Your Top Ten Recipes Of 2018

So here we are, the last day of 2018! You guys have been amazing, you have kept me on my toes and I have loved every minute of being in Nairobi kitchen. I love roundups, they give you a chance to see what has been great and how the journey has been. As usual, I begin with rounding up YOUR top ten recipes of 2018! Yeeeei! It has been a great year in terms of me being in the kitchen, I have realized I cooked more than I did last year and had mad fun while at it. Your top ten recipes are versatile, from main dishes to dessert to drinks, you have loved them all. Let's see who made it to number 1 this year. Any recipe you wanted to see on the list? Which one is your favourite?

Colored Bell Pepper Fried Rice

I live for fried rice! Tasty, spicy, aromatic and oh so delicious! There are so many versions of fried rice, eggless or with eggs, chicken fried rice, veggie fried rice, beef fried rice, mushroom fried rice, pork fried rice among others.

Chia Seeds - Seeds Of The Week

s Of The Wee

Chia seeds are a great superfood that is filled with great nutrients and benefits for the body. They are rich in protein and calcium, an excellent sauce of omega 3, high in dietary fibre and a powerful antioxidant

Green Grams - Grains Of The Week

I love green grams, what we call "ndengu" in Kenya, and mostly eaten with Chapati or rice

Brawn & Peanut butter Toasted Sandwich

I love toasted sandwiches and I'm always trying to get new ways of stuffing the sandwiches. This toasted sandwich is easy to make and with only 3 ingredients, you are sure to enjoy it everyday. You can have it with tea, coffee, juice or even as a snack on its own. It's a fun way to cook breakfast with the kids as they can even choose the kinds of fillings they want. Who does not love peanut butter? Unless you are allergic you will enjoy this sandwich any time of day.

Sesame Oil - Oil Seasoning Of The Week

Sesame oil is fragrant with a nutty flavour, best used to make Asian stir fries

Boiled Egg Tomato Toasted Sandwich

Toasted sandwiches are an easy and fast breakfast option that allows you to sit back and wait for your food. After all, the toaster does all the work as you sip coffee patiently waiting. 

Lemon Herb Rub Recipe

Making your own herb rub is the best feeling in the world! I mean, apart from having your own quantity you have the herb rub fresh. Plus the added advantage of smelling the sweet aroma as the spices meld together while blending. So far my best homemade rub I have made so far.

Kenyan Nduma Viazi Karai

It seems people are getting back to basics when it comes to food. Organic lifestyle has become common nowadays with people searching for traditional foods like vegetables. Nduma (arrow roots) is one such vegetable that more people are enjoying. I always want to find new ways of preparing food so I had this idea to make some viazi karai using the nduma like I did with these delicious SWEET POTATOES! They turned out yummy and I loves them, so they will definitely be part of my regular menu either for breakfast or as snacks.

Parsley - Herb Of The Week

Herbs enhance the flavor of food, make it aromatic and give it that lovely delicious bite.

Kenya Ugali Croutons

Ever wondered what to do with left over Ugali, well, why not make croutons out of them? For your salads and soups!

Homemade Garlic Herb Rub

This dry herb rub is the best thing to happen to my meat dishes. Herb rubs usually combine dried herbs, spice and even sweet elements like brown sugar. In this garlic herb rub I used garlic powder but you can mince the garlic and mix into the other herbs. 

Strawberry Compote

Making your own sauces is the best thing you can ever do for your life because you get it fresh with even fresher ingredients

Fish Sauce - Sauce Seasoning Of The Week

The best seasoning for Asian cooking.

Cinnamon Swirl Bread

In all my baking, I have made 2 bread recipes, that is, the watermelon lookalike bread and double braided bread. I always had this recipe in my mind and knew I just had to make it. Filled with buttery cinnamon swirls, light and airy, this bread is just perfect! I'm loving baking my own bread since you get a fresh batch filled with your favorite stuffings. Cinnamon is my favorite sweet spice with its delicious aromatic taste, I knew I would fall in love with it. Is it just me that loves the smell of yeast fermenting when preparing bread dough, no? This bread is pretty simple and has very few ingredients, the steps might seem so many but totally worth it. With some patience and your favorite music playing as you prepare it,  this bread is bound to be addictive because its damn delicious!

