Chinese noodles

Ingredients:
1tsp curry
1/2 tsp thyme
1tsp cilantro, chopped
1tsp parsley, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1tsp seasoning salt
1bouillon cube
1/2cup of water
extra 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
extra 1 bouillon cube
2 rice noodles squares
2tbsp olive oil/ any cholesterol-free vegetable oil
2-3 medium sized chicken breast, cubed
1cup of diced tomatoes, drained
3cups of mixed vegetables

Preparation:
Start by seasoning the chicken with the first seven ingredients minus 1/2 the onions, reserve the other half for frying, add 1/2 cup of water. Cook until tender. set aside.

Add the oil into a deep frying pan, and Saute' the onions in it, add the veggies and the diced tomatoes and fry till the veggies are tender. Transfer the seasoned meat into the frying pan, stir to mix, then break the noodles as desired and add into the mixture, make sure to get all the noodles to be coated with the stock, sprinkle the extra seasoning salt and bouillon cube on it. Cover and cook at very low heat, stirring from time to time. Check if the noodles is tender enough, if not sprinkle with a little water, and cook until tender. Taste for salt. Serve with a glass of water or juice or any drink of your choice. Enjoy!

Meat pie

Meat pie

Ingredients:

 

For the crust:

 

4cups all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

1cup of margarine(at room temperature)

 2tbs baking powder

1tsp salt

1/2tsp baking soda

11/2tsp honey or brown sugar

11/2cups of water

 

 For the filling:

 

11/2 pounds lean ground beef

 2cups cubed potatoes, cooked

11/2tbs vegetable oil



21/2cups diced onions
21/2cups cubed carrots, cooked
1/2tsp curry
1/2tsp thyme
4 bouillon cube
a pinch of salt
1tsp seasoning salt
1/4cup flour
1/2cup water

For egg wash:
1 large egg(room temperature)
a whisk
a clean kitchen brush

Preparation:

For the crust:Mix all the dry ingredients and add the wet ones( mix in the margarine first, followed by the water) mix until smooth and dough is formed, set aside in a plastic wrap/bowl and refrigerate while you make the filling.

For Egg Wash:
Whisk the egg in a clean bowl, and set aside

Cinnamon waffle

Cinnamon Waffles, with berries topping

Ingredients:

 

For waffles: 

1cup of all purpose flour or whole wheat flour

1cup of milk

1tbs sugar

11/2tsp baking powder

1/2tsp yeast

1/4tsp salt

2tbs butter, melted

1tsp cinnamon

2 large eggs

Meal maker or waffle maker

 

Topping:

11/2cups of mixed berries

11/2 tsp of sugar

 

Preparation:

Mix all the dry ingredients and set aside. whisk the wet ingredients, add them to the dry ones and whisk to mix. set aside, for about 10-12 minutes. Mean while turn on the waffle maker, spray with oil, and allow to be ready according to manufacturers instruction.

 

Pour the mixture in, up to 3/4 full, close and allow to cook, depending on how long it takes for the waffle maker to signal that the waffle is ready.

 

For the topping, sprinkle the sugar on the berries and cook in the microwave for about 11/2-2minutes, and pour over the waffle.

 Enjoy!

 

 

 



Cinnamon Waffles
Cinnamon waffle video

How to Cook Fried Rice

Fried Rice

The secrete to a tasty fried rice is in the type of  broth used in making it, the better the quality of the broth, the better the taste of the rice.

Ingredients:
5 cups of long grain brown rice
2cups green beans chopped and streamed
21/2cups of cubed carrot, steamed
2 cups of low sodium beef/chicken broth
2 cups of cooked cubed liver or cooked shrimp(optional)
4 small  bouillon cubes
2tbsp curry
1tsp thyme
1tbsp seasoning salt
1/4tsp jalapeno pepper, minced(optional)
2 medium size onions chopped
4 cups of water + extra for parboiling the rice.
1/3cup of extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:
Parboil the rice for about 2 minutes and wash off the excess starch with a cold water, put in a sieve to properly drain the water, set aside. In a clean pot, add and mix all the ingredients except, the cooked carrots, green beans, liver or shrimp and olive oil, and bring to boil. Add the rice let it boil and lower the heat to medium and allow to simmer until the water dry's off. * Note: the rice shouldn't be too soft*. Mix the veggies and set aside.

Broccoli Salad

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

5 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup raisins
8slices of bacon(chopped)
1/2cups of silvered almonds
1/2 cups of red onions, thinly sliced.



For Dressing:
1 large egg
1/3cup sugar
1tsp cornstarch
1/2tsp liquid mustard or 1tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4cup water
1/2cup mayonnaise

Dressing:
Mix together the whole dressing ingredients except the mayonnaise with a whisk. Cook slowly until it thickens, whisking from time to time to avoid clumping. Turn off the heat and cool. Add the mayonnaise and mix thoroughly, set aside.

