tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67548809336781138882024-02-06T20:56:55.512-08:00Tofu con SazonClaudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-61506232506859256072012-11-21T20:41:00.001-08:002012-11-21T20:43:53.536-08:00Check out more recipe's at Huffington Post!I have been bad about posting new recipes in this blog but all of my most recent recipes can be found at <br />
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www.huffingtonpost.com/claudia-castillo/<br />
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I don't know how long I'll be able to post there so I'll start to post more stuff on this blog.<br />
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Buen Provecho!<br />
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&<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-74041773358819670392012-09-27T18:50:00.001-07:002012-09-27T18:51:55.517-07:00Hearty Soups with Red Swiss Chard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6WMLdYQI_NZk0UT3vzO1qxwlim9hnvmWaed_lCUZfxQjVIJkTCG046Becw6ivwzzSTxZbHSGngSf2jVuEcDQhfgxmGGnOi3WSdBDumWmxRtAj-EwZ7Ee915TWfCkwsw80FH4AoQYu54u/s1600/swiss+chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw6WMLdYQI_NZk0UT3vzO1qxwlim9hnvmWaed_lCUZfxQjVIJkTCG046Becw6ivwzzSTxZbHSGngSf2jVuEcDQhfgxmGGnOi3WSdBDumWmxRtAj-EwZ7Ee915TWfCkwsw80FH4AoQYu54u/s640/swiss+chard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After my recent move from Queens to Brooklyn I picked up a cold with a bad bad cough. It took a course of antibiotics and lots of cough syrup to make it go away. But I wouldn't consider my medications the only contributing factor to my recovery. I have to give my red swiss chard infused soups a little credit too. <br />
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I often cook with what I have on hand and this time I went out of my way, while sick, to pick up this nutritious leafy green. I don't think many people in Latin America use it. I certainly don't ever remember seeing it until about 4 years ago while wondering through a local NYC farmer's market. It took me a while before I got the guts to buy it, but after I did I found that sauteed with some extra virgin olive oil was one of the simplest side dishes I have ever made. Wrapping my head around the fact that a lot of people use it in their soups was quite difficult though. I've just never been a fan of leafy greens in my soup. In Colombia my family always used to make all types of soups with beans, plantains, vegetables, rice and even with eggs. It could be that my mom and aunt never made me leafy soups because they knew I didn't like creamy soups or soups with soggy vegetables. (I'm coming around to some cream soups). As it turns out though swiss chard and other leafy vegetables like kale retain some texture even after they are cooked. Not only that they also happen to contain a lot of the nutrients, minerals, and antioxidants that help keep you healthy. As they say this was exactly what the doctor ordered!<br />
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With the health factor in mind, I decided to buy one bunch of red swiss chard to make myself soup enriched with tons of vitamins and minerals. The moment I got home I <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/465533-how-to-store-cook-red-ruby-swiss-chard-for-health-benefits/" target="_blank">cleaned</a> and chopped what I was going to use, and stored the rest in the refrigerator. Then to make things very simple I used canned white bean soup and minestrone soup as pairings for my red swiss chard. Both iterations were delicious and they lasted me the entire week!<br />
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Below is what you'll need for each recipe,<br />
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<i>Buen Provecho! =)</i><br />
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<b>Red Swiss Chard and White Bean Soup with Chicken Sausage</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKSdXAEyoyMqr2CqlP3KnlzIRSra-DOhGMFORGgZ8yXZNvFtrGXIaHRataiWe0FAq5wQuJEOAA3hpeDFOY0XK7uvNhdzywB69eqNckQFTQrwPTOLtNESX9oq8FNe9qRqUvE2kWrRKY5e0/s1600/1370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaKSdXAEyoyMqr2CqlP3KnlzIRSra-DOhGMFORGgZ8yXZNvFtrGXIaHRataiWe0FAq5wQuJEOAA3hpeDFOY0XK7uvNhdzywB69eqNckQFTQrwPTOLtNESX9oq8FNe9qRqUvE2kWrRKY5e0/s640/1370.JPG" width="640" /></a><b><br /></b><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
One or two cups of chopped red swiss chard<br />
