All five of my children and my grandchildren cook the same way that I do – by watching and observing, and they’ve been helping me cook all of their lives. There’s always something for them to do when we’re in the kitchen, whether it’s chopping and dicing, washing or seasoning. There can never be too many hands when making dinner. Often, I find that kids love to experiment in the kitchen, and I am all for letting them, as long as they stay within range.

Some of the first lessons I ever taught them about cooking was to use their sense of smell and to be brave, bold and not afraid of making mistakes with their creativity. Sometimes, a simple kitchen gaffe can turn into something fantastic if you’re brave and confident enough to fix it.

When they were infants, my kids were securely packed on my chest in Snugglies while I worked in the kitchen. As toddlers I carefully balanced them on one hip while I stirred my pots. They all started learning how to cook when they were as young as 5, and over the years have developed their own versions of the foods that they’ve tasted and like. The two older ones who long ago moved out still call me whenever they get stuck on a recipe.

I love eating food almost as much as I do preparing it. So, whenever I eat something delightful, I use my taste buds to discern the flavorings and come up with my own version of it. Whether I’m eating out in a restaurant,  at some one’s house or remembering the foods that my grandmothers and parents made, I’ve taken copious mental notes to draw from when I’m back in my kitchen.

Back in 1993 I had landed an anchoring gig at 1010 WINS News Radio in New York City. I was desperately looking for a house in Teaneck, N.J., when we stumbled upon a small café’ called Classic Quiche. We’d stopped there to get directions and, also hungry, were delighted to find that the restaurant’s menu was based entirely around quiche, salad and cream of mushroom soup with spinach – all favorites of  ours. The place was tiny, the kind that two people could easily manage. It seemed to be a franchise and the owner, a delightful woman named Sandra, immediately befriended us. Turns out the house we were looking for and eventually moved into was right around the corner, and Classic Quiche became a regular treat for us.

Ever since then, quiche has been a household staple for my family. Although Sandra long ago sold her restaurant, new owners have maintained its simple format  and it remains located in Teaneck.  Although I never asked Sandra to share her recipes, I’ve since become an avid quiche student.

My brother-in-law Bill, who will whip up a quiche on a moment’s notice, has taught me that it’s the perfect comfort food. One, because it’s simple to make, and two, because it can serve as a whole meal in one or as a side dish. I love quiche for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it’s great either all by itself or with a salad. Quiche is also good as an appetizer, and can be served either right from the oven or cold for lunch the next day. Best yet, it’s simple to make as well as nourishing, and  it has all of the essential nutrients that we need in our diets.

Quiche can include virtually any type of food that you want it to. You can make an entire pie-sized quiche or tiny ones to serve as appetizers. Every time I make quiche my children help develop new combinations. They came up with this one quite by accident when they added soy crumbles.

Spinach/Soy Quiche

Pre-heat oven to 375°F

6 eggs

1 cup mild cheddar cheese (grated)

1 cup Gouda cheese (grated)

¼ cup freshly shaved Parmesan cheese

1 box frozen chopped or whole-leaf spinach, thawed and drained completely

1 pint light cream

1/4 cup 2% milk

2 prepared pie crusts

(Read ingredients on the crust to avoid lard and use prepared crusts made with 100% vegetable oil)

¼ cup soy crumbles

5 button mushrooms, capped and sliced

1/2 vine-ripe tomato (sliced)

Directions

• Beat the eggs and mix with light cream, milk, Gouda and cheddar cheese, and set aside
• Place pie crust in the oven for seven minutes  and then remove them (this takes out the moisture)
• Line the bottom of the crust with soy crumbles
• Whip spinach with eggs, milk and cheese mixture. Bake for 40 minutes until the center is almost firm
• Carefully place mushrooms and sliced tomatoes on the top (they’ll burn if you cook them the entire time)
• Sprinkle with shaved Parmesan and lower heat to 325° F
• Bake for another 20 minutes until cheese is melted and the center is firm.

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One of them is using tofu, which can be prepared in a variety of ways. The good thing about tofu is its flexibility. And it’s also very cost-efficient, averaging about $3 for a block that can easily feed 4-6 people - depending on their appetites – when mixed with vegetables.

It took years for me to like tofu, which is basically curdled soy milk that comes from the soybean. Sounds yucky, right? It’s really not bad at all. In fact, tofu is one of the few foods that my picky daughter number four loves and will eat consistently.

I’ve eaten tofu prepared as chicken salad or made to taste exactly like tuna. However, I prefer it seared in olive oil and garlic, then mixed with stir-fried vegetables, served over brown rice.

