AkARA (BEAN CAKE)

Healthy Fried Akara.

Akara is one of my favourite Nigerian meal, so soft, fluffy and yummy. The best ones are the deep fried ones which looks like puff-puff. Akara is nutritious as they are high in protein, vitamin A, C and calcium. Two medium deep fried Akara is ideal for the day, but people will hardly consume that amount which means they can easily consume too much oil and salt which can increase cholesterol level, cause bloating due to water retention and can increase the risk of hypertension, heart failure and can also lead to weight gain. This might not be the case for some people if they are athletics but will still need to be aware of the salt intake. This Akara recipe contains less oil which makes it healthy to consume twice of it. compared to the deep fried recipe. The ingredients required for this recipe are listed below.

Ingredients

Note: You Can use beans but will have to soak, peel the skin (I would not because the skin is high in fibre) and blend it with pepper, which takes time but it's more nutritious. However, I did not have any beans in my cupboard so I used the powdered one, which made the preparation process much easier. I also added a lot of spices to this recipe but you do not have to.

-Bean Powder 50g 

-Ground pepper

-Salt pinch 

-Maggi 1/2 

-Black pepper

-Turmeric (optional) 

-Water

-Olive oil. 1/2 tsp 

You can add onions but I did not.

How;

-Put all the dry ingredient in a bowl and mix well.

-Add water gradually and mix till viscous, making sure there are no lumps. The mixture should not be too thick, as it will get thicker with time, but this only applies if you using bean powder.

-Using a non-stick pan, brush it with oil; to avoid extra sticking.

-Add the mixture using a spoon and cook on low heat for both sides, about a minute for each side,  depending on the thickness.

Can serve with oat porridge, pap or custard.

Thanks for visiting.

CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING.

EASY BREAKFAST RECIPES; Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding. 

This is a very easy recipe, take about Five minutes and requires no effort, which means it is easier to grab at last minutes in the morning. It always best to prepare it at night to let the chia seeds breathe and absorb the milk.

Benefits of CHIA SEEDS

This seed has no taste so can easily be added into all meals. It is very high in protein which helps with growth, promote the formation of lean muscle and repair damaged tissues. It also helps boost energy level, aid digestion and reduced cholesterol level. It contains omega3 which is essential, as the body cannot produce this, so we need to consume food with omega3. Omega3 are fatty-acid which is healthy for the heart as it helps maintain the artery function and increases HDL (high-density lipoprotein) which is good to the body, as it helps lowers cholesterol level and carry them away from the heart, preventing the risk of heart blockage or other heart complications. Omega3 helps the brain and nerves function well. Chia seed helps nourishes the skin internally which obviously will glow all the way out.

Nutritional Fact

10g chia seeds contain 3.1g total fat, 4.2g carbohydrate, 1.7g protein, 3.4g fibre and 48kcal. 

Also good source of iron, magnesium and calcium

Chia seeds are good for breakfast and can also be added into other meals. I normally add about a teaspoon to my oatmeal pudding but today I decided to make chia pudding only, has it low in carbohydrate and for my body type (Endomorph) I need to consume less carbohydrate and more protein with healthy fat. I also need to avoid simple carbohydrates such as sweets and cakes, but totally fine to have them occasionally or once in awhile. Most carbohydrates for endomorph should be from vegetables and a little of wheat and grains such as pasta, bread and rice. Endomorph metabolism is very slow and will find it hard to digest carbohydrate and any energy not used up will easily be stored as fat. 

I tried this chocolate chia pudding this morning and to be honest it kept me full for longer; about 3 hours and even after that I was not so hungry but I just always like putting something in my mouth (smiles). However, if you do not know your body type you should check my previous blog post on that, it will help you understand your body better. 

I just love this recipe, and might just make it one of my regular breakfast. For me, I try to add protein into every single meal I have, so this recipe is high in protein. 

