Will Eat This

Conquering Lasagna

2014-08-07T17:32:00.000-04:00

Lasagna holds a special place in my heart. It has always represented something grand to me. I remember that in the summer of 2004, my mom came to Baltimore to spend time with my sister and I. In a bid to indulge in the fact my sister had her own apartment, I decided I was going to make lasagna for everyone.

First thing, I should mention is that my mother is borderline lactose intolerant. She does not eat anything milk based except for the occassional ice-cream. So if ever there was a flawed plan of action, it was this lasagna making adventure. The other part of the matter was my inability to follow a recipe. Heck, I still can't read a recipe for the life of me without tweaking it one way or the other. But this particular time, I just overbought certain things and underbought others. The pasta was unevely cooked. The oven felt insulted and started smoking. It was an unmitigated disaster no matter how much I tried to rescue the situation.

A year later, I would write about this experience in my non-fiction class. One of the conversation that I had with my teaching assistant was how to write about an experience in a non-typical manner and pull it off. You see, I wanted to write "How Not To Make Lasagna." They wanted me to focus on writing how to make lasagna. The one thing I have always had as a writer is a quirk for writing from an unexpected perspective. It was a good thing to be challenged for that class.

Ever since that unmitigated disaster, I have shied away from making lasagna. Until last week that is. A couple of weeks ago, I had started craving mac and cheese. All wanted to do was make a mac and cheese casserole with fancy cheese. So I went shopping for recipes to make the white sauce because I wanted this to be decadent experience. In the midst of searching for the white sauce, I ran into the recipe for Martha Stewarts Mac and Cheese. Otherwise known as Crack n Cheese because once you eat this, you won't go back. I scanned the recipe and decided that I wanted to make it with gruyere cheese and a sharp cheddar. So I bought the cheese but I forgot to get the pasta so the cheese sat in my fridge unused. That is until my thoughts ran from mac and cheese to lasagna.

My experience eating lasagna comes from eating frozen Stouffer's Lasagna years ago. I infamously cannot stand frozen food. There are very limited purveyors of frozen food that I will eat. The Stouffer's Lasagna was one of the few. Based on my limited experience eating lasagna and watching it made on countless TV shows, I decided that all a good lasagna needs is a splendid white sauce and a beyond amazing ragu sauce. I could use the white sauce from Martha Stewart's Mac and Cheese recipe. The ragu was no worry at all. I wanted it to be just ground beef with a hint of tomato and spices.

Making this recipe was a labor of self love because it took a lot to make two sauces. The white sauce is particular is very finicky because you can heat it to much or risk burning the mix. Plus, you have to keep moving the sauce around while it is cooking. That said though, the greatest moment of the night was taking out the lasagna from the oven and watching the sauce bubble over into the tray. After all the work I had put in, I was too tired to eat it. Looking at it though was a good enough reward until the next night's dinner.

Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake

2014-08-03T13:26:00.000-04:00

Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake with Cherry Syrup and Salted Caramel Ice-cream

It feels like I have been away from this blog forever. Life has a way of getting in the way of the best made plans. This past week for me has been about handling change. I have had to put a lot of time into coming up with new plans. Thankfully, everything seems better at this point.

On Monday night though, I felt crap. When I feel crap, I often reach for food. I know some people might say that emotional eating is a dangerous thing. I agree. It is a slippery slope that can lead to trouble. For one night only though, I needed to self soothe with food. This led me to make buttermilk pancakes from scratch for dinner. The fluffiness of American style pancakes scares people from making it from scratch. The fluffiness is what has spurned a whole industry of pancake mix. This pancake recipe came out perfectly fluffy, even after freezing it, defrosting and cooking.

I have to say that one of the bright spot of this week has been the food that I have produced. As much as eating is soothing, cooking is a remedy as well. By focusing on one thing and getting it right, I feel like I can focus on other things and get it just right as well. I have cooked so much this week. I made one of the most complicated recipes I have in while, lasagna. I will hopefully put up a recipe for that soon. Every time something came out just right, it was another validation that life was going to fine in no time.

As with everything that I cook, this pancake recipe came about because of the things I had in the house that I needed to utilize. I had almond nut pulp from making almond milk, buttermilk from making from fried chicken (yes, buttermilk has a long shelf life in the fridge) and cherries that I had bought in bulk on a sale. These elements together came out as a decadent pancake dinner topped with home-made cherry jam/syrup and salted caramel ice-cream. I had tons of leftover batter that I froze. This morning I had the pancakes with a twist by adding in dark chocolate shavings.

I should point out that this pancake batter by itself is actually pretty healthy. There is not a lot of sugar added to it. The presence of the almond and oatsmeal means that there is a lot of fiber that will help with long term satiety. I felt so proud of myself when I realized this on Monday because I really wanted to pig out. By adding in the healthy elements into the batter, I was able to moderate the impact of the sweet cherry syrup and the fully luxurious ice-cream toppings.

Before I put up the recipe, I should note that I know that not everyone is going to have almond nut pulp in their fridge. In that case, you can soak some almonds in the cold water for at least an hour. Drain the almonds and blend them with the milk. You will actually get a much richer almond taste this way. The other alternative is to add in almond flour. Also, I will put the recipe for the home-made cherry sauce next. Let me know how it goes if you try the recipe.

Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake

1 Cup of Oatsmeal
1.5 Cup of White Flour
2 Cup of Almond Pulp*
1 Tsp of Baking Soda
1 Tsp of Baking Powder
1 Cup of Buttermilk
1 Cup of Whole Milk
2 Tbsp of Sugar
.5 Tsp of Salt
1 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp of Butter
4 Small Eggs or 2 Large Eggs

*The almond pulp can be substituted with 1cup of raw almond nuts soaked in water or 1 cup of almond flour.

Instructions
1. Blend the oatsmeal into a fine powder in food processor and transfer to a bowl. Combine all the dry ingredients with the powdered oatsmeal.
2. Combine all wet ingredients including the eggs and mix to blend completely. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and whisk. Do not over mix the batter. It okay to have tiny lumps. Let the batter seat for at 20 minutes before cooking. I like to rest my oatsmeal pancake better.
3. Add a little bit of butter to a heated non-stick pan or griddle. When butter bubbles, add in 1/2 cup of batter to cook. Cook the first side until the pancake surface is covered in opened bubbles and then turn over to cook the other side.
4. Transfer to a warm plate to serve. Enjoy.

Chocolate Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake with Cherry Syrup

Bonus: Chocolate Almond Oats Buttermilk Pancake

1. Make the pancake batter has instructed above. Add in 1/4 cup of finely shaved 85% dark chocolate to the batter to get a chocolate flavor. Cook as normal.

Eid Mubarak!

