Lamu Love

My New Favourite Meal.

Oh Em Gee.

So yesterday I was watching Master Chef Australia, and Chris had to make Gnochi for the celebrity chef challenge. It looked delicious. Then, by Lord's willing, I was at Ya Ya centre later in the day looking around the supermarket- and I'm never at Ya Ya (an expensive mall too expensive for my paycheque) so I don't know that it carries things like Gnochi. But, I found it. And, I splurged and I bought it. And this is what I did with it. If you have never tried Gnochi, you really should. It's basically a potato pasta dumpling, is the best way to describe it. Takes no time to cook at all so it's a really easy dinner.

This meal has three easy parts: the gnochi, the vegetables, and the sauce.

Step 1

-package of Gnochi

-chopped vegetables for steaming (I had broccoli, green beans and carrots)

through the gnochi in a big pot of boiling salted water. Put a collander on top, and through your vegetables in it to steam. Put a lid on the veg to speed up the process (gnochi only take about 5 min to cook so chop your veg small)

step 2 (sauce)

-olive oil and butter (butter is important. be generous)

-onion

-garlic

sautee together.

-white wine

add a splash to deglaze pan, let it boil away the alcohol for a few minutes

-cream or milk (obviously cream will give you a creamy-er sauce..but use what you want)

-parmesan cheese- grated

simmer this all together until the cheese melts and the sauce comes together. I'm not awesome at this yet so mine kind of separated but I'm sure there is a technique you can use that makes this not happen, I was just hungry and impatient.

Drain the Gnochi. Toss them in the sauce. Place your veg in a bowl. Dump the gnochi and sauce over the veggies, and toss again altogether. (I love sauce, so it just kind of oozed and covered the veggies on its own).

EAT IT ALL TO YOURSELF.

Guest Post! from my brother Mike!

My brother Mike spent a long time backpacking east Africa a few years ago (the one year I was actually not here, of course!) and this recipe we agree is a classic broke traveller east african meal. I unfortunately didn't have a frisbee and my coffee is made in a french press not an italian stovetop, but the feeling is the same.. One day when I get a better camera I'll show you better photos of food. For now, here is a screen shot of my darling brothers and me talking on Skype when they were in Sweden. Followed by one of those avocados and me eating the chapati concoction.

Love you Mike.

Budget veggie backpacker meal: east africa edition:

1 chapati
1 diced ripe tomato
1 small, finely chopped red onion
1 sliced, giant, delicious creamy africa avocado
1 chopped chilli
1 squeezed lime
Salt and pepper to taste

Buy a couple chapatis for a nickel. The rest should cost less than a 1.50$ (2008 prices). Chop up all ingredients with a dirty swiss army knife on the back of a frisbee

Place chopped tomato, onion, avo and chili in center of chapati. squeeze lime juice over top. Add salt from packet swiped from a restaurant. add ground pepper from the mini plastic pepper grinder bought in rome that traveled around aftrica with me. Just a few turns - fresh ground pepper is like gold in africa

Roll.

Enjoy.

Finish with coffee from little Italian stove top expresso maker perking on open gas burner flame, also purchased in rome

Where We Go: Make a Better World (Kenya) in Mukuru Slum

So this is part of the Life section of our blog.

Dan is starting and Victoria will fill in more info. about Mukuru Slum where she works.

Below are maps, video and background information about the slum area.

MaBWoK is a tiny organization which is truly grassroots.

It was started by a few friends who lived in the Mukuru area in 1999 starting with youth education.

Now they do

Early Childhood Development

Internet & Computer Training

Adult Literacy

Cyber Cafe

Entrepreneurship Training

Business (Plan) Development

Sales of Water

Feeding Program

Saving and Loans Groups

HIV/AIDS Awareness

Child Protection Programs

Maternal Health Programs

Vocational Skills Training (ie. Brick making, metal fabrication, etc).

Small Scale Manufacturing Skills (ie. Dress Making, Soap Making, Etc).

Perhaps they are trying to do too much with too little... but they have been a part of the community for over a decade and have helped make Mukuru a better place a little at a time.

Rooftops Panorama

This is a photo from the second story Balcony of MaBWoK


This is one of the cleaner areas.

