I hope everyone is having a wonderful Monday!
Yet another week has flown by, it is kind of insane now how
fast time is going by. I feel like just last week I took my first steps here in
Cameroon, and yet here we are it is now almost December! I have to say,
December is probably my favorite month. I just love the weather where you have
to cuddle up with someone. This year Kathleen is my snuggle buddy! (haha sorry
Kathleen!)
Something really cool that the Jackson Village does is each
of us girls get one week to cook and select the meals we want for dinner. This
has forced me to get in touch with my inner chef. I always have enjoyed
cooking, and there were many times when I would come home and demand my mom to
step out of the kitchen and let me take over. Every night in LA I would come up
with some new meal idea to cook.
Something that is kind of funny over here is that I am known
as “The Heath Freak.” Yes, sorry people but I have to admit that I am a massive
health freak. I avoid sugar, chocolate, muffins, pies, cookies, you name it, and
I avoid it! So when it is my turn for dinner, I invest in healthy, fresh, and
fatless foods to eat. At first I was so nervous to cook for eight, but now that
I have done it a few times, I LOVE IT! So whoever I marry, you are going to be
one lucky man, not only because you are married to me, but because I am
learning some amazing cooking techniques. Like for example, one amazing thing
over here in Africa, which I think I am going to carry with me for the rest of
my life, is this idea of fresh. Nothing here has preservatives, or any of that
garbage, so we have to make everything FRESH. You want some bread to go with
that soup; you have to make the bread. You want some bread crumbs for the
eggplant parmesan? You have to make seasoned bread crumbs. You want some
coconut milk to go with the curry dish? Have fun grinding up coconut meat and
water! EVERYTHING is fresh! I LOVE IT! Yes, making dinner is a two to three
hour process, but it is so worth it! I know what I am eating, and I do not have
to worry about any bad things added into anything.
I am sure you probably are wondering why I am blabbing on
about food. Turns out this is my week to cook! I thought that it would be fun
the share with you what I am cooking, and what I have to do to make these recipes
work! I think I will take pictures as well to show you, starting tomorrow (We
ate dinner already for tonight!)
Here is what is for supper tonight!
Sarah’s Cameroon Black
Bean Soup
(Original Recipe from
SkinnyTaste)
Servings: 8 • Serving
Size: about 1-1/2 cups • Old
Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 234.4 • Fat: 2.6 g • Protein: 13.6 g • Carb: 40.1 g • Fiber: 19.6 g
Ingredients:
For the beans:
• 1 lb dry black beans
• 1 small bell pepper (We only had green, but it called for red)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 bay leaves
For the soup:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 red pepper, minced (Only had Green!)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded (I grated them, not sure exactly how to shred carrots)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 (2 oz) cup white wine (Got some cheap box wine! Haha)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 chicken bullion (vegans use vegetable bullion)-There is not such a thing in Africa, so I had to throw a bunch of spices together!!
• salt and black pepper
Directions:
Rinse beans and place in a large pot with about 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let the beans sit, covered for one hour. (Or you can let them soak overnight in cold water)
Drain the water, then add 8 cups water when ready to cook.
Add 1 bell pepper, 2 garlic, small onion and bay leaves to the beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about an hour, or until tender, stirring occasionally. (Add water if necessary)
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil on low. Add chopped vegetables (onion, parsley, carrots, pepper, garlic) season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
Add the vegetables to the soup after it has simmered an hour, then add wine, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bullion, salt and pepper and adjust water if needed. Cover and simmer on low about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, then using an immersion blender
, partially blend the soup for about 10
seconds to thicken. If you don't have an immersion blender, put about 3 cups of
the soup in a blender, then add it back to the pot. Adjust salt, pepper
and cumin to taste and ladle about 1 1/2 cups into each bowl. Top
with sour cream (extra points), chopped onions, scallions, chives or/or
cilantro and enjoy!
Calories: 234.4 • Fat: 2.6 g • Protein: 13.6 g • Carb: 40.1 g • Fiber: 19.6 g
Ingredients:
For the beans:
• 1 lb dry black beans
• 1 small bell pepper (We only had green, but it called for red)
• 1 small onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 bay leaves
For the soup:
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 red pepper, minced (Only had Green!)
• 2 medium carrots, shredded (I grated them, not sure exactly how to shred carrots)
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/4 (2 oz) cup white wine (Got some cheap box wine! Haha)
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 chicken bullion (vegans use vegetable bullion)-There is not such a thing in Africa, so I had to throw a bunch of spices together!!
• salt and black pepper
Directions:
Rinse beans and place in a large pot with about 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let the beans sit, covered for one hour. (Or you can let them soak overnight in cold water)
Drain the water, then add 8 cups water when ready to cook.
Add 1 bell pepper, 2 garlic, small onion and bay leaves to the beans. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about an hour, or until tender, stirring occasionally. (Add water if necessary)
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, heat oil on low. Add chopped vegetables (onion, parsley, carrots, pepper, garlic) season with salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until soft.
Add the vegetables to the soup after it has simmered an hour, then add wine, vinegar, cumin, oregano, bullion, salt and pepper and adjust water if needed. Cover and simmer on low about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves, then using an immersion blender
, partially blend the soup for about 10
seconds to thicken. If you don't have an immersion blender, put about 3 cups of
the soup in a blender, then add it back to the pot. Adjust salt, pepper
and cumin to taste and ladle about 1 1/2 cups into each bowl. Top
with sour cream (extra points), chopped onions, scallions, chives or/or
cilantro and enjoy!
**We do not have a
blender, so I used a magic bullet, and it worked just fine! I took small parts
and blended it together!
**There is no such thing as a bouillon cube, so I added some onion salt, and some cilantro seasoning mix, and that seemed to do that trick!
**There is no such thing as a bouillon cube, so I added some onion salt, and some cilantro seasoning mix, and that seemed to do that trick!
Topping Options!
I made this
unsweetened yogurt (made from scratch) and added 1tsp of cumin and coriander
and mixed well. This was REALLY good!
I wish I had a picture to show you the outcome, but it was a
very good soup! (Even Faadi approved, and she is not the biggest fan of
American food!)
So there you have it, night 1 of Cooking with Sarah!
I am so excited to come home and share with you my skills! I
will have to have you all over for dinner
-Love you all,
Sarah
No comments:
Post a Comment