HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLES SALAD

Since the Holiday season is fast approaching, i decided to rummage through my kitchen cabinet for leftover food items i had in store before going for my usual shopping and i came across some canned food items i could use to put together a quick salad for a quick lunch.

 Here's why i love salads; It's healthy, mouthwatering and easy to make. did i also mention that it goes with just about any meal i.e jollof rice, fried rice, coconut rice, and a host of others. When making mine, i combine a host of things; sweet corn, green peas, tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce,carrots, eggs and YES macaroni with a drizzle of salad dressing

 Just imagine having a bowl of this tasty salad on a hot day.....can you taste it?  I love it really chilled, but it's also great when it's warm too.

How to make  vegetable salad
• Prep time: 30 minutes
• Meal type: Appetizer
• Misc:         Serve chilled

Ingredients:::
• 1 medium sized cabbage
• 1 small cucumber
• 5 lettuce leaves
• 3 medium sized carrots
• 3 small tomatoes
• 1 medium sized green bell pepper
• 2 cups sweet corn
• 1 cup green peas - salted, boiled
• 2 cups macaroni - salted, boiled
• 4 eggs - hard-boiled

Directions:::
Step 1: Rinse the cabbage and chop. Slice the cucumber into 2 from the middle, remove the seeds, rinse and chop. Rinse the lettuce, tomatoes, green bell pepper & carrots, chop.

Step 2: In a medium sized bowl, combine the whole ingredients together and mix everything together. Pop it into the refrigerator to chill and also prevent it from getting sour.

Step 3: To serve, simply dish out into small bowls and drizzle some salad cream or mayonnaise over it. Serve alone as an appetizer or as a side with any rice dish.

HOW TO MAKE MORINGA SOUP(MIYAN SOGALE)

[22/03, 3:05 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Having a small farm of my own has helped in several rewarding ways. i love the fact that i get to grow most of my food and this has helped me appreciate farmers even more. One of the plants i grow on the farm is moringa.
[22/03, 3:06 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: After learning about the health benefits which i documented here, i decided to grow my very own moringa tree
[22/03, 3:07 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Apart from the leaves being used in preparing the popular zogale tea for weightloss, it is also used to make salads and soups.
[22/03, 3:08 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: One of the soups it's used for is miyan zogale, a tasty Nigerian soup which originates from the Northern part of the country. It's a groundnut based soup prepared with moringa leaves locally known as Zogale in Hausa language, gyada "roasted groundnuts", peppers, tomatoes and a host of other ingredients.
[22/03, 3:09 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: How to make miyan zogale
• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: Over an hour
• Region:      Northern Nigeria
• Misc:          Serve hot
[22/03, 3:09 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Ingredients:::
• ½ kg Meat
• 1 medium size dried fish
• 2 Large bunch Zogale "Moringa leaves"
• 3 Large size fresh tomatoes
• 3 medium size fresh pepper
• 1 medium size Onion
• 1 tbsp. Yaji
• ½ cup Gyada "Groundnut" (Raw Shelled)
• 1 tsp. Kaun "potash"
• 1½ litres Water
• ½ flat Daddawa "Dawadawa"
• 2 cooking spoon palm Oil
• 3 seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste
[22/03, 3:10 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Directions:::
Step 1: Pick and wash the Zogale leaves, drain off any excess water and place the leaves in a pot with ½ litre of water and Kaun. Boil for about 5-8 minutes and drain off the water and set aside.
[22/03, 3:11 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Note: I sincerely don't know the reason why zogale is boiled with Kaun because left to me i'd rather rinse the leaves with salt water to retain the wonderful nutrients and skip the kaun due to the adverse effects.
[22/03, 3:12 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Step 2: Cut up the tomatoes and onion into small pieces but grind the pepper - set aside
[22/03, 3:13 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Step 3: Roast the groundnut slightly for about 5 minutes using an empty frying pan without oil. Fry for about 10 minutes while stirring constantly. Allow to cool then peel off the skin and grind in a blender to a smooth paste - set aside
[22/03, 3:13 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Step 4: Wash the meat thoroughly, Place in a pot season with a tablespoon of salt and add some slices of onions. Steam for 10 minutes till the meat gives off it’s juice. Add 2 cups of water, Leave to cook for at least 15 minutes or until it is tender. Wash and de-bone the fish, add into the stock and cook for 5 minutes before turning off the burner.
[22/03, 3:14 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Step 5: In an empty pot, heat up the palmoil for about 2 minutes, add the chopped tomatoes, onions and the ground pepper, stir-fry for 10 minutes. Add the groundnut paste into the pot.
[22/03, 3:17 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Rinse the blender cup with a little water and pour into the pot. Add the meat with the stock, ground dawadawa, crushed seasoning and yaji, stir and allow to boil for about 15minutes. Add the Zogale leaves and leave to simmer for 3 mins before turning off the burner. Serve with Tuwo shinkafa, tuwo masara, Burabisko or any form of "swallow
[22/03, 3:23 PM] ibraheemmonsurat42: Note.Kanwa is added to soften leaves nowadays people substitute it with baking powder.. If you boil ordinary zogale leaves it takes forever as in ur gas go finish but u can use firewood it tastes better without Kanwa or baking if u have the patience..

