Our Exciting And Wholesome New Addition To Mealtimes

"I want a new addition to my meals", my dad said to me this morning. "Henceforth, I want lots of fresh tomatoes and onions at least 1 - 2 times a week". I wondered where that was coming from. Being a Nigerian family, a Yoruba one at that, tomatoes and onions are part of our daily diet already! We make stew from a blend of tomatoes, pepper and onions, and we get to eat that every single day in one form or another, so why did dad suddenly want even more? " While I was thinking about this, he continued, " I want plenty of tomatoes and onions to be fried briefly and used to make egg sauce, you can also steam them for other meals". Hmmn, dad wasn't the first man I knew paying special attention to tomatoes and onions (especially tomatoes) in recent times. Has there been some kind of campaign or tomato awareness program targeted at men recently?

For The Love Of Badass Food: 3 2015 Loaves To Die For!

For those of us that love good food, we know it is not simply enough for food to taste or smell great. It also has to look like something to die for. The presentation of food is as important as anything else. Why else do you think food art is such a big deal now? For pastry chefs and bakers, 2015 was a year to up the game big time with regards to bread making. The 3 top breads that got me drooling just from the photos on a screen are listed right after the cut!

For The Love Of Food: The Okra, Mushroom And Pepper Medley That CANNOT Be Turned Down...

You know I can't pass by a good recipe when I see one. That was how I happened by the photo of this tempting dish and of course, I had to take a longer look. Ah, mushrooms! Good old Mushrooms. How did they become less popular suddenly? When I was a kid, I was always super delighted whenever mum went to Osata in Allen for shopping, because I knew it meant mushrooms and sausages and plenty of nice recipes to come. Somehow, mushrooms have gradually lost their place in the Nigerian kitchen. *Sobs*. Anyway, it's time to bring them back and I think Ify's okra, pepper and mushroom medley is a good place to start. Come on, check out the recipe after the cut. You know you want a bite of this good stuff!

Forget Store Bought Microwave Popcorn. Here's How To Make Your's At Home!

I don't know how popcorn came to be the traditional snack for movie watchung, but it sure makes senss to have a big bowl of the crunchy, buttery, sugary stuff in your lap while seeing a movie (all curled up on the bed or sofa with the lights off). When you can't go buy a freshly made batch of popcorn to quietly enjoy while watching a movie at home, microwave popcorn seems to be the way out.

For The Love Of Food: A Case For Coconuts

I don't get to eat coconuts as often as I would like, maybe because I don't always find them to buy easily, however, I am a big fan of coconuts - I love 'em! What's not to love about coconuts? I would start by chilling the coconut water for a bit and then sipping happily while chewing the white juicy flesh. I could also make it into any of the delicacies that will be mentioned below and enjoy. But apart from the excellent taste of coconuts, knowing the following benefits they bring keeps me in love with them:

For The Love Of Food: How To Make Finger-Licking Yam Pottage (Asaro)

When it comes local food, yam pottage is one of my personal favorites. What's not to like? It's easy, fast and delicious. Plus, you don't need so many ingredients to make yourself a very enjoyable meal. It's a wonderful mix of yam, pepper, palm oil, assorted sources of protein, and vegetables, most times, I like to throw in sweet potatoes or plantain, just for some extra sweetness. This is how I make my asaro.

For The Love Of Food: What To Do When You Over Salt Your Food

Who would cook without salt? Even many salad recipes call for a pinch of salt, it just always makes flavour so much better. Adding the right quantity of salt to food gets tricky at times. Sometimes we under-do it, other times we over-do it, but like my mother always says, with salt, better not enough than too much! What do you do when you tip too many grains of salt into your pot, do you tumble the whole dish in the trash or manage it like that? Well, here are some remedies that can save you from either of those options!

Green-White-Green Recipes To Set The Independence Mood Right!

Nobody has any excuse not to get their hands dirty in the kitchen today, after all, it's a holiday! I know many people are crazy about healthy eating and so regularly have something green (fruits/veggies) as part of their meals. If you care to make a complete green- white-green three course meal to celebrate independence today, I've got something to get you going. Doesn't this look good?

Are You In The Mood For Something Fluffy And Sweet?

If you are in the mood for something deep-fried, fluffy and sweet, then these sugar-egg puffs by Make food Eat food will hit the spot. These puffs are different from your regular puff puff or buns, they are some kind of interesting cross that you won't find on the streets. You don't even need yeast or baking powder. The eggs are all the raising agent needed. Lets not waste more talk, this is how to quickly make this inviting looking snacks.

For The Love Of Food: A Perfect Coconut Cake In Just TWO Minutes!

It's a cake in just two minutes because it's a mug cake baked in a microwave oven, and I'm sure it tastes great. I have not tried this recipe before but I have made a chocolate mug cake in my microwave and it was really enjoyable. I have no doubts this coconut cake would be just as good if not better. Straight from the diy heaven, here comes the recipe:

For The Love Of Food: Avocado Pear Never Looked Better!

