Friday 29 March 2013

Day 26… Good Friday

I have decided to steer clear of the blog for few days. I am leaving you to reflect on this song by Third Day. The song is called “offering”. I love Third Day because ALL their songs make me want to stop and just worship taking in every single word while they sing.
The name Third Day is a reference to the fact the Jesus rose on the third day after his death on the cross. The “offering” song is one of my most loved prayers… Enjoy

If you want to copy the lyrics, click here
Happy Easter.

Day 25… Grace to you

Earlier this year, someone dear to me got saved… I was in floods of tears when he told me that he went to church and something happened… Praise God in deed!
When I look back at how this brother used to mock me every time I said something about church or that he should pray about some of his trials. When I used to say that I am going to church mid week, he would say “again?”… Yup, the same guy got saved. Yesterday he called for a chat and was telling me how it is all going at his church and how he is discovering what it really means to be Christian…
If you can imagine a child who has been in a sweet shop for the first time, at their return, you ask them how it was. The enthusiasm in their voice and the imagery they conjure describing the shop is just… well, just a real picture. This guy tells me that he sang in the male choir in front of 300 person (he’s been saved less than 6 months)… He wouldn’t have been seen dead going in a church willingly. I guess that is salvation and the grace of God for you.
Now conversation flow much easier without me worrying that he might make fun of what I am saying. I had prayed so much for this brother. All he needed at the end was a little nudge from another person that the Lord had placed at the right place at the right time. Now I am so amazed to see this brother in Christ so enthusiastic… just like a new born… Isn’t God great? His grace, his grace, his grace is just… indescribable… This brother, being in the Kingdom today is just a miracle and my joy is just so… don’t know how to describe my happiness right now. I wouldn’t be so surprised if I find him preaching on the pulpit one day because of the way he is and the protester he was until now… God uses the most improbable people in his Kingdom… I can wait to see where this guy will end up… Lord you are AMAZING!
Often we pray for people and we are never quiet sure if it is all going somewhere because we cannot see changes in their behaviour or their belief. If you are praying for your dear friend, your child, your brother, your neighbour, your parents, do not give up because in good time, God will hear you and that person will come through. Keep praying, keep knocking, keep interceding…  No pray goes unanswered.
To encourage you I have found this song from Candy Staton, it is the only one I could think of at the time of writing this post. The song is titled “I thought you’d Like to know”

The lyric say:
I thought you’d like to know, All those night your paced the floor
Praying I would make it home alright. Believing God that He would some day save my soul,
Well He did, just thought you’d like to know.

Then I thought you’d like to know all those prayers you prayed for me, never one fell to the ground. I know sometimes it looked like I was a million miles from grace. But He answered your prayers and I thought you’d like to know.
O [mama] I want you to know I love you. Please forgive me for all the times I broke your heart
Every tear you cried for me, drew me closer to being free. I just want to thank you and I thought you’d like to know.

Keep prayin’!  Happy Easter!

Thursday 28 March 2013

Day 24… Waste not!

