In the past, we talked about hibiscus flowers were used to make a popular drink called Bissap. Today, I will share with you a popular recipe, from Congo, made with roselle leaves instead of hibiscus flowers.
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Category: Vegan and Vegetarian
Rita’s Onion purée and Long hot chili paste
As I have told you on numerous occasions, seasoning is important in African cuisine. That’s why I always make in advance onion purée and chili paste to add to my dishes or to marinade meats.
Lentils rice pilaf with fried onions
As part of my special Christmas celebration blogging, I will share with you some of my favorite dishes for this special occasion. And even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, some of the recipes I will be sharing can be made on different occasions, festive or not. I just hope that you will love them just as much as I enjoy them.
Plantain fries with ginger
Plantains are among the staple ingredients in African cuisine. In fact, in most parts of Africa, Plantains are as unavoidable as potatoes are in the West. Grilled, boiled, pounded or deep fried, Plantains can be prepared in different ways and make good side dishes and snacks.
Grilled sweet potatoes with honey mustard dipping sauce
The recipe I will be sharing with you today is a simple but yet yummy dish which will satisfy your palate with delightfulness. Seriously, I’m not joking. In my opinion, sweet potatoes are without a doubt one of the best root vegetables on the planet. Not to mention that sweet potatoes are richer in nutrients than cereals for example. And they don’t require a lot of time to cook.
Brown rice with roasted sweet potatoes and spinach
There are those days where your life looks like an episode of Chopped. You have a bunch of ingredients seating in your fridge and pantry that usually don’t fit together. Or at least, you don’t think they fit together. But you are stuck with these ingredients because you didn’t have time to go grocery shopping or you are too lazy to make a stop at the grocery store.
Mikaté (Vegan African Donuts)
The Lingala word for donut is Mokaté (in plural the right word is Mikaté). Mikaté are commonly served for breakfast and for snack time. In Brazzaville (Congo), Mikaté are a street food favorite that you can find on the stand of almost every street vendor in popular neighbourhoods. It’s also the case in Brazzaville’s twin city across the Congo River, Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). In fact, Mikaté are without a doubt among the most liked and eaten dishes in both Congos.
Mushroom quinoa (Vegan)
I ended my Vegan week challenge with a simple and healthy recipe. My sister introduced me to quinoa six years ago and since then I’m totally hooked. I usually eat quinoa in salads, however from time to time, I find myself replacing rice with quinoa to accompany my curries or stew dishes. Quinoa is also listed as one the world’s healthiest foods because it’s a nutrient-rich grain with countless health benefits. Quinoa is easy to prepare and also gluten free.
Vegan African red beans stew or Madesu stew
Madesu is the Lingala word for beans. Beans are one of the staple ingredients in the African cuisine and they are cooked in every part of Africa in different ways. That’s why as part of my Vegan week, I decided to make a vegan version of the African red beans stew I used to have when I was growing up. Usually in Congo, Madesu or beans are served with beef, pork, salt cod or tripe sheep, however since I’m fully vegan this week; I decided to make this stew without adding any type of meat or fish.
Roasted BBQ chickpeas
On Day 2 of my Vegan challenge I decided to make a vegan and gluten free snack. Usually for a crunchy snack I would pick a bag of potato chips or shrimp chips when I do my grocery shopping. However, since this week, in the spirit of trying new vegan dishes, I decided to give this recipe of chickpeas a try because I had heard from many people who are vegans and not vegans that roasted chickpeas were delicious to eat. To be honest with you, after making them myself, I can tell you that I wasn’t disappointed. I would go as far as to say that this vegan snack will remain on my must-eat even after this Vegan challenge ends.
Rita's Notebook 