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Ham Mac N’ Cheese with Caramelised Silver Skin Onions

Image: Naisenya

A most comforting dish.

INGREDIENTS:

500 g Elbow Macaroni (or any other pasta that you prefer)

1 tbp Salt

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

500 g Ham, chopped into squares

100 g All Purpose Flour

100 g Butter 

1 L Milk

250 g Cheddar Cheese, grated

350 g Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1/2 tsp ground Black Pepper

1/2 tsp ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Yellow Mustard

1 bunch Dania (Corriander), chopped

150 g Silver Skin Onions (mini opaque onions in jar)

1 tbsp Granulated Sugar

1 tbsp Water

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mac N’ Cheese:

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a pan & when hot sauté the ham squares for a couple of minutes, drain and set aside.
  • Boil the macaroni & salt until al denté (firm), drain & set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 220°C.
  • In a pot, heat up & continuously stir the butter and flour until it becomes a roux.
  • Add the milk, a little at a time, to the roux until the mixture is thickened and well homogenized into a white sauce.
  • Add the black pepper, nutmeg, yellow mustard, 3/4 of the cheddar & 3/4 of the mozzarella to the white sauce.
  • Put the cooked pasta, sautéed ham & white sauce in an oven dish & combine well.
  • Mix the remaining grated cheddar & mozzarella cheeses & sprinkle evenly over the mac n’ cheese.
  • Put the mac n’ cheese in the preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes or until the mac n’ cheese is bubbling on the edges & the cheese is golden brown on top.
  • Remove the mac n’ cheese and sprinkle the dania over it.

Caramelised Silver Skin Onions:

  • Put the sugar and water in a pan & heat until a syrup is formed.
  • Add the silver skin onions & cook until they are caramelized.
  • Serve the caramelized silver skin onions on top of the mac n’ cheese.

Happy Eating! 😃

 

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Vanilla & Strawberry Jam Ghee Cake

Image: Naisenya

One of the most aromatic, moist and delicious cakes by light years. All thanks to the mighty Ghee.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Batter:

200 g Granulated Sugar

200 ml Ghee (I used Lato)

250 g All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

3 Eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla Paste / Vanilla Extract

200 ml Strawberry Jam (leave some to serve with)

INSTRUCTIONS:

The Batter

  1. Preheat the fan oven to 170°C .
  2. Beat the sugar, eggs & vanilla paste or vanilla extract in a mixer on a medium speed.
  3. Add the ghee to batter & continue mixing until it increases in volume.
  4. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt into a bowl.
  5. Reduce the mixer speed to low & add the flour mixture 1/3  at a time.
  6. Pour the cake batter into two prepared oiled (I used vegetable oil) & floured or lined loaf tins. You can use one tin for a taller loaf.
  7. Dollop the strawberry jam on to the middle of the batter.
  8. Use a toothpick to gently swirl the batter & strawberry jam together.
  9. Put the cake batter into the oven for 45 – 50 minutes.
  10. Poke the cake with a toothpick or skewer in the middle at 40 -45 minutes. It is ready when the toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

Serve with vanilla ice-cream & the left over strawberry jam.

Happy Baking! 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰

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Double Chocolate Brownies

Image: Naisenya

No need for long explanations, I wanted loads of chocolate bundled into a small package and brownies came to mind. Voilà!

INGREDIENTS:

240g Butter/Margerine (melted and cooled)

2 tbsp Vegetable Oil

200g White Sugar

200g Brown Sugar (the one with molasses)

4 large eggs

2 tbsp Vanilla Extract/ Vanilla Paste

1 tsp Salt

130g All Purpose Flour

100g Cocoa (not drinking chocolate)

250g Chocolate Chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C.

2. Grease an 8×12-inch baking tin (the longer the pan the thinner and drier the brownie) and dust with cocoa powder or line with grease-proof paper.

3. Mix the melted butter/margarine, vegetable oil and the 2 sugars together until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla extract/paste then beat the mixture until it is lighter in colour.

4. Mix the flour, cocoa powder and salt together.

5. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined (don’t over beat the batter as this will affect the texture of your brownies).

6. Fold in 3/4 of the chocolate chips.

7. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin, smoothing the top out evenly, and top with remaining 1/4 of the chocolate chips.

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the middle of the brownies in the baking pan no longer jiggles. If testing with a toothpick, the toothpick should come out with a bit of batter for a gooey brownie. If you prefer firmer brownies bake for a further few minutes and keep checking. When you test with the tooth pick, it should have a smidgen of batter on it.

9. When the brownies have cooled to room temperature, you can begin slicing into your preferred size of brownies.

10. We used Cadbury’s Cocoa powder (which you can find in any supermarket) and the Vanilla Paste & Chocolate Chips from Naisenya Foods.

