Tamarind Balls - The best reason to visit St. Kitts February 27, 2008

Sorry, I feel like I have been neglecting all of you… but I was away for the weekend celebrating my 20th high school reunion aboard the Empress of the Seas, a weekend cruise that took us to St. Kitts and St. Maarten.  It was awesome to spend time with my school friends, some of whom I had not seen in over 10 years and have known for almost 32 years of my life.  I practically grew up with these people!!!

We visited St. Kitts as one of the stops in our journey… and my good friend Marly told me about Tamarind Balls.  This is a local sweet made with tamarind pulp, sugar, sometimes spices and even has the tamarind seed inside.  They’re tart and sweet, all in the same bite.  This is my kind of souvenir - not a t-shirt or a hat, a good sweet treat only made and found in this little Caribbean island.  My friend Marly discovered them because a cousin for her husband went to school in St. Kitts and used to bring them to them as gifts from the Island.  She tells me she has kept some for over a year in her fridge and they do not go bad.

 

I bought them in a pharmacy - they were sitting right there amongst the traditional commercially made candy.  The lighter colored version is made with sugar and spices.  The darker ones are made only with sugar.  To my taste, they taste truer to a raw tamarind fruit.  They’re both good in their won little way.  They cost me about a $1 USD each.  I brought in about 10 packages - some for me, some to give as gifts…

 

The beach was great - we went to Turtle Beach, with Nevis on the background.  I will not go into the details on how we got to Turtle Beach, but to me, the best reason to visit St Kitts, is for their Tamarind Balls.

Green Banana Mash February 21, 2008

In Puerto Rico, when one does not feel well, we usually immediately crave or get prescribed “viandas” - viandas are mostly tubers - potatoes, yuca, yautia, malangas, sweet potatoes, yams, and for some reason plantains and green bananas are jammed up in there.  They are easy on the digestive system and seem to help you “get on your feet” again.

For some weird reason, I was craving viandas yesterday.  I went to the supermarket and spent 19 cents on 3 green bananas.  there is still something cheap at the supermarket.  Yes, bananas can be eaten ripe and green too… but you need to cook them.  We usually boil them.  But I need to show you a trick for it.

 

Green bananas, just like green plantains, have what we call “mancha” - they release a sap when you cut them open.  To avoid this, you just wipe some cooking oil in your hands and on the knife you’ll use to prevent the sap to stick to any of them.  When you go and boil them, add some cooking oil to the boiling water to prevent the sap to get on the saucepan.

Be careful - this mancha or sap STAINS A LOT.  If you get it on your clothes, more than likely you will not be able to get it off.  There’s a local saying when you can’t deny being a Puerto Rican, people say that you have “la mancha de plátano” or “plantain sap stain” resembling the fact that the sap from a green plantain or banana can’t never be cleaned or taken away. 

Here’s what you do…

 

GREEN BANANA MASH

3 green bananas

Salt - for the boiling water

Cooking oil - for the boiling water, your hands and the knife

Extra-virgin olive oil

Garlic Salt to taste 

1. In a large pot, fill with water.  Add salt and a squirt of cooking oil. 
2. Cut off the ends of each banana and cut a slit all the way down the banana.  Do not take the skin off the banana.  We’ll boil them with the skins on.  

3. 

4. Boil in the pot for about 20 minutes, until the bananas are fork tender.  the water will turn a weird color - don’t dispair.  This is the sap in the banana skin.  

5. 

6. Drain the bananas.  Take the skin off.  It should come off very easily.
7. Mash with a fork while still warm… they’ll be harder to mash when they’re cool.  Drizzle with olive oil until you get a smooth consistency and season with garlic salt.

With a few more steps… we can convert this into mangu, a delicious Dominican dish.  That in an upcoming installment - OK?

I had this with my Avocado and Tomato Salad.

Avocado and Tomato Salad February 21, 2008

I have a pet peeve - why do TV chefs teach people to cut avocados using a knife and a spoon??   Cutting the whole avocado in half, taking the pit out using a knife, spooning the flesh away from the skin… why so much hassle???

For the single person… you would never be able to eat a whole avocado in one sitting… at least not the ones usually found here in Puerto Rico.  I believe these are called Fuerte Avocados.  It’s difficult to eat one in one sitting, unless you were making guacamole or cooking for a crowd.

