Loaded Baked Potato with a Twist.

This recipe is a fun twist on the classic comfort food -- a loaded baked potato. It is brought to you via one of my favorite cooking blogs, Sprouted Kitchen, a blog I find myself following more for its mouth watering photography than recipes, but sometimes the two combine into a force to contend with.

Meet baked sweet potatoes with chili beans.

Ingredients:

Medium sweet potato
Medium sweet white onion
1 tsp olive oil
One large beefsteak tomato (or canned whole tomatoes in juices, if no longer in season)
Two cloves garlic
Pinch of salt
Duck bacon (optional)
1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (from can)
One 20 oz can pinto beans
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp honey or nectar agave
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp paprika
Twist fresh ground black pepper

Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Sour cream or greek style plain yogurt (whole or 2%)

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Pierce holes in the sweet potatoes/yams with a fork, lightly wrap them in foil, and bake on the middle rack for about 45-55 minutes until soft.

2. Cut onion in half and thinly slice into half moon shapes. Pour olive oil into skillet on medium heat, heat gently, add onions and saute until slightly wilted. Cut tomato into thin wedges and add to pan. Add chopped garlic cloves and a pinch of salt.

3. I happened to have some duck bacon on hand (highly recommended!) so I decided to add 3 pre-cooked slices (cut into smaller than bite size pieces) to add depth and robustness to the flavor of the dish. Regular bacon could do the trick, but be careful with respect to adding any additional salt as most store bought bacon tends to be very high in salt content.

4. Dice the chipotle pepper into smaller than bite size pieces and add additional liquids from the can into the onion/tomato mixture as desired according to ability to tolerate heat. I spooned the pinto beans into the pan with a slotted spoon reserving the extra liquid in the can for adding into the pan one spoonful at a time, depending on taste, desired texture, and need to dilute some of the heat from the chipotle pepper.

5. Add the cumin, honey/nectar agave, cinnamon, paprika, and black pepper to taste.

6. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat for an additional 20 minutes cooking time while the flavors combine. Continue to add liquid from the pinto beans to taste and desired level of spiciness.

7. As the sweet potatoes finish, remove from oven and let cool for ~10 minutes. Slice in 1/2 and create a little cavern down the middle. Fill the potato with the pinto bean mixture and add desired toppings. The sour cream/yogurt is a refreshing and cooling contrast to the spice of the pinto bean mixture, while the fresh cilantro and the diced green onions provide a nice, crisp contrast to the sweet potatoes. 

Enjoy!

New map shows link between food and insecurity.

A new map of food security risk around the world is, in some ways, depressingly familiar. Sub-saharan Africa leaps out as the place where the most people fear for their next meal, while the rich world has more to fear from obesity. But there's plenty of salutary reminders and fascinating detail, like India's food problems and the vulnerability of Spain.


And it demonstrates the sickening, symbiotic relationship between lack of food and conflict: where one leads, the other follows.

We must start with the worst, in the horn of Africa. In Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea, human failings mean a severe drought has tipped millions into famine. It's a textbook case of why things go wrong. War begets poverty, leaving food unaffordable. Devastated infrastructure destroys both food production and the ability to truck in emergency food. The collapse of society means the effects of extreme weather such as drought cannot be dealt with. And the fear of violence turns people into refugees, leaving their livelihoods and social networks behind.

The recent spike in food prices, linked by some to the uprisings across north Africa and the Middle East, had also hit hard in Somalia. Maize prices in Mogadishu were 100% higher in June 2011 than in June 2010, and the price of sorghum in Somalia rose by 180% compared with 2010 prices.


Sharing Somalia's unhappy ranking as having the greatest risk of food crisis is the Democratic Republic of Congo, where all the factors above apply, plus the impact of as much as half its rich arable land being land grabbed by foreigners. The situation in DRC is simply scary: it is on track to be one of the most populous nations on Earth in coming years.

Turning to India, the new map, produced by risk analysts Maplecroft, reminds us that behind the booming economy of that vast nation, hundreds of millions of poor people remain hungry. Almost half of India's children are malnourished and one in four of the world's hungry poor live there.

"Despite the enormous economic growth India has and is experiencing, it still has very stark income inequality, which is reflected in the malnourishment and infant mortality data," says Helen Hodge, head of maps and indices at Maplecroft. The Maplecroft index, reviewed last year by the World Food Programme, uses 12 types of data to derive a measure of food risk that is based on the UN FAO's concept. That covers the availability, access and stability of food supplies, as well as the nutritional and health status of populations.

