Category: Appetizer (Page 3 of 4)

Potato Salad

June 23, 2015 / Kaluhi / 8 Comments

Among the shows I am always glued to are cooking shows. Recently I have been watching Pioneer Woman which is quite new on food network. It is one of my favorites these days. The host, Ree Drummond, makes her recipes so easy and do-able and I guess that is why I gravitated towards her since it is the same thing Ii try to achieve with my blog. I liked her warm aura too and her show immediately from the very first episode. Plus she lives a life that I hope to mirror one day: She is family oriented, she loves to cook and does it damn well, she lives on a ranch (I want to live on a ranch too :)), and she is so graceful.

Todays recipe was inspired by her. She made this pea salad and I decided to put my own twist to her recipe using ingredients I have at hand and ended up with a potato salad. And it was fantastic! Thank you Ree Drummond 🙂

While we enjoy some sunshine before the July iciness, this you have to try this out guys!

Butternut Soup with Crispy Toasted Seeds

June 12, 2015 / Kaluhi / 16 Comments

I could hear the rumble of thunder from a distance, and I knew that particular weekend would be a cold, rainy one. The house grew dark & cold, so I went upstairs to grab myself a pair of socks. No sooner had I come back down than the rain began aggressively beating on the roof. Huge, angry drops of May Nairobi Rain. A bright flash of lightning lit the entire sky and with it, power was gone. Typical! Since I could not go anywhere outside, nor watch anything I decided to retreat to my favorite place: the Kitchen. That day, I decided to prepare some soup to warm myself up as I waited for electricity to return and keep myself busy.

This butternut soup is so beautiful I literally stared at it for so long. I took so many pics of it and it is one of my most visually appealing dishes yet. It is so filling, very nutritious and very warming. While it is currently not as rainy in Nairobi right now as it was a week ago, it is still rather cold especially in the evenings (22° C / 72F qualifies as cold in this equatorial country). This is the best soup for you to have. Whether as a the perfect prelude to a magnificent meal or just to warm you up, this butternut soup will still make you happy!

Cayenne Pepper and Cheese Deviled Eggs

April 10, 2015 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I really love boiled eggs. I had a rocky relationship with them when I was little, as highlighted in this post, but nowadays I just cannot get enough!! Its one of those foods that are so filling and yet so healthy. Even in Kenya, on a day to day basis, it is almost impossible not to come across street vendors hawking some boiled eggs. Those sold on the streets are usually cut in half and some kachumbari put in that hollow. It is as delicious as it is nutritious. What makes boiled eggs so good is that you can have them with almost anything, in in any way you want.

Today I decided to have my boiled egg with a different kind of filling. Deviled eggs can be made in so many ways, but here is my take on it. It was so tasty, and so pretty. I was so happy with how this turned out. This is fantastic enough for cocktail bitings, delicious enough as a meal starter/appetizer for and healthy enough for a breakfast meal.

Hope you enjoy these deviled as much as I did 🙂

Sweet Corn and Tomato Salad

March 24, 2015 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

I love having some salad or fresh fruit with most of my meals. They add this freshness to all the meals and make them a lot more wholesome and complete. The easiest salad to have with your meals are coleslaw, and the most common here in Kenya is the amazing kachumbari. But this world has so much more to offer besides just those. And considering fresh produce can be found in my country at very low prices, this makes it even easier for us to indulge in this richness.

I have made this sweet corn and tomato salad and it was like sunshine and morning dew combined. It was so mellow, so light and so filling. It has the farmiliar flavors of kachumbari but has other additional ingredients which give it a more global approach. This is one salad that should never miss from your family dinner table.

Gourmet Coleslaw

February 24, 2015 / Kaluhi / 4 Comments

One of my most memorable childhood memories are those that involve family get-aways and short trips within the country. I particularly fondly remember the times when my parents used to take my sisters and I (sometimes together with my cousins) to a recreation spot deep in the breathtaking Maasai Land called Olooloitikoshi every other Sunday afternoon. As we had been told, olooloitikoshi means “The land of the Zebras” in the Maasai dialect (i stand corrected if that translation is wrong :D), and for us, it was the funnest place on the planet. Immediately after church, we would pass by home, dress down a little, prepare some bitings and leave for the Rift Valley. One of the things that my mommy used to make every single time was some coleslaw. This always made the perfect accompaniment to the tender roast meat and the steamy soft mukimu served by the locals together with all other delicacies we would have at the foot of the Ngong hills.

Today I present to you one of dishes that never never missed our outings,coleslaw, but with a delicious gourmet twist. It goes beyond the basic cabbage and carrot for coleslaw and includes an array of other ingredients that make this more wholesome and 5 star worthy. Read on to know exactly how to make your coleslaw fantastic <3

Thai Sticky Coconut Rice with Mango

February 3, 2015 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

I thank God for jan-feb-mar for the sunny weather that, for some reason, makes me so energized, and that my favorite fruit, mangoes are in season. Because there are so many around, retailing at very affordable prices, I always try to have my fave fruit in as many ways as I possibly can.

I decided to make a mango dessert that has its origins in Thailand. This Thai Sticky Coconut Rice with Mango is a recipe I bumped into accidentally while searching for food photography inspiration on food gawker. I was happy that the ingredients they use are also available here. To add my own twist to an already existing recipe, I added sesame seeds instead of dessicated coconut to add a nutty taste. I also used coconut cream instead of coconut milk it make it thicker. I would never have though using rice as an ingredient in a dessert but this worked so well. The rice is meant to compliment the mango though, and not the other way round. And this is a healthy snack, that will still give you that sweet kick but minus all that sugar overload.

You do not have to go to Thailand. Bring Thailand to you!

Honey and Rosemary Sauted Carrots

January 27, 2015 / Kaluhi / 0 Comments

My eldest sister lives and works in the picturesque town of Nakuru. When she comes home after being away for a period of time, we spend majority of the time just catching up on what we have missed out on while living apart. Amid all the chatty conversations, billions of curious questions and girly giggles, we always talk about the thing that matters most, food. And in the process share new recipes with each other that we think the other would enjoy.

This honey and rosemary carrot saute is a recipe my sister Cheredi suggested I try. To be honest, I was a bit hesitant as to how these would taste as the recipe has ingredients all of which have strong flavors on their own. But they came together in such a brilliant harmony. It was so delicious! I made this and it was cleared in under 5 minutes.

I hope you give this a try and know a little bit of what heaven tastes like 🙂