Mango Salad Dressing

Have a Mango-nificent Monday!

Well even though we're already February, I still want to start this year of recipe posts on a healthy note, and what's more healthy than a delicious and low-calorie salad dressing!

Now, this mango salad dressing has a lovely balance between sweet and spicy, and it will make your taste buds very happy. It's mango season where I'm at and not only am I enjoying them as is, but I'm trying to make use of them in different ways.

6Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

bbq, Blog

Avocado Quinoa Salad

Come over
to the healthy side,
have some quinoaaaaaaaa.

Recently I've been trying to eat healthier, alongside working out.

While it is a lifestyle change,

it's one I've been enjoying.

So I have been on the lookout to try and incorporate healthy,

yet delicious dishes into my meals,

without feeling like I'm depriving myself.

Lol oh, watch me post a

dessert recipe next...

Baby steps, baby steps.

Anyhoo, quinoa was always something

I wanted to try.

Upon my own research, it turns out

it's very healthy.

Quinoa is a superfood, which means it's packed full of nutrients.

It's gluten-free,

and also anti-inflammatory.

The list of benefits is endless.

I won't lie my sister did nudge me into actually giving it a try because she did, and she liked it.

I half the amount of quinoa I make

because even 1/2 cup feeds around 4 people,

and we still have leftovers.

I did for the sake of everyone's convenience share the recipe with the standard 1 cup,

so you can follow along.

Don't feel intimidated by quinoa,

it does take a few tries to

perfect cooking it.

Many sites suggest different

water to quinoa ratios,

I found 1 3/4 cup water to 1 cup quinoa is just perfect.

Feel free to adjust

depending on your preferences

and do not rush the steaming step.

There are many ways to serve quinoa, as well as many recipes to try.

From a full meal to a filler for a wrap, or a side dish at a braai/bbq,

this particular recipe is very easy to make and will be a lifesaver.

Down below I share 2 types of methods,

one with step-by-step pictures and one without.

- INGREDIENTS -

1 Cup Uncooked Quinoa

2 1/2 Cup Water

1 Medium Red Onion

1/2 Cucumber

1 - 2 Cups Cocktail Tomatoes

2 Avocados

Handful Fresh Coriander

2 - 3 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Pepper

1/4 tsp Red Chili Flakes

1 1/2 Tbsp Oil

1 - 2 Tbsp White Vinegar

- METHOD WITH PICTURES -

1. Firstly, let's make the quinoa. It's better to make it first so it has time to cool down for this particular recipe. Getting the right ratio of water to quinoa is very important; too much water and the quinoa will be mushy, too little water and it will be dry or still uncooked. Cooking quinoa does take some practice and don't be afraid to adjust the timings. As long as the quinoa puffs up after they steam you're in the clear, the dressing (or just a little drizzle of oil) will keep it from drying out.

Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for around 30 seconds, before draining well. Next, add the rinsed quinoa into a medium-sized pot, that's deep, and add 2 1/2 cups water.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat down to medium, allowing it to gently simmer. Continue cooking until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, so for approximately 15 minutes (small amounts of quinoa will be ready around the 10 minutes mark; while larger amounts of quinoa may take between 15 to 20 minutes to cook).

Once you see all the water has been absorbed, turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and let the quinoa steam for another 5 - 10 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop open, so it’s nice and fluffy.

Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork, I actually layer it out on a plate and I pop it in the fridge to cool down.

2. While your quinoa is cooking, you can prep your other ingredients and keep them aside in a separate, semi-large bowl. Cube your medium sided red onion, and thinly slice or cube your cucumber (1 cup should be enough), adding it into the bowl. Next, halve or quarter your cocktail tomatoes, and also add that to your bowl.

3. Once your quinoa has finished cooking and has cooled down, add it into the bowl with the other ingredients, with some freshly chopped coriander.

4. Cube your avocado, add it into the bowl and mix your salad altogether.

5. Now make a quick dressing you can pour over your salad. Add in your oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, vinegar and red chilli flakes. Mix it all together and give a quick taste, you may need to adjust the seasonings, depending on your tastebuds.

6. Plate up, garnish with more fresh coriander, and refrigerate your salad till you're ready to serve it. It's best served cold, and it's a perfect healthy side dish to have with grilled chicken or even to serve for a bbq/braai. It's also very filling on its own, so it would work perfectly as a quick meal.

