Hello February! This week we welcome the month of love, but we also welcome the month that has us experiencing Cape Town’s warmest weather.
On hot days I always find myself looking for something easy, fuss-free and light to eat and nibble on.
Keeping hydrated and enjoying lots of fruit and vegetables helps us to beat the heat.
With all the yummy fruit and veg we have in season, we get to take full advantage of all the benefits and nutrition they contain.
They pack a nutritious punch offering generous helpings of vitamins and other essential nutrients.
Adding a burst of colour and flavour to any meal, you can enjoy fruit and veg as an on-the-go snack or incorporate it to add the perfect balance to your meals.
That extra piece of fruit with breakfast, a lemon, orange or pineapple flavoured chicken or even something as simple as topping your salad with some berries, kiwi or even watermelon, adds the perfect balance.
A good bowl of fruit or veg salad is amongst the most popular summer dinners on days that it’s too hot to cook.
This week we feature some of my favourite summer fruit – plums, peaches and nectarines – in quick and easy meals and snacks.
Naturally sweet, this super fruit has a low glycaemic index, and they are high in fibre and antioxidants that protect against disease, also aiding to build healthy minds and bodies.
We also have recipes by Chef Jenny Morris and Karen Hart, who create magic in the kitchen with plums, nectarines and peaches, making your meals jam-packed with fruity goodness.
Happy Cooking and baking
Frozen Plum Lollies
Recipe Credit Jenny Morris
Ingredients
8 fat plums
½ cup raw honey
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 cups natural yoghurt
Method
Cut a cross into the base of each plum and plunge into boiling water, remove with a slotted spoon.
Peel off the skins and remove the flesh from the stone.
Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake holders.
Blend the plum flesh, honey, vanilla extract and yoghurt in a food processor until smooth.
Taste and add a little more honey if too tart.
Divide the mixture between the muffin holes and freeze till firm.
When almost firm, insert a lolly stick into each one.
Frozen Peach and Yoghurt Shake
Recipe Credit Jenny Morris
Ingredients
2 cups vanilla ice cream.
1 banana sliced and frozen
1½ cups chopped and frozen dessert peaches
1 cup Greek yoghurt
Method
Remove the frozen fruit from the freezer and place it in a blender with the remaining ingredients.
Blend until smooth, pour into glasses and garnish with fresh mint.
Peach & Bulgur Wheat Salad
Recipe Credit by Jenny Morris
Ingredients
2 cups cooked bulgur wheat
½ red onion finely diced
2 spring onions with tops finely chopped
½ cup chopped mint
2 large cling peaches washed, stoned and finely diced
½ medium cucumber finely diced
½ cup finely diced red pepper
2 red chillies chopped (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Toss all the ingredients together and add the dressing 30 minutes before serving.
Dressing
½ cup orange juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tbsp honey
¾ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
2 cloves finely grated garlic
1 tsp mustard of your choice
½ cup olive or vegetable oil
Method
Stir together all the ingredients except the oil, taste and adjust the seasoning, then whisk in the oil.
Nectarine and Smoked Chicken Lunch
Recipe By Jenny Morris
Ingredients
1 cup cooked bulgur wheat
Zest of 1 yellow lemon
2 tbsp chopped mint
1 cup cucumber, chopped or thinly sliced
2 large firm nectarines stone removed and chopped
300g chopped smoked chicken breast
30g toasted almonds chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Dressing
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
Stir together and season to taste.
Method
Place all the ingredients together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper and lightly toss together, add the dressing and stir together gently and serve.
Plum Jelly Treats
Recipe Credit by Jenny Morris
Ingredients
15 plums, halved and stoned
½ cup water
½ cup caster sugar
6 tbsp gelatin powder
Silicone mould of your choice
Non-stick cooking spray
Method
Place the plums in a small saucepan with the water and simmer until soft.
Place in a blender and process until smooth.
Strain the liquid through a sieve and return to the pot (alternatively, if you have a juicer, simply juice the fruit and place in the saucepan).
Add the caster sugar and dissolve over low heat.
Sponge the gelatine in a little water, according to the package instructions.
Once sponged, place the gelatin in the warm plum liquid and stir to dissolve.
Lightly spray your mould with the non-stick spray and place on a baking tray.
Carefully pour the liquid into the mould – using a jug – and place in the fridge for an hour and a half, or until set.
Pop out and enjoy!
Whole Wheat Peach Muffins
Recipe Credit Karen Hart
Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat flour
bold: ¼ cup cake flour
1 ½ cup oats
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cinnamon
1½ cups peeled and diced fresh peaches or nectarines
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup sunflower or canola oil
1 egg
Extra oats to sprinkle on top (optional)
Method
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Stir in the peaches. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, vanilla, honey, oil and egg.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until it is just mixed. Spoon the batter into a 12-hole muffin tin, lined with paper liners.
Sprinkle a little oats over each muffin (optional).
Bake in a preheated oven of 180ºC for 18 - 20 minutes or until cooked through and golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack before serving.