Christmas 2011 at 15 on Orange Hotel

Here are some of the dishes on our buffet for Christmas this year at 15 On Orange Hotel, the pictures are not great as its really busy and we have to rush to be ready for everyone. Breakfast is also always busy but here is a look at what we were up to.

Roast Beef fillet with a herb crust, fondant potatoes and wild mushroom ragout.

Deboned and rolled roast Turkey, bacon wrapped chippolatas and a redcurrant jus.

Maple glazed Gammon with poached pears and baby apples.

Grilled Kingklip, buttered leeks and thermidor sauce.

Eggplant Parmigiana, roast tomato sauce, fresh pesto and basil.

The Starter buffet and desserts with cured meats, salmon, sashimi, salads, cheeseboard and grilled vegetables.

Pictures and article copyright by Tamsyn Wells

The Paleolithic Diet

I'm a chef so its almost impossible to diet and I never really have been on one as although being in a kitchen all day, my food choices are 90 percent healthy. I also suffer with a bit of lactose intolerance so I already have to cut dairy out of my diet which is tough enough. My boyfriend says he needs to watch what he eats.... well he blames me and all the goodies I make and the fact that he sits at a computer all day where I am running around at work most of the time. He asked me to check out the Paleolithic diet and see if I can try it with our meals at home. http://paleodietlifestyle.com/paleo-diet-food-list/

It basically says we should eat food only of the Paleolithic period so this would be eating meat, fish, some vegetables, fruits, seeds and oils. Cut out, pulses, breads / grain products, starches, processed and sweetened foods and dairy.
Meats and fish should be organic where possible and the rule with the vegetables is that if you can eat it raw then you can eat it on this diet.

All fruits and nuts are fine however if you are trying to loose weight then cut them out. Above is an example of one of my dinners and below is a weeks menu.
I must say I am a bread and potato fan and have not even missed it with our meals yet. The meal above is seared Norwegian Salmon, sauteed baby spinach with sesame seeds, beetroot and a tomato and avocado salad.

Week 1

	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Snack
Monday	Bowl of berries /w coconut milk	Salad /w roasted chicken, cherry tomatoes & olive oil / lemon juice vinaigrette	Paleo Spaghetti	Macadamia nuts
Tuesday	Leftover paleo spaghetti	Chicken & veggie soup /wliver pâté	Beef goulash	Beef jerky
Wednesday	Onion and spinach omelet /w leftover liver pâté	Tuna salad wrapped in lettuce /w almonds	Beef bourguignon Dessert:Coconut ice cream	Hard boiled eggs
Thursday	Bacon & eggs /w piece of fruit	Zucchini and sweet potato frittata	Grilled trout /wbutternut squash soup	Pork Rinds
Friday	Coconut milk smoothie	Citrus beef salad stir-fry	Citrus roast chicken /wsweet potato fries	Bowl of berries /w almonds
Saturday	Cold Leftover roast chicken /w mayo	Lemon & garlic scallops Dessert: Coconut ice cream	Bone marrow/w Waldorf salad Dessert:Baked apples	Dark chocolate covered bacon
Sunday	Tomato and egg stir-fry	Bacon, grape & broccoli salad	Butter chicken	Raw veggies /w guacamole

Picture and article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Easy Apple Cobbler

This is a simple dessert which is quick to make and uses ingredients which are always at hand in the kitchen.

You can use any fruit as the flavour which is topped with a vanilla batter and baked until golden. This dish got its name as once cooked the top of the dish looks like a cobbled street.

I served it with praline ice cream but any flavour is delicious melting into the warm pudding.

Apple Cobbler
Serves  6 - 8
Apple mix
5 cups tart apples peeled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour

Batter
1/2 cup flour sifted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter softened
1 egg beaten gently

Method
Roast the apples in a tray until lightly golden at 190 degrees mixed with the apple mix ingredients
Mix all the batter ingredients together.
Grease 6 - 8 ramekins and pour the batter in filling 3/4 full. Press a few pieces of apple into the top of each dish.
Bake the puddings for 15 - 20 minutes at 190 degrees, test with a skewer.
Serve with Ice cream and a dusting of icing sugar.

Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

I love real juices

I fell in love with the juicer when we purchased one at work and I made myself juices more often than I made for guests. Due to lack of space in the kitchen my boyfriend bought me the Kenwood Titanium Major and I bought all the attachments which I needed one of which was the juicer.
As we all know we need to eat 6-8 portions of fruit and vegetables per day for optimal health and some of these vitamins needed are destroyed in heating and cooking.

Above are the ingredients to one of my favorite juices however if you are overweight, have high cholesterol or diabetes it will be best to do more leafy green vegetables and less fruits. juicing is also great for people with digestive problems as more nutrients will be absorbed as it it pre digested already. these drinks are in your blood stream within 30 minutes of drinking and will up your immune system and boost the body's cleansing systems. It is best to drink these within 20 minutes of making them to get the optimal nutrients from it but it is still better than bought juice and will be fine drunk the same day.

Green juices are the best for you as they contain chlorophyll which detoxifies your body, detox the liver, rebuild blood cells and even remove cancer cells. These are cucumber, sprouts, celery, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and parley.

I have the flu at the moment so I wanted more vitamin C so I made a predominantly fruit juice, the oranges for vitamin C, apples for antioxidants, carrots are antioxidant, antiseptic and vitamin A, celery contains vitamin A and B as well as amino acids and is an alkaliser.

Its really easy you only need peel thick skinned ingredients otherwise just wash everything and cut to fit your feeding tube.
Enjoy.

Recipe and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Chicken Tikka Curry with Dosa's

A while back I went to Masala Dosa on Long street and loved the thin pancake they make called Dosa's, traditionally eaten with a potato curry and a lentil soup. The real dosa is made using a special large flat pan and a wiping action is used to spread the mix in the pan making a thin crisp pancake.
I am trying to cook with a little less carbohydrates as I am a bread, rice, pasta and potato nut so I decided to make curry and although chickpea flour has a healthy carbohydrate suitable for people with diabetes it is very high in protein, zinc and folate much healthier and lighter than a whole bowl of rice or buttery roti's.

I made a cheats version of the Dosa using chickpea flour and rice flour but it is normally made from ground lentils and rice. I will test it with the traditional potato curry next but tonight it being rainy out I wanted a saucy curry, here is the recipe enjoy eating with your hands rolling it up and dipping in the curry.
I think this will also work as a sweet alternative to pancakes for the wheat intollerant, spread with melted chocolate and sprinkle with coconut or banana.

This recipe is wheat and dairy free.

Chicken Tikka
serves 4
500g chicken breast cubed
250g baby marrow cut into thick rings
1 onion chopped
1 sachet woolworths tikka paste
1 tin whole peeled tomatoes
10ml tomato paste
125ml coconut milk
15ml cornflour
salt and pepper
oil

Brown the chicken and baby marrow in the pan and then remove and set aside.
Fry the onions until golden then add the spice paste and fry for 1 minute.
Add the tin of tomatoes and break up the whole tomatoes and add the tomato paste.
Cook for 30 minutes then blend the sauce.
Add the chicken, baby marrow and coconut milk.
Cook for 20 minutes and then thicken with cornflour slaked in water and season.
Serve with the dosa's below or rice, roti's or poppadums.

Dosa
makes 8
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup cake flour / rice flour
3ml bicarb
5ml mustard seeds
2ml salt
5ml lemon juice
water to made a batter

Mix the dry ingredients then add the water until the batter is of a coating consistency.
Spray and cook a frying pan and drizzle with a dash of oil.
Pour a ladle of batter into a pan rolling the mix around the pan and cook until golden on each side.
Repeat until the batter is finished.
Serve with your favorite curry.

Recipe and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells