Tag: health

The secret to surviving the winter

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Spoiler alert: its butternut soup. At least in my opinion.

Now I know soup is sometimes a bit of a controversial subject, and some people don’t like it at all, but I like it a lot and my mom has been making butternut soup for us for a very long time and its very nostalgic for me. It has been so cold the past few days, so I decided to try my hand at making some of my own. Soup is actually surprisingly easy to make – the hardest part is chopping the vegetables (which could be solved by buying them pre-chopped, but I wouldn’t recommend this because of the unnecessary plastic packaging)

Ingredients

800ml vegetable stock (made to package instructions with boiling water)

600g butternut, peeled and chopped

1 clove of garlic or 1tsp garlic powder (or to taste, whatever floats your boat)

1 large onion, diced

1tsp curry powder (or to taste)

Oil

Method

In a large saucepan, heat up the oil on medium heat and saute the onions until translucent. Add in the curry powder and garlic and mix until the curry has coated the onions. Allow this to cook for a few moments before adding in the cubed butternut and the liquid stock.

Bring to a boil and allow to cook until the butternut is soft. When it’s tender, transfer the butternut and liquid to a blender (you might have to do this in a few batches depending on the size of your blender) and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and blend it in the saucepan.

Now that all your soup is blended and smooth, you can either heat it up again and eat it straight away, or store it in tubs in the freezer until there is another cold day where a warming and comforting soup is needed.

This recipe is quick to make and really easy, and you get a really delicious soup at the end!

 

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Muffins Done Right: Quick and Easy Vegan Treats

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And I’m back! Quicker than I thought too. This morning was spent in the kitchen, trying to “vegan-ise” a recipe my mom has been making for years. The result: simple muffins that you can flavour in any way you’d like. Throughout my childhood, my mom often made us apple and cinnamon muffins early in the morning for our lunchboxes, which shows how quick and easy this recipe is.

Today I’ve made apple pie inspired muffins (similar to what my mom used to make) and yummy, fudgy dark chocolate peanut butter muffins.

Both muffins have the same base, which is really easy to make – just mix the following ingredients together thoroughly:

350g all-purpose or cake flour

150g sugar

15ml baking powder

250ml plant milk of your choice (I used almond milk)

2 chia eggs (30ml of chia seeds mixed with 90ml water – let it sit until the seeds become gelatinous and thick)

100ml coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the apple pie inspired muffins, finely chop one apple, a handful of pecan nuts or walnuts, and a handful of cranberries. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grab yourself a big bowl, wooden spoon, kitchen scale and measuring jug. Weigh out all your base ingredients and mix them all together until well combined. Add in the apples, nuts and cranberries and fold them into the mixture.

 

Line your muffin tin and scoop mixture until them so that they’re three-quarters full. Pop them in the oven for just fifteen minutes.

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The chocolate muffins are slightly different – there are the added ingredients of 75ml of cocoa for a dark chocolate taste, plus extra milk to thin the mixture, and dark chocolate chips

Add the cocoa in with the flour and other dry ingredients so that it’s mixed in properly – you don’t want little pockets of cocoa when you bite into the muffin. Mix everything together – I found that the mixture was quite a bit thicker than the other muffins because of the cocoa, so add in milk until the mixture is thin enough. Once again, either line or grease your muffin tins and pour the mixture in. Bake for 15 minutes.

Drizzle some peanut butter over the top of the muffin once cooled (if that’s your thing) or enjoy them as they are – delicious and chocolatey, with a brownie-like consistency.

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I hope you enjoy making these recipes, they’re super easy and quick and a really nice vegan alternative to ordinary muffins.

See you soon!

Where has the time gone?

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It’s been a while since I’ve been down this neck of the woods, but I’m back (again). My second year of varsity is turning out to be much more overwhelming than I initially thought it would be. I always find myself generating ideas for this blog, and never finding the time to actually sit down and write. Assignments and literally hundreds of pages of readings have taken up a considerable amount of my time, and when I’ve finished that all I want to do is watch series, or listen to podcasts.

This shouldn’t be the case, but the last thing that I’ve wanted to do is write. Between essays and assignments (and my Netflix habit), I’m always in front of the screen. My sleep habits have gone out the window, and generally, I’m not being my most productive self.