2014-07-27T19:20:00.000-04:00

I looked at my blog the other day and I realized that perhaps I have been neglecting this space. The truth is that the last week has been a surreal moment of happiness and introspection. As you may know, Ramadan has been on the final lap.

The last ten days of Ramadan are the holiest so prayers and introspection are of the highest order. I have spent a lot of my time thinking about what I want from my life over the next year. There has been lots of tears (both happy and sad ones), lots of laughter from happiness and lots of food as well.

Ramadan has been a whirlwind. More like a vacation than any holiday I have actually ever taken. I have had such a relaxed time with it. I have eaten like it was a never ending festival of food and I have my share stories. I am sad to see Ramadan go.

Eid Mubarak to all!

My Zucchini Affair

2014-07-21T21:23:00.002-04:00

Zucchini Tart

When I was in college, I remember telling my stepmom that I wanted to go study abroad. I remember her cheekily telling me, "But you are already studying abroad." Eventually, she and my dad agreed to let me spend a summer at Sussex University in England. England was always the dream. It was the place people talked about in posh tones. When people talked about traveling when I was growing up in Lagos, London was synonymous with foreign travels. I always wanted to see London. When I finally started traveling, I ended up in America so London was still a dream.When I finally landed in the Queen's own country, I knew not a soul there. I followed instructions sent by the university and made my way to Brighton from Gatwick airport.

Then the summer seemed to explode with all kinds of goodness. One of my favorite food memories ever was from volunteering on a community farm in Sussex. The first day we went to the farm, the guy coordinating activities on the farm did not think we would survive because we were all so squeamish. It was the first time I was seeing a compost pile. It was my first time seeing a compost toilet. Despite the 'ick' factor of that first trip, my friends and I made the visit to the farm a regular part of our Friday activities. We helped set up nets around the raspberry clusters. We helped dig ridges. We created paths. We did the things eager but unskilled farm hands could do. Over the summer, we were paid in fresh fruits and veggies. The pile of raspberries tugged of the trees. The cuttings of herbs that made me feel really grown up in the kitchen as I roasted a stuffed chicken breast.

On the day we were volunteering, the coordinator decided to throw up a 'do. The high of the party was a stuffed giant zucchini. Of course, people would tell you that giant zucchini are a flavorless hunk of water and stringy flesh. Maybe...but that totally did not count given the spectacle of cooking this zucchini. The zucchini was pierced and drizzled with olive oil before being wrapped in layers and layers of foil paper. Then we dug a hole and dropped it in there before covering it with sand. Then we built a fire over the pile. By the time the fire was spent, the zucchini had been baked to mush. It was perfectly hot to be enjoyed with other veggies from the farm. Of course, most of the flavor came not from the food but the flair of the cooking method.

It was this grandiosity that made me fall in love with zucchini. Over this summer, I have found myself salivating again over zucchini on Instagram. So many zucchini tart pictures with the perfect blend of yellow and green circles on a crispy and golden base. I had to have one. So I made one. My lazy self simply bought some phyllo dough from work and a couple of zucchinis. I already had my pesto at home as well as Feta cheese.

I always thought phyllo dough would be difficult to work with. However, I found it very forgiving of my naïveté. If there is some special technique for handling it, I guess I either got it or it does not matter much. I simply unrolled the phyllo dough from the manufacturer's box and removed the layers I wanted. I rolled it the remainder back for another's day cooking adventure. When the a layer tore while I was handling it, I simply just keep layering.

The most important part of making this tart for me was the salting of the zucchini. Zucchini has a lot of water content that I expected to make the tart really watery. To manage the water content, I sliced the zucchini into thin slices then seasoned with salt. I let the slices sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before assembling. By time I was ready to use the zucchini, the slices had expressed a lot of fluid into the bowl. I simply drained this water before using. The tart kept out perfect in my opinion. It as crispy on the outside, the pesto maintained a nice consistency while the zucchini slices perfectly cooked but still retaining shape and texture. It was an exemplary meal.

The added bonus on this tart is that it hold well in the fridge. I reheated the leftover a couple of days later and I was surprised by how crisp the crust was. There was no sign of sogginess which was my big fear when I made and realized I could not not eat a whole tart in one sitting.

Zucchini Tart

2 Medium Size Tart sliced and salted

2 Tbsp Pesto

3 Tbsp Feta Cheese Crumbles

1 Tbsp of Olive Oil

4 Layers of Phyllo Dough

*For this tart, I use a personal size baking pan with measurement 6.5 by 8.5 inches. You can use something similarly small even if it is not the exact size as mine or maybe only use half the width of a regular pan.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F

1. Brush or spray the baking pan with olive oil before laying the first layer of phyllo dough. I brushed each layer with oil before putting on another layer. This is optional. I then folded the dough in half. This was still overflowing from the pan. To make it fit, I folded in the dough to create slightly raised sides.

2. Spread the pesto in the centre of the dough evenly. Layer on the zucchini slices carefully. Make that the slices are evenly spread before sprinkling the feta crumbles over the tart.

3. Place assembled tart in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the crust is golden and crispy. Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Brew

2014-07-19T16:56:00.000-04:00

Lemon Basil

I can't remember if I have talked about this here but I don't drink. Okay! I actually do drink water and such. I guess a better way to frame this is "I don't drink alcohol." Never have, never will. For some people that is so hard to fathom. And just to avoid confusion, "No, I did not grow up in a household with an alcoholic." Some people will point out that it has something to do with being Muslim. Yes, it does but it goes beyond being a Muslim. I generally find that I don't like anything that will alter my body and mind. And no, just a little alcohol is also still going to alter your brain's processes. There is no such thing as being sober with just a little alcohol. So, alcohol for me is scary.

I am glad I grew up in a sober household because the expectation of growing up to drink alcohol is something that I never had. On the other hand, I grew up in a culture where alcohol was widely available. Any one who knows anything about Lagos can attest to the fact that getting your hands on alcohol as a child is so easy. The street corner mallam who sells sweets will also sell cigarettes and alcohol. It was not uncommon for children to be sent to the street mallam or bar to get a bottle of Guinness or Star, a few sticks of cigarettes plus a few candies as a treat for running the errands.

When I came to school in the US, I remember seeing my university mates drinking like there was no tomorrow. From the alcohol fueled craziness of Sun God festivities at University of California San Diego to the alcohol fueled Friday night jaunts to Tijuana clubs, these were things my Johnny Just Come (JJC)* self saw and avoided. When I went to study abroad at Sussex University in England for the summer, I remember my fellow students from America being crazed at their ability to buy unlimited amounts of alcohol. The age restrictions of America suddenly gave away to the unabashed drunken stupors of the clubs and bars that lined the streets of Brighton. I was called many a name for being one of the few people who was not drinking during the summer semester. I was simply uncool. Heck, I was even called asexual because my sober self could not see the Adonis that resided in the drunk boys that my drunken "friends" saw.

