10 Favorite Nigerian Foods For Those On The Move

By Chinelo Ngene

The Nigerian traveller is always on the move, ready to take the next bus or flight to his destination as quickly as possible. Little wonder why Nigerians love food that’s easy to make and packs enough calories to get them through a busy day. So I have put together a list of these delicacies the Nigerian traveller just can’t do without.

What Are McDonald’s French Fries Made Of?

This is one question Atala and I have discussed a few times, especially because I do love McDonald's fries. I come from Nigeria where most foods are organic and all-natural, and most times I cooked my own meals with food stuff bought from the market myself. These days, I buy frozen processed meals for a few days, and sometimes we eat out.

My assumption about natural meals continued till Atala revealed to me that most french fries are not made from potatoes but from a starchy goo that may consist of anything and everything. Scary, right. I was all ears when the latest McDonald's ads featured customers asking questions about where the fries come from. And now the brand has answered.

What Many Mums Look For In Dessert Recipes

Many mums would agree that menu planning could at times be as complicated as rocket science. If they could squeeze it in the monthly budget, they would gladly hire a think tank to work through the different factors to be considered (individual preferences, sensitivities, cost, etc.) and come up with a menu that will work.

Such mums are not particularly demanding. They don’t require a menu so perfect that it would inspire publications for a feature story. They just want something that will sufficiently nourish the family without garnering complaints or wastage.

Jamie Oliver Makes Nigerian Suya - This Time He Brings Tinie Tempah On Board

Jamie Oliver got a lot of flak when he made Nigerian style jollof rice as many bashed his recipe, some pointing out that he did not even add maggi which they say is an essential ingredient. This time, the London-based chef has learnt his lesson. He shared these photos on his Facebook page, writing;

‪#‎Recipeoftheday‬ is Nigerian Suya made on this weeks episode of ‪#‎Fridaynightfeast‬ with the lovely Tinie Tempah Eaten straight off the grill, these sizzling beef skewers are delicious. Given em a go!

7 Foods You Should Not Eat While On Your Period

If you don’t want to feel down during your period, you should pay attention to what you are eating during that time of the month. Did you know that there are certain foods you should avoid eating while on your period?

When it comes to painful cramps, bloating and mood swings, food plays an important role. Although there is no magical cure for PMS, check out the list of the foods you shouldn't eat while on your period to feel better.

The Condom Cookbook - A Food Recipe Book To Promote Safe Sex

The book is called Condom Meals I Want To Make For You and is reported to contain 11 food recipes based around condoms, mostly using the contraceptive for presentation. The food recipes have names like “Condom Meat Stuffing”, “Condom Escargot (snails) Cooked with Butter” and “Condom Cookies” and each is supposed to be utterly delicious.

You may find this funny or wacky, but there's a serious side. Japanese men are said to be the third worst in the world when it comes to using condoms, and so the book was also created to help promote safe sex. The book aims to show that condoms can be very strong and durable and this I think is a good novelty way to spread a serious message.

Mercy Johnson Shows Off Post Baby Body in Late Thanksgiving Photos

Mercy Johnson-Okojie spent her thanksgiving at home with her close family and she shared some pictures from the day on her social media yesterday. Her table is looking very nice, and yummy, LOL...

See more photos with her daughter Purity below...

‪#‎ThanksMichelleObama‬ - Students Unhappy With Healthy School Lunches Or Political Gimmicks?

#ThanksMichelleObama is the sarcastic hashtag that young students are using to set Twitter on fire as they blame first lady Michelle Obama for their school lunches might obey new food regulations she championed, but which they say looks bad and tastes worse.

First lady Michelle Obama has made one of her personal campaigns that of getting childhood obesity down using healthy eating as an option. The other avenue is getting children to move more by being more physically active. But it all starts with what goes in the mouth so the first lady has worked with those in education to get the food served in schools healthier.

But the children seem not to be liking their modified menus for their school lunches. Those old enough to tweet are speaking out on social media and calling their food all manner of awful.

#JollofGate - Showing Jamie Oliver Real Jollof Rice

So #jollofgate is trending, because after weeks of a slow boil, west Africans are now simmering with anger that oyinbo whiteman britico Jamie Oliver dared to cook where he did not parboil. Pun aplenty, yeah? That how unserious I think this hashtag is.

Because is there really a "real jollof rice"? Below are some of what I've cooked and called jollof rice in my time.

National Pasta Day - Which Is Your Favorite?

Today is National Pasta Day in America and for me, I admit that we eat a lot of Pasta in our household. I just love the variety that is available, from egg noodle pasta, thin spagetti, Angel hair, Lasagna, penne, and many more. Check out some of my pasta kitchen experiements, and share your favorite.

Creative Catering - How To Find The Perfect Menu For Your Wedding

By Helen Wallis

If there’s one element of your wedding that your guests will remember it’s the food. Along with the location, décor style and music, the catering will define the event. Cuisine gives you the opportunity to really show off your creativity; and if successful, will leave an ever-lasting impression on your guests.

