Yucca con Mojo Cubano May 4, 2008

The first Mojo I learned about was this - the Cuban Mojo you eat with yucca or with black beans and rice.  The now famous drink in the diminutive, Mojito, has been an acquired taste in the last few years…  This Cuban Mojo over Yucca is a staple at ANY and EVERY Cuban household, and something my family in Miami always makes for me, especially now that I am vegetarian.

Cuban Mojo is delicious - the best “sauce” to pour over anything.  To me, it’s just glorious.  It’s the only decent accompaniment to eat with boiled yucca.  Once you learn how to make it, I am sure it will find its way pairing a lot more than just yucca.  I am almost sure this mojo is the culprit of why I need to squirt lemon juice on arroz moro (black beans and rice).

Try it today… you’ll be a convert immediately!!!

 

YUCA CON MOJO CUBANO

1 yucca root, peeled and cut and middle thread removed or a few pieces of frozen yucca

½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

½ onion, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated

The juice of 1 lime or limón criollo

Salt to taste, for the boiling water and for the mojo

 

1. In a medium pot with water, add the yucca root pieces and salt and bring to a boil.  Salt the water as if you were boiling pasta.  Water should only barely cover the yucca.  I am lazy, so I buy sometimes the frozen yucca kind.  It works very well and it always turns out soft when boiled.  Yucca can have a tendency to turn out hard; it’s a crap-shoot.  
2. While the yucca boils away, in a small saucepan over low heat add the olive oil, the onion and the garlic.  Let the onions and garlic soften and simmer slowly in the oil.  Add salt to taste.  I tend to season well, about ½ tbs, but I have to be honest, I do not measure.
3. 
4. When the onions are softened, the garlic is cooked, but none have gotten any color, turn off the heat and add the juice of the lemon.  The oil will cloud a bit, but that’s the measure of a true mojo… lemony tangy goodness with the punch of the garlic and onion… YUMMM!!!
5. 
6. When the yucca is fork tender, drain and serve with spoonfuls of mojo over it.

 

This is the perfect side dish with any Cuban dish… I particularly like it with black beans and rice.   And that’s an upcoming lesson.

Potato Boursin Casserole March 31, 2008

I was watching the Today Show the other morning and saw a piece on how to “fancy up” regular take-out food to serve it even to company…  I was intrigued.  Not because I am a take-out consumer, but I am always eager to learn how a simple twist or added ingredient can make something nicer and fancier…The one idea that struck me the most was to add Boursin cheese to KFC’s mashed potatoes.  You mix it up, put it in a casserole dish and bake it in the oven for a few minutes and voila, fancy mashed potatoes!!    I have seen this Boursin cheese in the grocery store before, but was never motivated enough to buy it.

At the Today Show demo, Hoda Kotb tried it and was amazed at the flavor… so, if Boursin cheese can do that to a tub of KFC’s mashed potatoes, what can it do to fresh baby red skinned mashed potatoes… try this one and you’ll see for yourself!!!

POTATO BOURSIN CASSEROLE

2 medium red skin potatoes, washed and cut in quarters

A  4.4oz packet of Boursin Light cheese - I used the Garlic and Fine Herbs kind

Drizzle of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

2 tbs of butter

A splash of milk or buttermilk - Optional

Salt and Freshly ground Pepper to taste

Canola Oil Spray - for the casserole dish

1. In a medium saucepan, filled about ¼ of the way with salted water, boil the potatoes.  I find that if the water reaches about half way the potatoes, they cook faster than if the potatoes are fully submerged in the water.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
3. After the potatoes are done, drain most of the water and the same hot saucepan add the butter, olive oil, and milk/buttermilk if using.  Mash the potatoes to combine the ingredients.  Add the cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spray a glass casserole dish with canola oil spray and transfer the potato mixture.  Smooth out the top and then rake the top using a fork to create indentations.
5. Bake in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until the top gets browned a bit.

