We Eat African (WEA): Whats for Dinner

from Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Africa by Habeeb Salloum

Ras el Hanout means “top of the shop.” For North African souks, or spice merchants, it is a point of honor to have the most sought after version of this blend.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

Obtained from www.nypl.com

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from Classic Vegetarian Cooking From the Middle East and North Africa by Habeeb Salloum

Ras el Hanout means "top of the shop." For North African souks, or spice merchants, it is a point of honor to have the most sought after version of this blend.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature.

Obtained from www.nypl.com

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Whats for Dinner: Baked Sweet Potatoes and Plantains- Episode 1

all posts 11:04

Okay so I spend a lot of my free time in the kitchen even on weekdays. 99% i make stuff up I don't use any recipes, instead I cook based on whats available in my pantry. So I thought it would be pretty cool to document some of the stuff i put together, even the crazy combinations, lol.

Well that's how whats for dinner was born.

Okay so in this edition I looked in my pantry and found plantains and sweet potatoes. Hmm which should I cook for dinner, couldn't decide so I decided use both. I mean why not! I started out by cutting the sweet potatoes into cubes and then sprinkled black pepper and salt. Then baked it at 350 degrees.

When the potatoes were halfway there, I added the plantains and stirred.

For protein i found some "lazy fish". Lazy fish is the frozen fish you buy at the grocers that you would be better off not buying. Why? Because it was probably transported from some 2000 miles away and who knows how long its been frozen. But its so convenient because I don't have to fillet, skin or debone the fish,

So I decided to make some sort of sauce that would that would tie my plantain/sweet potato mix to the fish. I opened my fridge to check out what I had in there. Green peppers, red peppers, brocolli, red onions, garlic and avocado. So I caramalized the onions, added garlic and all the other good stuff. mmmm delicious!

This is what the final plate looked like. No special plating, just put it all in and dug in. The combination of plantain and sweet potatoes pretty delicious. Yum!

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Whats for dinner ep. 3 - Snails and Porridge

Africa 11:02

Okay a couple nights after peering at my fridge for a full minute, I decided to go get something to cook from the grocery store....And I bought snails. Luv snails, really do, I just don't have the patience to clean snails. Way too much effort. Well I boiled the snails with tomatoes, pepper salt, garlic and onions...

Okay for the second part of dinner. I made an experimental version of plantain porridge. Instead of cooking with a mix of ripe and unripe plantains, I stuck to just ripe plantains. I boiled them with tomatoes, brocolli, celery, red onoins, habenero, palmoil and crayfish. Let just say AWESOME!!!! lol. Turned out pretty good.

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Whats for dinner 4: Quick shrimp Tacos

Africa 11:00

End Product

I came home a couple of nights ago and extremely famished. And of course nothing looked exciting appetizing. Through the corner of my eye I scoped some frozen shrimp. Hmm veggies, shrimp, tacos..Viola! So I began.

add shrimp(s)

I add a little olive oil in my pan and I wait till its hot. Then I add my garlic, onion, and pepper mix. I keep mixing till my mixture caramelizes.

I add my veggies, which were originally frozen. I thawed and defrosted it in the microwave before adding to the pan.

The Wheat tacos seem pretty excited at this point

Then I cut up some fresh tomatoes and add on the Tacos

I create my base with spinach and cheese

ready to be eaten

up close & personal...

Voila!

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Whats for Dinner: Curried Lamb and blueberry mashed potatoes

all posts 10:49

So I bought the lamb chops over the weekend and it had been sitting in my fridge. So last night I decided to bake it. Now what side? Brown potatoes? Pretty boring... what could I add to the brown potatoes to make it a little more exciting. Aha! Blueberries! Yum... Why Blueberries?

Okay quick rewind. Earlier in the day I was reading a health article and it said something about blueberries working to stop fat from being stored in the midsection. yep that got my attention alright. On a more informative note, blueberry is an antioxidant that attacks polyohenols, and helps to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

The reason behind the decrease in belly fat is a type of polyphenol called anthocyanins that are believed to change the way fat is stored.

Okay back to the food. So I cut the lamb chops into smaller pieces to allow absorption of the spices. spices (black pepper, curry, habenero peppers, salt); rubbed it all in. Of course I preheat the oven to 375 and covered the pan. When the lamb was halfway done I turned over the pieces and left the pan open to brown.

As for the potatoes, I cubed it and sprinkled salt and pepper and baked it for a few minutes. Halfway through I added the blueberries and brocolli stir stir stir, cook some more and then voila!