Itunu Cuisine

BALANCED DIET written by Bunmi Lawal Balanced diet simply means eating a wide variety of food in the right proportion with all the essential nutrients to achieve a healthy body weight and good health. Nutritionist opine that an ideal balanced diet should contain protein (meat, fish, milk) carbonhydrates (potatoes, rice, pasta) vitamins (fruits, vegetables) minerals, fat and oil, roughages, most especially water, in right amount as it has different metabolic rate and level of activity. It is necessary that we ensure to eat a balanced diet everyday as it provides good nutrition for body organs and tissues to work effectively. This diet also consist of body building food, body protective food, and energy giving food needed for the body to be immune against wide spread of diseases, infection, fatigue, poor performance, preventing high death rate and risk of malnutrition. Including balanced diet in a child’s meal could enhance healthy growth and mental development. However,

Ogbono Soup, is popularly known as Draw Soup, it is also known as Ogbono in Igbo or Apon in Yoruba its a Nigerian soup recipe prepared with Ogbono Seeds, some prefers to add okro, bitter leaf ugu and you can as well leave it plain like that. It is very easy and simple to prepare and also affordable. INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup dried- blended apon/ogbono 1/3 cup palm oil 2 cups warm water Meat and fish or any assorted 2 stock cubes  Salt to taste 1 Table spoon dried pepper 1/4 cup blended crayfish Smoked fish or dried fish Stock fish (optional)  Ponmo  Uziza leafs  Method of preparation: STEP1. Place a medium sized pot on fire with low heat, add in the palm oil.  STEP2. When the oil is hot, add the dried ogbono, and stir the mixture until you have a smooth paste. STEP3. Pour the stock or water into the paste gently and stir the mixture until it gets thicker  at dis point you can add more water to make it less thick. STEP4. Add the  meat, Stock cubes

Hmmm...one of the favorite soups of the western naija,it is a very rich vegetable soup and you simply can't resist an eforiro with Amala, eyan (pounded yam), fufu, or Eba. You know how we roll in naija way!  Ingredients 1. Shoko or tete (spinach leave)  2. Scotch bonnet (Ata rodo)  3. Tatashe  4. Onions (thinly sliced) 5. Dry and smoked fish  6. Palm oil  7. Crayfish  8. Iru (locust beans) 9. Ponmo  10. Shaki, beef or any assorted meat 11. Stock cubes  Salt Method of preparation  1. Wash thoroughly and boil meat or assorted meat and spice up with stock cubes salt and onions  2. Blend and boil pepper not too smooth and boil to paste (so that the sour taste will be out)  3. Wash the shoko leaf and cut (soak in hot water and salt for few mins) and drain.  4. Add palm oil in a pot to fry a little, and go ahead to pour the boiled pepper, and cook for a while,it becomes pasty. 5. Then, add crayfish, (iru), dry or smoked fish, onions, Pomo, asso

HEALTH BENEFIT OF WATERMELON Watermelon botanically named as “citrullus lanacitus” is a plant species in the family “curcurbitaceae” originally from West Africa cultivated for it fruits. It is widely grown across many tropical countries where it serves as one of their major commercial fruit crop. It is widely known and consumed due to the sweet taste they crave, along with all its health benefits including vitamin and mineral found in this fruit. Another unique fact about this fruit is that starting from it outer part, to the inner flesh down to it seeds are edible and highly concentrated with nutrients needed in the body for several health benefits. All of these benefits are outlined below: Starting from the outer part, they are discovered to contain appealing concentrations of phenolia antioxidants, flavonoids, lycopene, and vitamin C which are beneficial to the body. But the exact distribution of this nutrients is depended on the variety of the watermelon as there are

Low carb, the 5:2 diet, detox, cabbage soup ... there is no shortage of novelty diet programmes promising to help you lose weight fast. Download our   12-week weight loss plan   to help you lose up to 1kg (2lb) a week The big question is, do they work? Most do lead to fast – sometimes dramatic – weight loss, but only for the pounds to creep back on again at the end of the diet. More worryingly, many fad diets are based on dodgy science or no research at all, prescribing eating practices that are unhealthy and can make you ill. In 2011, the British Dietetic Association warned against following popular diets such as the Dukan diet, which it said was complicated, not based on scientific evidence and reportedly did not lead to long-term weight loss. Below are some of the problems with fad diets, plus advice on healthy eating and how to   lose weight   healthily. Five reasons to avoid fad diets Many weight loss diets promise to help you lose weight quickly. Often these d

                                         Here we go again!!! There are whole lots more you can do with chicken to give it a tasty look, mouthwatering, delicious and palatable. All you need to do is stuff with cous cous, rice and lots more...oh yes, you can do it, it's easy and simple. INGREDIENTS: Full chicken  Garlic  Ginger Stock cubes  Pepper  Spices Stuffing Rice or cous cous  Chopped onions Chopped carrots  Spring onions  Green pepper and other veggies Stock cubes  Method of preparation. Step1. marinade the chicken with garlic and ginger, stock cube, salt,pepper and other spices you wish to add. Rob thoroughly in and out the chicken. Step2. Boil the rice or couscous, season and spice it up and add veggies. Step3. Stuff rice or couscous inside the chicken through the hole below the chicken chest.  Step4. Seal up using a clean rope, tie below the tip of the chicken thigh(lap) and place in the oven to grill over a period of time.  Please