HOW TO MAKE FRIED RICE

fried rice is a delicious meal which is quite popular with kids and adults. It's also likely to come top on the list of foods loved by Nigerians. No Birthday, Wedding, Event, Ceremony is complete without fried rice which makes it a favorite go-to meal for special occasions. With the colorful veggies in the rice, i'd have to say it's highly nutritious. Fried rice can be served with Salad, Chicken, Fish, Moi Moi.

Ingredients:::
• 3 cups White Rice
• 2 cups Liquid Stock (Boiled meat water) i.e. Turkey stock, Beef Stock or Chicken stock
• 2 tbsp. Curry Powder (For Colour)
• 3 Seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste
• 4 cloves Garlic,minced
• 8 tbsp. Vegetable oil
• 3 medium sized Carrots
• 2 large Green Capsicum (Green bell pepper)
• 1 cup Green Peas
• 2 bulbs Red Onion
• A handful Green Beans
• 200g Cow Liver

Directions:::
Preparation of the liver

Wash the liver thoroughly with water and dice. Place the diced liver in a small pot, season with salt and steam for 10 minutes. Turn off the burner and set aside.

Preparation of the vegetables

Step 1: Scrape the back of the carrots, Wash and dice.

Step 2: Remove the seeds from the green bell pepper, Wash and dice.

Step 3: Wash and dice the runner beans.

Step 4: Wash and steam the green peas with a little salt to taste.

Step 5: Wash and chop the Onions.
Set the veggies aside.
Preparation of the Curried rice

Step 1: Parboil the rice in water for about 10mins. Cooking for this short period of time ensures it doesn't get too soft before the real curried rice preparation as well as removes some of the starch to prevent it from sticking together. Wash and rinse with clean cold water.

Step 2: Place the washed rice in a pot and add the Stock (I used turkey stock for this). Add some water, Curry powder (For color and taste), Seasoning cubes, Salt to taste and minced garlic. Cover the pot and leave to cook till the liquid in the pot dries up leaving the softened (But not too soft) rice .
 The Fried Rice Preparation

Fried rice is usually done in batches (if you want to go the Authentic way) so you’d have to divide the veggies, rice and liver into 4 batches (let’s call it batch 1,2,3,4)                Step 1: Heat two tbsp. of vegetable oil in a large pan.
Step 2: Add the batch 1 veggies (carrot, green pepper, peas, runner beans, onions) and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the liver (Batch 1) and stir-fry for 2mins. Add the rice (Batch 1) and stir to incorporate the mixture, leave for 1 minute before turning out into a pot.
Repeat the process above till the whole batch is used up
Note.If you do not want to go through the stress, Simply Stir-fry all the veggies and liver in a pan, Add it to the curried rice and mix to incorporate. Leave to heat further on low heat before turning off the burner.