I’ve spent a lot of time outside in recent weeks, and the changing season has meant that I’ve witnessed some really beautiful landscapes.

sunset with pink skies and windmills in the background

The sunset at the 1820 Settlers Monument, Grahamstown

mist rolls over hills with bushes in the foreground

A misty view stopped on the side of the road somewhere outside of Grahamstown

There are only a few weeks left of term, and I’m really thankful. it’s been a long few weeks and I’m ready to get back home to cook and do fun things! Being at home also means that I’ll have so much more time for this, and hopefully, I’ll be getting a lot more content out in the next month.

Until next time.

Being Aware: Eco-Conscious Alternatives For The New Year

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This past year I’ve been becoming increasingly aware of the amount of waste I generate. Living in res means that I’ve seen exactly how much rubbish I create and throw away, and I was actually horrified. I’ve found that it’s really difficult to live a low waste lifestyle as so many things come in plastic packaging or non-recyclable packaging. I’ve been particularly lazy about recycling even though it’s something that I used to pride myself on and do consistently. Creating the amount of waste that the average person does is completely unsustainable, as our world cannot take this kind of beating for much longer. Small changes add up, and these are the small things that I’m taking into the new year to hopefully reduce my waste just a little, or use things that aren’t as bad for the earth or myself.

Lily Cup Compact

This first item is actually something that I’ve been using since 2014, and it’s a silicone menstrual cup. This is a really great alternative to pads and tampons, which are not only expensive over time, but not terribly good for the environment. Because people often flush them down the toilet, they end up in the ocean and on beaches, where they do not decompose. Even organic cotton tampons only biodegrade very slowly in landfills and don’t really help the landfill issues.

It takes a bit of getting used to, but I honestly can’t imagine using anything else anymore. There are lots of brands available, at varying price points. A menstrual cup might seem expensive at first, but if you consider the amount of money spent on sanitary products over a lifetime, it’s not much to pay. The pros far outweigh the cons.

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Palm Oil Free Soap

Palm oil is an incredibly controversial substance, due to the fact that it has a huge impact on the environment. Vast areas of rainforest are being cut down in South America and Asia in order to make space to grow trees, leading animals losing their habitats. It’s also a contributor to climate change, due to the rainforests being converted into plantations. It is incredibly difficult to avoid palm oil, as it is included in so many foods and cosmetics, from Nutella to Cremora to lipstick. The implications of using palm oil products are huge, and soap is something we all use, and can easily change. This Pure Soap has no palm oil and is my first step to cutting down on my use of unsustainable palm oil.

Shampoo Bar

I go through a huge amount of shampoo, so I decided that this year I would switch to shampoo bars, in an attempt to cut down on the amount of plastic waste my hair washing habits generate. I bought this bar from Faithful to Nature, and while I haven’t started to use it yet, I have great hopes for it. It is hand made in Cape Town and infused with rosemary to help with hair growth. A review will be coming later in the year, once I’ve used it for a few months and have really seen how it works.

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Bamboo Toothbrush

Basic eco replacement alert: the bamboo toothbrush is a solid choice. They last just as long as plastic toothbrushes, they are biodegradable, and bamboo grows really quickly to keep up with demand.

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Knitted Cotton Pads

My mom made these knitted cotton pads out of Moya Cotton, to replace my usual store bought disposable cotton pads used for removing makeup and nail polish. While these don’t really work for removing nail polish, they are really effective for makeup removal. Being able to wash the cotton pads and reuse them pretty much infinitely makes them so much more environmentally friendly, especially as cotton is biodegradable and doesn’t contribute to the build-up of synthetic fibres, which makes up the majority of the microplastic in the oceans.

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Reusable Coffee Cups and Steel Straws

By far the easiest change to make, a reusable coffee cup makes life so much easier. Not only does it mean that you cut down on plastic waste, but you might also score a discount at your favourite coffee shop. I have an eCoffee Cup, and I really enjoy using it. Steel straws, while some people complain of the taste, are a really useful thing to carry around to use when out at restaurants.

Cotton Market Bags

This is a market shopping bag that I crocheted for myself out of string. I’ve seen quite a few of these online and in the shops recently,  and couldn’t believe how expensive they were, especially as I thought I’d be able to make one for myself. Turns out I was right, and I spent all my evenings in the last week crocheting. For someone with only a little experience, this bag was surprisingly easy to make, and I only made one little mistake. It’s super sturdy, as it’s made out of quite a strong string, and I really love the natural colour. I think its perfect for groceries or veggie shopping, and I definitely see myself getting a lot of use out of it.