Well it is the end of the month; I have now ran out of most things. My best friend this week is the bottom draw of my fridge.
Last night, when I looked at it I found some lettuce, beetroots, carrots and few other vegetables mostly limp.
I hate throwing away food even when I do have cash. I think that fact contributed to my creativity in the kitchen too. When I’ve got tired fruits, I make compotes, Jams or coulis to top up natural yogurts.
When it comes to vegetables, you can make soups, salads or stir-frys depending on the level of
My herbs & seeds collecton
limpness of your vegetables. It is also always good to have dry herbs in the house like, herbes de Provence, oregano, thyme, garlic granules, white pepper and black pepper. If you can have Brazil nuts, hazel nut, almond, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. With a selection of those on your kitchen shelf, you will never go hungry.
If you are not sure what to do? Google your ingredients and see what others have done with it. Just try… it is my idea of fun obviously.
So, the biggest thing in my fridge today and on the menu was lettuce. I had it as salad for lunch and on the evening a made a lettuce and spinach soup accompanied with roasted parsnips for chewing.
To make the salad, I used some chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes and the last two beetroots, fiverandom black olives, two pieces of roasted potato and topped with roasted almond.  It looked beautiful, tasted as good.
For the spinach and lettuce soup, I had mainly lettuce. I only added Spinach because I wanted a very green soup. So in hot oil, fry onions, in goes your chopped lettuce, spring onions, celery, frozen spinach leaves, stock cube. Cook for 20 minutes, blend! Bish bash bosh, as Jamie would say. Job done.
Spinash & lettuce soup
For the roasted parsnips: Peel, spay oil, salt. Place in the oven at 180C for 20 minutes.
It is all ready. Simple & delicious.
Note: this soup can be served topped up with cream or coconut milk and eaten preferably with bread (baguette of course).
For the salad, just add shreds of roasted chicken or turkey. There are so many different flavours here, do not use a heavy vinaigrette. A squeeze of lemon, a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil should do.
C ya!

Tuesday 26 March 2013

Day 23… Outspoken

Last Saturday, I was invited to the opening of this new church’s building. At the end of the service the Pastor thanks all for coming and for supporting the church in their journey so far. I have known the church for the 3 years now. It has been a journey and they now finally have a Home. When it came to me, he described me as “…a person who says what she thinks. Anyone who give her a microphone should know that that and be ready…”.!, WHAT?! How do you know that?! I thought.
I wasn’t shocked by what he said, but more by how he knew it. When he then called me to the microphone, I discretely turned him down. See? I’ve got a really expressive face and it says what I think before I even opened my mouth. I couldn’t go up there all confused.
Those who work with me have to deal with this straight talk thing daily. If it doesn’t feel right, or half baked, I react there and then (unfortunate or fortunately). You see, I think that people spend too much time thinking about how to walk around the eggs shell on the floor. Me, I either walk on them, sweep them or carefully place them where they might be safe. I do no have the time or energy to avoid them at every single step, which works well for “British-ness”. Good! I am not Brit anyways.
My full African Name spells "revolution" and I think some of that is found in who I am… mainly about breaking unspoken, undefined, unclear rules. Besides I am French African. English not being my first language, it can be really difficult during an argument to find softer words to express my point of views. Seeing me in full flow once, Stuart Briscoe renamed me Battle Axe. Well, if that get things done, so be it.
Warning: If your are going to be one, own it. But know that you will not always have the backing of others who might agree with you secretly. If you are going to be outspoken, learn to think on yer feet. Not an easy road. Learn to walk it alone… Learn to back down when you get it wrong too and never say “I told you so!"... Tell your face not to be so reactive...
Since starting this journey, I m learning a lot of thing about me and about life in general… interesting road. 17 days to go.
On to happier subject… Food!
The best meal of the day was the ratatouille I had for lunch with a dry browned couscous.

Ratatouille are great to get rid of tied vegetables especially which is what I did. It is the end of the month, l am skint and had a collection of wrinkly vegetable and herbs in the fridge.
So, for my ratatouille the ingredient I found were: green, yellow, red peppers, leak, celery, Spring onions, revived carrots*, dying fresh tomatoes, 1 tin of tomato, chickpeas ,lame sage and thyme.
*to revive slightly dry carrots, just put them in water for 20-30 minutes and you will have new plump carrots.
Chop everything as you can see on this picture, them cook in your preferred order. Only add the tin tomato after all the rest has softened slightly. Do not cook the tomato in the way that there is still a bit of sweetness to it. For the rest, just be creative. You can always DM me for full recipe.
As for the couscous, I don’t like it plain. So, I roast mine in a bit of oil until brown first. It gives it very nutty flavour which I like. Once browned, just add boiling water, bit of salt then cover for 10 minutes. Separate the grains with a fork just before serving. Voila! :-)
Ratatouille & couscous

