My Top Ten Recipes Of 2018

2018 had been a great year, a little over 100 recipes! Wow! Mostly I had lots of fun because I kind of got my mojo back to get into the kitchen. 2017 had been a hard year since I had a really personal tragedy, which I think I am getting better, so I can say that getting back to the kitchen was a sort of therapy for me. I already did your favorite recipes for 2018 of which I have a few favorites, wait, who am I kidding, I loved all of them! Check them out and see if you have some recipes that you loved the most last year. I did more soups which I was happy about since soups are healthy and make your meals that much more enjoyable. My very favorite month was August because of my delicious avocado theme that saw me have amazing recipes that had this delicious fruit. Here are the recipes that I enjoyed cooking and I found myself making over and over since I could not have enough of them. Why not check them out to see if your is on the top ten list or what would you add to this list as we look forward to 2019. I started the year reminiscing on the year that has gone and my hopes for this coming year where I look forward to more delicious, creative, yummy recipes to bring to you. Leave your comment on what you would like to see more of and what you enjoyed last year. let's do this, to more deliciousness this coming year

10 Super Foods You Need In Your Pantry

poppy seeds

When you are thinking about stocking your pantry, you need to think about including some super foods that are not only delicious but healthy and filled with lots of necessary nutrients that we need on a daily basis. Super food generally refers to foods that have the added benefit of offering maximum nutritional benefits yet with for minimal calories. These great foods are packed with minerals, antioxidants and vitamins. Among the super foods include, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, yoghurt, chocolate, fish, beans. The best part about having super foods in your pantry is that you can grab them any time since most like nuts and seeds keep for  long time. You can eat the super foods individually or you can mix and match them to create a delicious meal that will be filling build or even protect the body from infections. Most of these super foods are readily available at the local market, or even in the frozen section like fish.

Coconut Peanut Butter Pancakes

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I love peanut and if I could I would eat it every other day. Whether it's whole roasted peanuts or smooth peanut butter, I just love this stuff! Reminds me of when we were young back in the 80's when peanut butter was a new thing and it was a reserve of the "wadosi" (rich folk), we would really envy those kids who came with bread slices smeared withe the peanut butter while we had plain toasts, seems ridiculous but when you are a kid in kindergarten you always think that the other kids have better lunches or tea break snacks. Then came this advert for the skippy peanut butter, we would always sing along to it and really bug mum about buying 'skippy peanut butter'. Well she gave in and bought us the peanut butter, what? You'd think we had won the lottery! Needless to say, after that it was a regular addition to our breakfast and we thoroughly enjoyed making the other kids jealous and even bribing them with 'if you don't let me in the game, I won't give you my skippy peanut butter bread', nice memories hehehe. To bring back those memories, I though I would make peanut butter pancakes and add more deliciousness by adding coconut. Those two flavours just work wonders on your pallet.

Eggless Chocolate Rock Muffins

A simple yet delicious chocolate treat as a desert or snack. Mom used to make them for birthdays or even holidays. She used to make them plain and sometimes add cinnamon. I remember how we used to go sit in the kitchen watching mum bake. For me I loved licking the batter from the bowl, I would tell mum not to clean the bowl as I would do it for her, only to sit on the floor and lick the cake batter! Brings back so many many memories. Today I chose to make them chocolate muffins, after all chocolate should be part of everyone'd diet, don't you think?  I love muffins because they are big fluffy delicious and totally filling. I love how they look like they are pouring over the muffin tin while baking, totally satisfying and therapeutic! The almost shapeless imperfection of the muffin is what gives it that distinct. I have always made these muffins with eggs but I wanted to see how they would taste without eggs. Didn't miss the eggs whatsoever! The chocolate muffins turned out soft, crumbly yet fluffy and delicious!

Funfetti Sunday Brunch Pancakes

Happy Sunday Funday Lovelies! We are already halfway the first month of 2019 and it's exciting to  see how fast the days are going! I love Sundays! It is just one of those lazy days that you want breakfast in bed with some soothing music and yummy scents coming from the kitchen. Dreams are valid yo! If you are single like me, then you will just have to give yourself that breakfast in bed and enjoy it all by thyself, which is fun most times, especially when you have made yourself this decadent obsessively good apple cinnamon french toast and you absolutely  DO NOT want to share! Today I just woke up with a craving for some pancakes, I have several pancake recipes that you can find all over the blog, I needed something different. And since I was feeling festive and saw some rainbow sprinkles staring at me in the kitchen, I knew what I had to do. These funfetti pancakes are fluffy, pillowy and exciting to bite into! We all want to get fluffy pancakes so here are a few tips I have learnt in making pancakes. To get fluffy pancakes include baking powder or baking soda in pancake batter since this will create essential bubbles that are crucial in giving you that fluffy feel.  Eggs enable the batter to rise since they provide the pancakes with structure while butter not only adds flavor but give the pancakes moisture and a smooth richness. Do not over mix your pancake batter if you want fluffy pancakes and let you batter rest before using, you can even refrigerate for a few minutes before cooking. The best way to ensure your pancakes are fluffy is not using too much heat, since they will burn yet the middle in raw, if too low the pancakes will end up being tough and rubbery.

