VEGAN COCONUT CARROT SOUP

The warm season is peeking at us and what better way to keep cozy than warm soup. This carrot soup is the best you will ever have! It's dairy free, gluten free and oh so creamy. Perfect for a starter at dinner or even just a main meal because it is hearty and filling. Adding ginger and garlic takes the flavors to another level. Just like you know how much I love coconut, using both coconut oil and coconut milk makes it perfect for a Vegan diet. Most people do not like cooked carrots, so this is just perfect for flipping their taste buds.

PATATAS BRAVAS

Nothing beats crispy fries and these Patatas Bravas are the most crunchy potatoes I have eaten so far. They are a native of Spain where they are mostly served in bars as tapas. I love food that has history or a story to tell, and when I saw these I had to make them. I love how simple they are to make and the end result is totally awesome. You can devour them just as they are or dip in your very favorite sauce, hot or mild. These patatas bravas never saw the light of the next day after being cooked, thats how delicious they were!

STICKY HONEY GARLIC CHICKEN WINGS

Wohooo! My first wiiings! My first wiiings! Me singing as I bite into this sticky saucy chicken wing. I've cooked many chicken recipes from chicken thighs, chicken breast and drumsticks, and I had always wanted to cook wings. I used to watch Tasty's chicken wings videos and tell myself that I must cook wings one of these days, so, one of these days has finally arrived! The good thing about wings is that they do not take long to cook so you can whip them up when you don't feel like hustling in the kitchen. We always ate chicken wings growing up but they were always part of a full chicken stew. To be honest no one really cared for wings, we all fought for the thighs because of the dark meat or the best of all, the DRUMSTICK! If the two were taken then you would opt for the breast. Back then chicken wasn't sold packed in pieces, it was always sold live chicken that you request to be prepared and chopped up. Mostly grandma reared organic chicken that we would eat when we visited then we would be given roasted chicken to carry back to the city. Aaaaah! Fun times. As we became older and supermarkets started to not only offer dried food stuffs but include, grocery, butchery, bakery, and even food court, we can now buy any part of the chicken per grams or kilo, some even sell by number of pieces. Convenience and variety at its best! These chicken wings were devoured as fast as they were made!

BUTTERED PAPRIKA CARROTS

Delicious is an understatement when it comes to describing this dish. I am one of those many kids who did not like cooked carrots. Raw carrots I would eat for days without any trouble, I especially loved dipping the raw carrot in salt then munching like a sweet. Cooked carrots on the other hand, was torture eating them. I would try my hardest to eat, but would time when mom was looking away and drop them on the floor, to pick up later when no one was watching. Horrible, I know! But I h.a.t.e.d cooked carrots. I guess it was the way they were cooked so they turned soggy and tasteless and so I could not stand them. Fast forward to gown up me and I realized there are so many ways to cook carrots that made them delicious and not soggy at all! In my cooking adventure I learnt that vegetables need to be cooked for very little time, not only to maintain their crunch but not to loose the awesome nutrients that were in these veggies. Adding spices to carrots also made them that much more delicious as a side dish and even the main dish. Today's recipe was inspired by my need to have something quick, delicious and can be eaten both as a snack and a main meal. Buttered carrots is a lovely way of bringing out the flavour of this vegetable without too much hustle in the kitchen. What are some of the foods that you hated as a child but now enjoy as an adult? Let me know in the comments below, let's share our experiences!

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.

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

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?