Healthy Snacks - Plantain chips

Craving a bit more than nuts, seeds and granola? then try plantain chips. This is usually fried but this recipe shows it baked -tis equally yummy !

Ingredients
Plantain (1)
Coconut oil (1 tbs)
Turmeric 1/8 - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Water - 2 cups

Directions
Using a mandoine or sharp knife thinly slice plantain into a bowl
Add the water , let sit for 1 min - (this steps makes the chips crisp and crunchy)
Remove slices from water and place on paper towel - pat dry the excess water
Grease baking pan
Spread slices on pan
Bake for 15-20mins - at 10-12mins - flip chips

xx

Jo

Quick Appetizer - Crackers with Toppings

Crackers make a great everyday snack; but you can easily top with a variety of things to take it from plain to an appealing appetizer for your guests. It is extremely easy to do - play with what you have in your pantry/fridge.

The recipe shown uses a mix of fruits, fish and veggies

Ingredients
Salmon (poached or grilled)
Avocado
Strawberries
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Grapefruit
Crackers
Dressing

Direction
Arrange selected topping on cracker (note : if you choose to use a dressing be sure to mix before topping)
Serve

Refried Beans and Tortilla

I love beans - they are mega high in proteins, fiber, iron and plenty good stuff. Beans is featured at least 2-3 times in our weekly household menu . It can be eaten in so many ways ; salad,  side dish, with tortilla, rice, plantain etc
This recipe calls for dry beans - you can use the canned and adjust accordingly.
Before I bought a pressure cooker the cook time was 90mins but that's been reduced significantly to 25-30mins.

Ingredients
11/2 -2 cup beans (black-eyed or brown beans)
Olive oil - 1tbs
Tomatoes (2-3)
Red Bell peppers (1)
Onions 1
Chilli (Habanero/Scotch bonnet) 1 -2
Curry - 1tsp
Bouillon - 1 cube optiional
Sea salt
Tortilla

Garnish 
Bell peppers
Sweet potatoes (S)


Direction
Cook beans in 6-8 cups of water for 90mins - be sure to check water level every 20mins; top up as required
If using a pressure cooker; follow the directions per manual/recipe book .
Blend tomatoes, half the onions, half the bell pepper, habanero  with a little water - say 1/3 cup
Heat mid-size sauce pan , add oil, add remaining onions - saute for 2-3mins
Add tomatoes blend and salt to taste- cook on low heat for 5-7mins
Add additional seasoning - curry , bouillon - simmer for 2-3mins
Add cooked beans , mix well with blend - simmer for another 3-5mins
Should you want it mashy - you may do so using a potato masher or a large spoon

Garnish with grape tomatoes, bell pepper & boiled sweet potatoes (diced)

Serve as a side dish or on wholewheat tortilla

Grilled Plantain, Zucchini & Squash

Hey friends,

Ok I guess I haven't been posting as often as I thought I would - I must confess I thought this whole food blog would be a piece of cake. The cooking bit is probably the easiest, followed by the photography however finding time to pen down the recipe and instruction is what I struggle with - I struggle because all of my recipes are pretty random (inspired by my mum, restaurants, friends, books etc), I don't measure and pretty much go by how I feel.  Cooking to me is an art there's no set way - you should be able to play around with ingredients - the photos are just there for inspiration - the ingredients can be changed - Ok enough of the excuses now - please do bear with me as I slowly find my way .Thank you for your patience

Ok today's meal (well more like a few months) is Grilled Plantain, Zucchini & Squash.  Plantain remains one of my favorite meals - It can be fried, baked, boiled and grilled. I chose to grill in this time - it was just as yummy fried - oh and we're trying keep the waistline in check so frying is NOT an option

Ingredients
1 Large plantain (preferably mid-ripe)
1 Zucchini (mid size)
1 Yellow Squash (M)
Roasted garlic grapeseed oil (any healthy oil should do, infact coconut oil will be superb) - 1 tbs
Red pepper flakes 1-2tsp
Sea salt to taste (may opt for additional seasoning)

Preparation
Using a sharp knife*, thinly slice plantain, zucchini and squash into a clean bowl
Add desired oil
Add salt to taste
Grill in the oven/bbq/grill pan  for 5-10mins or till done