This Is the place

View Larger Map

Click Here for In-depth Information on the Slum

This is a terrible thing that recently occurred there

Hot Hot Mediterranean Salsa Chicken with Quinoa Cakes

Mediterranean Salsa Chicken with Quinoa Cakes

MSC!

Oven at 375

Salsa is

3 cloves chopped garlic

1 green Chili

1 red Bird Chili

handfull of fresh Cilantro

Handfull of fresh Parsley

1/4 red onion

Zest of one lemon

Pinch of sea salt

(I would also recommend a small tomato chopped... we did have one on hand)

Rub breasts with olive oil salt pepper, Put on broil pan

dolup the salsa mix on top of the chicken, squeeze of lemon over top and throw into the oven.

Quinoa Cakes

Put a pan on the stove with a enough veg oil to just cover the bottom

Put left over quinoa and veg (from last night) into a bowl

Add two eggs and 1/4 cup corn starch (or white flour if you can eat gluten)

Mix it up and form two inch circular patties

Place in the hot pan cooking each side till golden

Plate with a pinch of salt and pepper

Shaved Cucumber Salad

Shave a cucumber lengthwise (use a speed peeler)

In a jam jar

1/2 clove of garlic smashed to a paste Jamie's How to Videos

3 tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp of sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp lemon juice

pinch salt and pepper

Shake well and dress salad

Guacamole

One giant avocado in a bowl

add 1 1/2 cloves garlic (pasted)

add 2-3 heaping table spoons of plain yogurt

pinch of salt and pepper Squeeze of lemon Juice

yum!

Lime Chili Tilapia with Quinoa and Veg.

Lime Chili Tilapia with Quinoa and Veg

Since Tilapia is the only fish you can find in most places in Nairobi that is the fish we used.... however any white fish would work with this recipe.

Start by putting the quinoa in a pot and filling with water till it just covers the grain.

On the stove on high.

Put the veg in a metal colander or a steam top level on top of the quinoa. Add the harder veg immediately (like carrot) and softer veg about half way through (like zucchini)

We used:

Broccoli

Carrot

Zucchini

Move on to the fish (this is the amounts for two filets..... make sure it is thawed if you have frozen filets)

Oven at 375

Chop up 2 cloves garlic (a handful of Fresh basil would be nice too... but we have not found it in Nairobi)

thin slice 1/4 inch red onion (break up rounds to get delicate

Thin slice 4 slices of red jalapeno (or more slices if green)

thin slice 4 slices of a lime (cut in half and take the slices from the centre)

In a broil pan rub the fish with olive oil, salt, pepper and Garlic (+basil)

Add above sliced ingredients make them distributed relatively evenly under and and on top of the fish.

Slice half a red/green etc into little finger size pieces and add them to the broil pan

Squeeze the remaining lime over the fish and throw into the hot oven.

ok now....

Cook the Quinoa till the water is gone.... give it a taste test so you know it is moist... add a little more water if needed

Fork check the veg till soft but not mush... take it off if done before the quinoa

Add salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon to the quinoa (to taste)

Mix in the veg

mmm....

so make extra quinoa and veg cause the next recipe is awesome!

COMING SOON! Chilli-lime Snapper And Spicy Quinoa with Veg

Warning: We put too many chilli's in our dishes, lips burn, eyes water, throats are on fire and worse ensues later.

We recommend that you spice to your taste or tolerance.

British Airways and Layovers

Hi!

Made it to Nairobi just in case you didn't realize from all the other mediums of communication I use.

The flights were bareable (actually the one from London to Nairobi was luxury... I had an exit seat!).

At my layover in Toronto I stopped at an airport eatery called Beaches and had a thai chicken curry soup that was actually quite tasty.... though my hunger may have altered the actuality, Air Canada does not give you in flight meals. The best part of British Airways was the tea...mmmm.... and the roast dinner was intriguing....

Mini yorkies, parsnips, carrots, potato, white roll and three slices of roast beef.... it felt well.... Very British.

Dan arrives alive!

Dan arrived in Nairobi Monday evening, late. So awesome to be together again finally! He was armed with loads of new seasons of Jamie Oliver so guess what we have been doing? Watching and cooking, yes. Along with some exploring Nairobi and introducing him to people at work, friends, etc. On the first morning I made up a nice brunch- complete with GF pancakes, herbed omelette with soft herbed cheese and italian salami, and a tropical fruit salad.

