Nature’s cheezels
Cheezels, do you like them? I used to love. Or, rather, I should write, I love them and will always love them.
I feel like someone who attends an addiction rehabilitation session. I will always love cheezels, but I must resist the temptation to eat them.
A quickie tonight
This post and recipe is a quickie because I’ve got a busy weekend and not much time for writing.
Back to cheezels
When I was living in Darwin and when my body weight was around 100 kilograms/220 pounds (BMI 34.6), I would fantasise about food all day at work. I’d leave work at the end of the day and drive home via the local shopping centre (Hibiscus Shopping Centre in Leanyer) and buy a 420 g box (which doesn’t seem to be available anymore) of cheezels plus a 100 g packet of kettle chips (for the drive home). I confess, the drive home was only a couple of streets but in those days I could inhale a packet of chips in seconds.
Am I proud of that behaviour? Nope, it’s embarrassing. I’ve struggled with my weight all my life. At that time, I was drinking a few condensed milk coffees every day, breakfast was always a few pieces of toast with jam and/or peanut paste. I’d buy lunch from the hospital tuck shop, and dinner was always filling. On weekends, I’d ‘create’ huge meals based on meat and with lots of starchy vegetables. There would always be ice cream.
So what are nature’s cheezels?
My workmate Jane (who I’ve mentioned previously) called out to me on Thursday afternoon, “Hey, Orca, have nature’s cheezel!” as she tossed me a mandarin. I caught it (surprisingly) and yes, “yea, I can put my finger in it like a cheezel.”
So if you want to know why Jane (aka Eagle) called me Orca, it’s because in that work area, everyone is known by their spirit animal. Jane is an Eagle. I’m an Orca. We have a wolf, a pride of lions, an otter, a meerkat, a fox who wants to be a quokka, and a crab who doesn’t want to be a crab. We also have a growing pod of dolphins, with whom I have a natural affinity.
I’m also grateful to Cathy (who is a Lion) who tossed me a Chinese gooseberry (which I caught too). I love Chinese gooseberries. So sweet and so full of good juices and fibre.
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I bought all the ingredients from Coles.
No, Yummy Lummy is not sponsored by anyone.
Recipe
- Nature's cheezels (aka) mandarin
- Chinese gooseberry
- Kensington Pride mango
- Hass Avocado
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Red onion
- Spring onion
- Red radish
- Jalapeño pepper
- Lime juice
- Lime zest
- Peanuts crushed
- Sunflower seeds
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Cut everything into the size you want for a salad
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Mix it all together
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Put the cut up fruit and vegetables onto a plate
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Shoot a photograph and a short video because Google now wants video on recipe cards.
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Eat the meal.
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Wash the dishes (hint, wash as you cook, it makes life easier).
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Write the recipe.
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Write the blog post.
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Hit publish and hope this blog post gets shared on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Recipe Video
Disclaimer
I have no culinary training nor qualifications. This post is not intended to convey any health or medical advice. If you have any health concerns about anything you read, please contact your registered medical practitioner. The quantities are indicative. Feel free to vary the quantities to suit your taste. I deliberately do not calculate energy for dishes. I deliberately default to 500 Calories or 500,000 calories because I do not make these calculations.
Photographs
Questions and answers
Where’s the meat?
There is no meat tonight. Toughen up princess, you don’t need meat for every meal.
What’s with mixing fruit and vegetables?
Did you know that if you add tomato to a salad you’re adding a fruit? Tomatoes have seeds so tomatoes are fruit.
How was the meal?
It was delicious. Adding the nuts and sunflower seeds added a nice crunchy texture. Nature’s cheezels and mango were lovely and sweet. The avocado imparted a nice creaminess.
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Final thoughts
What’s your favourite salad?
Do you like meat-free meals?
Do you like cheezels?
Do you like nature’s cheezels?
Sponsorship
Yummy Lummy has no sponsors but maintaining a blog isn’t free. If anyone or any company would like to contribute please contact me.
Uncoordinated
I’m one of the most uncoordinated people on earth. I make a wish whenever I catch something.
Your eating habits have definitely changed over the years that I’ve been following you. You are right, we don’t need meat every day and your salad would certainly make me happy.
Thanks, Karen, one of the nice things about ageing is the learning, even after five decades, I appreciate different thinking and seeing how I can adopt it and/or adapt to it.
I’ve just been travelling for work, I’ll soon be home and it will be nice to cook a meal this weekend.
LOL I was really wondering what you meant by nature’s cheezels but now I see! I’ve never looked at mandarins like that. But yeah I’m not sure if I’d call them cheezels (which I LOVE).
I’m so tempted this weekend when I return home to buy a box and eat them 😃
It’s been years since I’ve had cheezels.
I love nuts and seeds in a salad, particularly if you toast them. Meat-free meals make a nice change too. I’ve never eaten cheezels–we don’t get them where I live, but they are maybe called something else? They look a bit like Hula Hoops to me https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hula-Hoops-Cheese-Onion-packs/dp/B00404EZUI
I’m a fan of the mouthfeel of nuts and seeds. A bit of extra crunch makes a salad even better.