First - it’s easier to cut avocados in wedges.  And if the avocado is ripe, the skin will come right off.  If you cut them in wedges, you just use/eat what you want at that moment and wrap the remainder with tight plastic wrap for the next time.  No need to eat a whole avocado in one sitting.

                          

So… avocado season is starting again… apparently, because they’re all over the supermarkets and markets.  So I bought one and made myself a quick easy salad to accompany my Green Banana Mash.

 

AVOCADO AND TOMATO SALAD

2-3 wedges of avocado, cut in pieces

1 medium sized tomato, cubed

Extra-virgin olive oil

Garlic Salt

1. Mix everything in a small bowl and enjoy

Quick Lettuce, Tomato and Corn Salad February 19, 2008

I had some leftover Sauteed Corn and Onions but not enough to eat by itself, so I created this quick salad.

I grew up eating canned corn…  I will out my mom and confess that when we were growing up, salad was many times opening up a can of corn or a can of string green beans.  I loved them, but now I know better.  One of my former secret indulgences were white rice with tuna,  ketchup and corn.  Mmmm!!!  My grandpa used to call this - Arroz Pio Pio. 

No need to heat up the corn, just take the chill off from the fridge and it’s good to go.

 

QUICK LETTUCE, TOMATO and CORN SALAD

Romaine Lettuce

Tomato

left over Sauteed Corn and Onions

Extra-virgin olive oil

the juice of 1/2 a lemon

Garlic salt

1. Place the lettuce, tomatoes and corn in a salad bowl.
2. Drizzle olive oil, lemon juice and garlic salt.
3. Toss together and serve.

Sauteed Corn with Onions February 19, 2008

I am in a use-up mode.  I told myself I was not returning to the supermarket until I have used up most of what I have on hand right now.

Has this happened to you?  That you eat mostly the same  - day-in day-out  - and you keep leaving in the pantry or the fridge stuff you bought at some point but can’t seem to get to cook it now.  That’s the worst kind of waste… when you need to throw stuff out because you didn’t get to prepare it.  I need to change my ways and put a stop to that!!!!

So I looked in my freezer and I found a bag of frozen corn…  what to do with it???  I started to improvise and this is what came about…

 

SAUTEED CORN with ONIONS

 1 cup frozen corn - I am sure that this would work with fresh corn too

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 onion - sliced

2 tbs crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce - I used Tomates Fritos from Viter with a little crushed tomatoes I had leftover.

Garlic Salt to taste

1. Pour olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Pour in the frozen corn and the onions and stir to coat with the olive oil.  Cover so the steam generated cooks and soften the corn and onions.
2. About 5-10 minutes later, pour in the crushed tomatoes and season with garlic salt. 
3. Sautee for a few minutes more until the corn is thoroughly cooked.
4. Serve warm.

I was completely surprised on how good this tasted.  It was a step up from boiled corn with a little butter.  The gamble paid off.  I hope you like it too.  I served this originally with my Creamy Potatoes.  And later on served it as part of this salad…

Creamy Potatoes February 19, 2008

I’ve spent the last 4 days cleaning one of my rooms trying to make it into an organized and functional home office.  The more I threw out, the more things appeared.  Amazing. 

But more amazing was the bunch of old recipes I had written a few years back for the yoga center that I had completely forgotten about.  I found this folder with about 5 potato recipes I had made a looooong time ago, just waiting for me to rediscover them again.  Perfect for my Potato Festival theme…

One of these recipes is this Creamy Potatoes dish - it’s basically a potato gratin, but because the name in Spanish is Papas a la Crema, I thought I should stay true to the original name…  It turned out to be a very creamy and satisfying little dish.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did…

 

CREAMY POTATOES

2 lbs potatoes - I used russets - sliced as thinly as possible

1 medium onion - sliced as thinly as possible

3 cups of milk

4 tbs cornstarch

1/2 stick of margarine

2 tbs sofrito

1 1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste 

Grated Parmesan cheese - optional

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wash potatoes well and slice them as thinly as possible.  I used a mandolin for the first time and I love the way they come out - Super consistent.  Slice onion too.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour margarine and sautee sofrito for a few minutes.  Pour 2 cups of the milk.  In the remaining milk, dilute the cornstarch and  pour in.  Season with salt and pepper.  Whisk until the sauce starts to thicken a bit.
4. Stack the potato and onion slices in a glass casserole dish.  Pour the milk mixture over the potatoes.
5. If using, sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the potatoes.
6. Bake in oven for 45 minutes.
7. Turn off oven and let the potatoes in the oven for an extra 10-15 minutes.  Let cool a bit before serving so the sauce does not run all over the place.

