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Thursday, 17 October 2013
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Chicken Ball Curry
This recipe is tasty. I love meatballs and meat patties, but for this recipe, I chose to use ground chicken instead, to reduce the total fat content. Please, it's important to use full fat coconut milk here, light coconut milk will not give you the same outcome.
This recipe is *FF, PF, LF and KF (I don't know why, but kids looove meatballs).
FF-fertility friendly
PF-pregnancy friendly
LF-lactation friendly
KF-kid friendly
If you don't have a meat grinder, ask the people at the counter where you buy your chicken breasts to mince them for you.
The chicken balls come out so deliciously moist, and you'll find that the flavours from the curry really permeate them. TASTY!
Ingredients
400g of minced chicken breasts
1 egg
10 atarodo (habanero)
2 inch piece of ginger
1 medium red onion
6 cloves of garlic, divided
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
14oz can of coconut milk
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
3 teaspoons of curry powder, divided
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 stock cubes
2 teaspoons of salt, divided
Method
To the ground chicken, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of curry, and 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Mix well and form into 1 inch balls.
Make a paste by blending together the pepper, ginger, and 4 garlic cloves with as little water as possible.
Heat the coconut oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add the pepper paste, stir and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, stock cubes, and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken balls gently, do not stir for 3 minutes.
Gently stir and leave for another 3 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
This recipe is *FF, PF, LF and KF (I don't know why, but kids looove meatballs).
FF-fertility friendly
PF-pregnancy friendly
LF-lactation friendly
KF-kid friendly
If you don't have a meat grinder, ask the people at the counter where you buy your chicken breasts to mince them for you.
The chicken balls come out so deliciously moist, and you'll find that the flavours from the curry really permeate them. TASTY!
Ingredients
400g of minced chicken breasts
1 egg
10 atarodo (habanero)
2 inch piece of ginger
1 medium red onion
6 cloves of garlic, divided
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
14oz can of coconut milk
2 teaspoons of paprika
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
3 teaspoons of curry powder, divided
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom
1 bay leaf
2 stock cubes
2 teaspoons of salt, divided
Method
To the ground chicken, add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of curry, and 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Mix well and form into 1 inch balls.
Make a paste by blending together the pepper, ginger, and 4 garlic cloves with as little water as possible.
Heat the coconut oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add the pepper paste, stir and leave to cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of curry powder, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, bay leaf, stock cubes, and salt. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add the coconut milk, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken balls gently, do not stir for 3 minutes.
Gently stir and leave for another 3 minutes. Serve with rice or pasta.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
Plantains, Cod, and Greens
I love dried cod (Okporoko) with a passion! It's in my Igbo DNA. I don't think any soup is complete without it. It has a unique smell (phew) and taste. I love it so much that it's a snack food for me sometimes.
This recipe was easy to make, and the cod paired very well with the greens and plantains. Don't take my word for it, just make it and see!
This recipe is fertility-friendly, pregnancy-friendly, lactation-friendly, and can be adapted to be kid-friendly (use mashed ripe plantains instead).
Ingredients
4 medium green plantains
300g dried cod
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 large tomatoes, diced
5 atarodo (habanero), diced
500g Amaranth leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons of almond oil
1 tablespoon of curry powder
Double stock cube
1 teaspoon of salt
Method
Soften and wash the cod by soaking in boiling water for 10 minutes. Rinse well with cold water.
Boil the plantains with their skins on (just easier to peel the skins off after boiling, thanks for the tip mum!) till done, about 20 minutes. Peel, dice and set aside.
To a wok on medium-high heat, add almond oil. Leave for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, pepper, onions, and curry powder. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Add the plantains and cod. Stir for 1 minute.
Add the amaranth leaves, stock cube and salt. Stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes.
Serve and enjoy
Remember, it's sooo good for you,
Deema.
This recipe was easy to make, and the cod paired very well with the greens and plantains. Don't take my word for it, just make it and see!