But because tofu is so bland, you have to work with it to get it to taste really good. Tofu comes in a block, packed in water and I’ve found that there’s a big debate over how to press out the excess water, which will make it hold seasoning better and easier to cook. There are tofu presses but they really aren’t necessary.

I simply sit my tofu between two plates underneath my cast-iron frying pan to squeeze out the excess water. Then I season it and sear it in that same pan with garlic and olive or sesame oil.

Stir-fried veggies with tofu (feeds 6)

Best prepared in a wok

Ingredients

1 package of firm tofu

½ head broccoli (florets only)

¼ head cauliflower (florets only)

4 large button mushroom caps (sliced)

½ yellow pepper (seeded and sliced lengthwise)

1 small yellow onion (sliced)

½ cup baby carrots (halved lengthwise)

¼ cup virgin olive oil or sesame oil

3 cloves fresh garlic (diced)

1 pinch sea salt

1/8  cup Tamari or soy sauce

1tbs cornstarch

Directions

• Drain off water and place tofu in between two plates, and then under a cast-iron frying pan or something heavy to squeeze out excess water. Half the tofu lengthwise and slice about ¼ inch thick
• Heat ½ of olive oil in a wok or cast-iron pan
• Fry pieces of tofu until golden brown on each side and set aside
• Add remaining oil and sauté garlic and then vegetables until the broccoli is just bright green.Lay tofu into the veggies.
• Mix Tamari sauce and cornstarch into a paste and then stir into vegetables.
• Season with salt at serving time

Note : Sesame oil is lighter and heats much faster than olive oil. Be careful not to burn it.

Serve over brown rice

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It’s much easier for us to sit around watching TV and eating hoagies and pizza than it is to actually cook every night. And we’d much rather drive to the store than walk, even though the supermarket may just be right around the corner. 

First Lady Michelle Obama is absolutely on point when she talks about parents being so stressed out that it’s easier not to have to cook every night. But it’s really quite simple to join in her quest to fight childhood obesity, which requires some discipline and planning on our part. By making simple lifestyle changes in our daily routines, we can automatically lead healthier lives. 

Nine Daily Steps to Better Health 

1. Prayer
2. Breath
3. Water
4. Nourishment
5. Exercise
6. Positivity
7. Love
8. Work
9. Charity

Many factors contribute to the fact that as a nation, Americans just aren’t healthy. In general, we are too fat, too sedentary and too lacking in basic health regimes like drinking enough water. We also eat too much and should learn to eat less as we get older. 

We eat too much meat, especially in communities with people of color where meat – especially pork – plays a prominent role in the diet. My family’s southern roots meant their merciless lambasting of me when I decided to quit eating pork back in 1974.I think the pig is one of the filthiest animals on the planet and will never eat it again. 

In addition, animals actually aren’t  the most efficient way to get protein anyway because  meat usually includes a fair amount of  fat – not to mention hormones if they aren’t grain-fed. We eat some meat in my family, particularly lamb and chickens, that are fed on the ground, but we never eat meat every day. 

Not even twice a week. In between meat days, we eat fish, tofu and beans. The wonderful thing about the latter two is that they are also much cheaper than meat. 

Many people think that if you don’t eat meat then you won’t have a good source of protein, which is absolutely false. There are many other higher-quality sources of protein such as soy, beans or legumes. There’s nothing more nourishing on a cold winter day than a good cup of hot bean soup, which  is full of both fiber and protein. Soup is also a good place to use leftovers like vegetables. 

The other day I was looking for something to do with my leftover (homemade) salsa, sweet potatoes and collard greens, and decided to make a delicious bean soup that was simple to put together. 

Navy Bean Soup  

Ingredients 

3 cups dried navy beans, soaked for at least three hours and rinsed well 

5 cups filtered or spring water 

1 large cooked sweet potato 

3 cups fresh leftover salsa 

1  tsp salt 

1 tsp black pepper 

3  tbs Virgin olive oil 

3  cloves of fresh garlic, chopped 

1 cup baby carrots 

Leftover collard greens and the pot liquor 

1 cup Yukon potatoes, skinned and diced 

Directions 

Bring water to a rolling boil. 

Add beans, reduce heat to low-medium and cover 

Cook for 2 ½  hours, stirring occasionally 

Add both potatoes 

Heat olive oil (be careful not to burn) and saute garlic until lightly browned 

Add seasonings, salsa, greens and carrots 

Pour entire mixture into beans and stir. 