One can of white cannellini beans<br />
Half an onion and one garlic clove chopped<br />
One or two links of chicken or turkey sausage<br />
Two cups of low sodium chicken stock<br />
Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
Shredded Parmesan Cheese<br />
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<b>Directions</b><br />
Cut the sausage into one inch cubes and saute in pan. <br />
In the microwave, heat the chicken stock until it boils.<br />
When you see that the chicken is semi done, saute with the onion and garlic for two more minutes and add salt and pepper to taste.<br />
Wash the cannelini beans and add them to the pan.<br />
Let everything saute together for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped red swiss chard.<br />
Let the chard wilt for a minute and add the chicken stock.<br />
As you stir use the back of your spoon to press a small portion of the white beans to make a paste. IT will give the soup a thicker consistency. <br />
Let it simmer, serve, add Parmesan cheese to your liking.<br />
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<b>Red Swiss Chard with Minestrone Soup</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-R-PTZ7uY8iGg9-cskkj77X7C57lu_BorFF358bUcM0KrQs4skyOBJCoIJJBU63GbPG-zwhblOFCl9DkvSfG2nso2j3CZ7V_3Ba6MVwOD0DNuSnbp57wdU6JxgG8xA-bnKaqmMqrKJuGs/s1600/P9067657.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-R-PTZ7uY8iGg9-cskkj77X7C57lu_BorFF358bUcM0KrQs4skyOBJCoIJJBU63GbPG-zwhblOFCl9DkvSfG2nso2j3CZ7V_3Ba6MVwOD0DNuSnbp57wdU6JxgG8xA-bnKaqmMqrKJuGs/s640/P9067657.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
One or two cups of chopped red swiss chard<br />
One can of organic minestrone soup<br />
Half an onion, one garlic clove chopped<br />
A handful of grape tomatoes cut in half<br />
Half a pepper (any color) chopped<br />
One cup of low sodium chicken stock<br />
Tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil<br />
Salt and pepper to taste<br />
Shredded Parmesan Cheese<br />
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<b>Directions</b><br />
In the microwave, heat the chicken stock until it boils.<br />
Saute chapped onions and garlic with extra virgin olive oil.<br />
Salt and pepper to taste.<br />
Add the chopped half pepper and sliced grape tomatoes and saute.<br />
After a few minutes add the chopped red swiss chard, let it wilt and then stir.<br />
Add the cup of chicken stock and the can of minestrone soup.<br />
Stir everything together and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.<br />
Not too long since the vegetable soup is usually ready to eat.<br />
Add Parmesan cheese to your liking.<br />
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And voila! You just made some super delicious soup with swiss chard.<br />
<br />Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-91313625551259056432012-09-06T18:31:00.003-07:002012-09-06T18:31:52.366-07:00Sofrito with Kale<br />
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<i>Sofrito</i> is
quintessentially the most important ingredient in Latin cooking. We use it to season, to marinade, to give
everything that Latin zing. Just like
Italians have tomato sauce Latinos have their <i>sofrito</i>. It is the
foundation used to flavor everything under the sun. I have noticed that the most prevalent type
of <i>sofrito </i>in the United States is what Puerto Ricans call <i>recaito</i>. You could pretty
much find it in any grocery store that sells Goya products. This is not the only type of <i>sofrito </i>available
though. Many other Latin American
countries create their own type of <i>sofrito</i>
to which they add spices that are native to their regions. I know Colombians
call it <i>hogao</i> or <i>guiso</i> and it’s made by sauteing diced scallions with chopped
tomatoes in oil. We also add a touch of <i>azafrán</i> or saffron for coloring. In this sense it differs greatly from Puerto
Rican <i>sofrito </i>which is not sautéed in oil but made in a blender and refrigerated
fresh. </div>
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I have already demonstrated how to make <i>guiso</i> in my post about <a href="http://tofuconsazon.blogspot.com/2012/06/tofu-perico.html" target="_blank">Tofu Perico</a>, so this is my attempt at making
a version of the Puerto Rican recaito but with a twist. Lately I've been obsessed with kale, so I
decided to add kale to my version so that it incorporates all of the healthy
vitamins and nutrients that kale boasts.