Generally, being sober has defined my social experiences negatives only at certain points of my life. When I lived in Manchester, I never felt left out. I was still invited out to the clubs by my fellow grad students. I still danced like a crazed person in the club even though I was sober and could remember every bit of it. When I moved back to Lagos, it was a non-issue. My sister is a sober person as well.

Then, there was the monster called Boston. I remember moving here thinking I was coming to meet to reasonable adults. Turns out that in Boston the average successful young adult working in the start-up scene can't function without alcohol. Heck, the availability of alcohol in the office is a recruiting tool for some firms. I can't tell you the number of social media post I see everyday with someone boasting about the alcohol games and paraphernalia that makes their office so cool. I could tell you about the social events I went to as a networking move at many offices and the drunken stupor among attendants. I could tell you about going to events at start-up offices and realizing that they did not even have decent drinking water for the sober attendees.

Of course in the way life works, when I complained or brought it up, the problem was mine. I am the no-fun, uptight, untalented start-up community wannabe who can't admit that the reason I am uncomfortable going to events is because I can't cut it. It has nothing to do with realizing that I don't want to imagine my career being in a community where a prerequisite to acceptance is how well you play beer pong or how many shots you can down. The problem is all mine that I see a bunch of young adults misbehaving because they have lost all inhibitions to alcohol. The problem is mine that the inevitable gossip about who touched people inappropriately at that office party last night gets to me and makes me cringe. The problem really is mine that I would rather remember having fun.

I don't work in the start-up community today because of a bunch of BS that I observed with very clear eyes in the months I spent networking. I much prefer the life I live now. I very much prefer my uncool and unsexy existence living in a house outside of Boston with people who don't come home in a drunken fit. I much prefer my co-workers who drink but don't feel the need to go over their limits.

What does this rant have to do with food you ask? Well, I got majorly pissed off by a Jamie Oliver Drinkstube competition this afternoon because the rules require you to make a cocktail recipe with alcohol. I was excited to submit a recipe until I read the rule. Once again, I felt excluded. I mean it is not a big deal because they do have the right to create boundaries for their competition. It just got me thinking how interesting non-alcoholic drinks could be.

Being sober should not mean having to drink sugary drinks that have no depth or flavor. One of the things that I am discovering as I play around with making non-alcoholic drinks is many layers that make a good drinking experience. There are so many sensory pathways that can be appealed to when making a drink. There is the visual experience that gives way to the smell. One of the reasons why I felt in love with this recipe is the smell of the basil and lemon while it was brewing. As you might remember from my pesto post, I got a 2 pounds of really awesome fragrant basil as a gift. This drink recipe is one of way I took advantage of the distinctive floral fragrance of the basil.

The other thing I really wanted to explore with this recipe is the flavor of lemon beyond lemon juice. This is not a lemonade in the classic tradition of squeezing the lemon juice. This recipe actually does not have the tartness of a lemon because I brewed it without squeezing the lemon. I brewed it with whole chopped up lemon so I got the flavor of the lemon oil in the zest, the bitterness of the pith and the citrus elements from the pulpy part of the lemon.This is a very simple recipe that gives birth to a robust drink if you a patient and allow it to cold brew properly. The chief ingredient in this drink is time. Now, if you are ready, the recipe is below. It is your reward for reading my rant. And, if you just skipped the rant to get to the recipe, you get rewarded for your impatience as well. Enjoy!

Lemon Basil Cordial

Lemon Basil Brew

3 Organic Lemon chopped into small cubes
8Oz Basil shredded rougly
1.5 Cup Simple Syrup

Instructions
1. In a glass jar/bowl with a tight cover preferably, combine all the elements. You don't want to brew this is in plastic, especially a plastic jar/bowl you are reusing, because plastic absorbs and releases flavors that can interfere with the brewing process. Cover the jar/bowl and put it in the fridge. Allow this to cold-brew for at least 3 days but no more than 5 days. Don't try to quicken it up by heating it up. You will get too much of the flavors. The cold brew allows for a soft extraction of the different layers of flavor.

2.Strain out the brew without squeezing the lemon. You should strain this out without using any pressure. You can use a cheese bag or strainer and let it slowly drip in the fridge. You will get about a cup and a half of cordial this way.

3.Mix brew with sparkling water at a ratio of 1part lemon basil extract to 3 parts water. So 2oz of lemon basil brew to 6oz of sparkling water.

Chipotle Potato Salad

2014-07-19T13:02:00.001-04:00

Chipotle Potato Salad

The problem with cooking for one person is the leftovers. Especially for someone who loves cooking, leftovers are the things that keep me eating the same thing over and over again. Leftovers are the blocks that stop me from creatively expressing myself in the kitchen.

As anticipated, on the night I made the lovely fried chicken sandwich, I had leftovers for some of my key items like the cabbage, homemade mayonnaise and the chipotle sauce. It was very important for me to use up the mayonnaise quickly because it had raw egg in it and therefore would not stay edible for a long time.

I definitely was not in the mood for another sandwich. However, I was in the mood for a potato salad. I know a lots of people are not fans of potato salads. Neither am I. Except when I make it at home myself. I prefer my potato salad made with new small potatoes that don't require cutting up. I usually make potato salad in the spring and summer when new potatoes are abundant in the stores. These have thinner skin that can be washed up nicely before cooking the potatoes. I also prefer to make the dressing with half-cooked eggs heavily mixed with a spicy mustard and a little oil.

In Manchester, I used to add in flaked smoked mackerel to make it a quick one dish meal that is suitable for picnic. This meal I had it with leftover quick-pickled cabbage and leftover Orange-Chipotle Chicken that I had made earlier that week. It was a week that was heavy on chipotle peppers.

Chipotle New Potato Salad

1Lb of New Potatoes washed and boiled
1/4 Cup of Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup of Honey Chipotle Sauce*
1 Cup of Cherry Tomatoes halfed
1/2 Cup of English Peas shelled and blanched

Instructions
1. Make sure the potatoes are cooled down before making the salad. Add the cooked potatoes, mayonnaise and chipotle sauce in a bowl. Mix it all together with your hands, crushing some of the potatoes slightly.
2. Add in the peas and tomatoes once the sauces and potatoes are well blended. Mix gently to avoid crushing tomatoes.
3. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour and up to 3 days. Serve.

*If you don't have chipotle sauce and you can't be bothered to make it, you can substitute it with a good BBQ sauce. Or you can blend the mayonnaise with chipotle pepper in adobo sauce for the same spicy and smokey kick with a little honey.

How to Survive Summer Grill Season...

2014-07-15T19:05:00.000-04:00

I was totally going to put up a very non-summer recipe today. However, I opened up the NYTimes and noticed that they have just released a summer cooking guide. I find the guide to be very simple but straight forward so I thought I would share. Also there is a recipe for corn soup using buttermilk that I feel was destined to be cooked by me. I still have excess buttermilk in my fridge from making fried chicken. The corn-buttermilk soup is now another option to consider. Check out the article here. Have a happy summer grilling!

