Enjoy these soul-filling – and healthy – African dishes
These healthy recipes offer the traditional tastes and smells of African food with common ingredients.
Slow Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup
Using a slow cooker gives the complex seasonings ample time to develop and allows you to do other things while the soup is cooking.
Ingredients:
2 cups onion, chopped
2 cups carrot, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground pepper
6 cups broth, vegetable or reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
3 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 ¾ cups lentils
1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. tomato paste
4 cups fresh spinach, chopped or one package (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp. lemon juice
Directions:
Combine onions, carrots, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in spinach. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.
To make ahead: After stirring in spinach, cover and refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for up to six months. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice just before serving.
Chicken with Onions & Spiced Butter Sauce (Doro Alicha)
This milder version of the classic Ethiopian chicken stew, doro wot, trades the hot spice mix, known as berbere, for a mild turmeric sauce that’s potent with ginger and garlic.
Ingredients:
4 bone-in chicken leg quarters (2 ½ lbs. total), skin removed, trimmed
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sea salt
3 cups yellow onions, minced
3-5 cups warm water, divided
¼ cup clarified butter
⅓ cup fresh ginger, minced
2 ½ tbsp. fresh garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. equal parts dried basil and thyme
1 tsp. equal parts ground white pepper, cardamom and cinnamon
1 cup mead or dry white wine
2 large eggs
Directions:
Place chicken in a large, shallow, nonreactive dish and rub with lemon juice and salt. Set aside, turning the chicken occasionally.
Place onions in a large, heavy pot over medium heat and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add ¼-cup water and continue cooking, stirring often, and adding more water by the ¼-cup as needed to prevent browning, until very soft and translucent, 15 to 20 minutes. Add clarified butter and ginger, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes more. Increase heat to medium and stir in garlic, turmeric, two spice mixtures, then cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add mead or wine and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
Nestle the chicken (and any accumulated liquid) into the onion sauce. Pour in enough water to almost cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, turning the chicken occasionally, 15 to 25 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part without touching bone registers at least 165 degrees.
Meanwhile, hard-boil eggs and peel after cooled.
Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl. Cover to keep warm. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, and cook until reduced by about half, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, add eggs and simmer, gently turning once or twice, for 4 minutes. Cut the eggs in half and serve with the chicken and sauce in shallow bowls. This dish can be refrigerated for up to three days.
Source: EatingWell