Ingredients 

-2.5 Tbsp Chia seeds

-0.5 Tsp Unsweetened  Cocoa powder 

-Almond milk to soak 

-1 Tsp Peanut butter ( this is high in protein too. It is best to get peanut butter with no sugar and salt added if you can) 

-1 Tsp Honey 

-1 Easy peeler (small tangerine ) can also use your preferred fruit.

30g Mixed frozen berries ( can use fresh too) 

HOW: 

Berries Coulis (takes about 2mins to make) 

In a saucepan put the frozen berries with a little bit water (about 2tbsp of water) and let simmer on low heat for 30 seconds and bring to boil for about 30sec- a minute ( continually stirring). When the water starts to dry up, add the half teaspoon of honey (reduce the heat) and stir, start to break the berries with the back of the spoon ( no effort required, it should be really soft). If it seems too dry, you can always add a little bit of boiled water. Pour out of the coulis into a small bowl or cup to cool.

This cooking time does not take too long because of it's a small quantity. You can also strain the coulis but you will be taking out all the fibre which helps keeps you satisfied for longer. 

Next step; 

In a jar add a half teaspoon (0.5 tsp)  of unsweetened cocoa powder and a tiny bit of water and mix well, till dissolved and smooth, add a bit more water and mix well. 

Add two and a half tablespoon (2.5tbsp of chia seeds and add in milk and a half teaspoon of honey (0.5 tsp) and stir together. 

Then add a teaspoon of peanut butter into the mixture and try to break it into the mixture as you stir. 

Top with easy peelers or any fruit of your choice and add the berries coulis on top. 

This recipe is best made the night before, to let the chia seed soak and you can just grab in the morning with no extra effort. Enjoy.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think and if you tried the recipe. 

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3 LAYERS BANANA ICE CREAM RECIPE

HEALTHY ICE CREAM.

Alternative for ice cream lovers. This requires just few ingredient to make and also contains no added sugar but still have a very sweet taste.

Preparation.

Slice up one banana and freeze. (Slices should be small so it's easier to blend.) 

You can also buy fresh berries and freeze, but I used frozen berries which I normally keep in the freezer.

You'll need a blender or food processor.

Ingredients ( per portion )

1 1/4 Banana 

Frozen berries: strawberry and blackberry 

1/4tsp Cocoa powder 

Almond milk (you can use any milk or even a little bit of water) this is just to blend. Avoid using condensed or canned milk.

Seeds (Optional)

Estimated Calorie = 200kcal 

However, this calorie contains more healthy content compared to normal ice cream which contains empty calories as it as no beneficial nutrients and it contains added sugar.

How to: 

Step 1: Put the frozen banana in the blender and add a bit of milk, and blend. You might have to wait for the blender to rest in between but it will blend it eventually.  You can also use a spoon to move the mixture around before you continue to blend. However, if it is taking time, it might be that the frozen banana is too hard, therefore you can leave it at room temperature for like 2-5 minutes before you continue to blend.

Step 2: Pour half of the blended banana into a cup or bowl and in another bowl, pour the 1/4 tsp cocoa powder and mix well with tiny or a drop of water or can use milk.

Step 3: Add the remaining blended banana into the cocoa mixture and mix together. This makes the chocolate layer.

Step 4: Put the plain banana ice cream and the chocolate banana ice cream into the freezer to set while you blend the third layer.

Step 5: Using the same blender, add in 1/4 banana and any frozen pinkie berries of your choice, strawberry, raspberry or even blackberries will do. For this recipe, I used 2 frozen strawberries and 2 blackberries.

Step 6: Add a little bit of milk or water to blend and pour out this mixture into another cup.

Step 7: Using a small transparent jar or a plastic cup, (you can use anything but using something see through makes it looks more attractive) add in sliced kiwi or can even use fresh strawberry. Try and stick it to the side of the jar or drinking cup.

Step 8: Bending the cup sideways, add in the first layer, and then the second, gradually straighten the cup and finally add in the third layer with the cup sitting vertically.

You can put your preferred layer first. But I put the chocolate first and the banana second and the berries third.

Step 9: Finally top with some seeds.

Step 10: Enjoy!

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