Comforting meals to make before and when load shedding hits

LUTHO PASIYA

HAVING no electricity does not mean you have to go hungry or settle for bread.

You have just had a rough day at the office, and you are yearning for comfort food.

As you drive home, you salivate at all the possible meals you could prepare, counting the minutes until you can get home to start cooking.

But when you get home, there are 30 minutes left before load shedding hits or you find yourself in darkness.

Eskom had other plans on how you should spend your evening.

Fortunately, having no electricity does not mean you have to go hungry or settle for bread.

Here are some comforting meals to make before and when load shedding hits.

Wild rice salad with rocket, crunchy vegetables and nuts

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup Tastic Brown & Wild Rice

½ tsp salt

½ cup diced, robot peppers

4 tbsp carrots matchsticks (julienne)

¾ cup pecan nuts toasted and roughly chopped

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

3 cups of baby rocket leaves

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp Game orange drink powder or honey

2 tbsp Tru Lem lemon juice

4 tbsp Greek plain yoghurt

Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Dressing: Mix the olive oil, Game orange drink powder, lemon juice, and yoghurt. Add black pepper to taste.

Allow the dressing to infuse and chill for at least 15 minutes. Cook the rice as per package instructions in salted water, drain, and cool.

Combine the rice with the rocket, vegetables, pecans, and spring onions, and mix well. Scoop onto a serving platter and top with dollops of dressing. Can garnish with extra chopped spring onions.

Cooking tip: This salad is also delicious with roasted butternut or roasted sweet potato added to the mix.

Caprese toasted sarmies

Serves: 2

Ingredients

150g baby tomatoes, on the vine

1 tbsp olive oil

4 slices of Albany ultima multigrain brown bread

2 thick slices of mozzarella cheese

A handful of fresh basil leaves

Salt

100ml milk

Golden Cloud cake flour, for dusting

2 eggs beaten

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

Method

Add olive oil to a pan and slowly fry the tomatoes on the vine for about 10 minutes.

Turn them around halfway. When done, set aside.

Place a piece of mozzarella, a basil leaf or two, and a large pinch of salt between two slices of bread. Dip the sandwich firstly in the milk (do not let it soak – just dip the bread), then dip in flour, and lastly into the egg.

Heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat and fry the sandwich on both sides till golden brown. This takes about 8 minutes.

Serve hot with tomatoes and some fresh basil.

No cook spicy bean and vegetable open wraps

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 x 180g tubs of marinated chargrilled vegetables (available at local supermarkets)

2 x 400g cans of butter beans, drained and rinsed

200g tub tomato salsa

2 limes, zested and juiced

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

2-3 tbsp chopped red chillies, plus extra to serve

Small bunch of coriander, chopped, plus extra, shredded, to serve

2 ripe avocados, stoned and diced

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

1 small red onion. Finely chopped and rinsed

8 medium soft flour tortillas

100ml soured cream or double-thick yoghurt, to serve

Salad leaves, to serve

Method

To make the filling mix, tip the drained marinated veg into a bowl with the beans. Stir in 2 tbsp salsa, half the lime zest and juice, the vinegar, onion, chillies, and half the coriander. Set the mixture aside.

Put the avocado in another bowl with the remaining lime zest and juice and the garlic. Roughly mash everything together with a fork, then season and stir through the remaining coriander.

Spread the crushed avocado mixture over the tortillas, then top with the fajita mix, remaining salsa, soured cream or yoghurt, extra chillies, and extra coriander. Serve with salad leaves lightly tossed in olive oil.