Bella's Less Guilt, Less Jumping Jacks Crepe Wrap

"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch."                                                                                                                                                           ~ Julia Child


........So I am in the mood for pancakes but this my newly acquired #teamfifat status will not allow my conscience be!! I keep thinking of all that flour, all that milk, sugar, butter, egg....aarrgggh!!!! Besides its not like i can eat just 1 piece..... may be 3? How many jumping jacks and sit-ups will that translate to????....... 

The stream of thoughts that led me to device a master plan: eat just one piece, get stuffed, and be subjected to less guilt-induced planks!

To crown it all, I had just received my shipment of the world famous Yajichurri from Dooney's Kitchen and with all the raving reviews I had read I was still strategizing on how to use this precious gem wisely and make the 'mostest' (yea....it's a thing) out of it!

A Crepe wrap! Filled with very spicy chicken and veggies! Great idea, right????

Bella's Less Guilt, Less Jumping Jacks Crepe Wrap

Ingredients

1 cup of Flour

2 tbs of Sugar

3 Eggs

Salt

2tbs of melted Butter

Shredded Chicken 

Carrot

Cabbage

Green pepper

1 Tomato

2 Yellow pepper

1 small Onions

2 Tatashe

1 tbs of Yaji Churri

Curry

Thyme

Seasoning Cubes

Let's cut to the chase.....

First step, make a basic crepe mix. I mixed the flour, pinch of salt or two and sugar in a bowl and whisked the eggs with the melted butter in another bowl. I poured in the egg and mixed, slowly adding water till I got my desired consistency (I try to make my batter light as in the picture so the crepe isn't thick making the wrap easier to execute) and then whisked till smooth. 

Heating up my lightly oiled pan, I scoop a spoon of batter onto it and immediately swirl the batter to cover the base of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on medium heat then flip and cook for a minute or less on high heat. (I like the way the browned spots look like polka dots when I cook the flip side on high heat.........pretty!). 

For the filling, I simply stir fried the onion, tomato, tatashe, yellow pepper and seasoning with a little melted butter. I added the shredded chicken and continued to stir till the chicken was cooked, give or take 2 minutes. I added a tablespoon of Dooney's yajichurri (I am economizing) and the green pepper, then turned off the heat. 

To make the wrap, I simply folded the crepe in 4 and filled the pockets with my stir-fried chicken, finely cut cabbage and shredded carrot. There you have it!! 

Bella's less guilt, less jumping jacks crepe wrap!! 

  

Extra tips:

• You can mix your cabbage and carrot with a little mayo, I prefer avocado pear but I didn't have any. 
• You can also be more #fitfam and use almond flour (it's a healthier but pricier option) and no sugar. 
• Be like me and spice up your shredded chicken or beef (I use fresh garlic, thyme and knorr seasoning) when you buy them before freezing or refrigerating. Whenever you wanna use them, they are good to go.

Take a shot at it, and thank me later!!!

Soup-a-Fresh Egg & Fish Sauce

"You dont have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces- just good food from fresh ingredients"

                                                                                                                                           ~ Julia Child

Most times, I don’t cook complicated masterpieces or fancy looking food (I wish I did tho) I simply think of what I want a taste of.

On some days I want easy peasy and other days I look forward to the hours that need to be put into it, best of all are the times when you begin to prep days ahead….stocking up on the ingredients on the recipe, marinating meat, etcetera, etcetera,etcetera!

But if it’s one of those mornings where you can’t wait to jump back into your bed, then you can never go wrong with egg sauce. Tasty and Fresh!!

All you’ll be needing….

Fresh tomatoes (preferably the firm fleshy ones)

Tatashe (Red Bell Pepper)

Red onions

Pepper (scotch bonnet)

Ginger

Garlic

Olive Oil

Titus Fish (boiled, de-boned and mashed)

Eggs

Spices

Steps in Pictures

And you have a pretty easy plate of Egg and Fish Sauce served with fried yams.

What’s better that Yam and Eggs on a lazy Saturday morning? Let me think……

When you see a delish dish of egg and fish sauce what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Yam? Pasta? Plantain?.....Please share!!

CbB: 'Nutoney' French Toast

Saturday breakfast is something I also like my family to look forward to. This is mostly as a result of the guilt I feel having to serve pre-cooked and frozen food all week long. After a long tiring day at work, we get home at about the same time and are all too hungry to wait for kitchen 'serenre' so I just do the needful!