This recipe is fertility-friendly, pregnancy-friendly, lactation-friendly, and can be adapted to be kid-friendly (use mashed ripe plantains instead).
Ingredients
4 medium green plantains
300g dried cod
1 medium red onion, sliced
3 large tomatoes, diced
5 atarodo (habanero), diced
500g Amaranth leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons of almond oil
1 tablespoon of curry powder
Double stock cube
1 teaspoon of salt
Method
Soften and wash the cod by soaking in boiling water for 10 minutes. Rinse well with cold water.
Boil the plantains with their skins on (just easier to peel the skins off after boiling, thanks for the tip mum!) till done, about 20 minutes. Peel, dice and set aside.
To a wok on medium-high heat, add almond oil. Leave for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, pepper, onions, and curry powder. Stir fry for 5 minutes. Add the plantains and cod. Stir for 1 minute.
Add the amaranth leaves, stock cube and salt. Stir to combine. Cook for 3 minutes.
Serve and enjoy
Remember, it's sooo good for you,
Deema.
AyaNana Milk
You already know I'm no good at naming recipes. Let's just get that out of the way.
This recipe is mostly for men and kids. Tigernuts help to thicken semen (good), but they may also have the effect of thickening cervical mucus (not so good), so, to be safe, women who are TTC should leave it out of their diets. We can still enjoy flavoured milk by substituting coconut milk or almond milk.
Bananas are also beneficial to male fertility as they are very rich in zinc.This recipe is featured at least 3 times a week in my home. Dh loves it!
Ingredients
1 banana
1 cup of cold tiger nut milk (made by soaking tiger nuts overnight and blending with water)
1 tablespoon of ground almonds
Method
Blend everything together. Dazzall!
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you,
Deema
This recipe is mostly for men and kids. Tigernuts help to thicken semen (good), but they may also have the effect of thickening cervical mucus (not so good), so, to be safe, women who are TTC should leave it out of their diets. We can still enjoy flavoured milk by substituting coconut milk or almond milk.
Bananas are also beneficial to male fertility as they are very rich in zinc.This recipe is featured at least 3 times a week in my home. Dh loves it!
Ingredients
1 banana
1 cup of cold tiger nut milk (made by soaking tiger nuts overnight and blending with water)
1 tablespoon of ground almonds
Method
Blend everything together. Dazzall!
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you,
Deema
Friday, 27 September 2013
Cauliflower Pizza Crust a.k.a the pizza that was not to be
Hiiiii. I've seen variations of this pizza crust floating around the blogosphere. I wasn't interested in trying it cos I figured I could get the real thing anytime I wanted. I also didn't trust it to taste good, so I kept skipping it. Since I started this WOE, I've been craving pizza so I decided to try this and just get it out of the way.
Truth be told, even though I tweaked the recipe, I was a little (actually a LOT) wary of this crust when I was making it. I just figured that I would use all the cheese and topping to mask the taste if it turned out awful.
Boy, was I wrong! As you can see from the pictures below, I set outa bunch of things to top my pizza crust with, but I never got to use them. As soon as the crust came out of the oven, DH and I decided to steal pinches from the crust to see if it was any good.
To cut a long story short, we ate the whole crust straight from the oven, while standing in the kitchen. It was THAT good. Yummmmmmmmmm! I actually don't think I'm going to ever bother topping this crust, I'll just keep eating only the crust.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable; broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts are also included in that family. Consumption of these vegetables is linked to low rates of prostate cancer. Cauliflower is a good source of Omega-3, folate, Vitamins C, B-6 and B-12. How can you say no to that?
Preggies are not left out (congratulations!) as cauliflower is rich in fibre. I know how essential fibre is in a pregnant woman's diet...constipation, anyone?
Please make this, and enjoy it.