Monday 25 March 2013

Day 22 … My bible is back

Turns out, I had left my bible at church. I was so glad to find it in the lost properties yesterday. I’ve had it for over 9 years now. The inside serves as a journal and I have written +highlighted most
My battered bible
pages… ahhh well come back beloved!
This episode highlighted something though… I blamed the devil last week when I couldn’t find my bible… really sorry for this time dear Lucifer… isn’t this something we so readily do as Christians? We automatically blame the devil for our own failures, lack of self-control and other inadequacies. I could write an essay on that subject… We reject the fault on the “prince of Persia” rather than checking ourselves. In so doing, we fail to admit that we are still “under construction”.
There is a good reason why I left my bible behind last week though; I was trying to duck to avoid an admirer. What is it with some men…  Be kind to them and they think that they have found the next Mrs. Now I know that I am “beautifully and wonderfully made”, but no thank you. And it seems we live in the same street as well. More ducking
Pepe le pew - Stinky. Sticky
then? Hate it when that happens. I have now changed the service I attend on the Sunday… still! Onwards and sideways.
On to the food; today for lunch I had what I called “Broccoli rescue” with dying broccoli and 3 random radishes which I have browned with onions quarters and topped with roasted almond flakes. This dish was inspired by one that I saw in the Sunday times last week. They called it broccoli and garlic...  
What you need to recreated this dish are: Fresh broccoli preferably, some radishes, one onion cut in quarters, 3 garlic cloves, half a stock cube & herbes de Provence.
Method: in hot oil, brown all the sides of the onion quarters, same for the radishes. Throw in your broccoli florets and minced garlic, season with the herbes de Provence and dust with your vegetable stock. Cook until the broccoli softens to your liking. Serve topped with the crushed roasted almond flakes. Voila!
My "Broccoli rescue"

For dinner I had a “mijote” of green lentils with soya meatballs. This a French recipe normally cooked with sausages, ham and gammon… yup all in the same pot!
For my vegan version, I have used soya meatballs which I have soaked in boiling water for about 10 minutes before frying in seasoning.
As for the lentils, they must be soaked for about 6 hours then boiled for 1 hour before they can be used in anything (that is if you are using the dried ones). You can see all the ingredients on the picture, go on try it. If you want the step by step recipe, DM me.
With so much good food around I don’t think I am going to be losing any weigh before the end of this lent… damn food!
Apologies of any traces of Franglish in my writing.
Nite, nite.

Sunday 24 March 2013

Day 21… Palm Sunday

“My life is not my own, to you I belong. I give myself to you. I give myself away so you can use me, I give myself away so you ca use me.
These are the words of a song by William MacDowell and it is also a prayer. It always challenges me when I forget that being saved isn’t all about me and that I was saved to serve in the Kingdom.
When I started my lent, I made la list of prayer topics for each week… but I couldn’t totally stick to it. Along the way stuff happened spiritually and made me change topics of prayer. The list is getting longer and longer as I pray for friends, family, work, health, spiritual stuffs, I am convince that by the end of my lent (12th April) I would have left out topics that should have been added to the list.
You may think that it is hard to carry this out. All it takes is discipline and commitment. If something really matters to you, you will find the time to do it… I carry a bible around and have set few annoying alarms during the day to remind me that it is time for prayer. 5 to 20 minutes depending of how busy my days are.
Besides, the true sacrifice came from the One who let himself nailed on the cross so that I can be Free, The One who intervenes for me from the right hand of the Father. I am just so grateful to find a use in the Kingdom and to pray for those who are yet to find the Lord.
My greatest desire is to be useful in the Kingdom or more useful should I say. I feel slightly disappointed by my lack of boldness when it comes to talking to the Homeless I serve about the Kingdom. Thank God the other volunteers are bolder in bringing them the Word weekly. I hope to be more able to share when we start helping in old people’s home soon… may be it is just not my gift to share but just to be… which one do you think I should pray for? no idea yet...
Today I didn’t do to morning service I have been running around so much lately and needed that quite time. Some of it meditating on the Word and this mammoth task I have set to myself.
For breakfast, I had some of the cookies I made yesterday with a red fruits tea. Over this week end I also revisited and old grandma recipe. I remind me of my childhood with mammy KoKwa, my paternal Grandma. It is mashed ripe plantain with red kidney beans, palm oil and a dust of salt. (My love for sweet and salty might actually be coming from that now that I think of it).
Plantain, beans, palm oil, salt
This is the simplest recipe in the world and is the last meal I would ask if I was about to die. It is sweet and salty and really comforting… what can I say. No matter how adventurous your pallet may be, there is always a meal that says “I am home”! For me this is the one.

