Macaroni bake

Eirik wanted something easy to take to work with him for lunch, so I thought, macaroni bake! Mac and cheese is an all time American favourite. This recipe is more of a mac and veggies topped with a sprinkling of cheese. Healthy, well balanced, and satisfying.

Ingredients
(6 servings)

300g Screw whole grain macaroni
3 Tomatoes
1 Carrot
2/3 Red cayenne chilli
1 Leek
110g Bacon
6 tbsp Grated cheese (I used Norvega, Jarsberg mix)
4.5 dl Low fat milk
5 tbsp Flour
2 tbsp Butter
2 tbsp Sunflower oil
Salt and pepper

• Preheat the oven to 200 C.
• Half cook the macaroni and put in a large dish. To do this, you can boil enough water to cover the pasta, put the pasta in and remove from heat. By the time the water has cooled down abit (while you prepare the rest of the dish) the pasta will be half cooked.
• Prepare the vegetables as shown and set aside.
• Fry the bacon in 2 tbsp sunflower oil and let the bacon drain on some paper towelling. Keep the left over oil.
• In a pot, use the left over oil form the bacon, add the butter and melt it. On a low heat, slowly add the flour, mixing well. Slowly add you milk, mixing well (use a whisk if needed), to make the sauce blanche. When all the milk is added and the sauce has thickened a little, remove from heat and add 2 tbsp cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Chop or break the bacon into pieces (1-2cm squares). 
• Mix the veggies and bacon into the pasta evenly, then pour the sauce blanche over and mix it in, making sure all pasta is lightly covered with sauce (to ensure proper cooking).
• Sprinkle the remaining 4 tbsp of cheese over the top, and place in the oven for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Unethical bananas

Today I watched 'Big Boys gone Bananas!*', a documentary about the documentary 'Bananas!*'. Bananas!* follows a court case against Dole (an agricultural multinational corporation), showing the negative effects on their banana workers' health due to the products used on their banana farms. The workers won the case.

Before the release of Bananas!* Dole wrote threatening letters to the four people involved in making the film, saying that they would sue them if they release documentary, on the grounds of false information. Dole had not seen the film. Though no false information was presented in the film, Dole continued to put pressure on both the filmmakers and the LA film festival that it was to be shown in. Out of fear the festival removed the film from competing, but let it be shown at an out of town theatre, with a declaration before the showing of the film, saying that the festival believed that the information shown was false. Dole thereafter attacked both the film festival and the filmmakers with law suits and demands that the film never be released or even mentioned again. This continued with angry letters and threats, until the Swedish parliament backed the Swedish filmmakers and Dole eventually dropped the lawsuit, but carried on blocking the release of the documentary in the U.S. After a lot of time and work, the matter was brought in court in the U.S. and the filmmakers won... With $200,000 in compensation. The film was finally released in the U.S.

It's crazy to see how far big companies will go just to scare people out of telling the truth. It's even worse to think how many people must be scared right now, and how many terrible things are hidden by huge corporations putting pressure on anyone who finds out.

It's great to see documentaries like this and their journey to defend the truth, freedom of speech, and supporting the use of ethically produced products. Ethical to humans, animals, and the environment as a whole. It's our duty to educate ourselves and support ethical products, which for the most part, are healthier for us too.

Cheers to everyone out there fighting for a good cause!

Breakfast on a budget - Oats, honey, banana & blueberries

Instead buying ready made fruit musli, a healthy, cheap alternative is to use half cooked oats straight from the bag and add you favourite fruit. Eirik likes adding strawberry jam and raisins, today I opted for the below, and I must it was very satisfying and quite delicious.

Ingredients
(Approx Kr 6 per serving)

65g Quick cooking oats
Milk
Honey
1 Banana
1/4 cup Frozen blueberries

Drizzle a little honey over the oats. Slice a banana, add the blueberries, and lastly your milk. If you'd rather your blueberries be defrosted, you can defrost them before hand, or just pour your milk over them and wait about 3-5 mins to eat (as I usually do). The oats will be just as good after soaking for a few minutes :o)

Bon appétit!

Wallmans and Taste of China

Wallmans gives you dinner and a show (left in pic). A beautiful three course meal with beautiful voices, themed songs, and great dancers. Eirik and I were lucky enough to get great discount tickets with our friends Jana and Alex, and go with them. Our table chose to have the Wallmans menu, an entree of raw salmon with wasabi mayonnaise, sotéd leek, and sour coleslaw; entrecôte with potato fondant, mushrooms, bacon, onion, and red wine jus; and an amazing vanilla panacota with raspberry couli and crumbles.

