A Balanced plate- Lentils, rice with shrimp stew, cucumber, sunflower seed and cilantro coleslaw

I could call this "a way to get your toddler to eat something he said "No" to  5 minutes ago". I asked my toddler if he wanted to eat rice and he said "no" then I presented this dish and he started trying to get his hands on it.

Shrimp stew

This is a modification of a basic Nigerian stew recipe. Stew is basically tomatoes fried in onions and seasoned. I modify it by stir-frying instead of frying in a lot of oil. Some people like to use a lot of oil, I don't. When a lot of oil is used the tomatoes have a different taste because they are fried "dry." My method gets the sharp taste out of the tomatoes and they are seasoned without being fried in a lot of oil. 

Ingredients:

One pound of shrimps with the tail-on 

About a dozen Roma tomatoes, 1/2 of  one green bell pepper and a small bunch of cilantro, leaves plucked and, washed and blended with the tomatoes and bell pepper

Onions

1/4 tsp of minced garlic

Organic crushed tomatoes with basil, 1lb can 

water or chicken broth

Seasonings

Salt, 

Curry, 

Black pepper

Nestle's no msg Maggi Sauce

Cooking heat: Medium heat

The shrimp stew had fresh tomatoes blended with cilantro and green bell pepper. I started off making stew by sauteing onions and garlic. I used red onions in this case. I love the flavor of red onions, it is stronger than it's yellow onion counterpart and so I think it adds a flavor to stew when used. The tomatoes were stir-fried, seasoned with salt, Nestle's Maggi sauce, some black pepper, and curry. I used fresh shrimps with the tail on for flavor. I picked this option because a friend of mine had made a dish when she came to visit and the shrimps tasted so good with the tail on. I had been buying shrimps without the tail on in the past and the taste was pretty mild compared with this version of shrimps. I'm saying shrimps so much that I am reminding myself of Bubba from the movie Forrest Gump  😁. 

I didn't use a lot of oil so the tomatoes were not frying as much as the water level was drying out. I added in the shrimps and I let this cook for about 25 to 30 minutes. This helped the tomatoes carry the seasonings better. The oil started to settle at the top of the tomatoes and that was my indication that my sauce had cooked. At this point, I could add either broth or water to get it to the consistency that I desired. I added some chicken broth from my baked chicken. The seasoning in this broth was very mild so a basic broth could be used as a substitute. 

Baked Chicken

Antibiotic-free chicken seasoned with a Tandoori spice mixture and salt. 

I baked this for about an hour at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until it turned golden brown. This is a small whole chicken that I cut up. I prepare meals ahead of time and cook in bulk amounts so that it lasts for several days. After my chicken was fully baked, I poured out the chicken broth from my baking pan and stored it. 

Salad:

Cucumbers washed, diced and peeled, sunflower seeds, sliced white cabbage, and grated carrots. The salad dressing used was a Poppyseed dressing. 

Lentils:

1 small packet of brown lentils

3 tablespoons of cholesterol-free palm oil (also called red oil)

Half of one red onion, sliced, 

Dry crayfish washed & blended

Salt to season

I have brown lentils as a side on the plate pictured above. I discovered lentils within the last year and I  decided to try using them as a plant protein source because they cook in about 20 minutes versus other types of beans that take an hour or more to cook. Just like other plants in the bean family, it as a good source of fiber and protein. It also has vitamins and minerals so it is a nutritious part of this meal. 

To cook the lentils: 

I started by washing them in salt and water. I looked for any grain that seemed like it may have been more of an outer shell while washing, these would tend to float at the top. 

After washing, I added water well above the level of the lentils. It just needed enough water to boil and the extra water was sieved out. After this boiled for 20 minutes, (which is the recommended amount of time on the packaging), I tasted it and felt it needed to be a little softer for my taste. I adopted 25 to 30 minutes as my cooking time. 

The lentils cooked and I sieved them. While they were draining, I added some cholesterol-free palm oil to the empty pot, sliced red onions, and blended crayfish. I let the onions cook for about 2 minutes after which I added the lentils. I mixed this and added salt to season this. I let this cook for about 5 minutes so that the flavor is infused into the lentils. 

White Rice: White rice is a side in this dish. It is a carbohydrate and a source of energy so I added it to make this a balanced plate. I currently alternate between eating white rice and brown rice based on my energy needs.

Any questions? If you would like to try this recipe and have any questions, comment below to let me know.

Bon Appetit!