Karkade

Karkade (aka Hibiscus or "flor de Jamaica") was used to make the drink of the Pharaohs of Egypt, and still a popular drink in the Middle East and North Africa (as well as Latin America) today.

They are those pretty red flowers that tropical fairies bathe in. The flowers have a sweet and tart taste when steeped in water. You can serve the tea hot or cold, but we prefer it cool and sweet. Hibiscus is also really good for you! It is caffeine free, rich in Vitmin C, and is known to help lower cholesterol, act as natural body refrigerant, aid in digestion, among other things...

Dried Hibiscus Flowers

The husband is in charge of making Karkade in our house. Here is his recipe:

Add 1 cup dried flowers to 1 liter (4 cups) water, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Sweeten with honey to taste (it's naturally a bit sweet and tart; he puts about 3-4 soup spoons) Let it cool, then drain into a pitcher and put in the fridge. Perfect for a hot summer day...

Btw - husband is also looking for a few staple recipes to become good at - so if any one out there got some simple, "manly" recipes in mind (something other than goulash or sauteed potatoes), shout out!

Enjoy

Baked Seed Rounds

Funny name, I know. It's what I though when I found this recipe in a Health magazine. But, after tweaking it up a bit, it came out so delicious that I had to write it down before I forgot. They were called "seed rounds", it's something like a spicy baked falafel. Oh and the hubz loved it, which always makes me happy.

Ingredients:

1 can white beans or chick peas, drained and rinsed

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 big handful of fresh chopped cilantro

1 small hot pepper, chopped

1 tablespoon sunflower seeds, crushed

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp turmeric

1 egg

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (optional)

S&P

olive oil

Smash all the ingredients together in a big bowl with a hand blender. (add a bit of whole wheat flour if you think it's too gooey.) Form into 4 medium sized balls and lay in a baking dish drizzled with olive oil. Brush the tops with oil, and put into the oven on 200C, on the top rack, for about 15 min on each side (flip over when crusty and brown on one side).

Serve with a simple tomato sauce or greek yogurt and spinach, and green salad. I'm going to try this on my indoor lean-griller next time - it will be something like a bean burger.