Low-carb
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Product review: Absolute Biltong jerky
It was a sad day when I found out that the jerky I loved and bought regularly was halal. Luckily, a quick internet search came up with an alternative that is grass-fed, gluten-free and explicitly not halal. I got a bunch of different flavours to try: venison (plain), beef (plain and pepper), emu, and water buffalo. Seasonings include GF soy sauce, red wine, a tiny bit of brown sugar, salt, spices, and tabasco. Coming from consuming a brand with a lot less ingredients, it took me a while to get used to the bolder flavour. It’s not bad, just different. Out of the meats I tried, I found the emu…
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Recipe: Majado de plátano con choros y chorizo (smashed plantains, mussels and chorizo)
Last time I went to Tienda Latina to buy food for my birthday I noticed they had sliced and pre-cooked ripe plantains in the freezer. I grabbed a bag without even asking for the price and started thinking what to do with them. It didn’t take me too long to decide: I wanted to make a version of majarisco, a dish from the North of Perú that features plátano majado (smashed plantains) and seafood. To keep things simple, I used frozen mussels and chorizo (also bought at Tienda Latina) for this version.
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Recipe: Pesto beef with Mediterranean vegetables
As much as I love collecting and trying new recipes, there are some times when I have a particular craving and I know I won’t find the recipe in a cookbook. Luckily, it wasn’t anything too crazy or complicated to make. Hope you like it as much as I did.
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Product review: Kehoe’s Kitchen sauerkraut
Now that fermented foods are in fashion (yay!) there are quite a few new interesting brands popping up. This bright pink jar in my local health food shop caught my eye, especially when I read the ingredients list: red cabbage, apple, garlic & fennel seeds. I really liked this sauerkraut, I didn’t find the garlic too strong at all. The only downside, as with all good fermented products, would be the price (I paid $19.95). Kehoe’s Kitchenkehoeskitchen.com
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Recipe: Smoked pork, mushroom, ginger & cabbage soup
This recipe is more a guide than an actual recipe. Yes, this is an excuse to be inaccurate with the quantities. The results will be great, give or take reasonable amounts of any ingredient. You can also use pre-made broth if you can find a good one. * I opted for soft-boiled eggs and was too impatient to wait for them to cool down before peeling, hence the terrible presentation in the photo.
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Product review: Woolworths slow cooked stocks
As much as I love making my own broth, when time is tight it’s nice to have backup options. Some of them can be quite expensive but fortunately Woolies has come up with a range of slow cooked stocks that are decent and budget-friendly. The stocks come in 4 flavours: King Island beef, vegetable, free range chicken and white fish. All have very clean ingredients lists. All good for cooking and okay for drinking straight. Perfect for emergencies and/or lazy people.
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Product review: Giving whey another go (part 2)
Last week I reviewed a couple of decent whey protein options in the market. My selection criteria were: whey has to come from grass-fed cows, supplement must be crap-free (i.e. minimal and as natural as possible ingredients), and company must offer sample sizes. Because I’m more concerned with digestibility than supplement efficiency when it comes to whey protein, I didn’t care too much that the products I tried this time where in the concentrate form, as opposed to the isolate ones I tried last time. The main difference is that isolate contains more protein; if you want to read more details head over to this article on Mark’s Daily Apple.…
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Product review: Giving whey another go (part 1)
It’s been 5 years since I consumed whey protein regularly. When I went paleo I cut down most dairy and noticed a great improvement in my respiratory allergies. My approach to eating is to cycle foods as much as I can because there is good and bad in most stuff (with some exceptions that I prefer to stay away from). One of the things that I have incorporated lately for convenience and for the sake of variety is whey. I had done a few protein smoothies here and there and had noticed that quality made a huge difference in my reactions, particularly an itchy throat immediately after ingestion and a…
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Product review: Hunted & Gathered Dry Wors
Hunted & Gathered, the makers of my favourite beef jerky have a new(ish) product: Dry Wors. This is their version of a traditional South African dried beef sausage. These are expensive ($20.50 per pack) but worth every cent. They are made with organic grass-fed beef, organic coriander seeds, organic black pepper, organic vinegar, organic coconut sugar and pink lake salt. They are chewy but less than jerky, and also fattier. Great shelf-stable snack to have handy. Hunted and Gatheredhuntedandgathered.com.au
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Recipe: Fragrant roasted chicken with cinnamon pumpkin and broccolini
I’ve been using this awesome recipe for roasting chicken for the past few months. It’s simple and fool-proof, and it gives you the flexibility of using any spices you want. I often use a mix of rosemary and sage salts or a mix of rosemary and lemon salts. This time I used a mix of Moroccan spices and paired it up with cinnamon-y pumpkin and broccolini. Delicious!
