Ugandan Rolex

One of the things you can find on every street vendor in Kampala is a Rolex. But not the kind you are thinking of. A Ugandan Rolex is an egg burrito inside a chapati. In fact, if you just drive down most any street in Kampala you will likely have rolexes brought to your car. The first time I had one of these was this hilarious story of trying one of the "not previously American approved restaurants" which turned out so fun and no one got sick. Ironically we all got sick from one of the Amer Approved restaurants lol. The owner was so excited to have Americans visit and did this whole welcoming thing - it was one of our favorite stories where we met the sweetest people. Anyhow - since most of his menu (not that there was a menu) was fish and meat, he offered to go buy us girls some rolex. Anyhow... I like to make it on occasion for my boy. Here you go!

• 1 eggs
• 1 thin chapati (or tortilla if you dont have any)
• salt and pepper
• handful of shredded cabbage
• sliced tomato
• cooking oil

1. Mix egg and salt and pepper
2. Pour egg mix into pan and fry it up on both sides
3. Place egg round into chapati and throw back in pan
4. Remove from pan and place a row of tomato and cabbage down the center
5. Sprinkle more salt and pepper and other desired spices down the row
6. Fold over one side and roll up the rest
7. Enjoy!

Ugandan Chapati

Chapati is something that we learned about a little too late when we were in Uganda. One of our last nights, friends came over with it and were like "what you haven't tried it yet?". We actually had tried it when we ate Rolex - just didn't know it alone. It is somewhere between a flatbread, naan, or tortilla bread. It is not the easiest thing to cook right - but worth it when you do.

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• warm water
• cooking oil
• finely chopped purple onions
• finely chopped garlic

1. Mix flour, onion, and salt in a bowl
2. Mix water in slowly until you get a thick dough
3. Knead slowly adding in flour as need be
4. Cover bowl of dough with a cloth and let it sit for a t least a half hour
5. Preheat skillet and coat with oil
6. Divide dough into small balls
7. Flatten balls into rounds
8. Dust chapati rounds with flour
9. Fry on each side until both sides have brown marks
10. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Broccoli and Tofu Tagine

I decided to give a take two on the ole tagine. The last one I made was good, but definitely too spicy. I have since worked on perfecting my tagine skill. Lets work through it together:

• tofu
• broccoli
• onions
• red peppers
• veggie crumbles
• couscous
• 1 can veggie broth

1. preheat oven to 350
2. saute tofu, onions, red peppers, broccoli in nonstick pan with 1T evoo
3. Fill bottom tray of tagine with thin layer of couscous
4. pour a splash of veggie broth into the couscous to wet it
5. pour saute contents over couscous
6. pour remainder of veggie brother over vegetables and couscous until you can see liquid rising through it though not too much to spill over
7. place cap over tagine and carefully place in over
8. keep an eye on the steaming and peek under the cap here and there to make sure it doesnt dry out, adding water/broth as needed to keep it from burning or drying out the couscous before its cooked
9. once the vegetables are softened and the couscous is cooked, and no longer soupy remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes covered
10. serve and enjoy :)

Vegetarian Tagine Cooking

My mom got us this beautiful piece for our anniversary this year, and imagine my excitement when I found out I could cook in it!

A tajine, or tagine (Berber: tajin), is a dish from North Africa, that is named after the special earthenware pot in which it is cooked. A similar dish, known as tavvas, is found in the cuisine of Cyprus. The traditional tajine pot is formed entirely of a heavy clay, which is sometimes painted or glazed. It consists of two parts: a base unit that is flat and circular with low sides, and a large cone or dome-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The cover is so designed to promote the return of all condensation to the bottom. With the cover removed, the base can be taken to the table for serving.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine

I attacked my first vegetarian tagine meal tonight and thought I would share it with you. The only change I would make is less spice. My hubby's sensitive tongue couldn't handle it and my sinuses were instantly cleared and my eyes teared. But, with a spicy tongue I enjoyed every bit of it.

Ingredients

• tofu
• veggie-sausage
• couscous
• sweet vidalia onion
• frozen carrots
• garlic
• veggie broth
• cinnamon
• turmeric
• berbere
• creole spice
• black pepper
• paprika

1. sautee tofu, sausage, and onions in evoo
2. place couscous and spices and broth in tajine
3. place garlic, carrots and sautee into tajin
4. place tajin into oven at 300 degrees
5. keep an eye and make sure there is fluid in the dish to cook through
6. At around 45 minutes make sure your couscous is cooked and soft
7. Remove from oven (make sure to remember the tajin is hot - my bubbling swollen thumb is still soaking in icy water)
8. Enjoy!