Too Easy Tilapia (or any fish you like)

Heyyy! I'm happy to inform you that I'm noticing major changes in my general health.
For one, my skin is glowing! As in! My skin was nice before, don't get me wrong. Now, however, wow! More people are starting to ask me what cream I use. And they think I'm lying when I say it's not the cream (I use Vaseline, by the way), it's my WOE (way of eating). Lol!

The second thing I've noticed (and this is MAJOR for me, like a miracle) is I now sleep properly.
Ever since I can remember, I've had to read myself to sleep or watch cartoons to sleep. Now, for the past 5 days, I've slept without cartoons or books. Imagine the ordeal my poor Dh has had to put up with for almost 4 years now. In fact, I don't know who's happier now, him or me. For 5 days, I'm off to dreamland  as soon as my head touches my pillow (now if only the million-pound cheque I get in my dreams can just stay in my hand when I wake up...dream on, dreamer!).

Anyway, this is a really easy meal. And it's really filling. Everything on the plate is fertility-friendly, without me having to go into the nutrition of each ingredient. This is also safe for pregnant and lactating women.

Ingredients

8oz Tilapia, (mine is just half of a whole fish)
7 atarodo (habanero)
2 teaspoons of sea salt
3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
Handful of green beans, trimmed
Pinch of salt

Method

Blend the pepper with 3 cups of water. Pour into a large bowl. Add salt, mix. Put the fish in and leave to marinate for 1 hour.
Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place the fish in the pan and cover. Cook for 5 minutes on one side.
When you turn over the fish, add the Veggies and sprinkle a pinch of salt over them. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Serve and enjoy

Remember, it's sooo good for you,

Deema

Coconut Jollof Rice and Cowtail Gravy.

I'm an unrepentant foodie to the core! If loving good food is a crime, please lock me up and throw away the keys (don't even bother with a trial). This recipe examplifies my love of food.

I just had to find a way to combine two wholesome, tasty meals into one healthy, delicious, fertility-friendly meal. If you aren't like me, you can serve your cowtails with white rice, couscous, bulgur, pretty much anything you like. Or you can serve the rice with fish or chicken.

Now, to the nutrition...did you know that bone broth is a 'treatment' for infertility? Well, neither did I, until I started eating this way. Apparently, when bones are cooked down, all the nutrients from the bone marrow-calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc- seep into the broth, making it one of the most nutrient-dense foods you can consume.

Bone broth, while being good for all men and women who are trying to conceive, is particularly helpful for women who have PCOS, as the nutrients in the bone marrow promote thyroid health.

If I still haven't piqued your interest with all the above, I'm sure I will now- the gelatin in bone broth is proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and cellulite. AHA! I've got you now! I can see you rushing to your freezer to bring out ALL the bones you have...cool down!

I chose cowtails because they contain more gelatin and juicy marrow than most bony cuts of meat.

Extra: in your quest for bone broth, pepper soup is fine! You can use chicken bones, cow, goat, anything!

Nutrition aside, this meal is hecka tasty...you're making it, period!



Ingredients for Cowtail Gravy

1.5 kg of cowtail, cut into 2-inch chunks.
2 juicy tomatoes, diced
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons of freshly ground atarodo (habanero)
2 tablespoons of freshly ground onions
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds, ground
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon of dried basil
1 14oz can of chickpeas, rinsed (totally optional!)
1/2 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 tablespoons of cornflour, mixed with 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry


Coconut Jollof Rice

3 cups of rice, washed and parboiled
3 tablespoons of coconut oil
3 tablespoons of freshly ground atarodo(habanero) and onions
4 medium tomatoes, chopped
5 cups of coconut milk
2 Knorr double stock cubes
1 teaspoons of salt
1 bay leaf


Method-Cowtail Gravy

Place the cowtails in a pressure cooker on medium-high heat. Add all ingredients except chickpeas and carrots. Add enough water to just cover the cowtails. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Open the pot after letting the pressure come down (don't cover the pot again!). Reduce heat to medium-low, add the carrots. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas and the cornstarch slurry. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.