Simmer on low until all ingredients have softened and assimilated 

Allow soup to rest covered for five minutes before serving with a side of seven-grain toast or cornbread

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Here in Philadelphia, where I still have two children enrolled in public schools, serving breakfast has been added to the long list of non-teaching responsibilities that schools have inherited because of  lax parents who don’t completely do their jobs. Children skipping breakfast or eating candy instead on their way to school has such a negative effect on their academic performance that Philadelphia’s School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman holds school principals accountable for making sure that children get breakfast.

I just don’t understand what kind of parent doesn’t understand the importance of making sure that their children eat wholesome meals. And I’m really surprised when my children tell me that not all of their friends’ parents cook healthy meals like I do. Especially, breakfast, which nutritionists say is the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast kick-starts the body, so every morning, we make sure that our children get a hearty meal.We prepare turkey or soy bacon or sausage; eggs; grits;  French- toast, pancakes, or Eggs in A Basket. Protein is a very necessary body-builder and it’s also great brain food.

On the weekends we allow them to have non-sugary cereal and fruit and yogurt or bagels.

The problem is that with Philadelphia public schools having to feed hundreds of thousands of students, many who attend schools that don’t have  kitchens. I don’t trust anyone else with the responsibility of feeding my children their most important meal of the day. It’s essential that children eat protein in particular.

Whenever my youngest and pickiest child tries to skip breakfast, I remind her that not eating it is nearly as crazy as trying to drive a car with no gas. A vehicle just isn’t going to drive on empty, or without oil and water.

Our eldest student has to leave the house at 6:30 in order to get to school on time. And, no matter how hard we all try to get her out the door on time, sometimes she just doesn’t have time to eat before she catches her train downtown. So, although we really don’t advise folks to eat on the run because it interferes with proper digestion, we do pack her Eggs in a Basket to eat during her 40-minute train ride,  just to make sure that she gets something healthy in her body before she puts her brain to work.

Eggs in a Basket (feeds 6)

Ingredients

1 loaf of bread, preferably seven-grain or rye but our children love potato bread

1 dozen caged-free, all natural eggs

2 tbs butter, or coat pan with no-stick cooking spray

Salt, pepper to taste

1 non stick frying pan

1 cookie cutter, but the top of a glass will do

Directions

Using a cookie cutter or the top of a glass, cut a hole in the center of each slice of bread, careful not to break the crusts

Heat  butter or vegetable spray in pan until it sizzles

Place bread slices in pan, leaving about one-inch of space in between (cook in batches, if necessary)

Crack the egg into the center of the bread, and salt and pepper to taste

Continue to flip the Egg-in-a Basket and cook until the bread has browned on each side and the egg yolk is hard

Toast and butter the bread centers, and serve them to the side of the Eggs in the Basket

(Our youngest daughter hates egg yolks, so we separate her eggs and make hers with egg whites only)

Serve hot with turkey or soy bacon or sausage, grits, home-fries or a side of fruit

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And as unhealthy as they are, they are a favorite in my house. And that’s why I like First Lady Michelle Obama’s 10 percent rule: If she eats what she should 90 percent of the time, she’ll allow herself to eat some junk the other 10.

Works for me, and then I don’t feel so guilty when I make chicken fingers for my family. Children universally love chicken fingers - which is reason enough for me to break from discipline and serve them as a treat. Even my youngest and pickiest child will eat my fried-chicken fingers any time. That in mind, I’ll make chicken fingers for my grandchildren when they come for dinner tonight.

It’s my eldest daughter’s birthday, and she asked me to make them for her kids. Of course I said yes. Along with the chicken fingers comes their other favorite, home fries, which are just as unhealthy. I long ago gave up on the idea that any fast food restaurant can out-fry me in chicken fingers.

No matter which fast food joint I go to, the fried-chicken fingers are never cooked just right. Either the batter is too flaky or the fingers aren’t cooked long enough or they taste too frozen. It’s also a very rare restaurant that uses fresh chicken breasts. When you eat  out, they are almost always, always frozen.

So, every once in a while, I break from our healthy routine and put my cast iron pan to work as a fryer. But I’m not a complete pushover, so I trick them into eating something healthy as well. My grands get to eat lots and lots of broccoli. For every chicken finger they get, they also have to eat two pieces of broccoli. Fortunately, their mother has taught them to love it steamed, and served with garlic, olive oil and lemon pepper.

