Easy Pancake Mix

We have been making this mix for a few months. It makes our morning cooking go so much faster!

Pancake mix

6 cups flour (use half whole wheat flour if you want)

1 tablespoon salt

3-6 tablespoons baking powder (up to you)

1/3-2/3 cup sugar (optional)

2 cups powdered milk

Pancake mix pancakes

1 egg slightly beaten (optional)

1 cup water

2 tablespoons oil (optional)

1 ½ cups pancake mix

If you take out egg and oil, add a bit more water

To make waffles increase oil to ¼ cup

We often mix in a few mashed bananas or throw in some chocolate chips.

Mashed Eggplant With Peanuts And Spices

Yes, this is my third post of the day, what can I say, I love a mid week public holiday.

This recipe was somewhat of a miracle for Phillip and I. It really came through in the clutch. We had asked Paul to buy us some eggplant and g-nuts from the market a few months back, and when he came home, he had enough eggplant for us to eat for a month, and the g-nuts he had brought were the pounded kind for g-nut sauce. (For the record, it was totally my bad on the g-nuts, I had not specified and assumed he knew I meant the whole ones. Phillip and I were on a major different flavor roasted g-nut kick at the time) I was so overwhelmed with what to do with a mountain of eggplant and a kilo of pounded g-nuts, that I frantically begain searching for eggplant and pounded nut recipes. Everything I found either called for peanut butter or for an oven to bake in, and I had neither. Then we came upon this gem, which we have made a million times and have served to two sets of happy guests. We even liked it enough to buy more pounded g-nuts. :)

Simmer in water about 8 minutes, until very soft:

1 medium unpeeled eggplant, chopped in large chunks (about 5 cups)

Drain off the water and mash the eggplant in a bowl.

Add:

2 Tablespoons crushed roasted peanuts

2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro (optional)

In a saucepan, heat:

1 1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin/mustard/sesame seed mixture

When the seeds pop, (or if not using seeds, a minute later) add to the saucepan:

3 Tablespoons onion, chopped

1/4 hot pepper (optional)

1/2 small clove garlic

1/4 inch cube fresh ginger, grated (or powder)

1 1/2 teaspoons coriander/cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper powder (opt.)

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

pinch cumin seeds

saute until the onions are lightly browned.

Add the eggplant mixture to the saucepan; combine, remove from the heat, and serve.

We never follow the spice measurements, we put in what tastes right. If you don't have one of the spices, no big deal.
Our favorite way to eat this is with chapatis.

Welsh griddle cakes

Its a public holiday here in Rwanda, and we decided a day off of work was a good day to try a new recipe. These are basically stove top scones.
I got this recipe out of the cook book we have, many of the recipes I found online included an egg, so add that if you want.
We didn't have shortening, so I used butter and took out the salt.

Combine:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cut in:
1/4 cup shortening

Add:
1/4 cup raisins or craisins (Cinnamon or almonds would probably be a tasty thing to try, too)
2-4 Tablespoons milk, enough to hold the batter together. (you could just use water probably)

Knead it all together, then make small cakes about 2 inches across and 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Put them on a hot floured skilled on low heat. Cook until crusty brown on one side, then turn. You can sprinkle them with powdered sugar at the end if you like.

Basic Dahl

Phillip and I have made this Dahl at least 3 times in the last 2 weeks. We ate it with bread twice (Phillip's favorite, like the South African "bunny chow") and we ate it with rice once. Soon, we hope to try some sort of naan-ish flat bread on our skillet.

• 1 T. sesame oil or, alternatively, olive or vegetable oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger (or powder if you don't have fresh)
  
• 4 cups water or vegetable broth (we have used the little"maggi" cubes)
  
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 1 t. cumin
• 1 t. coriander
• 1 t. tumeric
• ¼ t. cardamom
• ¼ t. cinnamon
• ¼ t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. salt, or to taste (we don't use salt when using the maggi cube, those things are salty!)
  
• 2 T. tomato paste (not sure what you have in Uganda, but we use a whole one of those little 1 inch high tins of paste)

Heat up the oil. When its hot, put in the onion, garlic, and ginger.
Cook them until the onions are clear, stirring often.
Add the water or broth, lentils, spices and salt.
Bring to a low boil, then turn down the heat to low, cover and let the soup simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are very tender.
Stir in the tomato paste. Cook several minutes more, or until the soup is desired temperature and consistency, adding more water to the dahl if needed.

One time we didn't have the paste, so we just left it out and added carrots to the mix. You can leave it more watery if you want it like soup, or let it get pretty dry. Its a great basic recipe to experiment with.

Avocado Nut Salad

This is too simple to be called a recipe, really - more of an idea. But I absolutely LOVE this salad.

Ingredients:
1. Equal quantities of avocados, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
2. A whole bunch of ground nuts or peanuts (not boiled).

Directions:
Layer 1/2 inch slices on a platter, alternating between avocado, tomato, and cucumber. Add a little salt on the avocado if you like. Grind up the nuts as thoroughly as you can (I use a bowl and the bottom of a mug) and cover the dish with them. That's all!

The avocado and nuts are almost like a dressing for the rest. I do this every time we have people over for dinner and get many more compliments on it than on anything that takes actual effort!

The most simple CHEESE recipe of life!

Hey friends, I'm finally getting around to posting this Ricotta recipe. Here it is:


Ingredients:

1 gallon of milk (You can use less if you'd like. 1 gallon = 1 lb of cheese)
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice or white vinegar
1 cheese cloth (I just use a dish towel from MEGA shoppers with larger holes than a normal towel)
1 colander

That's it!

Directions:

Pour milk into large pot and heat to 200 degrees F.
Don't have a candy thermometer? Me neither. But that's no problem. The milk should not be so hot that it boils, but should not be so cool that it doesn't slightly burn your finger when you test the temp.

When you think the milk is hot enough, pour in the 1/4 cup of lemon juice or white vinegar. If the milk doesn't instantly curdle, then your milk wasn't hot enough. This is no problem. Refill your 1/4 cup and wait until the milk is hotter. I've done this a few times and the cheese turns out just fine.

Once the cheese curdles, I turn off the heat and let it stand for 1-2 mins. Prepare your colander by lining it with the cheese cloth and placing it in the sink. Pour the pot of milk and curdles into the colander. This may take a few mins if your colander is small. Let the liquid drain and allow the cheese cloth to fill up with the curdles. Once you've successfully strained, tie the corners of your cheese cloth together and drape it over the sink. Allow the cloth to drain completely. This will take 30-60 mins. Then voila! Cheese!

At this point, I transfer the cheese into a bowl and add seasoning such as Italian, garlic salt, and basil. Then you're done!

FUN IDEA!
Zucchini wraps:
Slice Zucchini into long strips. Then grill over stove or BBQ. Place a dollop of cheese on each strip, roll, and secure with a toothpick for a mouthwatering appetizer!