I served this together with Sauteed Corn. 

Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich February 16, 2008

If you make the recipe before - Potato and Fried Eggplant Pastelon - and you have leftover fried eggplant, what do you do with it?????

Make an eggplant sandwich!!!!!   But what would make the ultimate eggplant sandwich - an Eggplant Parmesan Sandwich!!!!

EGGPLANT PARMESAN SANDWICH

Whole wheat hoagie bread bun 

2-3 fried eggplant slices - check out this recipe on how to batter and fry the eggplant

2-3 fresh mozzarella cheese slices

Grated Parmesan cheese

Tomato slices

3-4 Lettuce leaves

Egg-less mayonnaise 

1. Spread the mayonnaise on both bread halves.
2. Stack the fried eggplant slices, sprinkle some grated Parmesan, mozzarella slices on the bottom half.
3. Place in a toaster oven or broiler for a few minutes for the cheese to melt a little.
4. Add the tomatoes and lettuce.  Top with remaining bread slice…  (like I need to tell you how to build a sandwich, huh?)
5. Press sandwich for all the ingredients to come together.

This is how I made this sandwich when I was veeeeeeery hungry the other day.  But now thinking about it, it would really make it an Eggplant Parm sandwich if I had added a bit of tomato sauce before adding the cheeses.  In this case, the tomato and lettuce would be optional.

Potato and Fried Eggplant Pastelon February 16, 2008

I’ve been trying to “crack my head open” trying to figure out a way to translate the word “pastelón” for you guys.  A pastelón is very similar to a casserole… but the difference being that things are mainly layered in instead of mixed all -together.   So I figured that if Rachael Ray can invent a word in “stewp”, I can just use the word “pastelón” and you’ll learn to embrace it.

Pastelón is pronounced  [pas-te-LON], and as I mentioned before, it consists of layers of ingredients, sometimes pre-cooked, sometimes raw and then baked off in the oven.

This is a new installment for the Potato Festival I mentioned a few posts ago…  I know, the translation thing should have not kept me for posting this, but I guess I got caught up in it.

POTATO and FRIED EGGPLANT PASTELÓN

3 medium potatoes cut into 2″ pieces - you can use new, russet or red-skinned potatoes

 1 small eggplant - try to buy the lightest eggplant available*

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 tbs sofrito

¼ - ½ cup of water

2 tbs butter

2 tbs cream cheese

4 tbs grated Parmesan cheese, divided

A splash of milk

¼ cup Italian cheese blend

Salt, Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste

Canola oil - to fry the eggplant

*  Note:  The lighter the eggplant, the less seeds it will have and the less bitterness it will have.

1. In a medium sized saucepan with salted water, boil the potatoes until fork-tender.  I find the potatoes boil faster when I use as little water as possible…  I guess it’s a combination of boiling and steaming… I don’t even let the water cover the potatoes.  Just let the water come up halfway the potatoes.
2. Then, you need to prepare the eggplant batter…  Mix together the flour, water, sofrito and season generously with salt and pepper.  Use enough water for the batter to have the consistency of pancake batter.  Set aside.
3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil for frying.
4. Slice the eggplant your favorite way - in rounds or in long slices.  Dunk the eggplant slices in the batter.  Clean up any drips and fry until golden brown. Drain the fried slices over paper towels to soak up any excess oil.  Set aside.

5. 

6. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
7. When potatoes are done, drain any liquid leftover.  Mix in butter, cream cheese, 2 tbs of the Parmesan and milk.  Smash then until creamy soft.  Season with garlic salt and pepper.

8. 

