WARM OKRA AND SWEET POTATO SALAD

An official congratulations to Kuukuwa on winning the last giveaway - the book should be on its way to you now :) Thanks to everyone who took part. I definitely hope to do more like it in the future, so loads more opportunities to win something.

It is officially exam season and so if I disappear from the blog for long stretches then it's probably because I'm in some library poring over a mountain of books. Today is a rest day though and the sunshine has got me in a great mood. It also inspired this colourful warm salad. I've recently been thinking of ways to use okra differently and I think it looks really pretty chopped into rings in this salad. It's also got a slight crunch which compliments the soft sweet potatoes. Give it a try and let me know what you think of the combination!

Ingredients

(serves 2)

- 1 large sweet potato (peeled and diced into cubes)

- 1 handful okra, about 15 (cut into small rounds)

- 2 large tomatoes (finely chopped)

- 1 red bell pepper (finely chopped)

- 1 vegetable stock cube

- 2 tbsp olive oil (or 100ml water for a low-fat version)

Boil the sweet potatoes in a little water for 10 minutes until cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the chopped peppers, tomatoes and vegetable stock cube. Stir constantly on a medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until you have a thick sauce. For a low-fat version, replace the oil with 100ml water and cook for 7-8 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated and you're left with a thick sauce. Add the chopped okra, turn the heat down to low and cook covered for a further 5 minutes. 

Add the cooked sweet potatoes and gently combine all the ingredients. Serve warm.

ROASTED TOMATO AND LETTUCE SOUP

The humble and effortlessly healthy tomato soup is given a kick with the rich flavour of roasted fresh tomatoes, lettuce and garlic. I haven't added any chilli / scotch bonnet to this recipe because I wanted to keep things light and make the fresh tomatoes the star of the dish, but feel free to add some if you want a bit more heat.

Aside from the long cooking time, it's incredibly easy to make and freezes well too. Tomato soup isn't something I make very often but I have it in mind to rustle up a big batch and store in the freezer for days when I want something quick and simple, or when I don't feel like cooking from scratch.

Serves one if you're having it as a meal all to yourself; serves two if you're dishing it up in starter portion sizes.

[Also - thanks to everyone who entered the last giveaway. It has now officially closed and I will be in touch with the winner soon.]



























Ingredients
(serves 1-2)
- 3 large tomatoes (halved)
- 2 whole cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- Olive oil
- Dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste

Line a baking tray with some foil and place your garlic and tomato halves (facing upwards) in it.

Drizzle the tomatoes with a little olive oil, sprinkle on some dried thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Roast in a pre-heated oven, gas mark 7, for 45 mins. Add the shredded lettuce to the baking tray 15 mins before the end of the cooking time (you want them to have a nice roasted flavour, not a burnt one).

By the end of 45 mins, the tomatoes should be succulent on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.

Place the roasted lettuce, tomatoes and garlic in a food blender and whiz until smooth. You can take the skins of the tomatoes before blending to get an even smoother consistency, but I kept them on for the extra fibre. Check the soup for seasoning and add some extra salt or pepper if needed.

Serve hot with a garnish of your choice.

ONE YEAR BLOG ANNIVERSARY + GIVEAWAY #2

I can't believe it's been a year since I started this blog! What a fun, crazy, amazing journey it's been so far. 

Highlights would definitely have to be meeting all kinds of fascinating people, experiencing new things that I otherwise never would have experienced, and hearing from readers who enjoy the recipes. When I put up that first post, I never even considered that anything remotely cool could come from it - how wrong I was!

To celebrate, I'm hosting another giveaway. This time I'll be giving away a fabulous guide called 'By Any Greens Necessary' by Tracye Lynn McQuirter. It was one of the first books I read when I was considering going vegan and I cannot tell you enough how helpful it is. It contains lots of practical advice, recipe ideas and in-depth nutrition analysis. If you're interested in seriously probing the benefits of a vegan lifestyle, then you'll want to read this. I'll be sending out one copy to any reader, in any country. Simply leave a comment down below, on Facebook or on Twitter letting me know why you would like the book. I'll pick a winner by the end of the month, get in touch and send the copy off.

Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to join me on this journey :)

P.S. The blog now has a domain name: www.vegannigerian.com 

Yay!

HEART-HEALTHY AVOCADO SALAD

Slightly different take on the whole Valentine's Day theme. No chocolate-covered strawberries or heart-shaped cakes (maybe next year...) Just this super delicious and super easy salad that's kind to your heart.

Avocado, olive oil, nuts - all packed with healthy fats that help lower bad LDL cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Doesn't get any more loving than that :p




























Ingredients
- 2 ripe avocados (diced)
- 1 large tomato (chopped)
- 1/2 small onion (finely chopped)
- handful of basil leaves (chopped)
- mixed nuts (chopped)
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. I saved the avocado skins and used them to serve up the salad. Garnish with some more chopped basil and a twist of black pepper for an extra kick.

EATING OUT #6 - PIZZA HUT

Last November, I found myself in Pizza Hut for my dear sis's birthday party. I've been meaning to write this little review for a while now, but better late than never, eh?

Ok, so first of all, I think Pizza Hut deserve a round of applause for their unlimited salad bar...every restaurant needs one of those. I am particularly impressed by the variety of vegetables and pulses on offer. I would even go so far as to say that it is actually possible to construct a filling, wholesome lunch based solely on that salad bar.

