I have spent endless hours searching for food suppliers to purchase the food for the non-profit campground that I help run through the summer. I have learned that all pricing is different from supplier to supplier and so is the quality of the food that they offer. It has taken a very long time for me to learn what to get from a big food supplier and when to purchase things from a smaller supplier. To learn my methods of ordering food on a very tight budget for hundreds of people, visit my website. There, you will find a breakdown of my supplies and the suppliers that I use to get what I need each summer.
Africa is a very vegetable-rich continent with many unique edible plants that you've possibly never tasted. If you're a vegetarian looking for something new to eat because you're bored with the same ol' veggies and fruits, then consider some of Africa's most popular dishes. Here's a look at a few to try:
Baba Ganoush
Baba Ganoush is a pretty famous dish with a name known around the world, but few really know what it is. The dish is made of mashed eggplant with many spices tossed in for flavor. It is almost identical to hummus, except hummus is made of chickpeas. The eggplant gives the dish a meaty taste and has plenty of nutrients needed for a healthy body when you're not eating meat.
Fried Plantains
Want a quick healthy snack different from what you usually eat? Try fried plantains. Plantains look like bananas but that's about the only similarity. You can't eat a plantain raw and they are starchy like potatoes and not fruit. Slice them up and fry them for a fried potato-like snack that you can take with you on the go. You'll get lots of fiber from this unique snack, too.
Halwa or Halva
Halwa is a snack popular all over the world, but most people don't think of Africa when they see the food. In Africa, it is known as Xalwad, but the process to make the snack is pretty much the same. It is a mixture of sweets and spices and often served during holidays.
Jollof Rice
Jolloff Rice is a one-pot rice dish similar to paella, jambalaya, or biryani. It consists or rice mixed with a large amount of spices. What makes the rice dish get its unique red color is palm oil and tomato paste. Toss in your own veggies to add some heft to the dish to make it feel like a full meal.
Amala
Sick of the usual mashed potatoes you eat all the time? Mix things up with some African foods that look like mashed potatoes but are made differently. Amala is a food made from dried flour from yams or cassava. Dried yams turn dark brown, are turned into flour, and then mixed with water to create a chocolate-colored, mashed potato–like food. Cassava flour stays white, so the result looks much more like potatoes, but tastes nothing like them.
These African foods are simple enough to make for newbie cooks, and will add some flair to your vegetarian meals. If you can't find the right ingredients at a local market or bodega, you can always order African food online.
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