9. Pour half the mashed potatoes in a buttered casserole dish.  Add in the fried eggplant slices creating a layer.  Sprinkle a bit of Parmesan cheese (optional).  Add in the remaining mashed potatoes.  Top with the last of the remaining Parmesan and the shredded cheese mix.

10.  Bake in oven for about 30 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and golden brown and the flavors meld. 

 

Breakfast Sandwich February 16, 2008

I am on a bread phase… and most mornings I crave bread in some kind of shape or form.  I know I should be more moderate, but sometimes the craving is too strong to ignore.

I love toasts with lots of butter, I love cheese toasts, I love melted cheese sandwiches… but the other day I saw a box of veggie bacon and I knew I have to do something with it.  I built this breakfast sandwich - cream cheese, veggie bacon, tomatoes on whole wheat toast.  It hit the spot… so much indeed that I ate it two days in a row…

 

BREAKFAST SANDWICH

Whole wheat Bread

Cream Cheese

2-3 veggie bacon strips

cherry tomatoes

1.  Toast bread.  Cook Veggie Bacon according to package directions - I put it in the toaster oven for 5 minutes turning it half way
2. Assemble components in your favorite way.

Enjoy your breakfast!!!!

The easiest Baked Penne… ever!!!! February 15, 2008

This is one of the easiest recipes… ever!!

The funny thing, it has not been even 24 hours since I learned about it.  I was perusing one of my favorite food blogs - Serious Eats… and in one of the Talk threads there was a discussion about making mac & cheese without boiling the pasta first.  Then, one of the participants - his/her name is hanak- mentioned this recipe for Baked Ziti without even boiling the pasta.  I always get stumped at what to do for lunch… so when I read this today, my lunch dilemma was immediately solved.  I would do this while I finished some stuff at the computer.  God bless  hanak and the Baked Ziti recipe…

I modified the recipe a little - as you know… can’t bear to make a recipe “by the book” not even once.  Here is the recipe as it was given to me today and with notes on the modifications I made to it today at 1PM:

 THE EASIEST BAKED PENNE

8oz whole wheat pasta - I used penne, but ziti or any tubular pasta would work

28oz can of crushed tomatoes - I used a 26oz carton of Pomi crushed tomatoes

6 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp chopped garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fresh Mozzarella -  optional

Grated Parmesan cheese - optional

1. Soak the dry pasta in the olive oil for around 20 minutes.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. 
3. Add the crushed tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

This is a picture of the pasta at this point.  It is DELICIOUS just like this!!!!  A bit oily to my taste, so maybe the next time I will try to see if I can cut the oil in half… but believe me, it’s been a while I tasted a pasta that I would eat as is, without any cheese.  This one is awesome.  I even bragged to my mom about it already…

 

I decided to use up some leftover fresh mozzarella cheese… so I added a few pieces in the dish, sprinkled some grated parm/romano cheese and put it back in the oven with the residual heat after I turned it off.  It is really good, but as hanak said… it does not need it.

Thanks a lot to my fellow online foodies, but specially to hanak and this awesome Baked Pasta recipe…  they are all a source of inspiration and hunger-relief. 

GRACIAS!!!!

Food for Love - Goat Cheese and Almond Pasta February 14, 2008

It’s Valentine’s Day - the day to celebrate everything and anything romantic…  so why not celebrate by cooking something to stir all your senses, including that aphrodisiac part of you.  Reading about aphrodisiac foods, I was amazed to learn how many of them I have in my pantry and fridge:

Almonds

Sweet Basil

Avocados

Arugula 

Bananas

Strawberries and Raspberries

Nutmeg

So I decided to make something that will contribute to the loving theme of the day using almonds and sweet basil…  I adapted this dish from a Martha Stewart Living magazine.  Enjoy!!

 

GOAT CHEESE AND ALMOND PASTA

1/4 lbs whole wheat pasta -penne, rigatoni or any other tubular pasta would work

Small handful sun-dried tomatoes - the dry ones… not the ones packed in oil

1/3 small log of goat cheese

Small handful toasted almonds - I used marcona almonds

About 10 Fresh Basil leaves, torn or cut in strips

Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1.  Boil pasta in salted water until al dente.  During the last 3 minutes of boiling the pasta, throw in the sun dried tomatoes to rehydrate.
2. Drain the pasta well, reserving some of the pasta cooking water.  Return pasta to the pot.
3. Drizzle pasta with a bit of olive oil.  Add goat cheese in small pieces, basil leaves, pepper and almonds.  Add a bit of the pasta water to create a sauce.  Toss to combine.  Add more water if you feel it’s too dry.
4. Garnish with added almonds on top. 

