La Parada

La Parada is a new tapas bar/restaurant on the buzzing Bree Street in Cape Town. The restaurant is beautiful just like I would imagine the buildings to look like on the streets of Spain with a bar under ground called Bunker it is the new place to be.

We went for an early dinner on Christmas eve so it was fairly empty still but I am sure it picked up later, we were happy and got to sit at the window seats. All dishes come in a small (R15-R25) or large size (R35-R45).

We started off with lighter choices, the first was called spicy steak on the menu and was a bit plain for me, tapas should be small bites and big flavour, steak on toast with a spicy sauce under the steak just not wow. Second was calamari and potato with smoked paprika, calamari was tender and it was moreish but still lacked a bit of lemon zing.

The next two dishes were the best of the day, ham croquettes with pesto, crispy outside and soft centre, we fought for the last one. I was hesitant to order the paella but it was so tasty and the rice perfectly cooked with lots of different seafood bits.

The chickpeas in a tomato stew were also very good and has made my brother an avid fan of chickpeas requesting them all the time now. The Patatas Bravas were a deep fried potato cube covered in a tomato sauce, they forgot to add the chorizo but it was still a good flavour and went well with the fish.

                                   

The last two were line fish topped with a red pepper relish, it was light and fresh flavoured and the finally we tried the beef cannelloni topped with potato crisps which was well made with a pulled beef centre but had strong flavours of clove and nutmeg so if you not a fan of clove try the other meat dishes rather.

Overall a great night, we washed it down with artisan beers and its always fun to share food and chat while tasting different flavours. I would definitely go back we were really full after all this and chose the large size of each dish, the bill was R500 for 3 people with 2 beers each.

La Parada / The Bunker

107 Bree street

021-426 0330

Pictures and article copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Chia Seeds

I decided to buy these after seeing a recipe for a chocolate dessert on Pinterst, almost discouraged by their price at R89 for the small pack 200g and R220 for the bigger one, I though they better be good... well they definitely are good for you. Labelled a super food which means the most nutrients are packed into such a small seed, comprising mainly of seed based Omega 3 (ALA). Originating from the mint family native to Mexico.

Known to boost energy, aid digestion and lowering cholesterol. They also contain calcium, phosphorus, manganese and fibre. They may be eaten raw, milled or soaked and have very little flavour so may be added without affecting the dish and actually have a thickening effect which could be used in soups and pie fillings.

My main meals of the day are breakfast and dinner, being lactose intolerant I get bored of my options sometimes and am also in a hurry. This first dish is a great breakfast option and with a few changes works great as a dessert too. Dairy and wheat free you will be addicted.

Chia Seed, coconut and fruit pudding / porridge
Serves 2 - 3

1 tin coconut milk / almond milk

4 tbsp chia seeds

honey / agave to taste

cubed fruits of your choice

Soak the chia seeds in the coconut milk / almond milk for about an hour or over night, stirring to loosen the seeds.

Add honey to taste and then go wild with the flavours.

1. I added chopped peach, orange segments and chopped chickpea fudge

2. Blend a banana into the coconut milk then soak and add chopped coconut and passion fruit.

3. Raw cocoa 

4. Vanilla and nuts

5. Savoury style lemon grass, chilli, ginger and lime

6.Use them in cocktails

This was delicious and so simple to make and reminded me of the street drinks in Vietnam or bubble tea as once swollen they have a tapioca texture.

I also as shown below made a salad of rocket, cucumber, tomato, rotisserie chicken, mustard and anchovy mayonnaise, topped with chia seeds and parsley. The dressing is just mayonnaise, mustard, anchovy, lemon juice and olive oil blended and seasoned to taste Also really good.

The other reason I wanted to try them was for their benefits when it comes to running which is my newish passion at the moment, apparently making you run longer and faster and with a nickname "the running food" I wanted to look into using them on my next race. The Aztecs mixed it just with water for hydration but they are being used in plenty of energy bars now. The ALA (alpha linoleic acid) also helps keep energy levels high and will assist with inflammation. I will report back once I have tested it but in the meantime I am going to enjoy trying a few recipes.

I bought mine from Wellness Warehouse but I am sure they are available at ant health shop.

Pictures and recipe copyright by Tamsyn Wells.

Annual White Celebration

We wait in anticipation the whole year for this event, The Annual White Celebration held on Molenvliet Wine and Guest Estate along side Karla Oetlers Absolute Collection Events and Staffing to see what new ideas and concepts will follow through into the following year as far as events and Weddings go. All dressed in white 350 guests, suppliers and friends gathered for this year end event 2013.