Alas, you go to a pizza restaurant to eat an actual pizza and so I ended up ordering the 'Veggie Hot One' topped with olives, cherry tomatoes, red onion, peppers and green chillies - without the cheese. I half-expected a look of surprise on the waiter's face, but nope, my request seemed to pass as perfectly normal. Thumbs up for customer service.

The pizza: While I think the sauce could have done with a bit more seasoning (I guess the bulk of the taste would normally come from the cheese), overall I was happy with my meal. I did miss having something to hold all the veg together though - more than a couple of those sneaky olives slid onto my lap as I tried to take a bite.

More than anything, I was also secretly relieved that I could effortlessly get on with enjoying the day with everyone, munching away on my cheese-less pizza (which is not as sad as it sounds :p).

Even though this post is specific to Pizza Hut, I think it can apply to just about any pizza restaurant out there. Any restaurant that cares enough about its customers will be willing to meet all sorts of dietary requests. It's just a matter of the customer being vocal (and polite) about it.

What's your take on the cheese-less pizza?

Nigerian Stewed Beans | EWA RIRO

I never liked beans as a kid. In fact, that's putting it mildly. I detested beans. In an attempt to get me to eat it, I was told that it'd make me grow taller (who else was fed this line?). I wasn't so convinced - if growing tall meant suffering through mouthfuls of mushy beans then I was more than happy to remain a little shrimp. Still, I had no choice in the matter and over time developed strategies to make it more palatable to my young taste buds e.g. loading up on plantain or a good chunk of bread (both usually served alongside beans, thankfully).

Not really selling this to you, am I? Well, all I can say is that it's a good thing our taste buds change over time. I honestly cannot imagine life without a scrummy bowl of beans thrown in there from time to time (slight exaggeration but...). It's up there with yam pottage as my go-to comfort food. Plus there's the whole highly nutritious thing that isn't so bad either...

'Ewa' is the Yoruba name for this meal, but utter the word 'beans' (the 's' pronounced instead of the 'z' you have in 'baked beans') and the image conjured up in a Nigerian's mind would most likely be the porridge-like dish made with honey beans (a.k.a. oloyin) and palm oil.

This is a leaner version of that. The palm oil has been reduced, so you still get the classic flavour but your beans won't be swimming in oil. I've also used some red pepper mix to give it some colour and added flavour. Still tastes great; there's no hiding the unique taste of honey beans. 

Tip: soak the beans in cold water overnight and rinse thoroughly before cooking.

Ingredients

(serves 4)
- 2 cups honey beans (oloyin beans)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- water
- 2 cups red pepper mix
- 2 tbsp palm oil
- salt to taste

Start by placing the beans in a large pot and covering completely with water. Boil for 5 minutes and discard the water. Give the beans another rinse.

Cover the beans with water again and cook with the diced onion  for about 45 minutes (low-medium heat), making sure that the water doesn't dry up completely before the beans become tender (you may need to add more water as you go along). At the end of the cooking process, you want to be left with very soft beans and a mushy consistency.

Add the red pepper mix, palm oil and salt to taste. Stir to combine all the ingredients and cook for another 10 minutes on medium-high heat.

Serve hot with some plantain, bread or a generous sprinkling of garri over the top.

VEGETABLE STOCK

I've had a couple of messages asking how to make vegetable stock and so it's back to basics with this fool-proof stock recipe. Homemade vegetable stock is infinitely better than any kind you could find at the shop - you get to control the flavours, salt content etc.

While I would encourage you to try out a combination of different vegetables, there are a few that don't work particularly well, such as leafy greens, cabbage, broccoli and sprouts - these can add an unsavoury bitter taste. Opt for fresh herbs like basil/partminger instead. The recipe I'm sharing below is my favourite combination - it smells absolutely amazing while cooking and the flavour is delicate and fragrant.

Vegetable stock is a great thing to have sitting in your fridge because it can be used for so many things. It can be used as a base for soups and sauces. (I used it in the yam pottage and egusi recipes). Here's another neat idea: it can also be used to sauté onions and other chopped vegetables - if you're trying to reduce the amount of oil in your cooking, then there's your solution!


























Ingredients
(makes 10-12 cups)
- 12 cups water
- 5 large carrots (roughly chopped)
- 1 medium red onion (quartered)
- 1 large tomato (roughly chopped)
- 2 spring onions (chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
- 1-2 tbsp ginger (chopped)
- 1 corn on the cob
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp salt

Place all the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, turn the heat down and simmer for 1 hour.

Strain the vegetables from the broth, using the back of a spoon to press out any excess liquid from the vegetables. If there are little bits floating in your vegetable stock, go ahead and strain it a couple more times. The leftover veg can be used later for a rice/spaghetti sauce, or puréed to make a soup.

Keeps in the fridge for about a week. Or better yet, freeze in small containers and bring it out as you need it.

  

YAM POTTAGE

A classic meal with a bit of a twist. I've added grated carrot to give it a slightly different texture and kept it oil-free. When it comes to comfort food, it doesn't get any better than this. 

Ingredients

(serves 6)

 - half of a medium-sized yam (peeled and cut into cubes)

- 6 carrots (grated)

- 6 cups red pepper mix (blend of tomatoes and peppers)

- 2 cups vegetable stock

- Salt to taste

- Spring onions (chopped, to garnish)

Place the yam, grated carrot, red pepper mix and vegetable stock in a large pot and stir to combine well. 

Cook for 40 mins on low-medium heat, making sure to give it a good stir half-way through the cooking time (to stop it sticking to the bottom)

Serve hot with a garnish of chopped spring onions.