China in Ghana

So, I went to Africa.

From the second I stepped off the plane, I knew I was far away from the world I was used to. Not to mention, traveling alone for your first international trip isn’t a walk in the park. The first night in Accra, a French speaking volunteer and I stayed in this little hotel room:

Though there was a bathroom, there was no running water. It was here I also learned that wheat bread hasn’t made its way into Africa yet. The next day, and every day after that, I had a piece of white bread for breakfast. The hotel topped our bread with a tomato omelet.

Driving through Accra, the capitol of Ghana, was shocking. The slums literally go for miles, and the traffic is out of this world.

But, once you get out of the city, the stereotypical African landscape starts. Every few miles you pass through a new village with stands selling mangos and used running shoes along the road, women carrying baskets on their heads and babies on their backs, and skeletons of buildings that were never completed.

I stayed in the Kpando District in the Volta Region, specifically in a village called Conda at the house of Mary and Peter Adjodoor. Mary cooked for us and ran her shop, Peter farmed and was always so concerned about how I was doing.

Oh, and we had a pet monkey named Charlie.

Unfortunately, Ghanaean food is not my cup of tea. A few of the popular foods there were palava sauce with boiled yams. Palava sauce is made of palm oil, gboma (African spinach), tomato paste, sardines and onions.

Another staple is Banku with tomato sauce, often served with an omelet on the side. Banku is made of fermented cornmeal mixed with cassava flour to form a spongy dough…with very little flavor or health benefits. The tomato sauce that it is served with is made up of tomato paste, palm oil, tinned fish and onions.

And fufu, which is often served with ground nut soup. Fufu is a gluey dough made of pounded cassava flour and plantain. Ground nut soup is ground nut paste mixed with palm oil (like everything else), cabbage and sometimes chicken.

The rest is either white bread, rice, fries, red rice, yam fries or boiled yams…and always served with either an egg or fried chicken. But on the bright side, I unintentionally lost a bit of weight on this African diet. (Getting really sick twice also might have helped)

I was able to travel a few times on the weekends, and went to the Wli Falls with a group of SFSU students who were also working with my NGO. Because I’m really brave (or masochistic) I went with a few of them on a 4 hour intense hike – when I say hike, I mean rock climb – to the upper falls. I was walking a little funny the next day but it was gorgeous and the best workout of my life. 

For a less strenuous day trip, a group of Dutch girls and I went to the city of Ho to spend a day laying at the pool at Chances Conference Center. Much more my speed.

Though I came back incredibly thankful to be an American, I’m glad I got to experience first hand how different so much of the world lives. Everything is harder, takes longer, and isn’t as sanitary, but it works for them.

Froyo Mango Granola Pie

The day before I left for Ghana, I invited a group of girls over for a going away dinner party. The theme was A Tapas Picnic, so everyone brought over an appetizer and we spread out on a blanket in the middle of our living room. I came up with this dessert in my head a while ago that’s basically the dessert version of my typical breakfast. Yogurt, fruit and granola. It turned out to be a great choice before Africa since it was the last cold dairy food that I had for about a month.

Froyo Mango Granola Pie

2 cups granola
1/2 cup pecans
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 pint frozen yogurt
1 large mango, diced

Preheat oven to 350. In a food processor, blend first four ingredients until well combined. Press mixture into a greased pie dish and bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

In a saucepan, heat mango over low heat until fruit starts to breakdown and becomes a chunky sauce. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Slightly thaw frozen yogurt and spread into pie crust. Top with cooled fruit and freeze for 1-2 hours or until frozen.

Goat Cheese, Mushroom, Broccoli Quiche & Healthy Cookies

Work is over. At least for the foreseeable future. I hope I can handle the lack of structure! (I think I’ll find a way to manage) This, and the acceptance of my friend Kat into UNC Law School were more than enough reasons to celebrate with a yummy dinner.

This quiche was AWESOME. Packed with vegetables and tangy goat cheese that made it especially addictive.

Goat Cheese, Mushroom & Broccoli Quiche

1 pie crust (we used Trader Joe’s|
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head of broccoli, cut into 1” pieces
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
2-3 ounces goat cheese (we used kalamata olive goat cheese)
1 ounce shredded mozzarella
4 eggs
3 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350. If crust is raw, poke with fork and bake for 5-7 minutes. Whisk eggs and milk together. In a large skillet, heat olive oil then add broccoli and onions. Sauté for 1-2 minutes, add garlic and cook another minute. Finally, add mushrooms and cook until cooked but still firm, about 3 more minutes. Add vegetables, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to pie crust. Follow with crumbled goat cheese and mozzarella, and pour egg mixture on top. Bake for 27-30 minutes, checking for doneness.