You can definitely eat these mashed potatoes after you mix in the cheese… but putting it in the oven for a few minutes creates a nice crunchy topping which I loved.  It all depends how much in a hurry or how hungry you are.

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. 

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.

Roasted Mustard Potatoes January 27, 2008

I love making this dish!!!  The smell of the mustard when it’s in the oven is divine…

ROASTED MUSTARD POTATOES

2 lbs red-skinned baby potatoes, cut in quarters or halved

6 tbs mustard - dijon, grain or spicy mustards will all work great here

1 tsp chopped garlic

1 tsp Italian seasonings

2 tbs olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

Canola oil spray

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the mustard, garlic, Italian seasonings, olive oil, salt and pepper. 
3. Place cut potatoes in the same bowl with the mustard mixture and toss to fully coat all the potatoes.
4. Move the mustard-coated potatoes into a  baking sheet sprayed with canola oil spray.
5. Roast in oven for 40-45 minutes until potatoes are tender when speared with a fork.

Herbed Roasted Potatoes January 27, 2008

This is one of the easiest and nicest side dishes you can create.  I make it in a toaster oven while I prepare the main dish.

 

HERBED ROASTED POTATOES

2 lbs of red skin or other waxy potatoes, washed and cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbs garlic salt

2 tbs Italian seasonings 

2 tbs white pepper

2 tbs parsley - dried or fresh

2 tbs kosher salt

2 tbs lemon zest

2 tbs paprika (optional)

4 tbs Liquid soy margarine - I eye-ball this usually… enough to coat the potatoes.

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together all the herbs and spices - garlic salt, Italian seasonings, white pepper, parsley, kosher salt, lemon zest and paprika, if using.
3. Drizzle a small amount of the liquid margarine and “butter” the baking dish or roasting pan you’ll be using to roast these potatoes.  This way you’ll ensure the potatoes will not stick to the bottom. 
4. Place cubed potatoes in the roasting pan or dish in a single layer.  Drizzle liquid margarine on top of potatoes and sprinkle the herb mixture.  Using your clean hands, massage the potatoes with the margarine and the herb mixture until the potato cubes are all slathered with margarine and herbs.
5. Roast in oven for about 30-35 minutes - until potatoes are golden brown and soft when you pierce them with a knife.  Move them around the half-time mark if you want.  I sometimes forget and they usually turn out OK.

Vanilla Maple Carrots January 21, 2008

Believe it or not… this is one of the recipes that started it all.  I found this recipe in the November 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Living, did it and was sooooo easy and tasty that I shared it with my friend Kathleen.  She made it, liked it and posted it on her blog Kathleen’s Vegetarian Kitchen.  The rest… is blogosphere history.

 So far, I have made this about 3 times at the Yoga Center I attend and I always get requests to make it again.  I know my pictures are not yet to Martha’s standards, but with practice, I hope to get there one day…  at least the flavors are already there.

 Again, the times I have done this, I have done 5 lbs. of carrots at a time.  So I will follow the original recipe’s quantities to adapt to the regular household amounts.

VANILLA MAPLE CARROTS

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices

1 cup water

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

3 tbsp pure maple syrup

1-2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp butter

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Combine carrots and water in a large skillet or saucepan. Season the water with salt and scrape the insides of the vanilla pod and mix in with the water. Throw in the vanilla pod left as well.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook carrots until they’re tender, about 10-13 minutes. Martha’s recipe says the water evaporates, mine never does evaporate a lot. So….
3. Drain all the water from the carrots.
4. Add syrup, honey, pepper and toss to combine. Be careful not to break up any carrots.

 This makes a great side dish on any night, but would also work particularly well for Thanksgiving or for any potluck dinner.

Stuffed Mushrooms January 21, 2008

I realized last night, I made this recipe a few months ago and forgot to post it…

I love mushrooms.  I salivate when I travel to visit my sister in Indiana or to New York and go to any regular supermarket and see the wide variety of fresh mushrooms available.  Here we get mostly white button mushrooms and with luck, sometimes we can find portobellos, creminis or oysters… but they’re usually old soggy-looking, so I never buy them like that.