pounded palntain
Its nutritional value isn’t bad either. Check this out; the plantain contains vitamin B6, Vitamin A and C. The kidney beans protect against heart diseases, and a great source of protein. As for the palm oil it contains vitamin E, beta carotene, co-enzyme Q10 … According to a Portuguese explorer palm oil smells like violets, tastes like olives, has a colour of food blended saffron”. It is not be used by amateurs.
See you tomorrow for day 22. Thanks for reading.

Saturday 23 March 2013

Day twenty… halfway treats

Whoo hoo! I am officially half way in my lent… yes you are right I didn’t start on the same calendar as everyone else. Refer to the first post and day 14 post.
So, for this halfway mile stone, I wanted some vegan “BISKITS” to celebrate. Besides I also promised those who were going away for Easter that I would make them today. So, I have made some savoury biscuit that you can eat with the chunky sauces/chutneys (recipe on day 11 & day 13 blog posts).
Here they are; savoury oat bran biscuit with ginger & rosemary (salty) and currants cookies with oatbran, grapefruit zest and rice milk (sweet).
To make the savoury biscuits, you will need:
1 glass of rice milk
1 glass of oat bran
2 table spoons of sunflour oil
1 tea spoon of grated ginger
½ tea spoon of rosemary
1/ 2 tea spoon of salt
Method: in a mixing bowl, pour your oatbran and the milk. Mix well and leave it for 20 minutes for the bran to absorb the milk. After, add in the ginger, rosemary, salt & 1 table spoon of oil. Mix all well.
Preheat the oven at 175 degrees for 10 minutes. In a ceramic baking dish, spray the rest of vegetable oil. Then, use a tea spoon to form your biscuits as you wish. With the
proportions above, you should obtain 18 to 22 small biscuits. Put in the oven to cook for 40 minutes at 175 degrees.
Once the time is up, get the biscuits out and lay them on a separate plate to cool.
It is ready. You can eat it alone or served with one of the chutneys on days 11 & 12.
Note: unlike normal flour, oat doesn’t rise at cooking. it is slightly compact and gummy. It therefore needs longer to cook and allow the centre of the biscuit to dry completely. Feel free to replace the ginger or rosemary with your preferred spices.


To make the vegan currants cookies you will need:
1 glass of oatbran
¼ glass of rice milk
2 table spoons of sunflour oil
1 apple (your choice)
A tea spoon full of grape fruit zest (didn’t have lemon to hand)
A hand full of dry currants. & 1 pinch of salt
In a mixer, blend together the peeled apple, grapes, half of the currants, 1 spoon of oil, and half the milk.  Once blitzed, pour the melange in a mixing bowl and add in your oatbran. Mix it all well; add in the pinch of salt and whole dry currents. Leave the paste aside for about 25 minutes. For the bran to absorb the liquid and soften.
Preheat the oven at 175c.
Once the paste is ready, use a tea spoon to measure the size of dough per cookie. Shape your cookies and place it on a baking dish. Don’t forget to spray the rest of oil on your baking tray before placing the cookies on it.
Place the tray in the oven and leave to cook for 40 minutes. Mine got slightly burned because I forgot how easily the sugar can burn, so, keep an eye on yer cookies.
When time is up, get the tray out. Put the cookies on a plate upside down to cool. Upside down because cookies are slightly thicker, this will allow the bottom of the cookies to finish drying.
They actually taste really nice. You wouldn’t know that no butter, eggs no sugar were used to make them.
I will definitely make them again with coconut milk. Keep your eyes peeled and let me know how yours tastes. C ya!