There are other several recipes I have created for you already that might help you to create romance any day you are in the mood:

Coquito - Nutmeg

Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes - Basil

Arugula-Red Onion Salad - Arugula

Quesadilla Caprese - Basil

Strawberry Banana Smoothie - Strawberries and Bananas

Strawberry Kanten - Strawberry

Baked Pasta and 4 Cheeses - Basil

White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds - Nutmeg and Almonds

Vanilla Powder February 11, 2008

Vanilla - one of the most versatile spices there are…  it works in desserts, beverages, milkshakes, side dishes, main dishes…  I use it all the time. 

A few years ago it was brought to my attention that most vanilla extracts are mostly made with alcohol, and in the yoga center I attend and cook for some times a month, we are not supposed to use anything with alcohol as an ingredient.  So, we need to buy some alcohol-free vanilla syrups or some locally made vanilla extracts, which many times are difficult to find.  I have used fresh vanilla pods, but I can’t find them here in Puerto Rico easily… I have to buy them when I travel to the US or online, when I can find a provider that will ship here… 

 

But last year I found this great product - VANILLA POWDER.  Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder from Nielsen-Massey .  It’s a sugar-free and alcohol-free dry product which can replace vanilla extract in any recipe.  It extracts the essence of vanilla beans and is infused in a natural, dry base.  And the smell is…  AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!!!!!!

I bought my initial bottle in Indiana, when I visited my sister last year… but I was very pleasantly surprised to find it now in the spices section of my local Freshmart supermarket.

To me, this powder is far superior than any McCormick product out there… go out and look for it.  You’ll never go back to alcohol-based or vanilla flavored products.  Mark my words…

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Onions February 11, 2008

This is one of the recipes I did in our last Yoga Center Menu for February.

 I just wanted a sweet counterpoint to the savory lasagna and other veggies, without recurring to my trusted ripe plantains…  They’re sweet but savory at the same time and loaded with beta carotene.  I made this recipe using 10lbs of sweet potatoes… and fed about 20 people.  You can definitely adjust to feed your smaller crowd.

 

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH ONIONS

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes

1 large onion, sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Garlic salt, optional

Olive oil to coat

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. In a baking sheet or roasting pan, place sweet potato pieces and onion slices.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Toss with your hands, until all pieces are coated with oil and seasonings.
3. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes, moving sweet potatoes around about halftime.
4. Check the sweet potatoes for doneness before removing from oven.

Quesadilla Caprese February 7, 2008

I love Caprese salads… fresh mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Mmmmm!!! So when Rachael Ray proposed in one of her shows to make quesadillas with an Italian twist, I was all eyes and ears.   

I tried this one night I wanted a quick dinner…  this Quesadilla Caprese works great alone or accompanied with a salad.  As an appetizer or as lunch or light supper.  The fresh mozzarella is very watery and oozes a bit when you’re making it, but the flavor is amazing.

 

QUESADILLA CAPRESE

1 whole wheat tortilla

4-5 fresh mozzarella slices

3 tomato slices

4-5 fresh basil leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brush some olive oil. 
2.  
3. Place whole wheat tortilla to warm up.  Flip over to the other side.
4. Place 1/2 of the mozzarella slices, tomatoes, sprinkle salt and pepper, place basil leaves and the remaining mozzarella slices.  You need cheese next to the tortilla side to act as the “glue” that will keep the quesadilla closed and together.

 5.  Press down with a spatula.  Some of the moisture of the cheese will ooze out.  Don’t worry, keep the skillet warm enough and the tortilla will not wilt.  Actually it helps to build some crust on the outside rim.  Flip it a few times to get the cheese well melted on both sides.

6.  Dress with a additional drizzle of olive oil.

Try it… it’s awesome.

