Values-Driven

Every home manager wants to streamline and simplify, to make the most of both time and financial resources. Less time in the kitchen means more time for family, homeschooling, and whatever else God means for you to do to glorify Him. Since coming to the mission field in Africa, our menu options have changed slightly, so I thought it might be fun (and helpful) to share some of the new recipes we’ve tried while here.

Mandazi

This is a slightly-sweet African donut, made in triangular wedges or any other miscellaneous shape. It’s ingredients are simple but the process of frying does take some time. Africans dunk these in their morning tea and many eat it daily. We enjoy making these as a family–everyone helps! Some mix, some roll and cut, some fry–and everyone enjoys!

Ingredients

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter, melted (can also use melted shortening or oil)
2 cups white flour
2 tsp. baking powder

Directions

Bring all ingredients to room temperature before mixing them together. Mix all the ingredients together, adding more flour if necessary. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Roll the dough on a lightly floured board until it is about 1/4 inch think. Cut into triangles and fry in hot oil. Fry until both sides are golden brown. Remove mandazi from oil and drain on paper towels or newspaper. Mandazi are best served warm.

 

Basic Breakfast Cake

“Breakfast cake” is our favorite, fast and easy morning meal option. I bake it the day before or just mix it up and pop it in the oven to bake while we have our morning devotions. To serve our family of ten, I do 1-1/2 times the recipe below in my 12″x 16″ pan–and it’s “just enough” with a bit of fresh fruit.

Ingredients

3 c. flour (white, wheat, or a combination)

1/2 c. sugar

1-1/2 T. baking powder

1/2 salt

 

4 T. oil

2-3 eggs. beaten

1-1/2 c. milk, or 1 c. milk and 1/2 c. water

1/2t. vanilla

 

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, then add all wet ingredients. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into a greased, 13″ x 9″ pan. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, or until top is lightly browned and edges have pulled away from the pan.

 

Kitheri

This is a staple in Africa (usually eaten for lunch), since just about every family that owns property plants corn and beans. Buying dry corn (and cleaning it) is an almost-daily chore here in Kenya, but you will have to use fresh or canned, so I’ve modified the recipe accordingly. Since measurements aren’t the same here as in the U.S., quantities are approximate, but it won’t make a great deal of difference if something is a little “off.” You can use more or less beans and season to your taste. Kidney beans are the variety usually used but we prefer a mix and it’s just as good.  This is a surprisingly filling meal and the recipe should serve about 6.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. dry beans (sorted, rinsed, and soaked overnight or “speed-soaked” according to package directions)

approx. 1 lb. corn (frozen, fresh, or canned)

beef broth (powder, cubes, canned, or homemade)

turmeric

salt

 

Directions

1. Cover beans with a mix of beef broth and water (about half-and-half). Bring to a boil, cover loosely, and turn heat to low. Simmer for approximately 2 hours or until beans are just tender. If using fresh corn (scraped off the cob), cook corn along with beans.

2. Add water as necessary as beans cook; however, the liquid should be allowed to boil down so that the end product does not have “too much” broth. Instead of adding more liquid, you may want to simply stir the beans so that they cook evenly.

3. When beans are almost cooked to desired tenderness, add corn if using the frozen or canned variety. Season to taste with turmeric and salt.

Here in Africa, avocado is cheap and plentiful (about 7 cents each!). Typically, each person gets 1/4 or 1/2 of an avocado and the procedure for eating kitheri is to take a small scoop of avocado on your spoon, then add some kitheri from your bowl. It’s a good combination (and good for you) but avocado may not be in the average American budget. You can still enjoy kitheri without it.

 

Green Beans with Potatoes and Ham

This is one of my favorite, east meals–we eat it for either lunch or supper. Green beans are one of the few things I was able to can here and making this meal is as easy as opening a few quarts from the shelf! This is not a meal that Kenyans would enjoy, but it’s one I started making while here and fits in with the “simple” theme. You can modify this recipe depending on whether you use fresh or canned beans. This serves 8-10.