Roasted Strawberry Basil Tea Cordial

2014-07-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I posted up one of those listicles of recipes that always makes me salivate for food. This particular list was for strawberries. I remember reading the article and thinking to myself that I ought to make the roasted strawberry tea. Well, I did it. I made a version of the strawberry tea.

I had gotten large amount of fragrant basil and I just knew instinctively that it would make an awesome summer drink. I am very big into making drinks at home because I feel like drinks for those who don't drink alcohol tend to be boring sugar laden affairs. By playing with making drinks at home, I can try more adult combinations that focus less on sugar. I find that there is a huge flavor range between bitter and sweet or mellow and bold that don't get interpreted into drinks often. Also, beyond fruitiness, there is a whole of floral and herby taste and fragrances that I don't see often in drinks.

I wanted to play up the lush fragrance of the basil so I bought some strawberries from the store before coming home on Saturday. On Sunday morning, I roasted some strawberries, chopped some basil, made syrup and combine the whole lot. The resulting cordial was amazing. Roasting the strawberries intensified and changed the flavor on it.

It is all gone now and I know I am going to make it again soon. Anyway, the recipe is below. I hope you get to try it.

Roasted Strawberry Basil Cordial makes 2 Cups

8oz Strawberries hulled
8oz Fresh Basil Leaves roughly shredded
1Cup Simple Syrup warm

Instruction
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Put in the strawberries in a roasting dish and place into the oven. Roast for 15-20 minute until strawberries have darkened in color, reduced in size and releases juice
2. Pour the basil leaves into the still hot strawberries in roasting dish and add in warm syrup. Stir gently.
3. Allow mix to seep for an hour at least before straining. The longer you allow it to seep, the stronger the basil flavor.
4. Chill strawberry basil cordial in a fridge for up to a week. You can use it to make a drink with a mix ratio of 1 part cordial to 2 water/coconut water/seltzer. Or you can drizzle it on ice-cream or pancake.

Flowering Basil

2014-07-13T17:49:00.001-04:00

Fresh Pesto

Something amazing happened at the beginning of the weekend. I got about 2 pounds of basil unexpectedly. The basil was so fragrant. It surprised and inspired me. There are a bunch of recipes coming up soon that highlights the fragrant nature of really fresh and seasonal basil. Until then, enjoy some of the fun that I had making pesto.

While I was looking for ideas for making pesto, I found this blog called On The Flavor Road. I really liked the pesto recipe on that blog. I was inspired by the ingredient list but I could not be bothered to use such a specific recipe for making the pesto. Also, I like my pesto thicker so it was no brainer to mold this to my taste. Anytime I make a sauce like pesto or salad dressing that calls for using olive oil without cooking it, I have an extra special bottle of olive oil that I use. Not all olive oils are created equally.

I made a big batch pesto and I have put it in the freezer to preserve it. I look forward to using it in tons of different recipes.

Flowering Basil

Big Batch Pesto

lLb Basil Leaves
1Cup Parmiggiano Reggiano shaved
2 Garlic Cloves peeled
1Cup Pinenuts
11/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Instructions
1. Put all the basil, garlic, pinenuts and olive oil into a food processor. Blend the ingredients gently. When it looks mostly blended, add in the parmesan and give it a brief whirl.
2. Store in an airtight container in a freezer.

Seeking Buttermilk Dessert Recipes

2014-07-12T21:58:00.001-04:00

I was going to post a recipe today. Since I am too tired to do that, I thought I should share one of the inspirations I am considering. I subscribe to Bon Appetit so when I was looking for recipes to finish up the buttermilk I bought to make fried chicken, I turned to the website. I found this article from earlier this year that had all kinds of dessert recipes for the buttermilk and it got me excited. Now, I am thinking maybe I should do two recipes from the list since I have about 2 cups of buttermilk in my fridge. I definitely love the idea of a pecan fudge because I love pecan pie. Also, I have never made candy before. The other recipe I am considering is the chocolate coconut cake. I might rework that as a banana chocolate cake though.

Check out the recipes and let me know what you think. Better yet, do you have a recipe for buttermilk to share?

A Food Garden

2014-07-11T13:30:00.002-04:00

Picking raspberries.

One of my friends is house sitting for a couple weeks. She had mentioned constantly that she thought it would be good for me to visit the house. I was not so sure especially because it is Ramadan and I crave the comfort of my house and bed. However, in the name of friendship, I packed my bag before work yesterday and went to visit for the night. I got in so late but I was still in awe when I arrived by the bits of the garden I could see in the twilight. This morning when I woke up, I was stunned. It is so pretty. I took a bunch pictures because it is not just a flower garden but a mixed with food plants as well. I really hope one day I am able to create something like this for myself.

The view standing on the patio looking into the yard

The cherry tree has a radio playing to scare away birds.

Onions growing alongside dills

Squash flowers blossoming

I love this flowery path

There were so many ripe raspberries hiding under the leaves

A cluster of lettuce

Pineapple Blueberry Syrup

2014-07-10T22:46:00.000-04:00

Pineapple Blueberry Drink

Forgive the picture...there was no where else in the kitchen to take a quick picture that had enough light. This was drink was assembled in haste because I knew I had a longer recipe to execute. This is a pineapple blueberry drink. I have had a mason jar filled with pineapple syrup so I knew I had a fragrant base that could handle pretty much anything like blueberries. A quick crushing of the blueberries followed by pouring in the pineapple syrup made the flavoring for the drink that was later topped up with water.

Pineapple Blueberry Drink

1/2 Cup Blueberries

1/4 Pineapple Syrup

Water

Spicy Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich

2014-07-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for the chicken sandwich!

Something that I have come to realize is that good food is not a measure of fancy techniques or fancy ingredients. A simple meal such as a Chicken Sandwich can be the best meal ever if all elements of the meal are made fresh and made with care. It is with this thought in mind that I set off on my chicken sandwich odyssey this past Tuesday night. The whole idea of making fried chicken has been on my mind ever since I got the June issue of Bon Appetit and read the story on Nashville's Hot Fried Chicken. The idea of eating spicy chicken stayed with me for over a month. In that month, I also picked up the June/July issue of Saveur and I was faced with a story on the Nashville Fried Chicken phenomenon again.

When I finally gave in to the thoughts of chicken at the back of my mind, I had to make something that would be relatively quick and easy to make. I settled on frying a chicken breast. Then I thought to myself, "How are you going to eat this breast?" From deep within (okay...not so deep), I decided to make the sandwich because I also wanted to try fleshing out an idea for a sauce that I had been tossing about in my head. I decided to make a honey chipotle sauce for the sandwich. To balance that out, I made garlic aioli at home. I used this recipe from Epicurious.

