Voodoo Lily Cafe and Easy Stuffed Butternut

So I've been cruising the streets of Jozi for a swanky 3 months now (can you tell?) and it's grand. Whilst people might prefer the lethargy of the winelands in Cape Town to the cafes and little corner spots in the concrete jungle, I think both have merit and are as appealing as the other.

There are some fun new spots around town and I would recommend you check this one out if the opportunity arises:

Voodoo Lily Cafe:

A new concept eatery focused on organic, sustainable & fair traded products; guilt free eating my friends, yes indeed. It's located opposite the Planet Fitness in Melrose, right by The Wanderers and James and Ethel Gray Park; it has all the right stuff going for it including location, location, location. It's unpretentious food in a cool, but unpretentious atmosphere and it's open 7 days a week.

The menu is simple, utilising the flavours of the organic produce they use without the fuss of stodgy sauces and unnecessary garnish. Both the breakfast and lunch/dinner menus consist of about 10 solid options including whole roasted trout, salads, tarts, bruschetta, free-range fillet steak, home-made pasta and slow-cooked oozing pies - indeed it's good. The menu also changes regularly depending on the seasonal produce available.

The staff are friendly, there's always space, the coffees great, the only qualm is that they don't have a liquor license yet but to be honest it isn't a qualm at all as you can take your own delicious vino and they'll only charge you R1 for corkage. When I went last they where still getting the card systems in place so they were working on a cash-only basis, but there's an ATM opposite so it's easily sorter if you forget.

There's a deli section too where you can buy cheeses, meats, breads, rusks, sandwiches-to-go, organic veg and the most magnificent pestos made by the chef herself. It's fast becoming my new favourite place in Joburg with the added joy of being able to steer clear of the awful Ed Hardy-tattooed, silicone army your can find at Espressos in Parkhurst every weekend. And, even better, in 2012 they're opening a branch just down the road opposite 'Nice' in the Hurst so I'll never have to venture into land of 'Howzit Boet' on a weekend again :)

Address: 64 St Andrew St, Birdhaven, Johannesburg
Phone: 0842325905
Website:http://www.voodoolilycafe.com

And with that here's a simple recipe using some organic produce and a few flicks of the wrist:

Easy stuffed butternut

Ingredients: serves 2

• 1 small butternut (cut in half)
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1/2 punnet mushrooms (sliced)
• 1 tsp thyme
• Handful cherry tomatoes
• 50g goats cheese feta/ normal feta
• rocket to serve

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200*C
• Put quinoa in an microwave-proof dish with 2 cups water and cook for 6 min, remove, cover and leave to rest.

• Cook butternuts in microwave for 5 minutes until tender, remove seeds and pop them in the oven with a dash of olive oil and salt to roast for 15 min.
• Saute onions and garlic with a little olive oil and salt for about 4 min on medium heat until soft, add the mushrooms, tomatoes and thyme and cook for a further 3-4 min. Add the quinoa and stir through then remove from the heat and cover until the butternut is done, about 5 min. 

•  Place a half of butternut on each plate, divide the filling between the two and top with feta and rocket.