The Best Spanish Olive Oil February 5, 2008

This past Summer I spent a little over 2 weeks in Spain.  I visited Madrid, Pamplona, Zaragoza, San Sebastian, Barcelona, among others.  Near Barcelona, we visited this little town called Villafranca del Penedés.  It was a must we visited this town, as my friend Walter’s family is originally from there.  The proof - there was a street named after him… it was amazing.

 

But what I never thought I would find in Villafranca was one of the best extra virgin olive oils I have ever tasted.  As part of a tour to Villafranca and Montserrat, we visited the Bodegas Torres.  I was afraid this was going to be one of those tourist traps… but the local winery, well known for their Sangre de Toro wine and one of my dad’s favorite red wines, as a real surprising treat.   Besides the winery, Bodegas Torres has a gastronomy division named Torre Real which, among other things, makes olive oil made from Arbequina olives.  According to information I have read since then… Arbequina olives are the “crème de la crème” as Spanish olives is concerned.

             

I brought back a bottle of this wonderful olive oil… and now, no other olive oil stands next to it.  I ration it so that I can enjoy it as long as I can…

 

To me, it’s the perfect olive oil to dress a salad, to dip great crusty bread or to drizzle over a soup or pasta as a finishing touch.  And the most amazing thing - this olive oil only cost me 5 Euros.  Not bad for such high quality.  They also make white and red wine vinegars.  I have not tried the vinegar yet - I have like 7 open vinegar bottles, so I would like to decrease that inventory before I open a new now.

I good friend from high school lives in Barcelona now and I have asked her to please bring me 3-4 bottles of the Arbequina olive oil when she comes to Puerto Rico in the next few weeks.  If you have access to this wonderful product, I urge you to try it.

Do you have any favorite olive oil?? Tell me all about it.

Poached Pears with Almond Pralines February 3, 2008

This is an awesome dessert…  I love fruity desserts much more than cakes or other baked goods.  And even though pears are not something you can grow here in Puerto Rico, most every supermarket has them on sale these days.  I saw some lovely Bartlett pears on sale the other day and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to re-create a recipe I had originally learned last year at the Conscious Gourmet Cooking seminar - Poached Pears with Almond Pralines.

The original recipe called for Bosc pears, but they were so much smaller than the Bartletts that I decided to go for size and beauty.  The recipe turned out perfectly, IMHO.

And the Almond Pralines - this is awesome!!!! They’re the perfect accompaniment to these pears or a great snack all by itself.  They would taste great on top of ice cream or yogurt drizzled with a bit of caramel sauce…  mmmmm!!!!  I feel another craving coming up.

 

POACHED PEARS with ALMOND PRALINE

3 cups unsweetened organic apple juice

2 tbs maple syrup

1 tsp cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves or a few whole cloves

pinch of ginger

6-8 Bartlett or Bosc pears - peeled, halved and cored

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Combine all ingredients, except pears, in a roasting pan.  Set pears in the poaching liquid. 
3. Bake in oven for 45 minutes. 
4. Check the pears for doneness - they should be soft when pricked with a knife. 
5. Remove the pears from poaching liquid and transfer them to a separate dish.
6. Transfer the poaching liquid to a skillet or wide saucepan and boil until the liquid is reduced by half.
7. Serve by placing one pear half on a dish, drizzle with the reduced poaching liquid and sprinkle with Almond Pralines.  recipe below…

I have a confession to make… the original recipe calls for you to cover the roasting pan and bake covered.  I did not notice that in the recipe and forgot.  The results were good too…  I just had to leave them a few more minutes in and increased the temperature to 425 degrees and left them an additional 15 minutes.  They should be done by then.

ALMOND PRALINE

1 cup sliced almonds - but slivered or chopped almonds would work too

1 tbs maple syrup

1 tbs maple sugar

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
3. Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes until golden brown - you can take advantage of the same oven you’re making the pears in.
4. Transfer IMMEDIATELY into a metal bowl to cool off and crisp up.

White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds - VEGAN version February 3, 2008

When I did this recipe for the Yoga Center, I adapted it using non-dairy cheeses.  This way, you can crave this lasagna without concern if you eat cheese or not…  I am sure you’ll not be dissapointed.

