Local Superfoods With NaNa's Kitchen
Published:Tuesday | September 4, 2018 | 12:00 AMLatara Boodie/Lifestle Writer
Superfoods are a part of the new health craze that has been trending on both the local and international market. This food group is thought to be nutritionally dense and thus good for one's health. Here are recipes that focus on some locally available 'superfoods' that pack a ton of tasty nutrition with each bite! Enjoy these very green moringa, okra and parsley-based recipes! Recipes and images by Marianna, author of Nana's Kitchen. Connect on Instagram @missmariannaf.
Moringa is a very nutritious plant that has been used in traditional medicine in many parts of the world, as it contains a plethora of vitamins & minerals.
You'll need:
- 2 cups of moringa leaves, washed
- 1 dozen ackees, prepared and boiled
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- 2 plummy tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- Thyme
- Salt and black pepper
- Scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
- Coconut oil
The process:
- In a large pan, drizzle some coconut oil- and add the onions & garlic. Cook until transluscent.
- At that time, add thyme and cook for a little more. This helps release the oils of the thyme and intensifies the flavour
- Then add the scotch bonnet, tomatoes & green bell peppers- cook until soft.
- Add the moringa leaves- they will cook very quickly, in about 2 minutes!
- Finally, add the ackee. Season with salt & pepper. Mix everything well and cook for another short 5 minutes. Enjoy!
Feel free to add other aromatics like ginger or turmeric in here too!
This slimy superfood is a great source of fiber (to keep toxins away) and is an excellent source of antioxidants and folate.
You'll need (for 2-3 servings)
- 2 dozen okra, washed and chopped
- 4-5 plummy tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 cups chickpeas, cooked
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon curry spices
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro- chopped
- Coconut oil
- 1/2 scotch bonnet- finely chopped (optional)
- Salt
The process:
- First thing is to cook the okra. Drizzle some oil in a large pan, toss in the chopped okra and cook in medium-high heat for about 6 minutes. Add a few drops of water if the okra is sticking to the pan. Remove okra from pan and set the okra aside.
- We're now going to cook everything else. In the same pan, drizzle a bit of oil and cook the onions until translucent. Then add the curry spices, scotch bonnet and garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the diced tomatoes and cook until soft.
- Add the chickpeas, cooked okra, cilantro, garam masala, sprinkle of salt. Mix and cook everything together for another 5 minutes or so. You can add a bit of water if you want a bit of a gravy-ish feel to the recipe.
Parsley is an iron & calcium powerhouse and aids with detoxification. It is also rich in Vitamin C- helping to keep your immunity strong!
You'll need:
- 1 pack of spaghetti (or other long pasta)
- A HUGE bunch of FRESH parsley- about 4oz/110gr
- A bunch of FRESH basil- about 2.5oz/70gr
- 8 garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Salt
The process:
- Cook the spaghetti, drain and set aside. Keep 1 cup of the water the pasta was cooked in on the side.
- During that time: wash the parsley and basil- set aside. Do NOT chop off the stems.
- Add all the fresh herbs (whole), garlic and a drizzle of olive oil- process for just a few seconds- it will quickly become something like a very healthy pesto.
- In a large pan, drizzle some olive oil and return the cooked pasta and the herb/garlic blend. Cook everything together for just a few minutes- add a few drops of the pasta water to make it "saucy"-ish. Season with salt to taste. Enjoy!