Once cooked serve hot with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes

*(may use a mandoline as well for precise cuts)

Old fashioned popcorn

'Only those who will risk going too far can possible find how far one can go'' - T.S Eliot

Popcorn anyone? Who says eating healthy is all steamed sprouts eh ?. So lately I've been looking for ways to add more healthy treats to my pantry. Currently it's full of nuts, seeds and dried fruits - which are all very good but I wanted a bit more variety - in the last 3weeks I've baked banana bread, beets chips, plantain chips and now popcorn - I'll be posting pics as soon as I get round to it :)

Today I made some good ole fashioned popcorn - I kept it very simple - with just 3 ingredients  - sea salt, coconut oil and ofcourse the corn itself - within 5mins I had my snack - yummy, simple and healthy just how I like it . 

Ingredients

1/4 cup of organic yellow popcorn

1 tb of coconut oil

salt to taste 

Directions

Add oil to pot (5qt or larger) preferably stainless steel or heavy duty

Add corn and salt to taste 

Cover pot, turn heat to med-high - 

Cook for cicra 5mins or till popping sounds stops 

Enjoy!!

Sauteed Okra, Collard Greens and Garlic chicken

“A man knows he has found his vocation when he stops thinking about how to live, and begins to live. -Thomas Merton

Okra! Okra! Okra! I grew up eating lots of Okra. Infact it was one of my favourite meals. Okra and Tomato stew was all my mum had to cook for me to be a good lil lass :).
Since I moved across the pond I've never been keen to eat it- Mum made it just right and no one else could replicate. 
Anyhoo, surprisingly whilst shopping last week I came across the good ole Okra and thought hmm I wonder if I could just saute it with leafy greens, herbs and spices instead of boil like Mum did ...well that thought became an action - 2days after my purchased I sauteed with collard greens and threw in some garlic/ginger chicken slices

Ingredients
Okra
Collard greens
Onions
Broth
Salt
Pepper
Olive or Coconut oil

Chicken
Garlic 
Ginger
Onions
Soy sauce (may substitute with broth, lemon juice)
Salt & pepper


Directions
1) Chop all your ingredients - onions, collard, okra
2) heat skillet, add 1tb of oil, onions, 1 crushed garlic cloves ;saute for a few mins 
3) Add broth - say 1/4cup
4) Add collard greens - (note if you choose to blanch before saute then you may reduce the broth quantity - or not use broth at all - in this case add a lil water
5) Add seasoning - salt, pepper etc
6) Cook for say 8mins 
7) Add chicken*and let it simmer for couple more mins

*Chicken
You may choose to grill or panfry - I panfried using the listed ngredients.; following the steps  below

1) heat skillet, add 1-2tb of olive/coconut oil 
2)add chopped onions , ginger and crushed garlic  
2) add chicken cuts, soy sauce, salt, pepper and cook till done


Loved the dish so much I cooked it again the next day - this time adding thai chili for heat

Butternut squash chips with Salmon & Steamed veggies

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”- Anonymous 

Happy October! Is it me or is 2012 going way too fast. I can't believe we're less than 90days from Christmas and the New Year; oh lest I forget Thanksgiving (Turkey day) coming up next month - Phew!! Tis the food season :).

I've never been a big fries fan - or maybe I just prefer to exclude from my diet . So when I came across Butternut fries on a few blogs I decided to give it ago. Instead of frying I baked them. I did add a few sweet potatoe chips as I didn't think the quash will be filling. I had added a few sides of poache salmon and some steam veggies for a complete meal.

Ingredients
Butternut squash
Sweet Potato
Olive oil
Salmon
Seasoning - insert your favourite seafood seasoning - I used Old bay
Salt
Veggies

Instructions

Chips
Pre-heat oven to 400F
1) Cut butternut squash and sweet potato into medium size chips
2) Throw chips in a bowl and drizzle a bit of olive oil over it
3) Add salt (or seasoning )
4) Toss bowl to ensure chips are well coated
5) Spread the chips evenly on a baking tray and place in the oven  for 40mins - be sure to check and stir chips say 15-20mins in

Salmon - you may poach or grill it - I poached in water, vinegar and seasoning (old bay)

Mixed veggies- steam in a pot or microwave