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Recipe: Salsa criolla (Peruvian pickled onions)
Salsa criolla (Peruvian pickled onions) is an essential accompaniment to all sorts of dishes, such as tamales, arroz con pollo, chicharrón, seco and papa rellena. Of course you don’t need to make Peruvian food to enjoy salsa criolla. You can pair it up with any rich and/or dish that is on the dry side and could use some a bit of juicy tangy zing. If you have time, prepare the onions several hours before using them. They keep well in the fridge for 3-5 days.
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Product review: PBCo protein shakes
PBCo, formerly known as The Protein Bread Co, specialises on high protein, low carb products. Their PBCo protein shakes are a good alternative to similar powders in the market that contain sugar or artificial ingredients. PBCo protein shakes These protein shakes come in three flavours (banana, chocolate and vanilla) in 500g resealable bags, which equals 14.3 servings. Each serve contains 23g of protein that come from whey protein concentrate. The shakes are gluten free, low carb and contain vitamins and enzymes making them more digestible. They have no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners (they’re sweetened with stevia). Ingredients Banana: Australian whey protein concentrate, vitamin blend (calcium carbonate, whey protein isolate,…
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Product review: Slendier konjac pasta and rice
As its name implies, Slendier is a brand of food products designed to help with weight loss. Slendier konjac pasta and rice come in different styles to suit your culinary needs. What is konjac? The dictionary tells us konjac is “the swollen underground stem of a herb that grows in parts of Asia and is often used for adding fibre to food, or the herb itself.” (1) Konjac is very low in carbohydrates and very high in a type of fibre called glucomannan, which is linked to several health benefits, including appetite control and digestive health. Slendier konjac range All Slendier konjac pasta and rice style products come in 2-serve…
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Recipe: Chile verde pork ribs with Mexican slaw
I first tried chile verde in a Mexican restaurant in Sydney that no longer exists. I loved it, mainly because it reminded me of Peruvian seco. Unlike the most common chilli con carne, the sauce in chile verde is made with tomatillos, green chillies and coriander. It is normally made with pork shoulder but I decided to use the sauce to marinate pork ribs instead. The result: chile verde pork ribs with Mexican slaw. A few notes on ingredients and cooking method: Tomatillos can be found canned in ethnic grocery shops and some supermarkets such as Panetta in Marrickville Metro. I use this brand. The jalapeños used in the sauce…
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Product review: PBCo protein pizza bases
The folks at PBCo (previously The Protein Bread Co) have added ready-made pizza bases to their product range of mixes. WIth PBCo protein pizza bases you can enjoy pizza without derailing your body composition goals. Protein pizza bases Each packet of PBCo protein pizza bases comes with 2x 28cm, thin bases. These are very high in protein, lower in carbs and vegan. However, unlike the protein pizza mix, they are not gluten-free. Ingredients Water, lupin protein, high protein wheat flour, rice protein, olive oil, golden flax meal, yeast, salt, bread improver (inactive dry yeast, vitamin C, enzyme). Nutrition information Nutrient Per serve (1/2 pizza base) Energy (kJ) 1073 Energy (Cal)…
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Review: Mayver’s Goodness To Go Peanut Butter
One of my favourite brands of nut/seed butters and spreads, has launched a new product. Mayver’s Goodness To Go Peanut Butter are single-serve tubs of peanut butter that can be taken with you pretty much anywhere. The product The product currently comes in 2 varieties: crunchy and crunchy dark roasted (both are also available in jars). Each box contains 6 min pots, each containing 40g (2 tablespoons). As all the company’s products, these contain no artificial ingredients nor additives and are locally made. Ingredients As it’s the case with their jars of peanut butters, these contain just 2 ingredients: roasted peanuts (99.3%) and sea salt. Nutrition information Nutrient Per serve…
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Product review: Raw Earth sweetener
Raw Earth Sweetener Co. is a brand of non-caloric sweetener available in supermarkets. It’s advertised as a stevia and monk fruit natural sweetener that is “great for your taste buds and good for the soul”. The product comes in single-serve sachets and 200g canisters. It can be used in beverages, for cooking and baking. Ingredients Raw Earth sweetener contains erythritol, steviol glycosides [0.2%] and natural flavour (monk fruit extract or luo han guo 0.2%). Erythritol is a sugar alcohol made by fermenting glucose. It is 30% less sweet than table sugar but has 20 times fewer calories per gram (1). Steviol glycosides are naturally occurring sweeteners extracted from the Stevia…
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Recipe: Easy guacamole
Guacamole is one of the easiest and tastiest ways of consuming avocado. It can be eaten as a dip (with corn chips, crackers or vegetable sticks), as a topping for chilli, tacos or salads, on toast, in burritos, wraps, burgers, etc. There are many ways of making guacamole and, in general, I think you should make it however you like. Having said that, I do follow a few rules: Use lime, never lemon Any kind of onion can be used: red, brown, green, eschalots. Just make sure it’s finely chopped. Never use garlic The tomato is optional, particularly if you’re sharing with people with food sensitivities Black pepper is optional…
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Avocado and health
Avocado, aguacate, palta. All of these words refer to the same fruit – yes, fruit. The avocado (Persea americana) seems to have originated in Mexico (1, 2) and is currently enjoyed in most corners of the world thanks to globalisation. The picture at the top of this article was taken in my hometown (Lima, Perú), where avocados are pretty much a staple. There are several varieties available throughout the year, including Fuerte, Hass, “punta” and “dedo”. However, in the anglo world, Hass seems to be the most common varity. Fruit or vegetable? Even though avocado is botanically a fruit, it’s normally considered a vegetable. This is because it’s low in…
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Recipe: Lamb kofta with roasted Mediterranean vegetables
Kofta are basically meatballs or sausages that can be made in several different ways depending on where in the World they are made. I like them made with lamb and either a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean twist. This recipe for lamb kofta with roasted Mediterranean vegetables is not only easy to make but also gluten-free, low-carb and highly customisable. You can swap the meat, spices and vegetables for whatever you have in hand.