WHITE LASAGNA with SPINACH AND ALMONDS - Vegan Version

 4-6 lasagna noodles - I use DeBoles NoBoil Rice lasagna noodles

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs sofrito

3-4oz Toffutti Better -Than-Cream cheese cheese

1 cup soy milk

1 ¼ cup shredded Soya Kaas mozzarella style cheese, divided

1 ½  tbs cornstarch, dissolved in ½ cup of water

Sprinkle of Salt, Garlic Powder and freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup frozen spinach measured frozen, defrosted and squeeze out of most the water but still wet

1/3 cup marcona salted almonds - but any almonds will work

1/2 cup Veggie Parmesan cheese

1. Pre-heat over to 325 degrees F.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add sofrito and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add in the Tofutti cream cheese and whisk in together until the sofrito and cream cheese are incorporated.
4. Whisk in soy milk. Add in 1 cup of the Soya Kaas cheese and whisk every few minutes to make sure the cheese melts well and does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Reserve the rest for the lasagna topping. Season sauce with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add in the diluted cornstarch. Make sure you the cornstarch is diluted well and is not settled in the bottom of whatever container you’re using to mix it.
5. The sauce should have a light creamy consistency. Is important the sauce be more on the liquidy side because we’re using no-boil rice pasta and the “liquidy” consistency will help the pasta cook. So you might want to err on the side of a liquidier cream sauce rather than a tight creamy sauce.

 

Now we assemble the lasagna…

1. In the bottom of a small casserole dish, spoon a few ladles of the cream sauce. Layer lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce, so the noodles are always touched by sauce on the top and the bottom.
2. Distribute evenly the thawed spinach in a layer. Sprinkle a bit of garlic salt and pepper. Sprinkle a light layer of the Veggie Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a 1/3 of the almonds. Spoon a few ladles of the sauce.
3. Place another layer of noodles and spoon some sauce over them.
4. Repeat step #2.
5. Repeat step #3. This will be your last layer of noodles. Pour the remaining sauce all over the last layer of noodles. Sprinkle with veggie parmesan cheese and the remaining ¼ cup shredded Soya Kaas mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle the last bit of almonds you have left.
6. Cover the casserole dish and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
7. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes until cheese on top is golden brown.
8. Turn oven off and leave in there for a few minutes until lasagna cool a bit and sets. 

White Lasagna with Spinach and Almonds February 3, 2008

I am a craving girl…

It’s hard for me to go grocery shopping having a few menus in mind for the week.  Why?  Because, I go to the store and see stuff that inspires me, what looks delicious that day, but that isn’t necessarily what I will be craving to eat another day.   It’s always been like that…  ever since I was a little girl, my mom never made a fixed dinner - it was all a la carte.  Whatever you craved, that’s what you ate.  Mind you, my mom did not have junk food at home, so all the alternatives were, for the most part, healthy.  That’s how we learned to make our own food.

So this past week, I was browsing thru some fellow blogs and there I saw it… the Cooking Light Veggie Lasagna…  I have that recipe clipped, but the photos this fellow blogger posted were amazing!!! That’s how I knew what I wanted to have for dinner that night - a spinach lasagna using white sauce.  Yumo!!!! (like Rachael Ray would say).

I improvised with the ingredients I had on hand… remember, I do not go out and but any specific ingredients for any specific recipe.  And even less when I got a craving at 7PM at night…  I was craving some serious comfort food. 

 The results were really nice - so nice in fact that I decided to make this recipe for our upcoming Yoga Center Menu.  I made a version at home that serves 2 and I also did a version that served 20.  I’ll use the proportions for the smaller version, which is probably closer to what you’ll make at home.  Here is the play-by-play (I’m into Super Bowl mode here I guess):

WHITE LASAGNA with SPINACH AND ALMONDS

 4-6 lasagna noodles - I use DeBoles NoBoil Rice lasagna noodles

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs sofrito

3-4oz cream cheese

1 cup milk

1 cup shredded Italian Cheese mix

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - you can use Pecorino Romano also if you prefer

Sprinkle of Garlic Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1 cup frozen spinach measured frozen, defrosted and squeeze out of most the water but still wet

1/3 cup marcona salted almonds - but any almonds will work

4oz fresh mozarella cheese

1. Pre-heat over to 325 degrees F.  I do this in my toaster oven for just 2 people.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.  Add sofrito and cook for a few minutes.
3. Add in cream cheese and whisk in together until the sofrito and cream cheese are incorporated.
4. Whisk in milk. Add in the Italian cheese mix and Parmesan. Season with the garlic salt and pepper.  The sauce should have a light creamy consistency.  Is important the sauce be more on the liquidy side because we’re using no-boil rice pasta and the “liquidy” consistency will help the pasta cook. So you might want to err on the side of a more liquidy cream sauce rather than a tight creamy sauce.

