This week’s post isn’t about me, it’s about another cool black chef — Coolio! I’ve included a hillarious video below where he shows us how to make a simple, healthy and delicious Caprese Salad– with attitude!

Love,
Naimah

image: indianfoodforever.com

Lentils are one of the dishes that are hardest for me to cook. Well, beans in general, even though they’re so cheap and sooo good for you. I always hear that I should make from my vegetarian relatives who can cook and who have lots of time on their hands… basically, the opposite of me.

I’ll tell you a little disaster story that I had with beans a few years ago, which mas made me think twice about cooking any sort of legume. I got some random beans from the shop because I was going to make … something… and I boiled them for a while, till they seemed done. Then, I drained them, added some spices and ate them. They were OK I guess.

Then, my sister came into the room and said: “Oh, you made beans! Funny I didn’t see you soak them overnight!” I stopped in mid-bite and looked at her dumbfounded. I said, “Well, I didn’t.” She laughed at me and said, “Naimah! You aren’t going to feel very well tomorrow!” And boy, was she right…

I’m interested in cooking lentils because I want to eat less meat, and I keep hearing from vegetarians far and wide how great they are. So here goes, I’m going to learn to cook them. Dal Shorva is the easiest lentil dish I could find. It sounds tasty (I like cilantro, tumeric and ginger), and you don’t have to soak anything. Hopefully it will work, so… here goes… something.

Dal Shorva

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups red lentils
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger root, peeled and chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely shredded
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, optional

Preparation:

1. Rinse lentils thoroughly and place in a deep pot.
2. Add the chicken broth or water, turmeric, ginger, and tomatoes bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 25 minutes until the lentils are soft.
4. Remove from the heat and, working in batches, puree in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or blender until smooth.
5. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the milk and salt, and heat until piping hot.
6. Simmer gently over low heat while you finish the recipe.
7. In a skillet over high heat, melt the butter.
8. Add the onions and cumin and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes until the onions are brown.
9. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls and sprinkle generously with black pepper.
10. Divide the onion mixture among the bowls, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve at once.

[recipe via about.com]

image: flikr.com

I think it’s important to remember and celebrate Haitian culture at this tragic time in the country’s history. I wanted to write a post with a whole Haitian meal. The dishes included are: Squash Soup, Fried Cubed Beef,  Picklese Vegegtables, Sweet Potato Bread, and Sweetened Fried Plaintains for dessert.  To drink, we will make some Mango Juice… Let’s get started!!

Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
• 1 lb. chicken
• 1 frozen squash
• 1 boniata
• 1 spinach
• 1 malanga
• 2 onions-sliced
• 3 large carrots
• 6 medium potatoes
• 1/4 lb spaghetti or noodles
• 3 tbsp seasoned salt
• 2 limes cut in half
• 2 tsp. thyme
• 2 tsp parsley
• 1/2 cup scallions
• salt, black pepper, and hot pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Clean the meat with hot water and lemon ans set aside in a bowl.
2. Add seasoning salt and set aside for 2 hrs. Boil meat in stockpotwith 3 quarts of water until tender (about 1 1/2 – 2 hrs).
3. Add more additional water if necessary and remaining ingredients except noodles. Cook for 20 minutes and add noodles.

Fried Cubed Beef

Ingredients

• 2 lb steak or goat cut into small cubes
• 1/2 cup of chopped shallots
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1/4 cup lime or lemon juice
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 tsp of parsley

Preparation

1. Put all ingredients except the oil in a large pot and marinate at least 4 hours.
2. Transfer meat mixture to medium saucepan or pressure cooker and add water to cover.
3. Heat to boiling and reduce heat . Simmer covered until meat is very tender.
4. Fry meat in a large pan until crisp and golden brown.

Picklese Vegetables

Ingredients

• 6 Scotch bonnet peppers
• 2 cups thinly sliced or shredded cabbage
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced or shredded onions
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 to 10 peppercorns (optional)
• 3 cups vinegar

Preparation

1. Snip off the stem of the peppers, cut each into 4 pieces, and keep the seeds. Place hot peppers, cabbage, carrots, onion, cloves, salt, and peppercorn in a quart size jar. Then add vinegar.
2. Close jar tightly and let sit at least 24-48 hours before serving.
3. Serve with meat or fish.