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw

Did you know that coleslaw is from the Dutch word koolsla which literally means "cabbage salad". We simply just call it slaw, a common salad that consists of, no surprise there, finely shredded cabbage. Dressing for the slaw can either be mayonnaise, vinaigrette or even sour cream. Toppings for coleslaw come in many options like onions, Bacon, carrot, pineapple, bell peppers and even herbs. Coleslaw is eaten as a side dish that accompanies barbecued meats, French fries, fried chicken and sometimes even potato salad. You can even add coleslaw to hamburgers, top on sandwiches or layer in chili. And if you don't have cabbage you can always substitute with broccoli to make broccoli slaw! I had made pineapple coleslaw last year so today I chose to use purple cabbage instead, it gives the slaw a vibrant color and intense flavour. Purple or white cabbage, which is your favorite slaw?

Marinated Chicken One Pan Pasta

How y'all doing as 2018 nears the end of its moments? I'm happy though. It shows progress and growth. So this was one of the three courses for the Nairobi Kitchen Anniversary Giveaway competition. I love pasta, add chicken and you have a fast simple one pot meal that is delicious. The best part about one pot meals is that you will have less hassle when cleaning up and you put everything together and they cook as you wait to just serve. Fun fact: It is estimated that Italians eat over 60 pounds (27 kg) of pasta per person, per year, easily beating Americans, who eat about 20 pounds (9.1 kg) per person. Pasta is so beloved in Italy that individual consumption exceeds the average production of wheat of the country; thus Italy frequently imports wheat for pasta making. Pasta is not only delicious but nutritious as well since it has a lower glycemic index than many other staple foods in Western culture, like bread, potatoes, and rice. More reason to eat pasta everyday, if you can, that is. Enjoy today's chicken pasta dish and I hope you will enjoy it!

Ginger Garlic Balsamic Fish Fingers

I've never made fish fingers before and I really do not know why I never did, but am glad I made them. Totally delicious and warm and such spicy. Its the second last day of 2018! It just hit me and am here anticipating the coming year yet I already miss this year that is coming to a close. It's been a bit of a roller coaster with both the good and the bad, yet I cannot regret it. Well, back to fish fingers. I love how simple and fast this recipe is. Fish is not only delicious but full of nutrients like omega fats that are great for your body and health. You can choose to make the fish fingers spicy or just add herbs to have that earthy taste.

Cumin Turmeric Pan Fried Potatoes

"It's only a few days until Christmas and I'm already getting anxious over how time has been flying by. Hey, what are you doing for Christmas? Are there some of your favorite traditions you have as a family? Let me know in the comments below. Today's recipe is a quick starter dish that you can whip up in less than 10 minutes and with only one main ingredient, potatoes! " It's already past Christmas, I know! Well, small confession about this post, it was supposed to go up on 12th December but we had an unfortunate family tragedy. We lost a cousin so everything just went so fast with planning a funeral, then travelling up country for the funeral. Got back yesterday and just stumbled upon this draft. Its been a bitter sweet Christmas holiday but things will hopefully get back to normal.

Navratan Korma (Vegetable Korma)

Ever had potatoes so good you wanna eat all day? Ladies and gents, this vegetable korma will have your senses all up in flames of flavor town! Oh yeah HAPPY NEW MONTH my loves! Its December, the last month of the year, what? How has time flown by so fast? Where did it go? I know am not the only one who feels like there is so much that you still want to do yet so little time to do it. Did you make any new year resolutions? How many did you manage to keep? These are the questions I find myself asking. Takes breath, okay moving on to better things like food! It is no lie that I love Indian food and so I just had to add one more before this year ends. This Veggie Korma is packed with lots of delicious flavor and spiciness. Navratan korma is a vegetarian korma made with vegetables and either paneer (an Indian cheese) or nuts – or sometimes both."Navratan" means nine gems, and it is common for the recipe to include nine different vegetables. If you like it hotter, add the spices, if you like it mild reduce the spices, however you choose to go this is a great meal to share with family as you decide on the holiday plans for Christmas. Don't forget my one year anniversary giveaway is still ongoing, let Christmas come early for you! Cheers to this holiday season!