Friday 22 March 2013

Day 19... Going away?

Wow 40 days of special food regime… One thing that you may not consider when deciding to eliminate some items of foods from you diet is, what would happen if you decided to go away for the weekend or take a sort break… No tea, no coffee, no sugar, no flour, no rice, no pasta, no biscuits, no deep fried food. How do you deal with that if you are not even going to have the possibility to cook your own food while away?
My solution? Do not go away! But if you are a certified vegan you would know how to deal with those situations. For me? I’d prefer not going away at all.
For some this is the season to take short breaks with partners and children, You can’t cancel the break unless every body is on the same regime or has the same concerns as you.  So here is what you could do. Be prepared. Make some chutney or dips in advance. On this blog, you will find two savoury chutneys; see day 11 and day 13. And to accompany them, make some savoury biscuits out of fruit and oatbran. For snack, make some cookies out of oatbran and liquidised fruits… I am going to try making some tomorrow and will post the recipe later on the blog. So, do check day 20 blog. Pack all that and you will feel safe until you find what you can and can't eat what you get to your holidays destination
I am still trying to lose the 3 pounds gained during the last 18 days and the best I could do was not to consume banana at all day today.
For breakfast I had my beloved oatbran with rice milk… without fresh fruit. Yuk! This is getting hard. I need to cut down on fruit as they are full of calories and sugar too.
For lunch, I had some microwave steamed French beans with a special sweet and salty chutney and crushed walnuts.
To make the chunky sauce, you will need 1 beetroot, 1 yellow plum, 1 half onion,  5 garlic cloves, 2 table spoons of vegetable oil or olive oil, 1 small tomato and a hand full of dry raisins… I love sweet and salty stuff… even my pop corns are sweet and salty.
So, chop all the ingredients, fry the oinion with thyme until caramelized, throw in the rest of the chopped ingredients. Cook until soft, mash it a little bit and ad a bit of water to make it saucy, then crush half a vegetable stock into the mix. Leave to cook for another2 minutes don’t let it dry off. It is ready.

Steam the French beans separately for 5 minutes in the microwave, serve them topped with your chunky sauce and then add the crushed walnuts. Voila! Enjoy.
Sorry had to make it short tonight. It is soup run night it is raining and it is cold out side...bbbbbbrrrrrghgghh!
See you tomorrow.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Day 18th… Getting rid of extra pounds

After yesterday’s realisation, I have started a pounds shaving “diet”… laughable isn't it? But I do hate the idea of having gained gain that much in so little time. I am naturally already 10kgs over my normal weight but, I hide them well given my height. Having more on top of those 10kgs is a NO NO!
Since I started lent, I haven’t been exercising either because that time is now taken by the cooking the photos, the prayer times and the blogging.
I’ve no particular plan on how to get rid of those 3 pounds, but I am going to try really hard. So, in good faith this morning, I had a really light breakfast a grated pure ginger tea… I grated my own ginger and stirred it in that silver thing you can see in the picture. With the tea I had half a grapefruit and a bit of dry raisin for the sugar kick.
For lunch, I had this beautiful buckwheat tabouli.
To Make it, you will need: pre-cooked buckwheat, fresh coriander roughly chopped, olives, fresh broccoli finely chopped, grated carrots, a finely chopped tomato, some chopped dry currants, a bit of salt a small amount of vegetable or olive oil.
Just mix all the ingredients in a bowl, add salt and oil as the last elements to the tabouli. If you prefer your tabouli sharper than saltier, squeeze some lemon juice on it just before serving.
Shopping: Since starting this blog, I have been no where near a health food or whole foods shop yet. Most of the stuff that I have used can be found in out every day supermarkets and corner shops. If you want to buy like buckwheat, quinoa, bulgur, nuts, seeds and those kinds of things, whole foods shops are too expensive. You will find most of them in the whole foods section or world foods aisles in Tesco or Sainsbury. The big Tescos have a wider range.
Measuring ingredients: You would have noticed that I rarely give the quantities/proportions of ingredients used in preparing my foods. I tend to make it up as I go. The good thing about loving food is that you know the ingredients that you like and those you don’t. Since starting the blog, I have put a note book in the kitchen so I won’t forget what I have used…