Bacon Preparation:
Fry the bacon in a frying pan until it browns up, set aside.

For the Salad:
Cut up the broccoli into bite sizes, thinly slice the onions, set aside. Add the almond into a frying pan and toast till golden brown.

Mix the broccoli and onions. Pour the dressing on the broccoli, and toss together. Spread the bacon,  raisins, mandarin, and the toasted almond over the broccoli.  Refrigerate for about 1 hour or more. Toss everything together before serving. Enjoy!

Roast Beef Burger( from leftover roast)



Roast beef burger

When there is a leftover roast beef in the house, and you don't know what to do with it, you can use it to make a burger. It is very easy just put some few things together and you are good to go.

Roast beef burger Ingredients:

21/2cups of shredded roast beef

1/4 cup barbecue sauce

2tbs ketchup

1/4cup mayonnaise

1 tbs salad dressing

1/8tsp black pepper

4 buns

1tbsp margarine

1tbsp mayonnaise

4 cheese slices

lettuce

tomato slices

cucumber

onions slices(optional)

Preparation :

Warm the roast beef up if it is a leftover, mix the next 5 ingredients into it and set aside. Apply the margarine on one side of the bun and mayonnaise on the other, do the same for the rest of the buns.

layer the veggies on the bun, scoop about 1/3 of a cup( or as you desire) to each bun, and lay the cheese on top. Enjoy!

Whole wheat apple pie



Whole wheat apple pie

This recipe is a more healthy alternative to the regular apple pie made with all purpose flour. It is much more tastier, because the flavour is more intense when using whole wheat flour.

Ingredients:

For the pie crust:
11/3cups whole wheat flour
1/4tsp table salt
1/2 cup of chilled  margarine cubed
1/4 cup of cold water

For the filling:
4-5 apples, peeled and cubed
2tbs lemon juice
2/3cups white sugar
1/3cups brown sugar
2tbs whole wheat flour
1tsp Cinnamon
1egg
1tbs of water

Preparation:
 Pie crust
Mix the flour and salt in a clean bowl, add the margarine afterwards, use a potato masher to mash, till it looks like a coarse crumb. Gradually add the water until it finishes and you are able to mould the pastry into a ball. Cover up and refrigerate for about an hour. On a floured surface, share the dough in half, and roll each to fit inside your pie plate. Lay one half on the bottom of the pie plate and reserve the other one for the topping.

Filling:
Put the apples in a clean bowl, add the lemon juice, and mix together. In a separate bowl, mix the brown sugar, white sugar, flour and Cinnamon, and pour over the apple. Properly mix everything. Pour into the pie plate and cover with the remaining crust. Seal the edge with your hand and use fork to press down properly. Mix the egg and water, use a brush to brush the egg lightly on the topping. Use a fork or knife to make slits on the topping for steam to escape when its starts to bake. Bake for 40-45minute or until golden brown at 350degrees F.

It can be served either cold or warm. Enjoy!




Whole wheat apple pie



Afro/caribbean Jellof rice

Mexican Jellof Rice

 

 

This is an Afro-Caribbean and Mexican recipe, its quite delicious, it gives a twist to the regular way of making rice. The best result is got, when used home made stock. So, am gonna be doing that for this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs washed

3/4tbs seasoning salt

1/2tsp curry

1/2tsp thyme

3 small size bouillon cubes cubes or 1 medium size

 1/4 tsp minced jalapeno pepper or black pepper

1 clove garlic minced

2 medium size onions chopped

21/2cups of long grain brown rice

1 small can tomatoes paste(about 185ml)

1/2 cup of oil

salt to taste.

 

Preparation:

 

Step 1

Making the stock: Add the first 7 ingredients and half of the onions to a clean pot, and add about 2cups of water,and bring to boil, reduce the heat to medium allow to simmer for 30-35 minutes. Separate the meat, you can either roast or use it as is, to serve the rice later. Now the stock is ready to be used.

 

Step 2

 

Wash and parboil the rice to reduce the starch level, (IE add enough water that will cover the rice in a clean pot, bring to boil, wash and add the rice into the boiling water, allow to boil for about 2-3minutes), rinse and set aside on a sieve.

 

Step 3

 

Saute' the rest of the onions with the oil in a frying pan, add the tomato paste and fry, turning constantly to avoid burning. It will take like 20-25 minutes of frying or until the paste appears to still be bubbling when scooped out with the spoon. set aside.