These are my groovy, nutrition focused version of the popular Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies. I imagine these are the kind of cookies served at the Portland Mayor's green roofed, LEED Certified condo because not only are they smaller and healthier, but most hazelnuts are produced in Oregon. 

After reading this article in USA Today about youth diabetes and how screwed the US is health-wise, I felt a pang of guilt about the cookies I was planning on bringing into the office on my last day. So, I lightened them up! How easy it is to swap out 800 (!) fatty calories for 100 saturated fatless calories by using 8 ounces unsweetened applesauce instead of butter. Whole wheat for part of the white flour is a no-brainer, then a cut back a bit on the sugar since the applesauce will do a little sweetening. As one who cooks for others, I feel a sense of responsibility to make my food as healthy as possible. Also, I'll admit that I'm a little vain. I like to look good. Eating well is essential in that recipe and since I'd like to enjoy these cookies too, I lightened them up. *Note: These are stickier and moister than your average chocolate chip cookie.

Portland Mayor LEED Certified Condo Hipster Cookies 
Adapted from Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies

1 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 stick butter
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1.5 eggs (of 1 egg and half a flax egg)
1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
1.5 cups chocolate chips
1.5 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. In a mixer bowl, beat the butter and apple sauce on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in the sugars and combine for 2 minutes. Add in the eggs, then vanilla. 

Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the chocolate chips, oats, coconut and hazelnuts. On a baking sheet lined with parchment or regular paper, drop 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough about 2-3 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until slightly underdone. Allow to cool 2-3 minutes on the pan before moving to rack. 

**For the cookie sandwich version, the filling is as follows:

Maple Cinnamon Frozen Yogurt

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt
2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Mix ingredients together in small tupperware container. Freeze for 1 hour and stir. Scoop frozen yogurt onto cookie and make a sandwich with a second cookie. Put on a plate back in the freezer and serve within 1-2 hours.

Salmon Salad Open’wich

How does one go about moving across the country? I can tell you because I've done it a time or two. You throw sh*t out. Why don't my parents have those crappy, but promising, pieces of my artwork from kindergarten? Why do I doubt I have a copy of my high school or college diplomas? Why do all of the clothes I own fit in one small closet? You have to make some hard decisions when you move. Live light. I think it has instilled good anti-hoarder habits that I have carried through life (maybe this is why I struggle to grasp the importance of filing papers?) As I prepare to move out of DC, I have liberally started the paring down process. I'm pretty sure by the time Fall rolls around, I'll be lucky to have a toothbrush. 

Tonight's dinner needed to be light to accommodate for Ina Garten's coconut cupcakes that Kat made for our Bach viewing party. Canned fish and sandwich thins in a pinch! 

Salmon Salad Open’wich

1 can salmon, packed in water
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sriracha to taste
salt and pepper
diced cucumber
diced avocado
sandwich thin
sliced tomato
shaved Parmesan

Strain water from salmon and place in medium size bowl. Add yogurt, mustard, sriracha, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix until combined. Stir in diced cucumber and top toasted sandwich thin or bread. Pile high with tomato, avocado, cheese – or whatever you’ve got.

Summer Vegetable Salad

Officially less than two weeks until I fly to Ghana! The excitement is almost outweighed by the anxiety of all that I have to do to prepare for that trip BUT that won’t stop me from spending as much time as I can with my DC friends and cooking delicious food.

I think I could subsist on summer salads. Two of my favorite things: summer and salads. If you think about it, when asked to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, you should say salad. What can’t be a salad? Chopped up vegetables mixed together with lemon juice? Check. Chopped up fruit mixed with honey and yogurt? Check. Boiled potatoes mixed with mayonnaise and hard boiled eggs? Check. Pasta mixed with herbs and cheese? Just chill it and Check! It becomes a salad. You get my point…

The beauty of this salad is that the ingredients speak for themselves. There’s no need for a dressing besides a little lemon juice, salt and pepper. And the vegetables are substitutable. Don’t have cucumber? Use red pepper. No beans? No sweat. (I should be a cheerleader for summer salads)

Summer Vegetable Salad

1/2 avocado, diced
1 vine ripe tomato, diced
1 ear sweet corn, cut off cob
1/2 English cucumber, diced
1/2 cup black beans, rinsed
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper

Bring a pot of water and the ear of corn to a boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from pot and pat dry before cutting kernels off cob into a large bowl. Add remaining diced vegetables to the bowl and toss with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve. Though great on its own, fresh basil would be a good addition to this recipe.

