mayurisjikoni

Enkare Nyrobi - Cool Water        I've been spending some time in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi. Nairobi gets its name from the Masai phrase Enkare Nyrobi which means cool water. It perhaps was names so as its got the Nairobi River flowing through it. However, the river is no longer what I remembered it as. Its polluted and the flow has reduced due modernization.  I was born and brought up in Nairobi but have been living in Mombasa for the past 35 years. Usually when hubby and I are traveling abroad, we do not bother to come into the city and prefer to catch our connecting flight. The traffic in Nairobi is a nightmare in spite of all the new highways and numerous inner roads. The new roads are not able to cope with the ever increasing number of cars on on the road. During this stay in Nairobi, we've been visiting several malls and other places of interests and I must admit though I've grown up here and have in previous years driven myself around, I'd now ge...

Healthy start to the day      Many of us cannot begin the day without breakfast, some don't have breakfast at all and some just need their daily mug of coffee or tea to begin the day. I cannot skip breakfast especially when I am not fasting. I love to have bread and tea or cereal. However, I have recently got hubby dear to have oats instead of cereal as they say even though he has bran flakes, all cereals contain sugar. I prefer to have a nice thick smoothie. Whatever ingredients I use for his porridge mine go into the blender. My day begins with work in the kitchen before the water disappears, yoga and then after a cold shower, and my prayers I relax and enjoy my breakfast. Its during that time I catch up with all the messages, make calls when required, do a crossword and read the paper. For this month the shhh cooking secretly group decided to have #smoothies as the theme for April. My partner Priya of Priya's Menu   gave me banana and peanut butter as the two...

a cool breakfast   Woke up a bit late after tossing and turning half the night as it was pretty humid. Suddenly it has become very hot in Montreal. After doing a bit of housework, it was time for breakfast. Didn't want to have toast, cereal or anything hot. Out came the yogurt and fruit. Instead of having everything on its own I made a nice cool smoothie. Filling, cooling, satisfying and delicious. I love using Neel's Gordan Ramsey 3 in one hand blender. Within seconds had the smoothie ready. Its a powerful blender. Try out  a smoothie with all sorts of fruit and yogurt.   Blueberries contain anthocyanin antioxidants, are an excellent source of  manganese and Vitamin C. Low in fat, and are said to help fight urinary tract infections. Blueberries also help in improving memory and are good for the skin. BLUEBERRIES AND GRAPES SMOOTHIE 1 Serving ½ cup blueberries ½ cup red seedless grapes ½ cup thick yogurt (use flavoured or plain) ½ cup crushed ice Wash the fruits and ...

let's go purple Jambu or jamun season in Kenya is in full swing at the moment. Like the red plums, the season is very short. I came back home with nearly half a kilo of the jambus and both my daughter and husband, stated as a matter of fact that they don't like them! I had them all to myself. Tongue gets all fuzzy and purple, but I love the fruit. Oh, sorry I am not talking about jamun as in the gulab jamun but jamun the fruit. You know the purple black berry like fruits grown in India, Kenya and many parts of south east Asia. Note the word berry like.... they are not black berries. The actual word is jambul. It is known by many names, jamun,jambool, java plum, black plum, damson plum, jambu etc. They grow on an evergreen tree. The fruit is slightly sweet, mildly sour and astringent. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Rama ate lots of jambu during his 14 year exile. Jambuls are a rich source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron and several minerals like magnesium, potassium, etc. Natu...

wholesome breakfast    This recipe is just right for people who are always rushing or fighting to get out of the house on time to reach work. No more skipping breakfast. Put everything in a blender, whizz it and gulp it down or carry with you. Easy, quick and of course you will have a bit of washing up to do when you get home. Silly .... remember the blender ! BREAKFAST SMOOTHIE Just for 1 2 tbsps quick oats 1 cup of fruit chunks like banana, mangoes, berries, fresh figs or chikoo ¾ cup chilled milk or yogurt ½ tsp cinnamon powder Put everything into the blender. Whizz  till it becomes smooth. Drink up. Tips: Seriously you've got time to read the tips? Ok then, add nuts of your choice. Chikoo is sapota readily available in India. Use a mixture of fruits or on its own. Sending this recipe for the following event: Nandoo's kitchen Priya's versatile recipes

