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Ever wondered if all those tales about how to reduce gas in beans really work? I have, and the tales just keep getting stranger. So I did a bit of research, here is what I found,… Been making an effort to serve whole meals, with all three parts, veggies, starch and protein. But potatoes with cauliflower on the side did not sound appetising. Too much white on the plate. So I mixed things up a bit… Buttered mushrooms, laced with cheese, wrapped in egg, topped with avocado,… drool drool drooool! You roasting that butternut yet? Well, time to spice it up a little… Have you ever roasted butternut? No? you should. If you like them you’ll like them even more. If you don’t like them at all, you might change your mind. Here’s a recipe to get you started… Sometimes you feel like experimenting and everything around you just works in your favour. Like neighbours bringing you stuff to work with… This is a must try in your home by the way, most especially if you have kids! Hello foodies! Today we have a special treat from a very talented writer! This is the first guest author post and I am so pleased and honoured to have Njeri of #TheHouseOfOlang’ grace the pages of Pendo La Mama with this tantalising piece. For when you want savoury without the fuss! You will need to have some spaghetti sauce handy though, or my home made tomato paste which doubles as a spaghetti sauce. The store bought kind will do but nothing beats home made. Delicious all in one recipe! Requires quite a bit of prep work in the beginning. Cutting, chopping etc. But once all that is done the rest is easy. Most of the cutting can be done ahead of time too. The herbed zucchini rounds inspired me. I started thinking about what else I could cut into rounds and sprinkle with yummy toppings and voila! — Pizzafied eggplant! This is an awesome idea for turning a simple vegetable into a very tasty snack. Also makes a nice appetiser… I bet you’re wondering how I made those eggs green! (^_^) I was very simple actually… I tried another chutney, this one much sweeter than the previous one and used more tomatoes like I wanted. Woo hoo! My first guest post. And even better, at a really good blog I frequent myself. I find that the simplest and best recipes I learn of every now and then always come from the people around me. This one is an awesome side that I recently learned how to make from a dear friend. Enjoy! Oxtail! I’ve discovered that not many people eat oxtail. When I was growing up it was a regular meal in our house, some of tastiest meat you eat when cooked right. It’s one of my favourite cuts, right up there with t-bone steaks and ossobuco. An awesome dual purpose sweet and savoury chutney, can use it as a side for a meal or as a sauce over pasta. I suggest making a large quantity to store in a jar in the fridge and use up slowly over a couple of weeks. Great to have ready for the days when you need a quick meal — just make some pasta and voila! Sometimes experimenting doesn’t require a lot of thinking and planning, just mix two of your favourite things and see what what happens… All these flavours can together quite nicely! I was a little concerned about the basil in the fish but it was surprisingly good, and the salsa made a great coplement. Yes! it’s a completely random combination and it was awesome over the boiled matoke! Check it out… Happy Blogiversary to me! (^_^) Beans have been the only legumes I cook for a long time, I recently added green grams and chickpeas, and now pigeon peas! They are all awesome! When you don’t think about the things you do in the kitchen as chores, it’s actually enjoyable. I know some people of find washing dishes to be therapeutic. They relax and clear their minds while they wash. I know, sounds crazy! I’d like them to visit me for every meal! (^_^) On to the coconut milk So I got a little over excited about a spice mix, an as they say, too much of anything… I’ve been wanting to try chickpeas for a while, I think it went really well. This recipe is a bit like a curry, perfect for having with chapati. I think eggplant has one of the prettiest colours of any vegetable (known to me)! Sometimes I want that colour to still be there after it’s cooked… I am really trying but remembering to look after this garden is so difficult lately! #babyonthebrain Recreating some of the dishes we try at restaurants is something we all try, and I’m sure these ribs have been tried by many. Here is my go at it… There are some things I have made in the past that I just haven’t been able to recreate, something we all experience. But I’m so glad I started this blog because now I record everything. But the things I did before the blog will clearly take some time to recreate… … and the truth about curry powder! It certainly is not what I thought it was. Meat balls are a great item to cook and store for later use. When you make them, make more than you need then store the extra in the freezer, bagged in your preferred portions per meal. Had some extra ones stored away, here is how I used them… I was going for a version of beef onion but… For this meal I was going for something easy, aromatic and colourful. The easy and aromatic came through nicely, but the colour was a flop! It was still good to eat though (^_^) It’s still a bit cold out there so if you’re looking for something to warm you up a bit, this is it! What do you do when your garlic starts sprouting? And I finally get it right! Still a few things to work on but waaaay more edible than the last try! Ha ha ha! Yes! This is a birth announcement (^_^) Some yummy pork ribs and a little lesson from my husband! This is an awesome chicken recipe! If you are not a fan of chicken breast meat, you will be after trying this out. Juicy, flavourful, tender… I say tomato paste, but I’ve used it in place of tomatoes, tomato sauce/ketchup, tomato puree, as a pasta sauce,… it is awesome for many things, so make it and store it. 