I learned this recipe from my other good friend, Giada De Laurentiis.    And until now, I haven’t realized my photo resembled so much the photo in the Food Network website.  I usually make this by “eye-balling” the proportion of the ingredients… so we’ll just use Giada’s proportions as a guide this time.

 

 STUFFED MUSHROOMS

1/2 cup whole-wheat bread crumbs - I grind ww breadsticks or leftover bread in the food processor 
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
Salt and Black pepper to taste

Garlic & Herb Seasoning or Italian Seasonings
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
28 large white or cremini mushrooms, stemmed

Save about 1/2 the mushroom stems

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Prepare the stuffing by mixing in a bowl the breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, parsley, seasonings, salt and pepper.  Add olive oil until the mixture is damp and holds somewhat together when you press it between your fingers.
3. Take about 1/2 the mushrooms stems you took off and chop them very finely.  Add them to the breadcrumb mix and combine.
4. Fill each mushroom cap - not too tightly because they might break.
5. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet, place mushroom caps on sheet and drizzle additional olive oil on top of the mushrooms.

 

6.  Bake for about 30 minutes until mushrooms are soft and the top of the filling is golden brown.

7.  Serve warm.

These are great as an appetizer or as a side dish.  I once made a “stuffed night” and served these mushrooms with my Stuffed Peppers and worked great.

Fried Cauliflower January 11, 2008

We already established I like fried foods, right?

But believe me, for the amount of fried foods I have posted on this blog, I do not eat that many of them… maybe like once a week, maybe. I think it’s just that we’re around the holidays here and these are “more or less” permissible things around the holidays… eat fried foods now, diet and exercise in the new year… But I find that if you exercise and eat healthy all the time, as part of your daily routine, you can indulge every once in a while in a fried morsel of crispy goodness.

Enough…

Here are my interpretation of Fried Cauliflower. I learned to eat this, believe it or not, at the salad bar at Ponderosa Steakhouse. The salad bars here in PR offer, in addition to the standard salad fare, corn sorullitos, macaroni and cheese, cooked corn, steamed carrots, and sometimes, fried cauliflower. They’re sooooo tasty. But the secret of their tastiness is in the batter. Let me show you how…

FRIED CAULIFLOWER

1 head of cauliflower, cut in medium sized florets
2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

2 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs sofrito
1 tbs salt or garlic salt

1 tbs Herbamare herbed salt
a few grinds of cracked black pepper
water - about 2 cups
a few sprinkles of paprika - optional
Canola oil - for frying

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch and the water. Mix the water slowly, maybe in two batches. The idea is for the batter to be the same consistency as pancake batter.
2. Add to the batter, the sofrito, salt, herbed salt and pepper. Add paprika, if using.
3. Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
4. Dunk the pieces of cauliflower in the batter. Clean the piece of any running batter and place carefully in the hot oil.
5. Fry the little morsels until golden brown on all sides. It should take a few minutes - this way the cauliflower will cook/soften a bit and the batter will be golden brown and crunchy.

Eat on their own or dunk in Mayo Ketchup.

Hope you like them!!!

Falafels December 20, 2007

I love any type of street food, but I’ve had to learn to make my own sometimes because the original versions are not suitable for vegetarians.

Thankfully, falafels are great right from the start.  I had my first official falafels when I traveled to Israel.  They eat them inside a pita bread as a sandwich.  You then add tahini sauce, a tomato/cucumber salad and any extra fixings you desire.  We only ate falafels for lunch for a whole week… 

This is my friend’s Rosani recipe, but we collaborated.  We used chickpea or garbanzo flour to avoid using canned chickpeas or having to soak and cook the chickpeas first.  As I’ve said, we’re busy vegetarian girls… we love our shortcuts.  And did I mention we also love our fried foods?