HOW TO MAKE WATER YAM PORRIDGE(IKOKORE)

Ikokore recipe - How to Make Ikokore "Water Yam Porridg

Ikokore is a meal native to the Ijebu people from the southwestern part of Nigeria. Just like Ojojo, it's made with water yam and also very similar to ekpang nkukwo. The final texture of this dish is similar to a pudding or porridge. Just one taste and you're bound to get hooked. Some people add peppered stew to it while serving, others serve it plain but it's all a matter of choice.

Ingredients:::
• 1 medium size Water yam
• 7 medium chunks Beef
• 5 pieces tripe (sharki)
• 4 medium size dry fish (shawa)
• 2 cooking spoon palm oil
• 2 tbsp. Fresh pepper (shombo "chili" + Ata rodo "Red scotch bonnet pepper") - ground
• 2 tbsp. crayfish
• 2 seasoning cubes
• Salt to taste

Directions:::

Step 1: Slice and peel the skin off the water

Step 2: Wash the yams and cut into chunks. With a grater, grate the yam slices. You'd notice the drawy texture of the grated water yam - set this aside

Step 3: In a medium sized pot, place the washed beef and sharki. Season with salt to taste and crushed seasoning cubes, add just enough water to cover the meat in the pot and cook for about 20 minutes till tender. Break and remove the bones from the fish and wash. Add into the meat pot and leave to cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the burner and transfer the cooked meat and fish from the pot into a separate bowl leaving the stock.

Step 4: Add some more water to the stock, palm oil, ground pepper puree, check for salt and add more if necessary. Place the pot back on the burner and leave till the liquid in the pot starts to boil.

Step 5: Add some salt to taste and also crushed seasoning to the grated water yam. This is to ensure it has some taste since it's going to be in lumps. Once the stock liquid starts to boil, start adding scoops of the water yam paste into the liquid. You can use the hollow of your washed hand for this or a spoon. Once you drop the water yam paste into the pot, it'd float to the top. cover and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the crayfish over it. Don't stir the ikokore in the pot else it'd scatter. Just leave it to cook.

 Step 6: Now add the meat and fish removed earlier and leave to simmer for about 5 minutes more. Serve!.

 Shoko yokoto (Celosia Argentia) also known as Lagos spinach is a leafy vegetable which is very popular in the western part of Nigeria. It's actually the main vegetable used in the preparation of the iconic "Efo riro" Vegetable soup. It's rich in Beta-carotene, Folic acid, Ascorbic acid, protein, calcium, iron. Here's how it's prepared.           .Prep time: 20 mins
• Cook time:1hr 10 minutes
• Total time: 1 hr 30 minutes
• Region:      Western Nigeria
Ingredients:::
• 1 medium sized Stock Fish "Panla"
•1or 2 large Smoked Fish
• 600g Red Beef meat (Cut into chunks)
• 7 Red scotch bonnet pepper (Ata rodo)
• 2 Red Capsicums (Red Bell pepper a.k.a Tatashey)optional
• 4 Chili pepper a.k.a Shombo
• 2 large Red onion
• 11/2 cups Palmoil
• 1 cups dry prawns (with the head removed)optional
• 3 Heaped tbsp. Locust beans (Iru)
• 1 cooking spoon Crayfish, Ground optional
• 2 Seasoning cubes, Crushed
• Salt to taste
• 1 large bunch Shoko yokoto leaves

Directions:::
For soup stock any type of meat such as Goat meat, Cow Intestines "Roundabout", Tripe a.k.a Sharki ,Cow Liver, Smoked Cow skin "Pomo", Chicken, Cow meat and Fish Can be used but for this I used only Smoked Fish, Stock fish (panla)and Cow Beef (Red meat), sharki & ponmo.