Sweet Potato Bread

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. white sweet potatoes, peeled and cut
• 1 large banana, peeled and cut in 1 inch pieces
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup seedless raisins
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• Rind of 1 lemon, grated
• 1 1/2 cups coconut milk
• 3 tsp butter

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grate sweet potatoes into mixing bowl and mash the banana into sweet potatoes.
3. Add all ingredients (except 1 tbsp brown sugar) mixing each ingredient at a time until each ingredient is fully blended into the mix.
4. Spread evenly into 9×13 inch baking pan and sprinkle remaining 1tbspn brown sugar over the top of the pudding.
5. Bake for 1 1/2 hour or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Sweetened Fried Plaintains

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 medium-sized green plantains, peeled and sliced

Preparation

1. In a heavy 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat.
2. Add as many plantain slices as you can without crowding the pan and brown for about 2 minutes on each side.
3. As they brown, transfer them to paper towels to drain.
4. On a board, using a spatula, press each slice flat and round, about ¼-inch thick and 2 inches in diameter.
5. Heat the oil and fry the rounds again for about 1 minute on each side.
6. Drain on paper towels and serve immediately.
7. Serves 4.

Mango Juice

Ingredients

• 4 cups water
• 3 cups orange juice
• 2 mangoes
• 1 cup sugar

Preparation

1. Boil the sugar and water together until sugar is dissolved; let mixture cool.
2. Scoop out the mango flesh and combine with orange juice in a blender.
3. Add the sugar water with puree and continue to blend.
4. Pour into a pitcher filled with ice cubes and serve.

As a Carribbean woman myself, my heart goes out to my fellow islanders. I hope we all do everything we can to help these people because the truth is, this could have happened to any one of us or our loved ones.

Mesi (“Thank You” in Creole),
Naimah

image: cookiesbycartier.com

OK, so I do consider myself as a ‘Happy Go Healthy’ type… but once and a while I do have my cake, and I do in fact eat it (all!). Whenever I go out for dinner, I’m usually the one who would love to “skip straight to dessert,” and I mean that in the literal, non-sexual sense! That being said, I do believe I may be more healthy than I actually give myself credit for… I love chocolate covered cherries, pumpkin pie and apple atrudel, all of which contain one of my 5-a-day!

This evening, I intend on pushing the boat out and attempting to bake a cake. After extensive research, I believe I’ve found the recipe which best suits me; it’s a decadent chocolate carrot cake, which will give me some veggies, as well as what we all really want… CHOCOLATE!!!!!!!!!! erm, excuse me… here’s the recipe!

INGREDIENTS

For Cake Layers:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 4 medium carrots, shredded coarse (about 2 cups)

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ or powdered sugar

For Chocolate Glaze:

• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 ounces fine-quality BITTERSWEET chocolate (not unsweetened)
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup confectioners’ or powdered sugar

PREPARATION

For Cake Layers:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. and grease and flour two 9 by 2-inch round cake pans, knocking of excess flour.
2. Into a bowl sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder.
3. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together eggs and oil on low speed until combined well.
4. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
5. Stir in carrots and divide batter between pans.
6. Bake cake layers in middle of oven 45 to 50 minutes.
7. Cool cake in pans on a rack 10 minutes and invert onto rack to cool completely.

For Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and confectioners’ sugar and beat untl creamy.
3. Spread frosting on top of 1 cake layer and top with 2nd layer.

For Chocolate Glaze:

1. In a small saucepan combine glaze ingredients and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and glaze is smooth.
2. Remove from heat and cool glaze slightly.
3. Spread glaze over top and sides of cake and chill 1 hour, or until set.

Thanks Blisstree.com! As you can see, this is much more complicated than those I usually go for, but I am a believer that yummy chocolately goodness requires a bit of effort.