I can tell you right now that you won’t even notice a difference. To me it was excellent. If not kale, you could also add beets if you
want or maybe swish chard. Just be
careful how much you add. Too much kale
and it might be too bitter, just like too many onions might be too overwhelming. I also added a stem of celery and a whole carrot to
make it that much healthier. What I
forgot to add was some heat. In the
future I'm going to try adding a bit of <i>jalapeño</i> or some other type
of hot pepper.</div>
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I really hope you enjoy making this version or your own version of
<i>sofrito</i> with whatever ingredients you
have on hand. It's really always about making it your own and doing the best with what you already have.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Buen
Provecho</i>! =)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Ingredients<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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1 half green bell pepper and 1 half red bell pepper seeded and chopped<br />
5 small sweet peppers of various colors seeded and chopped<br />
5 small plum tomatoes, skins removed <br />
2 small yellow onions cut into quarters<br />
5 scallions chopped in half <br />
3 heads of roasted garlic or regular garlic<br />
One stem of celery chopped<br />
One carrot chopped<br />
A spring of mint (could use some other herb like cilantro) <br />
One large leaf of kale<br />
A dash of extra virgin olive oil<br />
Sea salt and pepper to taste<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Directions
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<ul>
<li>This is the easiest recipe, you just dump all of the ingredients
into a blender and you are done. Just
make sure you coarsely chop all of the ingredients before putting in the
blender. </li>
<li>If everything doesn’t fit in the blender try doing a portion of
the ingredients and then gradually adding everything until everything is
blended together.</li>
<li>To preserve the <i>sofrito </i>simply leave the small portion you are
going to use right away in a container in the refrigerator. You can store smaller ready to use portions
in the freezer. Another way to preserve
them in the freezer is to store the <i>sofrito </i>in an ice cube tray. You can take out as many <i>sofrito</i> cubes as you want whenever you are ready to use them.</li>
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<span style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>TIP</b> – To remove
the tomato skins simply cut a small cross on the bottom and drop on boiling
water. Leave them for a minute or so and
then drop them in a bath of ice. You can
peel the skin right away, remove the seeds and then add to the blender along with
the rest of the ingredients.</i></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-13947729728707726202012-08-23T20:12:00.000-07:002012-08-23T20:14:43.479-07:00A Refreshing Twist to the Classic Holiday CoquitoHi Everyone,<br />
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Below is my Q&A with Cynthia Sepulveda the Founder and President of <a href="http://www.flacocoquito.com/" target="_blank">Flaco Coquito</a>.<br />
I truly hope you feel inspired by her desire to develop a healthier alternative to a drink that is so dear to her Puerto Rican roots and heritage.<br />
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<strong>Why is coquito so important to you?</strong> <br />
Coquito is a part of my culture and takes me back to when times were simpler, fun and more interactive with my family and friends. The taste of food and coquito and the sounds of music reminds me of my childhood in my grandmother's house celebrating with family. <br />
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<strong>What does it mean to you and your family?</strong> <br />
It means "nuestra familia" (our family). Which I learned from my grandmother, who was the pillar of ours. She would make non-alcoholic coquito for the kids, so to include us in celebration during family events. <br />
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Coquito can be a very time consuming drink to make, especially when made following the original recipe and that's the main reason it's made a few times a year. It's important to me and my family to keep tradition alive, and keep our culture thriving. <br />
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<strong>What got you thinking about a healthier alternative to coquito? </strong><br />
My husband made it every year, but less and less family members were drinking it due to illnesses that affect many Hispanics; such as diabetes, cancer and lupus. I decided last holiday season to take over the coquito making and alter his recipe. My motivation was to attempt to make a lighter, healthier coquito while staying true to the taste. I recently went to Puerto Rico to visit my family and made some for my 90 year old aunt Carmen. She took one sip and told me to keep pouring because it tasted just like my grandmother's coquito. She was so taken by Flaco Coquito, I had to make her a large batch before leaving back to NY lol. <br />
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<strong>How hard is it being a start up business?</strong> <br />
It is very difficult. Starting a business is not an easy undertaking. Branding to me is the most important part of any business. The girl with the coconut was my vision who was brought to life by an artist by the name of Anya Levkovich. Anya did an incredible job. I also decided in the middle of July to add Sonia Pena to the company who is now VP of Marketing for Flaco Coquito. Sonia has a wealth of knowledge in Hispanic media, and with my business sense and "Flaco Coquito" making skills we make a great duo! <br />
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<strong>How do you see your brand expanding?</strong> <br />
My ultimate goal is to have Flaco Coquito distilled and sold in liquor stores. Right now we are marketing our name, concept and taste to create a demand. We have <a href="http://red58nyc.com/" target="_blank">RED 58 Bar</a> in Manhattan serving Flaco Coquito whose owner was taken by our concept and flavors. The owner of RED 58 will serve Flaco Coquito Mango and Tropical Blend flavors all year round while serving our Original in the fall and winter. <br />
