Cucumber Boats

Who says you can't play with your food? I have fun making healthy and tasty cucumber boats in this video.

Coconut Greens

It's amazing how a bad food experience can taint an ingredient in your mind and make you unwilling to give it a try again. This used to be the case with my relationship with greens. When I was younger, greens were typically served in soups and if my mother did not make that dish, the vegetables would be soggy and just mushy. I have issues with mushy super smooth textures so this invariably made me dislike greens. Intensely. 

Now that I am older and more conscious of eating a balanced diet, and the fact that I grow a lot of greens in my garden, I have had to find ways to make greens more appealing to eat.

This super easy recipe is delicious and quick so the greens retain their form and crunch. The addition of coconut milk adds a whole different flavor profile that is really really out of this world.

To make enough for 2 side dishes or 1 very generous portion, you will need:

• Olive oil (any oil of your choice will work)
• 1 small chopped red onion
• 1 clove chopped garlic
• 1/2 chopped habanero or scotch bonnet pepper (more or less to taste)
• 1/2 seasoning cube
• 2 cups mixed greens - fluted pumpkin leaves (ugwu), kale, swiss chard, amaranth (tete), spinach etc
• 1 can coconut milk

In a large pot, add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pot. Add onions, garlic and chilies and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the seasoning cube and mix well. Add the greens and stir well to combine all the ingredients. Cook for about 3 minutes and add the coconut milk. Stir and cook for another 2 minutes and take off the heat.

Serve on its own or as an accompaniment to rice, potatoes, chicken, fish or steak.

Enjoy!!! 

Overnight Oats - Take 2

Can you tell I am obsessed with overnight oats?

 

I am so obsessed, I have these oats at anytime of the day now. What's not to love though? Healthy, filling and cold. I also just found out that oatmeal is considered brain food and is integral to the diet for growing children. Add several more pluses here.

 



 

 

 

This version is one that my son loves. After getting him ready for school, he clamps his mouth shut and refuses to let anything pass his lips. Except oatmeal. He does not eat huge amounts in the mornings but with all the healthy goodness in this version, I know he has enough to keep him full till snack time at school which sets my mind at ease

 

 

 

You will need:

• 1/2 cup quick cooking oats
• 1/2 cup milk - flavored milk works just as well.
• 1 crunchy apple like Granny Smith - core removed and cut into chunks
• 14 cup dried raisins
• 1/4 cup toasted coconut flakes

Directions:

• Pour milk over the oats and store in a lidded container in the fridge overnight
• The next morning, add the remaining ingredients, sweeten to taste if desired and stir to combine. Serve cold.

 

Enjoy!!!

Overnight Oats - My Life Saver

 

I have a huge problem with eating breakfast. I am usually nauseous in the mornings  - and considering I suffered no morning sickness when I was pregnant, the nausea is annoying. I get by with drinking sips of water or sips of cold green tea till I have my first meal of the day at about 1pm. I know all too well how important breakfast is but added to the fact that I cannot stand hot food....

 

Enter this solution - overnight oats. Every night, I pour some oatmeal, granola or muesli into a glass jar. I add milk - even though I am not lactose intolerant, I really like flavored soy milk, almond milk et al.  Cover the jar and leave in the fridge overnight. The next morning, I add fruit or nuts - in the jar pictured, I added mango chunks and toasted coconut flakes and voila. Breakfast is ready. Cold, healthy and ready. Plus I get to take the jar with me and have breakfast on the go....The variations are endless and you can add pretty much anything you like including yogurt, honey....

 

Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day and I admit that I can tell the difference in my productivity and energy levels through out the day since I started including this in my diet.

 

Enjoy!!!



Adventures from Calabar 2 - Boiled Plantain and Smoked fish with Vegetable Sauce. And an Amstel Malta Milkshake

 

I had another opportunity to cook on air and be a guest on The Spot on EbonyLifeTv (Channel 165 on DSTV) and as usual it was a fabulous experience. 

 

 

If you have never caught The Spot, I urge you to. Its a largely unscripted show hosted by Lamide Akintobi, Zainab Balogun and Ebuka Uchendu and while it is different from the regular tv fare, its pretty smart and addictive. 