My ideal kitchen

But I do hope that being unable to work out the proportions will not prevent you from trying some of the foods on this blog.
Know that the kitchen isn’t an enemy but the friend who keeps you away from the fast food and prevents you from eating the horse meat that you didn’t know was used in your meal.
The meals on the blog: I am trying to only post pictures of dishes only once on the blog. You will hardly find two posts about the same dish. If I don’t mention what I eat at breakfast, lunch of dinner, it is probably because I had a leftover or cooked a dish that is already on the blog.
Prayers: I now pray 3 time a day and managed twice in 18 day to bless my food,,, that is a start in my books. I am not mentioning the subject of prayer as they are getting more and more personal.
The end! :-)

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Day 17th… Does my bum look big?

 Yes it does!  Ladies, do not ask the question if you can’t handle both answers! You better not ask me any ways.
In this instance the question is posed by me and answered by yours truly too. Yeah, I do talk to myself a lot… feel free to call me deranged. You are not teaching anything new. I am deranged.
So, this morning I went to weigh myself. It looks like I have gained 3 pounds. Yikes! Proving once again,  that eating healthy foods doesn’t spell weight loss automatically. YOU MUST CONTROL YOUR PORTIONS!
I am much able to control my portions on my normal diet because I could take a coffee instead of a hand full of dry raisins or a handful of toasted seeds.
Since I started the lent, my snacks are really healthy and full of natural sugars and oils… meaning calories.
I have also replaced most of my coffees with … bananas. My colleague got so worried about my consumption of bananas that, he warned me that I might be poisoning myself with the amount I am eating per day. So I started to get worried too. I Googled “how many bananas can poison you?”. Well it makes an interesting read, click on the coloured text to read all about the dangers of that beautiful fruit we call banana. Amongst the side effects, there is headache… which explains that… Please take note: the recommended quantity is 1 a day… I wont tell you how many I have been eating before and now during this experience.
See, due to some health issues fruits were my best friends. 2 years ago, I was told that most of the ones I ate were not that good for me and I thought the banana was less threatening and was the best amongst the rest. Well well well. Here we are… I just have to take it down to one…. That is going to be a new challenge or there might be a death by banana before the 40 days are over (12 April). lol.
Few posts ago, I did wonder if I was supposed to like this experiment that much. Now we know!
The scale in my bathroom tells me that I must cut down on quantities and stop replacing every other thing that I have removed from my diet. To void that my “derriere” starts creating his own post code down south on it own with sister east and west (thighs sides), I suppose it is time to must listen to mister scale!
For breakfast I had an avocado and tomato salad… not great for a start, but the avocado was going off and I didn’t really want to carry it in my bag  for lunch “al desco”.
I thought I would skip “proper” lunch and go for a fruit fiesta in stead… including banana in centre stage, dry raisin, seeds more banana. By the time I looked up on Google about the poisoning thing, I was already had banana number 3 with number four about to be murdered… after reading Google, I gave it away.

Crazy Jack soup mix from Tesco
 
For dinner, I had a broth with celery, spring onions, fresh tomato and coconut milk… delicious.

If you take anything from this, DO NOT EAT TOO MANY “bananes” which incidentally are full of calories too!  Enjoy food, don’t overdose on anything. Compris?
C  ya tomorrow!

20 minutes. Job done!