On this particular Saturday though, I was thoroughly tired but still wanted to put up a good show. I had to come up with something quite easy and yet tasty!! I was inspired by my sweet friend, Oby's, 'Nutella' french toast which she served at a breakfast meeting at her church. So working with Honey, Groundnuts and Cashew nuts, I came up with Honey n Nuts french toast!!!! a.k.a 'Nutoney French Toast'.

Ingredients

fresh slices of bread

eggs

milk

butter

cinnamon

honey

groundnuts

cashew nuts

1. I broke my eggs and put them in a bowl. 

2. Next I added milk (I used condensed milk), honey (I was quite generous with the honey) and cinnamon powder (just a pinch) and whisked them all together. 

3. I brought a flat and wide tray (wide enough to fit my 6 slices at a go) and poured my wet mix into it till it filled all the corners. 

4. I crushed the nuts with a food processor (to do this I only used the pulse button 2 or 3 times because I wanted it really rough). 

5. I sprinkled the nuts on the wet mix in the tray then carefully laid my bread slices on it to soak up all the liquid (I flipped it just once after about 2 mins so the other side can soak up too). 

6. I put a frying pan on the heat and  scooped just a little butter onto it (enough to cover the base of the pan like you are about to fry an egg). Don't forget butter burns really quick so ensure that the heat is low.

7.I used a spatula to lift a slice of bread off the tray and onto the frying pan and then sprinkled more nuts on it. I fried each slice of bread separately on low-meduim heat for about 2 minutes on each side. 

8. When I was done, I allowed it to cool a bit on a rack so it doesn't get soggy from the heat when placed on the plate. 

I served Nutoney French Toast with sausages and a bowl of oatmeal!! 

Breakfast that morning felt as good as soul food!! I totally forgot to take enough pictures because my hands were quite busy and then later my mouth became too busy! *shamefaced*

CbB: 'Beans Stew à la Bella'

Happy New Year!!!! or Half year if you can act like I didn't go AWOL for half a year!! :p

It's been a great and blessed year so far for me and mine! #thankful.

I'll admit it has been really quiet here but it sure hasn't been quiet at all in my kitchen so sit back and lemme bring y'all up to date with what I have been cooking! Hehehe

First is my special beans stew aka 'Beans Stew à la Bella'.

Nota Bene: This is NOT 'gbegiri' (the famous Yoruba beans soup) as I don't want expectations to be cut short by those who are expecting gbegiri.

Sometime ago I visited my dear friend Zi, at home and while rummaging through her fridge for something to eat I found a bowl of what I initially thought was beans porridge and picked it out cos any day any time I'm up for beans (I love like beans! This is no secret). The second Zi saw the bowl she said 'Great!' I know you ll like this one. Let's boil some rice and eat with the beans stew'. Wait, Beans Stew!? Wow!!! To be frank I'd heard about this dish a couple of times but hadn't tasted it before and so you can imagine how excited I was to try this out. Sincerely, lunch was great! And so, I made a mental note to try this at home!

Fast forward months later to last weekend, I was cracking my head about what to make for lunch on Sunday as I love to make Sunday lunch somewhat special. Scrolling through my phone where I have a list of 'meals to try', I found beans stew on it!! And beans stew won the ultimate search!!

 'Beans Stew à la Bella'

'Beans Stew à la Bella' served with  Boiled Rice

Ingredients

Beans 

Goat meat

Smoked Chicken

Stockfish

Palm oil

Vegetable oil 

Fresh Tomato

Tatashe ( Red Bell Peppers)

Scotch Bonnets (Nigerian red pepper)

Crayfish

Onions

Stock cubes

Salt

Scent leaves (nchanwu)

1. I put my brown beans in a pot of boiling water (I used 3 cups but next time i would probably used a little less). When it had boiled for about 10 minutes, I changed the water and put it back on the heat to cook till it was al dente. I set this aside. 

2. I washed the goat meat and put in a pot with water, added lots of onions, stock cubes, stockfish and a little salt and allowed the goat meat to cook al dente also. (else by the time you are done the meat will be broken in pieces and separated from the bones and skin)

I have an aunt who cooks her beans porridge with the shredded flesh of stock fish. It added extra flavor and it was always a delight to munch the beans and stockfish together. This was what inspired me to add stockfish to this stew which I added while cooking my goat meat!

3. I ground my fresh tomatoes, tatashe and scotch bonnet peppers roughly. Two things: I always use more tatashe and fresh pepper than fresh tomatoes and no tomato paste to make my stew; I also like to grind them roughly to give the stew 'body' if you get my drift!