Homemade garlic aioli

Chipotle pepper is something that I felt in love with the first time I cooked with it last year. The smokiness of the pepper in adobo sauce had me hooked and I knew this was something I wanted to play with. I am a huge fan of smokiness in food. Perhaps this because when I was growing up in Nigeria, smoky food often meant party food or celebratory meals. I have good thoughts and memories of smokiness.

The cabbage slaw was a minute decision. I actually had a bit of consultation at the grocery store when I was looking for bread to support the flavors in the sandwich. I eventually settled on Iggy's Ciabatta Sandwich roll. Iggy's is a local bakery in Boston that makes the most amazing breads. Their ciabatta sandwich is amazing because it is crusty on the outside but still really flexible. On the inside, it is a slightly doughy with pronounced holes that hold the flavor of the sauces amazingly well.

Tomato, cabbage, fried chicken and dressed ciabatta sandwich roll

Spicy Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich serves 1

For the Fried Chicken

1 Small Chicken Breast pounded out into a paillard

1/2 Cup of buttermilk

1 Egg

1 Tbsp of hot sauce

1 Cup of Flour

1 Cup of Panko Breadcrumbs

1/2 Cup of Peanut Oil

Salt & Pepper

For Honey Chipotle Sauce makes 1/4 cup

4 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce

1/4 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp of Honey

1/4 Cup of Warm Water

For Cabbage

1/4 Lb of Cabbage finely shredded

1/2 Lemon juiced

1 Tbsp of Sea Salt

1 Sandwich roll

1 Tomato sliced

1 Tbsp Mayonaise

Instructions

1. Season the chicken breast that has been pounded out with salt and pepper. Allow to sit in fridge until ready to use

2. Combine the shredded cabbage, lemon and salt in a big bowl. After ten minutes, cabbage should have released lots of water. Drain water from the cabbage using a cheese cloth or paper towel to ensure that it is really dry. Chill this in the fridge.

3. For the honey chipotle sauce, blend the chipotle peppers and water in a blender until semi-smooth. Pour that in a pan before adding in the apple cider vinegar and dissolving in the honey. Slowly reduce the mixture over heat until it has consistency of a thick syrup. Make sure this is done over low gradual heat so that the honey does not burn. Once the consistency is okay, allow it to cool.

4. Whisk together buttermilk, egg and hot sauce. Season the flour and the breadcrumbs separately in flat plates.

5 When all other components of sandwich are cooked, it is time to fry the chicken. Put the peanut oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Drop the chicken into the buttermilk mixture and ensure it is well coated. Then drag the chicken through the flour to get it coated on both sides. Return it back to the buttermilk and then coat with breadcrumbs.

5. Fry on chicken on both sides until crust is golden brown and crunchy in peanut oil. Retrieve chicken from heat and place in a plate with paper towel to get off excess oil.

6. Assemble the sandwich.

Spicy Chipotle Fried Chicken Sandwich

My Mom's One Pot Beans Casserole

2014-07-08T21:44:00.002-04:00

One Pot Beans Casserole

I was tempted to put off writing today because I am so tired from cooking. However, the recipe for today is in honor of my mom, whose birthday is today. It is a recipe for One Pot Beans Casserole, an adaptation of the way my mom made beans while I was growing up in Lagos. When I was child, I actually hated beans. I made myself so sick that my mom gave up and I did not have to eat beans. This

is quite funny to me now because beans is one food that I adore and I try to work into my diet often.

My mom use to make her beans casserole in a pressure cooker. It made the beans come out in a melt-in-your-mouth form. It was so tender. She would add in sweet corn from a can...it was always the Green Giant brand. I can still taste the sweetness and saltness of the can fresh out of the can. The usually tomato, pepper and onion blend would be added. Her oil of choice for cooking beans is palm oil. I grew so attached to eating palm oil in beans that I find it weird when people make beans casserole with other oils.

This particular recipe I am putting up was for a day when I was craving beans. I mentioned it to one of my co-workers who told me to soak it for a long time to get a shorter cooking time. So I soaked my beans at night before going to bed and cooked it the next night after getting back for work. The 20 hours plus soaking time meant the beans was cooked in about 30 minutes and it was really tender. I also used homemade tomato sauce to cut the cooking time. I added in leeks and dried shrimps that a friend brought in from Lagos to give it a ton of sweetness. This recipe is still really good without the dried shrimps added. Also, if you can't find palm oil, you can make the beans with a bland oil that won't interfere with the flavor of the food.

Beans and Bread

One Pot Beans Casserole serves 4

2 Cups of Dried Pinto Beans soaked
1 Cup of Tomato Sauce
1 Leek cleaned and sliced
1/2 Cup of Shrimp
2 Cups of Fresh Corn Kernel
1/4 Cup of Palm Oil

Directions
1. Add the soaked beans, leek, tomato sauce, shrimps, palm oil and corn to a medium saucepan. Add in a cup of water to the pan. Set the pan of on heat and bring to a brisk simmer while covered. Keep cooking until beans are tender. With the back of spoon, break up a few beans to create a thickening effect. When the thickness of casserole is to your liking, take off the heat.
2. Serve!

Orange Chipotle Chicken Part Deux

2014-07-07T21:24:00.000-04:00

Orange Chipotle Chicken on Noodles

Today was one of those days when all I dreamt about at work was food. I knew exactly what I wanted for dinner. There is this recipe on my old blog for Orange-Chipotle Wings that I absolutely was craving. The fortunate thing about this recipe is that it is well suited for cooking frozen chicken breast since I had not planned this meal earlier. I pretty much followed the recipe because I was cooking about a pound of chicken breast. The only different is that my cooking time was doubled because the chicken was frozen.

I served the chicken on Indomie noodles. These are my favorite noodles ever and I have been eating them since childhood. Tomorrow is my mom's birthday and as I made the noodles, I was reminded about how much she hates the noodles. My mother can't stand the smell of the condiment that comes with the noodles. When my sister and I were younger, she would cook us the noodles regardless of the fact that she hates it. I am going to be putting up a recipe that was inspired by her tomorrow.

From tonight cooking session, I have left over chicken breast in the fridge. I am already sure it is going in a tortilla wrap or bread for a sandwich soon. Please try the recipe and let me know what you think of it.

Nigerian Hibiscus Tea

2014-07-06T18:22:00.000-04:00

Cold-brewed Hibiscus Tea with Ginger Slices

One of the things that I know for sure is that living outside of Nigeria has made me more Nigerian. I get to appreciate the cultural heritage more because I have access to more information more. I get to appreciate the food more because I miss the distinctively Nigerian way of cooking and eating foods. I also get to discover random things escaped my consciousness while I lived in Nigeria.