Ingredients
500g of cauliflower
1 egg
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
2 wedges of light cheese (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut out the cauliflower florets and wash thoroughly. Grate or process the cauliflower till it resembles breadcrumbs.
Put the cauliflower in a pot, and set it over medium heat. Leave it for 4 minutes, the cauliflower will release some liquid.
Transfer the cauliflower to a tea towel, and, as soon as it's cool enough to handle, squeeze the life out of it ( just as hard as you can to remove all the liquid you can).
Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix to combine. Grease a sheet of wax paper and put the cauliflower on it. Use your hands to press the cauliflower into the shape of a pizza crust (not too thick or too thin) then bake for 10-12 minutes.
If you can make it past this stage, add your choice of toppings and bake for an additional 7 minutes.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you.
Deema
Truth be told, even though I tweaked the recipe, I was a little (actually a LOT) wary of this crust when I was making it. I just figured that I would use all the cheese and topping to mask the taste if it turned out awful.
Boy, was I wrong! As you can see from the pictures below, I set outa bunch of things to top my pizza crust with, but I never got to use them. As soon as the crust came out of the oven, DH and I decided to steal pinches from the crust to see if it was any good.
To cut a long story short, we ate the whole crust straight from the oven, while standing in the kitchen. It was THAT good. Yummmmmmmmmm! I actually don't think I'm going to ever bother topping this crust, I'll just keep eating only the crust.
Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable; broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts are also included in that family. Consumption of these vegetables is linked to low rates of prostate cancer. Cauliflower is a good source of Omega-3, folate, Vitamins C, B-6 and B-12. How can you say no to that?
Preggies are not left out (congratulations!) as cauliflower is rich in fibre. I know how essential fibre is in a pregnant woman's diet...constipation, anyone?
Please make this, and enjoy it.
Ingredients
500g of cauliflower
1 egg
1 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
2 wedges of light cheese (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method
Preheat oven to 350.
Cut out the cauliflower florets and wash thoroughly. Grate or process the cauliflower till it resembles breadcrumbs.
Put the cauliflower in a pot, and set it over medium heat. Leave it for 4 minutes, the cauliflower will release some liquid.
Transfer the cauliflower to a tea towel, and, as soon as it's cool enough to handle, squeeze the life out of it ( just as hard as you can to remove all the liquid you can).
Put the cauliflower in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix to combine. Grease a sheet of wax paper and put the cauliflower on it. Use your hands to press the cauliflower into the shape of a pizza crust (not too thick or too thin) then bake for 10-12 minutes.
If you can make it past this stage, add your choice of toppings and bake for an additional 7 minutes.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you.
Deema
Bulgur and Spinach Pottage
I've already written about the nutritional value of Bulgur and why it's a good addition to a fertility diet. Please read about it here.
Spinach is virtually a super food, remember Popeye? Consumption of spinach in moderation is a must for a fertility diet. Spinach is full of folate, zinc, iron and antioxidants. I'm sure y'all know what that means. Not only is this recipe fertility-friendly, it's actually quite beneficial to pregnant and nursing women as well.
This recipe is yummy, the pairing of the spinach and the bulgur is a match made in heaven (Deema, u like food sha!). Please use boneless fish, that's very important. I used swak, but you can use anything you like.
Ingredients
1 cup of bulgur
400g of fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
1 red onion, sliced
4 fish fillets, steamed
3 tablespoons of freshly blended atarodo (habanero)
1 Knorr double stock cube
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
Method
Flake the steamed fish with a fork. In a pot on medium-high heat, add 3 cups of water. Add the butter and the stock cubes. Bring it to a boil, add the bulgur. Simmer for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat to allow the bulgur soak up the liquid.
In another pot, put the spinach. Set the pot over medium-low heat. Leave the spinach to cook down, then add the onions, mushrooms, salt, garlic, pepper and fish. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the bulgur and stir to combine. Leave to cook for 2 more minutes. Serve...
Remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
Spinach is virtually a super food, remember Popeye? Consumption of spinach in moderation is a must for a fertility diet. Spinach is full of folate, zinc, iron and antioxidants. I'm sure y'all know what that means. Not only is this recipe fertility-friendly, it's actually quite beneficial to pregnant and nursing women as well.
This recipe is yummy, the pairing of the spinach and the bulgur is a match made in heaven (Deema, u like food sha!). Please use boneless fish, that's very important. I used swak, but you can use anything you like.
Ingredients
1 cup of bulgur
400g of fresh spinach
1 1/2 cups of sliced button mushrooms
1 red onion, sliced
4 fish fillets, steamed
3 tablespoons of freshly blended atarodo (habanero)
1 Knorr double stock cube
2 cloves of garlic, diced
2 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of salt
Method
Flake the steamed fish with a fork. In a pot on medium-high heat, add 3 cups of water. Add the butter and the stock cubes. Bring it to a boil, add the bulgur. Simmer for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat to allow the bulgur soak up the liquid.
In another pot, put the spinach. Set the pot over medium-low heat. Leave the spinach to cook down, then add the onions, mushrooms, salt, garlic, pepper and fish. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the bulgur and stir to combine. Leave to cook for 2 more minutes. Serve...
Remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
Thursday, 26 September 2013
Chickpea and Zucchini Muffins
I've already written about the benefit of chickpeas to fertility. Please read all about it here.
Today, I'm focusing on zucchini. Prior to this WOE (way of eating), I was a zucchini lover, but I'm pretty sure the way I was using it made it more harmful than helpful to me. I used zucchini ONLY in zucchini bread, which is quite lovely, but the quantity of sugar I used was out of this world. Now, it calls to mind times when my beloved Paula Deen would add parsley to one of her deep fried, butter glazed recipes,and call it healthy. Lol...p.s, I love Paula Deen!!!
Zucchini is a pretty good source of vitamin c, potassium, and fibre. These are pretty crucial to optimal fertility in both men and women. I don't want to make this a long post, I'm sure we all know how these are helpful to TTC.
This is a pretty easy recipe, I came up with it because I wanted something to snack on. It satisfied my craving, and it gets bonuses for being freezer friendly as well.
Ingredients
14oz can of chickpeas
200g of Zucchini
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon of honey
2 eggs
Method
Preheat oven to 350
Rinse the chikpeas. Process or grate the zucchini. You can peel it, but I don't peel mine...added fibre or laziness? Lol!
Transfer the zucchini to a blender or switch your processor blade. Add the remaining ingredients and blend to a fine purée.
Pour the mixture into a greased muffin or cupcake pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
Today, I'm focusing on zucchini. Prior to this WOE (way of eating), I was a zucchini lover, but I'm pretty sure the way I was using it made it more harmful than helpful to me. I used zucchini ONLY in zucchini bread, which is quite lovely, but the quantity of sugar I used was out of this world. Now, it calls to mind times when my beloved Paula Deen would add parsley to one of her deep fried, butter glazed recipes,and call it healthy. Lol...p.s, I love Paula Deen!!!
Zucchini is a pretty good source of vitamin c, potassium, and fibre. These are pretty crucial to optimal fertility in both men and women. I don't want to make this a long post, I'm sure we all know how these are helpful to TTC.
This is a pretty easy recipe, I came up with it because I wanted something to snack on. It satisfied my craving, and it gets bonuses for being freezer friendly as well.
Ingredients
14oz can of chickpeas
200g of Zucchini
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon of honey
2 eggs
Method
Preheat oven to 350
Rinse the chikpeas. Process or grate the zucchini. You can peel it, but I don't peel mine...added fibre or laziness? Lol!
Transfer the zucchini to a blender or switch your processor blade. Add the remaining ingredients and blend to a fine purée.
Pour the mixture into a greased muffin or cupcake pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
Enjoy, and remember,
It's sooo good for you!
Deema
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