Gary, I had to look twice at your Chinese Gooseberries…. ahhh aka Kiwi Fruit.
I must admit I’m a stickler when it comes to mandarins. They have to be the Imperial kind and no other, oh and they must rattle a bit in their skins. I don’t like looking at the teeny weeny ones they sell to kids. I think its all peeling action, for little reward. And don’t get me started on those humongous Sumo mandarins. All skin and pith on them but they do look the part with their little top knot. I like your non-meat salad. With the sun shining right now, I’ve got the windows open, and a salad would hit the spot tonight.
Thanks Kirsty.
Yep, I’m one of those people who likes using original names 😃
I agree about the mandarins. The skin needs to be loose. I prefer the Imperial variety, the others don’t seem sweet enough.
Likewise with mangoes, I’ve wasted money on the ones that look big and firm and beautiful but the flavour is pathetic. I much prefer Kensington Pride Mangoes preferably grown in Katherine or somewhere near Bowen.
What a beautiful salad. Yes I definitely agree you don’t need meat for every meal. Ha ha. I used to love cheezels and twisties but one day in 2002 I was at a conference and bored and read the ingredients in the back of the packet of twisters. Never ate one after that. Nothing natural in them at ALL.
The science of food technology is amazing and so good at making awful sounding chemicals taste “good”! 😱
All things considered I prefer home made roast spuds 😃😃😃
To be honest, my favorite snack is potato chips, the saltier and greasier the better. But, to be a might healthier, I’ve switched over to Harvest Snaps.
https://harvestsnaps.com/
I love chips, but I need to stop succumbing to my inner desire for them. The harvest snaps look interesting. I like sugar snap peas.
Exactly. They do satisfy my urge for the chips.
The Chinese gooseberries look like what we Americans call or label Kiwis? Same?
They are the same. I just object to the appropriation of a name of a flightless native bird from New Zealand for fruit originally found in China. It’s similar to the objection I have to so many people assuming Queensland nuts (from the Genus:Macadamia) come from Hawaii just because the nuts were taken from Queensland to Hawaii and commercial crops grown.
I think I’m getting more and more into old man curmudgeon mode 😂
I had to click on the link to find out what are Cheezels. So of like American Cheez-its and Cheese Doodles. Having high blood pressure I must avoid anything with a high salt or sugar content. Too much salt could either result in a bad headache or stomachache at best or at worst a trip to the hospital. Ugh! One of my former co-workers who has diabetes had the habit or constantly ordering in along with her department since we all worked at night. Anyway they would order Popeyes, McDonalds, Burgers, etc… right before I left she was hospitalized with blood clots in her legs. At any point one of those clots could have traveled to her heart or lungs and killed her. Her children and grandchildren would have lost their Mom and grandmother.
Eating healthy with little or no red meat is the best way. I’ve seen the toll that high blood pressure and diabetes have taken on my family and friends. I’ve been in the hospital repeatedly for high blood pressure. Lost some of my eyesight. It is much better to stick with a healthy lifestyle. Americans have some of the worst diets and eating habits in the world which is why people born after 1985 will have a shorter lifespan. Obesity is out of control.
Yes I do eat potato chips and I Love Nestle Crunch bars but I do my best to stay away from foods that are bad for my health. I want to live a long life where I can do for my self and take care of myself. Not missing limbs and on Oxygen tanks like I often see.
I agree. My blood pressure now requires medication to keep it in control.
I’m enjoying more fruit and vegetables.
Sounds like a good week in food, Gaz. Lovely that your office had nicknames for each other. Nice environment 😁
Don’t usually have salads as I prefer my meals warm…then again, there are many kinds of salads. Perhaps you can count freshly cooked chicken and veggies as a salad.
I don’t mins meat free meals and cook them when I’m eating alone for the day and feeling lazy. Maybe some boiled asparagus and chicpeas with some avocado, and seeds, there we go.
I love Cheezels. The other day I had bacon and cheese flavoured Cheezels, and let’s say not my thing. As for mandarins, love them 😁
Thanks, Mabel. When I was in Coles today looking to the Cheezels to shoot a photograph, I saw the bacon and cheese ones and there was a little temptation to buy a box.
I’m grateful Summer will nearly be here which means more salads with colourful fruits and vegetables. I’m looking forward to adding some pomegranate arils soon.
I like sweet mandarins without too much pith.
Bacon is tempting. But the bacon flavoured and cheese Cheezels tasted artificial. Didn’t finish the box 😞
Definitely looking forward to summer. I’m sure you’ll be cooking with the windows open, even if it is a salad dish 😃
Oh yes cooking with the windows open makes a big difference for me 😃😃😃
I love cheezels! I love mandarins too, but they will never replace cheezels for me hehe! Funny, we worked out our spirit animals in my work team recently too. I’m a turtle 🙂
Cool. Do you ride the East Australian Current like Crush from Nemo? 😃