There are some teeny tiny things you can do to takes your dishes that take them from yum to dayyyyum gurl. Number 1 – Pre roasting, I have noticed that with recipes that call for foods like potatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, butternut, etc., they taste a lot better when you roast them separately rather than just…
Read MoreHome Cooking
Secret Ingredient Butternut Soup
This soup is perfect for a cold, dreary, sit-under-the-blanket-and-watch-movies day. Butternut soup, in my opinion, is very diverse; it can be sweet, creamy, thick, think or savoury. It all depends on the spices and vegetables you add in. I went for a thick, creamy, hearty one today. Ingredients: 2 medium sized butternuts 3 carrots 2…
Read MorePutting Pain in Perspective
This will be a short post. But I just have something I thought I would share. We all experience hardships in our lives, we all have tough days, especially this year. The thing that makes it a bit more difficult is the fact that we feel guilty about having a bad experience, when other people…
Read MoreGoing niche with Spinach and Onion Quiche!
I love quiche, if you read all my recipes one after the other, you’ll see that I pretty much love everything! But quiche really is yummy, it’s cheesy, warm, hearty, but it can also be served cold, as a side, a main, a snack. It’s fantastic. This is the first time in years that I…
Read MorePick on someone your own size! Buy right and cruelty free!
Something I have wanted to write about for a few years now, but haven’t gotten around to, is animal testing on cosmetics. Now, when you hear the phrase animal testing, you think, a product that is tested on animals right? They took blush and put it on a bunny? That’s only a small part of…
Read MoreLast of the winter remnants, Cauliflower Soup
The cool thing about soups are, that you can add in so many different ingredients, and the odd are, it will come out fantastic! Sometimes you won´t be able to taste everything you put in, well, I can´t, maybe my palate isn’t that sophisticated. Point is, you can add in so many different vegetables, and…
Read MoreWarm Vegetable Salad = Happy Warm Belly!
This is a nice and simple midweek meal; it can be served as a main or as a side dish with your favourite protein. I had mine with a nice warm garlic roll, Its super easy and quick to make!!! (insert) Drool. Ingredients Lentils Sweet potatoes Potatoes Green and red peppers Onions Broccoli Your favourite…
Read MoreA Simple Pasta Puttanesca or “Spaghetti alla puttanesca” in Italian yo!!
I love this pasta, when I first heard of the dish (In the Lemony Snickets movie, lol) I was intrigued. Olives in pasta? Anchovies in pasta? Sounds salty and delicious. I have made different variations of this dish over the years, mainly going with what’s in the cupboards. That is the great thing about Italian…
Read MoreTaking it up a notch, the un-traditional Green Curry because why not.
Curry is one of my favourite dishes of all time. There are so many versions and variations that will make even the fussiest eater happy. You can eat it in summer, winter, hot, cold, with bread, rice, naan or even garlic bread. This is by no means a proper Thai green curry. I took the…
Read MoreGrilled vegetable wraps from scratch!! cause pre-made just ain’t the same!
I loooove wraps; I love any food you can eat with your hands, dripping with sauce, tasting all those marvellous fresh flavours creating harmony in your mouth. Wraps are so versatile, you can add any sauce or vegetables you like, and it will probably come out great. Let´s get started! Ingredients: For the wraps: 3…
Read MoreA Hot and Spicy Durban Fish Curry…
Cold weather sucks and Happy Spring Errybody! This weather today, all gloomy and melancholy, made me nostalgic, that often involves the ocean, fresh salty air, and a care-free mood. That also means curry. I had the most amazing fish curry I Durban more than once, and today I decide that I was in the perfect…
Read MoreBookworms UNITE! Nik Shares her list of recommended great reads!
I love reading fiction. I have read 27 books since hard lockdown started. Over the last year or so, I have come to enjoy my new favourite genre of thrillers, they are referred to as ´´Domestic Thrillers´´. These are the type of books where a new family moves into the suburbs. They all seem normal,…
Read MoreWoman Fitness and weight training : keeping in check with Laraleigh and Nik!
Today I want to talk a bit about fitness, more specifically, weight training. It is something that is still perceived as male dominated. Times are a´changing and we need to open up the conversation. The main goal of this interview for me is to focus on a lot of female-specific questions.The reason for this is…
Read More99 problems and my Depression hasn’t won, my story on coping and living with “The big Sad”
Today I woke up feeling like sh!t so I thought let me write about it now, so that when you feel like shit and you read this, it may help you through a dark day. I have depression and anxiety, I was diagnosed a while ago, five years ago I think, I don´t really remember. …
Read MoreA Tail Tale of the strongest of pups!
