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Dear Wonderbag chefs
When last did you cook 22 recipes in one morning? On Saturday, 30 January, the Wonderbag team did exactly that. Six of us started cooking at 09:30 and by 14:30 that afternoon the verdict on all 22 recipes was in. From boiled eggs to chicken legs, we put the Wonderbag through its paces. The majority of the dishes were a great success, a few disappointed us and a few others taught us valuable Wonderbag lessons.
The reason for all this activity? Our very first Wonderbag cookbook! As we are preparing to spread our wings and take the market by storm, a cookbook has become a pressing need. With recipes for breakfast, lunch and supper, the book will initiate new Wonderbag owners into the joys of convenient, environmentally-friendly cooking. And seeing that you are a member of our circle of chefs, we’ll keep you posted on our progress.
We hope you will enjoy this issue of STEAM with us and that you will click here to share your recipes and cooking tips with us.
Best regards
The STEAM Team
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Julia Mepha surrounded by Wonderbag dishes minutes before the first bag was opened and our efforts sampled.
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Beetroot salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 6-8 large beetroot
- Ina Paarman’s Greek Vinaigrette
Method
- Cut the beetroot leaves off, leaving 2cm stems. Do not cut the root ends.
- Place the beetroot in a large pot, pour in warm tap water until the beetroot are ⅔ covered, and bring to the boil.
- Boil gently for 20 minutes and then transfer the lidded pot to your Wonderbag for 6 hours to finish cooking.
- Strain off the water, leave the beetroot to cool and then peel off the skins.
- Slice the beetroot, place in a salad bowl and pour over the vinaigrette.
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Lentil salad
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 250g Koo lentils
- 500g cherry tomatoes
- 3 red onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 head garlic, peeled
- extra virgin olive oil
- 3 bunches fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- 250g feta cheese
- salt to taste
Method
- Place the lentils in a pot, cover with water (about 500ml), add salt and bring to the boil.
- Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to your Wonderbag for 60 minutes to finish cooking.
- Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, onions and garlic in a roasting pan, drizzle generously with olive oil, and roast them at 180°C for 40 minutes. Transfer to a salad bowl when finished roasting.
- When the lentils are ready, drain and transfer to the salad bowl.
- Crumble the feta into the salad, and mix in the chopped coriander.
- Salt to taste.
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Boiled eggs for breakfast
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
Method
- Bring water to the boil in a pot.
- Carefully place the eggs in the pot, cover with a lid, and boil for 1 minute.
- Transfer the lidded pot to your Wonderbag for 10 minutes for soft-boiled eggs, or 15 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
Do you have a recipe, idea or comment to add? Click here
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Q: I have followed the instructions but my food is not cooked through. What went wrong?
A: There are several possible explanations:
- If you used a saucepan instead of pot, the handle would have prevented the bag from closing properly and the heat would have escaped too quickly to allow the food to cook.
- Your pot was too big for the quantity of food. When the pot is not full, or almost full, the heat is not retained optimally and the food does not cook as effectively.
- The bag was not closed properly. Make sure that the top cushion fits snugly over the top of the pot and the bag is closed tightly.
Q: My bag has melted. Why did this happen?
A: We have had three reports of bags melting. In two cases people transferred casseroles from the oven into the Wonderbag, forgetting that this can only be done if the temperature is 180 degrees or lower (refer to the owner’s manual). In the third case, the problem was with the fabric, and we gladly replaced the bag.
Should your bag melt, please let us know immediately so that we can determine what the problem was and replace your bag as soon as possible.
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In the week before the UN’s Climate Change Summit took place in Copenhagen, the Wonderbag was featured in a documentary produced by and broadcast on German national television. The reaction was overwhelming – by 08:00 the following morning, there were more than 70 emails from Europe in our inbox, with requests ranging from people wanting to buy Wonderbags to people wanting to act as our distributors abroad. We are not quite ready yet to conquer Europe, but it is most exciting to know that there is a demand for our product.
Natural Balance and Sarah Collins, the mastermind behind the Wonderbag, have been nominated in the Climate Change Leadership Awards (CCLA). The awards recognise, reward and celebrate South African businesses, community-based organisation and individuals that are taking the lead through positive voluntary action by implementing a range of activities related to combating global warming. The winners will be announced at a gala awards dinner on 11 March.
On Friday, 29 January, our final application for registration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was submitted. We hope that all will go well and that we will be validated for carbon trading in the near future.
Watch out for the short interview with Sarah on page 81 of the March edition of Longevity magazine.
The Energy 2010 Conference and Exhibition takes place from 24-26 February at the Sandton Convention Centre and the Wonderbag will be there.
The only bit of bad news is that we no longer have the shop in Parktown North. The antique dealer with whom we shared the premises decided to close shop. However, if you want another bag or know of someone who would like to buy one, please remember that it is as easy as sending us an email or calling 0861 966 244 (0861 WON BAG).
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Top Tip
Did you know that your Wonderbag is a wonderfully efficient warming oven? It keeps heated plates and prepared meals warm for considerable periods of time. Try it – you won’t be disappointed!
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