A couple of months back, I was on Instagram when I saw this post on Nigerian tiger prawns. It was the first time I ever knew that seafood from Nigeria is a thing. I grew up in Lagos and one of the perks of all that water is that I have pretty much been eating fish my whole life. When I was a child, if I ever got sick or my sister got sick, my mum would make us fresh fish soup. This was considered a delicacy because it used mostly catfish that would be freshly killed. The sad part of this is that I most likely would not have the appetite to enjoy the fish.

Although I grew up aware of the abundance of seafood, I did not realize shrimp/prawns was something that Nigeria exported. So, a little bit of googling later, I discovered that the prawns are actually alien to Nigeria but they have thrived in there. Their beauty lies in their massive size making them suitable to be the centre-piece of a recipe.

My other discovery was this week at the grocery store. I noticed that Republic of Tea has a particular blend of tea that is prominently labeled as Nigerian Hibiscus Tea. I was so excited when I saw this that I had to buy it. I was so excited because I miss Zobo or as it is known in the west Hibiscus tea. Hibiscus tea is something that we made at home all the time in Nigeria. It is usually made to be really full bodied with a sharp sweetness and a gingery kick. Some people also add in garlic. A common component of Hibiscus tea in Nigeria is fruits as well especially pineapple.

Although I grew up hot brewing hibiscus tea, I have recently gotten into cold brewing because it is summer and I don't feel like dealing with heat. Also, cold brewing means you get subtler flavors. Although, if you cold brew for a really long time, you can certainly pull out lots of flavor from the tea with lots of notes (I know I am borderline crazy talking about notes on tea. I am a big tea drinker. I collect tea of all kinds. Some people talk in hushed tones about the finish of wine, I talk in hushed tones about tea notes.) When I do a cold brew, I often use twice the amount of tea I would use for a hot brew. I put the tea bag into a jar of room temperature water and then I put it in the fridge. My cold brews are usually take about 8 hours to 24 hours in the fridge. You could brew for a shorter period of time. Mine take so long because I like to put it in before going to work or bed and drink the next day or in the evening.

The other thing that changed about the way I brewed my hibiscus tea is the amount of sweetener I use. My palette has changed since I was a kid so I don't like things to be too sweet. I wanted this hibiscus tea to be light and refreshing because I was drinking it to break fast. I did not go for the full bodied brew on this recipe.

The Republic of Tea Hibiscus Heart Healthy Nigerian Blossoms

Hibiscus Tea serves 2

2 Pure Hibiscus Leaf Teabags
1/4 Pound of Ginger root sliced
1/4 Cup of Pineapple Syrup

Instructions
1. The pineapple syrup is actually quite easy to make. Before I peeled my medum-sized pineapple at home, I thoroughly washed the outside of it. I cut off the head and bottom of the pineapple but saved the rest of the peels. In a big pot, I added in 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to the pineapple peels. Simmer for about 30 minutes to infuse the syrup with pineapple flavor. Allow the syrup to cool down with the peel before straining. Chill the resulting syrup.
2. In a jar with 3 cups of water, add in the hibiscus teabags and the ginger slices. Place the jar in a fridge for at least 4 hours. The longer you leave the tea in the fridge to brew, the stronger the flavor and color.
3. Strain the ginger slices out of the tea.
4. Add in the pineapple syrup and stir. Serve.

A Beautiful Mess

2014-07-05T23:03:00.000-04:00

Rack of Lamb

One of the reasons why I cook more often than I bake is that I have no patience. Actually, maybe it is not patience. I just can't be bothered with recipes. Really can't be bothered. My relationship with food has always been instinctual. I look at food and I cook what comes out of me. I have been lucky that more often than not, the food is edible. Tonight though was a bust.

I have had this rack of lamb tucked away in the freezer for a special day. I have been waiting for that special occasion that would be deserving of my rather expensive rack of lamb (Sidenote: Maybe my rack of lamb is not expensive really. I walked into one of the fancy food stores that we have in Boston called Savenor. After seeing a rack of lamb on sale for $90, I was compelled to leave the store out of fear. I could not stay longer because I did not want to run the risk of breaking something in the store I could not afford.) After waiting for a couple of months, I was compelled to defrost it for dinner. I looked up a recipes this morning because I have never cooked lamb before. I chose an Epicurious recipe for Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb. Of course, I can't follow recipes so I changed things up a bit for the herbs. I added in crushed pistachios into the herb crust mostly. Ok, maybe I used dried rosemary instead of fresh as well. Then, I followed their cooking instruction.

Herb-Crusted Lamb on Stir-fried Asparagus

I certainly did not enjoy the result. First off, when I tried to cut the crust kept coming off the meat. The meat was tender but the flavor profile was off. I feel like lamb can handle a heavier treatment or just something simpler. The in-betweeness of the Epicurious recipe did not fill my mouth with delight. The next time I make lamb, I am going in for the kill. I am imagining a really crunchy crust that is salty and sweet. Until then, I leave you with these pictures.

By the way, the reason I am putting up this post is because I feel like the pictures for this recipe are some of the best I have taken. My camera/photography skills are weak to say the least. I am smart enough to admit that it is not the camera, it is me. I have been playing with buttons more on my camera. I am hopeful that I can be better soon enough.

**Bonus Fail: I also tried to make a smoothie of papaya, kiwi and oranges. I hated it because it was so itchy on my tongue and throat.

Papaya, Kiwi and Oranges are not a good combination for a smoothie

The Single Woman's Leftover Dilemma

2014-07-05T03:01:00.000-04:00

Stuffed Zucchini

One of the things that always happens to me is leftovers. This is no surprise because cooking for one is a delicate walk between not wanting to cook at all and eating out or cooking and having to eat the same thing over and over again. The thing with me is that I don't mind eating the same thing over and over again. The repetitive eating is actually one of my coping mechanisms for singledom. I make one pot of food and I eat it for lunch over the week. Sometimes, I do that for dinner as well.

However since Ramadan started and I am only eating twice a day, I really feel like I ought savor the food I am eating. So I have taken to cooking every night. My Suhoor meal is pretty much the same thing each time because I treat is as a functional meal. For Suhoor or the pre-dawn meal, I eat overnight soaked oats. By the time Ramadan is done, I will be glad to go back to my smoothies and breakfast pizzas.

Until then, I focus on the Iftar or my dinner. A couple of post back, I mentioned that I made mushroom mince. The mushroom mince was enough for 4 people so I had leftovers. Instead of crying though, I came up with different ways to use it up. These are not really recipes but rather a way of looking at leftovers. I focused on making sure the meatiness of the mushrooms. Also, I wanted options that required little prep work because I am tired after fasting all day. Oh! Forgive me for the bad pictures, I am finding it hard taking pictures of my Iftar meal because the light is down by then. Kitchen light/ artificial light just never does food any justice.

