Week 1 #Banting

I started last week with this delish tikka Chicken and Gem Squash dish, and I haven’t cheated at all. I’m actually down in a week (not sure if this is real weight because I’ve been pee’ing way more than usual and not drinking that much more water). I don’t FEEL any different though. If anything, I’m more miserable dreaming about garlic bread and baguettes.

On the first day, I felt almost empty. I also realized how much I eat out of boredom / for the sake of it. I’d have a cup of Tea and immediately think of having a biscuit or a block of chocolate. When I realized I couldn’t, I was like, “ok, now what do I do with myself”

So post breakfast, I’d end up eating again at around 3 and I wouldn’t be hungry enough for dinner, meaning I effectively only eat 2 meals a day. I initially went by the book and found the quantities of butter and oil a bit excessive, so I was feeling heavy and nauseas. I’ve since toned it down.

For breakfast during the week, when I don’t want eggs, I have homemade nut granola with some double thick Greek yoghurt which is delish or Banting Bread with a bit of Kiri Medium Fat cream cheese. I’ve tried the smoothies but find them a bit too heavy.

So I’m almost 2 weeks in now and 2kg down, but I have been MISERABLE. It’s really really tough not eating carbs. The sugar I can deal with- as long as I don’t have biscuits or chocolate around me at home it’s fine. Carbs is much tougher, especially when I was so used to just having a quick slice of toast with peanut butter in the mornings. I had some banter with Serious Banters over Twitter and they said that if I’m planning to do this only for 2 months I shouldn’t bother starting, because I’ll end up reverting back to my sugar and carb addiction :/

If you’re stuck for a recipe or feel like something in particular, literally just google “low carb ___” (pizza base! cheesecake! biscuits!) and you will find that there is a low carb alternative for everything under the sun.

Chinese Chicken Salad

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon olive Oil 

Salt and pepper

500g skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/2 head cabbage, thinly shredded

1/4 head red cabbage, shredded 

1 Carrot Julienned into strips 

 1/2 a lettuce shredded into pieces 

1/2 cucumber, deserved and cut into chunks 

3 red onions, thinly sliced

Dressing 

2-3 Teaspoons Soya Sauce 

1-2 teaspoon Vinegar

Minced Garlic

Minced ginger 

1tsp brown sugar ( I used xylitol ) 

A little Olive oil 

Chillie Sauce (I use Nando garlic Sauce) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon oil and brush onto chicken breasts sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper. Arrange in a baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 13 to15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely, and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, Onion, feta and sliced chicken.

In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar and chili sauce. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Divide among bowls and top each serving with 2 teaspoons toasted almonds.

The Real Meal Revolution, The Banter about Banting.

Lately, there doesn’t seem to be a day that goes by that I don’t hear the word ‘banting’, or ‘Tim Noakes’. The high fat, low carb diet has become a veritable craze in South Africa. Everyone is doing it or knows someone who is doing it, and they’re all wanting to talk about it.

So why has this particular diet caught on in such a big way? After all, there are many diets out there – Paleo, 5:2, Atkins – and almost all of them work with some degree of success if done properly. Is everyone excited about this particular diet because you get to eat all the fatty foods that diets tend to ban –  cheese, butter, fatty meats, and cream? It’s like everyone is saying  ‘eat butter and lose weight? Oh yeah, that’s a diet I can get behind!’

The downside , of course, being that you can’t put that butter and cheese on anything – no bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, porridge, breakfast cereals or sugars of any kind is allowed on this low carb diet.

I’ve heard tales of obese and diabetic people losing huge amounts of weight and miraculously in a matter of months with banting. On the other hand I’ve also heard of people who, even after suffering through the drudgery of cauliflower bread for months, hardly lose any weight at all. 

It’s like I know exactly what I need to do, but actually doing it is another story.  So I surprised myself when I decided to try out this diet. It’s not really a diet, more a way of life that you’re encouraged to adopt. Noakes’ belief is that we’ve been conditioned to believe that fat is bad for us, when actually it isn’t. Fats are good, it’s carbs and refined sugar that cause damage. He’s done tests and research and I don’t want to get into all the technical stuff because it’s like religion- everyone has an opinion and who knows who is right?