Now this is where the stew-proper starts ( :p all that was preps!)

4. I put a little palm oil in my pot and let it heat up and just as it started smoking, added vegetable oil (just about the amount you would need to make your normal stew). 

5. Next I fried the goat meat in the oil till it had browned a bit. I didnt need to take it out which was why I cooked it till it was al dente. 

6. I added the onions with a little stock cube and continued frying till it was just browning (I like the flavor that adds to the stew and I learnt the stock cube trick from my MIL) then added my already ground crayfish and allowed it fry for about a minute. 

7. I added the freshly ground tatashe, pepper and tomatoes and continued frying for another 10 minutes (but this depends on the quantity of your stew). 

8. Next I added the stock from the goat meat (which had my little bits of stockfish) brought it to boil then added the beans and smoked chicken, stirred it, covered it and reduced the heat. (At this point I went to boil my rice). If you feel the stew is too light (watery) just give it a good stir and try to mash some of the beans against the pot to help thicken it a bit.

9. I allowed it stew till the beans was really soft and all the flavors had mixed properly (so the idea is to keep checking it and stirring so it doesn't burn esp if your pot isn't non-stick). 

10. Finally, I tasted and adjusted the salt and pepper (because I wanted a really hot stew), added the chopped scent leaves, stirred properly and turned off the heat. 

There! You have it!!  'Beans Stew à la Bella'

On Sunday, I served with rice....

On Monday, I served with boiled yam....

On Tuesday, I served with Spaghettini (yes! I did! #biteme)......

But the absolute winner was when I had it with soft, freshly baked bread for breakfast this morning!! (still rubbing my tummy from the experience). 

Do have a go at it!!

CbB: Easy Peasy Chili and Sausage Omelette

Yes!

It really is an easy breakfast to be served in bed! Even if you have to make the breakfast yourself and jump back into bed to enjoy it, it still counts as breakfast in bed. No?

Chilli and Sausage Omelette served with Fried Yam, Plantain and hot sauce

The making....

Ingredients

Green chili

Yellow and Red Habaneros

Beef Sausage

Eggs

Onions

Salt

Garlic

Italian seasoning(a mix of dried herbs)

Cooking butter

To show how easy peasy this really is, it has just 4 steps!!!
1. Chop peppers, onions and sausage and sprinkle a pinch of garlic, Italian seasoning and salt
2. Heat a table spoon of cooking butter in your non-stick frying pan and throw in the spiced mix in step 1 and allow to sweat on low heat (I like my peppers and onions very much alive)
3. Increase the heat, beat your eggs and salt, pour into the frying pan, making sure it covers the base so no ingredient is left out
4. After about 2-3mins, flip over and fry the other side for about the same time.

And voila!!!!

Your omelette is good to go! You can enjoy with toast, noodles, chips or just as i did with fried yam and plantain.

Don't forget to jump back into bed to enjoy......... :D

CbB: Fresh Fish Ofe Nsala

This is coming in late but at least not never!!

I had a private Independence Day Celebration!! Yippeee!!! For those of you who couldn't find anything worth celebrating, good for you!!! For me, I celebrated the fact that I still have a nationality (yes!! things could have gotten so bad in the country that u wake u one day and find that someone stole your nationality and sold it. How can!!?? YES IT CAN).

*sigh of relief*

Having said that, I decided that since we were celebrating, something special and traditional must be cooked! What better way is there to celebrate a culturally rich country?

  

Pounded yam and Ofe Nsala with fresh fish

This meal is special as it is not one I would make on a normal day because of the pounded yam component.  I am not a pounded yam lover, not even a 'liker'. It's one of those dishes I cook to make loved ones happy :) . I could opt to eat ofe nsala with wheat or unripe plantain but somehow, pounded yam just makes it complete. 

This meal is traditional because it is purely a Nigerian dish eaten mostly by 'Ndi Igbo'. I know other tribes have their own variation of this soup and have different names for it but this is 'Ofe Nsala' as my people know it.   