Chicken fingers (serves

Ingredients

5 boned, skinless chicken breasts

One cup of corn oil

Two cups of Italian breadcrumbs

1  tbs garlic powder

1 tbs  onion powder

1 tbs seasoning

1 tbs oregano

1 tsp finely ground sea salt

1tsp black pepper

Directions

Wash and pat dry chicken breasts

Mix all seasonings with bread crumbs and set aside

Heat oil in large cast iron skillet

Slice each breast through the middle and then into chicken fingers.  (You decide what size.)

Coat each piece with bread crumb mixture and shake off the excess

When oil sizzles to crumbs dropped into it, it is hot enough for frying

Cook chicken fingers in batches until they are browned on each side, making sure that the meat is white inside (app 12 min)

Serve warm with coleslaw, steamed broccoli and home fries

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Sick days (which were seldom) meant staying in bed all day, snuggled up with a good book and Mom waiting on us hand-and-foot. Even when the illness was only something simple like a cold.

First, there was the extra blanket that was always extra-soft and fresh from the dryer. A sick tray next to the bed included tissues, water, orange juice, aspirin, Vicks Vapor Rub and cough medicine. A second tray would appear at meal times stocked with fresh-made cinnamon toast, chicken noodle soup and a cup of her special cocoa.

Remembering those days prompted me to make a healing soup for Mom’s cold, full of fresh garlic, herbs and vegetables.

Garlic  is best when it’s eaten raw, and has tremendous medicinal powers that not only helps knock out colds but can also serve as a natural antibiotic. I’ll actually take it chopped up fine, placed on the back of my tongue and swallowed with a big glass of tepid water right behind it.

Since I couldn’t stay right by her side and nurse Mom the way she took care of us, I made her a care package that included peppermint tea, honey, fresh ginger, oatmeal, blueberries, raisin toast and a big pot of my vegetable soup.

I made it from scratch, with love, and it was filled with ingredients that are specific to helping break up a cold.

I wanted the soup to have lots of vegetables with vitamin C, so I included lots of fresh tomatoes. For some heat, I added plenty of fresh garlic and onions; fresh parsley; cilantro; cayenne pepper; red, orange and yellow peppers, and sweet potatoes.

By the way, I store in my freezer pot-liquor made of left0ver broth from any vegetables that I cook.

 Soup to fight colds

Ingredients

2 ½ lbs plum tomatoes (skinned and cored)

2 ½ lbs vine ripe tomatoes (skinned ad cored)

1 head of garlic (skinned and finely chopped)

½ cup virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions (chopped)

1 med red pepper (cut lengthwise on into ¼ pieces)

1 med orange pepper (cut lengthwise on into ¼ pieces)

1 med yellow pepper (cut lengthwise on into ¼ pieces)

3 small zucchinis (quartered and sliced)

4 med yellow squashes (quartered and sliced)

3 large yams (cut lengthwise into thick slices)

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (diced -1 inch pieces)

1 cup leftover collards (chopped)

3 cups vegetable broth (pot-liquor is best)

1 jar gourmet spaghetti sauce (My favorite is Neumann’s Own- Sock-aroon)

1 small bag baby carrots

2 tbs onion  powder

3 tbs  Sazon

1 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it real spicy)

2  tbs honey

2 tbs oregano

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbs Tamari Sauce

 Directions

• Place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water until the skin cracks, let cool, core and set aside
• Heat  ½ of the olive oil on a low flame, and sauté garlic, onions, peppers and herbs
• Add carrots, yams, potatoes, carrots, squashes and collards
• Follow with all liquids, remaining olive oil and tomatoes, and break them into soup with a wooden spoon
• Add all of the herbs, spices, Tamari, honey and  stir completely
• Reduce heat and simmer while covered
• When vegetables are soft, turn off heat and let soup rest while covered for 5 minutes. Serve with seven-grain toast and avocado slices

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Curried chicken is a delightful and nutritious way to feed the family a comforting meal. And for my youngest,  it’s a way to sneak in vegetables when she’s not looking. Yellow curried chicken is simple to make and can actually stand on its own, although I prefer to serve it over rice, couscous, or pasta.

There are many different ways to make curried chicken,  and after sampling various different kinds at several Thai  and Jamaican restaurants,  my own personal recipe has taken me while to perfect.

There are also many different types of curry powder, which is a blend of many different exotic spices and it’s best to make your own.

However, if you don’t normally stock your kitchen with all of these spices, or you prefer using a commercial brand, I strongly recommend that you purchase your curry either from a good Jamaican store, or a gourmet shop because supermarket brands of curry are typically bland.