- METHOD WITHOUT PICTURES -

1. Firstly, let's make the quinoa. It's better to make it first so it has time to cool down for this particular recipe. Getting the right ratio of water to quinoa is very important; too much water and the quinoa will be mushy, too little water and it will be too dry or still uncooked. Cooking quinoa does take some practice and don't be afraid to adjust the timings. As long as the quinoa puffs up after they steam you're in the clear, the dressing (or just a little drizzle of oil) will keep it from drying out.

Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for around 30 seconds, before draining well. Next, add the rinsed quinoa into a medium-sized pot, that's deep, and add 1 3/4 cups water.

Once you see all the water has been absorbed, turn off the heat, keep the pot covered, and let the quinoa steam for another 5 minutes. This step gives the quinoa time to pop open, so it’s nice and fluffy.

Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork, I actually layer it out on a plate and I pop it in the fridge to cool down.

3. Once your quinoa has finished cooking and has cooled down, add it into the bowl with the other ingredients, with some freshly chopped coriander.

4. Cube your avocado, add it into the bowl and mix your salad altogether.

- PIN IT -

It is so easy to pin a recipe you like right onto your Pinterest boards.

Simply click on the picture, and it will automatically open up to your Pinterest

where you can save the image and recipe link to any board.

I hope you give this Avacado Quinoa Salad a try,

it's a delicious, healthy side dish to make and serve at any mealtime.

- OTHER SIDE DISH RECIPES -

Baked Jalapeño Poppers
Mexican Corn Salad with Mexican Crema
3 Bean and Noodle Salad
Onion Rings
Sweet Potato Fries
Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin
Creamy Cold Potato Salad

Be sure to check out my social media,

I share a lot of the behind-the-scenes on there and much more:

, by Zainab Dokrat

bbq, Blog

Mexican Corn Salad with Mexican Crema

The weather is warming up on my side of the world,

and I was actually looking for some new side dish recipes

to make for braai/BBQ's, when a similar recipe caught my eye.

This Mexican Corn Salad is also known as "Mexican Street Style Corn Salad"

it's light, refreshing, super easy to whip up and perfect for using up leftover corn.

It's also a great recipe to serve with some tortilla chips as a snack,

especially when if you make it creamier,

or as a wrap and taco filler,

and the Mexican Crema can be used as a burger/wrap/tacos sauce.

Check out "quick notes" before the method,

I share some tips after having made this salad a few times now.

- INGREDIENTS -

2 - 3 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels - thawed (or around 2 - 3 whole corn on the cobs)

1 Tbsp Butter

1/2 cup Fresh Coriander - roughly chopped

1 Red Bell Pepper - diced

1 Green Bell Pepper - diced

1 Red Onion - diced

1 Jalapeno - sliced

Pinch of Salt

1/4 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper (adjust depending on your heat/spice preference)

1/2 tsp Paprika

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1/4 Cup Feta Cheese (or preferably Cotija Cheese)

- MEXICAN CREMA INGREDIENTS -

1/2 cup Mayo or Sour Cream or Yogurt

1/3 cup Fresh Cream

1 - 2 tsp Lime Juice

1/4 tsp Paprika

1/4 tsp Cayenne Powder (adjust depending on your heat/spice preference)

Pinch of Salt

- PLEASE NOTE -

Now you can make this with frozen corn kernels or if you really want to go the extra mile and up the flavour, you can grill your whole corn till they char a bit before slicing them of the cob, which is what I did. As shown in the pictures below.
I preferred it without the Jalapeno which I didn't add, but feel free to add some if you want it more spicy.
I liked mixing the dip into the salad just before serving and I didn't add much because I personally didn't want it very creamy, but it depends on you preference.

- METHOD -

First make the Mexican Creme by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and placing it to chill in the fridge.
Also prep your peppers, onions, coriander and jalapeno by dicing them.
This next step depends on if you're using frozen (thawed) or you're grilling corn on the cobs. If you're using whole corn on the cobs that you grilled and sliced off the cob skip this step and carry on with step 3. If you're using frozen (thawed) corn kernels this is what you need to do; in a hot pan, preferably a skillet a non stick pan won't work because you want the corn to char a bit, melt the butter and add your corn, stir and leave to cook till starts to look a bit charred.
Place the corn in a bowl and leave to cool down for around 5 - 10 minutes, before mixing in your diced onion, diced peppers, chopped coriander and sliced jalapeno.
Next add in your spices; salt, pepper, cumin powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and lime juice.
Than, add in your cheese and mix it all together.
Finally, mix in your Mexican Crema - preferably just before serving (add more or less depending on how creamy you prefer the salad) and garnish with some more fresh coriander and serve chilled.

