Healthy African Snack 2: Garden Egg And Groundnut Sauce.

Garden egg (Solanum melongena) is traditionally eaten raw, used in stews and salads in Africa. Garden eggs make wonderful snacks because they are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and active components which have antioxidant and other beneficial properties. Read here for more about garden eggs and their health properties.

 In South East Nigeria, it is popularly snacked on with a special sauce made with groundnut and local spices. This sauce has its origin amongst the Igbo people of Nigeria where it is called ose oji or okwu ose. It is the African version of peanut butter but with African spices added to it. Below are the main ingredients used in preparing groundnut sauce;

• Ground roasted groundnuts.
• Ground African or calabash nutmeg seeds (Read here about calabash nutmeg, uses, names and health benefits)
• Ground dry pepper. (Jalapeno, Cameroon pepper, bird's eye pepper, etc.)
• Ground African black pepper seeds. (Read here about African pepper, other names, uses and benefits)
• Ground alligator pepper seeds. 
• Vegetable oil.

To prepare, roasted groundnuts are ground and mixed with all the other ingredients. You may use peanut butter to replace groundnuts. It takes less than 10 minutes to prepare this healthy, spicy and tasty sauce.

From this snack, you gain a lot in terms of health benefits and garden eggs are rich in fiber too. If you are trying to maintain a good weight, limit the amount of groundnuts you will use in your sauce because groundnuts are high in calories. They however have healthy oils which promote good health.

Some people used groundnuts alone with garden eggs and this combination offers a lot of benefits too.

Let us hear from you below or by email to yvonnebosede06@gmail.com. Follow on Twitter @heal2bwell.

Healthy African Snack 1: Roasted Plantain.

Local name: Boli (Yoruba, Nigeria)

Roasted plantain is eaten everywhere plantain is found or grown. Ripe or unripe plantain can be used. The difference will be in the sweetness and texture as ripe plantains are sweeter and softer. 

100g of plantain has about 122 calories.

Preparing roasted plantain is easy and takes about 15 minutes to roast. They can also be baked or grilled. Below is how to grill or bake plantain;

1. Remove the skin.
2. Cut into two halves or leave whole.
3. Place on the barbeque grid or on a lined cookie sheet in the oven.
4. Grill or bake for 8 minutes.
5. Turn the plantain to the other side and heat for another 7 mins.

In Nigeria, roasted plantain is eaten with;

• Roasted groundnut or peanuts.
• Pepper sauce made from scotch pepper, bell pepper, palm oil, onions and salt.
• Salted palm oil.
• Pepper and vegetable sauce. Leafy vegetables like fluted pumpkin leaves, utazi, etc. are added to the pepper sauce.
• Roasted fish and pepper sauce.

If using roasted fish, both are usually roasted or baked together and take almost the same time to cook. Mackerel fish is the most common one used. Read here about the benefits of mackerel fish.

Roasted plantain is usually eaten from around midday to early evening. You can read more about the nutrients and health benefits of plantains here. It can be used as a snack or meal.

Please share healthy snacks or meals below or send to yvonnebosede06@gmail.com. Follow on Twitter @heal2bwell.

Healthy African Snacks.

Snacking is something we all do daily but unfortunately, most snacks that are easily available in urban centers now do not favour those on a diet or trying to lose weight. When you snack on the right foods, you get a lot of beneficial nutrients which promote good health, maintain a good weight, boost energy levels and promote healthy digestion.

There are lots of snacks of African origin that we have overlooked or considered not important or unhealthy over time. Some snacks are not familiar to us because they are prepared by other tribes while some just are unappealing to us because we do not understand what they contain.

I will be writing about snacks of African origin because most are made from whole raw materials and are prepared to be healthy. Most of these snacks have been prepared and eaten for centuries in Africa.

Due to the fact that these snacks are traditional snacks, one will find that they will contain more of the following ingredients;

• Whole grains.
• Nuts.
• Seeds.
• Fruits.
• Vegetables.
• Beans.
• Legumes.
• Starchy roots.
• Spices.
• Natural oils and fats.
• Milk and milk products.
• Lean meats.

They will also have less of the following;

• Saturated fats.
• Added sugars.
• Trans fats.
• Refined grains.
• Processed meats.
• High sodium content.

When you are on a diet that has more of whole foods than refined and processed foods, your health is definitely going to be better or improved and you can prevent a lot of disease. This is due to the fact that they will contain most of their macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, phytochemicals and fiber.

So whenever you are thinking of nibbling or snacking, plan ahead to ensure that you are eating the best for your health.

I will be writing about healthy snacks from Africa. Some are made from one ingredient while some are made from multiple ones. If you have healthy snacks to share, please do so below. Follow on Twitter @heal2bwell.