Making fresh homemade liver pate has been on our mind since seeing the beautiful pictures from Sam Linsell. With her food photography skills, she made us drool over her Chicken Liver Pate. A pate or spread is always a crowd pleaser at dinner parties and platters. So now we wanted to give it a try as OmniBlend blenders are often just used as a smoothie maker (and we have tons of recipes for smoothies), however they're excellent food blenders too, used in restaurant kitchens.
For livers in particular, you want to make sure to use free-range chicken livers that are not fed antibiotics or growth hormones. We used Elgin Free Range Chicken livers, however you can use any chicken livers that you feel are coming from a reliable source.
Then there’s also the question whether this is a chicken pate or parfait? Technically, a chicken liver pate becomes a chicken liver parfait (French for perfect) when the cooked liver mixture is pushed through a sieve to remove any sinewy bits, resulting in a silkier, smoother and luscious liver parfait! Now here’s the trick: the OmniBlend blender blends the texture so smooth, that there are literally no sinewy bits left, creating a silky smooth texture, that firms up in the fridge.
You can play around with the herbs you’re using, according to your preferences. Sam Linsell is using bay leaves in her recipe, and we opted for thyme, like the Woolworths chicken liver pate.
Give it a try, it’s easy, and it tastes so good!
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 200 grams Free-Range Chicken Livers (1 Elgin Free Range Chicken Liver tub)
- 1 Onion (white), chopped
- 3 Sprigs Thyme, leaves only (soft sprigs will blend)
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp All Spice
- 1 clove Garlic, chopped
- 20 ml Brandy
- 50 ml Fresh Cream
- 60 grams Butter, cubed
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Directions:
Add olive oil to sauce pan and sauté the onion with thyme for about 5 minutes, until it's turning soft.
Add the spices and garlic cook over a moderate heat, stirring for 2 minutes.
Add chicken livers and keep stirring until the chicken livers are just done – about 4 – 8 minutes.
Add to the OmniBlend jug, and blend until smooth.
Add the brandy to the pan to deglaze, then add the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook for two minutes, stirring up any of the residue from the pan. Pour into the OmniBlend jug and blend again until smooth. Now add the butter cubes, and blend again, until smooth.
Add to ramekins, and place the ramekins in the fridge for the pate to set, at least 2 hours. Then pour some melted butter over the top if desired, and cool again to set.
For this recipe we recommend using the 2 liter jug as it’s narrower at the bottom and ensures a very smooth result for even small quantities. Opt for the OmniBlend V – 2ltr Pro or OmniBlend I – 2ltr Pro that both give you the best performance in your kitchen.
To clean the jug, simply add a drop of liquid detergent with a cup lukewarm water, and blend for 30 seconds on high speed. Now wash the jug in soapy water, and rinse.
Kefir is packed with protein, calcium, vitamins B12 and K2, magnesium and probiotics, making this fermented drink increasingly popular in support of gut health and digestion. Hearing about the benefits of kefir, Bronwen del Paggio decided to grow Milk Kefir grains to help her children with stomach-related issues that have become so common as a result of over-processed and over-refined foods. The results that she experienced for her children were too good not to share widely, and in 2014 she founded Numesa.
Numesa was started as a one-man artisanal operation in 2014, now offers a complete range of Numesa Kefir products, and continues to grow by developing products with the benefits of kefir.
The probiotics are the strongest health benefit that kefir has to offer. Probiotics play an important role to balance bacteria in the gut. Food (containing too little fibre, and too much sugar), illness and stress all impact your gut health, and the intestines can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria, leading to disease. That’s why it’s critical to take care of gut health. Probiotics can help to:
- improve the healthy bacteria ratio in the gastrointestinal tract’s environment
- treat or prevent diarrhea, especially following antibiotic treatment
- treat irritable bowel syndrome, or relieve symptoms
- reduce or prevent gastrointestinal infections, or increase recovery from them
- prevent and treat vaginal infections
- prevent and treat urinary tract infections
Bronwen is passionate about the benefits of kefir, and developing different flavours to make it interesting for different palates: “You’re not drinking something just because it’s good for you, we make every effort to make it taste good too!” Numesa is blending in real fruit syrups and whole fruits into the kefir, to create a range of tasty drinks. All of them packed with probiotics that have been developed using live culture grains that promote gut health.
