Category Archives: Food for the soul

Chocolate cake cure

18 Thursday May 2017

Posted by in Advice, Anxiety, Chocolate yeah!, Depression, Food for the soul, Illness, Life Lessons, Recipes

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My 13 year old son has an autoimmune illness and he deals with frequent anxiety.
It is a constant battle for him to deal with his issues and he swears that chocolate cupcakes still warm out of the oven are a cure-all for a bad day.

This is what he writes:
How chocolate cake makes everything better

When you are feeling down or depressed and you need something to make you feel better – eat chocolate cake.  Cold, warm, hot, all of them are delicious.  Every bit of soft, spongy, rich chocolatey taste gives you the sensation where the taste is so good that you enter your own space.  It is like the world of stress doesn’t exist and all of your problems and worries are gone.  Afterwards you can focus on your work, your mission, your goal.
Life lesson: Eat Chocolate Cake!

I can’t argue with him even if I am not the world’s greatest chocolate cake lover.  But just spending a few minutes calmly enjoying something that you love is going to make a big difference.  Particularly if you are becoming overwhelmed by stress and anxiety.  You are seriously not going to get anything done while you are panicking.
Rather watch your manager’s expression while you sip your tea and eat your snack as they stare you down expecting your deadline to be met yesterday (don’t tell them I said this…)

So here is my son’s favourite chocolate cake recipe.  It sounds crazy but that is because it is called a crazy cake but trust me on this.  It is a fast and easy way to make cake.  You can make it into one large cake (enough to share with everyone in the office) or make 24 cupcakes – freeze them all and take one out each day to pop into your lunch box….

3 cups flour
2 cups white sugar (stop right here if you are diabetic or a health food fanatic)
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½  cup cocoa powder

Mix all of these ingredients into a large bowl and then make three wells and add:
¾ cup sunflower oil
2 tablespoons vinegar (really!)
2 teaspoons vanilla essence or extract (or be daring and use a different flavouring – I’m quite partial to caramel)
Put each one into a well (don’t worry if they overflow or the wells collapse.  It works anyway)
Top the whole mix with 2 cups of water and mix well until there are no lumps (I do this in a mixer but you can do it by hand)
Pour into a prepared cake tin (or in a foil roasting tin that you can just throw away when the cake has been eaten) or into 24 cupcake cases (put them in muffin tins because the mixture is really runny)

Bake at 180 C for about 40 minutes for a cake and 25 minutes for cupcakes

Can cheesecake make you happy?

12 Thursday Jun 2014

Posted by in Chocolate yeah!, Creativity, Food for the soul, Recipes

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Can cheesecake actually make you happy?
I’m sure that if I looked hard enough and consulted Dr Google, I would find all kinds of scientific reasons why cheesecake could be good for you – things like boosting serotonin levels….
The simple answer to this question is:
Definitely! But (of course there has to be a but!) it is not just the eating of the cheesecake that can make you happy, there is a lot to say about making cheesecake.
There is the beating and crushing of the biscuits (by hand of course) to ease your frustrations of the day.
Blending those biscuit crumbs with warm butter and gently soothing it into a lovely, smooth base; the choreographed elegance of folding cream into cream cheese; and not forgetting the most important step – the licking of the spoon.

Last week was a Jewish holiday – Shavuos – where part of the custom is to eat dairy foods (read: cheesecake, and a lot of it) so when I usually write and post this blog, I was eating!
Stepping away from the mundane, stressful routine of life and just spending some time creating something beautiful can be one of the best ways of dealing with stress and giving your mind a chance just to calm down.
If baking is not your thing, then make sure that there is something that you can do to move away from the stressful and have something amazing and creative to show for it at the end.
This is your reward for all of the hard work, effort and exhaustion that goes into just living your life.
It can’t just be about trying to avoid stress and continually trying to cope with the all of the stressful work/family/financial/social situations.
It needs to be about letting yourself enjoy moments and to create those moments that are enjoyable.

