CommunityEats

CommunityEats.

Over and over through these past 5 years of marriage and ministry, we have seen the Lord encounter people in our the kitchen and around the dinner table. This is one of the ways the Lord continues to lead us to minister in here in South Africa. CommunityEats is bringing together not only our team, but also the ladies from Masi whom we are sharing Jesus with and discipling. In time you will hear their stories, and learn to cook their crazy food too!

This page is a mix of my own recipes, my experiences raising a family in missions, and of the journey the Lord has the Comm Trans South Africa community on.  I’m excited to share what God is doing in our midst and the amazing things we are creating in our kitchens!

It’s amazing to cook with all the friends we are discipling and sharing Jesus with here. Usually all 8 + of the girls in our community are in the kitchen together, cooking, laughing, crying as we share what the Lord is amongst us… it’s kind of like living in an movie! Eventually CommunityEats will be it’s own blog and cookbook telling the stories of those we meet, and of our community… but I just had to get started… SO, this is a little foretaste!

Herb-infused Chicken with Fig/Pear Salad:

This Friday we had our friends Deby and Isaac Aho over for dinner with their 4 fun kids! Although we live near each other and work together all week, we rarely get to actually share our hearts and just hang out together! We put all the kids playing outside with Pizza and made this healthy, yummy, and just amazing dinner for ourselves. I was inspired by the green figs I found at our market, and by wanting to replicate the flavors in the ‘herbs d’Provence’ mixture in a fresh way. I cooked this in 20 minutes and there was hardly any cleanup. The grown-ups had a fun night!

Herb-infused Chicken Breast: 

6 chicken breast ( de-boned and skinless)

1 Tbsp diced fresh thyme

3 diced fresh lavender heads

2 tsp diced fresh rosemary

2 tsp salt

black pepper to taste

3 Tbsp Olive Oil

 

 

In a large  pre-heated skillet, on med-high heat drizzle the olive oil and then lay the chicken breast. Next, sprinkle with herbs and salt/pepper. Put the lid on the skillet and let it cook for 5 mins. The chicken will begin to brown on the bottom and turn white around the edges of the top-side. Flip the chicken with tongs, remove the lid and cok for about 4 more minutes. I always stick a knife in the biggest breast to make sure its not pink still at all. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with  the herb infused olive oil. Shaved parmesan cheese would be amazing on this!

 Fig and Pear Salad:

I really have zero rules with Salad. Actually I do have one rule: always sprinkle with sea salt a few minutes before you serve. It gets the juices going! Below is what I used for this particular salad but you can make it your own according to what you find fresh at your local market.

Greens: Butter Lettuce and Rocket ( Arugala in the USA)

Wash these and rip them up into small bite-sized pieces.

 Next, slice into similar sized pieces: 

4 green figs

2 pears

4 radishes

2 avocados

Arrange this on top of the lettuce… and squeeze the juice from one lemon, sprinkle with salt, olive oil and little balsamic vinegar right before you serve. Do not dress this more than 10 minutes before serving.

Lay the Herb-infused Chicken on this Salad and it’s dream meal!

Feed a crowd for nothing: Lentils and Rice: 

 

 

 

In November our family stayed at our team house inside Masiphumelele for a few days. Sometimes in the afternoon we brought new friends we’d made in the township back to the house for dinner. When I’m feeding alot of people I just naturally think of beans and rice – thank you Mother for teaching me how to make them!

This was so easy, and so cheap to make  AND SO GOOD that the following day Hannah and I taught Unati to make it. Unati is an amazing young lady the Lord has brought into our family, who cooks for her own household regularly. We had fun teaching her something super healthy, quick and also affordable.

This meal cost less than $5 to make… for 4 people.

Photo Credits: Hannah Seigrist.

Lentils and Rice:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil 

1 red onion

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups red lentils ( soak them for a few hours ahead of time, if you can.)

3 cups water

salt and pepper

for the salsa: 

2 tomatoes

1/4 onion

handful cilantro

olive oil

salt

3 cups cooked brown basmati rice ( we are eating this all the time right now!)

Dice the onion and garlic, and saute slowly in the olive oil until they are translucent and soft. Cooking them over a lower heat brings out the flavor and sweetness!  Turn up the head  and add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then put a lid on the pan and turn the heat down to a simmer. Stirring every 5 mins or so, cook for 30 mins or until soft. Season to taste.

To make the salsa dice everything really tiny ( Unati was amazing at this… and so fast!) and then mix together with a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste.

Serve this in a bowl : Brown Rice/Lentils/ Salsa on top. Its so so good! I might even make it again tonight!

Unati wrote this on my chalkboard last week, she is understanding what the Kingdom of God is about !

 

Glory Granola 

This is my favorite granola recipe! You can vary the nuts and seeds you add, mine changes every few months as I get a new idea to try out. Below is the basic recipe, with my latest add-ins. This Granola is made by all our friends around the world and is totally ‘Community Transformations’ granola! I like to make a quadruple recipe… then it lasts about three days instead of one! 

 Coconut – Pecan Glory Granola

In a large bowl mix well:

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup dessicated coconut

3/4 cup diced pecans ( my add-in for today!)

3 T brown sugar

1 tsp sea salt

 Melt together in a saucepan:

3 T coconut oil ( butter or sunflower oil work just as well)

1/4 cup Honey

3T water

2t vanilla extract

Pour this over the dry mix and stir really well. Then spread on a making sheet and bake in the oven for 1 hour at 275 (130), stirring every 15 mins.