Bronwen is not stopping there yet, and with business asset, Lauren Gander she’s continuing with research and development to create products with great taste, in order make kefir interesting for a wider audience that is looking to improve their health. Numesa now employs 5 fulltime employees and supports a community-based part time labour force.
Apart from milk kefir (made with raw milk sourced from local dairies), Numesa offers a vegan range with Numesa Water Kefir and Coconut Water Kefir. And even your pets can benefit from the nutritional value of kefir, with the ‘Kreature Kefir’ product. If you’re not quite ready yet to jump onto the kefir train, the Numesa Kefir Honey Yogurt is a great start to add nutrients to your diet, or Spring into Summer with this Sensational Pineapple Mango Smoothie! Recipe and picture credit: Numesa Kefir
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen fresh pineapple pieces
- 1 cup frozen fresh mango pieces
- 1 cup Numesa Milk Kefir
- 1 cup coconut cream
- 1 Tbsp macadamia nut butter
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
Blend until thick, smooth and creamy. Garnish with chopped cashews, sunflower seeds and cacao nibs.
Vegan option – substitute Numesa Milk Kefir with Numesa Pineapple Mango Water Kefir.
Numesa is available in most health stores in the greater Gauteng area, and is looking to expand their retail footprint. Jackson’s and Spars/KwikSpars in the north of Johannesburg as well as artisanal and health food and vegan eateries stock Numesa Kefir products. Kreature Kefir is available at selected retail stores but mostly through suppliers and distributors of natural, raw food for animals.
Numesa is using the OmniBlend V 2ltr Pro to blend their real fruit syrups and fruits with the kefir to ensure a smooth and fully blended texture.
These Chocolate Chia Energy Bars are great to fuel a busy day, or as a lunch box or pre-workout snack. Packed with slow releasing carbohydrates, fiber, healthy fats, and minerals you’re granted of a pick-me-up just when you need it most. We’ve sneaked in little dark chocolate on top of the cocoa, boosting brain function, immunity and mood. Just what you need on a stressful day!
These bars are a nutritious way to take care of those chocolate cravings, satisfying and energizing! Aside from the small amount of the chocolate, these bars don’t contain refined sugars. The dates and cranberries provide natural sweetness. The healthy fats and protein in the chia seeds, coconut and walnuts really help to keep you full for longer.
Walnuts are one of the main ingredients of these bars, and did you know that walnuts are little power houses? They’re packed with antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acid, E and B vitamins and essential minerals. They’re said to decrease inflammation and promoting a healthy gut. Each portion of these bars contains your recommended daily intake of walnuts, as part of a balanced diet.
The best part about these bars is there’s no baking required and they allow for a whole lot of creativity, substitute with your favorite ingredients or finish off with a peanut butter drizzle. We added just a pinch of salt which lifts the chocolate flavor, however you could leave it out completely if you’re looking to avoid salt completely.
These make more or less 10 bars depending on how you cut them.
Ingredients:
Directions:
The 2 liter jug works best for this recipe. Add the cocoa powder, chia seeds and chocolate chunks to the jug, and pulse about 3 times to combine and rough chop the chocolate, it'll blend more later.
Add the other ingredients, blend until a thick paste forms. Use the tamper through the lid to push the ingredients into the blades.
Line a rectangle or square pan with baking paper. Scrape the dough out of the jug with a silicon spatula into the pan. Firmly press the mixture into the pan, pressing tightly into all the corners.
Place in the freezer for an hour. Lift out of the pan and cut into bars.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
For this recipe we used the OmniBlend I - 2ltr Pro, and you could also use the OmniBlend V - 2ltr Pro.