I like to cook my curried chicken long enough for the curry to seep into the meat and the potatoes.  Then I garnish it with a sprinkle of grated coconut and a dash of cayenne pepper and Tamari sauce.

Yellow curried chicken and vegetables (feeds 8-12, depending on the size of their appetites)

Ingredients

1/4  cup virgin olive oil

1 – 18 piece fryer pack of chicken

1 yellow Pepper (cored and julienned)

1 large yellow onion (peeled and sliced)

2 cups baby carrots

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (thawed and drained)

2 medium sized Yukon potatoes (peeled and cut into large chunks)

1 large sweet potato (peeled and cut into large chunks)

2 cans coconut milk

¼ cup yellow raisins

¼ cup curry powder

3 tbs Sazon seasoning

2 tbs garlic Powder

1 tsp fresh ginger (grated)

Cayenne pepper to taste

Tamari sauce to taste

½ cup grated coconut for garnish

Directions

Heat olive oil on medium heat

Wash and pat dry chicken, then brown (in separate batches, if necessary), then set aside

Scrape the pan dripping and in it, sauté all of the fresh vegetables

Blend the curry and coconut   milk with a wooden spoon

Stir in all spices, raisins and the coconut milk mixture and reduce heat to a simmer

Return chicken to pan and cover and stir to blend all ingredients.

Continue to simmer for about one hour, until the chicken falls off of the bones.

Add the frozen vegetables ten minutes before serving and continue to simmer

Serve over rice, angel haired pasta, or couscous or-in a bowl with crackers or garlic bread on the side

Garnish with tamari, cayenne pepper and grated coconut

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Longing for the sun, ocean and waves, I am definitely much happier when sitting near palm trees than I am layering my clothes for inhumane temperatures.  And although I fear earthquakes and hurricanes, one of these days I’m either moving to California or Florida or maybe even to somewhere in the tropics.

Long ago, I used to file ski reports for the AMI Ski Radio Networks, but in reality, I’ve only been on skis once in my life. And I had more fun on the ski lift than I did actually skiing. Real truth be told? A hot toddy laced with rum is definitely my idea of having fun in the Poconos.

So when the power went off last night in my neighborhood, just as I had boiled the water to make pasta and put the finishing touches on my dinner, I was not a happy camper. It was no fun at all! To top it all off,  there was not a cocktail to be found.

To their own glee, the kids had been out of school for three days. Just wait until June when the school calendar gets longer, I had warned them.

Earlier in the day, during the height of Philadelphia’s blizzard of the century, an old girlfriend (now a former) drove right past me and my mate Natu as we hiked through the storm to the supermarket. Never mind that I took her everywhere she needed to go when I had a car and she didn’t (and she never hesitated to call me to hitch a ride). Talk about a stinging slap in the face! She even had the nerve to speak to us when she saw us a few minutes later at the store. Needless to say, I just turned my back and stalked away in a huff.

But GOD always sends us angels when we need them most, and just a few moments later, we ran into some of our real friends who offered to take us home.

I was still in a state of pissocity when the power blew in our neighborhood later in the evening, and that didn’t help. I realized that we had no heat, just a few candles, and several bored and hungry kids along with some of their friends. However, at least I had finished cooking most of the food. But with no wine, which I desperately wanted after being pinned in with them all for the past three days, my temper was tenuous at best.

So I pulled out my favorite inspirational book called “Grace For The Moment” and read by the glow of candlelight,  today’s thought:

A MORSEL OF KINDNESS – “Suppose someone has enough to live and sees a brother or sister in need, but does not help. Then GOD is not living in that person.” 1 John 3:17.

The biblical quote soothed my broken spirit, and I realize there’s always an upside to every challenge.

And last night, while our children giggled in the dark, Natu and I cooled out by playing “Othello” (a first) by candlelight. Looking back on the blizzard of 2010, I realize our kids were the real troopers, too, because they never complained once.

And now I know – get candles, flashlights and battery-operated heaters, and perhaps some wings so I can fly away until the spring arrives …

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Slowly but surely, she is getting rid of her extra pounds, and I can personally relate to her need to lose weight and get in better shape.

The other day when I tried to give myself a pedicure I couldn’t even touch my feet and I cried. It’s not because I’m not flexible, I am. It was because of that big round mound that sits under my chest. I must admit  that I’ve turned into a ”tubby tundra” and it  ain’t pretty.

These days, from the White House to our homes, losing weight must become a priority for everyone who is obese.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s rollout of a plan to fight childhood obesity is very timely because America is fighting desperately to fix its broken health care system. Fighting fat by getting people to change their eating habits and  exercise are just two methods for doing this.