Gf pancakes:

-1/4 cup sweet potato flour

-1/4 cup amareth flour

-1/4 cup maize flour

-1/4 cup soy flour

- 1 teaspoon baking powder

- 1 egg

-1 cup (ish) of milk and whisk until right 'pancake' consistency. I like mine thinner so I thin out the batter quite a bit...

Drop batter into a hot oiled pan in whatever size you like. Wait for the bubbles on the pancake before flipping them over!

Herbed Omelette:

-Whatever herbs you have- I had parsley and chives

-3 eggs

-1/4 cup of milk or cream

-salt and pepper

-half chopped chilli

Whisk everything together and pour into a pan on medium heat- then turn down to low and cover to let the omelette cook slowly- about 10 minutes depending. When it's nearly cooked- drop the italian salami and soft cheese overtop, fold the omelette and pull off the heat and onto a plate.

Tropical fruit salad

-Chop up equal size pieces of banana, mango, papaya, pineapple- stir in passionfruit seeds and a squeeze of orange juice- Serve with plain yogurt and honey.

Kenyan Pizza

I was craving pizza. As a wheat free diet girl this aims to be a constant problem for me. So I concocted a GF dough- which, as usual, wasn't very good..So I will not be giving you the recipe. However the toppings were wonderful- I had some pre-made tomato sauce so I added more sauteed garlic, onion and balsamic vinegar (secret trick to major success in tomato sauces!). I covered that with sliced zucchini, green pepper, chillis, feta cheese and gouda cheese, and italian salami. (Yes those were the ingredients in my fridge and that's why they were chosen).

350 for a bit and then fired it up to a broil to get some nice colour and crispness. It was still delicious, in my gluten free world.

Mombasa Market

spices, grains, chillis, fruits and veg, and the last one- tamarind fruit.

Roasted Veg and Lemon Basil Chicken

r
Roasting tray- check.

sliced potatoes and butternut squash- check

(roast these guys first for about 15-20 min on 350, then pull out the tray and add the rest. Alternatively, you could par-boil the potatoes/squash first and then throw them all in together)

Awholebunchofothervegetableschopped- check

make sure there is many cloves of garlic- check

balsamic, dried herbs, chillis, olive oil, salt and pepper.

ROAST- High high heat to get that caramelization...Check on them, toss them about...20 min later you should be in business, depending on oven.

Lemon basil chicken-

sauté chicken in pan with lemon juice and basil.

Done.

Ugandan ROLEX!

Now, I know I'm not supposed to eat wheat. But when it comes to chapatis, I just can't resist.
Ugandan street food is best known for "Rolex"- not the watch, but a spanish omelet rolled into a chapati. Sounds simple, or not a big deal..but trust me. There is nothing as tasty as a rolex on the streets of Jinja in the hot afternoon- or at midnight at the Bujigali Chapati Factory at NRE campsite.

I'm not going to give you directions on how to make chapati, because I don't really know the most proper way.. I suggest googling it. Good recipe right, I know. Sorry.

Omelet-
2 eggs, beaten
small zuccinni, sliced and chopped fine
1/4 red pepper, chopped fine
1 clove garlic, chopped fine
1/4 red onion, chopped fine
salt and pepper
half a chilli, diced fine
parsley to garnish (or basil would be delicious)

cook all together in a one layer omelet, put it on the chapati..before you roll it up, line up some sliced avocado with salt and lemon juice. ROLL IT.
AMAZING.

Fish, Broccoli & Yams from the Deep (Frier)

Fish, Broccoli & Yams from the Deep (Frier)

Part One
Chopped up 2 Yams into thin fingers

Heat Canola oil in a pan with a lid

Immerse yams (this is in two batches)

When golden and crispy I transfer them into a baking pan lined with kitchen paper and deposit into the oven at about 250 degrees till the rest is done

Part Two
Made Batter

1 cup flour

1 tbls baking power

pinch salt & pepper

Mix dry ingredients

Add

1 egg

1 cup water

Mix but not too much

(add a bit more water if necessary, it should be thick and coat a spoon but still be drippy)

Part three

went to the garden for a head of Broccoli

cut it into bite size pieces

dunk in batter

drop carefully into the hot oil

when batter is brown and crisp add them to the pan of Yams in the oven

Part Four

prep the fish (I used cod)

Make sure fish is fresh or is not still frozen (otherwise you'll have major oil splatter)

cover in batter

drop carefully into the hot oil

when batter is brown and crisp add them to the pan of Yams in the oven

Part Five

plate with salad (i picked it the same time as the broccoli)

finished with reduced balsamic vinegar and chives

.... oh, don't forget your chipotle mayo (i cut it with a couple table spoons of plain yogurt)

bon appetite!

