Our first FOODIE FRIDAY!

We are adding another newcomer to the Good Life blog: FOODIE FRIDAYS. On Fridays you can look forward to all things food related with guaranteed mouth watering yummyness (we’re not sure if that’s even a word)

What is Foodie Fridays all about? As a Good Life reader, you can look forward to:

• Food/ ingredient profiles

• Restaurant reviews

• Guest chef posts

• Great recipes including recipes for intolerances, allergies, vegetarianism, low GI, gluten free, healthy snacks etc

• Our search for the best products including the perfect yogurt or breakfast cereal on the market

If you are a foodie fanatic do not miss Fridays on the Good Life Dietitians blog!

To complete our 5-a-day post on Monday, here are some fruit and vegetable recipes for you to try this weekend.

                                                      

Warm Cinnamon Bananas

This is a real comfort and a guilty pleasure that could easily be made just for one or multiplied when someone is joining you. And yes, we all will be guilt free, because it is a fruit. Isn’t it?

1 Banana, still firm

10 ml honey

5 ml soft tub margarine

5 ml ground cinnamon

Orange juice if needed

To serve

Natural or vanilla flavoured low fat yogurt

Chopped nuts

More honey

Cinnamon

Dried cranberries

Slice the banana length wise. Melt the margarine in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Sprinkle the bananas with cinnamon and place in pan, sliced side down. As they start cooking, drizzle the honey over (be careful of not burning the bananas). Turn the bananas for the other side to cook.  Cook until soft on the outside but still firm inside.

Place on a plate. Add a dollop of natural or vanilla yogurt. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with nuts. A dust of cinnamon and a handful of dried cranberries will round off the picture.

Note: If the pan needs some moisture or if the bananas look like it’s burning, add a touch of orange juice.

Fruit Skewers

What a lovely snack or dessert alternative!

Get all of your favourite fruits in season and cut it into bite-size pieces. String it all onto a skewer for a delicious colourful snack or dessert.

Black Eyed Bean and Mango Salad

Source: Phillippa Cheifitz on the Taste Magazine website

750 ml cooked black-eyed beans
1 large mango or small papino, peeled and chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, chopped (optional)
Handful of torn basil leaves
85 ml sunflower oil
45 ml fresh lime juice
Flaky salt and milled black pepper, to taste

Mix together all the ingredients.  Turn into bowls and top with shredded lettuce and a spoonful of sour cream.

Christmas Apples

Source: www.mycookbook.co.za

6 large Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples
65 ml soft butter
4 ginger nut biscuits, crumbled
125 ml fruit mince (baking aisle, in bottles)
15 ml lemon juice
15 ml finely grated lemon zest
generous pinch mixed spice
5 ml ground cinnamon
65 ml pine or macadamia nuts, toasted and finely chopped

Wash and core the apples. Prick them with a thin, sharp skewer all over to prevent them from bursting in the oven. Also, make sure the cavities are really generous (wiggle the sharp end of the corer inside the apple to make the cavity larger).

Mix together the rest of the ingredients and stuff into the cavities, reserving any leftover filling. Wrap tin foil around the apples, shiny side facing the apples.

Place them on a baking sheet and bake in the oven preheated to 190 C for 45 or so until yielding when you squeeze them. Remove from the oven, carefully remove some of the foil on top (leave the bottom in tact as the filing may spill out) and pile any leftover filing on top of the apples.

Return to the oven to bake a further 10 minutes or so until juicy and tender enough to your liking. Serve with warm custard or chilled sweet vanilla creme fraiche.

Enjoy your weekend with these lovely recipes!