Coconut Jollof Rice

To a pot on medium-high heat, add the oil. After 30 seconds, add the tomatoes, pepper paste and bay leaf. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour the coconut milk in. Add salt and stock cubes. Stir and bring to boil.
Pour in the parboiled rice. Cook till all the water is gone. Fluff with a fork and remove from heat. Serve with cowtail gravy and YUM!

Enjoy, and remember,
it's sooo good for you!

Deema

Peppery Tilapia and Garlic Butter Pasta

I'm sure if I ask you guys what my favourite fish is, your answer would most certainly be Tilapia. Well, that answer would most certainly be wrong!!! Lol! It's actually salmon but I do love the mild taste of Tilapia.

I haven't featured salmon recipes yet because salmon is hard for me to get here. I get 2 cartons of salmon 3 times a year, and I always run out before my next supply. Tilapia is my next best fish, and it's so much easier to get. In fact, at any given time, you can find Tilapia in my freezer.

I like Tilapia with lots of chili. The pasta in this recipe is very mildly spiced, so I find the Peppery heat of the Tilapia cuts through the mild pasta for a very delicious dish fit for the Nigerian palate.

This serves 4
Ingredients

Peppery Tilapia

8 Tilapia steaks
4 tablespoons of blended atarodo (scotch bonnet variety)
2 inch piece of ginger
4 cloves of garlic
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 Knorr double stock cube
1 bunch of spring onions, chopped (green part only)
1 teaspoon of dill
2 teaspoons of dried basil
1 teaspoon of salt

Pasta

250g of Pasta (I used twist macaroni)
3 tablespoons of softened butter
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of green beans, chopped
1 teaspoon of salt

Method

Peppery Tilapia
Blend the ginger, garlic and dill with 4 tablespoons of water. In a bowl, combine the blended mixture with the onions, stock cube, salt, pepper, spring onions and dried basil.
Grease a baking sheet. Place the fish on the sheet and pour the mixture over. Use a toothpick and poke the fish to allow the mixture seep in. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Pasta
Boil pasta for 7 minutes and drain. In a wok on high heat, melt the butter. Add the chopped garlic and green beans. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the drained pasta and salt. Stir and cover. Leave to cook for 2 minutes. Serve with Tilapia

If I can, you can,

Deema

Chicken and Vegtable Stew

This is a very hearty stew. I eat this as a meal in itself. Dh prefers it with rice (then again, he prefers EVERYTHING with rice). A steaming bowl of this stew and unlimited comedies make for a perfect Sunday for me. Try it, who knows? It might become your favourite way to spend your Sundays too.

This serves 3

Ingredients

2 whole chicken breasts, chopped
2 cups of chopped cauliflower
1 cup of sliced carrots
1/3 cup of parsley, chopped
1 small bunch of spring onions, chopped (green part only)
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of thyme
1 Knorr double stock cube
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water.

Method

In a wok on medium-low heat, add olive oil. Add the chicken and stock cube. Stir fry till chicken is no longer pink. Add the carrots and cauliflower. Stir. Add cayenne, coriander, thyme, garlic powder, spring onions and parsley. Pour in 3 cups of water. Cover and increase heat to medium-high. Leave to cook for 3 minutes. Add the cornstarch mixture. Simmer for 1 minute. Serve alone, or (if you're like my Hubby) with rice.

If I can, you can,

Deema

Ginger-Garlic Marinated Shrimp

You already know I love seafood. By now, that's no secret. I actually have separate freezing storage for my seafood. Nothing daunts me anymore: octopus? Why not? Squid? Bring it on!. LOL!

I especially love shrimp and prawns. I could eat bucketfuls at a sitting. When I don't need a sauce, this is my favourite way to cook prawns.

Marinating the prawns makes for very tasty morsels. The prawns are tender (I hate overcooked prawns), and ooooohhh, so wonderful. I serve these over noodles, jollof rice, and pasta. Sometimes, I serve them as appetizers.

Please note: if your prawns vary widely in size, remove the smaller ones From the oven 3 minutes before the larger ones.

This serves 2

Ingredients

8 jumbo tiger prawns, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoon of sea salt
1 Knorr double stock cube
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of ground ginger
2 tablespoons of freshly ground atarodo (habanero)

Method.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, except the prawns. Add 1 cup of warm water. Mix well. Place the prawns in the marinade and use a toothpick to poke the prawns lightly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet. Remove the prawns from the marinade and place on greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, serve and enjoy.

