Serves 2-3 Cherry tomatoes are sweet bursts of summertime. Their flavor deepens when roasted with creamy butter and fresh thyme – a juicy side dish that forgives even the driest chicken and wild rice, while bravely complimenting perfectly cooked meals as well. If that isn’t enough reason to try this vegetarian recipe, these tomatoes actually made my picky husband exclaim “pretty good!” That’s quite the milestone considering the tomato is one of his major food nemeses. Like Batman’s Joker or Superman’s Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter (or olive oil) 1 pint tomatoes (grape, cherry, or other) 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves Method: Run to your farmer’s market and pick up a basket of beautiful cherry tomatoes. Eat one or two. I won’t tell! When you get home, preheat the oven to 375F Melt some butter over low heat (or you can use olive oil for a vegan version of this dish) Rinse tomatoes and place in a bowl Bathe them in melted butter Sprinkle with fresh thyme – pull the leaves off of 1-2 sprigs. Always pull …
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On shopping day, I browsed the bulk bins, hoping against hope that I could find the real thing – Canadian Lake Wild Rice – here, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. As I scanned past basmati, jasmine and wild rice blends, my eye caught something shiny and jet black. I didn’t even have to read the label to know I was in business. The long grains gave themselves away. They look like a pile of runway models in sleek black dresses. Canadian wild rice is all together a different plant than American wild rice. In fact, the long, spindly needles are more related to wild grass than rice. Canadians have dubbed their special grain Canadian Lake Wild rice, a beautiful and apt description of the rice’s growing environment, where the grains billow above the waters. Recipe (Serves 2-3) Making Canadian Wild Rice is easier than almost any rice I can think of. Just remember my tips about hot dog buns and popcorn. Confused? You won’t be. Keep reading! Ingredients: 1 cup wild rice (rinsed and checked for debris) 3 …
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Makes 8 mini Peanut Butter Croissants Peanut butter rolled up into a steamy hot croissant – the ultimate snack, perfect with breakfast, lunch or dinner. While you are welcome to use homemade croissant dough, I had to take a short cut – it was one of those weeks. We’ll call this fast food for the home cook. I guess you could say that my super-cook is giving way to super-mom. There was a time when I made my very own croissants from scratch. And I’ll surely do it again, once Ava gets a little bigger and I can borrow her muscles to roll out the dough. For now, thank goodness for all-natural convenience products, like Immaculate Crescent Rolls. Ingredients: 1 package refrigerator crescent rolls (or make your own croissants with the amazing recipe in Tartine, as recommended by David Lebowitz) 8 tsp of peanut butter (1 tsp per roll) Method: Preheat the oven to the temperature indicated on your Crescent roll tube. Gather your ingredients… Roll out the dough into neat little triangles and spread with a thin layer …
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Makes 3/4 cup Mild heat with a nutty blast, this West African inspired peanut sauce is straightforward. This recipe lacks the bright flavor acquired from a splash of vinegar you might find in Asian peanut sauces. Vegetarian/vegan Ingredients: 1/2 cup peanut butter (natural, not sweet) 1 Tbsp tomato paste 3/4 cup water pinch of cayenne pepper red palm oil Method: Heat oil over medium. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper. You can always add more at the end, if you can handle the kick! Toast the cayenne in the oil for thirty seconds, until fragrant. Then add in the peanut butter. A little water will help you stir things around, and make a smooth sauce. Add in some tomato paste. I’m in love with the squeeze tubes of tomato paste, making it easy to use just a little. Cook on low for a few minutes and season with salt, as needed. Serve on the side in cute ramekins, with a big smile … OR pour directly on your food – chicken, fish, rice, … whatever …
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Serves 4 Corn with plantains is a common pairing in West Africa. Add a little heat with your favorite hot pepper, or use regular bell peppers. Our version is vegetarian/vegan. Ingredients: 1 tsp red palm oil 1 lb fresh or frozen corn 2 yellow plantains 1 chili pepper (I used a poblano from my garden that turned red), diced 1/2 cup water Method: Heat up a little oil in a medium pot. Chop up a couple of plantains… … and add them with the corn. If you’re using hot peppers, add them now. I like how they give a little splash of color in a sea of cream and gold. Add enough water to keep everything from sticking on the bottom. I like to think of water droplets as fairy grapes. Simmer, covered until everything is cooked and the plantains are tender, about 30 minutes. Makes a tasty side dish – great for a potluck or dinner party. 🙂 Corn with Plantains Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Corn with plantains …
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A puckering combination of tart and sweet, the frozen Daiquiri blends ripe fruit, rum, and fresh lime juice with a mountain of shaved ice. This slushy sip of paradise makes it five o’clock everywhere. It’s true. I’ve tested it myself. The original daiquiri from the early 1900’s was nothing so complicated – a plain, stout mixture of sugar and lime juice poured over (or shaken with) ice. Over the years, the drink gained popularity and traveled around the world from Cuba to Cameroon. Today we honor Cameroon’s wonderful mango groves with a flexible recipe for a frozen Mango Daiquiris. You’ll see the proportions generally say “to taste.” This is because some like it strong with a little ice, while others don’t want any alcohol, but enjoy a great amount of ice. By leaving the mango and lime quantities static, everything else is easy to play with. My goal is to provide you with basic guidelines to get you poolside with your favorite drink, as soon as possible. So grab your blender. Let’s play! Makes up to 1 …
