PINEAPPLE AND GROUNDNUT STIR-FRY

Does this qualify as a weird flavour combination? I'm not entirely sure, but it made sense as I was making it. The results were satisfying - refreshing pineapple, crunchy peppers and earthy groundnut coated in a sticky-sweet sauce. Serve it up with some brown rice or other grain to complete the meal.

Ingredients

(serves 1-2)

- 1 small pineapple

- 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)

- 1 small onion (sliced)

- 1 large tomato (finely chopped)

- 1/2 cup groundnut (peanuts)

- 1 vegetable stock cube

- Fresh herbs (chopped, to garnish)

Take out the pineapple flesh and cut into chunks. Retain any natural juices in a cup and set aside.

Add the pineapple, chopped tomatoes, peppers and onions to a frying pan and sauté for five minutes, stirring constantly. Add the pineapple juice and stock cube, reduce the heat and simmer for a further five minutes.

Finally, add the groundnut and garnish with some freshly chopped herbs. I used basil here to give it an extra kick.

EATING OUT - SALADS

I am often wary of ordering salads whenever I eat out. You just never know what you're going to get. As much as I love my greens, I also want to know that the money I'm spending on a meal is worth it and that I won't leave feeling more deprived than when I walked in.
Unfortunately, some restaurants tend to make salads an afterthought of oversized leaves spotted with limp, watery extras.

It's always a nice surprise when you find a restaurant keen to put in some effort and my general tip would be: don't be afraid to talk it out with your waiter/waitress. Ask for extra stuff to bulk out the meal (like beans) and see where it gets you.

This is the last salad I had when I ate out - the best and tastiest I've come across so far. The fruit salad wasn't too bad either:

Watermelon and Grapefruit Punch | Refreshing Summer Drink

Make drinking water that bit more interesting with this refreshing drink idea. Ideal for those scorching hot summer months.

You'll need:
- 1/2 watermelon (cut into 15-20 bite-size cubes)
- 2 litres water
- peel from 2 large grapefruits
- juice from 2 large grapefruits
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- fresh herbs (mint or basil)

Freeze the watermelon to form "watermelon ice cubes".
Fill a jug with 2 litres of chilled water. Add the grapefruit peel, grapefruit juice and maple syrup.
Crush the fresh herbs to release some of the oils then add to the water.
Add the frozen watermelon cubes just before serving.

LIGHT COCONUT CUPCAKES

Short of calling them airy fairy puffy-cloud feather-light delights, these cupcakes really do melt in the mouth. The centre texture is extraordinarily fluffy with a delicate, crumbly exterior.
If you weren't convinced about vegan baking before then this is sure to change your mind.




















Ingredients

(makes 12)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup wholegrain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup grated coconut
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup coconut milk
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Combine the coconut milk and sunflower oil in another small bowl and add that to the dry ingredients. Beat to form a thick, gooey mixture.

Line (or grease with oil) a cupcake tin and scoop the cake batter into each cupcake mould.

Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas mark 5, for 25-30 minutes or until the cupcakes have risen slightly and are golden brown.

Leave to cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!

GROCERY HAUL #6

I beat my alarm by two hours this morning. Two hours! And what's more, I was feeling unusually upbeat, raring to go, eager to get outside for some fresh morning air. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am not a morning person (and I believe I have stressed this point somewhere else on this blog). In fact, a little part of me resents the upbeat, glowing morning person. You know the kind - up at the crack of dawn, a million and one things already accomplished, breakfast downed and lunch already on the cooker. Throw in some cheerful humming and the resentment might just grow into hatred for the next hour or so, or at least until my own brain kicks into gear and I can string a sentence together.

No, I am more of a night owl. The kind of person who wishes the world would operate back to front - work all night and sleep all day. I guess I can see how this could maybe be a waste. I mean, the sky was pretty blue and gorgeous this morning and the fruits did look extra dazzling with the sun rays bouncing off them...

Anyway, on to my purchase. As it's summer, I'm trying not to overload on the heavy stuff like yams and potatoes etc..and opting instead for more cooling, refreshing fruits, salads and whatnot.

- coconut milk
- pineapple
- watermelon
- dates (great for snacking)
- fresh basil
- green lettuce
- tomatoes
- grapefruit
- apple (crimson red, almost black! caught my eye so thought I'd try one)
- groundnut
- lime
- golden pear

Oh, and look what I came across on my morning stroll:

As a book addict, of course I had to stop for a browse. I ended up picking up a book on salads. I need as much inspiration as I can get. Plus, it was such a steal - we're talking mere kobo/pennies/cents.