I have been to a few of Karla's parties now and she pulls out all the stops, from being at the most beautiful wine farm I have ever seen to the endless props, tents, statues all in white, even a white popcorn stand, white writing in the fields and dancers. 

On arrival you walk down a long table with crisp vegetable chips, olives and nuts to eat with the sparkling wine under a drape tent in the middle of the vineyards, we all got to hang out a bit and have some fun during the busy season for the hospitality and event industry.

Keeping us constantly entertained we moved down to the venue where we received our branded wine glasses and three tokens to try a white, red and rose' wine while DJ Chopper started to play the music to get us started with a party vibe.

In the courtyard was something I have never seen before, beautiful chandeliers surrounded by a construction scaffolding dotted with antipasti, cheese boards, breads, dips, charcuterie of cold meats laid out on platters and all the accompaniments that go along with it.

As if this was not enough inside we were offered endless assorted canapes like mozzarella rolled with pesto, smoked salmon on macaroon, chilli tempura prawns and duck pancakes with hoisin sauce. I found myself stationed at the oyster tower for a while enjoying them traditional style with my sparkling wine, professional photographers were capturing every moment and you could even get a Caricature drawn of yourself to take home.

After my oyster frenzy I visited the burger bar which was filled with different toppings like, caramelised onions, home made mustard, tomatoes, relishes and mayonnaise. They also had the flat pizza guy from the Old Biscuit Mill topping mini pizzas with his usual Parma Ham, Parmesan, rocket and balsamic reduction.

We ended the night dancing our feet off to DJ Rene, The Frenchman with his can't stand still music and drums, he gets even me onto the dancefloor. The sweets for the evening were cakes and petit fours from Cakes by Wade which came out on silver platters with big glowing sparklers attracting everybody's attention. All the guests were enjoying themselves so much that for a thursday night I only left after 1pm, luckily off the following day. Well done to Ockie and Karla for an amazing evening, can't wait for the next one.

Pictures and Article Copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Falafel lettuce rolls

I make these very often and I almost prefer it rolled in lettuce to the pita style version as it is lighter and fresher for summer. A Falafel is a chickpea fritter originted from Egyptian street food,  normally served with pickles and tahini sauce which is made from sesame seeds. Here is my version, Falafels, sesame wilted spinach, carrot, mushrooms, smokey tomato relish and tahini rolled in lettuce.

Chickpea Falafels

Makes 18

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 chilli, seeded and chopped

1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 egg

flour / chickpea flour to thicken

3ml cumin

3ml coriander ground

2ml paprika

10ml lemon juice

salt and pepper

oil for frying

Pinch of sumac

Fry off the onion, garlic and chilli until softened, place everything in a blender except the oil and blend until smooth with 100ml of flour. Add more flour if necessary to make a thick paste that comes away from the sides of the blender, adjust seasoning and heat to your liking.

Heat oil in a pan and either roll balls of falafel mix or quenelle with 2 spoons into the hot oil and fry until golden.

Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with sumac a tart flavoured spice (optional).

Accompaniments:

1 head of Iceberg lettuce 

Handful of english spinach

Squeeze of lemon

sesame seeds

1 Tomato, seeded and diced

1/4 onion, finely chopped

2ml chipotle chilli (Smoked Mexican chili found at V&A Waterfront, Pick n Pay)

5ml white vinegar

10ml Olive Oil

salt and pepper

few sprigs finely chopped celery leaves

sliced raw mushrooms

1 Carrot julienne

Tahini ( found at V&A Waterfront, Pick n Pay)

Separate the lettuce leaves carefully so as to keep them whole, rinse and dry.

Toss the spinach in a dry pan to wilt, add sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon, season.

Mix the tomato, onion, chilli, vinegar, oil, seasoning and celery to make a tangy relish.

Serve all on a platter with the falafels, lettuce, spinach, carrot, mushroom, salsa and tahini. Take a lettuce leaf, top it with all the ingredients and roll up then eat, use loads of napkins.

This recipe is wheat and dairy free if you use the chickpea flour as well as vegetarian.

Recipe and picture Copyright by Tamsyn Wells.

Launch of Pick 'n Pay V&A Waterfront

I was happy to be invited to this launch from the beautiful gift I received as my invite to the actual event. Cordials on arrival, Bean There coffee's, Moet Champagne, canapes and biscuits, we mingled awaiting the doors to open.

