Guest and recipe of the week: Tash Mandeya's Strawberry trifle

Hey guys! Lets turn this up a notch!

I'm excited to start a new series on the blog [GUEST AND RECIPE OF THE WEEK] I'll be featuring different cooks from all over and their recipes!

Its such an honor to start by featuring a friend of mine who I honestly think is the Zimbabwean version of me! LOL *just kiddin....maybe not....ok a bit.....well you be the judge!*

Anyway shes a great cook and some of her dishes will make you want to lick the screen! *please don't*

Here is a simple one that I recommend you to try over this long weekend : Strawberry trifle!

Trifle is one of the easiest things to make. All you need is some cake, flavored jelly, cold vanilla custard, sliced fruit, whipped cream and of course a bowl.

Start by placing alternate layers of the above ingredients in a glass bowl beginning with cake{which you can either bake or buy without icing] , then custard [which is made with custard powder and hot milk then leave to cool & refrigerate for at least 30 min] , fruit *note: reserve some for garnish* and jelly. Top with fresh fruit.
Simple as that!

The last pic is of the a peach trifle, Same recipe different fruit!

Now cummon! rush to the supermarket and get those ingredients asap!!

Enjoy~

Creamy vegetable soup with croutons & honey glazed chicken wings

Hey guys!
So what do you when its chilly and when your loved one is under the weather or when you need a healthy meal for dinner? You make soup!

I got a whole lot of vegetables, put them together and made what you see below. The beauty of this recipe is that you can put whatever veggies you want-no limitations. I personally love the sweetness of the butternut squash/pumpkin and the thickness that potatoes bring to a soup.
This is a recipe that I adapted from my sisters who would make in their homes as the first course.
I also thought of making honey glazed wings as a biting and I must confess I had my fair share of wings last night! #guiltyascharged :-) :-b Must have been the monopoly game! It worked up my appetite!

Here it goes,
Ingredients:-
1 Butternut squash/ pumpkin  

5 large potatoes
3 cloves garlic
1 red onion
1 tomato
1 green pepper/hoho-or a red one that is more sweeter
 4 carrots
Peas
 Parsley to garnish
 6 slices bread
Olive oil
1 beef cube
Black pepper
Cream cheese-the kind that you spread on bread-I used the TEAMA cheese found in most supermarkets *affordable and good quality*
Chicken wings
Honey
Soy sauce
Spring onions



Process no.1:
Peel, wash, and chop all your vegetables. You don't have to cut them up in small pieces since we will blend them all afterwards. Put in a sufuria and fill with water as per vegetable quantity , a dash of olive oil, some black pepper, a beef cube and some salt and put to boil.

When everything is ready, *check by piercing potatoes with a knife, if they slide down, they are cooked!* put aside. Then take three packs cream cheese and place them in the blender to blend with cooked veggies. Make sure to add abit of the soup obtained from boiling to help in the blending process. *note: abit not ALOT* and voila!

 Note: Cheese is salty so be careful when adding salt.







Process no.2:
Take loaf and cut in small squares. cut it up in small squares, put on an oven tray, dash of olive oil and salt and bake for 5 minutes till they are slightly brown and toasted!

Process no 3:
In a separate pan put spring onions/leeks and chopped up garlic to cook. Mix three spoons honey and a dash of soy sauce in a dish. Add chicken wings and allow to brown. Add some black pepper.When they are slightly cooked add honey-soy sauce mixture and half a cup of water and allow to cook with a cover. After about 8 minutes, remove cover and allow chicken to fry abit.  The good thing about chicken and other white meats is that they cook very fast.
Serve in large plate for guests to eat as bitings.

ENJOY

And here it is Nice and creamy!

 

The wings were finger-licking good! Trust me!

Stay tuned for some more healthy recipes coming up this week!

Chao

Pesto chicken kebabs & Tuna rice salad

Good afternoon guys!
Here's a light and scrumptious recipe for your weekend!
Try it-you'll love it!

Hoping to post a few salad recipes here before the month is over. Here is one of my favorites. You can't go wrong with white meat and tuna.

Below I've listed just a few health benefits of tuna:-
-high protein which is good for the blood, skin, hair and nails.
-Recent studies show that tuna can help you avoid the risk of having a stroke.
-Tuna has omega-3 fatty acid, which helps prevent high blood pressure. 
 -Tuna is a good source of selenium, an antioxidant that helps improve the body's immune system. The immune system is a vital part of the body that is integral for fighting off sickness, diseases and infections

Ingredients

Rice
Olive oil
Boneless chicken 
Pesto
Wooden skewers
Red pepper [hoho]
Yellow pepper [hoho]
Can of Gherkins/pickles/green olives *depending on you*
Shredded tuna in oil
Can of sweet corn
Salad dressing of choice/mayonnaise
salt to taste
black pepper




So this is the simplest and quickest recipe especially for a lazy Saturday evening or a unday lunch.
I had a lot of pesto left over from my last recipe so I opted to play around with it by using it for my chicken.
Cut up the chicken in big cubes and mix with pesto and a dash of olive oil. Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes in fridge. *note: you can marinate it the night before for more flavor*
Cut up peppers and put aside. Heat up oven to 180 degrees.

In another sufuria put rice to boil with some salt and a dash of oil.
Leave to cook for about 10-12 minutes depending on the portion. * Make sure it doesn't overcook by putting double cups of water per cup rice so as to have a perfect salad. There's nothing worse than an overcooked rice salad-wouldn't look right*   Once rice is cooked, put aside to cool.

 

Open tuna cans and drain oil. Mix in another bowl with corn, chopped gherkins. Once rice has cooled add it with the salad dressing.* I used 1000 island* Mix well but be careful not to smash up the rice.
Add salt to taste and a dash of black pepper. Put aside.

Remove marinated chicken from fridge and put in skewers with red and yellow peppers.
Place in oven to cook. 
White meat cooks very quickly so within 10 -12 minutes kebabs are juicy and ready.
Remember to open every few minutes to turn them if you have placed them in the lower part of the oven because they might burn on the bottom. If placed in the middle they tend to cook moderately well because the heat is perfect.

On a plate, place a bed of lettuce and put rice salad on top with some dressing to decorate. If you prefer less calories, use olive oil and  abit of vinegar in place of dressing.

Enjoy!
With love, Jaz.

*Tip for storing canned sweet corn. Once you have removed it from the can it is not advisable to store the leftovers in the can since it rusts and can cause various cancers. Instead drain the water out and store in a plastic can with more water and place in fridge. If left without water, the corn dries up very quickly and it is of no use.*