Being mindfully smart in your home

Life gets busy, but when your home technology is connected into one simple-to-use automation platform, it helps take away some of those little daily stresses. 

It also helps make life more convenient and your home safer, more comfortable, and enjoyable.

Siblings, Robert McGill, Paul McGill, and Michelle Crocker, are experts in this area and they chat to Mindful Living’s Izelle Hoffman in her latest podcast. Listen below.

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BELOW: Check out the recipe from Izelle's book, 'Mindful Eating', that Robert, Paul, and Michelle selected:  Festive roast

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 6–8

2 kg topside roast
150 g dried apricots
200 g dried peaches
75 g whole red salad onions/scallions chopped (leaves included) 
4 small white onions, chopped
olive oil for drizzling
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 
¼ tsp Oryx desert wine salt
¼ tsp paprika
3 whole garlic bulbs
coarse Oryx desert salt
1 1/2 cups hot water 
¼ cup raw honey
Fresh Rosemary for Garnishing

1.       Remove the roast from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to come up to room temperature.

2.       Soak the dried apricots and peaches in cold water for 30 minutes before using.

3.       Preheat the oven to 200 °C on thermo-fan and spray a large roasting tray with non-stick cooking spray.

4.       Pile the red and white onions, apricots and peaches in the middle of the roasting tray and drizzle with olive oil.

5.       5.           Prepare the meat by drizzling with olive oil and 1 Tbsp of the balsamic vinegar, and seasoning with the wine salt and 1/4 tsp of the paprika.

6.       Place the roast on top of the onions, apricots and peaches.

7.       Cut the garlic bulbs in half horizontally, drizzle with olive oil and season with coarse salt. Add to the roasting tray.

8.       Roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 170 °C and roast for another hour (or 15 minutes per 500 g for medium rare). You can cover the Roast with foil once you are happy with the colour. The meat will continue to cook once removed from the oven to be medium when served.

9.       Remove the roast, place on a clean tray and cover with foil. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving. This will give you enough time to prepare the chunky peach and apricot gravy.

10.   Remove the garlic from the roasting tray and set aside. You will serve this with the roast.

11.   Add the hot water, honey and remaining balsamic vinegar to the roasting tray and deglaze over low heat by stirring in all of the caramelised juices, peaches and apricots. Season with course salt and the remaining paprika.

12.   Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until the gravy thickens.

13.   Carve the roast and serve with the gravy and roast garlic and vegetables sides of your choice. Garnish with fresh Rosemary 

*Deglazing involves adding liquid to a hot pan so that you can scrape up those flavoursome browned bits of food that stick to the bottom and make oh-so-tasty gravy #YoureWelcome. 

Why we are using the following ingredients:

Oryx Salt

What is the purpose of adding salt during cooking? It’s to enhance flavour, right? So why not start by using a good-quality salt to do the job? Sun-dried and unrefined with no additives will bring out the best in your food in the healthiest way possible.

Raw Honey

Salt needs sweet and vice versa to enhance taste and flavour. So when you add sweetness, choose a sweetness that has a healing effect on your body and health. Raw honey is antiviral and anti-fungal, and contains powerful antioxidants. Its helps ward off allergies, stabilise blood pressure and balance blood sugar levels. It also boosts the immune system and promotes digestive health. 

Olive Oil

We all have our reasons why we prefer certain oils, but without a doubt my oil base of choice is olive oil, specifically for its amazing health benefits. Olive oil helps reduce inflammation and prevent osteoporosis, and is essential for bone health because it assists in the absorption of calcium and the mineralisation of bones, all of which are qualities I look for in a product, given my hip dysplasia and related joint pain.

Onion

Onions are a natural antibiotic and antiseptic, so are a big YES, especially in winter. They purify the blood, regulate blood sugar levels and improve digestion. They are also anti-inflammatory. In addition to fresh onions, in my pantry you will find dried onion powder and flakes.

Garlic

Antiviral, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory, garlic assists in detoxification and boosting the metabolism, and is a natural dewormer that kills parasites. I use both black and white fresh garlic, and keep dried garlic powder and flakes in my pantry.

Rosemary

Rosemary is not just another herb! It is an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial immune booster that helps liver detoxification and improves blood circulation.

Paprika

Smoked or sweet, paprika is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and high in vitamin C. It helps ease arthritis and joint pain, and aids in iron and antioxidant absorption.

Find more episodes from Mindful Living with Izelle Hoffman in the channel below.

Main image courtesy of JacPod.

More about Izelle:

Lifestyle chef and cookbook author Izelle Hoffman is a rising star in South Africa's culinary firmament. Raised in a farming environment that placed great importance on good food, she’s convinced that eating correctly adds significantly to a life of overall wellness.

Izelle is well known to local television audiences as the lifestyle chef on a number of programs and she has also been food editor on a range of fitness magazines. She is author of Mindful Eating.

Follow Izelle on social media:

@IzelleHoffman on Instagram
Izelle Hoffman Lifestyle Chef on Facebook