MANGO and CUCUMBER SALAD
I learnt this recipe a few years ago from a cook my mum had hired. Like I have mentioned before I never used to like green things (vegetables) but when I saw the mangoes and dhania (coriander) I just had to try it. I LOVED it. To be honest this lady had a way of making me appreciate stuff, she also made me start eating mushrooms with her mushroom chicken, but that’s a story for another day. Anyway, so in January just after I posted the Thai-style Beef and Mango Salad and when my gal Mona was in Nairobi my mum decided to send her a list of stuff to buy and bring for me, on the list was mangoes, cucumber and dhania. My mother in her note specifically asked Mona not to buy apple mangoes but a different type of mango and she even went ahead to draw the shape of the mango, clearly she isn’t a farmer coz she did not know the name and she specifically told her that they had to be firm. So when Mona told me this I really laughed at the fact that my mother drew the mango but I also wondered why she specifically said that Mona shouldn’t buy the apple mango, which my mother knows are my favourite. Anyway I appreciated the gesture and called to thank her but forgot to ask why the specifications. I kept the mangoes to ripen. Then a week later it hit me!! MUM sent me all the ingredients for the mango and cucumber salad, is that what she wanted me to make? So I called her and she confirmed this, HOW SLOW COULD I BE??? By this time my mangoes were slightly too ripe but I made the salad anyway. This salad is good with this type of mango
I don’t know what they are called but I guess any mango would do. Also ensure your mango is not too ripe. It should be a bit firm for the best results.
Ingredients
- 3 mangoes, peeled and cut into medium strips
- 1 large cucumber cut into strips
- About a ¼ cup of dhania or small handful
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice salt
- pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
Instructions
In a bowl mix together the mango, dhania and cucumber
Add the lemon and vinegar. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes if using.
Toss to coat and place in the fridge until ready to serve
HOW EASY IS THAT??? HAPPY EATING
https://www.themothershipvillage.com/mango-and-cucumber-salad/ROSEMARY and GARLIC BAKED FRIES
I love fries. Did I say I love them??? NO, I am IN LOVE with fries. When I was in high school I think I ate them every weekday for 3 years and maybe still on the weekend and I NEVER once got tired of them. When I was growing up my mother always said that I will one day grow up and stop eating them with so much vigor but either I am yet to grow up or she was wrong. Unfortunately though, as you grow up you begin to notice that fries (or chips as we like to call them) are really not that healthy!!! And after high school you realize that you can not eat the same way you did in high school and not add on some weight. Anyway a few years after high school and a couple of kilos up I decided to join a gym and get a trainer. This trainer decided that he will cut short my love affair with potatoes and I was so heart broken, a few months into training and I was allowed to eat some potatoes but still no fries, but he told me how to bake fries, I honestly did not even think that this was possible. I went home VERY skeptical about baked fries but at the end it was not that bad, with time I experimented with different spices and LOVED this one best so most nights when I feel like a steak and fries, I throw them both in the oven and save on a shit load of unwanted fats. HAPPY COOKING!!!
Ingredients
- 3 potatoes (sliced into chips)
- 1/2 tsp garlic (or regular) salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or sliced
- 2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 230 degrees Celsius.
In a large bowl, mix oil, garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and potatoes together.
Spread the potatoes onto a greased baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake about 40 minutes, or until golden brown (turn after about 20 mins to bake both sides). HAPPY EATING!!
If you want you could bake the fries with out the garlic then fry the garlic in about 1table spoon of olive oil then toss the baked fries in the oil. This gives a bit of a different intensity of the garlic flavor.
CITRUS CHICKEN WITH CORIANDER SERVED WITH GREEN SALAD
A couple of my readers have been urging me to post a few healthier recipes once in a while seeing as they are all trying to loose some weight. According to my cousin Ciku its time for operation nyorosha tumbo (flatten stomach). I tend to love green salads. Unfortunately for you guys I did not mix this one, I bought the premixed out available in the fresh food section of Nakumatt, they sell it for Ksh.99/=. I think they mix baby spinach and romaine lettuce, it is great. If you do not want to buy the premixed one you can make your own using lettuce, rocket, baby spinach etc. I then added one tomato, grated half a large carrot and sliced half a small onion into it. I reckon it’s quite a healthy meal save for the fact that I am obsessed with 1000 island dressing so I used that. I think it would be just as great with the healthier and less fatty dressing.
The chicken is about 270 cal per serving and it tastes great. The biggest advantage to it is how fast it is to make, I came from the office yesterday at around 6.05pm I sliced the chicken mixed up the marinade and chicken and was of to work out by 6.15. Came back at 7.30pm put it in the oven hit the shower and by the time I was out dinner was ready :-). HAPPY COOKING!!
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast fillet
- 60ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 80ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 3 tablespoons fresh coriander
- salt and pepper to taste
- Green salad (pre made)
Instructions
Slice up the breast fillet into strips Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, coriander, salt and pepper in a bowl
Place the breast into the bowl and mix up. At this point you can place it in the fridge to marinate or cook immediately
Bake for 15-20 mins or until tenderloins are tender ( when I make enough just for me about 10 mins is enough)
Serve with the green salad
You can swap the coriander for oregano if you wish. Many people say chicken goes well with oregano but i honestly can not stand that herb but I guess you can always try it for yourself.