Love to all,
Naimah

I’ve been wild recently about sugar. I know! It’s not an ideal way to live your life, but I just can’t help it! I just want to eat chocolate all the time!!!!!!!!! But not just dry cookies and biscuits. I’ve had a taste for warm, soft chocolate and Gu makes the best!!!!! They have chocolate souffles, chocolate puds, chocolate mascarpone, melt-in-the-middle chocolate, everything!!!!!! Of course, they’re quite small and they are also expensive, so I decided to try and find a simple-ish recipe to get my chocolate at home, and to maybe burn some calories cooking over a hot stove before piling on the pounds eating goodies… :O I found this really straightforward recipe on deliaonline.com:

Ingredients

Preparation

1. First of all place the broken-up chocolate, along with the butter and brandy, in a large heatproof bowl, which should be sitting over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
2. Then, keeping the heat at its lowest, allow the chocolate and butter to melt slowly; it should take 6-7 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and give it a good stir until it’s smooth and glossy.
3. While the chocolate is melting, place the sugar , whole eggs, yolks and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl, place it on a tea towel to steady it, then whisk on a high speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture has doubled in volume – this will take between 5 and 10 minutes, depending on the power of your whisk. What you need to end up with is a thick, mousse-like mixture that, when you stop the motor and lift the whisk, leaves a trail like a piece of ribbon.
4. Now you need to pour the melted chocolate mixture around the edge of the bowl (it’s easier to fold it in from the edges) and then sift the flour over the mixture. Using a large metal spoon, carefully but thoroughly fold everything together. Patience is needed here; don’t be tempted to hurry it, as careful folding and cutting movements are needed, and this will take 3-4 minutes.
5. Now divide the mixture between the pudding basins (it should come to just below the top of each one) and line them up on a baking tray. If you like, the puddings can now be covered with clingfilm and kept in the fridge or freezer until you need them.When you’re ready to bake the puddings, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).
6. Remove the clingfilm and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for 14 minutes if they have been chilled first, but only 12 if not; after that time the puddings should have risen and feel fairly firm to the touch, although the insides will still be melting.
7. Leave to stand for 1 minute before sliding a palette knife around each pudding  and turning out on to individual serving plates. If you’re cooking these puddings from frozen, give them about 15 minutes’ cooking time and allow them to stand for 2 minutes before turning out.
8. Serve absolutely immediately, with some chilled cream to pour over.

umyumyumyumyumyummmm (that’s my full of chocolate face noise).

Enjoy it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love,
Naimah

[image: culinspiration.files.wordpress.com]

I’m on a mission to find out what Christmas tastes like… I think we in the UK would say it tastes like turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and maybe ham. How do you recreate that in a sandwich? Here’s what I’ve come up with so far!!!

Ingredients

• Left over cooked turkey 
• Left over stuffing
• Cranberry sauce
• Hellman’s Mayo
• 2 Cooked rashers of Bacon
• Uncut loaf of whitebread from the bakers
• Lettuce
• Tomato

Preparation

1. Cut the loaf of bread into 2cm thick slices.
2. Butter the first slice of bread.
3. Add a thin layer of mayonaise.
4. Place generous amounts of turkey on the bread.
5. Spread cranberry over the turkey.
6. Add a layer of lettuce.
7. Add a second slice of buttered bread.
8. Add the bacon.
9. Add thin layer of tomato.
10. Cover with a layer of stuffing.
11. Top with the last layer of buttered bread.

Insert bad auntie Christmas joke here: ‘Well, it’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas!!!!’

Naimah xoxoxo

OK let’s talk yummy scrummy food!!!!

I made the tuna pasta bake the other day, and it turned out really really well!!!! I put too much sauce in it, so was more like pasta bake stew, but I loved it, and I’d love to try the same recipe with different kinds of fish and different sauces. I used tortellini that has sun dried tomatoes in it, I’ve got my eye on some spinach and ricotta tortellini for the next batch. But more on that later!!!

I am still on the hunt for easy,  healthy recipes and I love a good yogurt parfait in the morning. Here’s how I make it:

INGREDIENTS

• 175g granola or porridge oats (I use Scotts or ReadyBrek)
• 500 g vanilla yogurt (I use Onken Biopot yogurts)
• 175g fruit (you can use peaches, strawberries, blueberries, rasberries, or a combination of these!)
• Cinnamon or Nutmeg to taste

PREPARATION

1. Cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces and mix in with the yogurt.
2. In a tall, thin glass (like a pretty dessert cup) create 4 layers. The first layer should be half of the granola, so spoon this into your glass.
3. Put the second later on top of the first. Spoon the yogurt/fruit mixture on top of the layer of granola/oats.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the rest of your mixture.
5. Gobble it all up and enjoy a healthy start to your day!