The Pick 'n Pay has moved to a below sea water level in the parking lot of the Waterfront, all part of the R140 Million upgrade it has just gone through in time for the festive shopping season.

This new store is most definitely a "Superstore" it has the widest range of products I have seen in CT, from the basics to the unusual like Kobe style beef, duck eggs, quail eggs, gelato, imported oils, teas and coffee's to name just a few.

I also bought a squeezie of tahini a sesame based sauce used in falafels and a jar of chipotle chillies which I was searching for not too long ago and now know where to get it.

Chatting to my Silwood Kitchen teachers where I studied, we mentioned how nice it would be to be a student now, in my day I had to drive to all corners of CT to find some of these products for our practicals, now they right on our doorstep.

There is over 400 different varieties of cheese and a large selection of imported Charcuterie, very easy to cater a cheese and wine party from these deli counters.

All sorts of fresh fish, smoked, peppered and I even saw crab legs, massive tiger prawns and whole crabs.

They have all the normal meats from organic to halaal and once again some of the unusual making an appearance like duck fat, duck legs, rabbit legs, Kobe style beef and ostrich tenderloin as well as this well stocked biltong bar at R150/kg.

             

There is also a large variety of prepared meals that you can buy paid by weight to enjoy with the goodies you have bought.

This will definitely be my go to store from now on with its 1.5hrs free parking as long as you spend R150 its well worth a visit.

Article and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Middle cut Fishcakes, Quinoa salad and Smoked Paprika mayonnaise

I did not even know about middle cut until my friend told me about it and then the freshly blogged challenge had lucky star as one of its items, I bought a tin to try. Yesterday I also received a wonderful VIP invite to the launch of Pick 'n Pay Waterfront and it was a basket filled with foodie goodies and decided to use the Shogun Tricolour Quinoa as the accompaniment to my Lucky Star Middle cut.

Quinoa is a super food if I have ever heard of one, not every body's taste, a little bit of a weird texture but I treat it like cous cous, you really can add anything to it, and even eat it in place of oats for breakfast or as a pasta topped with your favorite sauce. It is a super food because you can live on Quinoa alone as it is a complete protein containing all 9 amino acids, it is a classified as a seed and not a grain so may be eaten with all meals on all diets. Normally I buy the white one which is fluffy but I received the tricolour in my gift pack which I found much nuttier than the white version, if you have not tried quinoa before I would go with the white one.

Paired with Mackerel middle cut fishcakes for their omega 3 and calcium properties very important to my no dairy diet.

Middle cut Fishcakes and Quinoa salad
serves 2

Tricolour Quinoa Salad
serves 2

2 cups boiling water
1 cup Shogun Tricolour quinoa
salt and pepper
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 stick celery finely diced
1 small carrot finely diced
1/2 chilli seeded and chopped
1 lime juiced
20ml extra virgin olive oil

Simmer the quinoa in the boiling water with 1/4tsp salt for 15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.
Dice the other ingredients and add to cooked quinoa, season and add the olive oil and lime juice to taste.
Serve with fishcakes and mayonnaise

Middle cut Fishcakes
serves 2

1 tin Lucky Star Middle cut
2 slices brown low GI bread soaked in water
1/2 onion chopped
piece of ginger chopped
celery leaves chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
grind of pepper

In a bowl squeeze the water from the bread and place in a bowl, clean the fish by draining off the water and removing the central bone and the skin if you feel you want it removed.
Fry the onion and ginger in a little oil.
Add to the fish mix with the other ingredients and shape into fishcakes.
Fry both sides in as little oil as possible in a non stick pan until golden on both sides.
Serve with quinoa salad and smoked paprika mayonnaise.

Smoked Paprika Mayonnaise
serves 4

1 egg yolk
10ml Dijon mustard
10ml white vinegar
125ml olive oil blend
salt
smoked paprika
lemon juice

Using a hand blender, add the egg, mustard and vinegar, blending continuously add the oil drop by drop until all has been combined. Season with other ingredients and add a little water if it is too thick.
Serve with fishcakes as above.

Pictures and recipes copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Paleo meal ideas

Here are a few Paleo meal ideas to help you get started if you are keen on trying this way of eating, it improves digestion, varicose veins, acne, gout, osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity as back in the day the cavemen or hunters and gatherers were free from chronic illness.

