and I'm glad she did!

You will need:
200g bittersweet chocolate chopped
2 large eggs plus 2 yolks
100g castor sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
tbsp whiskey or any booze of your choice (Amaretto could also be great)
250g whipping cream
cocoa powder for dusting

Melt chocolate in bowl set over a pan of gently boiling water.Cool for 3 min. in a separate bowl beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
Add melted choc and beat vigorously for 4 min, then add booze and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl beat cream until it forms peaks, now fold in to chocolate mixture and pour into loaf tin cover and freeze overnight. Take out of freezer 15 min before serving and dust in cocoa powder.

What Sup: Warm Lentil Salad

You will need:
250g lentils(can)
1 onion chopped finely
2 cloves garlic smashed
Dressing:
2 tomatoes
2tbs chopped mint
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2tbs olive oil
1 tbs red wine vinegar

The great thing about this dish is it can stand alone or be a side dish, the mint and tomato dressing really goes with anything. Fry garlic and onion till soft, then add lentils to warm them through. To make the dressing cut tomatoes in half, discard the seeds and juice and chop flesh into bite size pieces. In a bowl combine tomatoes with all the rest of dressing ingredients. Now toss lentils in dressing while still warm and serve.

What Sup: Herb Bread

You will need:
1tbs yeast
1tsp sugar
500g plain all purpose flour
1tsp salt
2 tsp dried mixed herb
parsley chopped
30g butter
Crumble the yeast into bowl,stir sugar and 1 and quarter cups water until yeast is dissolved.
Set aside till mixture froths.
Mix together flour, salt and herbs. Rub in the butter and make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture. Stir well with wooden spoon and knead on floured surface for about 5 min. Roll into ball and set aside until it has doubled in size.
Punch down (great stress buster:) and reform into ball, place on non stick oven dish and bake at 180 degrees for about 45min, you will smell the bread when it is ready. The irresistible aroma will fill your kitchen and make you hungry. Serve warm with lots of butter!

What Sup: Tuscan Chicken with Roasted Vegetables

This is a simple chicken dish that is easy to make and perfect for a dinner party. You just can't go wrong with tomatoes, basil and garlic as the base to your meal!
You will need:
Chicken pieces, any pieces you like-this is also great with chicken breasts
Cherry tomatoes 1 cup
Basil leaves- I LOVE basil so put in 2 cups
Chopped tomatoes (2 cans)
Spring onion
Olive oil to coat chicken
1tbs brown sugar
Garlic, 1 clove
Olives optional
First coat your chicken pieces with olive oil, salt, pepper and the chopped garlic and place in an ovenproof dish. Cover chicken with all the other ingredients and bake on 180 degrees for 1 hour. The tomato thickens into a rich velvety sauce!

To accompany the chicken I made roasted butternut, halloumi (or feta if you don't like halloumi/cheaper option) and spring onion. Coat the veg in olive oil and nutmeg and pop in the oven with the chicken.

Butternut, feta, rocket and pumpkin seed salad

It's a new year and after all the excessive eating, drinking and socialising a healthy salad is just what we need.
This is a quick and easy meal and a great salad to take along to friends.
You will need:
Large butternut cubed into bite size pieces
Feta cheese (as much as you like in salad, I use 2 disks)
Roasted pumpkin seeds and rocket
Olive oil
Vinaigrette of your choice
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast butternut till cooked, if you don't have the time to roast then just buy cut butternut and pop in microwave for 4-5 min. Let this cool while you cube the feta and chop rocket leaves. Add all ingredients together and top with the pumpkin seeds, salt, pepper and dressing. It's so simple and quick! I also enjoy a variation of this salad-butternut, feta and moist biltong pieces. Give it a try, you wont be disappointed.