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Serves 4 Sweet and tropical, our recipe is inspired by Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue. His version adds sugar and other goodies to the coconut milk basting liquid. Our corn on the cob is a little simpler – basted straight up with plain coconut milk. The creamy coconut milk gives corn a mild tropical flavor – perfect for a summertime barbecue. Serve with extra coconut milk on the side, for those who like to slather on extra coconut goodness. Ingredients: 1 small can of coconut milk (the size of tomato paste cans) 4 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed salt pepper Method: Husk corn and remove all those pesky silk fibers. Brush liberally with coconut milk (stir up the coconut milk, sometimes the thick coconut milk settles to the bottom of the can) Season with lots of salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill. And cook until done. As promised, I had Keith cook these. He got them extra toasty which was really, really good. But I’m a big believer in crusty bits of …
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Makes 6 pickled limes Pickled limes add a sharp citrus kick to recipes. As the rind softens, it releases a bitter note than permeates throughout the lime. The insides break down as they set in the salted water, so the texture becomes rather mushy. Use a sharp knife when slicing to preserve the beautiful lime shape. Cambodian pickled limes are easy to make but take a little time – you’ll probably need start two weeks ahead. Hot and sunny temperatures are necessary to dry out the limes quickly. When we made them, temperatures were floating around 104 (with a heat index of 111F). I may have set a world record for time to dry out six limes. Two days! NOTE: You could also use small key limes for this recipe. Special thanks to Karen Coates of Rambling Spoon whose post Ode to a Grandmother inspired this recipe. Ingredients: 6 limes water, as needed salt Method: Dry a bunch of clean, fresh limes in the sun. Rotate as needed to get all sides dry. I put …
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Serves 4 If you can make this African bean dish a day ahead, please do. The sauce will thicken and coat every millimeter of the beans with chili and onion goodness. Great side dish for a party! Ingredients: 3 cups prepared red kidney beans (2 cans) 2 Tbsp red palm oil 1 onion, sliced 1 plantain, sliced salt 1 tsp chili powder 2 cups water Method: 1. Heat oil over medium heat, cook onion 2. Add beans, plantains, salt, and chili pepper. Cook for a minute. 3. Add water and simmer until plantains are cooked and about a 1/2 cup of liquid is left in the pan – 30 -45 min I chose a plantain with blackened skin. Unlike a banana, where darker skin indicates over-ripeness, blackened skin in a plantain indicates perfect sweetness with a little tooth – perfect for a short simmer. Always rinse canned beans. I bought “no salt added” to keep this dish low sodium. This photo flashes me back to spoonfuls of cod liver oil as a child. Luckily, red palm oil …
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Pili-Pili (also called Piripiri) is the kind of hot sauce that puts hair on a man’s chest. And, possibly, even a woman’s. This basic African condiment was introduced by the Portuguese in the 1500’s. To give you an idea of how intense pili-pili is, imagine this true story: Positioned just outside the second room, where we would shake the president’s hand, sat a vast array of spicy delicacies, accompanied by bowls of pili-pili sauce for dipping. For the uninitiated, Pili-pili (pronounced “pee-lee pee-lee”) is a sauce made from a fiery pepper similar but more potent than a jalepeno. Crushed into an eye watering hot sauce, pili-pili is not for the weak and timid. The majority of assembled dignitaries, faint with hunger, attacked the assortment of peppery cocktail treats with gusto. However, immediately before their moment of glory with Mobutu [the president], most had mouths heartily stuffed with spicy finger foods laced with pili-pili – a deadly combination. Television cameras caught diplomat after diplomat walking the red carpet, mouths burning into a smile, and eyes watering. Far from emotional tears …
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Makes 1.75 liters (plus the pineapple) Chilled hibiscus tea is light and refreshing. The natural floral tang is a wonderful counterpart to sweet pineapple chunks. Kids will love fishing out the fruit in this totally and wonderfully decaffeinated iced tea. VARIATION: Some recipes call for equal parts lemonade to hibiscus tea. We tried this “pink lemonade” and loved it! Ingredients: small handful hibiscus flowers (or 4 teabags) 6 cups boiling water 4 cups ice 1 pineapple, cubed Method: 1. Pour boiling water over hibiscus flowers or teabags. Let steep about 30 minutes. Hibiscus puts on a wonderful show as the purplish dried leaves turn the water vivid red. Strain into ice to speed up cooling. Trust me, you won’t want to wait any longer than you have to! Serve chilled with chunks of pineapple. I made my chunks large. I couldn’t help it. This was the sweetest pineapple I’ve had in a long time. Yum! Cheers! I hope you the last bit of your summer is splendid! Iced Hibiscus Drink with Fresh Pineapple | Bissap …
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Makes about 1/2 cup This is my own version of the jarred Kan Kan Kan spice blend popular in Burkina Faso. The raw peanut powder offers a slight grassy flavor, dominated by heat from the chili powder and saltiness from the bouillon. Try with our Grilled Lamb Brochettes. While the jarred stuff alleges to be an aphrodisiac, I happened upon the description of this spice blend on an expat blog which – unfortunately -I can no longer track down. I mixed it together to taste. If you want the aphrodisiac, you’ll want to add a lot more ingredients, like ginger, mustard seed, and cinnamon. NOTE: Peanut powder and Maggi cubes can be found at African markets. I went to Tulsa’s local Tropical market. Ingredients: 1/2 cup peanut powder 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp allspice 2 Maggi bouillon cubes or 2 tsp powdered bouillon Method: Take all ingredients and mix together in a small bowl. If you use maggi cubes, crush them with the back of the spoon. If, like me, you accidentally buy SHRIMP flavored …
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