Absolute Decadence. 😆

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Honey-Mustard Chicken Wings

Honey-Mustard Chicken Wings

Honey-Mustard Chicken Wings

Image: Naisenya

A fabulous, fabulous recipe for the weekend and can be prepped a day a advance.

INGREDIENTS:

The Brine:

2 L Water

4 tbsp Salt

4 tbsp Sugar

2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

The Chicken:

1.5kg Chicken Wings

Basting Mariande:

10 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Yellow Mustard

1 tbsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Put all the brine ingredients into a pot and heat up until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove the pot from the heat and let the brine cool.

2. Once the brine is cooled, put it into a large bowl where you will also add the chicken wings.

3. Mix the brine and chicken thoroughly, cover with cling film and put in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.

4. Preheat your oven to 180°C.

5. Once the chicken is brined, drain the brine and thoroughly pat the chicken dry with a serviette or kitchen paper.

6. Put the chicken on foil lined tray and pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

7. While the chicken is grilling, mix all the basting ingredients together and set aside.

8. After 15 to 20 minutes there should be blood seeping out of the chicken. Baste the wings with a brush or spoon, making sure to cover all the exposed surfaces then pop them back into the oven.

9. Keep basting every 5-7 minutes until the wings are golden brown and a clear liquid seeps from the chicken. They are now done (the optimal internal temperature for cooked chicken should be 75°C).

10. Sprinkle with dania/coriander leaves and serve hot and liberally.

Our fabulous Yellow Mustard is available here.

Happy Grilling. 😃

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Rosemary & Sage Breaded Chicken

Rosemary & Sage Breaded Chicken

Image: Naisenya

The oven and a good book is apt for this simple and delicious recipe.

The prep time will depend on how much work you intend to do in the day itself.

I prefer to marinate and prep the bread crumbs the day or night before so that I am free to laze about, read and enjoy my day.

The recipe is as follows:

The Ingredients:

CHICKEN

2kg Chicken Thighs

165ml Buttermilk (I put 15ml of apple cider into 150ml of milk and let it sit for 15 minutes)

BREADCRUMBS

6 Slices of Brown Bread

2 Tbsps of Fresh Rosemary

1 Tbsp of Fresh Sage

1 Tbsp of Garlic Powder

1 Tbsp of Salt

1 Tsp of Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Marinate the chicken thighs in the buttermilk overnight.

2. Blend the breadcrumbs, rosemary, sage, garlic and salt to a fine crumb. Store in a container until the next day.

3. Remove the marinated chicken thighs and let them come to room temperature before handling them.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

5. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and coat in the breadcrumbs.

6. Place the chicken thighs on a large tray and bake until golden brown and a clear liquid comes out when you cut into the chicken.

7. Bon Appétit ! 😋

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Spiced Carrot Cake

Image: Naisenya

A fabulous spiced carrot cake to use up leftover uncooked carrots from your Sunday roast.

Ingredients

For the Batter:

200g Granulated Brown Sugar

2000ml Vegetable Oil

3 Eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla Paste

60ml Milk

3 Carrots (Medium) Grated

250g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Tea Masala

For the Glaze:

225g Icing Sugar

25ml Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Paste

Instructions

The Batter:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C

2. Add the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla paste and milk (wet ingredients) to a bowl and mix thoroughly. The mix should increase in volume.

3. Grate the carrots and press them between 2 pieces of kitchen towel to soak up the excess liquid. The excess liquid will not allow the grated carrots to evenly distribute in the batter and generally ruins the cake.

4. Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and tea masala (dry ingredients) in a separate bowl

5. Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.

6. Fold in the grated carrots into the batter gently.

7. Pour the cake batter into your preferred prepared (buttered and floured) tin and put into the oven for 30-35 minutes.

8. Put a toothpick into the middle of the cake to see if it is ready. It should come out clean. If not put the cake bake in for a few more minutes and then check again.

The Glaze:

1. Add the milk a little at a time to the icing sugar until you have a slow dropping consistency.

2. Add the vanilla paste and pour over the cake at your leisure 😋😋😋😋😋.

Happy Baking! 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰

The vanilla paste can be found here on our site.

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Lemon Loaf Cake with a Lemon Vanilla Caramel

Image: Naisenya

All from one lemon. No need to say anymore. 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

INGREDIENTS:

200 g Granulated Sugar

200 g Butter or Margarine

250 g All Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

60 ml Milk

1 tbsp Lemon Extract

1 Large Lemon

3 Eggs

50g Granulated Sugar

50ml Water

1 tbsp Butter

75 ml Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Paste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the fan oven to 160°C .

2. Beat the sugar and butter or margarine in a mixer on a medium speed until light and fluffy.

3. Add each egg one at a time while the mixer is still running.

3. Grate the entire lemon and keep the remainder aside for the caramel.

4. Add the lemon extract and grated lemon and mix on medium for 5 minutes.

5. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.

6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture 1/3  at a time.