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata

For the first option, I added layered in the mushroom mince on a bed of leftover roasted asparagus in a pyrex dish. Then, I poured in 3 whole eggs that I whisked together with salt and pepper. Topped the mixture with thick slices of provolone cheese and grated parmesan. I baked it at 400F for about 20 minutes until the egg was set and puffed up. I also put it under the broiler to get some color and crispiness on the cheese.

Stuffed Zucchini

The second option was actually my dinner tonight. I cut a zucchini horizontal. Then I hollowed out the middle to form a boat. I chopped up the top part i had cut up and stuffed it into the hollowed out middle. This was then topped with the last of the mushroom mince. This was baked in the oven at 350F for 20 minutes. When the zucchini was tender to the fork, I topped it with slices of cheese and put it under a broiler. This was actually better than I expected it to be.

Haymarket Mushroom Dream

2014-07-03T19:30:00.000-04:00

Mushrooms!

Last weekend, one of my friends, decided that we should go to Haymarket Farmers' Market in Boston. Haymarket is not really a traditional farmers' market because the food there is not artisanal and sellers are not farmers. What makes Haymarket special is the abundance of fruits and vegetables for cheap, really really cheap. One has to be careful though to ensure that they are getting good items because the items there are not exactly known for being fresh. My number one Haymarket rule is not to buy anything in bulk. If I can't cook it over the next couple of days, I won't buy it from Haymarket.

Although I had done grocery shopping at the grocery store just the day before, I agreed to go to Haymarket because I figured I won't buy much. This was my first mistake. As my friend noted, "You can't help yourself around food." This is true...I see food, I see possibilities, I start shopping. So while we are walking through the market, I start seeing mushrooms everywhere. Then I start dreaming of making a mushroom mince that can used in place of ground beef. I decide to buy different types of mushrooms to wide the flavor profile of this dish that is rapidly developing in my head. I used button mushrooms mostly because these were really cheap. Then I added in Shiitake and Trumpet mushrooms.

This recipe is the result of the Haymarket dream. This mushroom mince is so simple to make. I actually made it on the first day of Ramadan while I was fasting. Chopping the mushrooms manually gave me something to focus on. If you have a food processor, this is so easy to do. I kept the seasoning really simple as well. Something that I have noticed about the way I cook is that I really like ingredients being able to speak for themselves. I don't over spice or season food because each ingredients should have a voice in the meal. Mushrooms have a meaty flavor that just needs to be complemented a bit to bring it out.

I had the mushroom mince for dinner on angel hair pasta topped with a crispy toasted and garlicky panko breadcrumbs* along with roasted asparagus and radishes. It was a hearty meal to kick off Ramadan.

Meaty Mushroom Mince

2 Lbs of Mixed Mushrooms
1 Small Onions
3 Cloves of Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
2 Tbsp of Italian Herb Blend
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

Instructions
1. Clean and mince all the mushrooms, the onions and garlic into fine and consistent confetti.
2. In a non-stick pan, heat up the olive oil. Pour in the mushroom mix confetti.
3. Into the mushroom mix, add the bay leaf immediately as well as the italian season blend. Also, add salt to taste.
4. Keep cooking until mushrooms have released all their moisture and dried up into a thick dark mince. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Enjoy.

* For tips on how to toast the panko bread crumbs, check out this earlier post on Garlicky Pasta.

Watermelon Lemonade

2014-07-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

Watermelon Lemonade

One of the things that I really enjoyed when I went to Mumbai with my mom was the drink culture. Every time we went to a restaurant, they would serve us a new drink known as a 'Welcome Drink'. These drinks apparently were most from cordials but each drink was different from the last and the next. As someone who abstains from alcohol, I really appreciated the creativity that went into creating these non-alcoholic options. I also enjoyed the variety offered.

One of the things that I have been doing as Ramadan started is creating drinks to break fast every night. I have mostly created fruit blends from watermelon so far. I intend to play around some more as Ramadan proceeds and after. The particular drink I am putting up today was inspired by a drink sampled at the grocery store I work. It is a watermelon lemonade. At work, they also sampled a watermelon lemonade from a bottle. Although it was okay, I was wondering where all the subtle flavors of the watermelon went. So I took the idea and converted it into a fresh version.

I prefer the fresh version because no matter how well you preserve flavor in a bottle, it is not as awesome as having something fresh. The little play on tanginess and sweetness from the lemon and sugar is enhanced by the watermelon full but soft flavors. I'm definitely going to be trying more drinks featuring watermelon.

Fresh Watermelon Lemonade

6 Cups of Watermelon Flesh

1 Cup of Simple Syrup*

1 Lemon juice and zest

Instructions
1. Add the watermelon flesh into a big bowl along with the lemon juice and zest. Crush the watermelon flesh either with your finger or with a clean potato masher.
2. Strain the watermelon pulp out. To get a clear drink, strain a second time using cheese cloth.
3. Mix the strained juice with the simple syrup. Chill and serve cold.

*Simple syrup is normally equal part sugar and water boiled together until the sugar crystal are fully dissolved. For my simple syrup, I use 1 cup of sugar to 2 cups of water because I don't like too much sweetness in my drinks.

Ramadan: Three Days In

2014-07-01T22:18:00.000-04:00

As I sit here to type up this post, I am already in my PJs and partly nodding off with an overstuffed belly. It is the end of Day 3 of Ramadan and I am still getting into some sort of rhythm. One of the things that I have been thinking of all day is what a huge change in lifestyle that I am going through with Ramadan. I feel like when we talk about Ramadan, the focus is so much on the fast and the lack of food or water. There is more to Ramadan than not eating.

For me, it has meant that I can't go to the gym. This morning at work I said to one of my co-workers, "I miss the gym." She laughed at me because it seemed like such an unusual thing to say.The gym for me is a mental place of solace. I challenge myself mentally so that I can perform better physically. I work out first thing in the morning so exercise sets the pace for the rest of my day.

The other thing I really miss is uninterrupted sleep. I am still getting almost the same amount of sleep I get normally. It is just broken into pieces, before Suhoor and after Suhoor. Both phases are uncomfortable because I go straight to bed after stuffing myself with food. I am thinking maybe I should eat less. This is not an attractive option because I need the calories.

The lack of good sleep as meant I don't wear full make-up to work. I would rather spend my extra time in bed than prettying up for work. Heck, I did not have time to brush my hair today until I got to work. Going through these changes is a bit destabilizing especially for my routine craving self. However, this compromise is all part of the sacrifice of Ramadan.

Even as I adjust to Ramadan, I am still actively hunting for recipe inspiration that I can eat and share here. One of the things that has also changed with Ramadan is that I am cooking my dinner every night. I am trying to focus on the blessing of food by creating a healthy feast for myself each night. Today, I came across an article on GuardianUK that really gave me ideas. It is a collection of recipes for tomatoes. I eat a lot of tomatoes due to my Yoruba roots. It would be nice to learn different ways of handling the tomatoes outside of my sauce like preference. I am thinking of using the tomato vinegar recipe soon.