Contemporary couples are fortunate to have many creative catering options at their fingertips; gone are the days when wedding caterers only served standard “banquet hall” fare that was more or less the same for each reception.

Due to a proliferation of cookbooks, food blogs and network shows about food available 24 hours a day, today’s brides and grooms are more knowledgeable about food than those in generation past. Caterers have responded and couples should have no problem finding a caterer who thinks and cooks creatively and who can offer unique suggestions based on the couple’s preferences.

Below are a few categories to get you thinking about how to make your wedding food fun, different and delicious!

How To Make Yummy Roasted Sweet Corn In Your Oven

I posted this roasted corn I made myself on Facebook and the queries started flooding in on how I managed to get this results in an oven. A friends asked; "Hi Madam, I saw you post on the perfectly grilled corn..... yummy. How do I go about it please? Thank you."

So below is an easy and fast way to grill/roast corn in your kitchen oven. In America now, this is the season for sweet corn, and these were really delicious. Before now, we would only boil the corn when we got some. Now, I'll certainly be doing more roasting in future.

When Does Garnishing a Meal Cross The Line? See This Nigerian Man's Food Presentation!

I regularly share pictures of my dinner or weekend brunches on Instagram and Facebook, and today, one of my male FB friends shared a picture of his dinner for last night, saying he had made it himself. He tagged me in the pic, saying I had inspired him to eat more fruits and vegetables. He captioned it;

All these women acting like if they dont cook i will starve. Well, i made me a balanced diet. Low fat.

Now, I am happy that Nigerian men are still cooking, and that I've inspired someone to make their food more healthy, but I want to think I present my plates better than this! Without the carrot and oranges to garnish the meal, the Indomie with dodo and fried eggs actually looks yummy.

On food garnishing or plate presentation, I don't usually do that when I'm just about to eat. But sometimes when we have guests and I'm dishing in a bigger serving dish, I might make more of an effort. 

Suya Eaters Advised to Eat Onions And Other Vegetables Along With the Grilled Meat

Prof. Ignatius Onimawo, a food nutritionist has warned that that except there is deliberate effort to imbibe healthier dietary and lifestyle habits over the next 10 years, cancer and other Non Communicable Diseases, NCDs, will increase by more than 27 percent in developing countries like Nigeria, compared to 17 percent in the developed world.

Focusing especially on cancer, the prof remarked that studies to try to look at the aetiology of the disease, to find out where it all started, traced the incidence of cancer in Nigeria to suya consumption.

This he said was because “During preparation of suya, the  meat is cooked over an open fire, and oils from the meat undergo complex chemical reactions that produce toxins such as Heterocyclic Amines, HCAs that are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) in nature. The more well-done a meat is cooked, the higher concentration of carcinogenic HCA’s can form."

On Food - You're Not Only What You Eat, You Are What You're Eating Ate

By Ebele Mogo,

Dustin is a health coach and nutrition counsellor. He had once given me a healthy-shopping grocery store tour and after that I often email him to ask for his input on some health and nutrition questions. The post below is his email answer to one of my questions. I decided to share it since I bet we all want to know.

No Carb Dinner - Carrots, Lettuce and Tomato With Baked Chicken

This is for those nights when you're really hungry and want to eat a lot but also trying to keep the calories down. You can achieve that by not including any carbohydrates in the meal, replacing that with protein, and packing on the fruits and veggies. Eat with or without salad dressing, I ate without because the spicy baked chicken provided a very nice flavor.

African Cuisine: Can It Be A Culprit in Chronic Diseases?

By Tamara Kinja for Engage Africa Foundation

Populations in Italy and Greece have one of the lowest rates of obesity, chronic diseases and higher life expectancy. As surprising as it might be, for a country (Italy in particular) renowned for its pastas, pizzas and so on, it is a fact. Apparently the Mediterranean diet is best for preventing some types of chronic diseases.

Will You Buy and Eat Ugly Fruit From the Market?

Lemon

Some of us are amateur gardeners, we grow fruits and vegetables in our backyards or allotments and take pride in what we're able to harvest at the end of the season, no matter what it looks like. But the rest of us buy everything we eat from the markets and we have become used to all our fruits and vegetables looking a certain way.

The Health Benefits of Red Palm Oil

Did You Know…

… that red palm oil is healthier than olive oil and coconut oil and has been proven to reverse the symptoms of heart disease and protect against certain cancers? Move over olive and coconut—there’s a new oil in town proven even more effective at cutting the risk of heart disease and degenerative illnesses: red palm oil.

How To Make Easy Akara From Beans Flour - Convenience Cooking

Someone asked why I used frozen spinach in my last gizzard sauce. Anyone who's been paying attention to these food recipes would have recognized that I'm what some people may describe as a convenience cook. My mum laughs at me and calls me mademoiselle in the kitchen because I don't like to get dirty. Yes, I cook with an apron most times. More importantly, I like all the ingredients I cook with to be almost ready.