Blueberry Smoothie

My sister, Susan is a smoothie fanatic and it has somehow rubbed off on me. She gave me this recipe (and an opportunity to use a blender that has been gathering dust for the past 11 years!) and I really enjoyed the results, even though my smoothie turned out to be too thick.She didn't give me any measurements so I just went with that i thought would work out. My children also loved the smoothie and asked for seconds. 

I will be making more smoothies, since I'm trying to be healthy, lose some weight, and all that. I will be running a 10km race in September, which is quite ambitious of me. Wish me well!!

 Ingredients

Blueberries
Banana
Avocado
Coconut Milk
Honey 
Ice blocks

Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Chef Abraham

Chef Abraham Nhlabatsi welcomed us into his kitchen in the ambient environment of The Terrace Grill, where he made the decadent Spaghetti alla Carbonara. He chose egg noodles over spaghetti. The preparation method for either choice is the same. There is not much difference between the two, but as the name implies, egg noodles contain a higher proportion of eggs to wheat than regular pasta.  Pasta offers slightly more fibre and protein per serving compared to egg noodles. A healthier option would be to cook wholegrain pasta.

Ingredients:

Egg noodles

15 ml olive oil

1 teaspoon crushed garlic

2 rashers bacon

4 button mushrooms

2 slices of ham

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

Aromat

Thickening agent

Half cup cream

5 ml parmesan cheese

The garnish should have a contrasting colour with th e food being served

Method

·         Cook the spaghetti and set aside.

·         Fry the garlic in hot oil.

·         Add bacon to the saucepan.

·         Add the button mushrooms.

·         When the mushrooms are soft, add the ham slices.

·         Season with aromat and salt.

·         Add the flour, or thickening agent of your choice.

·         Add the cream.

         Add a pinch of sugar to balance the seasoning.

·         Sprinkle parmesan cheese to the mixture and stir.  

About the chef

Chef Abraham Nhlabatsi, from Mbabane, has been cooking for a quarter of a century, the last four of which he has been with The Terrace Grill. He received his training at SCOT. Regarding how he chose cooking over other careers, Abraham sighed and said it was a long story. The short of it, however, is that he grew up in a family of boys and used to cook for the family from a tender age.  When he got to Form 4, he made his decision to be a chef after falling in love with the art. “Back then, choosing a cooking career as a man was regarded as a shame, but after cooking for a number of special people over the years, I’m convinced it’s a career that men should support,” said Abraham. He regards cooking at King Mswati 111’s birthday in 1996 as one of the major highlights of his career. 

Having your 5-a-day and drinking it too!

It felt evil to mutilate this beautiful salad

I had the pleasure of meeting two lovely chefs for the Times of Swaziland cooking column which I contribute to. Chef Phindile Sihlongonyane and Nokwazi Gama made me fresh juice and a muesli fruit salad. I absolutely loved the salad.

Ingredients for the fruit salad

Quarter of cup muesli

Quarter apple, cut into small cubes

2 strawberries

1 banana

Quarter cup chopped pawpaw

1 kiwi

375ml plain or double cream yoghurt

Grapes, not used in this particular recipe

2 tablespoons honey

Pour muesli in a bowl and add a layer of yoghurt to cover the muesli.

Add a generous layer of all the fruits to cover the yoghurt, leaving some for garnish.

Cover the fruit layer with more yoghurt.

Place the remainder of the fruit on top of the yoghurt.

Squeeze honey over the salad and enjoy.

Chef Nokwazi Gama prepared the delectable fruit salad. Her expertise preparing the salad reflected the 15 years she has been at Pick ‘n Pay Manzini, some of them spent assisting with food preparation. She learned to cook on the job after being sent to various places for training. Chef Nokwazi said what kept her going was seeing regular customers who kept coming back to the coffee shop, which assured her that she and her team were doing a great job.

Ingredients for the juice

4 Apples

3 carrots

Half thumb size root ginger

Blocks of ice, optional

Method

Slice the apple in half and chop the carrots into four pieces and chop the carrots into four pieces

Throw the ingredients into the machine and wait for the juice to be processed.

When all the juice comes out, remove the froth that forms on the surface and serve.

Chef Phindile Sihlongonyane, who made the fruit and vegetable juice, has been with Thyme @The Hub for the past two years. She said she was proud of the juice she serves to her customers daily because it is pure, with no water or artificial additives. Her favourite juice is the one she prepares with beetroot, orange, and a little ginger.