CHEERS | BOOK GIVEAWAY
Healthy
and guilt free food
The festive season is an excuse to indulge, to have that second helping of pudding or another mince pie. Then comes the regret and the New Year’s resolution to exercise more, stick to an eating plan and get healthier. Nutritionist Nicci Robertson has the book for this plan:
Thrive – Healthy recipes that break diet rules.
Dieticians, nutritionists and farmers are agreed that the current Western diet is not as nutrient dense or healthy as it used to be five or six decades ago.
The advent of mass production and processing might have made food more accessible and convenient but it’s not necessarily any healthier. Nutritionist Nicci Robertson is of the opinion that eating well should be one of life’s pleasures. Sadly, for some, this isn’t the case. Excess weight and health issues are linked to self-esteem being lost and an unhealthy relationship with food as a result.
The goal of her book is to harness her personal experience to change mindsets by using a different approach to nutrition – and guiding readers to improved health and wellbeing. Swopping bad food habits for healthier ones, the role of stress and anxiety in lifestyle diseases and grasping the role that carbs, fats, protein, fibre and water play in overall health is at the core of Thrive.
Her message is clear throughout: when you eat the right foods in the right quantities, your body will respond positively and you’ll thrive both physically and mentally. After all, Robertson is trained in neuro linguistic programming and functional medicine, something which viewers of DStv’s Real Health on the Home Channel will be aware of. Her advice is pragmatic and forthright – and it gets results.
The book includes over 80 tasty family-friendly recipes that are packed with flavour and nutritionally balanced. Whether the goal is weight-loss or improved health, Nicci’s recipes will have you rethinking the concept of ‘diet food’ and heading for the kitchen with enthusiasm! It’s all there, from breakfasts, salads, soups and main meals to mini-meal and snacks, desserts and bakes, smoothies and drinks, meal plans as well as marinades, dressings and spice blends.
COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Competition submissions should reach us no later than 25th February 2023. The Prize/s is as indicated, no alternatives or cash will be provided. The decision of Integrated Media will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into. Under no circumstances shall Integrated Media, TOPS at SPAR, SPAR or its appointed representatives and the prize donors be liable to anyone who enters these Prize Draws for an indirect or consequential loss howsoever arising which may be suffered in relation to the Prize Draws. By entering these competitions, you make yourself subject to receiving promotional information. Entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions. Prize Draw Rules: The prize draw is only open to consumers who must be over 18 years of age and resident in South Africa. Employees of Integrated Media and TOPS at SPAR, SPAR and their respective advertising, media and PR agencies, as well as the family members, consultants, directors, associates and trading partners of such organisations and persons are ineligible for the draw. Participants can only win one competition every three issues.
To enter subscribe below
Thrive – Healthy recipes that break diet rules.
Nicci Robertson
COOKBOOK
WIN
SUBSCRIBE
Click to edit...
Baked chicken with chorizo
The entire family will love this dish and, best of all, it tastes even better the next day, so make enough for leftovers. Serve with a green salad or steamed green beans drizzled with butter.
Ingredients: Serves 6
6 free-range or organic chicken breasts on the bone
100 g chorizo or pepperoni
sausage, thickly sliced
6 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 large red pepper, sliced
1 can (400 g) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp dried tarragon
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 Tbsp olive oil
METHOD HERE
Method | Baked chicken with chorizo
1 Place everything in a large roasting pan, season to taste, drizzle with olive oil and toss until well coated.
2 Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Moroccan-inspired chicken casserole
I often prepare this in a slow cooker (one of my favourite kitchen gadgets), but it can also be made in a wok or pan on the stovetop or in a tagine or casserole dish in the oven. Searing the chicken pieces first is the key to locking in flavour and moisture. Enjoy with utter abandon.
Ingredients
12 chicken thighs (deboned, skin-on)
4 Tbsp Moroccan spice paste, (Click here to see recipe)
Flour, for dusting
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp Moroccan spice blend, (click here to see recipe)
1 large onion, finely chopped
500 ml chicken stock
1 can (400 g) tomato puree
1 can (400 g) lentils, drained
200 g dried apricots, chopped
½ preserved lemon (2 segments), finely sliced
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
200 g blanched almonds, for serving
Fresh coriander or parsley, for serving
Moroccan Spice Paste
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp crushed garlic
1 Tbsp crushed ginger
1 Tbsp crushed turmeric
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Makes ± 4 tbsp
1. Place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix to a smooth paste. If not using immediately, store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Note Some packs of ready crushed aromatics include turmeric. If you buy fresh turmeric, which looks a lot like ginger root, a 2-cm piece should yield about 1 Tbsp when crushed or very finely chopped.