 

Now we assemble the lasagna…

1. In the bottom of a small casserole dish, spoon a few ladles of the cream sauce.  Layer lasagna noodles. Spoon more sauce. so the noodles are always touched by sauce on the top and the bottom.
2. Distribute evenly the thawed spinach in a layer.  Sprinkle a bit of garlic salt and pepper.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese if you like. Sprinkle a 1/3 of the almonds. Shred with your hands 2-3 thin slices of the fresh mozzarella. Spoon a few ladles of the sauce.
3. Place another layer of noodles and spoon some sauce over them.
4. Repeat step #2.
5. Repeat step #3.  This will be your last layer of noodles.  Place a few slices of fresh mozzarella on top.  Sprinkle the last bit of almonds you have left.

6. Cover the casserole dish and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

7. Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more until cheese on top is golden brown.

8. Turn oven off and leave in there for a few minutes until lasagna cool a bit and sets. 

It seems like a lot of steps… but not really.  You know how to make a lasagna… I just wanted to show you how I layered the ingredients.  You don’t need to cook the spinach, just make the sauce and assemble.  I had it all put together and in the oven in 20 minutes. 

Believe me… this lasagna hit the spot.  My cravings were curbed… until next time.

Frutabomba Milkshake February 1, 2008

Until I was in high school, the I knew the fruit you know as papaya only by its Cuban name - Frutabomba.  

 My dad taught me how to make frutabomba milkshakes, a true Cuban drink delicacy.  It’s smooth, creamy and the perfect accompaniment to a Cuban sandwich (made the vegetarian way, of course) or even a TuNo Salad Sandwich.   I had it this morning for breakfast.

 

FRUTABOMBA MILKSHAKE

1/4 medium-sized frutabomba (papaya), peeled and seeded

1 cup milk or soy-milk

1 1/2 tbs brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla powder

pinch of salt

3-4 ice cubes

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy immediately.

Do not omit the salt… it’s the secret ingredient that makes the milkshake taste awesome.  You could substitute the milk for yogurt or kefir, but the taste will not be the same.

TuNofish Salad Sandwich February 1, 2008

I am a sandwich person at heart… I love sandwiches for lunch or even dinner.  Heck, I love sandwiches for breakfast and snacks as well.  I bought these nice whole wheat hoagie rolls this last week and I have just been making sandwiches away… 

One of my favorite ones is TuNofish Salad - pay attention to the spelling, because it’s made with Tuno, the soy protein flavored with seaweed to taste like regular tuna.  It’s light and makes a great lunch.  My friend Jesiel would say it makes a great breakfast… because she only has tuna sandwiches as breakfast, ever since she was a little kid… 

It’s super simple…

TuNofish SALAD SANDWICH

1/3 cup Tuno soy protein, defrosted and squeezed as dry as possible

3 tbs egg-free mayonnaise, such as Vegenaise

1 tbs finely chopped onion

juice of 1/2 lemon or lime

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Choice of bread - I used a whole wheat hoagie roll

Lettuce - romaine or arugula works great

3 tomato slices

Extra mayo to spread

1. Mix together in a bowl the Tuno, mayo, onion, lemon juice, garlic salt and pepper. 
2. Toast bread to your liking.
3. Spread mayo on both sides.
4. Place TuNo salad on bottom bread.  Top with lettuce and tomatoes.  Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of tomatoes.

Enjoy with your favorite kind of natural potato chips or plantain chips.

Just to give you an idea that if you enjoy tunafish sandwiches and you decide to go veggie, you will not have to give the experience or the flavor.  Believe me, these taste just as good as the real thing used to taste to me.

Try it…