Happy weekend, but most importantly, happy eating!

BEANS & PLANTAIN CAKES WITH A TOMATO-ONION SALAD

Can you believe I almost named this recipe 'PEPPERED "STEAKS"'? I was going for the whole juicy-alternative-to-regular-steak thing but decided against it. It wouldn't have been such an atrocious idea I suppose, after all I've dabbled in spicy burgers and meat-less pies in the past. But let's get real - it tastes nothing like a steak, maybe looks like a steak with the right angle and lighting, but yeah... Let's celebrate it for what it is this time around - beans and plantain (classic combo) under a different, arguably chic guise.

Long before I even considered a plant-based diet as a valid way of eating, I used to tease a veggie friend of mine for eating things like veggie burgers and veggie sausages and veggie mince etc etc. I always wondered why so much effort went into making mock versions of meat products. I can't speak for any of the vegetarian/vegan food production companies, but I've come to realise that there's something fun about trying to re-appropriate long-standing dietary favourites that I once thought I couldn't live without. The creative side of me wants to push the boundaries of what food can be transformed into. A bit like a mad scientist in a lab, without the fly-away hair and villainous laughter of course...

Ingredients

(serves 3-4)

- 1 cup cooked beans (I used black-eyed beans)

- 1 very ripe banana

- 1/4 cup wholegrain flour

- 1 vegetable stock cube

- 2 tsp ground ginger

- Ground black pepper

- 2 large tomatoes (chopped)

- 1 small onion (chopped)

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- Salt to taste

Mash the beans and ripe plantain in a large mixing bowl to form a smooth or chunky texture, depending on which you prefer. Add the wholegrain flour, ground ginger and crushed stock cube, give it a good mix to achieve a light, sticky mixture.

Line a baking tray with some greaseproof paper and drop two to three tablespoons of the mixture on at a time (use the back of the spoon to spread it out a little and form roughly round shapes). Lightly sprinkle each 'cake' with black pepper.

Bake in a pre-heated oven, gas mark 6, for 20-25 mins or until brown and firm to the touch.

Leave to cool for a few minutes and serve with a refreshing tomato/onion salad (chopped tomatoes and onions tossed with 1 tbsp olive oil and salt to taste).

BEANS AND RICE

This post goes out especially to one of my blog readers who appears to be just as obsessed with brown basmati rice as I am and who requested a beans and rice recipe. As soon as I saw your message this morning, I knew my dinner plans were sorted. Cheers for that :)

As popular as the beans/rice combination is in Nigeria, I can probably count the number of times I've eaten it on one hand. After today, I might make it a bit more of a permanent fixture in my regular menu. It's certainly a wonderful way to pack in some extra protein.

Ingredients

(serves 2)

- 1/2 cup brown basmati rice

- 1/2 cup cooked beans (I've used red kidney beans, but feel free to use whatever type you have!)

- 2 large tomatoes (chopped)

- 1 medium onion

- 1 vegetable stock cube

- 1 tbsp sunflower oil

- 1 tsp curry powder

- 1 tsp dried thyme

- Salt to taste

Start by sautéing the onions in oil, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened. 

Add the basmati rice and cover with a little water. Season with the stock cube, curry, thyme and salt. Turn the heat all the way down and simmer until the rice is soft. 

Stir in the cooked beans at the very end and cook for another minute or two.

Enjoy!

BREAKFAST #4 - PLAIN PANCAKES AND SEASONAL FRUITS

Happy Saturday! It's been a while since I've done a breakfast post soo here's what I had to eat this morning. The pancakes are plain this time around, unlike the banana and raisin number I shared back in March.

But shifting the focus away from the pancakes, let's talk seasonal fruits. Where I am at the moment, peaches are in absolute abundance. You can't walk into a store or market without being hit by the smell of sweet, fragrant peaches.  Nothing says summer like fresh fruit so I've topped my pancakes with lightly spiced peaches and oodles of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Yum!


















Ingredients
(serves 2)
- 2 peaches (diced)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup cane sugar
- 2 tbsp vegan margarine (melted)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1  tsp nutmeg
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, melted margarine and almond milk in a large bowl to form a thick, gooey batter.

Drop 1 cooking spoon of the batter into the centre a non-stick frying pan and cook/brown on both sides (medium-low heat). Repeat the process for the rest of the pancakes.

Place the diced peaches in a bowl and toss with cinnamon and nutmeg until evenly coated.

Stack your warm pancakes on a plate and top with the spiced peaches. Squeeze as much lemon juice as you want over the top.