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Oct 03 2012
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I COOK

“The Wake me up Fruit Smoothie!” – Blueberry Goodness

Mornings are hard folks! Let’s admit it, you hit the snooze button one too many times (in my case, a gazillion). I have never been a morning person, i’m an insomniac and occassional televison starer (half the time, the TV is watching me!). My experience during gloomy mornings like this is that coffee just doesn’t cut it – that high is temporary and I feel the need to have something healthier and nutritious. Not discounting the health benefits of a cup o’ joe but a fruit smoothie is packed with vitamins and antioxidants; that will fuel you throughout that dreaded ride to work, or early subway commute. Dust off that blender you’ve probably been storing away for years, buy some fruits and get blending! Smoothies give me that extra boost of energy, you’ll love it!

This one of my favourite smoothies to make – The Very Berry Smoothie recipe is for two but you can adjust measurements accordingly. I prefer using fresh fruit but the blueberries can be substituted for frozen blueberries if desired.

Very Berry Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 banana
  • 1/2 an apple
  • 6 ounces of coconut water
  • 6 cubes of ice
  • a handful of grapes (this adds sweetness and allows you to omit sugar or any other sweetner)

In you blender, add all the ingredients above, the order doesn’t matter and blend until smooth. I use a vitamix or my personal favourite ‘all inclusive’ blender, the blendtec.

Now don’t forget to let me know how you liked/hated this smoothie. I bet you it will be the former. No road rage or angry commute to work this morning, have a Very Berry Smoothie and enjoy your day, live it like it’s your last! :)

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Aug 29 2012
4 Comments
I COOK

Curry Rice and Vegetable Pilaf – Kick it up a notch!

Pilaf – a rice dish that involves cooking rice with spices in a broth, or with vegetables and meat. There are so many different ways to prepare rice pilaf, making it your own. This dish is most commonly found in East Africa (where I come from), Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America.

My mum cooked rice pilaf on weekends, and my four sisters and I would lick our plates clean. The aroma of the spices filled the kitchen and made its way to the living room while she cooked. We would sometimes sneak and watch her cooking and steal tastes in preparation for the real deal at the dinner table. She often added meat or chicken to it, which is the common way pilaf or ‘pilau’ is prepared in Africa.

This recipe has two distinct spices; curry and cumin which aid in digestion and make any dish pop with character. The amount of curry used is minimal but sufficient, rendering the dish unique and delicious.

Curry Rice and Vegetable Pilaf : (serves 4)

  • 2 cups of brown rice
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • Thawed frozen peas, 1 pkg
  • 2 cups of mushrooms
  • 2 cloves garlic, diced
  • 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon curry
  • 2 diced onions
  • 1 large red pepper, diced
  • 3 tablespoon marjoram and parsley
  • 1 large yellow squash, diced

Heat oil in a pot over medium high. Add the garlic, carrots and onions, stir for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add red pepper, squash, brown rice , curry, cumin and salt turning with a wooden spoon frequently for 3 minutes. Add broth, marjoram, parsley and as soon as it starts to boil, lower heat, cover  and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve while hot!

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy and be well :)

Curry Rice and Vegetable Pilaf

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Jul 15 2012
3 Comments
I COOK

Sunday Dinner : Steamed Lemon Flounder Fillet and Kale

After a detox, I usually ease into regular eating habits by preparing meals that have little to no seasoning. This is preferable and a great way to test your creativity with cooking by limiting your use of processed foods, condiments and additives. Fish and vegetables always hits the mark, full of vitamins,healthy and flavorful.

Clean eating by definition, is the consumption of whole foods as close to their natural state as possible. This involves including in your diet, vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, lean protein and avoiding processed foods and fast food. I love seafood, but I am careful to pick wild caught options as opposed to farm raised – more information on the diferences here. This dish is easy and quick to prepare approximately 15 minutes, I hope you try it, especially since it’s low in calories.

Ingredients (serves 1) recipe can be multiplied to accommodate the number of people you are cooking for.