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I hope that everyone can find small ways to be more environmentally friendly this year _ our Earth needs us more than ever, and every small change adds up. Not everyone is in the position to make changes, it’s up to those with the privilege to do something to spark action.

New Year, Same Me: Setting Intentions

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It’s over a week late, but here I am welcoming you to 2019.  It’s a new year. Wow. 2018 went by so fast and I can barely believe that it’s over already. So much happened this year, and to be honest it has been a lot to process. It’s so important to look back and be thankful for everything that happened, the good and the bad, as everything contributed to the person that you are today. 

But, more important is the year to come. The past is done, but the future is entirely in your own hands. My favourite part of the new year, something that I have done for the past few years, is setting my intentions. The new year doesn’t mean that we have all changed overnight. We are all still the same people at our core. Every single day is an opportunity for growth and development, and working on ourselves. 

My mindset and the feeling that I start the year can always be summed up with a quote. This year, instead of my usual sentiment, “always seek light”, I’ve decided to “be the light” this year. The most important thing this year is finding joy, and being a source of joy.

This year, I hope to focus more on my health – more yoga, mindfulness and running. I want to work harder to achieve my academic goals. I’m going to really persevere with this blog, and make a success out of it. I’m going to be more discerning with who I allow into my life. In order to really make the most out of this year, I’m going to say ‘yes’ to doing more exciting things, and be more open to new experiences. I’m going to be more positive, and look for strength and success.

I haven’t changed overnight, but the new year is an opportunity. New year, same me, new intentions. 

Today I Made: Vegan Lemon Bars

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Hey there everyone! If you’re seeing this, it means you’re on catherineandcranberries.com – that’s right, catherineandcranberries.wordpress.com is no more, and we’ve moved on to bigger and better things! I decided to invest in my own domain, which was only possible because so many of you have shown your support, which I’m very grateful for.

Now that I’m back at home (at last!) I can really get back into making all sort of delicious foods, the first being these vegan lemon bars or cookies. The recipe is based on another favourite biscuit that I make often, but substituting for plant-based ingredients. 

Today’s recipe is one I created myself, and is accompanied by a video! It’s been a while since I filmed and edited anything, but it’s something to look forward to on Catherine and Cranberries as I hope to be able to put together more in the future.

Ingredients:

Bars:

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk

Glaze:

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon almond milk
  • 5 tablespoons icing sugar

Method:

First, you’re going to start by creaming the coconut oil and the brown sugar. Add the lemon zest and the lemon juice to this mixture.

Sift the flour and baking soda into the wet ingredients, and mix until a crumbly mixture forms. Add the almond milk, and combine, using your hands to help it form into a dough.

Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for ten minutes.

Use this time to make the glaze by combining the ingredients and mixing thoroughly. 

Press the mixture into a lined baking tray and bake for sixteen minutes. Let it cool completely before icing it. 

Here is the nutritional information for this bake! 

Marmalade your day

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Marmalade was never my favourite spread for toast. But, the strong influences of Paddington Bear and my dad meant that I slowly acquired a taste for this tart and delicious preserve. It reminds me of home, especially as my mom can often be found making another batch with whichever citrus is currently ripe in our garden.

My mom’s recipe is very easy to make and doesn’t take up too much time at all. The preparation of the fruit is the most labour intensive part of this recipe, but once everything is chopped up, all it needs is time on the stove.

Ingredients:

1 part Citrus of your choice

1 part Water

1 part Sugar

Method:

  • Start by washing the fruit of your choice. At home, we make our marmalade with a variety of citrus, including lemons, Rex Union oranges, grapefruit and Pamplemousse.
  • Slice the fruit into quarters and remove the pips and centre pith.  Squeeze the juice into a measuring jug before you chop the quarters into smaller pieces.  Slice the quarters thinly and place them in a large measuring jug.
  • For every jug of chopped fruit and juice, you will need a jug of water. Place the full jug of fruit and juice, as well as the jug of water into a large thick-based pot.
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  • Put the pot on the stove and cook slowly until the fruit is soft. You’ll know its ready when a wooden spoon can cut through the rind.
  • Then add one measuring jug of sugar for every jug of fruit into the pot. It’s important that you only add the sugar when the fruit is already cooked soft, otherwise, it won’t soften at all. Cook the fruit while stirring gently until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Continue cooking until the marmalade reaches setting point. To test this, place a spoonful of marmalade on a saucer in the fridge and check for when the mixture wrinkles when the saucer is tilted – indicating its setting point.
  • Now it is ready to bottle in sterilised glass bottles.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you enjoy making some delicious homemade marmalade. If you don’t think that you like marmalade, do not despair – very soon there will be a recipe for marmalade cake! Yum!
Pin this recipe for later use!

Marmalade

Ten Minute Hummus and an Easy Weekend Lunch

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I recently discovered hummus through a friend, and I am absolutely converted! I can’t believe that I have been missing out on this delicious, and incredibly versatile food. Ready-made hummus seems to be quite expensive, so I searched all over Pinterest (click here to go to my Pinterest) until I found a whole bunch of different recipes. The common thread is chickpeas, either tinned or cooked by yourself, tahini and seasoning.

After some trial and error I think I’ve managed to get a pretty good recipe down, and its very easy to make if you have a food processor or blender

In a food processor or blender, add the following:

  • one tin of drained chickpeas
  • 1/3 cup of tahini
  • 1tsp crushed garlic or garlic powder
  • a pinch of salt
  • paprika to taste
  • 1/2 cup of olive oil (or more if your hummus is too thick – it’s really up to you!)

Blend everything together – it’s as simple as that.

Hummus is so handy to have in the fridge and makes a delicious dip for veggies, toasted pita bread or whatever your heart desires. However, my favourite way to enjoy hummus is with toasted whole wheat bread, avocado, tomato and boiled eggs. Delicious!

Pin this recipe to your Pinterest!

HUMMUS

Thanks for reading! There will be more posts coming soon, including a delicious marmalade cake that everyone will enjoy (even if they don’t like marmalade!)

Today I Made: Tomato and Chilli Jam

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Spoiler alert: It is delicious.

I found a recipe on a blog called Spicy Ice Cream and simply had to make it. I love love love sweet chilli sauce, but I discovered how much sugar was in it and had to give it up. This recipe calls for a lot less sugar, meaning that this tomato and chilli jam is a lot more healthy.

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I was forced to alter the original recipe a little bit, as I didn’t have all the ingredients that I needed. If you click the link above, you’ll be able to see the original recipe but here is what I did:

Ingredients:

  • 1kg Roma tomatoes
  • 1 and 3/4 cups castor sugar
  • 1/3 cup white vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp crushed ginger
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 5 red chillies of choice

Method:

First, chop your tomatoes (I chopped mine into quite large pieces and found that they cooked down very nicely, but you can chop them as small as you’d like) and your chillies. Add them, and the other ingredients to a big pot over a low to medium heat. Slowly bring the heat up to ensure that all the sugar has dissolved, and then boil the mixture. Mix the jam frequently and wait for it to thicken up a bit, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 15 – 20 minutes. Take the pot off the stove and allow to cool a little while to prepare your jars. Do this by rinsing them in very hot water and then placing them in a hot oven until they are dry and sterilised. Pour the jam into the jars and seal immediately. Store it in a cool, dry place for up to three months (if you can hold off from eating it for that long!)

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When I made a second batch of jam, I used baby tomatoes that my dad grows in his veggie garden. This meant that they didn’t cook down quite as much – so I used a hand blender and made a much smoother jam that is almost the consistency of store-bought sweet chilli sauce. Yum!

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This jam is honestly so tasty and is super good served with cheese and crackers, or mixed into cream cheese to make a dip for chips.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Stick around for more recipe posts, especially now that I’m on holiday from varsity.

 

A little throwback…

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Screen Shot 2018-06-13 at 20.31.44A long, long time ago (well, three years, but it feels far longer than that) I ventured into the world of youtube, and I made a few cooking videos. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it, but with school and other commitments, it fell by the wayside. Somehow, I never got back into it, but who knows what I’ll get up to in the future. For now, I thought I’d share them here. They aren’t perfect by any means – the sound is a bit off, and its clear that my editing can improve a lot, but I’m still very proud of all these videos.

Click on any of the recipes below to go straight to the video!