If you’re keen to know more about the science behind the eating plan, buy the book (it is really hard to get so the ebook may be better) and have a read.

I’m hoping that 2 months without carbs or sugar will at least help to curb my cravings. I am the girl who clears out the bread basket before starters even arrive. That girl who can easily have 2 pieces of cake for dinner. Who reaches for the bag to have 1 Chuckle and before I know it the entire bag is finished. My self control is lacking- it would be great if I could not WANT to eat this stuff.

So my mom bought the book. I spent some time reading through the recipes, which all looked delish. Parmesan crusted chicken breasts, blueberry and ricotta hot cakes, chocolate milkshake… It honestly didn’t seem too bad. I’m so over diet food- salads and fat free everything sucks. 

It took us some time to organize everything We needed. No carbs means no flour, potatoes, bread. No sugar means very little fruit, and obviously nothing like cake or biscuits. So what was I actually going to eat!?

We stocked up on coconut flour, almond flour, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, plus a crap load of nuts and seeds, mostly from The Nut Lady. Man, the initial outlay was expensive. The book gives you carb free alternatives for bread (made using flax seeds), rice (using cauliflower) plus wraps (also with cauliflower) 

For breakfast,you’re encouraged to have eggs and Processed Meats. it’s weird for me not to have toast with my eggs, so I made the carb free bread which was gross (it’s made of milled flax seeds- go figure). I then started having 2 eggs with mushrooms on the side, and I wouldn’t even think about food again until 2 or 3pm which was SO weird. Food is such a focus for me, I’m always thinking about the next meal, and it something I look forward to. But hey, if my dad can do this diet so can I. 

I’ve been spending a lot more time in the kitchen (my fav place), but I’m interested to see how I feel after these 2 months, and if eating all this butter will really make me lose weight. The key for me lies in planning. If I know what I’m going to eat and have the ingredients to make it, I’m likely not to cheat. Today, I made a banting cheesecake which actually tasted pretty good, surprisingly, as I’ve found that when trying to replicate non-banting food I usually end up with a sorry excuse for whatever I was trying to make. 

I know lots of people out there have made this a way of life. But, for me, food is so much more than just nourishment. It’s a way to explore the boundaries of your senses, a means of celebration, a comfort, a daily expression of happiness. A way to connect with people. And I’m not sure if all of that is possible without carbs and sugar. I don’t know if I want it to be. So this will remain purely an experiment.

Have any of you guys tried Banting? I’d love to know your views! I’ll keep you posted as things develop… 

Mediterranean Manchurian

2 pieces chicken fillet, cut in strips 

2 tblspn a corn flour 

2 tblspn sugar 

1 tsp salt 

2 eggs 

1/4 cup water 

1 tblspns plain flour 

1/4 tsp yellow food color 

Marinate chicken with above ingredients and fry in shallow oil until golden brown, set aside 

Sauce 

1/3 cup oil 

1 tblspn fresh garlic ( sliced thinly ) 

2 tsp garlic ( semi ground ) 

1/2 tsp red chillie flakes 

2 cups chillie sauce ( I used 1 cup osmans chillie sauce and 1 cup sandwich man sauce ) 

1 tblspn tomato sauce 

2 vegetable stock cubed ( crush into sauce ) 

1 tsp soya sauce 

Cashews 

Heat oil in pan, add the ginger and garlic and let sizzle for a few minutes. 

Add the chillie flakes and cool for a few seconds. 

Switch off heat add sauces, soya and vegetable stock cubes. 

Add fried chicken and place back on stove - let summer for a bit. 

Add 1 cup water to the sauce and let cool for 10 mins on low heat 

Once chicken is completely cooked and sauce immersed, switch of stove - add a few green pepper slices and close pot. 

Fry some cashews in oil and sprinkle over chicken and serve. 

ICE CREAM SANDWICHES!