Tuesday 19 March 2013

Day 16… Thank you Lord

Nothing significant happened today, but a lot of great things are happening at work and tonight I just felt like thanking God. Just stop the routine and thank him… We sometime focus so much on what is wrong. The TV, the papers, the radio rarely take time to report on positive things happening around us. If they do, it is almost like a foot note.  We as Christians do that too, me included. Just look at my last two entries, I was complaining bout something or another.
So tonight as I was thinking about this post, I just felt so thankful about my day, my life, everything…
Dear Lord. Had it not been for you sustaining me Lord, I wouldn’t be here right now.  Many times I was ill you heal me. When I didn’t have, you provided. When I needed support you gave it me…
And…  “Just a little while longer I want to pray.
I can’t get you out of my mind so I say thank you Lord, just for loving me.
Many times I do forget every need that you have met, so I thank you Lord, I know that you are  showing me.
You are there when I am down and out, you are holding me. Your love is so amazing, and it changed me.
So, here I am with all I have, I raise my hands to worship you, I want to say thank you, thank you Lord.
Thank you for everything, for who you are. You have covered me, you touched my heart. I want to say thank you. Thank you Lord.
I could have died in my sin, but you saved me. I didn’t have any hope at all. But you gave me peace divine, and the strength to carry on.
I should have been the one to pay, but instead you took my place, what an amazing grace? It is more than just a song.
Even though I don’t deserve your love for me, you look beyond my faults and showed me mercy. So here I am, with all I have, raised my hands to worship you. I want to say thank you. Thank you Lord.
I want to thank you for the sun, Lord we want to thank you for the rain, Lord I love you. Thank you, that’s all I can say. Thank you for the love you gave.
Amen. 
I wanted to say a prayer, but this song from the Katinas was just the one. I know it by heart and when I run out of words. I say it as a prayer.

Find it in the Indian shop
All peeled!
I did eat today. The quinoa left over for lunch. And for dinner I had a beautiful African roots vegetables stew with soya meatball, sweet yellow potato and yam. All cooked with palm oil (also used in Nutella choc spread). I usually do the stew with lamb neck... delish! Tweet me for the recipe.

Thanks for reading. Peace.



Here it is. my roots stew!

Monday 18 March 2013

Day 15… I’ve lost my bible

Not found, still looking
This morning I didn’t managed to do my devotion before leaving home this morning. Thought I would do it on the go, alas couldn’t find my bible… now at 8pm I still don’t know what happened to my bible. I do have a few around the house, but the others are French or much bulkier… I left the house with one of the bulkier ones... HEAVY!
I am not sure who to blame for this… the devil perhaps? Not sure
I’ve got a theory. In Daniel 9, Daniel fasted for 21 days for his people after a vision he had. He had to wait 21 days before he the angel appeared to him with a response to his prayers. The Angel proceed to explain that the response to the prayers was blocked by the Prince of Persia  (the Devil) from the first day of his prayer.  Daniel 9 v 12-14.
Is this a coincidence? At the end of this week it will be 21 days since I started this Daniel fast/XL vegan lent. Something happened yesterday that made me change the order of my prayers… I decided that this week’s prayers would be dedicated to few members of my family 1, 2 or 3 different members per day. So, today was the first day and the first time during this week  was going to pray  for one of my siblings household, I didn’t managed it, I got side tracked as I was looking for my much loved bible. Then I got to work late… coincidence? Not too sure.
I decide then to crank up the prayer routine during the day and added 1 more time of prayer mid afternoon on top of the morning devotion and mid morning break.  This is what we will apply at least for this week.
On the food now, after eating the content of a vitamins cabinet yesterday, I chose to have lighter and less starchy foods today.
For break fast I had my beloved oatbrand with dry raisins, seed, rice milk and grape fruits.
For lunch I had a big salad with beetroot, grated carrots and balsamic vinegar very filling
For dinner I had a quinoa stir fry with load of sweet pepper and carrots cut a la julienne.
To make the quinoa stir fry, you will need some part cooked quinoa, an onion, garlic, leek, celery, spring onion, a green pepper, a carrot, a tomato and a cube stock.
The quinoa usually takes 20 minutes to cook. So, for the stir fry you will precook it for 15 minutes, plain and Just with water. Set aside don’t let it cool down.
While the quinoa is cooking, peel and chop all the other ingredients as you want. Preferably thin and of the same size. Pay special attention to the carrot as it will be the hardest to cook amongst the ingredients. Set aside.
Put a bit of oil (vegetable oil) in a really hot wok, throw in your onions first and your carrots, stirs for two minutes.
Quinoa stir fry
Add in the other chopped ingredients keep stirring the lot for another 2 minutes.
Now throw in your precooked quinoa, mix it well, add black pepper, salt and your crushed stock cube. Mix well.
Now cover for another 5 minutes the time for the quinoa to finish cooking.
Et voila! Enjoy. I did.
I enjoyed mine watching the Simpsons on TV finally (first time in at least 3 weeks). I still can’t find my bible, but I feel relaxed and at peace. God bless you for reading.
See ya tomorrow.