                                       Scotch egg You can now make scotch egg at the comfort of your home. Simple and easy, just get the following ingredient and steps  > INGREDIENTS  1.Bread crumbs  2. Flour 3. Boiled egg 4. Sausage 5. Nutmeg  6. Black or white pepper  7. A pinch of salt   > METHOD OF PREPARATION Step1. Put sausage in a clean bowl and add black pepper, nutmeg, pinch of salt and mix thoroughly.  Step2. Boil eggs for 10-12mins  Step3. Now carefully put the egg in the sausage mixture to cover it (remember to leave some flour at hand so it won't be sticky) Step4. Break egg aside and whisk a little and also put some bread crumbs aside.  Step5. Roll over the batter in egg and afterwards, roll in bread crumbs too and keep aside. And do same for each, as much as u wish.   Step6. You can now fry till its golden brown. And it's looks great already! Give it a try Comments and thoughts pleas

                                         Hmm it's time to go to our local dish. The  Ofada rice and it's sauce, mostly eaten by Yorubas in western nigeria. It's one of the nutritious food of the Yorubas.  Health tip: Ofada rice is very good for your health,its very good for Diabetes,high cholestrol in both young and old people,You can eat at home and also at events. Here are  INGREDIENTS Local rice  Moi moi leaves  Sauce:  Dry pepper  Dry shombo  Dry tatashe (red pepper) Dry rodo (chilli) Fresh tomatoes  Onions  Assorted meat  Eru or dawa dawa(locust bean)  Dried crayfish  Grinded crayfish  Salt  Palm oil  Stock cubes METHOD OF PREPARATION Step1. Soak all the dried pepper in hot water for 4-5hrs  2. Blend the pepper onions and tomatoes not too smooth  3. Now pour enough not too much though, palm oil in a pot and add chopped onions to fry (asthmatic persons should beware in this step in other not to choke) 4. Add the blended pepp

                                    Cup cakes and butter icing  Cake made easy! For cake lovers.  INGREDIENTS: Butter 250g Caster sugar 150g Baking powder 1 leveled tsp Flour 250g  Flavor any of your choice (you can mix almond and butter scotch for a good taste) Nutmeg optional  PROCEDURE: STEP1. Add butter in a bowl and cream(mixing) with the cake mixer thoroughly  STEP2. Add caster sugar and cream as well  STEP3. Add baking powder in flour and sieve through a sift severally in other for the cake to be fluffy.  STEP4. Add the flour to the batter and cream gently. STEP5. Separate egg whites and York and whisk thoroughly (notes whisk egg white thoroughly to be foamy)  STEP6. Add flavor and cream gently  STEP7. Add egg white also cream, afterwards add egg York STEP8. Place cupcakes sheets in the pan  STEP9. Go ahead to pour your cake in the sheets  STEP10. Preheat your oven and place the cake in the oven for less or more than 20mins  STEP11.

                                             CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: Star Braided Nutella Bread!!!   The most important tip:PREHEAT Nutella jar in a bowl of hot water before you start applying it on the thin layers of your dough. It will spread much easier, and you will not damage the delicate surface of each layer!  INGREDIENTS: 1. 450 g (3½ cups) of flour plus around 50 g ( ⅜ cup) for sprinkling 2. 180 ml (¾ cup) of milk 3. 2 egg yolks (use egg whites for brushing the bread) 4. 8 g (1 ½ tsp) of active dry yeast 5. 30 g (2 tbsp) of butter 6. 70 g (⅓ cup) of sugar 7. pinch of salt 8. 200 g (around 1 cup) of chocolate spread METHOD OF PREPARATION  1. First, pour milk into a saucepan and heat it to 30 C° (around 85 F°). When the milk is warm, add yeast, one tbs of sugar and flour and dissolve all ingredients. Let it sit for 15 minutes to activate. 2. For the best quality of the dough, sift flour through a sieve. Then, in a large bowl, combine all dry ingredie

                                                      Hmmm it's good to eat good food!!! Here is another delicious dish u'll love to try it's combination of Irish and sweet potatoes with yam I'm sure by nw you are wondering how can you use 3 different tubers...trust me it's very nice! Below are ingredients and methods of preparations Ingredients:  1. Irish P otato     2. S weet P otato      3. Y am (optional)       4. C hicken (debone and shred)       5. Dry fish  (optional)       6. C rayfish      7. C arrots       8. C abbage       9. O nions        10. S pring O nions       11. G reen P epper and R ed P epper (tatashe)       12. G reen B eans      13. S easoning and S pices of your choice       14. B utter 15. Vegetable Oil 16. Plantain for accompliment 17. Curry 18. Salt 19. Seasoning  Method of preparation (wash ingredients thoroughly) Step 1: P eel Irish and sweet potatoes (dice in cubes)  Step 2: S eason the

Photo by: Itunu (V ietnam Beef Dish ) Hmmm yummy!!! You just have to try this oriental dish...you gottah love it. Vietnam beef with cashew nuts and basmati rice Ingredients: >beef, >carrots >oyster sauce, >cashew nuts, >spring onions  >green pepper, >cabbage, >pepper, >seasoning >Ginger and garlic, >black or white pepper >cumin powder, >curry, > basmati rice  Method of cooking: 1. Cut beef in strips and marinade with curry, cumin powder, seasoning, white or black or white pepper 2. Chop garlic and ginger  3. Cut onions, green pepper, carrots, onions, spring onions, red or yellow pepper/tomato 4. Add oil in a pan and put on fire 5. Add beef and stir fry/sauté  6. Add ginger and garlic  7. Add onions, carrots, cabbage and little stock  8.pour oyster sauce as required, add pepper(optional), spring onions, cashew nuts and allow to cook for 2-3mins 9. Serve wit basmati rice and garnish. And you are good to go