Hope you enjoy this yummy, easy recipe with a million variations. I know I do.

See you next time bunnies,
Naimah xoxo

I’m a real meat and potatoes girl.  Actually, that’s not true. I like simple foods that are healthy and easy to cook. So, not meat or potatoes (they’ve got a high glycemic index, and don’t even get me STARTED on red meat).

But back to simple healthy dishes! I was at my friend’s house, and he basically made me the most delicious, quick meal out of tuna and pasta and cheese I might have ever tasted in my 30 years on this Earth. It was lovely!

I’m always looking for some great ways to incorporate fish into my posts. So this lovely fish dish is one of the recipes I’d love to make. I’m going to reconstruct the recipe from memory, so hopefully it’s alright! (change the proportions as you see fit) I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Love,
Naimah

Ingredients

• Half a bag of Rigatoni Pasta
• 2 cans of Tuna (dolphin free please!)
• 1/4 cup cheddar Cheese to taste
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• Creamy pasta bake tomato sauce
• Spices to taste (salt, pepper, Italian herb mixture)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C or Gas Mark 4.
2. Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. Boil the frozen peas until heated through. Drain and set aside.
4. Drain both cans of tuna and set aside.
5. Combine the rigatoni pasta, peas and tuna in the bottom of a casserole dish.
6. Top the dish with the can of tomato sauce, cheese and spices.
7. Bake the entire dish in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese melts.
8. Remove and let cool for a few minutes
9. Serve with salad and white wine!

[image: aka.weightwatchers.com.au]

If you’re not British, then you’re in for a treat. I think that British food has a sometimes deserved bad reputation, but this dish is genuinely very tasty, and the recipe is actually very flexible.  Just wait until you hear about a bubble and squeak.

The idea behind bubble and squeak was to use up whatever leftovers there were after the Sunday Roast.* You can eat it with lunch and cold meats on Monday or, as I prefer, you can eat it with your fry up** in the morning. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients (vary as you see fit)

• 1lb of left over boiled, mashed or roasted potatoes
• 1/2lb – 1lb of left over cabbage or brussel sprouts
• A little butter or oil
• Salt and black pepper if desired.

Preparation

• Mash, or rough chop the potatoes
• Chop or break up the cabbage into bitesize pieces too and mix both these together, adding a little salt or pepper to the mixture if desired.
• Add a little oil or butter to a frying pan or skillet and heat on a medium heat.
• When the oil/butter is heated, add the cabbage and potatoes and form into a patty and let cook.
• When the bottom of the patty turns a golden brown colour you’ll need to flip it over to cook on the other side…and then, you’re done.

You might wonder where the name comes from. Well, it’s from the sounds that the food makes when it’s cooking. When you boil the potatoes, you hear the “bubble.” And when you fry everything together, you hear “squeak!” When you eat it, you don’t hear anything becuase you’re eating!

Love,
Naimah

*Sunday Roast is basically a roast meat (chicken, beef, pork), chips and a Yorkshire Pudding and roast vegetables like carrots, parsnips or brussel sprouts. It’s a traditional British Sunday meal where the family sits down, and maybe even invite friends round to share the meal.

**A British fry up is a traditional (very greasy!) breakfast that is basically lots of food fried together. You usually have some combination of eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, mushrooms,  baked beans, black pudding, and fried tomatoes. It’s delicious!

[image: foodnetwork.com]

[image: artsdesiregifts.com]

I’m into the Christmas spirit ALREADY! But, this year, I want to do something a little different. I really want to try to make these traditional Moravian Cookies.  The Moravian community originated in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to Old Salem in the USA in the 1700s. They took with them their traditions of simplicity, service and fellowship.  AND they brought these yummy cookies!

People, these babies are wafer thin, crispy, spicy and warm. YUM! They don’t do it like that on this side of the Atlantic! Here’s a recipe from Old Salem, which was a colonial village in what’s modern-day North Carolina. I love American Southern food!!!!

Love,
Naimah