- PIN IT -

It is so easy to pin a recipe you like right onto your pinterest boards,

simply click on the picture and it will automatically take you to pinterest.

When you share the picture the link shares as well,

which makes it easier for you and any one else to find the recipe.

I hope you enjoy this Mexican Corn Salad with Mexican Cream.

If you would like some more side dish recipes that pair well with braai/bbqs,

I have shared a few on my blog before which you could check out;

3 Bean and Noodle Salad

Onion Rings

Sweet Potato Fries

Creamy Potatoes Au Gratin

Creamy Cold Potato Salad

Be sure to check out my social media,

I share a lot of the behind the scenes on there and reviews:

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

Subscribe To My Blog

0Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

bbq, Blog

Three Bean and Noodle Salad Recipe

three bean salad, three bean and noodle salad, salad, side dish, bbq, braai, recipe, cold salad, salad recipe, colourful food, salad pictures, three bean salad pictures, noodles, noodle salad, noodle salad pictures, pinterest, food, food blog, food blogger

I really love cold side dishes especially for bbqs/braais.
Three bean and noodle salad is a go-to salad for a lot of people in summer
and everyone has their version of this recipe.

As winter leaves some of us and summer is in full swing for my side of the world,

this is great side dish to whip up for the last summer bbq before it get's really cold

and as a lovely fresh start for the first summer bbq.

I love a good three bean and noodle salad!
It's actually my favourite side dish and

it's is super easy to make,

you can change up the ingredients depending on what you have around the kitchen.
Also remember the quantity is my estimation,
feel free to work around it depending on how much you want to make.
Finally this can be a vegan friendly dish without the cheese,
so keep that in mind if you're looking for a vegan side dish.

- INGREDIENTS -

1 tin Baked Beans

1 tin Purple Kidney Beans

1 tin Chickpeas

1 - 2 cups Noodles

2 TB Ground Green Chillies
1 TB Lemon Juice

Salt (to taste)
1 tsp Pepper

4 - 5 TB Mayo

Fresh Coriander

Robertson's Dry Parsley
1/4 cup small cubed Gouda Cheese
1 Small Cubed Green Apple

- METHOD -

Mix in a large bowl your kidney beans, chickpeas and baked beans. Obviously strain out the excess water from the tins and with the baked beans you can use a bit of the sauce just not all of it.
Par boil your noodles till soft but not too soft and leave to cool.
While it's cooling, add your ground green chilies, lemon juice, salt, pepper and mayo to your 3 beans.
Next, add in your apple and add your noodles.
Lastly, garnish with your cubed cheese, coriander and dry parsley.
Leave to chill before stirring it up and serving.

- PIN IT -

It is so easy to pin a recipe you like right onto your pinterest boards,
simply click on the picture and it will automatically take you to pinterest.
When you share the picture the link shares as well,

which makes it easier for you and any one else to find the recipe.

I really hope you enjoy this quick three bean and noodle salad recipe,

be sure to please Subscribe to my blog for email updates on new recipes

and like my Facebook Page as well as follow me on Instagram.

I'm finally getting on the Pinterest train...million years later lol so check me out there.

Much Love
and
Have A Good Weekend

Zainab
x

12Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

Blog, cheesy

Cheddar-melt Steak

Made this the other day,

it was so easy yet so filling.

The sauce can also be used as a dip for fried chips.

Onion Rings Recipe - Click Here

STEAK MARINADE

500g rump or rib-eye steak
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp pepper steak
1 tsp ground garlic
2 tsp ground green chillies

Marinate the steak in the spices above, I would say make more marinade than needed because when the 2nd cooking step comes into play the marinade will be used to baste.
Slice a trio of robot peppers (all 3 colors) and onion rings and allow to cook on medium heat.