I played competitive sports all through high school and college, and I never had to worry about my weight. Thirty-some years later, without the intensity of that type of exercise, weight has become a problem for me. Not only is it unsightly and damaging to myself esteem, but it also makes simple things like giving myself a pedicure hard. Going from size 7 to size 14 took  time, so I know it will take time to get back down in size.

There are a myriad of reasons that America is fat.

But people who are in good shape will tell you they not only look and feel better, but they function at a higher level.

When Philadelphia was named America’s fattest city by Men’s Fitness magazine more than 10 years ago, then-Mayor John Street decided to do something about it. He appointed a health car, Gwen Foster, who not only helped the city lose weight, but also taught citizens how to lead healthier lives.  At that time, I was a broadcast journalist and hosted a radio talk show at WDAS in Philadelphia called Heart to Heart, which was committed to teaching people to lead healthier lives. Foster had a 10-week program for the media that I immediately joined. It was a perfect fit, and after learning the lifestyle changes that she taught, I lost 30 pounds.

Czar Foster rolled out a program called Fun, Fit and Free with initiatives that taught people how to eat wholesome, tasty foods without a lot of fat and meat, and how to exercise. She taught that simple lifestyle changes such as drinking enough water, meditating, dancing to get fit, and replacing those fatty foods with fruits and vegetables make a world of difference in how we feel.  Although thousands of Philadelphians benefited from the program, a new mayoral administration came in 2008 and saw fit to eliminate it.  And that’s unfortunate because under her tutelage, I personally witnessed morbidly obese people who lost 100 pounds and diabetics who were able to come off their insulin after spending a year studying her regime.

Fast forward to today and although Philadelphia is no longer considered the fattest city in America (we’re number 20 on Men’s Fitness’s 2009 Fattest City List), it certainly isn’t listed as one of the healthiest.

Having good health begins at home. By making simple lifestyle changes, all of us can not only set good examples for our children but we’ll become more productive in other areas of our lives as well.  In many cases we’ll lead happier and longer lives by controlling our weight and getting enough exercise.  And Mon’Nique is fast becoming the poster child for weight-loss  sucess.

Be sure to follow bloggers Yvonne Shinhoster Lamb and Mae Israel as they, like me, try to  trim their middles.  And I think it’s also time for me to get more serious about joining  their efforts as well. We’ll all keep you posted on our progress !

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Whenever any of my children ask for a specific vegetable, I comply immediately with their request. That’s because most children dislike anything that’s either green or good for them unless we train them early in their lives to do so. I think it must be a part of a child’s genetic coding to dislike vegetables and to love junk food instead. My children eat veggies now, but they didn’t just wake up that way -  it took some training. I started teaching them about the benefits of nutritional food when they were very young.

When it comes to good food, 15-year-old Rashidah is the exception of my five children. A real foodie who aspires to one day attend culinary school and become a chef, she’s the only one of my children who will automatically try any new food. So when she asked me to make Brussel sprouts for dinner, they were on the table that night. And making them taught me a valuable lesson as well. The truth is Brussel sprouts rock, but don’t overcook them or they’ll fill up your house with a funky smell.

Brussel sprouts actually taste very good if you cook them correctly and don’t boil them to death. They should be served when they are still bright green, and if they lose their brightness, then you’ve cooked them too long. I prefer them either steamed or stir-fried in a sauté pan with garlic and olive oil. They are also  very nutritional.

But the very best thing about Brussel sprouts is that they are one of the healthiest vegetables around, are simple to grow and can be found in stores in the winter. However, to get their full nutritional value you must compliment them with other sources of protein.

So the next time you want a healthy green veggie, consider making Brussel sprouts and combine them with brown rice, tofu, fish or chicken for a well-balanced dinner.

Fatimah’s Brussel sprouts stir fry

Ingredients

1/8 cup virgin olive oil

3 cloves of elephant garlic, crushed

One dozen Brussel sprouts, washed, with the base cut off and cut in half, then thinly sliced

One small red onion, quartered

1 cup of baby carrots, sliced in half length wise

½ yellow pepper, julienned

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan, careful not to burn.

Crush garlic and brown lightly.

Add carrots and stir for three minutes, but keep them firm.

Stir in the peppers and Brussel sprouts for 5-7 minutes.

Add spices and salt and pepper lightly according to taste.

Make sure not to overcook the Brussel sprouts. They are best when served bright green, directly from the pan.

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