So while I try to settle back into the hectic routine of actually working a full week, here is my recipe for a

Chocolate, chocolate, espresso cheesecake:

Base:
250g chocolate biscuits – crushed in which ever way you find best
160g butter (melted)

Combine the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter and press into a 20cm tin
Place into the fridge until firm

Cheesecake filling:
250g cream cheese
1 cup cream
3 eggs (beaten)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons espresso (drink the rest of the espresso while making the cake)
1 slab of milk chocolate (about 180g) – or white chocolate, or dark chocolate, or a mixture (is it really fair to have to choose?)

Place all ingredients, except the chocolate into a bowl and beat until smooth
Pour this glorious mix over your base
Melt the chocolate and get creative by pouring it into the cheesecake mixture – I like to get a marble look but swirls, dots, or just random lumps of chocolate are good
Bake at 200°C for about 40 minutes until firm.
Let it cool completely and place in the fridge.

Glaze:
½ cup sweetened coffee (or coffee flavoured liqueur or chocolate liqueur)
250g dark chocolate
60g butter
½ cup cream

Place coffee or liqueur into a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat until mixture is reduced.
Add chocolate, butter and cream and continue stirring until it is melted and smooth
Remove from the heat and rest it until the mixture is cool and has thickened.
Pour all over your cheesecake and then return to the fridge to set.

Super anti-stress granola

01 Thursday May 2014

Posted by in Chocolate yeah!, Food for the soul, Recipes, Stress

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The amount of holidays that we have had in South Africa is starting to get ridiculous and I fear that when everything returns to normal, it is going to be difficult to deal with a full week of work, routine, driving the kids around, homework etc.
The perfect part about time off – even if I have to go into work – is the late start to the day and the leisurely breakfasts that come with that luxury.
My favourite breakfast?
Granola!
I don’t buy it, although I am sure that there are some wonderful brands out there, because I like to customise my granola according to my mood and therefore I make it myself.

I’ll share my recipe with you here – remember that granola is a very forgiving food (we could all learn from it actually) and you can’t actually go wrong if you change the amounts or add or subtract ingredients.

  • Melt together ½ cup honey with ½ cup peanut butter (unless you have a peanut allergy – then you can use any other nut butter or use more coconut oil to make up the difference – it still works either way) and 3 tablespoons of coconut oil (chocolate addicts, you can add 2 tablespoons, or more I guess, of chocolate spread)
  • Pour this mixture over 2 cups of raw, rolled/steel cut oats and about a cup of nuts of your choice
  • I also add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds to this mix
  • Mix together until well coated and spread on a baking tray and bake at 160°C
  • Please keep an eye on your granola while it is baking and take it out as soon as it is looking brown and toasty but before it gets too dark and yucky.
  • Leave it to cool and then go overboard adding your extras – throw on dried fruit, raisins, shredded coconut, goji berries – whatever you have or whatever you like (chocolate people – this is where you can add chocolate chips, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate covered raisins – see where I am going?)
  • Pour everything into a container, mix it all up well and enjoy with yoghurt, milk or on its own.  I like to drizzle a little extra honey on top – it makes my day that little bit sweeter!
  • Enjoy!
Granola - two ways

Granola – two ways: tropical fruit, nut and coconut on the left and triple chocolate on the right

Because this is a stress blog, I feel responsible to tell you how amazing this granola is for helping you to help your body to manage your stress.
Here are some of the benefits of the ingredients in granola:

  • Oats apparently boost serotonin levels which make you feel calmer and happier.  It also keeps your blood sugar balanced which is important for keeping your mood balanced.
  • Nuts are known to lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and counteract negative effects of stress – almonds in particular are rich in vitamin E (anti-inflammatory) and vitamin B (makes you more resilient to stress).  Walnuts will improve your memory (and I know that we could all use a little bit of that!)
  • Berries are rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin C which also helps your body to cope better with stress
  • Of course chocolate is full of all kind of good things but we know that eating chocolate improves your mood and is good for your heart (yes, really!)
  • Honey boosts your immune system, is anti-bacterial and probiotic – good for infections and digestive health.
  • Coconut oil is the ultimate superfood – if you believe all the hype around it, it cures everything! Including stress – I’ll take that!

