During the COVID-19 outbreak, South Africans are encouraged to eat healthily to boost immunity and lower their risk of diseases of lifestyle, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
For those who love braaiing, Pharma Dynamics has teamed up with well-known food consultant and cookbook author, Heleen Meyer and the Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) to develop heart-healthy braai recipes as part of its popular, Cooking from the Heart cookbook series.
Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics says the braai edition contains 30 recipes that cater for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. “The recipes include healthy, homemade marinades and seasonings, snacks, sides and salads, as well as vegetarian dishes and even desserts.
“Many of the meals we share are around a braai fire, but it is often accompanied by food that’s not healthy for our hearts. Our aim is to make people a bit more conscious of the nutritional faux pas they make when braaiing.”
The recipes are all easy to make, affordable and consist of essential ingredients, which make them ideal for cooking during the lockdown. It even carries Jan Braai’s stamp of approval!
Try some of these recipes from Cooking from the Heart’s special braai edition:
VEGGIE SKEWERS
These skewers are delicious braaied over the coals.
- 125 g button mushrooms, halved
- 3 baby marrows, thickly sliced
- 200 g baby tomatoes
- 1 green, yellow or red pepper, seeded and cut into large cubes
- 15 – 20 bay or fresh lemon or lime leaves (optional)
- 8 – 10 metal skewers or wooden kebab sticks, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive or canola oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated lemon rind
- 2 tsp (10 ml) each chopped fresh thyme, origanum and parsley
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed black pepper to taste
- ½ tsp (2,5 ml) salt
Method
- Place mushrooms in a shallow dish and cover with boiling water. Soak for 8 – 10 minutes to prevent the mushrooms from breaking apart when skewered. Drain well and pat dry.
- Thread mushrooms and veggies onto skewers or kebabs sticks, alternating the different veggies for a colourful end result. Add 1 – 2 bay, lemon or lime leaves in between veggies.
- Mix oil, lemon juice and rind, herbs and garlic together and season with pepper.
- Brush oil mixture onto skewers on all sides and marinate for 30 minutes. Season skewers with salt.
- Grill over medium to low coals or until the veggies are just cooked, but not too soft. Brush with more of the marinade, while braaiing, if necessary.
- The kebabs can be served with the Pea & yoghurt dip or Cottage cheese dip on pages 48 and 49. Serve with a protein-rich vegetarian dish for a balanced meal.
Tips
- Add pineapple to the skewers for a sweet flavour – it is delicious with pork or chicken.
- A pinch of cumin or paprika or a chopped chilli can be added to the oil mixture if preferred.
- For a different flavour add 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely grated fresh ginger or add 1 tsp
- (5 ml) mild mustard to the oil mixture.
