The new Le Creuset Halo Kettle

Aren't these just too gorgeous? The black one is my personal favourite ;)

We have the Cherry Zen Kettle, and just love it - especially with all the power failures SA has been experiencing, it's really handy to be able to boil water on the gas stove! And it's so pretty it always has pride of place in the kitchen. 

Click here for more info on the new Halo Kettle range. 

Spicy Crushed Peas, Steak & Egg

A quick and healthy mid-week meal.

Spicy Crushed Peas, Steak & Egg
Serves 2

Ingredients
400g steak of your choice (we used beef fillet)
2 cups frozen baby peas
2 large free range eggs
Olive oil
2 fresh green chillies, sliced (remove the seeds for a less spicy version)
2 t fresh garlic, chopped
Salt & black pepper
Optional: Crispy fried onion and bacon bits

Method
Grill the meat to your liking, cover with foil and allow to rest.
Meanwhile, bring the peas to the boil. Once they are soft but still bright green and firm (boil them for about 3 minutes), remove from the heat and drain.
Fry two eggs to your liking (soft works best for this recipe).
While the eggs are cooking, heat a splash of olive oil in a pan, add the chillies and garlic and fry for a minute or two. Add the cooked peas and toss through. Roughly crush the peas with a potato masher and season well with salt and pepper.
Plate the dish by piling the hot peas on a plate, topping it with the rested steak and then with an egg. Season well with salt and black pepper.

TIP: Add some crispy fried onion and crispy bacon bits for extra indulgence.

Spring Day Gifts from LekkerBek

Visit www.lekkerbek.co.za for 

Spring Day gift ideas,

or email andante@lekkerbek.co.za

for personalised options.

Mexican Style filled Avocado

If you’re not quite ready for full blown leafy salads, 

kick spring off with this fresh and spicy filled avo.

Mexican Style filled Avocado
Serves 2 as a side, one as a main

Ingredients
1 large ripe avocado
½ cup mature cheddar, finely diced
½ cup mini rosa tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup fresh coriander, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped (remove seeds for a less spicy version)
Juice of one fresh lime
1 T olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Method
Combine all the ingredients (except the avo) and season well with salt & pepper.
Cut the avocado in half, remove the pip and spoon in the mixture.

Serve half as a side to good steak or the whole avo as a main.

Grapefruit, Papaya, Strawberry & Lime Smoothie

Spring is bursting to come into bloom on Joburg, you can just feel it in the air! A sunny weekend is being predicted so we think this smoothie is the perfect way to celebrate warmer weather - while getting a vitamin boost to boot ;)

Grapefruit, Papaya, Strawberry & Lime Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients
½ papaya
150g strawberries
Juice of 1 pink grapefruit
Juice of ½ lime

Method
Blend together… chill (or serve on ice) and enjoy.

Europe in the summer = Love

We are back from the most fantastic summer holiday in Europe! After a few visa issues (grrrr), we finally arrived in Amsterdam - albeit 3 days late... Anyhoo, we hit the ground running and did whirlwind museum visits, beer stops, Genever tastings and even a picnic on the lawn at the Rijksmuseum. 

We spent most of our vacation in Spain, and we absolutely loved it! When can we go again?? We stayed in Barcelona for 5 nights where we walked (and jogged!) the streets until after midnight, drank too much sangria, learnt how to cook a traditional seafood paella, became obsessed with Jamón ibérico (and green olives, and white anchovies, and gazpacho...), gazed at Gaudi and fell in love again as the sun set over the magical (musical) fountains. 

We then traveled down south and road-tripped in the Andalusian province. Here we had the best tapas, discovered Tinto verano, drank too much beer, cooked fabulous meals in our little kitchen with local produce, spent hours in the pool and on the beach (it was 42°C!!), wandered through the Alhambra and got a bit of Mediterranean colour on our skins ;)

We ended off our trip with a few days in Versailles and Paris... magical as always! 

