Red Red (Ghanaian Beans and Fried Plantains)
Ingredients:
3 ripened plantains, sliced diagonally.
Beans sauce:
1 cup dry beans (preferably black eyed peas)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 small can tomato paste
½ water
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 small hot peppers (eg scotch bonnet or habanero), cut in half and de-seeded. (Hint: don’t touch the peppers—use a fork and knife to cut and de-seed.)
1 packet Onga or Maggi stew spices
1 pink onion (chopped)
garlic (to taste)
Directions:
1. Sort through the beans and remove rocks or other junk. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Boil the soaked beans in water till soft. This will probably take about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the beans and how long they were soaked before hand.
3. In a pan, sauté the garlic and chopped onion in the oil till the onion begins to turn translucent.
4. Add in the tomato paste, water, chopped tomatoes, and peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Strain the beans, and add them to the sauce. Add in spices, to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. While the beans and sauce are simmering, fry the sliced plantains in vegetable oil till they turn golden brown.
7. Serve the beans and sauce with the fried plantains.
3 ripened plantains, sliced diagonally.
Beans sauce:
1 cup dry beans (preferably black eyed peas)
½ cup vegetable oil
1 small can tomato paste
½ water
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
2 small hot peppers (eg scotch bonnet or habanero), cut in half and de-seeded. (Hint: don’t touch the peppers—use a fork and knife to cut and de-seed.)
1 packet Onga or Maggi stew spices
1 pink onion (chopped)
garlic (to taste)
Directions:
1. Sort through the beans and remove rocks or other junk. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Boil the soaked beans in water till soft. This will probably take about 30 minutes, depending on the size of the beans and how long they were soaked before hand.
3. In a pan, sauté the garlic and chopped onion in the oil till the onion begins to turn translucent.
4. Add in the tomato paste, water, chopped tomatoes, and peppers. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Strain the beans, and add them to the sauce. Add in spices, to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. While the beans and sauce are simmering, fry the sliced plantains in vegetable oil till they turn golden brown.
7. Serve the beans and sauce with the fried plantains.
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients:
Sauce:
1 cup apricot jam or jelly
3/4 cup American French dressing OR
½ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
Pepper to taste
1 packet onion soup mix OR
1 fresh onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp salt
Stir Fry:
Vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chestnuts
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 cups raw chicken, cut to bite-sized pieces (Can also use cooked chicken.)
Directions:
1. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Tweak to taste.
2. If using raw chicken, stir fry in vegetable oil till just cooked.
3. Add peppers, carrots, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts to the chicken, and continue cooking until the vegetables are about halfway cooked. (If using cooked chicken, stir fry the vegetables first, then add the chicken.)
4. Add the sauce and pineapple to the stir fry and simmer till the onion is soft. If sauce is too watery, add cornstarch or flour to thicken.
Sauce:
1 cup apricot jam or jelly
3/4 cup American French dressing OR
½ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
Pepper to taste
1 packet onion soup mix OR
1 fresh onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp salt
Stir Fry:
Vegetable oil
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 can bamboo shoots
1 can water chestnuts
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 cups raw chicken, cut to bite-sized pieces (Can also use cooked chicken.)
Directions:
1. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Tweak to taste.
2. If using raw chicken, stir fry in vegetable oil till just cooked.
3. Add peppers, carrots, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts to the chicken, and continue cooking until the vegetables are about halfway cooked. (If using cooked chicken, stir fry the vegetables first, then add the chicken.)
4. Add the sauce and pineapple to the stir fry and simmer till the onion is soft. If sauce is too watery, add cornstarch or flour to thicken.
Mango Cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust:
15 graham crackers, crushed up
3 tbsp melted butter
Cheesecake:
4 packages 8oz packages cream cheese (low fat is okay, but fat free is hard to mix)
1 1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup mango puree
Topping:
1 1/2 cup mango nectar (the higher % juice, the better-- or use well-blended puree with a little water)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the melted butter into the crushed graham crackers. Use your fingers to squish the dampened graham crackers into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or two small pie tins). Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes (until it smells good when you open the oven!)
3. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Stir the sugar and cream cheese together until well mixed. Mix in the eggs and sour cream, and then the flour.
4. Stir in the mango puree and lemon juice. (At this point, you can use 3/4 cup milk and a tablespoon of vanilla in place of the mango and lemon juice to make regular cheesecake.)
5. Pour the cheesecake mix into the baked crust. Bake the cheesecake for an hour at 350 degrees (slightly shorter if using two small pie tins). You can help minimize cracking in the cake by putting an oven-safe dish with water in the oven with the cake, and by avoiding opening the oven door. After one hour, turn off the oven, and let the cake cool in the oven for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate.
6. To make the topping, combine the mango nectar, sugar, and starch. Place in a pan, and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken; it will also appear less opaque. Take off heat, and pour over the top of the cheesecake.
Crust:
15 graham crackers, crushed up
3 tbsp melted butter
Cheesecake:
4 packages 8oz packages cream cheese (low fat is okay, but fat free is hard to mix)
1 1/2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup mango puree
Topping:
1 1/2 cup mango nectar (the higher % juice, the better-- or use well-blended puree with a little water)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn starch
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix the melted butter into the crushed graham crackers. Use your fingers to squish the dampened graham crackers into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or two small pie tins). Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes (until it smells good when you open the oven!)
3. Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Stir the sugar and cream cheese together until well mixed. Mix in the eggs and sour cream, and then the flour.