Add-in ideas:

Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and flaxseed.

Almond and walnut

Almond and orange zest

Sometimes I just put all of the above in together!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gluten-Free Zucchini/Carrot Muffins

These are my go-to muffins. You can make a million variations of them, which I’ll post in time.  We almost always have them in our kitchen, and they go fast! Carter will eat 4 in a sitting. They’re super moist, low in sugar etc… perfect healthy snack or breakfast. I always try to use organic ingredients wherever possible too.

Ingredients:

3 free range eggs
1 c. raw unrefined sugar
1/2 c. melted butter or  unrefined coconut oil
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 c. potato starch flour
1/2 c. chickpea flour
1 1/2 c. rice flour
1/4tsp xanthum gum
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 cups zucchini, grated
1 cup carrots, grated.
pumpkin seeds for sprinkling.

Method: Preheat oven to 165 C ( 350 F) Mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, and applesauce. Sift  flours, baking soda, xanthum gum, baking powder, salt, and spices on top and carefully mix to the count of ten. Do not overmix. Finally, fold in the grated vegetables until just incorporated. Spoon into muffin pans, filling 3/4 full, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

First, grate the zucchini and carrots. I just keep going until I’ve filled up the grater…

Next, mix together the wet ingredients:

On top of that, carefully sift the dry ingredients:

Mix to the count of ten, ( careful not to over mix – they will turn out tough if you do that)

Then add all the grated vegetables and mix until just incorporated:

Spoon into greased muffin pans, filling each muffin 3/4’s full. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake at 165 F (350 C) for 20-25 minutes. Serve these with a drizzle of coconut oil on them.. oh my gosh…

So…. the first post:

Every Tuesday we gather together and have ‘community dinner’, trading off host homes, and we all bring a part of the meal. Gathering together over a meal brings people together and relationships always flourish around the table. After all, Jesus did it!  We’ve had some glorious food…this week was especially amazing!

The Lord had us in a corporate juice fast for the week previous …and it was a revelatory and remarkable time for all of us. He was calling us to deeper depths with Him, freedom, restoration, and hunger for Himself.
With much excitement we spent the afternoon cooking Thai Lettuce Wraps, Peanutbutter-Chocolate WhoopiePies, Persimmon-Roast Beetroot Salad, and a Melk-tart. We finished the evening with a dance party in the kitchen. Of Course.

Photo credits: hannah seigrist photography

below are  the recipes for Thai Lettuce Wraps and Persimmon-RoastBeetroot Salad. . We created these recipes, inspired by things we’ve eaten around the world. Hannah Seigrist gets full credit for the Lettuce Wraps, and all those crazy girls were working so hard in the kitchen to create this!

Persimmon -Roast Beetroot Salad serves 4-6 people as a side

i love this recipe. i’d never used persimmon’s before, but now i just think they’re amazing! This salad is so simple and beautiful. The sharpness of the lemon zest offsets the sweetness of the beet and persimmon perfectly.

ingredients:

6 beetroots, quartered

olive oil, for roasting

sea salt

4 persimmons, sliced into wedges

3 cups baby spinach

1 cup sour cream

juice and zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 C (375 F), place washed beetroots, unpeeled in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, and roast at 180 C for

25-30 minutes or until  beetroot is tender.

place the washed spinach on a nice platter, and arrange the beetroot and persimmons on top. Squeeze the lemon juice over it all, drizzle with sour cream, and top with a good sprinkle of lemon zest, sea salt and pepper.

Thai Lettuce Wraps …serves 4-6 people…

this recipe is crazy. it’s perfect for cooking with lots of cooks in the kitchen because there is so much to chop and stir. so totally worth the work ! Below you will find recipes for the chicken marinade and sauce, and then also for two amazing and essential sauces. we served these wrapped in Iceberg lettuce leaves, with Jasmine rice.

For the Grilled Chicken: Marinade for at least 1 hour, then grill:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast

3 tablespoons peanut oil

2 tablespoon soy sauce.

2 tablespoon sesame oil.

1/2 c cilantro, diced

1 lemon, juice and zest

1 T red pepper flakes

For the sauce for the grilled chicken: In a saucepan on medium heat, saute together:

1 cup water chestnuts, sliced

1 cup bamboo shoots

2/3 cup mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons chopped onions

1 teaspoon minced glaric

once this is sauteed, add:

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup sesame oil

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger.

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon rice wine.

Now, shred the grilled chicken breasts and pour the amazing mushroom and bamboo shoot sauce over it ! you can garnish it with some cilantro leaves.

( we cooked 48 chicken breasts to fill this bowl!)

For the Special Sauce:

1/4 cup raw sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

4 tablespoons ketchup

3 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup sesame oil

1 tablespoon hot mustard

2 teaspoons water

1 tablespoon garlic

1 tablespoon red chili paste

Heat all these ingredients in  a  saucepan and simmer for about  10 minutes. the sauce will get thick, perfect for drizzling!

For the Peanut Sauce:

1 tablespoon peanut oil

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

6 tablespoons unsweetened peanut butter

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
In a medium saucepan, heat the peanut oil. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the curry paste and whisk for 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and cook until melted. Whisk in the peanut butter, then slowly whisk in the coconut milk. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the lime juice and fish sauce.

To assemble: wash and totally dry several ICEBERG LETTUE LEAVES. Inside each leaf place some rice ( we used jasmin rice cooked with coconut milk-we’re all obsessed with coconut), the chicken, and a drizzle of each sauce. Oh my gosh… everyone likes these, even the 15 children that we have between us!