Joburg’s vegan deli Free Food* Diner & Take Away is more than just that: it’s a celebration of life, offering original and unique products that will make you smile. All of the ingredients are carefully sourced, without harm or inconvenience to animals. The products are gluten-wheat-sugar-dairy-preservative-additive-free. This inspired the name Free Food*.
Ariel Cohen, owner and a vegan for nearly two decades, has been vegetarian since the mid-Eighties, and adopted a vegan lifestyle in 2000. When Ariel started Free Food* people were familiar with vegetarianism, but not so much with veganism. This has all changed recently, and social media has contributed to exposing cruelty, and building a positive message around veganism.
Ariel Cohen: “We want to make delicious and healthy food available and accessible to anyone considering an ethical and cleaner lifestyle. The entire menu is plant-based and vegan. Choose from our freshly prepared menu at the diner, or grab a take-away. Free Food* also offers a convenient frozen range that includes ready meals, burger patties, wraps (made from rice flour or Banting-friendly organic flaxseed flour) & vegan ice creams too! The deli offering includes a range of vegan cheeses, falafel, hot coriander salsa, hummus, tofu mayonnaise, basil pesto, ginger jelly, and loads more.”
Free Food* also offers an impressive catering menu to serve healthy and original food and snacks at your event.
Offering all these options, it’s clear the kitchen is busy, and the OmniBlend blenders are working hard to keep up grinding and blending ingredients for all these tasty options. Free Food* works with multiple 2 litre jugs, to keep jugs for food and drinks separate. The jugs are interchangeable, and it’s much more efficient to work with multiple jugs per OmniBlend base.
Visit the diner for a delicious milk-Free* shake, or for lunch and try the amazing Quinoa, Tofu & Shitake salad, the Roasted Chickpea & Brinjal Pizza or one of the flavourful big bamboo bowls. Just don’t forget to keep space for dessert: Free Food* proves that dairy- sugar-wheat-gluten-Free* still leaves plenty of room for deliciousness.
Free Food* uses the OmniBlend V - 2ltr Pro
A commercial blender makes it possible to add a variety of drinks, smoothies and iced coffee options to your menu. The best blender is capable of crushing ice, frozen fruits and nuts. When buying a blender for your restaurant or coffee shop, it’s essential to consider both price and performance. Look for the power of the motor, the materials used for the moving parts, the jug, and other features that contribute to the durability of the machine. All these are critical to the lifespan of the blender, and therefore your return on investment.
OmniBlend blenders are trusted by South African coffee shops and restaurants, because of the 3 horsepower motor with 2238 Watt peak performance, the stainless steel drive socket and blade assembly, polycarbonate jug that is virtually unbreakable and easy to clean, as well as the overload protection mechanism, which prevents the motor from overheating. All this is packaged in the best value for money blenders that you find in the market (find our range and pricing here).
We’re often asked for smoothie recipes. Smoothie recipes can vary from fresh or frozen fruits blended with vegetables, yoghurts, milk or dairy-free options, to smoothie pre-mixes that offer a high quality convenient alternative. Readymade re-mixes contain flavor and nutritional value, and offer the ease of use by blending a smoothie mix with ice and liquids. This enables you to add various flavours to your smoothie menu, with low inventory. OmniBlend blenders crush ice cubes with ease, making it possible to use these smoothie packs with ice cubes and blend a high quality smooth drink, time and time again. For smoothies and iced coffees that use a lot of ice cubes or frozen fruits, we recommend the 1.5ltr jug, which has a wider base. You can opt for either the OmniBlend I – 1.5ltr or OmniBlend V – 1.5ltr. You can opt to add a sound enclosure when operating the blender in your shop front.
Contact us for suppliers of such smoothie and iced coffee recipes.