 

Step 4

 

 Put the stock back on the fire, add the fried tomato paste to the stock, bring to a boil, add the parboiled rice, stir to mix everything up, check for salt( you always add a little more salt if its not enough already).  If the water in the rice did not cover it, you can add more water, cover and bring to boil, and reduce the heat to medium. Check the rice after 10-15 minutes to find out if the rice is tender enough, you can sprinkle a little more water if not. When the water is completely dried, and the rice done,  stir it and turn off the heat. You can now serve. Hurrah!

 

Fresh Herb Turkey

Thanksgiving weekend is around the corner,  and every family deserve the best meals. At least mum will be home since it is a work free day. So mum, you can make use of this juicy turkey recipe to give your family a special treat, and you are gonna be glad you did. This recipe will give the best result if you can start by brining the turkey if you didn't buy brined turkey. I prefer home brined turkey.

Ingredients:
8kg turkey
1/4 cup of margarine
latex gloves

For Brining:
1cup of salt
1cup of sugar
1 gallon of cold water
5 bay leaves(|optional)
2-3 stalks of fresh thyme(optional)
12 ice cubes


For seasoning:
2tsp seasoning salt
1tsp curry
1tsp thyme
1tbs cilantro chopped
1tbs parsley chopped
2cloves of garlic minced
1/2 cup minced onions
1/2 tsp minced jalapeno or black pepper
1/4tsp nutmeg


For the gravy:
2tbs corn starch
11/2 cups of turkey juice or broth
1 cup of water
salt( if needed)

Method:
Defrost the turkey completely, using the  safe handling method. Brine the turkey for at least 8 hours before cooking.

How to brine a turkey:
Add all the ingredients listed above for the brine in a big container that will not react with the brine, stir until the salt and sugar dissolves.Submerge the turkey in it make sure the brine covers the turkey completely. Some of the water will go into the hole in the turkey, so you can always add more water, salt and sugar, depending on how much water that is needed. Put the container with the brine into the fridge for 8-12hours.

 

 



Turkey brining



Seasoning:
Remove the turkey from the brine separate the giblets now and reserve for gravy for another day, and rinse off the brine completely in the sink. Use paper towel to dry the turkey as much as you can. Rub the margarine all over the turkey, mix all the seasoning ingredients above, and apply with your hands all over the turkey,inside and out. Try to apply some of the mixture under the skin as much as you can, without recking the skin. Tuck in the wings under the turkey neck, and tie up the legs with a kitchen string.

Seasoned Turkey

Turn on the oven to 400degrees F, lay the turkey with the breast up, in a roasting pan and put in the lower part of the oven, allow to roast for 35minutes to 1hour or until golden brown, bast the turkey with the juice/drippings from the pan, lower the temperature to 350 degrees F and cover the turkey loosely with foil, and roast for extra 31/2-4 hours or until thermometer is 175 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the turkey(always check for the cooking time on the label that the turkey came with). Make sure to baste every one hour.

 

 

 

When the turkey is done, transfer to a clean casserole dish or any plate of your choice for the carving, then you can filter the juice if you want and reduce the amount of fat as well, before making the gravy.

For the gravy, mix the corn starch into the water and add to the broth. Stir to prevent clumping allow to simmer for 2-3minutes, stirring from time to time.

You can use the gravy to serve the turkey. Enjoy! Happy Thanksgiving!.

Fresh herbs beefburger

Fresh herbs beef burger

 

Though the summer is over and many of us have packed the barbecue stand in preparation for the winter, but we can still enjoy some of those delightful meals of summer. Home made beef burger is a delight especially when you are in control of all the ingredeints that goes in to it, we can still achive that same feeling and the taste it gives by using the oven instead of grilling on the barbecue stand. So the ingredients for this recipe is:

 

3Ibs lean ground beef

11/2tsp seasoning salt

2cloves of garlic minced

1/4tsp jalapeno pepper or black pepper

1/4 tsp curry

1/4tsp fresh thyme

1 egg

1tbs flour

1tsp cilantro

1tsp parsely

1/4cup minced onions

Buns

lettuce

cheese slices

tomatoes slices

cucumber slices

onions rings(optional)

Barbecue sauce

ketchup

mayonaise

margerine

 

Preparation:

Put the ground beef in a clean bowl, add all of the first 11 ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Turn on the oven set to 350 degrees F while mixing. Mould the mixture as desired and place on baking pan/ tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes on each side.

 

When the burger is almost done apply about half teaspoon of barbecue sauce on each, and bake alittle more about 1 minute, turn off the heat. Bring it out of the oven to avoid over cooking and place the cheese slice, one on each burger.

 

While the burger was in the oven, go ahead and apply butter and mayonnaise on the buns(we have to multi-task, right), so that by the time the meat is ready the food will be served immediately, its better served hot.