I want to share the story of my little baby Roxy and how she came into our lives. We got Rox in December 2007. My brother had just returned from working in England, and he showed up to our hose with Lil puppy Roxy in a brown basket. She was so damn cute, she had…
Read MoreVeganism; the Im’poo’sible Standard.
Today I want to talk a little about veganism, what I have learned from it, what it means to me, and how it has affected my life. First off, I am not a vegan, I have mentioned this before, but I would like to mention it again. Strictly speaking, I am an Ovo-Lacto-pescetarian. I eat…
Read MoreGetting spiritual and visiting temples in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka
While working on the cruise ship, I had the privilege to get off for a few hours and go on a tour through this coastal town, and to two incredible temples. I would like to share a little history of Sri Lanka with you. I learned all this on the tour. These guides are incredible.…
Read MoreThe story of Mother Dragon in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam
Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, this country has been a privilege to visit. I am so happy to have had the opportunity to go on a tour here. During the tour, we went on a boat ride to the caves, and we learned the beautiful story of mother dragon. Ha Long translates to descending dragon. Many…
Read MoreThe adventures of a black Cat: A place to call home
Hey everyone, I would like to share the story of how this kitten stumbled into our life. Honestly I would have never thought that I would have a cat in my home but having always loved and appreciated their company my search would come to a halt one night while I was at work. So…
Read MoreLaidback and lending a hand at Dogtown ZA
So today I want to talk about a matter that´s very close to my heart; dogs. I´ve had pets since I was a child, cat, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, fish, even snakes. I can’t imagine my life without an animal companion. As much of an animal lover as I am, dogs will always have…
Read More
My Favourite Vegan Swaps
vegan alternatives for cooking. I would like to start of, as with many of my posts, to tell you than I am not a vegan. But as a Ovo-lacto-Pescetarian ( damn that is a mouthful) I use a lot of vegan products and I do eat a lot of vegan meals. Whenever I go into…
Read MoreVegan Minestrone Soup
This is the first time I have ever made Minestrone soup, or any soup that has pasta in for that matter. The idea of pasta in a soup did sound strange to me, oh how ignorant I was! This is a lovely one-pot recipe, perfect for a warm belly on a cold day. Ingredients:2 tomatoes3…
Read MoreCrunchy Vegetable spaghetti
Sunday was a meh day, I was bored and in the mood for comfort food,, aka PASTAAAAAAAA I was in the mood for some spaghetti, but with some vegetables that would hit the spot. Veggies always make me feel full and happy. Ingredients: Spaghetti Vegetable stock cube Baby marrows Pattypan squash Tomato Garlic Spinach Your…
Read MoreThai red coconut curry noodles
Ingredients: One packet Egg noodles or 3 packets of 2 minute noodles if you’re broke like me, lol 1 tin of coconut milk (400ml) Fresh garlic and ginger Coriander leaves 350 ml Vegetable stock 1 spoon Thai red curry paste or curry powder if you´re still broke Method: Heat oil in a pan. Add curry…
Read MoreThe Bestest banana Bread
Soooo I bought 1.5 kg of bananas on special at Pick and Pay and they literally went mushy in two days. Fook. But not all is lost, banana bread for the win. I struggled to find a nice method of making banana bread without adding sugar. Another reason I don’t like to bake, too much…
Read MoreVegan Split Pea Soup
Ready in 45 Minutes! 1 cup of split peas 1 cup of frozen peas 1 cup of soup mix 500ml vegetable stock 1 onion 1 potato 1 stalk of celery 2 leeks 2 carrots Garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, paprika Method: Soak the split peas and soup mix in boiling water for 30 minutes prior to…
Read MoreMy favourite tomato and basil soup recipe
Idiot Proof Bread-rolls
When I say Idiot-proof, I do mean idiot proof (which also includes tipsy proof and I-don’t-know-how-to-bake-proof.) I am not a baker, occasionally I will try out a quick bread or tart recipe, but my heart lies with cooking. Fast Forward to a few weeks ago when I was making a delicious vegetable soup for my…
Read MoreCauli Chowder
1 head cauliflower 2 carrots 4 baby marrows 1 onion 2 heads of garlic 500 ml Vegetable stock Flour or potato starch Salt, pepper, chilli flakes Method: Roughly chop the head of cauliflower and put it in an oven safe tray. Drizzle with a little oil and some salt. Bake in the oven on 180…
Read More
Ice Ice Baby Cold Noodle Salad
Move out of the way winter warmers, It´s time for summer sensations With our SA weather being so unbearably hot lately, I have come to making cold dishes for dinner I have to say, I have not always been a fan of cold dinners, even when it is insanely hot like it is now but…
Read More