My birthday was about two weeks ago, on a Monday. I didn't want to do much this year, so I spent time with friends over the weekend and had a special day skyping mom, and spending time with Truffle and Eirik, who gave me beautiful hydrangeas, a stunning tea set made up of pastel blue, pink, and beige tea cups, saucers, and cake plates, and a home made mud cake!

 For my birthday dinner, I really felt like some good Chinese food, and google reviews lead Eirik and I to Taste of china. The food was very reasonably priced. We ordered chicken dumplings, beef dumplings, and noodles with pork and blackbean sauce. It was absolutely delicous! And the dessert... ouwwww banana in a thin batter with a thin caramel sauce with a side of vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. We also tried their Chinese beer Tsing Tao. I'm not a fan of beer, but this was really good.

The restaurant felt a bit like home. The reviews say that its an authentic chinese restaurant like those in China, with paper as a top table cloth and your order written on it. For me, it reminded me a bit of the chinese restaurants in Mauritius. The stairs going up to the restaurant, the feel and decor as you walk in. All in all, I do recommend it!

Saskia P dress with Temt jacket    

Foodie on a budget - Mini chicken burgers

One of the keys to saving is planning ahead and making dishes that share some of the same ingredients, especially ingredients that you can save on when buying in bulk, or those that you won't use up in one dish. These little burgers were quite a delight! Eat them hot and you'll be amazed at how delicious they are without any sauce. The juicy patties and mix of flavours and textures make them a real treat.

Ingredients

Makes 10 (approx Kr 40)

400g Chicken mince
1 Red Chilli (chopped)
1 tbsp Extra Virgo olive oil
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
Rocket
3 Tomatoes
1/2 Red onion
Mini baguettes

• Preheat the oven as instructed for the mini baguettes if frozen, or to 125C to heat until crisp.
• In a big bowl mix the mince, chilli, olive oil, and salt.
• Slice the tomatoes and onion, and wash the rocket. Set aside. 
• Use two spoons or your hands to roll the patties into an oval shape, then flatten with a fork and fry them in a little olive oil on medium heat.
• Get another bowl ready for the patties, and a plate to cover to keep them warm.
• If using fresh mini baguettes, put them in the oven just before frying your last batch of patties. If using frozen mini baguettes, follow the instructions on the packaging.
• When the patties are fried, slice the baguettes open and plate up with a patty, one or two slices of tomato, some red onion and rocket leaves to top it off.

Enjoy!

Foodie on a budget - Without compromising freshness, health, or flavour

So now I have a beautiful puppy and an amazing two years of acting school to look forward to, but that means some holding back on the spending. My goal is to use a maximum of Kr 100 per day on food for two, in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Though this wouldn't be too much of a challenge if I'd be satisfied with 2 minute noodles for dinner, I will challenge myself to make well balanced meals using fresh and healthy products, full of flavour. If you're on a budget like me, I hope these recipes will help keep your taste buds and bodies satisfied!

Here we go!

Lentil soup

For the last few weeks I haven't had the best diet or eating habits. With full on refurbishing and preparing for a theatre school audition, there wasn't a place or time to make food. Thanx to Eirik's parents we had a decent meal when home in time for dinner. I can't wait to move into the apartment with a beautiful new kitchen, possibly an adorable puppy, and theatre school to look forward to!! For the moment, I'll settle for some lentil soup :o)

Ingredients

250g Dried lentils (can replace with canned)
1/3 Onion, sliced
1 Tomato
Parsley
Thyme
2 tsp Crushed ginger and garlic (1/3 ginger 2/3 garlic)
3 tsp Salt (and add to taste when ready to serve
Pepper
Butter (1 tsp in each bowl)

For this recipe, you can either fry the onion, and tomato in the pot before adding the water, or chop everything up while the water and lentils are boiling and add the other ingredients as they are prepared.

Put approximately 2.3 litres of water, salt, pepper, and the dried lentils in a pot on full heat. When prepared, add all the other ingredients (except butter). The box I got them in suggests 1 hour of soaking time followed by 20 minutes of boiling, but I just put them straight in while the water heats up and keep them boiling until they're as soft as I want them, which takes approximately an hour.

The last choice you need to make with this recipe is whether to have it as it is, mash the soup a little, or liquidise it. Add a teaspoon of butte in the centre of each bowl and serve.

Enjoy!

Easter candy

Want a fun and easy way to prepare gifts for friends and family this Easter? Try buying a few bags of your favourites types of chocolate and candy, and wrapping them up with cellophane and a pretty ribbon. Cute, easy, and a touch of home made.