A Day in the Life

These types of posts have been popping up on various food blogs I follow, so I thought I’d give my version. It is amazing how boring consistent my days can be, food-wise. However, this will all be changing next week as I complete my final day of work and head off to worlds unknown. But for now, this is about accurate. First, meet my long-term BFF:

After my 6:30 a.m. wake up call, I used to immediately start pounding coffee before my drive to work. After I ran out of coffee a couple times, I noticed I had a lot less road rage on my drive to work (perhaps because I am in a zombie-sleeplike state) so I decided I’d now try to hold off before work. However, upon arrival I make a beeline to the Kurig. No stopping and chatting, no checking email, just coffee NOW.

Some exciting emailing, filing, databasing (and food blog perusing) ensues for about an hour until I make my oatmeal.

A mixture of old fashioned oats, ground flaxseed and cinnamon is topped with thawed frozen berries, half a banana and a teaspoon of peanut butter. It never gets old.

I may complain about work like the rest of the world, but I am spoiled rotten. Yes I get done at 4 p.m. everyday and I get to attend super cute 3rd grade bake sales, but above all, I get free lunch. A lunch that’s piled high with spinach, vegetables, cheese, fruit… fo’ free. Our salads can get almost obnoxiously large.

Midday snack: Omega-3 trail mix and some carrots.

When I get home, I immediately throw on work out clothes and get myself out the door or onto my yoga mat before I have time to talk myself out of it and get lazy. It may sound cheesy, but for those painful first few minutes of a run, I replay trite motivational work out quotes in my head to keep going: "Do you want to feel sore tomorrow or do you want to feel sorry?" "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." Sweat is fat crying!" ... Thank you Pinterest. 

These days my dinners have been based on a few parameters: super healthy and vegetable packed (as I hear vegetables are rare in Africa), inexpensive (since moving isn't cheap), and quick. A lot of sandwich thins have been employed in this process. Tonight was a sandwich thin, smeared with olive goat cheese and topped with sliced tomato, avocado and egg whites. On the side, a couple handfuls of spinach topped with cucumber, tomato, black beans and my new favorite dressing: plain yogurt, lemon juice and sriracha. 

By this time it’s close to 8 and I’m close to getting in bed. My roommate and I have made our bedtime progressively earlier each week. The working world just beats you down after a while!

Appetizer Buffet Dinner Party

My remaining time with my DC friends is dwindling which means dinner parties are a must. These dinners have been getting me through the work week since I first moved up here. Since we only had discombobulated ingredients to work with at home, I decided to devise an appetizer menu that used up what we had and let me get creative.  Not to mention, you always see recipes for cute, delicious looking appetizers but when do you ever actually get to make them? 

Menu is as follows:

Basil Vodka Strawberry Spritzers
Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Gorgonzola
Arugula & Apple Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Salmon-Avo Crostini
Sweet Potato Chips with Chive Yogurt Sauce & Hummus
Baked Brie with Mango Butter & Red Pepper Jelly
No Bake Snowball Cookies

Basil Vodka Strawberry Spritzers

1 shot Basil infused vodka*
1 frozen strawberries
sparkling water

*Add 1 bunch of basil in a tupperware container and pour 1 cup vodka over basil. Cover and store in refrigerator for up to 3 days. Strain basil leaves and keep vodka in freezer until ready to use.

Roasted Tomatoes Stuffed with Gorgonzola

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved and hollowed out
4 ounces gorgonzola, finely crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup breadcrumbs 

Preheat oven to 375. In a bowl combine olive oil and garlic, then toss hollowed tomatoes in the oil and spread on baking sheet, hollow side up. Combine gorgonzola and breadcrumbs, then stuff tomatoes and bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Steamed Artichoke with Lemon Butter

In a medium sized pot, set artichoke in 1-2 inches of water. Cover and steam for approximately 20 minutes, or until artichoke has started to open and is tender. Melt 2 tablespoons butter with juice from half of a lemon.

Arugula & Apple Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
Arugula
1 apple, shaved or sliced very thinly
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper

Mix together ingredients for vinaigrette and drizzle over the kale, apple and nuts. Best when prepared 15-30 minutes before serving. 

Salmon-Avo Corstini

French rounds (or toasted sliced French bread)
1 avocado, mashed
lemon juice
smoked salmon
salt and pepper

Spread mashed avocado on rounds and sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Top with smoked salmon and Greek yogurt (or tzatziki) if desired. 

The recipe for the No Bake Snowball Cookies can be found on Peas and Thank You.