I envision this post finds you and yours well.
This post is dedicated to our daughters and our grandchildren.
Our eldest daughter grew up eating Jollof, Kele Wele, Egusi and other African dishes out of our kitchen so she rang me the other day to get recipes.  
 
First I'd like to acknowledge my extended Ghanaian family: Araba Ansah (Fante) & Agnes (Ashanti).
These two Ghanaian-born women (one who is of Fante culture and one who is of Asante culture) took me into their kitchens and shared with me how they prepared several Akan dishes. 

At the time, our family was on a primarily plant-based menu eating fish on occasion, so I created veggie and fish versions of the dishes. These recipes are remixed versions of what I was taught.

Akua's Kele Wele (Spicy Plantains) Remix*
*Plantains will need to marinate overnight so plan accordingly.
 
Makes about 4 servings
 4 ripe sweet plantains (1 for each person) (see the photo)

MARINADE 
1 - 2 " piece of ginger root juice or 2 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of cayenne or preferred pepper  
1 tsp pink Himalayan Salt 
1 c. coconut milk 

3/4 c. peanut oil (without trans fat)
pink Himalayan Salt

Equipment: bowl for plantains to marinate, skillet

1. CUT
Cut off about 1/2 inch off either end of the plantain.
Then cut the plantain in 1/2 horizontally. (see photos)

2. SLICE
Vertically slice the peel from the top to the middle, then remove the peel.

3. DIAGONALLY SLICE
The plantains in 1/2" diagonal slices (or your choice of shape).

4, MARINATE
Blend: ginger, cayenne pepper, salt and coconut milk  
Place plantains in a deep bowl large enough to allow plantains to be completely covered. 
Pour marinade mixture over plantains. 
Cover the plantains and place in refrigerator overnight.

5. WARM OIL
Warm peanut oil on medium heat in a skillet.
Sprinkle a few drops of water into oil and once it cracks the
temperature of the oil is ready to fry the plantain. 

5. SLOWLY COOK + SALT
Slowly fry the plantains, turning over often until evenly golden brown.
Salt both sides of the plantains to taste.

6. BLOT
Place fried plantains on paper towel or absorbent cotton cloth to blot excess oil.  

"IN"JOY & SHARE!​

Akua's Veggie Jollof Remix
Makes about 10 cups of Jollof
Preparation & Cooking Time: 3 to 4 hours

1/2 c. palm oil
1/2 c. coconut oil
5 large garlic cloves
1 jalapeno
4 large onions (sweet onion, red onion, white onion, spanish onion)
3 scallions
1/2  or 1 TBSP cayenne pepper
4 1/2" ginger root with peel on
12 regular size roma/plum tomatoes
12 oz. tomato paste
5 c. basmati or your preferred rice
32 oz. broth (your preferred: veggie, chicken, beef)
1 1/2 TBSP pink Himalayan Salt


Equipment: Dutch oven, paring knife, Chef's knife, cutting board,
food processor or blender, oven, deep pan or pans, measuring cup 

1
PREPARE BASIC GRAVY
Dice onions, slice jalapeno, cut scallions (white + green)

2
WARM OIL
On low to medium temperature melt palm and coconut oil in Dutch oven. 

3
PLACE IN PROCESSOR OR BLENDER
Place onions, jalapeno, garlic, scallions and blend too mush. 
You may need to do in three batches to fit them all in. 

4
TRANSFER VEGGIES
Transfer blended/processed veggies into the Dutch oven with the oil. 
5
ADD
1/2 TBSP (for mild heat) cayenne pepper (1 TBSP for medium heat) to the basic gravy in the Dutch oven.

6
2nd BLEND/PROCESS
Process the ginger root to a pulp, then process tomatoes to a pulp
or blend tomatoes and tomatoes to a pulp.

7
ADD
ginger and tomato pulp to the basic gravy in Dutch oven. 

8
ADD
12 oz of tomato paste to basic gravy in Dutch oven. 

9
SIMMER
on medium heat consistently stirring until moisture evaporates (45 to 60 minutes).

10
PREHEAT
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. It will take about 8 minutes.

11
ADD
5 cups of rice to one large deep pan or 2 1/2 c. of rice to two smaller deep pans.

12
ADD
32 oz of broth to 5 c. of rice in the pan or
16 oz. of broth to 2 1/2 c. of rice in the two pans.

13
ADD
3 TBSP to 5 c. rice or 1 1/2 TBSP of pink Himalayan Salt to 2 1/2 c. of rice.

14
ADD
All of the basic gravy to the 5 c. of rice or 1 quart plus 8 oz
of the basic gravy to each of the 2 1/2 c. rice pans. 
 
15
STIR
the rice, broth and basic gravy thoroughly until every grain of rice is saturated with the gravy.

16
COVER
the plan snuggly with aluminum foil.

17
OVEN
Place the pan or pans into the oven checking on rice at 30, 45, 60 minutes and finally another 15 minutes. 

EAT, SHARE & BE HAPPY

No matter how awesome or awful our childhood was, I would venture to say that each one of us has healing and wounds to tend to. Hurt and wounds interacting with the hurt and wounds of others create more hurt and wounds for all of those that come in contact with you intimately so it's up to each one of us to be responsible for our own Healing, Discernment and Boundaries. If we don't make the proper self-love and care choices for ourselves and our family it carries generational implications.
 