Irene’s Gourmet has become an iconic brand in South Africa’s vegan food market. The plant-based range includes sauerkraut, kimchi, coconut yoghurt, Mozzarella, Gouda, Cheddar, Meltme, pesto, vegan butter, patties, falafel and more. All products are developed by Irene herself, and made with love by the team that strives for making vegan food accessible to all South Africans.
Irene has always been a foodie, trying out new dishes and spending a lot of time in the kitchen to develop new ideas. An artist by profession, she started applying her creativity fully on food in 2014 and so Irene’s Gourmet was born. Irene has been vegetarian since the age of 16 and became fully vegan about 10 years ago. Back then it was disappointing how few options were available for vegans. Though over recent years the vegan food market has been booming, some products are highly expensive, and that’s where Irene and her husband Jason aim to make a difference: “We want everybody to have a choice to eat vegan, and within the boundaries of using natural plant-based and natural ingredients without adding a lot of commercial additives, we aim to offer a range that is reasonably priced so that eating vegan is not only for the well off.”
Starting small, finding the right equipment that was strong enough to endure long production days and still affordable, posed a challenge. “After looking at many power blenders we decided to try an OmniBlend blender as the value for money looked promising. Well, I can assure you that we were definitely not disappointed! We now have 3 OmniBlend blenders; They run for hours every day making everything from plant-based milks, cheese mixes and even the occasional smoothie. I recommend OmniBlend blenders to everyone needing power blenders as I find them to be super strong, reliable and fantastic value for money. Furthermore, the service from the OmniBlend team is truly commendable! Whenever I have had any problems, they get dealt with promptly and efficiently. I also love that the spare parts and extras are readily available and affordable. So if you need a power blender, look no further! OmniBlend is your blender! They are super strong and reliable with infinite culinary possibilities.”, raves Irene about the blenders.
The jump from being a small-scale food production business to producing products for the commercial market and making it available through retailers is a challenging one. Irene is adamant about the quality of food and avoiding the use of chemical preservatives commonly used in processed foods, keeping it as natural as possible. She has therefore spent a lot of time researching and developing techniques to improve the shelf life of the products, while keeping it as close to nature as possible and with great taste.
This has enabled the business to distribute through large retailers nationally, and now Irene’s Gourmet products can be found in selected Spar and Dis-Chem stores in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, as well as health shops throughout South Africa. Or opt for vegan cheese on your pizza at Col’Cacchio, Andicchio 24, Balducci’s, Fussy Vegan, Leafy Greens and many more, also supplied by Irene’s Gourmet.
Once a month Irene and Jason can be found at the Vegan Hippie Connection Market, which they both love as it allows them an opportunity to meet and connect with people who have questions about vegan food and share their passion for making the change. Irene: “We see a lot of people are moving towards vegan food for health reasons. They don’t necessary not like meat, and that’s why we offer meat replacements too that have the same flavor and texture to offer an alternative for the meat cravings. We want people to know that you don’t have to give in on flavor and taste when eating vegan, we love making food that tastes great.” The Vegan Hippie Connection Market is held on the last Sunday of every month at Pirates Sports Club in Parkhurst from 9h00 to 15h00. Follow the market on Facebook to keep up to date with dates, times and more info about the market.
Connect with Irene's Gourmet through Facebook or Instagram.
Irene's Gourmet is using the OmniBlend I
This falafel burger ticks all the boxes of a hearty and healthy home cooked meal. It’s quick to prepare, and you can serve it in so many ways. Have it on a bun, with your regular burger toppings, and roasted sweet potato wedges on the side, or on a summer day as a salad. Grill this vegetarian burger on the stove, or in the oven, crispy outside and juicy inside.
We spent a day in the kitchen with Michelle Parkin, food & lifestyle photographer with chef and restaurant background, and it shows! Michelle whips up amazing creations with ease, and manages to style and capture it so beautifully. It was so much fun to work with her and use the OmniBlend for a host of different dishes!
This chickpea patty was a favorite, and you can have it for lunch, dinner or as a party snack. Just shape it the right (bite) size, and serve with a tahini dipping sauce, and you have a healthy snack.