This is the easiest way to turn 3 ingredients into a great summer dessert that everyone – the young and not-so-young – will love!  My favorite turned out to be chocolate chip cookies filled with vanilla ice cream with the edges rolled in toffee bits.  Make these early and store them in the freezer- no one will know you didn’t break a sweat making dessert! 

1 pint vanilla chip  ice cream
8 chocolate chip cookies,
½ cup English Toffee Bits 

Leave the ice cream at room temperature for about 15 minutes, until it’s soft enough to scoop but not melted. Place 4 cookies, flat side up, on a cutting board and, using a 2½-inch standard ice cream scoop, put one rounded scoop of ice cream on each cookie. Place 4 more cookies on top, pressing lightly until the ice cream is at the edge of the cookies. Put the toffee bits in a shallow bowl and working quickly, roll the edge of the sandwiches in the toffee bits, using your hand to fill in the spaces. Place the sandwiches immediately in the freezer and freeze them until they’re firm. Wrap well and keep frozen until ready to serve

Nando strips and Rice

Nando's Chicken Strips n Rice 

Stir Fry Rice 

1 large onion. 

1/2 green pepper,

1 carrot Cut in julliene strips and stir fry in ghee, 

1tsp aromat, 

1tsp lemon pepper, 

1/2 tsp crushed red chillies, 

2 tsp spice for rice, green masala and 1/4 tsp tumeric. 

Add 2 cups boiling water. Now add 1 cup tastic rice and cook till done.          

Chicken Strips 

1/2kg chicken and marinate in 

1 tsp salt ,

1/2tsp black pepper, 

1tsp crushed red chillies,

1 tsp chilli pwd,lemon pepper, 

garlic flakes, 

1Tblsp lemon juice , 

3 Tblsp nandos garlic sauce ,

3 Tblsp nandos extra hot sauce. 

Cook chicken in butter till done 30 mins.

Now make another sauce with 3tblspn nandos wild herb and 3 Tblsp nandos extra hot sauce, 1/2 tub fresh cream & butter. Boil this sauce, add chopped dhania. Arrange rice on a plattter with chicken around it. Pour sauce over. Enjoy. 

Hello Summer!!!

SUMMER LUNCH!

One of my favorite summer desserts also happens to be one of the easiest!  To me, there’s nothing simpler and more delicious- Mexican Pineapples

1 Pineapple Cubed 

Salt to taste 

Chillie powder 

1 cup Water 

2-4 tblspn Sugar

In a small pot, place the water and sugar to boil in medium heat- make a sugar syrup. Let cool. 

Meanwhile, spice the pineapples with the salt and chillie powder and leave aside. 

Once the syrup is cooled pour over the pineapples and serve.. 

Enjoy 

Summer Roast Chicken: MAKE IT AHEAD! 

This week's Lunch for The Family is Roast Chicken, I hope you'll love this twist on a classic! 

Roast Chicken

Chillie powder 

Salt

Pinch of Turmeric 

Lemon pepper 

Peri-Peri oil 

Garlic Crushed 

Green masala 

Thyme 

Lemon juice 

Marinate Chicken ahead- place in a roast tray and leave aside cut pieces of butter over and roast in a pre heated oven. 

Once chicken is done, add more butter and lemon over and serve with chips/wedges or Savory Rice. 

Birthday Cupcakes... 

This time of year always reminds me of the wonderful homemade  treats everyone would bring to school to share with the class on their birthdays. My favorite combo was (and still is!) Chocate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Icing – topped with chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups.  You can tell yourself you’re making these for the kids, but we know the truth!!

Chocolate Cupcakes 

12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
2/3 cup granulated sugar 
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 
2 extra-large eggs at room temperature 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature 
½ cup sour cream, at room temperature 
2 tablespoons brewed coffee 
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 
1 cup good cocoa powder 
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 
½ teaspoon kosher salt 
Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, to decorate (optional) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and two sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it’s completely blended. 

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (one rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before frosting. 

Frost each cupcake with peanut butter icing and sprinkle with diced Miniature Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, if desired. 

Faai's Peanut Butter Icing 

1 cup confectioners’ sugar 
1 cup creamy peanut butter 
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 
¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
¼ teaspoon kosher salt 
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.