A WEDDING: DAVE AND DARLA

This wedding was gorgeous and simple. Homemade beauty in the backyard.... sorry about my consistently blurry photos.... I need me a real camera.

Homemade wine and beer.

and appys from Formaggio

Pictured here is my construct.

Light wafer cracker

grilled zucchini

porchetta

roasted red pepper

bocconcini

in the background is a Quinoa fruit salad with

strawberries

blueberries

red onion

pecans (i think or some other nut)

basil garnish

the night was cool (both in temperature and otherwise) and the dance party may have destroyed their lawn but was worth every blade.

Love you two~!

Daniel

Fresh Farm Breakfast

Fresh Farm Breakfast

The picture is Pretty Self Explanatory... No secret ingredients.

Orange peppers and farmer sausage rounds

Two Eggs over easy

Young salad leaves (straight from the Garden)

Whole wheat toast (one has honey on it)

Basil Eggs with Quinoa

Basil Eggs with Quinoa (serves one)

In a pot

1 cup Quinoa just covered with water

Bring to a boil than simmer till the water is gone

In a pan with oil (canola with a splash of sesame works well)

2 small Peppers chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

a few leaves of Kale chopped

a few fresh thai Basil Leaves

1 bird chili

Cook together and then add to pot on Quinoa when water is gone.

In a bowl (mix it up)

1-2 eggs

dried basil

salt pepper

cook eggs in pan

Add to pot, give it a quick mix and then straight into a bowl

I often do this same recipe with rice instead of Quinoa but currently prefer the Bolivian Grain.

Roasted butternut squash- for breakfast

So I didn't have much the other morning to eat, aside from these two small butternut squash and one egg. So inspired by watching episodes of Jamie At Home far, far too many times.. I hacked my squash into quarters and rubbed extra virgin olive oil, chilli, salt and pepper all over the slices and threw them in the oven at 350 F for about 40 minutes until the skin was all wrinkly. Oh, before I did that I scooped out the seeds and tossed them with olive oil et al as well and toasted them in the last 10 minutes. Fried an egg, plated the squash pieces, topped with egg, topped with toasted seeds. An interesting breakfast. Thanks Jamie!

Rice Crackers Deluxe from scratchers - an Atanfriendly Guest blog

So Gilly and I were eating some crackers the other day, of the rice variety, and as we happened upon the ingredients we decided it should be easy peasy to make ourselves..So that's what we did. Yum yum. And it turned out so good we decided it would be good enough for the big time: Victoria(n perspective) & Daniel's Love, Life & Food for Thought Blog! So after we used our masterful hacking skills we made it on here, to share this with all of you lovely people. This is a great intro-to-cooking recipe, so if you aren't too comfortable in the kitchen no worries, YOU CAN DO IT!

Here's what you need:

1 1/2 cups brown rice flour

2/3 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 tablespoons flax seeds

1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup olive oil (but you can use coconut, safflower, etc.)

1/3 to 1/2 cup water

First, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Next you'll need to lightly oil large baking sheet. In bowl or food processor, mix flour, rice, flax seeds, salt, and oil until combined. Add water a little bit at a time until dough holds together. Plop the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to form a ball. Press or roll dough on baking sheet to about 1/8 thick or possibly a little thinner (rolling pins fit great on our pans, hope they do for you as well). Then with a butter knife, score into 1 1/2-inch squares.

Lastly, throw the pans in the oven for a 20 to 30 minute bake, or until bottoms are golden brown. Be sure to Cool them off before removing from pan (it's tempting to eat them right away but they'll burn you good).

These taste great with some home-made hummus as featured in these pics;)

ENJOY!!

(next project may be to make honey rice crackers to be served with brie and strawberries, or with goat and mangoes?)

Signed,

Atanhackers (Gilly&Herman)

*names in this blog have been changed to protect the identities of the authors*