 

FALAFELS

1 1/2 cups chickpea or garbanzo flour

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

4 cloves of garlic

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of water - if needed

Canola oil for frying

1. Place the chickpea flour, onion, parsley and garlic cloves in the bowl of a food processor.  Process a bit until blended, but not pureed. 
2. Add the baking powder, salt, pepper, cumin.  Pulse a bit.
3. If the mixture is too dry, add water and process until mixture becomes a small ball . If not dry,  skip right over to next step.
4. Let the mixture rest for 30 minutes.
5. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.  Let them dry up a bit while the oil reaches temperature.
6. 
7. In a large skillet, heat up canola oil at medium heat and fry falafels until golden brown.  It’s important not to have the oil too hot, because the falafel will brown, but not cook inside.  We want the whole falafel to the thoroughly cooked.

                

Enjoy the falafels inside a pita bread and tahini sauce.  Or enjoy them as appetizers with a tamarind sauce or mango chutney.  As soon as I find tamarinds or tamarind puree, I’ll show you how to do it.

Artichoke and Spinach Casserole December 16, 2007

I’ve been cooking a lot at the Yoga Center I attend.  Last week, I helped my friend Rosani fix dinner for about 25 people.  Sometimes when we do these menus, we buy what’s on sale and use our creativity to develop dishes we have not tried before…  this Artichoke and Spinach Casserole is one of them.  Luckily, most of the time, the inventions turn out fine… we think this one did… I’ll let you be the judge.

 Please bear with me and my adjustments on the quantities… I did a huge tray as the photo shows.

 

ARTICHOKE AND SPINACH CASSEROLE

2 jars of marinated artichoke hearts, rinsed (because Rosani asked me to) and quartered

1 10oz. pack of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out a bit

2  tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 jar of chopped tomatoes or 1/2 carton of POMI chopped tomatoes

2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese

1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute onion for a few minutes and later on add the garlic.
2. Add the spinach to the onions and garlic.  Saute together to give some flavor to the spinach.  Salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a casserole dish, place the rinsed and quartered artichoke hearts, mix together the spinach mixture.
4. Add in the chopped tomatoes.
5. Mix in one cup of the Parmesan cheese.
6. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of casserole.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, until cheese is melted and a nice crust has developed on top.

It looks like this before putting it in the oven.

 

Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes December 14, 2007

This is one of my go-to recipes when I am hungry NOW!!! It’s super easy to make. I learned this recipe from an old Martha Stewart show where she cooked this with Oprah. That probably was about 10 years ago.

I like to make this pasta with spinach fettuccine, but you can use your favorite pasta. Noodles are nice because it’s a chunky sauce olive-oil based sauce and it coats them well, but any kind will do. This works as a main dish or as an accompaniment to others. I served this together with my Eggplant Parmesan dish.

PASTA WITH MARINATED TOMATOES

1/2 pound of spinach fettuccine, or any other pasta you prefer
3 ripe medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Mix the tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl. Let marinate while you make the pasta. Stir a few times so the flavors meld and the fresh tomatoes break up a bit.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt liberally. Cook pasta according to package directions, al dente.
3. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
4. Mix in the marinated tomatoes mixture in the hot pot.  The warmth of the pasta and the pot will warm-up the sauce.
5. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.

A few additional notes:

• I never peel the tomatoes, but you can if you prefer it. I just wash them really well using Fit.
• I’ve done this with regular tomatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes and grape tomatoes. The results will always be delicious. And if tomatoes are not in season, use jarred chopped tomatoes (Viter is a great brand because they have no additives or preservatives).  If using whole canned or jarred tomatoes, just don’t add the juice they come in… Just take the tomatoes and chop them finely.
• Make sure the sun-dried tomatoes do not contain sulfites… Sulfites are harmful to your health and a proved carcinogen.

This sauce is really versatile… later on, I’ll show you additional recipes in which yo can use the same marinated tomatoes in other applications.