Spain and Portugal stand out as very rare examples of rich nations with a medium risk of food security problems. Hodge explains, that while water problems are an issue there, the major reason is heavy reliance on grain imports. Spain buys in 11bn kilograms of grain more than it exports every year at a cost of $2.6bn, while Portugal pays $890m for 3.3bn kilograms.

"Spain and Portugal have made the decision that olive oil and wine exports are more profitable than grain," she says, along with salad crops. So they sell lettuce and Rioja and buy wheat and corn with the profits.

That calculation may change if global food prices continue on their current upwards trend. In other parts of the world, soaring food costs may well ignite further conflict. "It is striking is how much food security plays into the wider picture of unrest," says Hodge.

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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/damian-carrington-blog/2011/aug/31/food-security-prices-conflict

Donkey.

with a Side of Baby Goat.

Unfortunately my current commute to work does not include a side of baby goat. Alas. Baby Goats are so cute and bouncy.

On a somewhat related note, if anyone is ever lucky enough to find themselves adventuring in British Columbia. I highly recommend a pitstop @ Goats on the Roof, otherwise known as Coombs Country Market.

Also, I tasted goat cheese for the first time in a long long while this past weekend, compliments of the Cherry Glen Farm at the Mount Pleasant Farmers Market. It made me a believer. Swing by our 'hood next weekend and see for yourself. I promise it will not disappoint. For those a wee skeptical, the bacon truly will knock your socks off.
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Source: http://www.isuwannee.com/2011/09/donkey-of-day.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ISuwannee+%28i+suwannee%29

N'Awlins Jazz Festival.

They came.

 They erected.

They ate.

They rocked.

They fell in love.

They left behind.

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Photo Credit: Andrei Sinioukov

Road Trip Food Delights.

it got better and better. all i can say is praline bacon. for real. you didn't think it could get any better did you?
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Photo Credits: Andrei Sinioukov

Nostalgic for St. Patrick's Day.

I heard the entire city of Chicago went on a bender last weekend, as is typical this time of year in commemoration of St. Patrick's Day. Something about wearing green and drinking copious amounts Irish spirits usually proves a recipe for disaster, as I have witnessed firsthand several years over along the green river.

I cant say I wish I was there among them, but I must admit that I am feeling extremely nostalgic for St Patrick's Day celebrations this year. Perhaps it is just a wishful diversion from work, but something doesn't feel quite right about letting this day go by without the standard fare of a draught guiness, corned beef and cabbage and some soda bread.

So in the spirit of St. Patrick's Day and also in celebration of my mom's birthday, I share an innovative recipe that you can count on to get your annual fix of Irish soda bread.

Beta Testing the Our New Toy.

Our novice attempts at mastering the grill resulted in this somewhat obscene picture:

But we couldn't argue with the results. It was delicious. For those among you perverse enough to be inspired by this picture head here.

Grill Master Needed.

Latest acquisition for the new house. Now accepting applications.

A Hundred Year Event.

It was a big one alright, some say it only happens every 100 years. Perhaps that is just an expression, or perhaps those folks are just alarmist by nature. But either way, there is no denying the severity and magnitude of the recent storm that passed through Dar.

I spent the better part of this week seeking refuge anywhere with electricity, as ours had been out for days on end without any indication of when we could expect it back. While mooching power for my computer and phone at our new favorite hangout, the atmosphere suddenly grew ominous. The sky darkened, the wind picked up, and huge rain drops began to fall with a deafening clatter on the rooftop. And eventually the power went out. Now even my go to electricity refuge had failed me. With approximately 2.5 hours of power left on my lap top, I decided to wait out the storm, in fact, it was kind of nice in an oddly romantic sort of way. Neighboring chatter about "adopting" babies out of rural Tanzanian villages (read: kidnapping them without proper paperwork) eventually prompted me to make a break for it. As I drove home the leading thought on my mind was where and how I would continue work without a reliable power source.

I returned home and it appeared as though our house had been looted by a band of pirates. Branches were down everywhere. Huge trees had fallen. Our gate lighting was knocked down and there was broken glass everywhere. Our guard/gardener greeted me at the door, obviously very energized by this rare storm, I, in turn, joked saying, "this will be a big job for you to clean up." He grinned and hopped to it, despite my rather flippant statement of the obvious.