  • 2 pieces of flounder fillet
  • handfuls of roughly chopped up kale (stalks removed) about 4 cups
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1 small tomato
  • 1/2 of a large onion
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil

  • Wash flounder fillets with cold water, pat dry and marinate with juice of half a lemon, salt and pepper for 5 minutes
  • Saute diced onions in olive oil at medium heat, until translucent 4 minutes.
  • Add garlic, tomatoes and kale (which will start to shrink) and cover for 3 minutes, turn continously with a wooden spoon
  • Uncover, carefully add flounder fillets with 2 lemon slices on top of kale, tomatoes and onions, cover for another 5 minutes while they steam.
  • Serve immediately while hot and enjoy with a great glass of wine, preferably a riesling :)

Would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section if you tried this recipe. Nothing would make me happier. Have a great Sunday evening!

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Jul 04 2012
3 Comments
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The Red, White and Blue – Fruit Parfait

As we celebrate 4th of July, with family and friends and of course some barbecue, we honour America’s independence. Unfortunately for me, I started a smoothie detox a few days ago and today I am cheating with a fruit parfait (maybe some barbecue later), that I’ve named ‘The Red, White and Blue’.

Why a detox? It helps rid the body of harmful toxins and revitalise you, after all, your body is your temple, treat it as such. This Parfait can be layered or topped off with granola, yoghurt or a sweetener like honey or maple syrup. This is great for either breakfast, a midday snack or dessert. Healthy, full of antioxidants and vitamins, you’ll be doing yourself and your body a whole lot of good!

Ingredients: ( serves 2 )

  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 cup of strawberries (thinly sliced)
  • 1 apple (peeled, core removed and sliced thinly)
  • 1 tablespoon Honey or Maple Syrup
  • Wash blueberries and layer the bottom of  two bowls or glasses evenly
  • Drizzle some honey if you desire and then add a layer of apple slices
  • Finally add the layer of strawberries and drizzle with honey or any other topping of your choice
  • Enjoy -  Happy 4th of July folks!

May 20 2012
6 Comments
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Vanilla French Toast & Grapefruit Mimosa – Sunday Brunch

Lazy Sundays call for an equally lazy brunch. Vanilla french toast with a grapefruit mimosa takes mere minutes to make and score marks for being packed with flavour.

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 4 slices gluten free bread ( or any bread you have on hand)
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon butter (divide into two parts)

Instructions
  • In a small mixing bowl, whisk eggs, pinch of salt, vanilla extract, milk
  • Preheat oven to warm at 170 degrees
  • Dip bread into mixture, let it soak for 15 seconds on each side
  • Melt 1/2 teaspoon of butter in a nonstick pan, place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown for approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side.
  • Repeat the above steps with the remaining slices and place in baking pan and in the oven to keep warm.

Ingredients for Grapefruit Mimosa (serves 2)

  • Prosecco
  • 1 Grapefruit
  • 2 flute glasses
Instructions
  • Chill glasses in freezer
  • Section grapefruit in half and juice each for a flute
  • Pour half the prosecco in glasses
  • Top with grapefruit juice

Serve french toast immediately with fruit or whipped cream, I love it with bananas. Drizzle lightly with maple syrup. My go-to maple syrup is Butternut Mountain Farm Vermont Pure Maple Syrup, you can get it at Whole Foods. Any other Pure Maple Syrup brand will be a great substitute.

Happy Sunday everyone – Bon Appétit!

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Apr 20 2012
12 Comments
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Warm Brussels Sprout Salad – kick cholesterol’s ass!

Once upon a time (the 80s), there was a little girl who had never heard of Brussels sprouts. She came to America and discovered she loved the little cabbage. Not a native vegetable to East Africa, where I am from, I found it fascinating that it was so small and compact and always imagined it would taste like cabbage. I couldn’t have been more wrong – it does look like a miniature cabbage but the taste was at first, bland in my opinion. With the right ingredients it can taste phenomenal. I created this recipe keeping in mind that it should be quick to prepare but not sacrificing in taste.