I've never really liked Avocados. How could I when I was taught to eat it by sprinkling some salt over it and 'just eat it'. That is definitely not the best way to enjoy something tht has the potential of being so good. When I started to learn of pasta recipes with creamy avocado sauce, I realized Avocados aren't so bad afterall. But when I saw this Indonesian Avocado shake by Tastemade, it felt like someone gave me a pat on the back and said "welcome to the good life."

For The Love Of Food: The Making Of A Delicacy - Catfish Pepper Soup

Not too long ago, my best friend had a craving for catfish pepper soup, so we went looking for fresh catfish to buy and go make ourselves some nice, home cooked pepper soup. We got all the ingredients except for pepper soup spice because I knew there was a bottle of that spice at home. Imagine my great disappointment when we got home and I realized the pepper soup spice was expired! It was a big 'oops' moment (I must confess I was tempted to use the expired spice, thankfully, I didn't give in to the temptation). No one was in the mood to go looking for pepper soup spice again, so I had to go ahead and make the soup with the ingredients we had available. Pepper soup without pepper soup spice!

I followed this simple recipe from Korje, only that one ingredient was missing, and you know the surprising part? Read on to find out.

For The Love Of Food: Omelettes That Make You Wipe Your Plate And Lick Your Fork

Breakfasts that feature eggs are always nice. Boiled eggs can get boring at times, so who isn't excited when nicely done omelettes show up on the table?! I think I really love this recipe and I think you'll like it too!

For The Love Of Food: How To Make Golden Eggs

A golden egg is just something different from the regular boiled egg that has the egg-white part and the yolk inside it. It's different just because the albumen and yolk were thoroughly mixed up before cooking and so it ends up yellow (or golden according to the Japanese) - yeah, that simple! Golden eggs are particularly good for picky eaters, especially children who either won't eat egg yolk or egg-white. Now, they will eat it all! This is how you make a golden egg:

For The Love Of Food: The Wonderful Thing About stir Frying....

The wonderful thing about stir frying is that you can make yourself something amazingly tasty in a matter of minutes - just like I did tonight! I had decided noodles would be for dinner, but I didn't want plain noodles, I wanted something extra and I didn't have any green peas or sweet corn, not even sausages! I was still contemplating what to do when I remembered I had one piece of plantain left in the fridge and some mushrooms in the freezer. Of course I had onions sitting in a basket and some fresh peppers and tomatoes also in the freezer..., a plan formed in my head - stir fry!!!

For The Love Of Food: Fried Okra Recipe?!

I used to like okra (okro/lady fingers) soup way back when I was little. It went down well with the amala that I also loved. Over time, I lost interest. The main reason being the fact that okra soup is just so plain! At least the way most Yoruba people make it. When I saw Korje's fried okra recipe, I stood amazed. It was interesting to find that people actually fry okra, and whats more, use it to eat rice!

You think it's a joke? Take a look at this badass recipe!

How To Make Fried Chicken With Coca-Cola - Yes, Coca-Cola!

Of all the the things to do with a bottle of Coca-Cola, frying chicken would probably never occur to you. Me too. My eyes popped when I saw a fried chicken with Coca-Cola recipe and I probably will try it out soon. Take a look at the finished product and see if you would want to try this too, at least for the sake of experiment (and then you might fall in love!) The recipe is also included.

For The Love Of Food: Have You Ever Tried Ogbono With Ewedu?

Well garnished Ogbono soup is a delicacy that makes my heart sing. Just thinking about some nicely molded pounded yam (even Ola Ola poundo yam would do) sitting beside a steaming bowl of ogbono is thrilling. Don't mind me, that is how I usually get lyrical about good food. Anyway, I'm sure we can all agree about the fact that Ogbono is always an excellent choice of soup anyday. Most people cook ogbono with ugwu leaves or other vegetables, accompanied with differnt kinds of protein of course. I usually even do it with okro too, and my family loves it. However, I never thought about Ogbono and Ewedu (Jute leaves) until I found this recipe on Korje, and believe me, it makes plenty sense!

For The Love Of Food: The Garden Egg Sauce Delight

It's a pity that the old yam is totally gone and all we have left is the brittle, hairy, new yam now. That old yam is so much sweeter than the new!  Anyway, new or old, yam is one of the best things God made, there's just so much you can do with yam. Many times however, you simply want boiled yam and fried eggs (an all time favorite for me). If you worry about eating too much cholesterol and clogging your arteries, garden egg sauce is a good alternative to fried eggs. The bonus point is that it's healthy for you! Here is how you do the garden egg sauce.

For The Love Of Food: How To Make Tiger Nut (Ofio) Milk

For a very long time, I didn't know any other name for them than 'ofio'. The nice nuts we used to buy from mallams and abokis on our way back from school. They made me cough a lot, but I bought them still. Now, I know they are called Tiger nuts in English and I also know you can make some really nice and rich milk from them. I'll tell you how.