NEW BLOG ALERT

Hello everyone, it's been a very long time. This is to let you know I have got a new blog called THE FOODACE BLOG, please go check it out. Many thanks.

AKARA - Fried Beans Paste

Ingredients: This makes 18-20 pieces of akara

3 cups of Nigerian sweet beans or black-eyed beans

70g pointed peppers (Tatashi)

35g scotch bonnet

1 medium onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 knorr cube seasoning

150 ml water

Oil for deep-frying

Method

• In a bowl, soak the beans in warm water for about 3 minutes. Drain and then briskly rub the beans between palms of your hands to remove the skin.

• Add enough water into your bowl, this makes the skins float to the surface and discard the skin. Repeat this severally until the skins are all removed just as in the picture. Then soak the bean overnight with hot water from tap.

• Rinse out beans , place in the blender with the onion, knorr seasoning, water, scotch bonnet and pointed peppers. *I use two blender for mine, just because I like my mixture to be very smooth and thick. Also I blend in small batches*

• Transfer the thick-smooth beans paste to stand mixer and attach the flat beater hook; add salt and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes. 

• While this is mixing, heat the oil in a wok/pot, remember we are deep-frying. Also get every other thing we need ready. For instance, line the sieve with kitchen paper, get your frying spoon ready and spoon for scooping in the beans mix.

• Once oil is heated and ready,  scoop in mixture and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Repeat process...

• Enjoy hot or cold...

Smoothie/Desserts

fruity greek yogurt with toffee sauce

strawberries and blueberries smoothie

For more pictures and recipes, follow @Labelleace on instagram. Thank you

Breakfast Ideas

Mashed avocado on toast with suya style beef skewers and soya milk

 Spicy Scrambled Eggs on toast

Boil egg-avocado mash on toast with a glass of soya milk

Akara burger with soya milk (recipe coming soon)

Double decker beef burger; perfect for saturday morning

Cookies Update

Egg Free Nigerian Bun

Recipe for these yummiest beauties is on my Instagram page...

My Cookie adventure...Swirl Choco Cookies

So after my "Heart Cookies" success, I decided to take this cookie adventure further with my son's request  to make "chocolate ones". I started surfing the internet for chocolate cookies and I came across this  amazing website "SugaryWinzy"; her Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies caught my attention. I came to conclusion that I was going to make it. Here is how mine came out, its not perfect but I will keep trying till I perfect.

Ingredients

6 cups of plain flour

1 teaspoon salt

450g unsalted butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla beans/extract

400g sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

Method

Place butter and sugar in a bowl; beat until pale and fluffy

Add eggs, vanilla; beat for another minute

Sift in the flour and salt in batches and mix until well combined.

Divide cookie dough into 2, sift in cocoa powder into one; mix until well combined.

Roll out  doughs separately between two parchment baking sheet to form a rectangle shape (Place dough on a parchment baking sheet, cover with another sheet; roll out using a rolling pin or clean bottle).  

Place the rolled out plain dough on top of the chocolate one and lightly press onto it with rolling pin so they merge together.

**Here comes the difficult part**

From one end, start rolling the merged dough to form a log. (I rolled mine with the parchment baking sheet, it was easy)

Wrap with cling film, place in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour (can be placed in the freezer as well).

Slice the dough with a knife and place them on baking trays lined with parchment baking sheets.

Preheat oven to 160C and bake for 15 minutes.

Leave to cool...