 

 

 

This time, my brief from the producer was a healthy, nutritious, filling meal that was pocket friendly but yummy as well.



 

 

(Just before we started shooting)

 

I decided to prepare boiled ripe plantain with a smoked fish and vegetable sauce.

 

To feed 4 people, you will need:

• 4 ripe plantains - assuming one per person
• 1 cooking spoon of flavourless oil - I prefer canola oil
• 1 large red onion - finely chopped
• 4 large tomatoes - finely chopped
• 1 yellow scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 stock cube
• 3 large smoked fish (I used mackerel) - skinned, deboned and flaked
• 2 cups red whole crayfish - heads and tails removed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground crayfish
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 bunches of ugwu (pumpkin leaves) - washed and rough chopped
• Salt to taste

 

 

Directions:

• Cut each plantain into 3 pieces and place in a pot with salted water
• Boil until cooked through
• Heat oil in a large saucepan
• Add onions, tomatoes and scotch bonnet pepper
• Saute until translucent
• Add stock cube, ground crayfish and cayenne pepper and cook for another 5 minutes stirring constantly
• Add the smoked fish and red crayfish with a cooking spoon of water
• Add salt to taste
• Once the sauce is quite dry, add the ugwu, stir very well to incorporate all ingredients and turn the heat off
• The steam will cook the vegetables just enough to be cooked through but still have crunch

This sauce can be served with potatoes, yam and rice. Or even eaten on its own since its so filling.

I also made an Amstel Malta milkshake which is so easy to make and so delicious as well.

To fill 4 glasses, you will need:

• 3 cans of chilled Amstel Malta
• 1/2 cup of dried skimmed milk
• 12 strawberries

Directions:

• Add all the ingredients into a blender. Blitz till smooth. Pour into glasses and serve immediately

 

 

Enjoy!!!!!

Sexifying Water....

I know there isn't a word like sexifying but that's the only word I could come up with. We all know water is magic and excellent for you. A lot of people use the word boring to justify not drinking enough water and even though my water guzzling is legendary, I have to agree that it gets so very boring.

Here is a simple way to add natural flavor to water and have fun too.

You will need:

• Washed ice trays - there are so many fun shaped ones out there now and they are cheap as dirt.
• Cucumber slices
• Lemon slices
• Lime slices
• Mint leaves

Simply chop the fruit and vegetables to fit the ice trays and fill with water and freeze.

Pop out a few cubes and put in glass whenever you want to have a glass of water. I love watching the ice melt as I sip. Plus, the flavor of your water gets more intense as the ice melts and a little treat awaits you at the bottom of the glass.

I have tried this with other fruits like strawberries and peaches but it becomes cloying and takes away from the pure refreshing clean taste I want with water.

Enjoy!!!!!

 

Fruit Salad Smoothie

 

In this journey to eat right and lose weight, the biggest challenge for me has been keeping things interesting and healthy. Smoothies and replacement drinks can be counter productive to your health journey especially those full of cream or juices as their bases. They taste mighty good especially when blended with ice (temptation be gone) and if its a tasty treat you want, then they are fine. However, if you want nutritious and healthy options, having one of those 3 times a day isn't the way to go - or am I just speaking about my tendency to have them 3 times a day?

 

Anyway, I am giving my smoothie blender a mega workout these days with all sorts of concoctions and this fruit salad smoothie is one of my favorites. Its very filling, chock full of yumminess that's good for you and very easy to throw together. There isn't an exact science to this. Just use more of the fruits you prefer over others and don't omit the ginger. That's what makes this smoothie special.

 

You will need:

 

• Watermelon cubes - seeds removed of course
• Orange segments - seeds removed as well
• Pineapple chunks
• Pawpaw chunks - you can include a few of the seeds. They have a peppery taste and add a little something extra to the smoothie
•  Cucumber slices - don't peel or remove the core.
• Apple chunks
• Fresh grated ginger
• Ice cubes

 

You can prep the fruits ahead and store in the freezer in air tight containers and put into the blender when you are ready. You can omit the ice in this case.

Throw everything in a blender and whizz till smooth. I like to leave my smoothie a little chunky so I can chew. I don't feel like I have eaten if I don't chew. LOL

 

Pour into a glass and enjoy