Healthy and filling    A few dry figs (anjeer) along with some dry apricots (alu, khubani) and a banana. Now that's a lot of fiber and anti oxidants all served in a glass along with calcium and potassium. What am I talking about? It's a smoothie. If constipation is a problem, have this smoothie as its full of fiber. It's also a good start to the day when you have to fast. Good for patients recovering from an illness as it provides a lot of energy and vital nutrients. updated 6/01/2016 BANANA FIG APRICOT SMOOTHIE For 2 1 frozen banana  6 dried figs 8 dried apricots 10 to 12 almonds 2 cups chilled milk ½  cup water Wash the figs and apricots to remove any grit. Soak the figs and apricots in water overnight. Remove the seed (stone) from the apricots. Cut apricots, figs and almonds into pieces. Put all the ingredients into a blender along with the water and liquidize. Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately. Tips: Add crushed ice if you don't have a frozen banana. U...

going red again Options for healthy smoothies are endless. Have it for breakfast, as a in between snack or for lunch. I am falling in love with all these smoothies. Before I left for a short holiday to Nairobi I had a lonely boiled beetroot in the fridge. So to use it up the options were salad or smoothie. Thought and thought, salad or smoothie several times. As Ajay says I do put in a lot of thought about food :) Anyway, smoothie won as I found some frozen banana too. And the end result was delicious and healthy. Ricky try it out after an exhausting workout at the gym. You will love it. BANANA BEETROOT SMOOTHIE For 2 1 frozen banana  1 medium boiled beetroot ½ cup fresh orange juice or apple juice 1½ cups cold milk Chop the beetroot into tiny cubes. Put all the ingredients in a liquidizer and process till its smooth. Pour into tall glasses and serve. Tips : Cut banana into chunks before you freeze it. If you do not have any frozen banana then just add crushed ice cubes. To get the...

  extreme cooling remedy   We all know that melons have a cooling property. No wonder they are in abundance during the summer heat. Honeydew melons have slowly started appearing on the market in Mombasa. I love the ones that come from Voi. They tend to be juicy and sweet, most of the times.  Can't say the same about the local oranges. Even if some of the fruits come from Tanzania our neighbouring country, its still labelled as local and not imported, like the  grapes, apples, oranges from South Africa. There are carts full of these oranges everywhere. The first time I bought them from a seller near the temple,  he promised me they were sweet oranges from Tanzania. I took them home, juicer and everything ready to squeeze them. Most of them turned out dry . The second time I bought them from the market, thinking yes its a more reliable place. I was told very tamu (sweet)  from Tanzania. So again I go home with a kilo of them. Squeeze them, leave the juice in ...

from Prina to her dad on Father's Day     Nimesh, Prina and you can make this very easy smoothie. That will be her present to you. Am sure she will be tickled to bits and you in the process will enjoy a cool drink. If you can't make it today then thats a plan for next Sunday. Daughter and father in the kitchen with a blender.I know you love milkshakes, smoothies, ice creams so you will surely enjoy this one. Prina can have a few strawberries as she may no drink the smoothie. MANGO STRAWBERRY SMOOTHIE For 2 6 to 8 big strawberries 1½ cups chopped mango 1 tsp sugar 1½ cups cold milk Wash and hull the strawberries. Cut into half and freeze them. Layer them in a tin and not piled. You don't want one solid mass of strawberries. Puree the mango pieces with ¾ cup milk. Keep it on one side.  Puree the strawberries with sugar and remaining milk. Divide the mango smoothie into 2 tall glasses. Pour the strawberry smoothie on top. Serve immediately. Tips : Can serve as a dessert. Add...