Yummy Recipes for Summer

Summer Top 10 Recipes

Here are some top recipes for this summer…..enjoy.

Ostrich Carpaccio

Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 5 mins

Ingredients

• 250g ostrich fillet
• 45ml lemon juice, preferably fresh
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 10 ml avocado oil
• 12-16 rocket leaves
• 10ml Parmesan or pecorino cheese, shaved or finely grated
• 4 slices low GI bread, optional

Method

Remove the ostrich fillets from the packet and place half of them separately onto a plastic plate.
Freeze for about 2 hours to make slicing much easier.
Remove from the freezer – the fillets will be semi-frozen – and slice as thinly as possible.
Place the ostrich slices into a glass container and cover with the lemon juice, garlic, plenty of black pepper and oil.
Marinate, covered for 20 – 30 minutes.
Divide the rocket leaves onto four plates.
Layer the ostrich slices evenly onto the leaves.
Top with two curls of shaved Parmesan or Pecorino.
Cut each slice of bread into three fingers and serve with the carpaccio.
Serve with a large mixed salad or fruit salad for dessert.

Crust less red onion and mushroom quiche

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 15 ml olive oil
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 250g mixed mushrooms, sliced
• 5 ml dried thyme
• 30 ml flour
• 2 large eggs
• 125 ml crème fraîche
• 100 g Gouda, grated

Method

Heat the onions in a large frying pan and saute the onions until golden. Add the mushrooms and thyme.
Cook for three minutes and add the flour. Stir well to combine.
Whisk the eggs, crème fraîche and cheese.
Mix with the mushroom mixture and pour into a greased 22 cm pie dish.
Bake in a preheated 180 °C oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

VARIATION
For quiche with a crust, make shortcrust pastry, roll out thinly and press into a pie dish, and use this mixture as a filling.
Add two thinly sliced smoked chicken breasts to the filling.

Healthier chicken Enchiladas

Preparation time: 10 min
Cooking time: 25 min

Ingredients

• 800 g chicken fillets (I finely chopped mine but you could also use chicken mince)
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp each nutmeg and ground cloves
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 8 flour tortillas (you could also use wholegrain)
• 3 cup bechamel/cheese sauce
• 70-100g grated mozzarella

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°c.
In a large saucepan, saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
Add the chicken and spices and saute until golden and cooked through.
Season to taste.  Add 1 cup of the bechamel and set aside.
Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
Spoon half of the left over bechamel on the base of a oven proof dish.
Place 2-3tbsn of the chicken mixture on a warmed tortilla and roll. Don’t use too much of the mixture as you want to be able to roll it quite easily.
Place seam side down into the oven proof dish and cover with the rest of the bechamel. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and place in the oven.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Remove and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Yellow tail with olive and herb sauce

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• 4
  pieces yellow tail, about 100–150 g each
• 2
  Tbs
  olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive and herb sauce:
• 1 tsp crushed fresh garlic
• 8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs black olive paste or tapenade
• 1 Tbs sun-dried tomato paste
• 2 Tbs capers, drained
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbs finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 Tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oi

Method

Make the sauce by mixing all the listed ingredients together in a bowl and set aside until needed.

Rub the fish with the olive oil and season well on all sides with salt and pepper.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat and cook the pieces of fish for about 4 minutes each side until a nice golden, crispy crust forms. Put a close-fitting lid over the pan and cook for a further 1–2 minutes.

Leave the lid off for a minute or so to allow the fish to crisp up again and remove from the pan.

Serve on hot plates with some of the sauce spooned over each portion. Boiled baby potatoes and steamed green beans go beautifully with this dish.

Speedy strawberry and white chocolate ice cream

Ingredients

• 500ml frozen strawberries
• 250 ml chilled thick cream
• 125 ml white chocolate

Method

Place the berries, cream and chocolate into a food processor and purè.
Store in a Tupperware container in the freezer until required.

Low fat créme Caramel

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 min

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup fat free milk
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 vanilla pod, split length ways
• 1/4 cup Castor sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugalite
• 2 large whole eggs
• 2 large egg whites

Method

Place the milk, cinnamon and vanilla into a saucepan.

Bring to a simmer and remove from heat. Cover and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

Strain through a fine sieve and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Lightly spray 4 x ¾ C (180ml) ramekins with cooking spray. Place the ramekins into a deep baking tray half-filled with water. The water should come halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Heat the Castor sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat till sugar dissolves.

Increase the heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns a deep amber colour, about 8 minutes.

Pour a little syrup into the bottom of each ramekin immediately.

Whisk the Sugalite, eggs and egg whites together until smooth and fluffy.

Gradually add the milk mixture, whisking continuously.

Pour the mixture over caramel in ramekins, place in oven and bake for about 1 hour, until custard has set.

Remove the ramekins from water bath and chill overnight.

Run a small knife around custard to loosen and invert onto plate.

Delicious things to add:

* Add 1 Tbsp (15ml) cocoa powder or 2 tsp (10ml) coffee granules to milk before heating for low-fat chocolate or coffee pots.

* The sugar in this recipe can be replaced with sucralose. Substituting sweeteners in the place of sugar does not work well in recipes that require you to cream sugar with butter or margarine. However, sweeteners can be used in recipes that add sweetness by dissolving sugar into a mixture. This little adjustment to your cooking can significantly reduce the total sugar content of your meals.