Ackee Fruit & Green Bananas Dish

Ok, here is a dish that’s different for those who want to try. This is a staple dish for breakfast in the island of Jamaica which includes salted fish, green bananas, a steamed green vegetable and dumplings. My husband is an excellent cook so he made this without any meat or the extra stuff.

It’s normally eaten for breakfast but here in my house we have it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. It’s delicious and full of calcium, proteins and omega 6 fatty acids.  We are constantly asked by family members and friends, how we get our proteins and calcium if we don’t eat meat or drink cow’s milk…..so these amongst other plant base foods is how we maintain a healthy diet. 

Health benefits of the Ackee Fruit
Ackee Fruit is a bright red berry that grows all over in the tropics, Caribbean, and also in Florida. The fruit must be fully ripe and split open to be edible, otherwise it’s toxic. It’s loaded with fatty acids; in fact over 50% of the fatty acids are linoleic, stearic, and palmitic acids. It’s full of Omega 6 oils and do not contain any cholesterol or saturated fats. It looks and tastes similar to scrambled eggs. The Ackee Fruit is high in protein, full of good energy producing carbs, and great B and C Vitamins, Zinc, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Calcium. Ackee Fruit is low in calories, high in fiber, and low in carbs too!

The pods of the Ackee Fruit can be used instead of soap for washing clothes, used in cosmetics, and the seeds can be made into natural pesticides.

Benefits of Green Bananas
The green banana is really an unripened yellow banana but has different uses. While you can eat the yellow banana immediately after peeling, the green banana is best eaten cooked, either boiled or fried. Nutritionally, the green banana is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and contains a starch that may help control blood sugar, manage weight and lower blood cholesterol levels.

It’s also a good source of resistant starch which is a type of starch that cannot be broken down by enzymes in your digestive system and, therefore, acts more like a fiber than a starch. Green bananas contain a high amount of resistant starch which may reduce the risk of diabetes by aiding in blood sugar control and heart disease by helping to lower blood cholesterol levels.

In addition to the resistant starch, green bananas are also a good source of fiber, high in potassium and vitamin B-6. A 1-cup serving of boiled green bananas contains 3.6 g of fiber. Fiber can also reduce risk of diabetes and heart disease. In addition, fiber in food slows digestion, helping you feel full longer, aiding in weight control. A 1-cup serving of boiled green bananas contains 531 mg of potassium. Including more high-potassium foods in your diet may aid in blood pressure control.

Here is my version…well actually my hubby version of the recipe!

Ingredients

·         Green Bananas with skin on (1 pack)

·         Olive oil for sautéing

·         ½ Onion

·         Green Onions (sprinkle on top)

·         2 Tomatoes

·         5 Cloves Garlic

·         ½ a Stick of Leek

·         Sea Salt

·         Black Pepper

Wash green bananas with the skin still on, place in a pot of boiling water until tender about 15 minutes. Green bananas are fully cooked when you are able to stick a fork into the skin of the bananas. Next in a pan, add a little olive oil and fry the tomatoes for about 3 minutes add the onions, garlic and leek. Add your salt and black pepper for taste. Saute for about 2 minutes then you add the *Ackee Fruit, stir and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until you reach the desire taste. Sprinkle a little green onions on top and you are finish.    

*You can purchase Ackee Fruit at any international or Caribbean market. I used the Linstead Market Jamaica brand.

Serving Amount: 3 

Natural Fiber Washcloth

With all of the specialized cosmetics designed to improve women's complexions, why would anyone exfoliate with a washcloth? Well using a natural Ayate Washcloth made from natural agave fibers can yield great results when it comes to skin care. The natural fiber texture serves as an excellent exfoliant; it performs the same task as those specialized cleansers, at a fraction of the cost and without any of the chemicals that may be in those cleansers. 

It is soft, mildew resistant and yet durable enough for one year of daily use. Hand woven and made from 100% dried Agave fiber. When soaked in water, its natural fibers soften, expand, and the weave tightens back to improve its strength and pliability. Its quick drying and helps to restores and stimulates skin to leave it feeling invigorated and fresh without the harsh feel sometimes associated with other washcloths. The only facial grade exfoliation cloth for even fair skin types.

 Try one today!

Steamed Veggies

Today’s lunch was simple, easy, healthy and so tasty. 

Started by steamed some cabbage leaves, pop-choy, broccoli and sweet yellow peppers for about 2 minutes. 

On low heat add about a teaspoon and a half of vegan butter with minced garlic, lemon pepper, a little cyan pepper and a pinch of sea salt. 

Next add the vegetables and stir for a few seconds so it can absorb the flavor of the dish and that’s all to it. Tenderizing the vegetables avoid losing any of the healthy benefits.   

This dish was very simple, easy and did I say delicious. 

Vegan Pancakes

I came across this great recipe online a while ago…so this morning when I couldn’t figure what to give my kids for breakfast and was out of pancakes mixture….I remember this and decided to try it…but vegan style!

The original recipe posted below called for whole milk, eggs and all-purposed flour.  I substituted the whole milk with almond milk, the eggs with one banana and the all-purpose flour with a mix of spelt and white spelt flour. 

Oh……I also substituted the hazelnut extract with Madagascar bourbon vanilla extract.  This with the banana added, really gave the pancakes a super nice flavor.

Let’s just say everyone loved it…even my hubby who is not a pancake fan.  These pancakes were soft and fluffy in texture and taste great!

This is going to be my staple recipe for making pancakes and I have to say, its way better than the natural vegan mixes I have tried and force my kids to eat.  My children never eat them out and never liked them, so with this mix it was simple to make and cheaper.

If anyone decide to try this, let me know what you thought and if you like. 

Original Pancake Mix

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar (brown or white)
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp hazelnut extract

Instructions

1. In a bowl combine the lemon juice and milk, set aside for 15 minutes or until the milk curdles. Curdling the milk results in soft and fluffy pancakes
2. In a different bowl sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt
3. Wisk the egg, melted butter and hazelnut extract in a small bowl and combine with the milk mixture
4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the milk mixture
5. Combine gently,don't over mix. You can add berries, banana or chocolate chips
6. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes so it will be airy and light
7. Heat a slightly oiled griddle on low heat
8. Pour to make round circles of desired size
9. When the first side turns golden brown, flip with a spatula. Flip only once and don’t press down on the top
10. Serve warm with maple syrup