Am I crazy?

18 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Attitude, Food for the soul, Gratitude

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There are times when I think that being Jewish is a little bit on the crazy side.  I certainly feel that other people think that when I explain our customs to them.  One day we are feasting, a few days later we are fasting.  Sometimes we don’t eat bread, sometimes we eat lots of bread.  And this week, we will move into a temporary shelter with a roof made out of leaves (called a sukkah) , built in our garden and we will eat every meal and every snack in there for 7 days no matter what the weather is like.
Did I say that we were crazy?  Was that me?

The first thing that I have to say is that I am eternally grateful for the fact the I live in Johannesburg where the weather at this time of the year is wonderful for eating outdoors.  People in the northern hemisphere often sit in their sukkahs freezing cold and I’m guessing, miserable.
No matter what the religious reasons are for this custom, and there are a lot, one of the primary things that I gain from this festival is appreciation for what I do have.
How many people don’t have a roof over their head and what we sometimes feel we have to endure once a year for only a week, is their daily reality.  And those people often don’t even worry about the lack of shelter when they are more concerned about where their next meal is going to come from.

Sometimes we just don’t appreciate how much we have, until we don’t have it.
Anyone who has fasted knows the pain of hunger and hopefully experiences gratitude the minute they are able to start eating again.

This week I would like you to take a few moments to appreciate all that you have.  To really focus on your blessings – and even if you feel that you have none, to find those blessings.  No matter who you are, what you believe in, how much you have, or don’t have, you are truly blessed!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you, my dearest readers.  The positive feedback that I get from you every single week is inspirational.  Not only do you keep this blog going, but you keep me going.  You teach me new things.  Your inspirational stories inspire and fill me with awe.
Each of you is a hero in my eyes and I thank you for being part of my life.
Have a blessed week!

When life throws you lemons

25 Thursday Jul 2013

Posted by in Attitude, Food for the soul, Positivity, Recipes

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If life throws you lemons you:
A. Feel sorry for yourself while you’re choking on lemon juice
B. Make lemonade (or even better lemon meringue pie)
C. Call for tequila (although I think it goes better with limes)
D. Take those lemons, make loads of lemonade and build a thriving lemonade business.

The choice is yours.  But we all have the ability to take the negatives that life throws at us and turn them into amazing opportunity if we can think positively about the situation that we find ourselves in. And hopefully you don’t need alcohol (choice C) to put you into an artificial, short term positive space.
I don’t think that anybody has a particularly difficult life.  Everybody has their challenges and yes, your’s may seem so much worse than somebody else’s.  But by the time you’re ready to make lemonade, those people may be the ones who are dealing with new challenges and having to encounter lemon juice for the first time, when you already have mastered the lemonade recipe!

W. Clement Stone was one of the first people to write about Positive Mental Attitude (PMA).  He would say, “Every adversity carries within it the seed of equivalent or greater benefit to those who have positive mental attitude”.

Get ready to start building that lemonade stand because all of the obstacles that you are working on overcoming are going to make you wiser than you could imagine.
You never know where life is going to take you but this I can promise you: it is going to be worth it!

And now inspired by my Brazilian sister – here is the recipe for Brazilian Lemonade (which actually uses limes but don’t tell anyone):

Ingredients:

  • 2 limes (or one big one if you can find it)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar (I have seen recipes calling for 1 cup – for the very sweet toothed)
  • 3 tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk
  • 3 cups of water
  • ice to serve

To make:

  1. Wash limes thoroughly.
  2. Cut off the ends and slice each lime into eight wedges.
  3. Place the limes (rinds and all – that is where the flavour comes from) in a blender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice.
  4. Pulse in an electric blender
  5. Strain through a sieve – so that you have only liquid and you don’t eat the rinds
  6. Serve over ice!