                                    

From Perth to Norway, and a road trip to Sundmøre

After weeks of packing and hugs goodbye, Eirik and I have finally made the move. The flight over was a great experience. Only one stop over, short transit and travel time, and a great airline are the recipe for an easy trip. It was my first experience with Qatar and it was great! The flight from Perth to Qatar felt like business class in economy. The seats were so spacious and comfortable, and the little things like getting sweets and a warm wash towel before takeoff, and a little bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste, ear plugs, socks, and an eye mask, really make a difference and make you feel comfortable and taken care of. Yummy snack like little rolls (the chicken roll was delicious), biscuits and cocktail snacks were available throughout the flight and the staff were well willing to help. All in all, an amazing experience! The flight from Doha to Oslo wasn't as luxurious. We didn't get the little bag, and the plane was older with less leg room, but the rest was just as good, and the omelette I had was good. Eirik also enjoyed his breakfast, cherry pancakes with vanilla cream sauce and strawberries and chopped almonds. The inflight entertainment was also great, with a long list of movies, TV series, documentaries, and others to choose from.

Dips for dinner

After a good work out, there's nothing like chilling with friends around a table of dips for a good chat and relaxing evening. Healthy food with good flavour is just the cherry on the top! On the menu: beetroot, hummus, and avocado dips.

Beetroot dip

Ingredients

One can on sliced beetroot
1/3 to 1/2 a cup of Danish feta (to taste)
2 Cloves of garlic
Fresh lemon juice from 1/3 lemon (add to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
3 tbsp Pine nuts or chopped walnuts

Hummus

Ingredients

One can of chick peas, skin removed (removing the skin doesnt take too long, they easily pop off)
Fresh lemon juice from 1/3 lemon (add to taste)
1 Spring onion, chopped
1/8 cup Sour cream
1 Clove of garlic, halved
1 Green chilli, pips removed (you can either put this in the with all the other ingredients or finely chop and mix in afterwards)
Salt and pepper to taste

• For the betroot dip and hummus: Pop all your ingredients in a food processor with a metal blade, plate up, and it's ready to serve.

Avocado dip

Ingredients

1/2 cup Cream cheese
1/2 Avocado
1 cup Greek low fat yogurt (or plain yogurt)
Fresh lemon juice from 3/4 lemon (add to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:
Tabasco
Spring onions

• Take your cream cheese out a little earlier to soften.
• Mash your avocado in a bowl using a fork.
• Add the cream cheese and yogurt, mashing the ingredients until thick and smooth.
• Mix in the lemons juice and salt and pepper (and Tabasco or spring onions if wanted).

Serve with your choice of fresh sliced vegetables for a healthier snack/meal, such as zucchini, carrots, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, or baby radishes.

The picture above shows the dips served with carrot slices, rosemary bread stick, lightly toasted pita bread (sliced and poped in the oven at 180 for approx 5 mins), and tequila lime olives, with lemon infused water. I had abit of the sun dried tomato dip left over, which I served aswell.

A new leaf - Sun dried tomato dip

During my disappearing act, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life now that I've graduated. So after returning to Perth from beautiful Mauritius, Eirik and I decided to scout the East of Australia to possibly spend the next two years working somewhere new within Australia. We had an amazing time in Sydney and Melbourne, great food experiences as well!!! Which I will share and recommend. Right now, the most amazing date pudding I could ever imagine is coming to mind and building a craving.... When in Melbourne, this is a must! I'll share soon.

Though I am still not sure what I'll be doing over the next few months of my life, the next step is moving to Norway, in two and a half weeks. So lots of packing ahead, and making sure I visit a few favourite places before leaving.

Today was a relaxing day with a delicious snack and a delicious meal. For dinner, fresh salmon with the skin on, a nice salad, lemon wedges to squeeze, and sour cream topped with a sprinkling of spring onion. A tip for cooking salmon with the skin on: make your pan very hot, pop your salmon in skin down for a few minutes to crisp the skin, and then turn the heat down to cook the salmon through.

After tasting this flavorful dip at a friends birthday I knew I had to try it for myself, so today I made a sun-dried tomato dip and had with a baguette fresh from the bakery. Mmmm does that dip have flavour! I found a good recipe, which I'll share below with my tweaks.

Ingredients

Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped (approx 15 pieces)
225g Cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup Sour cream
1/2 cup Mayonnaise (I might replace this with sour cream next time as the mayonnaise flavour was quite obvious and I would have preferred stronger sun-dried tomato flavour)
10 dashes, Tabasco or similar
1 teaspoon Salt
3/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
3 Sliced spring onions

It takes about 10 minutes to prep, and yields 2 cups.

Puree the tomatoes, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, tabasco, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the spring onions pulse just into they fold into the mixture. Serve at room temperature.

It's great with fresh vegetables (especially carrots), savory biscuits, or fresh baguette.

Tip: It gets even better after its stayed in the fridge for a while, the flavours infuse well over time, so I would suggest making this a few hours before you intend to serve it.