As a woman the more I mature, the more tools I have acquired to discern if the man that stands before me is a Protector, Provider, Adorer or a User, Abuser, Predator. It is a matter of life and death for our girls and sisters to learn the difference and choose properly. I'd like to offer a few resources and tools for you to explore. 

1. There's a personal series that I did several years ago on YouTube called: Letting Go Of Insecurity: 21-Day Experience. If you are currently dealing with a domestic violence situation or are healing from having experienced such, I am happy to share this course with you for a donation instead of the $199.95 that we normally have it available for. 

2. Is He Healthy? Chapter 5 of Man Leads . . . Woman Follows. Everyone Wins by Ro Elori Cutno. This chapter will give you a list of the fifteen things to look for in a male/man to see if he will be a suitable husband. For men it will give you a list of eight things to look for in a female/woman to see if she will be a suitable wife. 

3. SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES: Workin' Your Power & Magic Book by Akua Auset
    " Reading this book Superwomen & Goddesses is saving my life right now!"

"If you were to split open my imagination what would come out of it?" 
- Taylor Swift

I hope this post finds you and yours well. I wanted to share this with you.
Whether you're reading this post independently of our ONE day "Nine 4 Nine" challenge or this is the day after your participation in the challenge, this post will be of great value to you if you require a bit of guidance when it comes to meditation.

When I was about twenty-years I met a beautiful Creole woman who introduced me to tarot cards and the world of the mystic. She continuously advised that I needed to meditate. At that time for me meditation was just sitting and having no thoughts. For someone like me with such an active mind  (Virgo Sun, Aquarius Rising), to this day I have not yet mastered sitting with no thought.

However I do achieve a state of meditation/trance/receptivity the first moments after awaking, as well as through different activities like yoga, cleaning, riding my bike. Meditation is the consciousness between [medi = middle] sleeping and being awake. I find that when I am doing a repetitive activity I can induce myself into that space. I'd like to share with you a guided meditation remix I created this morning for checking off this one of nine habits for the day.

Guided meditations have always been a favorite of mine ever since I joined a meditation group one evening (1998) in Toluca Lake, CA where the facilitator mentally guided through forests then down a group of stairs deep down into the Earth. I'll never forget how magical it felt to ignite my imagination in this way. The guided mediation is a simple 5-min Magic & Miracles Meditation with the goal of developing your imagination.

1. DOWNLOAD   2. PUT ON HEADPHONES    3.  MEDITATE

​Please SHARE in the comments below your meditation habit or practice.
​
Congratulations on reading and listening. 
If you're generous, SHARE.
In the Spirit of Superwomen & Goddesses, 

​♡ ☆ ♀
Ms. Akua Auset

Day 48 of 1/12 Moons 
Last Quarter Moon

"I have reached for the stars and caught some." 
- Belinda Cusic RN, MS, ND

N I N E  4  N I N E
I hope this post finds you and yours well. I wanted to share this with you.

M E D I T A T I O N
5 min.

W A T E R 
1/2 your body's weight in ounces

T E A 
3 cups

M O V E  +  M U S I C  M O T I V A T I O N 
6 songs

L A U G H 
7 min.

C O L O R S  O N  Y O U R   P L A T E 
4

R E A D  |  S L E E P 
9 pages  +  6 - 8 hrs.

Want to win all day?
This is a slight variation on my daily ritual flow, but on the days that I perform
each one of these activities, at the end of the day I feel like I won the day. 
I rest better, I feel more certain, alive and happy. 

Having proclaimed this the Year of The Royal UPGRADE, creating these habits provide an air of winning in my life. And what I observed and learned from working with basketball legend Michael Jordan for over twenty years is that every win feeds your confidence on to the next and the next and the next - 
then you have created a CULTURE OF WINNING in your life.

Can you?
Will you?
JOIN ME tomorrow for JUST ONE DAY of these 9 habits?
🌸

[COMMENT BELOW] 
1. Yes I will. 
2. No I won't.
3. Offer a counter offer.

Simply right click DOWNLOAD + PRINT + POST the image above.
 
Congratulations on reading. 
If you're generous, SHARE.
In the Spirit of Superwomen & Goddesses, 

​♡ ☆ ♀
Ms. Akua Auset

🐝
It's been awhile since we've connected and I wanted to check on you and
make sure you're tending to your Self?
🌸   
I declared 2020 as The Year of The Royal UPGRADE.
It means next leveling EVERY aspect of my life and my Self in the next 366 days (yes it's a Leap Year).
As I write this, we're 43 days in.
👑 
If YOU were to "royal upgrade" your life what would that look like?
I really would like to know.   What would a "royal upgrade" look like in YOUR life Lovely?

 Congratulations on reading. 
If you're generous, SHARE.
In the Spirit of Superwomen & Goddesses, 

​♡ ☆ ♀
Ms. Akua Auset