The diet consists of eating meat, fish, seafood, fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts and healthy oils. Not included in our ancestors diets were dairy, grains, legumes, refined sugars and processed foods which makes sense as we are all becoming intolerant to these products.

I have been following the diet again when possible to see if I begin to feel as good as I did before when I tried it.
Here are a few meal ideas I will post as I go along.

I crave oats some mornings, warm and filling, beneficial for varicose veins, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and digestive issues. Here I made it with only water, allowed to cook then I added natural honey, cinnamon, flax seeds adding omega oils and strawberries a powerful cancer fighting antioxidant. Cinnamon helps with muscle spasms and fungal infections to name just a few of its benefits.

Most mornings I must admit I really feel like a nice crispy piece of toast but if you read the benefits above and the lack of benefits in a slice of toast there is almost no competition. So for this breakfast you need to add texture with the sliced cucumbers which prevent water retention and have anti tumor properties, hard boiled eggs a great source of protein, good for heartburn and indigestion. Sliced avocado which boosts the immune system and plumps the skin and smoked salmon for its omega 3 topped with lemon juice for a boost of vitamin C.

This is a Patagonian calamari stir fry with steamed potatoes, bok choy, chorizo (not part of the diet as it has preservatives but I had it in the freezer and wanted to use it up), onion, ginger, garlic, lime juice and smoked paprika. The onion is great for circulation, ginger for colds and muscle cramps, garlic is a natural antibiotic and fungal cure, bok choy protects your joints from arthritis and detox the liver. Calamari / squid is very low in fat but a rich source of zinc, ridding the body of harmful metals.

This is a chicken, bok choy, pineapple, baby marrow and green bean stir fry with oyster sauce, sesame oil and lime juice. The chicken is another low fat protein, pineapple is good for digestion and inflammation, baby marrow is loaded with vitamins but to effectively absorb they must be eaten with avocado or olive oil. Sesame seeds and oil reduce anxiety and give you your recommended folic acid. Topped with lime juice a supplier of flavonoids.

After writing down all these benefits for you I am amazed at what good vitamins and minerals I have fed myself and I have only given you an abbreviated version. It must be good. Keep at it, more meals and nutrient advice to follow.

All these meals are wheat and dairy free.

Article and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Beef and Vegetable Bobotie with Almond and Coconut Topping

I have decided to cut down on wheat in my meals since summer has begun and my drink of choice is mostly Artisan beers loaded with wheat and also following the Paleo diet again which I have posted about before which is not really a diet as much as a way of eating inspired by my friend David Grier and his recently released book, The Real Meal Revolution made with Professor Tim Noakes from the Sports Science Institute. When I receive my copy I will post a few recipes.

I have not made curry in ages and tonight I decided to make this Bobotie, a Classic South African dish with a twist mainly because I like vegetables and I prefer the coconut almond taste to the topping (dairy free), Bobotie is basically a spiced mince with an egg custard topping found in recipe books in the early 1600's already.

Beef and Vegetable Bobotie with Almond and Coconut Topping
Serves 4

30ml Sunflower oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated
1 dried chilli, halved
300g lean beef mince
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 baby marrow, rinsed and cubed
1 tbsp tomato paste
5ml curry powder
2ml garam masala
2ml cumin ground
2ml coriander ground
3 ml Turmeric
10ml white vinegar
20ml chutney
Squeeze of lemon
10 fine beans cut into 1cm long pieces
2 potatoes cooked and cubed (optional)
5ml cornflour
salt and pepper

Topping
2tbsp coconut powder
2 eggs
350ml almond milk
10ml chutney
pinch of salt
few toasted almonds

Heat the oil in a medium sized pot, fry off the onions, garlic and ginger.
Add the mince and fry until the liquid has evaporated and it starts to fry again.
Add the tomato paste and spices and fry off for a few minutes.
add the vinegar, lemon and chutney, cook for 20 minutes.
Add the beans, cooked potato cubes if using and season.
Cook for another 5 minutes then thicken with cornflour slaked in water.
Place in a 25cm casserole dish which has been sprayed with spray and cook.
Mix all the ingredients for the topping except the almonds.
Put the mince mixture in the casserole dish and smooth the top.
Gently pour the topping over and Bake at 180 - 200°c for 20 minutes.
Serve with chopped tomato and onion flavoured with vinegar, salt and pepper, banana's and chutney.

This Recipe is wheat and dairy free.
Picture and recipe copyright by Tamsyn Wells