What we'll be getting up to this weekend: The Parkurst Pinknic

Balmy summer afternoons spent sipping bubbly, 

listening to Jazz, dressed in pink - bliss :)

Virgin ginger & kiwi mojito

We are still in the festive mood, but realise that all the 'wining & dining' over December has taken it's toll on our waistlines... So we'll be the cutting calories with this refreshing and summery Virgin No-sugar Mojito ;)

Virgin ginger & kiwi mojito
Serves 2

Ingredients

10 cm fresh ginger, skin removed and sliced into coins
½ cup water
4 – 5 Canderel sticks
1 fresh lime
1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced
Ice
500ml sparkling mineral water

How to make it

Combine the ginger, Canderel and water in a small pot.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Cut the lime into small half wedges (16ths).
Using a mortar and pestle, bruise the lime wedges and mint. Divide between two glasses (along with the lime juice).
Pour half the Canderel and ginger mix (with the ginger slices) into one glass and the rest into the other.
Add three ice cubes and a few slices of kiwi fruit.
Top with sparkling water.
Garnish with a kiwi slice.

Serve immediately.

Thai Shredded Chicken Salad

Fresh, spicy and healthy. The perfect warm weather lunch.

Thai Shredded Chicken Salad
Serves 4 – 6

You will need
4 chicken fillets, cooked, cooled and shredded (season with salt & pepper)

For the dressing:
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
2 Thai chillies (or bird’s eye), chopped (remove the seeds if you want it less spicy)
2 – 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbls palm or castor sugar
4 Tbls fresh lime juice
2 Tbls fish sauce
1 Tbls rice wine vinegar
1 Tbls sesame oil

For the salad:
2 cups purple cabbage, shredded
2 cups Cos lettuce, shredded
1 cup carrot, julienned
½ cup celery, sliced

For the garnish:
½ cup salted roasted peanuts, chopped
Fresh coriander
½ cup spring onion, chopped

How to make it

For the dressing:
Combine all the ingredients and stir well. Allow to marinade for at least 15 minutes until the sugar 

is dissolved and the onions become limp.

To assemble:
Combine all the ingredients on one large flat serving platter, or divide between individual bowls.
Scatter the shredded chicken over the salad leaves.
Layer the marinated onions on top of the chicken and drizzle over the remaining dressing.
Garnish with peanuts, coriander and spring onion.
Serve immediately.

The quickest ever Sugar Free Strawberry Sorbet

Sugar free sorbet in minutes? Yes please! Dry ice and Canderel make this sorbet a guilt-free, fuss-free (and not to mention impressive to make for guests) summer treat. Use your favourite fruits or juice and creative with flavour combinations.

The quickest ever Sugar Free Strawberry Sorbet

Makes 6 large servings or 12 small servings

Ingredients

1.5 kg fresh strawberries (reserve a few for garnish)

4 – 6 sachets Canderel Yellow

2 kg Dry Ice

Method

Remove the strawberry stems and rinse well.

Roughly cut strawberries into smaller pieces.

In a liquidizer or with a hand blender, liquidize the strawberries until smooth and runny.

Add Canderel Yellow to taste. Tip: Make it slightly sweeter as the sweetness is subdued once it’s frozen.

Pour the juice into the mixing bowl of an electric mixer and attach the dough hook.

Handling the dry ice carefully (newspaper works well), break off a few large pieces with a hammer and a sharp object (about half of the block to start off with). Place the pieces of dry ice in a kitchen towel and wrap it with another. Using the hammer, bash the ice into even smaller pieces until it starts to become a powder. Using the towels, tip the pieces of ice and powder through a sieve into a bowl. Don’t use the bigger pieces that don’t pass through the sieve, rather bash them again.

Turn on the mixer and gently pour the dry ice powder into the liquid.

It will start ‘smoking’ heavily, but once the ice has been absorbed you’ll be able to see the mix. Keep on adding dry ice powder until you’ve reached a sorbet consistency. You may need to add several batches of ice powder.

Squash the mixture down into the bowl and use an ice cream scoop to scoop out the sorbet portions.

Tip: You can make it ahead and freeze the entire mix or individual portions in the freezer.

Garnish with a fresh strawberry.