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:
CHOCOLATE FONDUE
- 1 cup (250 ml) low-fat milk
- ½ x 80 g good quality dark chocolate, broken into pieces
- 2 tsp (10 ml) sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) cornflour
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp (1,2 ml) ground cinnamon or more to taste
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla essence
- 2 small fruit skewers per person, made with seasonal fruit, like apple, pear, papaya, citrus, banana or strawberries
- 12 – 18 marshmallows, toasted over the coals, if preferred
- 12 – 18 tennis or Marie biscuits to dip
Method
- Place milk, chocolate and sugar in a small pot. Heat over a low heat, while stirring all the time, to melt the chocolate and dissolve the sugar.
- Mix cornflour, cocoa and cinnamon with 2 tbsp (30 ml) water to form a smooth paste without lumps.
- Add some of the warm milk mixture to the paste and stir well. Stir back into the milk mixture in the pot.
- Stir continuously over a medium heat for 8 – 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Spoon into a warm bowl.
- Dip fruit or some of the other suggested ingredients in the warm chocolate sauce.
Tips:
- The sauce will thicken as it cools down. Just stir in a tablespoon of boiling water to thin it down again.
- The chocolate sauce can also be served with ice cream. Only use 2 tsp (10 ml) cornflour and prepare as above. The recipe will then serve 8 – 10.