Saude!

How to survive winter and other miserable days

05 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Advice, Food for the soul, Lists, Moods, Recipes

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While we are blessed to have short, mild winters in Johannesburg, I still often feel miserable in winter.  The air is dry, the grass is brown and the mornings are dark and chilly.  A lot of people have complained to me that they feel tired and generally unhappy and while it may well be related to winter, it could also be a mid year tiredness.  Wow, we’ve made it halfway through the year but we still have months ahead of us.
(By the way, if you’re reading this and it’s summer where you are and you feel really happy and energised, that’s great! Please store this for later in the year when it applies to you).
Our instinct in winter is to do things that are not necessarily good for us.  Hibernating and eating the wrong things.  Yes, there is definitely a time and place for cuddling under a duvet with a steaming mug of hot chocolate in your hand but is probably not going to energise you.  Save all the rich, sugary treats for the weekend when you can enjoy it more and use it as a reward for yourself for a week well done.

Here are some of my ideas for feeling better and more motivated and energetic in winter:
– increase your vitamin intake by getting plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
– always drink a glass of water before you reach for that cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate.
– use invigorating oils like grapefruit or lemon in the morning to get you going.
– try to exercise more (I know, I know you don’t really want to but those feel good endorphins will kick in and you will feel great!)
– start a gratitude journal so that you can focus on all that is good rather than on all that feels bad.
– when you feel like hibernating under a blanket, remember that many people are not in the position to do that. So volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate a blanket, start knitting some cosy woollen items.  You will feel good and so will they.

knitting
– cuddle with somebody that you love before you rush off to go your separate ways (you’ll both feel good about it and hugs keep you warm)
– smile!
– before you rush off into the dark morning, take a moment to take a deep breath, watch your breath steam out and wonder at the marvel of winter
– and my ultimate winter happiness is baking (yes, I know I just spoke about not overdoing the sugar).  Baking is a very tactile thing and I find that making scones is very soothing.  And eating warm scones with dollops of jam is even more soothing!  The softness of the flour when you rub the butter in, the release of tension when you’re kneading the dough…

Best scone recipe:
2½ cups self raising flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Good pinch of salt
30g butter
¾ cup milk
½ cup water

Heat oven to 220°C
Sift flour and add sugar and salt into a bowl
Rub the butter in with your fingers
Stir in the milk, and then add water until your mixture is a nice, soft dough
Knead the dough until it is smooth and then press it down to about a 2cm thickness
Using a circle cutter, or a glass, cut into rounds.
Keep kneading and pressing the dough until you have used it all up.
Place your scones on a prepared pan and bake for about 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Winter blues and spicy hot chocolate

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by in Attitude, Chocolate yeah!, Food for the soul, Positivity, Recipes

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My mother asked me to say something about this, so I guess, this one is for you mom!

It started with somebody that my mom knows complaining about how she felt depressed in March.  I told her that it was common to be more depressed in March and she started to take note of everyone who felt more sad or more tired in March.  She then promptly told them not to worry because her daughter said that it was normal to feel that way at this time of the year!  And everyone was relieved and lived happily ever after…. not quite!

So, what is going on?  With the increase in sadness, not with my mother (because that is a whole other story).

There could be a few reasons why people feel more “down” in March and for people who have clinical depression, they may experience a dip in their moods or a full blown relapse.

Now I am in the Southern hemisphere, so the easy answer is that we are heading into winter. The days are shorter, there is less light and the heady days of summer (and the memories of summer vacation) are long over.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is real and some people do get more depressed or only get depressed with the change of season and with less exposure to light.

Another reason, in my opinion is that we have almost completed a quarter of the year (hard to believe isn’t it?).  Most people are quite optimistic at the start of the new year. Filled with ideas of changes that you are going to make, things that you are going to do, goals that you are going to achieve.  And then for most people, March or April rolls in and you are still doing the same things, stuck in the same place, nothing really new and exciting happening and the end of year is a long, long way to go still.