Ingredients (12 small patties):
- 2 Cans Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 1 Onion, peeled
- 1 C Coriander and Parsley (fresh)
- Juice of 2 Lemons
- 1/4 C Olive Oil
- 3 Cloves Garlic (peeled)
- Salt & Pepper
Directions:
Add all ingredients to the OmniBlend jug, and blend for a few seconds, using the tamper (through the lid) to move the ingredients into the blades. Don’t blend too long, to avoid that the mixture gets too smooth. You’ll want to keep some bite. Pulse a few times until you’re happy with the texture. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, and shape the patties. Fry in a little olive oil in a pan, turning to brown each side.
Bon appetit!
For this recipe we used the OmniBlend V - 2ltr Pro.
Tahini, the Middle Eastern sesame paste, is made of just sesame seeds and oil and adds so much flavour to your recipes! Tahini is used in hummus …duh… and it’s actually very versatile. If you find that a jar is usually just sitting in your fridge, and you’re not sure what to use it for, you’ll want to check these recipes.
There are many ways to use tahini, and we’re sharing our 5 favorites:
Salad Dressing
Adding a few spoons of tahini will make a dressing that’s rich, creamy and velvety. For an everyday vinaigrette, whisk together tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and minced garlic. Or try this Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl with Maple Tahini Dressing from the Minimalist Baker.
Dips
Tahini gives creaminess and a rich flavor to all your dips. Mix it with a sour cream for a nutty, tangy dip for pita chips. Tahini also makes a great dip for raw veggies: just add lemon juice, salt and a little pepper and enjoy a delicious snack. Try this 5-minute dreamy vegan and gluten-free tahini dip by Gimme Some Oven that’s delicious with chips, veggies, breads, falafel or chicken strips.
Smoothie
If you enjoy smoothies with nut butter you’ll love a smoothie with tahini. It adds a creamy texture and depth of flavour to your smoothies. Try this Berry & Tahini smoothie from Green Kitchen Stories that’s both tart & savory.
Spread
Tahini makes a great spread on toast and rice cakes. Tahini has the consistency of nut butter, making it the perfect substitute. Spread it on toast with some sliced bananas, or try this chocolate tahini spread as a healthy alternative of Nutella, on sourdough toast.
Soup
Try adding a few teaspoons of tahini to your soups! Tahini works well as a substitute for dairy in vegan soups to create creaminess. Try this creamy broccoli tahini soup.
Tahini can be used in sweet and savory dishes, and in fact you can replace nut butter with tahini in all your recipes that include nut butter. That makes tahini a perfect substitute in case of nut allergies, and as it's high in vitamine A, and B vitamins, healthy fats, and essential minerals, it's a highly nutritious replacement.
Now that you know how versatile it is, you’ll want to make your own, to always have it at hand. Try our recipe and make your own homemade tahini in just 5 minutes with your OmniBlend blender.
We love using tahini in different recipes, and it’s so easy to make your own! Homemade tahini is not only easy, it’s also cheaper than store bought tahini. For this recipe you only need two ingredients and a powerful blender.
Tahini is a paste made from sesame seeds, and is a staple in the Middle Eastern cuisine mostly used in savory recipes. We all know how to use it in hummus, and the new trend is to use it for baking! With the rise of peanut allergies, this seed-based paste is growing in popularity.
Tahini is rich in vitamin E, B vitamins, and essential minerals. Great way to sneak some healthy nutrition into a host of meals too!
Ingredients:
Directions:
Toast the sesame seeds in a wide saucepan over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the seeds brown slightly and become more fragrant. Careful not to burn them, sesame seeds burn very easily.
Once the seeds have cooled, put them into your jug then add 1 tablespoon of oil and blend until a crumbly paste begins to form. Use the tamper through the lid, and move the seeds into the blades by pressing in the tamper into the corners of the jar. Try not to add the oil all at once, the power of the OmniBlend will extract the natural oil from the seeds. For a smooth and slightly runny tahini you only need 3 tablespoons of oil. Avocado oil is perfect as it doesn’t have an overpowering flavour.
