Snacking with Max du Preez

I USUALLY eat only one proper meal a day, and it's typically an early dinner. Weekends are for more complex dishes and adventures in flavour. So, I'm very dependent on quick bites, snacks and nibbles to get me through my workday.

But then it really has to be quick. It shouldn't take longer than five or 10 minutes between getting up from my computer and sitting down again. Toast with Bovril or wholegrain bread with thick peanut butter and a double espresso probably does the trick, but that's a bit skimpy. (As the swami said: how you love yourself is how you teach others to love you.)

Thank goodness for avocado, and it's also very good for you. A thick slice of ciabatta or a chunk of baguette with half a well-ripened avocado and salt and black pepper remains an old stalwart.

But if you really have 10 rather than five minutes, a quick guacamole is the answer, with taco chips or pieces of cooled, well-toasted ciabatta. About two avocados, one largish chopped tomato, half a chopped red onion, a minced small jalapeño if there's one in your fridge, the juice of one lime, a pinch of cumin, salt and black pepper are all you need.

I always, but always, have a few cans of tuna in my pantry – I prefer the chunks rather than the mushy version, even if it's a few rand more. With mayonnaise and a teaspoon of mustard on toast, under five minutes, maybe with a little grated carrot and half a finely chopped onion mixed in, and black pepper.

Equally quick, healthy and tasty are sardines on toast, mixed with raw chopped onions and a drizzle of Tabasco or sriracha.

A banana smoothie perks you up nicely. Two bananas (if the bananas in your pantry are getting too ripe, freeze them and use them in the smoothie), a cup of cow's or almond milk, two teaspoons of peanut butter, a few drops of vanilla extract, two teaspoons of honey, maybe a pinch of cinnamon. The blender does the work.

My two favourite snacks might take a little longer than 10 minutes: spaghetti with Woolworths' ready-made pesto and extra olive oil and enough parmesan, or creamy scrambled eggs with smoked salmon on the side. (The secret for scrambled eggs is to use lots of butter and keep the pan on a low heat.)

(Postscript: My wife says I'll embarrass myself if I admit that my other favourite snack is a real, genuine, oven-fresh Portuguese roll with thick butter and sliced biltong.)

♦ VWB ♦

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