Cranberry Preserves December 12, 2007

This is the most delicious and easiest recipe for cranberry jelly or preserves you’ll ever encounter.  My uncle loves cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and I wanted to see if I could get him to eat the real thing, not the jelly that comes from a can.  It just looks too unappetizing…

I can’t remember well where I saw this recipe, but I have tried a Cranberry Chutney from Martha Stewart which called for orange juice and orange rind, and while it was delicious, the orange rind made it quite bitter for my taste.  This recipe is sooooooo easy that you’ll be able to recite it to your friends when the rave about how delicious this is. 

 I also learned yesterday this might also be called Cranberry Butter…  however you prefer to name it, please make it and enjoy.

 

CRANBERRY PRESERVES

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 cup apple juice

1 cup brown sugar

                                             

1.  Wash the cranberries.  Go thru them and throw away all the ones that have gone soft.
2. Place all ingredients in a large heavy saucepan.
3. Bring mixture to a boil.  I cover it so it comes to a boil faster, but watch it, as it can boil over.  After it starts boiling, uncover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. The cranberries will begin to pop on their own.  Stir it every few minutes, and as you stir, pop the cranberries that might be still whole.  It’s the pectin inside the cranberries that helps the sauce thicken.
5. After the cranberries are cooked.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Be careful, the mixture is VERY HOT and will burn you.
6. Transfer to  smaller jars or plastic bowls.

You can have this cranberry preserves with crackers as a jam, in a sandwich, as accompaniment to mashed sweet potatoes and even as a topping for ice cream.  It’s so versatile and soooooo easy.

Hope you make it this Holiday season.   

Roasted Broccoli and Zucchini November 24, 2007

This was included to bring a punch of color in an otherwise, very orangy, beta-carotene laden menu. 

ROASTED BROCCOLI AND ZUCCHINI

1 zucchini, diced

1 head of broccoli

1 onion, sliced

olive oil

salt and pepper

1. Toss the veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Super simple.  Super tasty.  Eat it fast… with time, the veggies get a bit soggy.

Cinnamon Vanilla Baked Plantains November 17, 2007

 

Cinnamon Vanilla Baked Plantains

4 ripe plantains**

cinnamon powder

vanilla powder

Liquid margarine

**If ripe plantains are not available, use IQF plantains.  King Crown is an excellent brand. 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a baking dish, smear some liquid margarine.
3. Cut the plantains in diagonal slices and arrange on the baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and vanilla powder.
4. Drizzle some additional liquid margarine on top.
5. Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes, until plantains are done. (If using IQF plantains, you only need to bake until the plantains are defrosted completely, about 20 minutes)

I made these plantains together with my Eggplant Parmesan and Pasta with Marinated Tomatoes.  Look them up.

Romaine Salad with Citrus Ceasar Dressing November 17, 2007

This is a great recipe for a very tasting dressing.  The dressing is an adaptation from a Bobby Flay recipe.  This yields a nice amount of dressing.  I choose to toss the salads individually and save any left-over dressing.  I make the croutons from scratch because I have not been able to find whole wheat croutons yet.

 

Romaine Salad with Citrus Ceasar Dressing

1 -2 Romaine lettuce hearts

Whole Wheat croutons - recipe follows

Citrus Ceasar Dressing:

1/4 cup of orange juice with the juice of 1/2 a lemon

4 cloves of roasted garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon egg-free mayonnaise

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Place the orange/lemon juice mixture, garlic, mustard, mayo, vinegar, salt and pepper in a food processor.  Blend until smooth.  With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and blend until emulsified.  Add the Parmesan and pulse a few times until incorporated.
2. Wash the Romaine lettuce and cut into slices.
3. Place in a mixing bowl, toss with dressing, croutons and additional Parmesan cheese.  Shaved or Shredded Parmesan looks really good here.

Whole-Wheat Croutons

1. Cut a whole wheat bagguette in squares.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Toast in a 350 degree oven until crispy and golden, for about 15 min.
4. While still warm, toss with parsley flakes.