Tag: FRESH HARVEST

Banana Avocado Beet Smoothie

~ Sophie ~ 5 Comments

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Do you ever get stuck with a certain ingredient and always wonder what to do with it?  So here is how this smoothie came to be. I have, for the longest time, eyed beet recipes online  and have always wondered how they taste. I was at Nakasero Market a few weeks ago and saw a lot of beets so out of curiosity I decide to buy  4 for 3000 shillings. I was excited to come home and taste this magical fruit (is it a fruit?). Once I sliced it, and had the first taste. I had mixed feelings. The bright color was just so beautiful but the earthy taste needed a little getting used to. I blended the first one and made a vegetable juice.  Lets just say that it took a lot of will power to get that juice down. About a week later I realised the beets are still in the fridge. I was trying to think of a way to make them more- you know- palatable.  So while making a blended juice of bananas, pawpaw, avocado and watermelon(??) I decided on impulse to throw in some thinly sliced beets.  It was the best decision ever. And until I discover another great way to prepare beets, this beet smoothie will be my best friend. The next time you find yourself with beets, try this smoothie. It is refreshing and what not a better way than to drink your fruits and vegetables!

 

What you will need:

1 Large ripe banana

½ Avocado

1-2 C. Pawpaw (papaya)

1 C. Watermelon

½ Beetroot

Sugar

Cold water

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Method.

  1. Wash and peel all fruits.
  2. Dice the fruits and place in  freezer overnight.
  3. In a blender, combine all fruits sugar and some water and blend till smooth and soft peaks have formed.
  4. Serve for breakfast or as cold beverage on a hot day.

 

Do you like beets? How do you eat them? Leave a comment below.

🙂

Sophie

Soda Marinated Beef Stew

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

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Last Sunday was VD. If you are not familiar with this acronym, it means Visitation Day which is a day selected in a school term for parents to visit their kids at school. All my life I have been on the other end of this spectrum. You know, the one where I am the one cooking and preparing for those going to visit. So we decided to cook a storm, or something like it. The menu was beef stew, matooke Katogo, pasta, and cupcakes. We cooked and goofed around a lot but mostly cooked. Now the beef stew came out so glorious I had to share it. The aroma is just to amazing. if ever you plan on making some beef stew, try this recipe.

Find recipe here

 

🙂

Sophie

 

Yam Chips with Melted Cheddar Cheese

~ Sophie ~ 3 Comments

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Move over Irish and sweet potato chips. You have a new rival! YAM. The purple kind. The kind which melts in your mouth. The kind when cooked and served alongside groundnut stew or beef stew is one of the perfect meals you will ever have. Yes that Yam.  While doing my research, I found out yam has a lot of names in different places. This kind of yam is popular in central Uganda although there are many other varieties and species in the country.

 

I don’t always eat out because this homebody life but when I do, I always want to recreate meals I eat in restaurants at home. Now this epic snack meal has two major ingredients: Yams and Cheese because you can never go wrong with cheese and because yam is just a wonderful alternative to Irish and sweet potatoes. The sharp cheddar adds a savoury taste to the crunchy yam chips creating multiple layers of textures.

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One of the things that make these chips so good is that they have a unique earthy (-ish) taste that is quite hard to describe. If you have eaten these yams you know what I mean.  Now that these yam chips are just the perfect snack, I went bigger and melted Cheddar cheese from Paramount Dairies on them sprinkled some herbs and garnished with fresh from the garden sweet cherry tomatoes. This is the perfect snack! In fact it is the ultimate snack I tell you. Best advice is buy as much yam as you can, peel it and cut it into chips, freeze and whenever you feel like chips, get those yams out and get busy. You should absolutely make these chips

What you will need:

1 Kilo Yams

200 gm Cheddar cheese

Tomato ketchup (optional)

Cherry tomatoes

Salt

Parsley for garnish

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Observations:

  1. When you buy the yams, make sure they do not touch water. This is because they release a substance that when it comes in contact with your skin will cause itchiness.
  2. When peeling the yams, I recommend wearing gloves if you have them but a plastic will work well too. This is to avoid any form of itchiness. Again strictly stay away from any form of water.

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Method

  1. Peel the yams and set aside for about 10 minutes.
  2. When your hands are still covered wash the yams and pat dry with a towel.
  3. Cut the yams into chips
  4. Fry the chips till slightly golden brown
  5. Sprinkle salt on the fried chips
  6. Melt cheddar
  7. Slice the tomatoes

To assemble

  1. Arrange chips on plate/tray.
  2. Pour melted cheddar
  3. Add the tomatoes
  4. Sprinkle with parsley
  5. Serve warm.

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What are you waiting for? Make sure to use #AkitchenInUg to share your creations.

🙂

Sophie

 

This post is made possible by Paramount Dairies. You can find Cheddar cheese and more cheese products in major supermarkets in Kampala. Thank you for supporting brands I believe in.