I fell in love with Brussels sprouts, hook, line and sinker, after a visit to Momofuku Noodle bar in New York City. This recipe is simple, requires little to no preparation beforehand and is bursting with flavour. The ingredients used are all low in cholesterol and calories.

Brussels sprouts and pine nuts have cholesterol-lowering benefits, with the latter lending a mild nutty flavor to this versatile salad. The goat cheese and tangerine added at the end, provide you with the protein and vitamins needed to make this a whole meal respectively.

Ingredients (serves 4) Total cooking time (45 minutes)

  • 1 pound of Brussel sprouts, rinsed, ends trimmed, cut into quarter pieces
  • 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup of pine nuts
  • 3 tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese
  • 2 tangerines, peeled and sectioned
  • 1 Tbsp garlic
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chilli pepper

1.  Preheat Oven to 350°F. Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, pepper and salt and place in a roasting pan.

2. Put Brussels sprouts in the oven on the top rack, cook for 30 minutes. Then stir them again to coat with the oil that has settled in the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 15 minutes.

3. Roast or lightly brown pine nuts in a pan making sure the heat is not too high, or they will burn.

4. Let them cool, they’ve been known to burn quite a few tongues.

Plate immediately and add the goat cheese, tangerines and lastly the pine nuts. Filling, vibrant in color and flavor. Bon Appétit!

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Mar 24 2012
4 Comments
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Edamame & Fried Egg Goodness!

It’s always fun thinking of new ways to have eggs for brunch or dinner on a weekend. With an almost empty fridge, eggs and a few nibbles of leftover take out, a freezer nestling frozen edamame and other frozen vegetables, a light bulb went off. Edamame and eggs, why haven’t I ever thought of that before! Edamame are green soybeans, high in fiber, protein and vitamins – a super legume. I prefer frozen shelled edamame that you can get either at Whole Foods or Trader Joes. I snack on them all the time, quite tasty with a dash of sea salt and pepper. Follow the step by step images below and I promise you’ll love the crunch and bite to this recipe.

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 1/2  cup frozen edamame
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • pinch of salt (if you can get sea salt, even better!)
  • dash of black pepper
  1. Follow packaged directions of the frozen edamame. Boil them as per packaged directions, drain and lightly fry in olive oil on high heat until they turn a golden brown for about 5 minutes turning frequently.
  2. Add a pinch of salt, and egg and then cover, lower heat and cook to desired readiness (3 -5 minutes).
  3. Remove cover, add black pepper and serve while hot.
Depending on how long you cook your egg (I prefer about 2-3 minutes to get a nice yellow semi-solid yolk), you’ll love the added texture of fried egg, combined with the browned bits from the pan when you place it on a plate. Enjoy and if you do try this recipe, please let me know if you loved it as much as I did. Happy Saturday :)
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Feb 22 2012
6 Comments
I COOK

Deep Black & White Brownies : Part 1

My brownie recipes have more often than not turned into utter flops. By trial and error, I have developed two recipes that I can proudly share. A bread flour double layer brownie recipe baked with Callegaut dark & white chocolate and pictured below is another quick and easy recipe, using Tollhouse dark chocolate chips and Ghiradelli white chocolate chips.

This is Part I of a series of brownie recipes that will be on the blog in the next coming weeks. They primarily have the same ingredients with tweaks here and there.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dark chocolate chips
  • 2 cups white chocolate
  • 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup of butter (chopped chunky bits not melted)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey

Preparation (Prep time : 20 mins)

  • Melt chocolate and butter under low heat until melted, place in bowl and let it cool
  • Beat eggs, sugar, honey and vanilla
  • Add apple sauce and stir gently, then add melted chocolate
  • Slowly add flour and fold in gently with a spatula until mixed thoroughly
  • Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit
  • Grease baking pan, dust with flour and line with parchment paper
  • Pour batter in pan and spread
  • Layer with white chocolate chips, don’t be afraid to double it up!
  • Place pan in middle rack and bake for 45 minutes
  • This makes 20 to 25 bars

Enjoy your deep black and white brownies with a dollop of ice-cream, tea or if you are feeling bold a grown up drink. It’s moist, flavourful and airy. Lighter than most brownie recipes and dare I say it – good for you!

