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Photo: effreyw / Flickr

This Mexican style dish makes a hearty meal and will appeal to meat eaters as well as vegetarians. The dish consists of a base of corn chips which is then topped with a delicious bean mixture. The plate is then served with an avocado pear mixture on the side, together with sour cream. Alternatively, the beans can be topped with the avo and sour cream. This recipe shouldn’t take too much longer than half an hour to prepare. (more…)

Photo: Runners / Stock.Xchng

Runners face a variety of fears during their running careers. There’s the constant concern about injuries, the fear of hills, the fear of falling behind or coming last in a race, the fear of ‘hitting the wall’ or falling off the treadmill when training. Other problems faced by runners include very real issues like a resistant family, blisters from new shoes and not being able to finish a race. Read on for some tips that will help you run right through the problem. (more…)

Photo: gego2605 / Flickr

The beautiful city of Cape Town has been selected as World Design Capital for 2014. The International Council for Societies of Industrial Design awards the title bi-annually. Their aim is to give international prominence to cities that use design for their economic, cultural and social development. The chosen city is given time to prepare and promote in advance for their year-long programme. Cape Town’s colourful ‘Live Design, Transform Life’ bid focuses on design that is socially responsive. (more…)

Photo: Girl Interrupted Eating / Flickr

James Martin says in his book James Martin Desserts that his recipe for raspberry and nougat semifreddo was inspired by a trip to Italy: ‘I first stumbled across semifreddo in Italy where I tried it with nougat inside. Semifreddo in Italian translates to “half cold.”’ Martin’s recipe is made with mascarpone cheese, eggs, caster sugar, raspberries and nougat with pistachio nuts. James suggests that the nougat can be omitted and that the recipe works just as well with pistachios and hazelnuts. (more…)

Photo: Allen Gathman / Flickr

This chocolate cake recipe is melt-in-your mouth, besides being simple and reliable. It’s not too rich but that doesn’t stop it from offering a wonderfully indulgent taste experience. It isn’t difficult to make and requires the following ingredients: plain cake flour, caster sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream. The icing requires 70 per cent cocoa solid chocolate, icing sugar, golden syrup and additional vanilla extract, butter and sour cream. (more…)

Photo: The Grumpess / Flickr

Vegetarian patties can be made with all sorts of ingredients including chickpeas, nuts and lentils. In this recipe we’ll show you how to make tofu burgers for six. You will need a food processor, a grater and a pan. Required ingredients include olive oil, red onion, hard tofu, garlic, basil, breadcrumbs, egg, balsamic vinegar, sweet chilli sauce and burger rolls. Also have some mayonnaise, tomatoes and salad leaves at hand. Allow for half an hour each of preparation time, resting time and cooking time. (more…)

Photo: Auntie P / Flickr

Gaining an understanding of the different characteristics of different woods is an important step when it comes to the craft of woodwork. Spend some time in a wood supply store or a hardware store that has a display of finished and raw wood. Examine all the samples carefully as you touch them. Compare the different grains and natural colours and how these colours react to different stains and finishing oils. Alternatively, take some scrap wood home and do your own comparison tests. (more…)

Photo: rovingI / Flickr

Brinjals are usually served as an accompanying vegetable but here they serve mainly as a thickener. This recipe is based on an Indian dish which is made with small, sweet Indian brinjals but ordinary brinjals will do just as well. The dish is a spicy one, incorporating brinjals, beans, peas, onion, turmeric, green ginger paste, red chilli powder, cumin and coriander seeds, tomato, coriander and vegetable oil. Serve the spicy Indian brinjal dish warm and as a main course with chapatti. (more…)

Photo: yobink / Flickr

Crown roast of lamb was very popular in the Edwardian era when it was frequently served for dinner at country houses. The dish is an elegant way of serving the best end of neck lamb cutlets but you may have to order the crown from a local butcher ahead of time. You will also need mixed vegetables as well as gravy, redcurrant jelly and sherry. Allow for a preparation time of half an hour and a cooking time of one and a half hours. (more…)

Photo: compscigrad / Flickr

The adrenal glands help the body respond to stress but if they become depleted, the system can no longer handle stress. The main symptom of adrenal burnout is a feeling of constant fatigue, which doesn’t seem to lift even when one has adequate sleep. Low blood pressure, depression, irritability and a craving for sweet foods are other symptoms. An accumulation of toxic emotions, feelings of hopelessness, anxiety, infections and poor digestion can follow when a body is impaired by low energy levels. (more…)