Frankly, I did not give the storm a second thought, until I joined some friends for dinner last night and our conversation turned to the storm. Apparently, one of the largest boats at the yacht club became unmoored during the storm and crashed into three other boats, causing damage of untold proportions, the repair costs alone would surely surpass our combined income last year.

Then someone mentioned the fishermen. The very fishermen I recently blogged about. It is beyond doubt that many of them died in this storm, between huge swells overturning their tiny boats (if you can even call them that) and winds and rip tides pushing them far beyond paddling reach of Dar's shorelines. The storm came out of the blue, its not like any forward thinking fisherman could have known this or even planned their work day around it. So here again, a reality check that these guys literally risk life and limb braving the Indian Ocean waters to fetch about $3/day. And here I was worried about a power connection for my MacBook lap top.

Did you know?

In Tanzania, the catches of an estimated 55,000 small-scale fishers are not reflected in the government’s official statistics, representing approximately 40 percent of the total catch off of Tanzania's shoreline.

Every time we are out on the open water, we see these small-scale fishers hard at work. Sometimes on surf boards. Very far from the coast. Braving open water. They are dependent on these waters for economic livelihoods in much the same way we are dependent on these waters for weekend outings. Sure helps put things in perspective.

So why does this matter? The lack of accurate catch data puts management authorities at risk of over-licensing commercial foreign fleets to fish in their waters, while at the same time, stressing coastal communities that depend on these fishery resources for their survival.

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Source: WWF, Coastal East Africa Brochure

This One Goes Out to the One I Love.

For those looking to indulge a sweet tooth today in celebration of love, here is a divine chocolate cupcake recipe via lanalou.

Chocolate Cupcakes

100g cake flour

20g cocoa powder
140g caster sugar

1½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

40g softened butter

120ml milk

1 egg

½ tsp vanilla essence

* Mix flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter together with electric mixer till it forms a fine granule-like consistency.

* Add milk, egg and vanilla essence to the dry mixture and beat till smooth.

* Spoon mixture into cupcake cases until ⅔ full. Mixture makes about 12 cupcakes.

* Bake in pre-heated oven at 180˚C for about 20 minutes or until sponge bounces back when touched.

* When cool, either dust with icing sugar or ice with chocolate frosting.

Holiday Inspiration from the Spice Island.

Tis the season for over-imbibing and over-indulgence. But instead of sharing the standard bottle of red wine at your next holiday party, why not try something a little more inspired?! 

I came across the following recipes for Jamie Oliver's mulled wine and a holiday sangria featured on the Sprouted Kitchen, and the combination of winter fruits, warm spices and clementines all brought about immediate associations of the Christmas season in my mind. So drink it warm or cold, depending on your locale, but either way tis the season to add some spice in your life!

Interestingly, both of these recipes hit close to "home" not because mulled wine or sangria are holiday staples in our family, but rather because of my current proximity to Zanzibar, otherwise known as the "Spice Island." Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island approximately 20 miles off the Tanzania mainland, has a long history of growing spices. In 1698, Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman, which developed an economy of trade and cash crops with a ruling Arab elite. They developed large plantations to grow spices, and eventually the term "Spice Island" was coined in reference to Zanzibar. Today, spices continue to be one of Zanzibar's main industries, together with tourism. The islands are particularly well known for their production of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and pepper. 

Tourists to Zanzibar are welcomed to join any number the daily spice tours excursions to the plantations within easy reach of Stonetown. We had the pleasure of taking a spice tour on a recent trip to Zanzibar and it proved quite an interesting excursion. Perhaps in this case pictures are worth a 1000 words.

the "spicy" boy.

fru-ITs and spices.

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Photo Credits: 

# 1 and #2: http://sproutedkitchen.com/

As a side note: the photography on this site is amazing, and makes the blog well worth reading alone, even if cooking is not a personal interest. I highly recommend perusing this site.

pictures of fru-ITs and spices: Andrei Sinioukov

Cart O' Italian Delight in Zanzibar.

Perception Matters.

Traffic in Dar almost looks fun in sketch form.

These sketches of Dar street life are brought to you by Sarah Markes, who was trained at Central St. Martins in London as an illustrator and graphic designer, and who has lived in Dar es Salaam for the last seven years. Her ultimate aim is to produce a book of drawings and creative writing inspired by Dar es Salaam street life, which is supposed to be launched at the end of this year. I cant wait! In the mean time, be on the look out for updates on her work and progress here.

Frameworthy Saturday Afternoon.