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Jan 22 2012
7 Comments
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Farro, Kale & Shitake Mushroom Din Din

The word SUPER comes to mind when referring to the grain Farro. Primarily because of its outstanding health benefits as well as it’s distinct chewy and nutty flavour. High in fiber, low carb, sky rocketing vitamin & magnesium content; as well as it’s tolerable gluten structure make it ideal for consumption.

Farro compliments fish dishes extra ordinarily. I prepared this for friends and accompanied it with my famous African Curried Fish (recipe on the blog later this week). Vegetarians can add more mushrooms and kale, making it the perfect vegetarian meal.

Ingredients (serves 6):

  • 4 cups of cooked Farro
  • 6 bunches of Kale (refer to image above)
  • 4 cups of diced shiitake mushrooms (2lbs)
  • 2 cups of carrots
  • 1/2 cup scallions
  • 1/2 a lemon
  • 4 garlic cloves (shredded finely)
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of  butter (preferably vegan – Earth balance organic buttery spread)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt & ground black pepperNote : It is important to remove the kale leaves from their stalks before chopping. Leaving the stalks on while you chop will render a bitter taste – not yummy at all ;)

Pearled Farro is best because it doesn’t need to be soaked beforehand; whereas hulled  Farro (hull : drier outer coating of seed or grain – the husk) is whole and requires soaking. For this recipe, cook Farro , following packaged directions and set aside while assembling the rest of the ingredients.

  • Heat oil and butter, add garlic and carrots
  • Saute on high, turning frequently for 5 minutes until carrots brown
  • Add diced shiitake mushrooms, saute on medium heat for 2 minutes.
  • Add Kale, cover and once shrinkage occurs, turn for another 5 minutes
  • Juice the lemon beforehand or squeeze into the pot while it cooks and turn off heat.
  • Farro is then added, cover and allow flavours to meld for another 3-5 minutes.
  • Add scallions and serve while hot.Pass me a fork please – enjoy! :)

Farro, Kale & Shitake Mushroom

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Jan 15 2012
9 Comments
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Open Faced Prosciutto, Spinach, Egg & Sage Sandwich

I love Sundays! Sleep in, watch bad TV, good TV (Psych re-runs) and of course, homemade brunch/dinner. With an abundance of prosciutto, I decided to prepare something savory yet healthy. It’s low-calorie and tastes oh so good! Since prosciutto is a bit salty, you will forego adding salt while preparing this sandwich, a great choice for low carb dieters.

Proscuitto di Parma is a great source of Vitamin B and an energy booster. We all know spinach is a super food, full of vitamin A, C and K – running out of letters! Let us not forget the egg, digests easily has vitamin A, D, E and protein. Last but not least, what I like to refer to as the “super”  herb – Sage; it has all sorts of uses but as far as food is concerned, it aids in treating indigestion and flatulence (oops!). This sandwich is practically medicine – the yummy tasting kind of course.

Ingredients (serves 1)

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of fresh sage
  • 3 slices prosciutto di parma
  • 1/2 cup of spinach
  • 1 slice of Udi’s gluten free bread (tastes just like regular bread but healthier or you can use whole wheat bread)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • butter (to lightly smear on toast)
  • dash of black pepper
  • Lightly sauté sage & prosciutto without oil for about 2 minutes on high heat, this allows it to crisp quickly without sacrificing in flavour.
  •  Set aside, add oil in pan, sauté spinach for a minute, add egg in the center and black pepper.
  • Cover and let it slowly cook to desired readiness.
  • Toast slice of bread, smear a thin layer of butter and layer with prosciutto, followed by the egg and spinach on top.

Assemble in preparation of layering with prosciutto, egg & spinach on serving plate

This sandwich pairs quite nicely with a glass of prosecco – ooohhh, I’m hungry yet again! Now back to watching Psych and I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday :)  Bon Appétit!

Open-faced Prosciutto, Spinach, Egg & Sage sandwich

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