CHEESE SAUCE

250ml fresh cream

Grated cheese - [you could use Gouda instead of cheddar as that is the cheese I prefer the most, also if you find available you can use the ready made packet cheese sauce]

Creamy cheese powder

On medium heat warm the cream and grated cheese [remember if you're using the packet sauce don't add as much cream to the mix].
Next, add the creamy cheese powder, boil on low till the sauce thickens.
If you see your sauce does not thicken, or it passed the thicken stage because you left it on the heat too long just add a spoonful of corn flour and stir (make sure there's no lumps).
Once the steak is prepared and half way cooked, prepare a pan of shallow oil (not enough to cover the steak).
Dip each piece of steak in the oil and fry up the steak, as you turn keep basting. Only do this for a few minutes till the sides become crispy.

GARNISH

In a platter layer shredded lettuce,
add the steak on top,
and drizzle the sauce on top.
You can also serve this dish with onion rings like we did.

28Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

Blog, fish

Garlic Green Chilli Hake Fish

I LOVE FISH! Especially hake and prawns..well this is a hake recipe that you can either fry after it has marinated for a couple of hours or grilled in the oven with the marinade. It's a light meal perfect for weekend lunches and with a crisp salad it will go perfectly.

FILLET OF HAKE MARINADE

Fresh lemon juice
Green chilli chutney
Robertson's Garlic Salt Spice
Little mint sauce
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Fresh crushed garlic
Robertson's lemon pepper
Garlic Sauce
Robertson's Fish Spice

Make a paste in a bowl and marinate the hake fillets for a couple of hours.
Heat some garlic butter and melt over the fish and fry till done, slowly turning every couple of minutes - like I said you can fry or grill the fish.
Garnish and serve with salad, chips and lemon wedges.

Enjoy!

0Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

baked potato, Blog

Mrs Balls Chutney Ribeye Steak

This is the first time we tried the Mrs Balls Chutney and I must say it was great. It was a lovely different recipe from the usual spices and sauces. Defiantly a repeat in the family. We used the original chutney, I'm ready to try out the other chutney's also.

RIBEYE MARINADE

1 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp garlic flakes
1 tsp Robertson's bbq spice
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp Robertson's steak and chops spice
1/2 cup Mrs Balls Chutney (original)
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
Lemon Juice
Green chilli paste
Robertson's Tenderiser - just so its not tough to cook

Add a little olive oil and cook on low heat till done.
Serve with salad, sliced baked potato or garlic bread.

Enjoy!

4Comments

, by Zainab Dokrat

Older
Recipes

Pages

Mango Salad Dressing

Have a Mango-nificent Monday!

Avocado Quinoa Salad

Come over
to the healthy side,
have some quinoaaaaaaaa.

- INGREDIENTS -

- METHOD WITH PICTURES -

- METHOD WITHOUT PICTURES -

- PIN IT -

- OTHER SIDE DISH RECIPES -

Mexican Corn Salad with Mexican Crema

- INGREDIENTS -

- MEXICAN CREMA INGREDIENTS -

- PLEASE NOTE -

- METHOD -

- PIN IT -

Three Bean and Noodle Salad Recipe

- INGREDIENTS -

- METHOD -

Cheddar-melt Steak

Garlic Green Chilli Hake Fish

Mrs Balls Chutney Ribeye Steak

Welcome To SFK

Recipe Radar

recent posts

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Featured Post

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Pages

Mango Salad Dressing

Have a Mango-nificent Monday!

Avocado Quinoa Salad

Come over to the healthy side, have some quinoaaaaaaaa.

- INGREDIENTS -

- METHOD WITH PICTURES -

- METHOD WITHOUT PICTURES -

- PIN IT -

- OTHER SIDE DISH RECIPES -

Mexican Corn Salad with Mexican Crema

- INGREDIENTS -

- MEXICAN CREMA INGREDIENTS -

- PLEASE NOTE -

- METHOD -

- PIN IT -

Three Bean and Noodle Salad Recipe

- INGREDIENTS -

- METHOD -

Cheddar-melt Steak

Garlic Green Chilli Hake Fish

Mrs Balls Chutney Ribeye Steak

Welcome To SFK

Recipe Radar

recent posts

Instagram Feed

TikTok

Like For More Recipes On FB

Send me quick message

Featured Post

Most Popular Recipes

Come over
to the healthy side,
have some quinoaaaaaaaa.