Is there a cure? Not really (I know, wrong answer!).  If you really do have Seasonal Affective Disorder, you can get light therapy which reportedly works very well.  Have a look what Mayo Clinic has to say about light therapy here.

If you have depression, it is something to just be aware of and try to do the best that you can to prevent a relapse – you may need to speak to your doctor about this.  Most importantly, you should do something about it before your symptoms get out of control.

For the rest of us, there is no reason why we need to allow our moods to control us.  We are heading for Easter holidays, so if you can, take the opportunity to get away or do something new and exciting in your city.

You don’t need to dress all dreary because the weather is colder.  Add some bright colours to your usual winter darks.  It was this little bit of inspiration that made me buy a pair of pink boots when I was shopping for black!

Bring flowers into your house.  Think of long nights with movies under the duvet and mugs of creamy hot chocolate.

Heat a cup of milk and ¼ cup of cream in a saucepan on a low temperature, add a few blocks of your favourite dark or milk chocolate and stir until melted.  Pour into a cup and top with cinnamon or chilli

Spice up your life by making your food more exciting.

You can do this!

(And for those of you in the Northern hemisphere who are looking forward to Spring and summer – enjoy! And file this away for later)

You say Tomato

06 Wednesday Mar 2013

Posted by in Food for the soul, Recipes

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I am South African so I say tom-ah-to but no matter! The wonderful Abby (who has amazing travel disaster stories) asked me to post my recipe for Roasted Tomato Soup.

Sure I said – only two problems: Firstly I don’t really have a recipe so I am going to do my very best to put this recipe down but it is very forgiving so it doesn’t really matter if you use a bit more or a bit less.  Secondly this is a stress blog and I had to find a good reason for putting a tomato soup recipe on here.  So I had to look up the humble tomato’s stress relieving qualities and here’s what I found:

–         Tomatoes are rich in lycopene which reduces your chances of getting prostate cancer and heart attacks and it also decreases the damage to healthy brain cells.

–         A study was done and written up in the Journal of Affective Disorders that found that people who eat tomatoes two to six times a week had a 46% lower chance of developing depression.  So eat more tomatoes or eat more tomato soup!

tomato

This soup is an exquisite smooth tasting treat.

–         Preheat your oven to 120°C (250°F)

–         Prepare a large baking tray

–         Cut about 1kg of tomatoes into wedges (if they are small tomatoes, leave them whole) – I like to use a variety of different tomatoes but you can use whatever is available. Spread them over the tray.

–         Peel some cloves of garlic (according to taste – which for me is a lot) and throw them onto the tray.)

–         Peel and cut 2 onions – add it to the mix.

–         Sprinkle basil leaves over and then drizzle with olive oil.

–         Season with salt and pepper.

–         Roast for about 3 hours or until the tomatoes are reduced and jammy (I don’t know if that is a real word but hopefully you know what I mean.

–         What you do in those 3 hours is up to you – have a nice relaxing bath, watch a movie, knit a scarf, have a nap…

–         Let the tomatoes cool down and then scrape them into a blender with all the juice and bits from the tray.

–         Add 2 – 3 cups of stock and blend well (for a creamy soup, add some cream instead of some of the stock – that is decadent!)

–         If you don’t like bits in your soup, strain the soup before serving.

This soup works brilliantly hot or cold.

I like to serve at room temperature with a dollop of pesto and a slice of garlic bread!

 

Killer cake

21 Monday Jan 2013

Posted by in Chocolate yeah!, Food for the soul, HIV, Recipes

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The wonderful Sile told me about a Bar One cake and of course I had to come up with a recipe. Not only that, but I had to get a committed group of tasters (which is not that difficult to do actually). For those of you who are unfortunate enough not to know what a Bar One is, it is a nougat and caramel filled chocolate (I guess that Mars Bar is similar?).