Here are a few of our Instagram foodie highlights. 

Herring in Amsterdam (slippery, yet satisfying)

'Kleine biertjies' in Amsterdam

One of the best meals we had in Spain! At the Mercado de Santa Caterina, on high chairs, sipping ice cold white wine. Fantastic ingredients directly from the market; simply and perfectly prepared. 

Sangria on the beach

Jamón!!

Our Spanish picnics mostly consisted of Jamón (and some other cold cuts like Chorizo), manchego cheese, green olives, white anchovies and a fresh bread. 

Green olives stuffed with pimentos wrapped in white anchovies - yum!

Ice cold cervezas.

Tinto Verano (red wine with a dash of lightly sparkling orange soda and a lemon wedge)

- the perfect poolside drink! 

Beer and Tinto Verano stops are a necessity in 42°C heat! 

Moules frites in Paris.

We went all gourmet for our last French picnic; Foie gras, caviar, salmon pate, jamón, baguette, cheese, fresh peaches, radishes, tomatoes and rocket. 

Now to start planning our next adventure.... :) 

We are off to Spain!

The husband and I are off to Spain this evening (yay!!) 

I'm looking forward warmer weather, longer days, foreign cities,

beautiful art, picnics in parks, historic buildings and cocktails on the beach :) 

You can see what we're up to on our trip by following me on Instagram:

www.instagram.com/andante_w

I'll be back to regular blogging in August. 

Supplements & Fruit Snacks for your Dog

{Rocket}

Rocket is our 'only dog' and spoilt rotten (I've written about making home made dog food

for her here). She often gets treats and I try and add healthy bites and supplements to her food. 

Here are two great images to use a guidelines.   

Use this guide to add some supplements to your dog's diet. 

via here

Rocket loves fruit, so this is great to know ;)

via here

Healthy Fish & ‘Chips’

The perfect mid-week dinner that hits the comfort food spot without the guilt ;) Baked fish, kale chips and mushy peas. 

Healthy Fish & ‘Chips’

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the fish:

2 x 150g – 200g white fish fillets (crumbed for a more indulgent version, un-crumbed for a healthier version)

1 T olive oil

For the mushy peas:

½ T olive oil

½ T crushed garlic

2 cups frozen peas

2 T fresh mint, chopped

¼ cup plain yogurt

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Kale chips:

Bunch of fresh kale

Olive oil

Salt

Method

For the fish:

For a super healthy version: Season and steam fish for 15 minutes.

For a more indulgent version: Pre-heat oven to 180°C. Brown the crumbed fish fillets in a little olive oil and bake for 10 – 15 minutes until cooked through.

For the mushy peas:

Fry the garlic in a little olive oil for a minute or two, add the peas and stir through. Add a splash of water and cook until the peas are tender. Remove from heat and mash roughly. Just before serving, add the mint & yogurt and heat through. Season well with salt and pepper.

For the kale chips:

Wash and dry the kale.

Cut out the hard middle vein and cut the leaves into chip sized pieces.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and toss through to coat lightly.

Spread the chips evenly on a baking tray (or two) lined with baking paper.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 3 – 5 minutes – until the leaves just become crispy. Remove and season with running salt. Serve hot from the oven with steamed or baked fish and mushy peas.

The best Tapas restaurant in Nelspruit; Saffron

I'm off to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga tomorrow to shoot the Huletts Koeksister Champion 2015 competition at the Innibos Festival (see the pics and winner from last year here).

One of my highlights last year was a wonderful dinner at Saffron Restaurant. Well prepared, perfectly balanced little bites that will fill you up but leave you wanting more, and if you're uncertain about what to order don't hesitate to ask the owner Steve for suggestions, he put together an amazing selection of tapas for us. So if you're tired of 'festival food', do yourself a favour and book a cozy table at Saffron.

Visit their website for more info: www.saffronnelspruit.co.za

Read more about the last year's Koeksister competition here, here and here. 

*Images from the Saffron website.