RIPE PLANTAIN PANCAKE

      

M

  Plantains are packed with dietary fiber, vitamin C  and A.

For my USA friends and followers I have observed that plantains in the US have no starch. Please add 3 table spoons of flour per plantain to the mixture before frying. Mix thoroughly, make sure there are no lump.

 INGREDIENTS:

2  Medium size Ripe Plantain 

4  Large Eggs 

1/2 Tsp Baking Powder (optional for fluffier cakes)

1     Tbsp Honey (optional)

1/2  Cup Raisins

Olive or Canola Oil

1/4  Tsp Vanilla (optional)

1/2. Cup chopped nuts (optional)

A dash of salt to taste 

DIRECTION:

Peel and cut plantain into chunks.

With a fork mash thoroughly until the plantain has a pudding like consistency and no lumps 

Add backing powder for fluffier light pancakes, whisk salt, vanilla, or honey to flavor cakes.

Whisk the eggs thoroughly, pour the whisked eggs over the plantain and stir until eggs are completely combined. 

Heat griddle or non stick fry pan over medium heat. Cover with a little oil, about a table spoon of oil

Spread the oil all over the griddle or pan

Drop about 2 table spoon of batter onto the pan. If your pan is large you can drop up to four cakes at a time. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle the toppings, that is the chopped nuts or raisins over the top of the pancakes as the first side cooks. 

Very gently flip over the pancakes on to the other side. Cook for another minute or two.

Transfer to serving plates. These pancakes are better eaten when they have just been made and warm. Enjoy it. 

Left overs can be stored in the fridge and microwave for about 30 seconds and serve. They can be served with extra table spoon of honey poured over the pancakes as shown below. 

AGING SIGNS

1.  In your early forties you notice your site is fading. Usually a non prescription glasses helps.

2.  Your joints start acing though not everyone gets acing joints. When you are 60 and over, it is common to get pain or stiffness in hands, neck, back, knees or hips.

3.  Some people may have harder times hearing.

4.  Many older people from 75 years may not be sexually active.

5.  You might get constipated more easily. It's very common as you age. What can you do? Keep active, eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Drink at least six to eight glasses of water a day. 

6.  From ages 30-70 men may lose an inch of height, women sometimes as much as 2 inches. At 80 years you might shrink more.

7.  Women grow hair on the chin or upper lips. It is part of aging.

8.  Your skin begin to shrink and wrinkles appear.

9.  You take longer to fall asleep.

10.  You become more forgetful.

11.  Bladder problems become common.

12.  I advice you start looking on the sunny side of life.

CONCOCTION RICE

Concoction Rice is a morden dish usually cooked among young Nigerians, who are single, college and university students. They created this dish out of the need for a quick meal as against the tedious  ingredients and preparation of Jollof or Fried Rice.

It takes 45 minutes to 1 hour to prepare this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups of Rice (any rice you prefer, I prefer Brown/ Ofada Rice)
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil or Olive oil
1/2 Cup Cray Fish (sun dried shrimps) or fresh Shrimps
1 medium size onion
1 Tablespoon ground pepper
Salt to taste
1 knoor cube
Water

DIRECTION:

Wash rice and parboil  for 15 minutes over moderate heat. Drain off water and set aside.
Pick the Cray fish clean and wash under running tap
Cut up the onion into tiny pieces
Take another pot, measure into it the oil, add the onion. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes over moderate heat.
Add Cray Fish, turn all together for another 1-2 minutes, add the ground pepper, Knoor and Rice. Add water, about 2-3 cups, just enough to cook the Rice. Add salt as you desire. Keep turning every 3 minutes for another 20 minutes. When the water dries up taste the rice if it soft, then your Rice is cooked. If not add a little more water to allow the rice to cook.
Serve with already cooked chicken, meat or salad.

This serves four people. Enjoy your Rice.

HEALTHY JOLLOF RICE

JOLLOF RICE is a national dish in Nigeria. It is cooked, eaten throughout the length and breath of the country. In days gone bye it used to be cooked and served during periods of festivities like Christmas, or at parties. Nowadays it has become an every day dish. This Jollof Rice is healthy as I am using Brown rice/Ofada rice as against the long grain rice. Olive oil as against the normal vegetable oil and organic tin tomatoes paste.

Ingredients:

2 cups Ofada rice (Ofada rice is Nigerian brown rice)
1 small can organic tomatoes paste
5 medium size fresh tomatoes
2 red bell peppers
I big onion
Low calorie chicken broth (optional)
2 chicken bouillon
1 table spoon curry powder
1 tea spoon dry thyme
1 tea spoon black pepper
6 table spoon Olive oil
1/2 park sweet corn (optional)
1/2 park sweet green peas (optional)
1 table spoon salt to taste
Water

DIRECTION:

Wash the fresh tomatoes, bell pepper and cut up half of the onion, clean and place all in a blender. Process until smooth.
Dice the other half onion
Pour 6 table spoon of olive oil into a 9 once cooking pot, place the pot on the burner set to medium heat. Allow to heat up for about a minute
Add salt, curry powder, thyme, black pepper and the diced 1/2 onion
Allow to cook for about 2 minutes stirring continuously until the onions is transparent
Pour in the processed fresh tomatoes, bell pepper and onion, and tomatoes paste
Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth. Allow stew or source to cook for about 45 minutes
Wash rice in water, drain and set aside. When the stew is sweet to taste, add the rice and more water/broth to cook. After 30 minutes add the sweet corn and peas. continue to stir to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot. After another 30 minutes taste the rice. if it is soft, then your Jollof Rice is ready.You can serve with salad of the day and baked salmon or baked chicken breast.
Remember to set cooker to medium heat throughout.