The Ingredients

1 whole catfish

1 dried fish 

Yellow pepper

Onions

Ground Crayfish

Fresh Uziza leaf

Fresh Utazi leaf

Uda seed

Uziza seed

Ehuru 

Seasoning cube

Salt

I started by preparing all my ingredients because cat fish usually cooks in very few minutes then starts to break up and fall apart.
1. I washed my catfish with hot water and salt. I can't stand the slimy skin!
2. I washed and cut my uziza and utazi leaves (I used about 5 uziza leaves and 2 utazi leaves). I always put them separately in a bowl because while the uziza leaf has a strong aroma and is a bit hot, the utazi leaf is quite bitter and if used more than necessary can cause a disaster.
3. I gathered my seeds (uda, uziza and ehuru) and ground them dry till very smooth. Some may prefer to just buy peppersoup mix from the market and use but I like to grind my ingredients myself so I know what exactly is in it and the quantities. For me, I like more of uziza seed, a little less of uda seed and very little ehuru.
4. I washed my dried fish with warm water and salt and removed all the tiny bones. I leave the bigger bones because I can easily remove them when the meal is ready and after they have added their flavor to the soup.
5. I ground my yellow pepper with one small red onion. Whenever I make traditional dishes I prefer to use the yellow pepper that we call "Ose Nsukka" because it has a very unique aroma and flavor (I also use if for noodles and fried eggs and the difference is clear).

The making

1. I put my pot with about 3 cups of water on the fire
2. I put in my ground pepper, ground spices, crayfish, seasoning cube and dried fish and allowed it to boil.
3. I put the catfish into the broth and allowed it to boil for about 5-7 mins (at this time the catfish was cooked)
4. At this stage, I could have used my pounded yam to thicken the soup but I used yam flour instead because 1. I had just enough pounded yam for the two portions I needed and couldn't spare any, 2. Catfish cooks so fast that the time needed for the yam to thicken the broth will overcook the fish. However, if you prefer to use pounded yam, simply take out the fish when it is cooked in step 3 and put in small lumps of pounded yam to thicken the broth and return the fish before step 5. But if you choose to use yam flour, I simply mixed about 3 table spoons with very little water and added it in small portions at intervals.
5. After thickening, I tasted the soup and adjusted spices as desired, sprinkled the uziza leaf and utazi leaf (put in a little, stir and taste till u start getting the slightly bitter taste of the utazi leaf), stirred and allowed to simmer for 1 minute.
6. And Voila!!! Ofe nsala is ready!!

Thanks to my group friends on "so you think you can cook" I had already 'pounded' my yam with the aid of my food processor!!!

And that is how I celebrated Nigeria @ 53!!!

Ridiculous Household Items!!!

Please pretend I haven't been MIA for over 2 months!!

Now, I am one person that's all for speed!!! I really like getting things done quickly and I have never said no to time and energy saving devices.

However...... IMO, these are some ridiculous items that (hopefully) no one should be needing talk more of purchasing.

So I ll implore that we draw the proverbial line right here!!! The future of generations unborn are at stake (don't ask how)!!

1. USB powered fridge: At what point do you decide that since there is no light and you are in dire need of a cold drink, you might use your laptop to charge your mobile fridge for a cool drink or a cup of water? Just look at it.... it even looks like a joke!!

2. Egg Cracker: If you ask me (and I'm not saying that you must), the energy and time that will be expended in looking for the egg cracker, gently placing the egg in it so it doesn't crack before the cracker can do it's job, squeezing the cracker, washing and drying it for your next use, is far more than what it takes to simply use the head of a spoon or fork to crack the damn thing!!!! Definitely not convenient.....

3. Never-get-soggy cereal bowl: Anyone who gets really irritated by soggy cereal so much so that you see the need to buy this bowl might as well toss the cereal from the pack into the bowl of milk one at a time!! hehehehe!!!

4. Egg boiler without electricity: I dunno if this was made because of the light situation in Nigeria so I ll try to be fair to those who really really must have boiled eggs when there is no light and cant be bothered to use the gas. Or maybe it's for those who live in countries where electricity bills are a nightmare so you just might want to buy this to save you a few bucks. Please go on and buy it......don't let me distract you.

5. Self-stirring Mug: *Phew* Too tired to stir your own cup of tea? Just get a self-stirring mug and if you are also too tired to hold the cup up to your lips, just get a crane to lift it. Life is Good!

6. Toothpaste Dispenser: Just to be fair, some toothpaste tubes are a hard nut to crack these days........


If you find yourself at any point in time faced with the decision to buy or not to buy any of these items, let me help you out......................please go ahead and buy.......................some one did invest time, energy and other hard-to-come-by resources into making them with the intention that someONE (like you) will be needing them, not to mention, it is after all some ones brain child!!!

C'est la vie!