Food Bites - April 27

• 2 Ingredients, 2 Recipes, 4 Meals – Here’s a couple of recipes using pork and green beans.
• Curry pastes – A necessary ingredient in a Perfect Pantry.
• Honey Glazed Lemon Roast Chicken Recipe – A simple and delicious recipe for roast chicken.
• What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like? – Pictures to give a visual sense of what a 300 calorie meal looks like.
• The Top 5 Brain Health Foods – Good quality dark chocolate and coffee. How can you go wrong?
• Best of Panama 2007 – the best of the 2007 brain food (coffee) from Panama.
• Roasting coffee with a popcorn popper – How most of us get started roasting.
• Chicken with Apples and Raisin Couscous – a Moroccan style dish.

Written by Ian McKenzie on April 27th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Diet and Poultry and Tips and Condiments and African and Pork and Beverages and Coffee and Thai and Vegetable and How To and Oriental and Low Fat and Herbs and Spices.

Slow-Cooker Pork with Dried Fruit and Squash

Ingredients:

• 3 pound lean boneless pork loin roast
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated, fresh ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/ teaspoon pepper
• pinch of saffron
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup bit-sized pitted prunes
• 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 4 cups)

Directions:

1. Trim fat from pork; cut pork in half crosswise.
2. Combine brown sugar and next 8 ingredients in a small bowl; stir mixture well. Rub pork evenly with sugar mixture. Place pork in a 4 1/2 quart slow cooker. Arrange apricots, prunes, and squash around pork.
3. Cover with lid, cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 6 to 7 hours or until pork, fruit, and squash are tender.
4. Cut pork into thin slices, and serve with fruit, squash and couscous.

Written by Ian McKenzie on April 23rd, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and African and Pork and One Pot Meals and Low Fat and Slow Cooker.

Spicy Moroccan Beef Stir-Fry

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Carrots, julienned
• 1 Bell Pepper, julienned
• 2 Cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1/2 teaspoon hot chili pepper flakes
• 28 ounce Can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup sliced green olives
• Toasted pine nuts
• Chopped fresh coriander

Directions:

1. Cook ground beef, onion, carrots and sweet pepper in large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking beef up into small chunks with back of spoon for 8 to 10 minutes or until beef is completely cooked and vegetables are tender-crisp.
2. Stir in garlic, seasonings and cook for 1 minute longer.
3. Stir in tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, simmer, covered for 5 to 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Stir in olives; heat through. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.
5. Serve with cooked pasta, rice or couscous.

Written by Ian McKenzie on February 5th, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and African and Low Fat and 30-Minute Meals.

Malawi Curry Powder

Ingredients:

• 10 small dried hot red chilies
• 3 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoon poppy seeds
• 2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon Turmeric
• 10 cloves
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a dry fry pan. Heat over medium until fragrant.
2. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.
3. Place in spice mill and grind to a fine powder.
4. Store in an airtight container

Written by Ian McKenzie on November 15th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on African and Herbs and Spices.

From weapons of war to great coffee

In his workshop in Mekele, just 200km from Ethiopia’s border with Eritrea, Azmeraw Zekele is turning burnt-out shells into cylinders used in coffee machines.

Most of the shells are left over from the 1998-2000 war between the two countries.

BBC NEWS | Africa | From weapons of war to great coffee

Written by Ian McKenzie on October 31st, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on News and Beverages and Coffee and Ethiopian.

Moroccan Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• Six chicken breasts, bone in
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Process all of the ingredients-except salt and pepper to season, in a food processor until smooth, and spread over chicken. Pierce the skin in several places and marinate for 2 hours turning once.
2. Bake on a wire rack for 45 minutes to one hour at 375* Baste with remaining marinade: Season with salt and pepper Enjoy

Written by Ian McKenzie on September 20th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Poultry and African.

Siga Wot

Ingredients:

• 3 large Onions; chopped
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons Chow
• 3 tablespoons Tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Salt; to taste
• 2 c ups Water
• 1 1/2 pounds Beef chuck; cut into half inch cubes

Directions:

1. In dry pan over moderate heat, stir fry the onions for 4 mins to reduce the bulk, stirring constantly. Add the oil and stir fry for about 1 minute longer.
2. Add the chow and tomato paste and contine to fry.
3. Then add the salt and 1/2 cup of water well.
4. Add the beef cubes and the remaining water.
5. Cover the pan and cook for 45 mins, or until the beef is tender. There should be a moderate amount of sauce.

Technorati Tags: recipes, stew, Ethiopian, beef

powered by performancing firefox

Written by Ian McKenzie on August 11th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Beef and African and Stew and Ethiopian.

Chow

An Ethiopian Spice Mixture

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp Ginger
• 1/2 tsp Cardamom
• 1/2 tsp Coriander
• 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp Cloves
• 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Allspice
• 2 tbl Salt
• 1 1/4 cup Cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup Paprika
• 1 tsp fresh ground Black pepper
• 1 tsp Ground ginger
• 3 tbl Cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp Ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

1. In heavy saucepan, toast all spices and then add salt and cayenne, paprika and black pepper.
2. Continue shaking the pan and toasting spices 10 minutes.
3. Cool and store in tightly covered glass container.
4. This will keep in the refrigerator for 6 months.

Technorati Tags: recipes, spices, condiments, Ethiopian

powered by performancing firefox

Written by Ian McKenzie on August 11th, 2006 with 1 comment.
Read more articles on African and Ethiopian.

Koushari

14 ounce can Brown lentils
1 cup Small macaroni noodles
1 cup Short grain rice
2 Tbsp Olive oil
2 large Onions
1/4 cup Olive oil
2 cloves Garlic — finely chopped
1 cup Tomato puree

Wash rice well in sieve under running water and drain. Heat oil in pot and fry rice over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes or until tender. Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes for grains to separate.

Cook macaroni and heat the lentils. Toss together lightly with cooked rice.

Peel onions and cut in half lengthwise then slice thinly to give semi-circles. Heat olive oil in a pan, add onions and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Add garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the tomato puree and bring to a boil. Serve over rice mixture.

Technorati Tags: Recipes, Cooking, Middle Eastern, Egyptian, Lentils Macaroni Rice

Written by tubaism on January 30th, 2006 with no comments.
Read more articles on Main Dish and Pasta and African and Middle Eastern.

Lentil and Potato Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 2 Carrots, diced
• 2 Celery stalks, diced
• 1 19 ounce tin of Lentils
• 1 medium red or green bell pepper, cubed
• 2 medium Potatoes, cubed
• 1 28 ounce tin diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper

Directions:

1. Place large saucepan over medium heat. Add oil and butter and heat until butter is melted.
2. Add chopped onion and cook until the onion is soft, 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the spices, stir well and continue to cook for another minute.
4. Add the ground beef and scramble fry until no longer pink.
5. Add the remaining ingredients along with enough cold water to cover. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender.
6. Serve with warm flatbread

Written by tubaism on December 18th, 2005 with no comments.
Read more articles on Beef and Main Dish and Mediterranean and African and Middle Eastern and Soup.