Ingredients

4 quarts green beans (canned or fresh; cook fresh beans before proceeding with the recipe as indicated)

approx. 2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and diced

small amount of cooked, chopped ham (or canned equivalent)–this is optional

2 small onions, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

oil for frying

 

Directions

Heat a 5 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat and cover bottom with a thin layer of cooking oil. Fry diced potatoes until they are *almost* ready to eat, turning only  once or twice during cooking. Add diced onions and garlic. Saute until onions are clear/soft. Add cooked or canned green beans and ham (if desired). Turn heat down to medium and stir mixture occasionally until it is hot enough to eat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Occasionally I add some butter or margarine to the final product, or make it more of a soup by adding water and beef cubes along with the beans. This is a very simple and versatile dish!

 

Ugali and Greens

Some folks here live on ugali, literally eating it at every meal. For us, it was a bit of an acquired taste, but would be better (I think) if made with American corn meal instead of the field-corn variety that is grown here. Ugali is like a cornmeal mush, only drier. Africans use it like a spoon, making a ball and creating a “dipper” in the center with the thumb. However, you can eat it just as well with a utensil. This recipe serves about 6.

Ingredients

4 cups water
3 to 4 cups corn meal

I also add some butter, a pinch of salt, and even a bit of sugar, as the corn here tastes very bland/starchy. You might not find this necessary, but feel free to experiment.

 

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add the corn meal and whisk well to prevent lumps. (I have found a handheld potato masher an alternate way to eliminate lumps as the cornmeal cooks.) Add more corn meal until the result is a thick porridge. Let cook over low or medium heat until the maize meal is dry (it may brown on the bottom–that’s okay!). Tip out onto a plate – the ugali should hold its shape.

To make greens: Use whatever variety you desire (spinach, collards, turnip greens, cabbage, etc.). Use the amount you think will be “enough,” though greens usually cook down to about half their volume. Clean and finely chop your greens (eliminating stalks/stems). If you are using kale/collards, it is a good idea to parboil them for about two minutes and then drain the water to eliminate the bitter taste.

Melt 2 T. fat (oil or shortening) in a pot and add one chopped onion. Saute for a bit. You can add a chopped tomato if you desire, but that is optional. Add  greens and saute for a short time. Add beef/chicken broth to cover the greens, if desired, and salt to taste. Let the mixture simmer until the greens have reached the desired tenderness. (When making greens as a side dish, I usually don’t add the broth, but it definitely compliments the ugali.)

Serve greens and broth in a bowl with a scoop of ugali. Typically, greens and broth are eaten in the same bite as the ugali, which gives a nice flavor and some added moisture to the ugali.

 

Mexican Pie

I made up this recipe after coming to Africa as a way to serve beans in yet another form. (Lacking refrigeration and desiring to economize, we only eat meat once a week or even every two weeks, so beans are a preferred alternate source of protein.) To make enough for our family of ten, I use my roasting pan instead of a pie pan and just double the ingredients listed below. We use all homemade ingredients, but of course you can use homemade or pre-prepared.

 

Ingredients

your favorite recipe for a single-crust pie (or pre-packaged equivalent)–my preferred is the no-fail pie crust

1 large can of refried beans or homemade equivalent

pre-packaged guacamole or one slightly over-ripe, mashed fresh avocado (you can add some garlic, a squeeze of fresh lemon, a pinch of salt, and some milk if you’d like)

salsa

about 2 cups of corn chips/ tortilla chips (store bought or homemade)

shredded cheese (optional)

Directions

Fill 9″ pie plate with crust. Layer refried beans, guacamole, salsa, cheese (if desired) and top with corn chips. Bake on lower oven rack at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes.

 

Cabbage Salad

Lettuce and other salad greens are rare here and salad dressing a  luxury. When we visited Kisumu for a much needed mini-vacation after Christmas last year, I ate several helpings of their delicious cabbage salad! They recently visited us at our home in the village and I was blessed to receive the recipe for the salad dressing they used–delicious!

Finely shred one small head of cabbage. Add sliced or shredded carrots and tomatoes in any amount. Mix in dressing just before serving.

For dressing, combine all the following ingredients:

1 c. oil

4 T. vinegar

4 T. sugar

2 t. salt

2 t. seasoned salt

1 t. black pepper

2 packages seasoning from Ramen noodles (uncooked noodles can be fried in a bit of oil; use them to top the salad, like croutons!)