I like ‘nduma’. A lot. Boiled, fried, stewed…love it! Not so much for my munchkin. She calls it ‘baby’ food. I know…ridiculous! So today I am staring three arrow roots down in my kitchen…thinking “How to ‘munchkinfy’” nduma…then it hit me!

Nduma is a root tuber, mostly eaten for breakfast or as a snack. For any person watching the amount of carbohydrates they consume, this is the perfect alternative to the potato as it contains less calories.

So as I was looking around the kitchen, I spotted one of munchkins favorite cereals and beamed: D GOTCHA! And this is how it went down…

You will need:

3 arrow roots

3 pieces of Weetabix

2 eggs

Nutmeg

Let’s Cook!

Wash the root tuber, as it usually comes with dirt, and peel off the skin. Wash the peeled ‘nduma’ again and cut into 1 inch thick pieces. It is important to keep the ‘nduma’ in water at all times after peeling to avoid oxidation. Pour the ‘nduma’ into a pan and boil for 30 minutes.

While the arrowroot is boiling, crush the three pieces of Weetabix in a bowl. Whisk the eggs and add a pinch of nutmeg powder.

Once the ‘nduma’ is ready, drain out the water. Heat a pan and add vegetable oil. When the oil is reasonably hot, reduce the heat as we shall be frying in low heat. Piece by piece, pick up the ‘nduma’, dip in the egg first and then in the wheat flake bowl. 

 Tip: Use one hand to soak the egg and the other to cover with flakes. Ensure that the flakes completely cover the ‘nduma’. The egg acts as the ‘glue’ to make sure the flakes stick to the ‘nduma’.

Place the nduma in the pan and let it cook for about 1 minute, then turn it over and repeat for another minute. Take the ‘nduma’ out and place on a serviette to drain out any excess oil.

End Game

Now, because Munchkin loves her cereal with banana, I went in for the ‘kill’ and served her ‘wheatomas’ with slices of banana! She had no idea what hit her and kept giving me quizzical looks, trying to ask me ‘Wash ish ish?’ (What is this?) In between mouthfuls! You really need to try this. You will impress yourself and surprise your loved ones!

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06:01:00

This cold season, I have been trying to get as much vitamin C as I can. For me and my little munchkin. This week began with a scratchy throat and yes, eventually, I got the sniffles. So when making my crepes (thin pancakes), I reached out for oranges and decided to add them to my plate. It is common knowledge that vitamin C is a very important part of breakfast as it gives the liver a robust wake-up call, flushing it out and preparing it for the days work. In order to reduce the sharp citrus taste of the oranges, I opted to caramelize them. 

For the Crepes:

-          2 cups of wheat flour

-          1 egg

-          2 table spoons of sugar

-          1 cup of warm water

-          ½ a cup of milk

-          1 pinch of cinnamon powder

For the caramelized oranges:

-          2 oranges

-          1 cup of water

-          ½ of sugar

Let’s Cook!

In a bowl, pour the flour, warm water, milk, egg and cinnamon. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Heat your frying pan and pour the mix into the pan. Using a table spoon, spread the mixture outward from the center in a circular motion. Once the mixture is spread out thin and evenly, add a little vegetable oil and cook for 30-45 seconds. Flip the crepe over and repeat. Remove the crepe once ready and continue to make more.

For the caramelized oranges, peel and dice the oranges and put them in a small sauce pan. Add the water and sugar then stir and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Continue stirring occasionally. When done pour into a serving pot. The orange juice, or reduction, can also be used as a syrup with the delicious crepes. Serve the crepes with the oranges on the side and you have a healthy, tangy breakfast to start your day! Crepes may also be used as a desert option and we shall explore that option as well.

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05:13:00

Its flu season again and we anticipate a lot of sniffles, scratchy throats and the odd irritating cough. Obviously, the best way to avoid getting sick is to stay warm, always wash your hands or get a flu shot. Now, because we don’t want to be continually medicated, we try to nip this in the bud! 

This spicy ginger tea will soothe and warm you from the inside out, and reduce the duration in which you might be feeling under the weather. And that’s what we are rooting for.

Here is what you will need:

·         Tea Leaves

·         Ginger

·         Lemon

·         Turmeric

·         Honey

·         Cinnamon

Let’s Brew!

Place three cups of water in a sauce pan and heat. While the water is heating, add tea leaves to taste. Then add half a tea spoon of ginger, a quarter tea spoon of turmeric and a pinch of cinnamon.

Add the rind of a quarter lemon. Bring to boil and let it simmer for about five to eight minutes.

Remove the tea from the stove and pick out the lemon rind using a sieve/ strainer. If you used shop bought ginger, turmeric and cinnamon, do not completely strain out the tea. If you used the natural form of the ingredients, you might want to strain the tea completely to remove the chunks.

Squeeze lemon juice (to taste) into the tea. Finally, add honey (to taste) and enjoy sipping your tea!

Notes.

Lemon is rich in vitamin C which helps to keep colds at bay and reduce the duration of the cold in case you already have one.

Turmeric has natural antibiotic properties and is one of the best anti-inflammatory herbs around.

Cinnamon is rich in anti-oxidants and has a warming flavor.

Ginger has been used for millennia to ease congestion caused by a cold and relieve throat irritation.

Honey contains folate and vitamin C which also help to soothe the throat, which often get irritated from coughing.

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09:55:00