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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Sauteed Tilapia with Cherry Tomatoe


I bought some cherry tomatoes to make a cold salad but my plans changed into this dish with no regrets. I had a study session scheduled in my apartment and my friends and I was happy to serve this for dinner. It is 30 minutes of preparation and cooking and I can guarantee that you will still be eating even when full. My favorite part is the color combination, which is so appealing with the red and the green. My friends and I have never had a better study night.

Ingredients

Tilapia fillets
Cherry tomatoes
Parsley (chopped)
Lemon
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil

How to ...

1. Heat a pan with a thin film of olive oil.
2. Salt the tilapia and season with some ground black pepper
3. Cook the tilapia on each side for 2 - 3 min (only turn the fish at the end of the 3-minute browning time otherwise it will fall apart). Squeeze the juice of half a lemon for more flavor.
4. Remove the fillets after both sides have been cooked.
5. Add more oil in the same pan (you want don't want to waste these bits of fish) and let it warm before cooking the cherry tomatoes.
5. Add the parsley to the tomatoes and stir for about 1 minute (optional) 0r just used raw as a garnish
6. Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Soya (Beef on Skewers)



Soya is finely sliced meat on skewers and it was popularized by the Haoussa from Northern provinces of Cameroon. To this day, it is still one of the best dishes you will enjoy there. You will find hundreds of young men grilling the meat along the streets of Yaounde and Douala, the two largest cities. They gather their stands starting at 6 PM - never  earlier even though most people will gladly eat soya for lunch or breakfast (I know I'll do it). The feast lasts until 12 AM or even later with the music from pubs and bars setting the tone for the night. Even vegetarians enjoy that open-air party. We do have grills outside my dormitory but sometimes it is too hot outside to stand next to a grill. I decided to have the party indoor and it was quite entertaining with the fire alarm going off every time the oven door was open. I guess I successfully recreated the ambiance of the streets of Yaounde because soya is always enjoyed with some loud music around whether from bars or from a fire alarm. I still don't know what seasoning they used on the soya but I was willing to figure something out using my memories. 
P.S: In the US, we always add veggies on the skewers but soya is just meat. I added some dices of red bell peppers for color only.

Ingredients

Beef (tender meat)
Nutmeg
Vegetable oil (or any kind you have)
Salt and black ground pepper
A brush
Skewers

How to ...

1. Thinly slice the beef and align them on skewers. 
2. Brush the meat with oil and season with a mixture  of salt, black pepper, and ground nutmeg in a 1/2 : 1: 3 ratio. Don't be shy when seasoning the meat.
3. Grill them (I used the oven at 450 degrees) and brush with more oil to keep them moist.
4. Here is my best attempt. I have to add that it smelled and tasted amazing. 




Sunday, August 2, 2009

Crepes


I once read about what makes a good post. For most people, it seems like contextualizing the dish wins the audience. Well, there is not really a context for my crepes. I felt like having crepes this day and thus made them. I eat what I dreamed about. I am sometimes compelled to go to the store late at night because I have an urge (not a craving). It is more like the light goes on in your head and you picture the perfect meal for your breakfast tomorrow. What does this have to do with crepes? Well they were my picture perfect desert for this day and I wanted to share it with you.

Ingredients

2/3 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of fat free half-and-half
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Pinch of white sugar
Non-stick cooking spray
1 tbsp of oil


How to ...

1. Mix all ingredients to obtain a smooth and running batter.
2. Heat a skillet and spray it with some cooking spray.
3. Pour a little more than 1/2 cup of batter onto the skillet and wait until the crepe can slide on the skillet to flip it.
4. Sprinkle some cocoa powder and serve with chocolate pudding or any topping of your choice but seriously, crepes and chocolate are a match made in the kitchen :-)



Tuna Salad


Tuna salad gets some bad publicity for having that mushy texture but it tastes amazing. Here is an improved version of my tuna salad. I used to make it simpler but adding tomatoes and red onions twists it at the perfect angle. There not much to say about it other than I like to make it the night before so it chills. In the morning, the salad tastes even better because flavors have had the chances to mix. You can use chunky tuna pieces if you really dislike the texture. I love it anyway because it's all about the flavor.

Ingredients

1 can of tuna in water (drained)
1/3 of red onion
1 large tomato
3 tbsps of sweet pickle relish
4 tbsps of fat free mayonnaise (tastes better than regular)
Bread

How to ...

1. Mix drained tuna with cubed tomato, diced onions, relish, and mayonnaise. 
2. Cool salad in fridge for 1 hour at least.
3. Serve on toasted french bread (my favorite).


Monday, July 27, 2009

10 minutes away from cornbread


One of my really good friend introduced me to cornbread. She is the one who loves to bake more than anything. She is away for the summer and I missed her cornbread muffins. I have not eaten a lot of cornbread but hers are UNBELIEVABLE. I got recipes from the internet and tried a couple but they were not as good as hers. I made some changes and got to a cornbread that is my pride and joy and it takes 10 minutes (the time to pre-heat your oven) for preparation.


Ingredients:

3/2 cup of cornmeal
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 cup of fat free half-and-half
1 egg
1 tbsp of baking powder
1 tbsp of baking soda
1/4 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of lukewarm water

How to ...

1. Pre-heat oven (400 degrees).

2. Mix all dry ingredients then add the mixture of wet ingredients.

3. Do not over-mix the batter and pour in a greased baking dish.

4. Bake for 35 min.