This dish serves six persons.

* White rice is a whole grain that has been polished to the level that its only the easily digestible starch that is left. Eating this white rice frequently and in large quantities can raise blood glucose significantly. If you love to eat rice switch to Brown rice or Ofada rice.

AGING GRACEFULLY

Yes, this is a very needed topic. If you desire to age gracefully you must be prepared for change in some areas of your life. Probably some of us already know that it is good to exercise, eat right, get at least six hours of sleep every night, refrain from smoking and don't drink heavily.

Growing old is an accomplishment. Do not get bugged down about aging. If you start thinking about it, it can drive you crazy. As you should know there is nothing you can do about it, the clock is going to tick away.

If you are lucky to be older, you have survived a lot of the threats to your physical and psychological integrity that have affected other people who are no longer around. The people who do the best with aging aren't thinking that much about getting older. They do not focus on what's not working. If you sit around mulling over the meaning of existence and how time is running out, you are not going to age gracefully..

Accept the inevitable changes of aging, rather than seeing them as crises. If you live to be 90 years old, you are probably not going to be living alone in a big house, wash your car, clean your house and drive yourself to church on Sunday. If you know that ahead of time, it's easier to manage it. People who think rigidly do not know that to age gracefully, one has to anticipate the changes that are inevitable.

Continue to find things that are important to you. That can include spiritual pursuits, travels, hobbies, new social groups, lifelong learning.

It has been studied at the University  of Cambridge and proved in the UK that people with ages of 45 and 79 in the 1990s who followed the steps below added 14 years to their life span.

THE FOUR BEHAVIORS:

1. No smoking
2. Performing regular exercise
3. Drinking moderate amount of alcohol
4. Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day.

BENEFITS OF TUNA FISH

The many benefits of Tuna Fish listed below are as a result of  the abondant Vitamins, Minerals, and Organic compands found in this delicious Fish. These nutrients include Antioxidants and Protein without much saturated fat or sodium. Tuna Fish is also packed with high levels of Selenium and large amounts of Phosphorous, Iron, Magnesium and Potasium.

Tuna fish is super food and beneficial in many platforms.

Tuna Fish may reduce cardiovascular ailments.

Lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels.

Helps in weight loss efforts.

Tuna Fish boost the immune system.

It increases energy.

Maintain the healthy skin.

Increases red blood cell count.

May protect against kidney diseases.

Reduce general inflammation.

Helps to improve blood circulation and metabolism in the body.

VEGETABLE SOUP (EFO RIRO - YORUBA)

This is a delicious vegetable soup very popular in Southwest Nigeria among the Yoruba tribe.

INGREDIETS

Shoko  - Celosia Argentia (A leafy vegetables very popular in Southwest Nigeria)
Stock Fish
Assorted Meat 1 kg
6 Peppers (Tatashe or Bell pepper)
6 Fresh Tomatoes
1 large Onions
1 cup ground cray fish
1/2 handful of iru (locust beans)
2 medium size smoked fish
4 tbsp of Palm oil
2 knoor cubes
Water
Salt to taste

DIRECTION

Wash up the Shoko thoroughly, making sure there are no sand residue.
Boil a pot of water, soak the Shoko in the boiled water, cover and set aside.
Wash pepper, tomatoes and half of the onion. Combine all three in a blender and process, set aside.
Wash the meat thoroughly with water, boil in about 2 cups of water seasoning with  1/4 of the onion, salt and a cube of knoor. Allow to cook until tender and soft.
If the stock fish is had boil separately until soft.
Wash up the smoked fish and set aside. De bone if necessary.
Place a pot on fire, add 4 table spoon of Palm oil, remaining 1/4 onion chopped up, and a dash of salt.
(When you put the onions, salt and Palm oil in a hot pot at the same time, it prevents bleaching of the Palm oil by the heat. The niutrients in the palm oil is in the red color).
Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, while turning it to prevent it from being burnt.
Add the processed pepper, tomatoes and onions. Allow to cook for 15 minutes.
Add the pre boiled meat and stock fish, smoked fish, cray fish and iru. Stir all together and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
Drain water from the soaked Shoko, press on chopped board to remove extral water and cut up with kitchen knife. Add to the simmering source, turn the vegetables into the source and allow to cook under low heat for 3-5 minutes. Add required salt to taste. Bravo! Your delicious vegetable soup is ready.
Enjoy this soup with Rice (brown rice/Ofada rice) Amala, Semolina or Pounded yam.
Remember small potions is the key.

This soup serves 8 people.

Please note that if you are cooking this soup with Spinach, you do not have to soak the vegetables in hot water. Just wash the Spinach thoroughly and add to the simmering source.