This is a chocolate cake with a caramel fudge layer in the middle and topped with a Bar One topping – if you live in a Bar One-less country, please come up with your own topping (and let me know what you used).

baking 007

Well, bless Sile who has survived HIV for 10 years (and counting) but claims that this cake sent her straight to heaven – and I really don’t want to kill her, but this became the “killer cake”. And the woman is still crazy enough to want to sky dive with me!

Cake

  • 1 cup margarine
  • ½ cup cocoa
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ¾ cups self raising flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 200 ml milk
  • 5 ml caramel essence (vanilla if you don’t keep caramel on hand like I do)

Preheat oven to 180°C

Melt margarine and then add the cocoa and water and heat until warm, set aside.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar in a bowl

Add caramel essence, milk and flour to this

Now add the cocoa/margarine mix to this mixture and mix well

Pour into a prepared pan and bake for 60 minutes

Caramel fudge filling

  • 385g can of condensed milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 125g butter
  • ¼ cup  golden syrup
  • salt flakes

Put all the ingredients (except salt) into a saucepan and mix on a low heat until the butter and sugar have melted

Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down to a simmer and stir continuously for about 15 minutes until the caramel is darker and thick (when it feels like the caramel is resisting your stirring) – I would suggest putting on some good music to keep you dancing and entertained during all the stirring because you cannot leave it alone

Add a bit of salt to taste (you can leave this out if you really don’t like the idea of salt in caramel – for me it is perfect)

Leave to cool

Topping

  • 150g Bar One (or Mars bar or some other caramel/fudge chocolate I guess)
  • 100g milk chocolate (I have to say this at this point, in South Africa, we don’t get 100g chocolate slabs – they stole 10g from us and now sell 90g slabs! – sorry, personal irritation)
  • 100ml cream

Melt all the ingredients together in a saucepan

Now, let’s put this baby together – once the cake is cool, cut it in half and spread the caramel layer on the bottom half and then top with the second half of cake.

Spread the topping over the cake.

baking 008

Now lick all the spoons and saucepans while you wait for the topping to set.

This cake takes time and love but it is so, so worth it and not that difficult to make with a bit of patience!

 

 

 

The two ingredient cake experiment

11 Friday Jan 2013

Posted by in Chocolate yeah!, Food for the soul, Recipes

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Ingredients?

The wonderful people at @Tastyones (please visit them) posted a recipe on twitter for a two ingredient cake and I very excitedly volunteered to make it and report on it (well, it has chocolate in it, so what’s not to like?). It originally comes from Kirby Cravings which is a brilliant place to visit too.  But me being who I am, I had to modify the recipe so here is my version:

Ingredients:

240g Nutella

4 eggs

My method:

Heat the Nutella to soften it (though in summer with the heat that we are currently experiencing, that is probably not necessary).  If you let it get too hot, let it cool down before using it.

Seperate the eggs and whisk the yolks until light.

Beat the whites until stiff (seems like I am always beating things!)

Now gently mix the Nutella into the yolks until well combined – but don’t beat this.

Gently fold the egg whites into this mixture (I did it in 4 batches) so that it is well mixed but still light and fluffy.

Pour into a prepared springform pan (the smallest that you have – this is not a huge cake) – the smallest one that I own is a 25cm one so I got quite a flat cake! Try to use a smaller one for a less pancake looking cake.

Bake at 175° C for about 25 minutes

Wait until the cake is cool before removing it and serve with ice cream and some chocolate sauce.

Would you like a slice?

Would you like a slice?

The verdict:

Husband: “This is not cake. Quite boring!”

Kids: “Absolutely delicious! Can we have some more?”

Me: I would definitely make it again as a dessert but for chocolate cake – I prefer the real deal – the one with a few more ingredients!

The best 2 ingredient version with Nutella - Take Nutella, add spoon, eat!

The best 2 ingredient version with Nutella – Take Nutella, add spoon, eat!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.