Strawberry Cheese Cake (No bake)

Ingredients

Base :

9 oz walnuts, pecans or almonds
4tbs melted butter or 4 tbs honey

Filling :

16 oz cream-cheese (2 packages)
1 cup Sugar Free Cool Whip
16 oz Strawberries (sliced)
1 package Gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup Splenda (or any other sweetener)

Method

Place the nuts in a ziplock bag and crush with a rolling pin (or process through food processor). Add the butter or honey and press into a 9"backing pan. I like to line up the baking pan with wax paper in order to be able to lift up the cheesecake when cold. Cover with cling film and put in the refrigerator to chill.

In a small bowl, mix the sweetener, gelatin and 1 cup boiling water. Whisk well and put in the freezer to chill quickly.

In a large mixing bowl, put the cream cheese and the cool whip and beat on medium speed. While doing that, slowly add the strawberries, setting aside a handful for decoration. Take out the gelatin bowl from the freezer and pour over the mixture. Beat the mixture of medium speed for a good 5 minutes.

Take out the 9" baking pan from the fridge and layer the mixture on top of the nuts. Decorate with strawberries and chill for about 6 hours before serving.

Maltese Sausage

Ingredients

4.5lbs of pork butt or shoulder (ground) (or 3.5lb minced pork and 1lb of pork fat)
1-1.5 oz black pepper*
0.5-1oz coriander seeds*
1-2oz sea salt
10 garlic cloves minced
Bunch of parsley finely chopped

Method (for KitchenAid users)

Rinse the hog casings in hot water from the salt and let them sit in a bowl of hot water for about 20 minutes. Run water through the casings after they soften and become pliable.

Grind the pork twice. Mix all the meat with half the amount of herbs and spices stated. Test the flavor by frying up a small patty and keep on adding the herbs and salt as desired. Do not add all of the salt from the beginning; you might find it too salty and you'll have to throw everything away.

Take one casing, tie at knot at the end and insert in the large sausage tube attachment, all the way in. Put the kitchen aid on speed 3-4 and you're all set to start stuffing the sausages. Keep a toothpick nearby, air might get trapped and you'd need to pierce the casing every now and then to release the trapped air.

Method (for non KitchenAid users)

In a food processor combine the pork fat and the minced pork, set on high speed and grind for about a minute or two. Mix half of the herbs, spices and salt and test the flavor by frying up a small patty.  Keep on adding the herbs and salt as desired. Do not add all of the salt from the beginning; you might find it too salty and you'll have to throw everything away.

If you are using hog casings you'll need a funnel. Stuff as per method above.

If you are not using hog casings, simply shape sausages by hand and freeze. If you cook them while frozen they will not fall apart.

Ricotta stuffed zucchini

Ingredients

2 large zucchini/marrows
1 cup part skimmed ricotta
1/2 cup parmesan
1 egg
Cherry Tomatoes
Rosemary.

Method

Slice the marrows vertically from the middle to end up with four quarters. Scrape the inside out with a spoon.

In a bowl, beat the egg, add the ricotta, Parmesan  rosemary, salt and pepper. Stuff the quarters with this mixture. Place halved cherry tomatoes on top and sprinkle with a little bit of Parmesan.

Bake in a 200 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serves 2 people as a side.

S'berry, Lime, Ginger and Mint Water

Ingredients

6 large strawberries, sliced
2 limes, sliced
1 piece ginger, chopped
Handful of Mint

Method

Fill up a large pitcher with ice-cold water and stir in the above ingredients. I do not know if this has any particular health benefits, but it is definitely a refreshing beverage loaded with vitamins!

Let sit overnight before consumption. Serve Chilled.

Moroccan Shrimp Salad

Ingredients

Rocket Salad (or any mixed greens)

Diced tomatoes

Diced avocados (1/2 per person)

1 oz feta cheese (per person)

3-4 oz shrimps per person

Salad Dressing

Sesame Oil
Olive Oil
Lime Juice
Tarragon Vinegar
Maggi Seasoning
Smoked Korean Red Pepper Flakes
Green Scallions
1 cube of Avocado (to act as the emulsifier.)
1 oz crushed peanuts, walnuts or pecans

Shrimp Marinade (marinate 2 hours before)

Pinch of cinnamon
Crushed Garlic
Ground Coriander
Cumin
Paprika
Dried Parsley
Onion Powder
Cheyenne Pepper
Dash Sesame Oil
Dash Maggi Seasoning
Honey

Method

In a skillet, cook the shrimp for about 5 minutes. Do not over cook otherwise they will turn into a gummy mess. Set aside and let them cool. 

Place the rocket, tomatoes and avocado in a bowl and pour over the dressing, make sure all leaves are well coated. Add the cooked shrimp on top and sprinkle with feta cheese. 

*Recipe by Des

Portobello Pizza and Burgers

This will definitely take care of that junk craving that haunts us from time to time!

Portobello Pizza

2 Portobello Mushrooms
2 slices Prosciutto (or any ham)
2 oz grated Part Skimmed Mozzarella
Oregano

Turkey Burger

1 or 2 Jennie-O Turkey Burgers
Mixed Greens (or iceberg lettuce)
Tomato, sliced
2 slices of Part Skimmed Mozzarella

Method - Portobello Pizza

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop finely. Chop the ham and mix with the chopped stems, mozzarella and oregano. Stuff the mushrooms upside down, drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and broil on High for about 10 minutes.

Method - Turkey Burgers

Cook the turkey burgers as per package instructions.

If using iceberg lettuce, you can sandwich the burger between thick slices of iceberg to replace the bread. Add any veggies that you like, such as tomatoes, pickles, onions ecc and top with a slice of part skimmed mozzarella.

Stuffed Pork Roast with Veggie Kebabs

Ingredients

1.5lb Pork Loin

1 cup spinach

6 slices low fat ham

3oz Gouda or any low fat cheese

Veggies for kebabs 

Method 

Fillet the pork loin with a very sharp knife. Cover it in cling film and pound it out with a kitchen hammer until almost double in size. Layer the ham, spinach and cheese and roll up, using toothpicks if needed. Seal in a hot skillet and then pop in the oven or crockpot.

Cut your favorite veggies in equal sized cubes and place on skewers. Drizzle with some sesame oil and broil until cooked.