Apricot-Coconut Chocolate Bites

2014-06-30T19:43:00.000-04:00

Dried Apricots, Coconut Flakes, Pecans and Theo Chocolate

Last week, one of my co-workers offered me a piece of chocolate truffle-like thing. It was amazing. Best of all, it was completely healthy. It had been made with a blend of dried fruits, nuts and chocolate. Lately, I am finding that I enjoy really different foods than I ever imagined I would. I am eating more vegan-oriented recipes. This chocolate bite was definitely vegan because the chocolate was mixed with coconut oil to make it softer and yummier.

Eating that chocolate piece really inspired this recipe. A lot of the raw chocolate bites that I have been trying are based on a based of dates and walnuts. For this recipe, I am taking the same idea and using apricots with pecan as the base. This is bolstered with coconut flakes. The goal was to have it tasting like an alternative Bounty. This chocolate bite are a good way to bring in some sweetness to the post-fast meal during Ramadan. It is really about indulging in a healthy manner for the next one month.

Apricot-Coconut Chocolate Bites

Coconut Apricot Chocolate Bite (makes 10)

1 Cup of Dried Apricot
1 Cup of Chopped Pecan
11/2 Cups of Dried Coconut Flakes
3oz. of 85% Chocolate
1Tbsp of Coconut Oil
1Tbsp of Raw Honey

Instructions
1. In a bowl, soak the dried apricot in a half cup of water for about 20 minutes. Then drain.
2. Blend the apricots with pecans and 11/4 cup of coconut flakes. You don't want the mix to be finely blended.
3. Form apricot mix into balls and put in a refrigerator to set for at least an hour.
4. In a double boiler, melt coconut oil, then add in chocolate and honey. Stir until smooth.
5. Take individual apricot balls and dip into chocolate until completely coated. Set in a clean tray, sprinkle with coconut and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours to set.
6. Enjoy

Ramadan: The Healthy Suhoor Options

2014-06-29T17:08:00.000-04:00

It is that most blessed time of the year again for Muslim around the world, Ramadan. Ramadan is a very special time because it is almost like a reset. It is considered as the holiest time of the Muslim Lunar calendar. As a kid, I started fasting slowly. The half day fast gave way to the whole day fast gradually. This was in Lagos though where fasting usually goes from 5.10am-ish to 7pm. Now that I am living in Boston though, fasting is going to be a 19-hour daily extravaganza.

It is not my first time fasting during extremely long summer days. It is actually my second year fasting in Boston. The first time I really did the long day fasting was in Manchester in 2009. I find that my body gets used to it as the month of Ramadan progresses. At some point, everything is euphoric and all I have left keeping me going is faith and adrenaline.
Since I am going to be abstaining from sustenance during the long days, it is important to eat the right thing during the pre-dawn meal or Suhoor. For the first Suhoor, I had a bowl of overnight soaked oatmeal with chia seeds and raisins. I actually soaked the oatmeal in a combination of almond milk and full-fat coconut milk because one of my co-workers that is into nutrition recommended that I focus on eating lots of fats and protein to power me through the day. I followed her advice and supplemented the oatmeal with baked chicken breasts.
It was physically exhausting eating at 2.30am. I had to be deliberate in the way I was eating. I wanted to make sure I did not get full on little food. I also wanted to be sure I saved space for water. Going to bed after eating more than I have eaten in one sitting recently was uncomfortable. I felt heavy and really had to sleep on my back.
I woke up late this morning to a delightful article on eating healthy options for Suhoor from Buzzfeed. Even if you are not fasting, it is still a great read because it is about eating food that would sustain you instead of making you crash.

My Oven Secret

2014-06-27T21:46:00.000-04:00

Is an oven a necessity or a luxury? The new oven was inaugurated with a Spicy Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwich

I have a secret...Well, it is not really a secret. At least I did not think it was a secret until I said it out loud and everyone's reaction was a shocked look. So, a couple of nights ago, I came home and my room-mate had bought a new oven for the kitchen. I was super-excited when I realized it was for general use.

See, I have lived in this house for almost a year and we did not have an oven because the one that came with the stove was not working. I complained once and when nothing got done, I simply just moved on with life. In the grand scheme of life, not having an oven did not seem like a big suffering.

The thing is I grew up in Nigeria and an oven was sort of a luxury. The price of gas was just too expensive to be using an oven regularly. Plus, the food I grew up were not exactly oven-friendly. When I was thirteen, I remember asking my mom for a canister of gas as a birthday gift so that I could bake when I wanted. I used to make Yorkshire puddings and bake Victoria sponge cake.

At work, I mentioned it to a couple of my friends that Iw as excited to finally have an oven. They were both speechless that I had lived in a house without an oven. It made me feel like maybe I had been slumming. However, thinking of it now, my ability to live without an oven is because it is not a necessity. I am a very adaptable person. Unless something is extremely integral to my daily happiness, I am usually able to do without it.

Now that the oven is here though, I shall start making more oven-friendly food. I am already planning on roasting some chicken breast this weekend. I am also excited to be able to make souffle and baked apples again. For the first meal I made in the oven, I wanted something simple. I settled on a sandwich, a toasted open faced sandwich with cheese. A sandwich is something you can make easily without an oven but the depth of flavor and texture the melted cheese adds is the delight of this meal.

The melted provolone cheese on roast beef sandwich has opened the floodgates to oven-made foods

My sandwich consisted of slices of roast beef on white bread dressed with caramelized onions and charred jalapeño pepper. I topped it all off with slices of provolone cheese before sliding it under the broiler. The sandwich was topped with a yellow peach and kale salad dressed in a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Inspired: 10 Strawberry Recipes

2014-06-26T21:52:00.000-04:00

Salmon on Strawberry Tomato Salad

Next week is the 4th of July. Although Ramadan and fasting would have started, it does not mean I won't still be excited about food. If anything, I think only eating two meals a day would make it more of a special experience. I am really looking forward to all the berries and cherries going on sale for this big summer event.

When I used to live in San Diego, in the run up to the July 4th events, the local Whole Foods used to make a strawberry and blueberry pizza with mascarpone cheese. I am so tempted to try and recreate this pizza. Above is a picture of one of my meals from last summer of salmon on a bed of grape tomatoes and strawberries with basil leaves. The dressing I believe was a orange champagne vinegar oil dressing.

While I was looking at Guardian website today, they had a post with 10 strawberry recipes. After lusting after a few of the recipes, I felt it was only appropriate for me to share it here. I hope you get to try out some of the recipes. Quite a few of them are really easy to assembly together.