Sunday 17 March 2013

Day 14… It was a brain wave

I am beginning to think that doing the prayers, the cooking, the blogging and overusing my brain was a tad ambitious. Man! This is time consuming. I haven’t watched a cartoon in 14 days, my sleeping time has considerably reduced. But I owe to keep up with at least the blog as I feel it serve to keep me in check.
This blog thing was just a bored moment brainwave. I mentioned the idea to my colleague, asked another which blog he used, tweeted to ask recommendations and in the space of 1 hour lunch I had set up a page and posted my first blog… I didn’t realised it was going to cost me so much and I am  for the last 48 hours trying to think of a good reason to stop blogging daily. Perhaps I could do it only every other day? Once a week?
But if I take that route, it would mean that I am slowing down and not keeping myself in check that tightly as I have been so far… Hate the idea of letting my self down so I will keep this daily blogging going until at least half way (day 20) then, we’ll if we carry on daily.
Punkin seeds loaf ingredients
Today’s lunch and dinner was a Cameroonian dish made from white pumpkinseeds power. It is a pumpkin seeds loaf with soya meatballs, accompanied with cassava and yellow sweet potato. The loaf is often cooked with parboiled boneless meat or flaked fish all wrapped in banana leaves to give that extra  something . This dish is packed full of goodness. As I said previously, there must be a good reason for West Africans to be built like trunks. Just look at me! Lol.
Now let me tell you about my food. The pumpkin seeds are packed full of Vitamin E, vitamin B6, proteins, Anti-oxidants, help lower bad cholesterol,  they are also full of calories… who care it tastes so guuud!
To make the loaf, you will need some seasonings: Onion, Garlic, coriander leek. All this is to give a bit of taste to the soya meat balls. You can’t cook this loaf like a meat loaf in a baking tin, but in aluminium foil wrap (or banana leave if you’ve got it) and placed in a pot with  shallow water and plenty of steam. For full recipe & method DM me on twitter @hjulienne.
the yellow sweet potato
The cassava is a very versatile root vegetable also full of goodness. Get this. It full of proteins, vitamin K, vitamin B complex and B6.
The then the yellow sweet potato which is full of starch and contain vitamin B6, Vitamin A,K and Iron. Please note the yellow potato has a slightly more tougher constancy  than the regular potato. It will stay together in stews. The one that you find easily on the stalls is the red variety that easily goes mushy. I don’t like it…yuk.

it tastes better than it looks!

Both the cassava and yellow sweet potato ca be found at the Indian shop. They will cook in shallow water for about  20 minutes depending on the cut and in a covered pan. They are a bit unruly when it comes to cut them raw they basically break whenever you are trying to cut nice little shapes. Best cut it rough for an easy cooking then, cut to shape once they are cooked.
My plate just seems like an edible vitamin cabinet, but bwoy am I glad I have been researching these foods. If manage to keep this diet, there is no reason I should my Docs any time soon this year.
See Ya!