Step 1: Soak the Stock fish in hot water for 10 mins and rinse with cold water. Shred it with your fingers and set aside. Remove the bones from the smoked fish, wash and set aside.
Wash the Cow beef, sharki and ponmo thoroughly with water and place in a medium sized pot. Add two seasoning cubes, salt, water and leave to cook on medium heat. 25 mins into the cook time, add the Smoked fish and Stock fish (Should be soft by now) - leave to cook for 10 mins more. The water left should be minimal by now. Turn off the burner and Set Aside.

Step 2: Pluck the shoko leaves from the stem. Discard the purple flower if you come across it. Chop the shoko leaves with a knife and place in a bowl. Add about ½ teaspoon of salt, pour boiling water over it and place a lid over the bowl. Shoko is said to be bitter and soaking in hot water helps remove the bitter taste. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Rinse out the shoko immediately with cool water so it doesn't turn dark. Drain off excess water

Step 3: To prepare the pepper puree, rinse the scotch bonnets (Ata rodo), Red bell pepper a.k.a Tatashey (Remove the seeds cos it’s usually bitter) onions and Chili pepper. Place in a grinding machine and blend. Pour the blend in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 4: In an empty pot, add the palm oil and leave to heat for about 1mins. Add the(Locust beans) iru Stir fry for 1mins. Then add the blend pepper
Gently add the soup stock including the meat and fish, 2 seasoning cubes, crayfish, prawns and leave to cook for about 10mins.                                                                                  Step5: Add the chopped shoko and stir to combine the mixture. Leave to simmer for 5 mins. Turn off the burner and leave the pot open to let out steam.
Serve with any form of Swallow, pounded yam,Amala or eko

How to Prepare Ogbono Soup with pumpkin leaves

How to Prepare Ogbono Soup with pumpkin leaves .My Mtn: Ogbono soup is a local Nigerian dish known mainly for its slimy consistency just like okra soup, though a bit thicker. The seeds of the ogbono is ground and used as a thickener. The preparation varies due to different tastes and cultures; Some people prefer their ogbono soup Plain, some others prefer it with leafy vegetables while a few others prefer adding Okra or egusi to it. Whichever way, ogbono is enjoyed due to its slimy consistency which makes ingesting morsels of swallow easy.
The Ogbono seed also known locally as  Apon  is gotten from the nut of the African wild mango. It's believed to help in weight loss and also lowering cholesterol levels in the body. Some people have also started selling it in capsules.
  Ogbono Soup Recipe
•Prep time:  10 minutes
•Cook time: 1hr
•Total time: 1hr10minutes

Ingredients:
•1 kilo Beef meat(Cut into chunks)
•4 seasoning cubes
•1 small stock fish head
•2 cooking spoons palmoil
•Pumpkin leaves “Ugwu”, chopped
•3 tbsps Ogbono, Ground
•1 cooking spoon Crayfish, Ground
•5 yellow scotch bonnet, ata rodo ,Ground
•1 medium sized onion,Ground
•1 tbsp. Salt
•7 cups water
 We’d start with the Soup stock preparation

Method:
1. Soak the Stock fish in hot water for 10 minutes and rinse
1. Soak the Stock fish in hot water for 10mins and rinse with cold water. Shred it with your fingers and set aside

METHOD.                                                              
  1. Soak the Stock fish in hot water for 10mins and rinse with cold water. Shred it with your fingers and set aside
2. Place the chunks of beef meat in a medium sized pot and add 4 cups of water. Season with 2 seasoning cubes, 1 tsp. salt, diced scotched bonnet & onions; Cook for 25mins.

2. Place the chunks of beef meat in a medium sized pot and add 4 cups of water. Season with 2 seasoning cubes, 1 tsp. salt, ground scotched bonnet & onions; Cook for 25mins.

3. Add the shredded stock fish and leave to cook for another 2minutes

 4. Turn off the burner and remove the beef and fish into a bowl leaving the stock in the pot.

 Ogbono soup preparation (Method 1):

 5. Turn the Burner back on; Add 3 cups of water, 1tsp. salt & 2 seasoning cubes. When it starts to boil, add the ogbono & crayfish; leave to thicken for about 10mins making sure you stir consistently so it doesn't get burnt under.