Coconut Chickpea Curry With Basmati Rice

This is my first time ever cooking with Chickpeas! It's been, still is, a weird January in Nairobi. We always expect a really hot month in this new month of the year. Over the years it has always been hot! but come 2019, the weather is up and down with most days being called while other days it rains. So I wanted something warming, spicy and comforting. I was just walking by the supermarket shopping for the month when I saw the chickpeas from the corner of my eye. I had only seen most chickpea recipes in vegan or Indian Meals and I got excited to give these grains a try. Chickpea curry was what came to mind as lately I am loving everything spicy and Indian. I knew I would be not only getting a delicious curry dish but one rich in good nutrients, after all,  Chickpeas are a nutrient-dense food, providing rich content of protein, dietary fibre, folate, and certain dietary minerals such as iron and phosphorus per 100 grams. Adding coconut gives this dish a rich aromatic and thick gravy that is perfect for dipping butter naan, eating with chapati or rice. Have you cooked with chickpeas before? What are some of your favorite chickpea recipes?

Simple Chocolate Crepes

I love chocolate and if I could eat it every day I swear I would. Crepes on the other hand I love too and could eat every second if I could. So put chocolate and crepes in the same sentence and you have me gone into foodie paradise. These very easy chocolate crepes are decadent and can be served up as a dessert, for breakfast or even brunch, every minute of the day if you will! As much as you can devour these delicious chocolate crepes on their own, you can add extra toppings to make them that much extra. Toppings include fresh fruit, whipped cream, cream cheese, ice cream, dulce de leche sauce for a sweet taste.  You can decide to pair the topping options like using peanut butter and bananas, whipped cream and strawberries, jam and peanut butter or even apples and honey.  When it comes to the batter since the crepes are so thin you want a super smooth chocolate batter. The pan should be hot so that they cook quickly enough. Add enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan completely so that the crepes are not heavy. I love how light and airy these chocolate crepes turned out and I finished a whole batch without blinking! That’s how good these are and you will definitely be making them on a daily basis, not only for special occasions but just because.

Blackberry Yoghurt Mango Parfait

Happy Friyay my lovelies! It has been mango season in Nairobi and I always take advantage of these sweet delicious fruit. Mango is used to make ice cream, juices, fruits bars, smoothies, ice cream, fruit bars, raspados, aguas frescas, pies, and sweet chili sauce. In Central America, mango is either eaten green mixed with salt, vinegar, black pepper, and hot sauce, or ripe in various forms. Pieces of mango can be mashed and used as a topping on ice cream or blended with milk and ice as milkshakes.  Sweet glutinous rice is flavored with coconut, then served with sliced mango as a dessert. Green mangoes can be used in mango salad with fish sauce and dried shrimp. Mango with condensed milk may be used as a topping for shaved ice. Sour, unripe mangoes are used in chutneys, athanu, pickles, side dishes, or may be eaten raw with salt, chili, or soy sauce.  Ripe mangoes are also used to make curries.  The fruit is also added to cereal products such as muesli and oat granola or parfait. Mangoes may be used to make juices, mango nectar, and as a flavoring and major ingredient in ice cream and sorbets. As you can see, the mango is not just a humble fruit but can be incorporated in many meals, from the savory to sweet. For my parfait today I chose to use cereal and to layer with the blackberry yoghurt. I love that with parfaits you can use fruit, cereals, granola, cake or even oats to layer the dessert.

Meal Prep Tips And Ideas For Everyday Cooking

bacon cilantro scrambled eggs recipe

Meal preparation, which sometimes called "meal prep," is the process of planning and preparing meals. It can mean preparing meals ahead of time for a short extended period of time. When it comes to meal preparation, the food may be fully cooked, precooked or even just set out in readiness for the preparation. People often do meal preps for different reasons which include but not limited to those who want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, those who want to lose weight, those who want to gain muscle or even as a recommendation by their doctors for certain diets based on their illnesses. Meals may eb prepared in small quantities and store in containers to be cooked at a later date or even cooked just waiting to be warmed up.

Lemon Pepper Salad Dressing

Happy first weekend of 2019! I thought this year would take its sweet self on a slow steady pace but seems once the marathon starts, it's all to the finish line! Anyway not complaining, happy things have kicked off really well. This year I have decided I need more salad in my diet, and how do you turn a plain salad into a delicious healthy starter for your meals? With a dressing of course! Salad dressings are the soul to any salad as they elevate the dish bringing that much needed freshness. I made this dressing last year for a very vibrant avocado salad. So easy to make with ingredients in your pantry.

Salmon - Protein Of The Week

Salmon is the common name for several species of ray-finned fish in the family Salmonidae. Other fish in the same family include trout, char, grayling and whitefish. There are different types of salmon including Atlantic salmon, Chinook salmon, Chum salmon, Coho salmon, Masu salmon or cherry salmon, Pink salmon  and Sockeye salmon. 

Poblano Peppers - Peppers Of The Week

The poblano is a mild chili pepper originating in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Dried, it is called ancho or chile ancho, from the Spanish word ancho ("wide"). Stuffed fresh and roasted it is popular in chiles rellenos poblanos. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably they can have significant heat. Different peppers from the same plant have been reported to vary substantially in heat intensity. The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano.  Preparation methods include: dried, stuffed, in mole sauces, or coated in whipped egg (capeado) and fried. After being roasted and peeled (which improves the texture by removing the waxy skin), poblano peppers are preserved by either canning or freezing.

Happy New Year + Taking Stock

Happy New Year My Lovelies! We made it! To another Year! 2019! That is how I want to end my year at the end of 2019, with lots of excitement and energy. Thank you for being with me in this journey and peeping through my small Kitchen. I have so much planned for this year and I am hoping that they will come to fruition as I move to the next stages of my life. For me cooking is me, it's my life, it's what I dream of doing for the rest of my life. I think I would not be as happy as I usually am when I am in the kitchen being anywhere else. So to begin this new year, I am taking stock of what 2018 has been for me and hoping for a better, calmer, beautiful, exciting 2019. So this is me reflecting on 2018 and my hopes for 2019.