If I can, you can,

Deema

Chicken Noodle Lettuce Wrap

Sometimes you want a messy meal (or am I just a slob?); when I want a messy meal, I reach for lettuce or cabbages, and I make a simple wrap. This recipe is not served as a wrap; the eater forms the wrap before eating cos it's served sans cutlery.

To eat, you wrap the lettuce around the filling. There's really not much more to say about this except DO NOT WEAR WHITE!

This recipe serves 3
Ingredients

2 whole chicken breasts, cubed
1 small red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 packs of Indomie Noodles
1 tablespoon of Cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 head of lettuce, separated

Method
Boil and detain the noodles according to package instructions.
In a wok on low heat, add olive oil and sautee the onions and garlic for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken breasts and stir fry till chicken is no longer pink.
Add the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and cayenne pepper.
Stir and taste for salt.
Add the drained noodles and toss to combine. Serve on lettuce beds, no cutlery allowed!

If I can, you can,

Deema

Pineapple Fried Rice

It was only recently that I started liking pineapples, and, since I fell in love with them, I've come across new and exciting ways to enjoy them. I love them in desserts and sweets, but I'm especially partial to them in savory and spicy dishes. This recipe is one of the latter.

I came across a picture of this dish on Google and I knew I had to make it. I also knew I didn't want a sweet and sour taste; I wanted more of a spicy dish with bites of pineapple. Lemme tell you, I rocked it! This dish has a lot of heat (I am Nigerian, after all), then you get the cooling effect of the pineapple in between. This was delicious!

I also love the presentation of it. Also, nothing is wasted. I used a little pineapple in the rice, the pineapple that didn't make it into the rice was juices and served cold with the rice. Good housekeeping peeps!

Ingredients

1 medium pineapple

Marinade
300g of cube lamb
1 bunch of spring onions (green part only)
2 atarodo (habanero)
1 teaspoon of salt

Rice
2 cups of cooked rice, cold
1 cup of pineapple chunks
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 1/2 cups of chopped carrots
1 cup of chopped green beans
5 atarodo (habanero), chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped
4 clove of garlic, chopped
1 Knorr double stock cube
Salt, to taste

Method

Scrub the pineapple. Cut in half, making sure to cut the too leaves in half too.
Cut out the middle of the pineapple, leaving about 1/2 Inch round. Scoop out the pineapple with a spoon.

Rinse the cavity and dry with paper towels.

Marinate the lamb by blending atarodo and spring onions. Pour blended mixture into a bowl and add salt. Add the lamb cubes and stir to coat. Refrigerate for an hour.

In a large pot on medium-high heat, pour olive oil. After 30 seconds, add onions, garlic, ginger, and vegetables. Stir constantly for 2 minutes.
Remove lamb from marinade and add to the veggies. Stir fry till lamb is no longer pink.
Add the cooked rice and pineapple chunks. Stir and add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.
Serve the rice in the pineapple bowls. Enjoy

If I can, you can,

Deema

Lamb and Couscous One Pot

Some recipes don't need a lot of intro. This is one of them. This dish is so easy, it almost feels like cheating to call it a recipe. It's hot, spicy, and perfect for a cold night.
I love couscous. Apart from bulgur, I think couscous is my favourite grain? cereal? What category does it fall under, by the way?
That's not what's important now, however. The important thing is that you make this dish, and tell me how you liked it.

Ingredients

1/4 cup of couscous
30g of chopped, boiled lamb (boil it with a stock cube), 1 cup of stock reserved
1/2 of a small red onion, chopped
1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of blended atarodo (habanero)
1 teaspoon of Paprika
Salt to taste

Method

Put the lamb in a pot on medium-high heat. Add the reserved stock, bay leaf, and atarodo.
As soon as it starts to boil, add the couscous. Cover and let it cook for 3 minutes.
Add the yellow bell pepper and the paprika. Stir and cover till all the liquid is absorbed.
Serve and enjoy.

If I can, you can,

Deema