Add oil to get desired consistency, and blend until smooth. It should be smooth and pourable. Store tahini in a jar and keep it in the fridge.
For this recipe we used the OmniBlend I - 2ltr Pro, and you could also use the OmniBlend V - 2ltr Pro. The 2 liter jug is best suited for grinding dry ingredients, and making nut butters, pastes, hummus, and other spreads.
Lufefe Nomjana, also known as the Spinach King,started his business with just R40 and turned it into a Health Food Café and Bakery that supplies restaurants and shops in the wider Cape Town area. The Spinach King opened his restaurant right next to the Kayelitsha train station, and supplies low-GI and gluten-free spinach bread to local Spars and Wellness Warehouse stores. In the process he is also helping to transform the community he is located in.
Lufefe Nomjana is the owner of Espinaca Innovations, known as the Spinach King. We had the opportunity to visit his café in Khayelitsha, to get to know more about the Spinach King. As we walked towards the restaurant, the beautiful vertical spinach garden against the wall caught our eye, and is a perfect representation of what the business is all about.
The philosophy behind the Spinach King is to empower the community and make a positive change in their eating habits. To create better awareness about nutrition, and diseases that are linked to unhealthy food, and how to eat and live healthier. At the core of the business is creating opportunities in the community, through micro farming and social development. Lufefe is closely working with micro farmers in the area, making sure they grow top quality spinach to ensure consistent supplies for his breads, pastries, 7-veg burgers, and smoothies. Next is to utilise the land next to the restaurant for social development micro farming, to show the farm to table concept.
Lufefe’s journey doesn’t come without obstacles: the many available fast food chains in the area smell appetising to the local community, and it takes stamina to keep telling the message about the importance of healthy food. The Spinach King is innovative in how to approach these challenges: he’s developed a healthy 7 vegetables burger that satisfies the cravings without the processed meats.
The response from the community is positive, which is encouraging to continue with sharing the message through schools and the different micro entrepreneurs he’s working with.
We were there to deliver the Spinach King’s new OmniBlend V - 1.5ltr, and take the opportunity to get to know him. We’re proud to partner with Lufefe and his team, as they’re working tirelessly on positive change in the community.
When you hear him speak, it’s clear that a healthy lifestyle is very important to Lufefe, he is very passionate about promoting and living a healthy lifestyle, making better choices and changes.
The main focus is on spinach because it grows fast and it has excellent health benefits: spinach contains all six major classes of nutrients. Lufefe also incorporates other vegetables into the food served at the café, like the delicious 7 veg patties used in the sandwiches, and in their smoothies.
Why use spinach in bread, we asked: “Incorporating spinach into a loaf of bread, is the perfect way to increase nutrient intake, especially because most people are on the go and always busy. People don’t have time, and since forever they’ve been eating bread. So the easiest way is just to add vegetables to the bread.” Explains Lufefe. Lufefe is responsible for the development of recipes and the quality control. He’s hands-on, handling deliveries and management of the cafe and farming relationships as well. He’s working hand in hand with his wife who heads the production team.
It’s clear the Lufefe is a busy man: over the past couple of years the Spinach King has expanded with a second bakery in Khayelitsha, and a partner restaurant opened its doors in Amsterdam. “I loved Amsterdam! I cycle here in Kayelitsha and being able to cycle around Amsterdam was awesome! The restaurant is doing very well, the Dutch seem a little more health conscious and that makes it somewhat easier to bring the message across.” There are plans to reach out to the Langa community as well, and he’s planning to branch to other provinces in South Africa. Keep a look out for the Spinach King: there’s still more to come!
You can get yourself a spinach bread at a few local stores and delis in Cape Town, or take a drive to Khayelitsha and meet the King himself.
For more about the Spinach King: http://www.spinachking.co.za