 

To serve, add the burger on one side of the bun, and layer the vegies as desired, finally sprinkle with ketchup as desired as well. Then cover with the other side of the bun and enjoy your meal. Cheers! 

 

 

 

Home made Cheese burger

Home made hamburger

 

Ditch the store bought hamburger, and do it yourself. At least you can control what goes into it. Its easy to make. And does not take alot of time to prepare.

 

The ingredients for this recipe is:

 

3Ibs lean ground beef or lean ground pork

11/2tsp seasoning salt

2cloves of garlic minced

1/4tsp jalapeno pepper or black pepper

1/4 tsp curry

1/4tsp thyme

1 egg

1tbs flour

1/4 cup red pepper chopped

1/4cup yellow or green pepper chopped

1/4cup minced onions

Buns

lettuce

cheese slices

tomatoes slices

cucumber slices

onions rings(optional)

Barbecue sauce

ketchup

mayonnaise

margarine

 

Preparation:

Put the ground beef/pork depending on the one you are using, in a clean bowl, add all of the first 11 ingredients, and mix thoroughly. Turn on the oven set to 350 degrees F while mixing. Mould the mixture as desired and place on a greased baking pan/ tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes on each side.

 

Apply about half teaspoon of barbecue sauce on each burger,when the burger is almost done, and bake a little more about 1 minute, turn off the heat. Bring it out of the oven to avoid over cooking and place the cheese slice, one on each burger.

 

While the burger was in the oven, go ahead and apply margarine and mayonnaise on the buns, so that by the time the meat is ready the food will be served immediately, its better served hot.

 

To serve, add the burger on one side of the bun, and layer the veggies as desired, and add ketchup as desired.Then cover with the other side of the bun and enjoy your meal. Cheers! 

 

 

 

Slow cooker Roast beef



Most times when people hear about roast beef, the first thing that comes to mind about making it, is using the oven, but this time around, we are going to twist things around. We will be using the slow cooker this time.






Roast Beef

Ingredients:
1.7kg boneless roast beef
1tbsp flour
1/2 tsp curry
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 cup grated onions
3/4 tsp seasoning salt.
1/4tsp jalapeno pepper
1tbsp veg. oil
11/2 cup chicken/beef broth
1tbsp parsley
1tbsp cilantro
2garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onions chopped
some carrots chopped

Preparation:

Wash the beef, set aside. Mix the curry, thyme, grated onions and seasoning salt together, and apply them all over the beef, sprinkle with the flour and pat down. On a clean frying pan, spread the oil, and brown the beef. Layer the carrots, onions, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno pepper and parsley in a slow cooker, transfer the beef into the cooker and, pour in the broth. Turn the slow cooker to high, and cook for about 4-5 hours, or until it is soft when pierced with a fork. Transfer the meat to a clean plate.You can use the broth from the meat for gravy.

Gravy preparation:

11/2 cups of broth
1cup of water
2tbs corn starch
salt to taste.

 Mix the corn starch in the water, and add to the broth, allow to simmer, stirring from time to time, taste and add salt as desired. Serve the beef with the gravy.

Left over beef  can be used for roast beef burger. Cheers!

Yummy mashed potato

Yummy Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:
( 1)
6 medium sized potatoes
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1/4 cup of Whip cream
1/4 tsp of black pepper,
1/4 tsp of table salt.
3-4 cups of water
1 tsp of margarine
1/4tsp nut meg

(2)
1 Medium sized butternut squash
1/4 cup mayonnaise

(3)
3 chicken legs
11/2 tsp of seasoning salt,
1/4 tsp curry
1/4 tsp thyme
1/8 tsp black pepper

Preparation:

Step 1:

Wash and peel the potatoes cut into medium cubes for faster cooking, add the salt and water ,boil till its tender to touch, It may take between 30 to 45minutes. Separate the potato from the cooking water, reserve about half cup for the mashing. Add the mayonnaise, whip cream ,black pepper, nutmeg and margarine, and mash until its smooth enough, add the reserved water,or better of 1/2 cup of milk instead, mix together( don`t mash for too long to avoid making a gummy meal). cover and set aside.

Step2:

While the potatoes was on the fire, cut and peel the squash(or cook with the back on, later scoop with spoon) and boil till its tender to touch. Add the remaining mayonnaise into a clean bowl add the squash to it and mash as desired.

Step 3:

while the foods are on the fire, season  the chicken and bake. Reserve the juice that will come out for gravy. You can either use store bought gravy or do one with the broth from the chicken.

 

Note for gravy: 1 cup of  chicken broth plus 3/4 cup of water ,2tbsp of corn starch,1/8tsp black pepper, and salt to taste. for home made gravy. You can now go ahead and serve. Enjoy!