4. Stir in the mango puree and lemon juice. (At this point, you can use 3/4 cup milk and a tablespoon of vanilla in place of the mango and lemon juice to make regular cheesecake.)
5. Pour the cheesecake mix into the baked crust. Bake the cheesecake for an hour at 350 degrees (slightly shorter if using two small pie tins). You can help minimize cracking in the cake by putting an oven-safe dish with water in the oven with the cake, and by avoiding opening the oven door. After one hour, turn off the oven, and let the cake cool in the oven for up to 6 hours, then refrigerate.
6. To make the topping, combine the mango nectar, sugar, and starch. Place in a pan, and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken; it will also appear less opaque. Take off heat, and pour over the top of the cheesecake.
Mango Mousse
The key to getting this to turn out well is great mangoes. It's better to go with mangoes that are a little over-ripe than under-ripe.
Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 packet gelatin
5 tablespoons sugar
1 8oz container whipped topping (I prefer the lighter taste you get if you use fat free whipped topping)
Directions:
1. Cut the two mangoes into chunks, discarding the pit and skin.
2. Place the mango chunks and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until smooth. If the mango is too thick to blend smoothly, add a little water, or better, mango juice.
3. Put the blended mixture in a small saucepan, and heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble. You don't really need to worry about over-cooking the mixture, but if you turn the heat too high, the mixture may splatter.
4. While the blended mango is heating, combine the gelatin and sugar in a separate bowl.
5. After the mango mixture starts to bubble, turn down the heat to low. Add the blended sugar and gelatin. Stir until the sugar and gelatin are thoroughly blended in. Note: mixing the sugar and gelatin helps blend the gelatin into the mango. If you add them separately, the gelatin will get lumpy.
6. Put the mixture into the refrigerator until it becomes stiff and completely chilled.
7. Put the chilled mixture into a blender, and blend until there are no more stiff chunks of the mixture.
8. Mix the blended mixture with the whipped topping. Spoon the mousse into the containers you wish to serve it in, then chill for several hours until the mousse stiffens.
9. The mousse can be garnished with slices of mango or kiwi, or my favorite: raspberry sauce and a couple raspberries.
Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 packet gelatin
5 tablespoons sugar
1 8oz container whipped topping (I prefer the lighter taste you get if you use fat free whipped topping)
Directions:
1. Cut the two mangoes into chunks, discarding the pit and skin.
2. Place the mango chunks and lemon juice in a blender. Puree until smooth. If the mango is too thick to blend smoothly, add a little water, or better, mango juice.
3. Put the blended mixture in a small saucepan, and heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble. You don't really need to worry about over-cooking the mixture, but if you turn the heat too high, the mixture may splatter.
4. While the blended mango is heating, combine the gelatin and sugar in a separate bowl.
5. After the mango mixture starts to bubble, turn down the heat to low. Add the blended sugar and gelatin. Stir until the sugar and gelatin are thoroughly blended in. Note: mixing the sugar and gelatin helps blend the gelatin into the mango. If you add them separately, the gelatin will get lumpy.
6. Put the mixture into the refrigerator until it becomes stiff and completely chilled.
7. Put the chilled mixture into a blender, and blend until there are no more stiff chunks of the mixture.
8. Mix the blended mixture with the whipped topping. Spoon the mousse into the containers you wish to serve it in, then chill for several hours until the mousse stiffens.
9. The mousse can be garnished with slices of mango or kiwi, or my favorite: raspberry sauce and a couple raspberries.
Coconut Rice
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk
Uncooked rice
nutmeg
Directions:
Cook rice as you normally would, but replace half of the water with coconut milk. Sprinkle a little nutmeg in the pot before cooking. If you want sweet-tasting coconut rice, add a couple tablespoons of sugar with the coconut milk.
1 can coconut milk
Uncooked rice
nutmeg
Directions:
Cook rice as you normally would, but replace half of the water with coconut milk. Sprinkle a little nutmeg in the pot before cooking. If you want sweet-tasting coconut rice, add a couple tablespoons of sugar with the coconut milk.
Campfire Cooking: Dough Girls
Ingredients:
Canned biscuit dough (the type that pops open)
large sticks (1 inch dowels, cut about 3 feet long, work)
aluminum foil
toppings: butter, jam, fresh berries
a campfire
Directions:
Wrap the foil around the end of the stick, going about 6-10 inches down. Open the biscuits, take one biscuit, stretch out the dough and wrap it around the end of the stick. Pinch the edges of the biscuit together so it stays wrapped while you cook it. Wrapping the dough thinly (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) will make it easier to cook quickly and all the way through.
Cook the biscuit over the campfire, like you would a hot dog. Cook till the outside turns golden brown, and the biscuit pulls off the stick easily, without dough sticking on the inside. Put your toppings inside the biscuit, in the hole where the stick was. Enjoy your camp breakfast!
Canned biscuit dough (the type that pops open)
large sticks (1 inch dowels, cut about 3 feet long, work)
aluminum foil
toppings: butter, jam, fresh berries
a campfire
Directions:
Wrap the foil around the end of the stick, going about 6-10 inches down. Open the biscuits, take one biscuit, stretch out the dough and wrap it around the end of the stick. Pinch the edges of the biscuit together so it stays wrapped while you cook it. Wrapping the dough thinly (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick) will make it easier to cook quickly and all the way through.
Cook the biscuit over the campfire, like you would a hot dog. Cook till the outside turns golden brown, and the biscuit pulls off the stick easily, without dough sticking on the inside. Put your toppings inside the biscuit, in the hole where the stick was. Enjoy your camp breakfast!