6. Add the palmoil and leave to boil for another 10mins

 7. Add the cooked meat & fish which had been set aside, chopped pumpkin leaves; mix & leave to simmer for 5mins
Ogbono soup preparation (Method 2):
 The fastest way to prepare ogbono soup is to pour the palmoil into the empty pot and add the ground ogbono. On medium heat, start to stir the mixture till the ogbono added to it dissolves. This should take about 10 minutes. Once it dissolves, pour in the meat and fish stock, stir and leave to cook for a while. It's ready once it thickens and starts to draw. Now you can add the other ingredients which includes the chopped vegetable.
off the burner and serve with any form of swallow.

*Kitchen Notes:
• Ground Ogbono is powdery but if left for a few hours, it tends to look like little stones. Not to worry, once added to the stock, it dissolves completely and still thickens the soup.
• Ogbono soup is best enjoyed with washed hands. Just dig into it, Don’t be shy
• You could blend your onion & pepper for the stock preparation. Personally, I love the flavor yellow scotch bonnet gives to my soups so I use it often.
• Ogiri is another flavor enhancer especially "Ogiri okpei (looks like small stones )" or "Dawadawa (Looks Flat)" which is used mainly for ogbono. If you don’t have it around, you could skip adding it.

NUMBER ONE IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

*Finland is ranked No.1 in the world in Education. What’s so great there!*
• A child goes to school there only at the age of 7. The torture does not start at 2 ½ as it is elsewhere.
*• A child learns from each move that it comes across in this early age at home.*
• From the age of 7 to 10 the child spends 50% of it’s time in school and the remaining as vacation.
*• The school timings are also less and equal importance is given to Music, Arts and Sports too*
• The schools there have relaxation rooms for the children to take rest if they feel tired.
*• Until the age of 13 there is no grading and no report cards for students.*
• If their parents are inquisitive of the child’s progress they can apply to know that.
*• Since there is no grading there is no pressure on the student to compete.*
• They are not given homework. Students can do their homework in the subject of their choice.
*• A doctor stationed in each school monitors their health and advices.*
• Only a maximum of 600 students are permitted in a school.
*• There aren’t any private schools. All are Govt. run. There is equality in education for all.*
• 99% of children in Finland get primary education.
*• Students who hail from a country where there aren’t exams excel in competitive exams elsewhere.*
• You may wonder how this is possible. A UN research explains this…..
*• UN does an annual research about the happiest children in the world. Finland stands first.*
• Educationists from other countries flock to Finland to understand their system more.
*• 1500 representatives from 56 countries go there every year.*
• The country’s major foreign exchange comes from education tourism.
*• A teachers job in Finland is highly valued .*
• The teachers there have a major stake in the laws and policies of the country.
*• Every third child there wants to become a teacher. But it’s not so easy.*
• Only students who excel are considered for this post.
*• They are given 5 years of Teacher Training, 6 months of Military training, One year of onsite teacher training, Training in the Laws and Policies, Fire service, Self Defense, First Aid.*
No wonder the Crime rate is so low in Finland.
Good upbringing breeds responsible Adults.

 *Thoughts to ponder:*
• Don’t find fault in children. Don’t hesitate to appreciate when they do good.
• No one knows what a child can become. Keep encouraging them.
• Edison was considered dumb and thrown out of school.
• Louis Pasteur was an average student in school.
• Einstein was considered an idiot in school.
• Talk to children daily about their goodness.
• Don’t compare a child with another.
• Talk about successful people to them.
• Instead of telling them how not to be, just tell them about how to be.
• Don’t curb them to the house
• Give them good examples and independence.
• If you talk to them about a bed of flower they’ll understand the path of thorns.
• Tell them about hardwork. They will get to know about laziness.
• When you tell them about successful people they will understand the reasons for failure.

And for all these, we need good parenting and good governance.