7. Add the milk and mix for a further 5 minutes.

8. Pour the cake batter into one large prepared (buttered and floured or lined) baking tin or two smaller prepared tins depending on your preference.

9, Put into the oven for 50 – 55 minutes.

10. After 50 minutes check the middle of the cake with a toothpick or skewer.

It is ready when the toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

THE CARAMEL:

1. Squeeze the lemon juice from the remaining lemon.

2. Add the juice to the 50g  of sugar and 50ml of water in a pan and bring to a boil.

3. When it has reduced significantly and at the syrup stage add the butter.

4. When the mixture is at a bubbling boil carefully add the milk (it may spit and spatter).

6. Mix continuously for 10-15 minutes until the caramel thickens.

7. Take it off the heat and let it cool before adding the vanilla paste.

Pour over the cake slices at your leisure 😋😋😋😋😋.

The lemon extract vanilla paste can be found here on our site.

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Vanilla Glazed Loaf

Image: Naisenya

Vanilla glazed loaves made with our awesome vanilla paste.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Batter:

225 g Granulated Sugar

225 ml Vegetable Oil

300 g All Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 tbsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

75 ml Milk

3 Eggs

1 tbsp Vanilla Paste

For the Glaze:

225g Icing Sugar

25 ml Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Paste

INSTRUCTIONS:

The Batter

  1. Preheat the fan oven to 170°C .
  2. Beat the sugar and oil in a mixer on a medium speed.
  3. Add each egg one at a time while the mixer is still running.
  4. Add the vanilla paste and mix on medium for 5 minutes.
  5. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
  6. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture 1/3  at a time.
  7. Add the milk and mix for a further 5 minutes.
  8. Pour the cake batter into two prepared (buttered and floured or lined) loaf tins.
  9. Put into the oven for 50 – 55 minutes.
  10. After 50 minutes check the middle of the cake with a toothpick or skewer.
  11. It is ready when the toothpick/skewer comes out clean.

The Glaze

  1. Add the milk a little at a time to the icing sugar until you have a slow dropping consistency.
  2. Add the vanilla paste and pour over the cake loaves at your leisure 😋😋😋😋😋.

Happy Baking! 🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰

The vanilla paste can be found here on our site.

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Easy Sausage Rice Breakfast

Image: Naisenya

For those who feel lazy on Sunday mornings (me most of the time), a breakfast with some protein, carbs, veg and flavour, this is for you. It takes a few minutes and is ready by the time you want to get back in to bed/sofa.

Makes 4 Portions

400g – A pack of your favourite sausages
1 Tbsp – Vegetable Oil
4Cups – Pre-cooked (yesterday’s) rice
1 Tsp – Tomato Paste
3 Tbsp – Ketchup
1 Tbsp – Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tsp – Brown Sugar
2 Large Onions, chopped
4 Large Tomatoes, chopped
2 Tsp of Salt
Sprinkle of Pepper
4 Scrapes of Lime Rind
2 Stems of Fresh Rosemary

1. Prepared the rice. If it is pre-cooked or yesterday’s, remove the amount required and set aside.
2. Scrape the lime rind, de-leaf the rosemary and at the rind and rosemary leaves to the salt. Mix well.
3. Cook the sausages. When partially cooled, cut into slices.
4. Put the oil, onions, vinegar, ketchup, tomato paste, and pepper in a pan on a medium heat.
5. In the mean-time chop up the tomatoes.
6. After 7 minutes add the sliced sausages and stir well until completely coated with the sauce.
7. After another 7 minutes add the rice and 1/3rd of the chopped tomatoes. Combine well. Cook until the liquid reduces.
8. Take the pan off the hob, serve on to a dish and add the rest of the chopped tomatoes on top.
9. Sprinkle the rosemary lime salt on top to taste. (Naisenya Foods is currently testing new flavoured salts – stay tuned).
10. Bon Appetit.

Check out amazing products from Naisenya Foods.

Free delivery for orders over Ksh.5000/=.

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Easy Cheesy Honey Bacon Toast

Cheesy Bacon Toast
Image: Naisenya

Yes just as it says, easy cheesy bacon toast. I think this one will be repeated for the next couple of days. Scrummy!

Makes 1 Portion.

Ingredients:

100g – Streaky bacon (or whichever one you prefer)
100g – Mature cheddar
2 Slices of bread, toasted and buttered
A drizzle of honey

1. Chop up the cheddar and bacon into cubes and set the cheddar aside.
2. Lightly toast the bread and apply ample butter.
3. Put on your grill on high, while frying the bacon.
4. Cut the toast into triangles and layer as desired.
5. Add the cheese cubes and fried bacon lavishly onto the toast.
6. At this point, you can either grill or put the delicious mound in the microwave on high.
7. Bon Appetit.

Check out amazing products from Naisenya Foods. Free delivery for orders over Ksh.5000/=.