METHOD HERE
Method | Moroccan-inspired chicken casserole
1 Place the chicken thighs in a resealable bag together with the spice paste and massage the paste into the meat until well coated. (Doing it this way prevents the turmeric in the paste from turning your fingers yellow!) Place the bag in the fridge for at least 3 – 4 hours, or overnight. Remove the chicken from the marinade an hour or so before cooking, to come to room temperature.
2 Lightly dust the chicken with flour (this helps to retain the flavour). Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and add the spice blend, stirring until the oil is warm but not smoking. You want the fragrance before adding the meat. Add the chicken and cook, turning frequently, until both sides are lightly browned (don’t let it burn). Once browned, place the chicken into the slow cooker or an ovenproof casserole dish. If cooking in a pan or wok, set the chicken aside.
3 Add the chopped onion to the pan and fry until soft. Deglaze the pan with the chicken stock, then stir in the tomato puree before pouring the contents of the pan over the chicken. (If cooking on the stovetop, return the chicken to the pan.)
4 Set the slow cooker to auto and cook the chicken for at least 4 hours, but no longer than 6 hours. For oven cooking, place in a preheated oven at 150°C for a total of 4 hours. For stovetop cooking, or cover the wok or pan with a lid and lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
5 After about 3 hours, add the drained lentils, dried apricots, preserved lemon and some chopped parsley. Stir through and continue cooking for 1 hour. When ready to serve, garnish with blanched almonds and fresh coriander or parsley leaves.
Moroccan Spice Blend
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp crushed coriander seeds
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
Makes 5–6 tbsp
1. Place all the ingredients in a glass jar or resealable bag
and shake to combine.
Lamb and Feta Burgers
Makes 4 burger patties
1 kg lamb mince, at room temperature
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large egg
1 large red onion, finely chopped
1 disk (± 80 g) feta, crumbled
¼ cup breadcrumbs
3–4 fresh mint leaves,
finely chopped
1 tsp dried origanum
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
METHOD HERE
Method | Lamb and Feta Burgers
1 Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix by hand until well incorporated.
2 Divide the mixture into four and use your hands to roughly form equal-sized balls. Place the balls on a baking sheet and gently flatten into patties. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes, to firm up.
3 Cook the patties in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10 minutes on each side for medium rare, then turn on the grill and cook for 1–2 minutes, turning halfway, until browned on each side.
4 Serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced avo and tomato and garnish with pickled red onions and/or microherbs.
Protein-packed Berry Ice Cream
Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries all make delicious ice cream. The deep red, purple and blue pigments of berries are often associated with increased levels of antioxidants and the promise of healthy ageing.
Ingredients
(Makes ± 1.5 litres or 12 lollies)
300 g fresh or frozen berries
2 cups (500 g) double cream plain yoghurt
½ cup coconut cream
2 scoops (4 Tbsp) vanilla whey protein powder
METHOD HERE
Method | Protein-packed Berry Ice Cream
1 Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. (If you prefer some texture, roughly chop half the berries and stir them in after you have processed the rest of the ingredients.)
2 Scoop the mixture into a metal loaf pan or 12 lolly moulds and freeze for 2–3 hours, until set. (If using a loaf pan, remove it from the freezer every 40 minutes and use a fork to stir the mixture to prevent ice crystals from forming.) If using an ice cream maker, follow the instructions. (You may need to freeze the bowl for 24 hours beforehand.)
(Note: For chocolate ice cream, use 1 large banana instead of the berries, and chocolate-flavoured whey protein powder.)
Gochujang Dressing
5 Tbsp gochujang paste (Korean chilli paste)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2½ Tbsp white sugar
½ green apple, peeled
5 Tbsp rice vinegar
5 Tbsp soya sauce
3 Tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
2½ Tbsp sesame oil
Fine salt, to taste
5 tsp sesame seeds
Place the gochujang paste, garlic, sugar, apple, rice vinegar, soya sauce and oils in the bowl of a food processor or blender and blend to combine.
Adjust for seasoning, adding more salt, soya sauce, or sweetness as needed. Stir in the sesame seeds.
Makes 1¾ cup