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<strong>What do you hope to accomplish with this new drink?</strong><br />
We hope to accomplish CHANGE and people's perception of coquito. I want them to know that coquito can be consumed and enjoyed without feeling guilty all year around. I'm fortunate that I have community leaders who live a healthier life style and enjoy Flaco Coquito such as Mia Roman (Artist/Activist), Edwin Vazquez (Artist,singer,songwriter), Carmelina Vargas (Singer/Songwriter/breast cancer survivor) and George Torres (sofritoforyoursoul.com). Flaco Coquito recently came out in Carmelina's new video for her song "Alegria". <br />
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My family also helps me and they are simply amazing, especially my sister Monique & Cousin Gloria who believe in our product and work for Flaco Coquito. We also have so many other fans who help by spreading the concept of Flaco Coquito. <br />
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<strong>How would you like it to change or impact the way Latino's and others think about what they drink?</strong><br />
The evolution of all our traditional foods and drinks are inevitable especially with so many different illnesses that affect our community; particularly cancer. Flaco Coquito wants to be a part of that change providing low sugar, low fat and vegan options, it was born from tradition but enjoyed in a lighter and healthier way. Flaco Coquito can be enjoyed all year round now, not just during the Holidays. We offer 25 flavors which include our spring and summer flavors such as mango and tropical that are light, dairy-free and refreshing coconut goodness.<br />
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To contact Cynthia and/or to order some coquito visit <a href="http://www.flacocoquito.com/">www.flacocoquito.com</a><br />
<br />Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-86596010156993463472012-08-18T22:06:00.002-07:002012-08-18T22:06:47.348-07:00Will be posting new stuff soonI have stopped updates for a bit so that I can catch up to the posts that show up on Huffington Post. I promise new content very soon. Hopefully by this Thursday =) Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-81542142288608133322012-07-18T20:02:00.000-07:002012-07-18T20:21:22.632-07:00Dark Chocolate Sauce with Blueberries for Any Occasion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This post goes out to all chocolate lovers cruising the Web. If at this moment, or at some point in the near future you get a chocolate craving. I want to recommend that instead of purchasing your usual chocolate fix, you buy a block of broken Callebaut dark semi-sweet Belgium chocolate. If you are in a tight spot and in desperate need of a quick fix of chocolate, then I probably wouldn't recommend this recipe. If on the other hand you are willing to try a completely different way of both eating and drinking chocolate then I suggest you try buying your own block of chocolate the next time you shop.<br />
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Whether it's milk chocolate bars, chocolate syrup in our sundaes or cups of hot cocoa with marshmallows during the winter, m<span style="background-color: white;">ost of us indulge in some type of chocolate on a regular basis. </span><span style="background-color: white;">What we may not realize is that the type of chocolate we buy here is not the same type of chocolate others purchase outside of the United States. The quality of the ingredients in the United States, in my opinion, is simply </span><span style="background-color: white;">sub par</span><span style="background-color: white;"> to other parts of the world. </span><span style="background-color: white;">With the exception of small businesses</span><span style="background-color: white;"> that really focus on the craft of creating chocolate. M</span><span style="background-color: white;">ost of what you buy from name brands at most major stores barely passes for chocolate. Whatever happened to milk & cocoa as the main ingredients? We have become so accustomed to such a watered down version of chocolate that most of what we are getting are artificially flavored chocolates jammed packed with super sweet corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I admit that I already have a biased opinion towards North American name brand chocolates. Before coming to the United States I was already used to drinking hot cocoa made with blocks of <i>chocolate de mesa</i> or sweet dark baking chocolate and milk. The hot cocoa comes out a little thicker and foamier, with a much darker and richer aroma. In Europe, they tend to use cocoa powder and milk to make hot cocoa but the consistency is usually much ticker, like syrup, and served in smaller portions. According to </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Types_of_chocolate" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">wiki</a><span style="background-color: white;">,</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and the various sources it quotes, it has a lot to do with the cocoa content of the chocolate used. The United States only requires a 10% concentration of cocoa liquor to be present in milk chocolate and it mentions that most chocolate producers have lobbied to replace cocoa butter with other types of oils which include hydrogenated oils, and with sugars which include artificial sweeteners. Yuck! In other countries, the chocolate content is much higher and therefore you get a richer taste. I don't know why Americans always end up with the short end of the stick when it comes to food products, but it's time for the blind fold to come off an for your life to get very chocolaty indeed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">First, visit any large grocery chain. You should find broken up blocks of Callebaut chocolate next to where they exhibit their </span><span style="background-color: white;">imported cheese </span><span style="background-color: white;">selection</span><span style="background-color: white;">. Don't buy the unsweetened dark chocolate. It's great for baking but it's super bitter. I don't want to you running for the hills just yet. Make sure you buy the broken semi-sweet dark chocolate from Callebaut. You should be able to find the Callebaut name engraved in the mix matched blocks of chocolate. If you cant find Callebaut, look for baking chocolate that is semi-sweet. I wouldn't buy chocolate chips, unless you find some that share similar ingredients with the Callebaut semi-sweet chocolate which contains 53.8% cocoa (sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, salt, and pure vanilla extract)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Don't forget to buy some fruit. I bough blueberries, which to me make the best </span><span style="background-color: white;">chocolate </span><span style="background-color: white;">pairing. It also helps that they are super cheap during the summer months while they are in season. Also, try buying New Jersey blueberries. That's some very biased advise because I grew up in NJ, but NJ is one of the largest producers of blueberries in the country and at this time of year they are very fresh, sweet, and plump.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Let's get started!</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Ingredients</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">block of broken Callebaut dark semi-sweet Belgium chocolate</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Pint of blueberries</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Your favorite type of nut or granola</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Milk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><b>TIP</b> - Don't use a cutting board. I find it easier to place a cloth kitchen towel on top of the kitchen counter, then place a large paper towel on top of the cloth towel. It helps keep the shards of chocolate from spreading all over your kitchen counter, and it also muffles the sound from the cutting board.</i></span>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Directions</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you kept your chocolate in the fridge after you bought it, make sure you leave it out for at least a half an hour so that it's easier to shave.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">With a large non-serrated knife, start to shave the chocolate off the block. Look at the images I posted. The chocolate can be cut into chunky pieces. It looks like you are cutting shards off chocolate. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Please be careful with your fingers. You are using force when you cut. This is a block of something hard, it's not as easy as cutting a strawberry. I certainly don't recommend kids doing this without parental supervision. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">As you shave the chocolate you will notice that you will have to turn and flip your block of chocolate to get a better angle. The more you cut, the more you run out of cutting real estate, so you just have to keep looking for the best edge to cut off. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Cut as much as you like, but if it's just for you, cut about enough to yield 3 tablespoons.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Put the remainder of the block in the fridge in a sealed Ziploc bag. I do this because the kitchen I use doesn't have AC and it tends to get very hot very quickly.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Make sure your fruit is cleaned and chopped up into chunks. If you use blueberries you don't have to do anything but wash them and remove any stems.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">* In a ceramic coffee cup, place your three tablespoons of shaved chocolate and put in the microwave for 30 seconds. If you have a super strong microwave, make it 20 seconds.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Take it out and stir with a spoon. You will see that it hasn't really melted, all you have done is melted a little around the edges.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you are making 3 tablespoons of chocolate, then add one to one and a half tablespoons of milk to the same cup. Try one tablespoon first, it's preferable to have a thicker consistency than to get something that resembles hot chocolate. You want this to have a syrupy texture.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">* Add to the the microwave for 20 to 30 more seconds. As with before, it depends on your microwave's heat settings. </span></li>
<li>* Take it out and then stir with a spoon. It might look watery at first, but keep stirring until you see a chocolate colored texture.</li>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Add your blueberries, mix, and then pour on top of some waffles, pancakes, dessert, but best of all ON TOP OF SOME ICE CREAM! Just imagine how amazing this melted chocolate syrup will taste in a sundae. If you have granola, then add granola. You can pretty much add anything to this chocolate mixture. What's even better is that you can also pour it over anything too.</span><br />
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Instead of buying chocolate at the store, I have now become addicted with doing this exact procedure every time I'm craving chocolate. It's just SO GOOD! The difference is that I don't add the mixture to anything. I just eat the chocolate and the blueberries straight out of the cup. For a quick, I put the blueberries in the freezer for a couple of minutes until they start to get really cold and frosty. Then I proceed to add the hot chocolate syrup on top. I also mix the chocolate syrup with the blueberries and freeze the combined mixture together. I use cupcake paper as a mold and then I end up eating a delicious and cool dark chocolate blueberry bar. And to think that all I added to the chocolate shavings was some milk. It certainly has enough cocoa butter so don't go adding more butter. It's also super fresh, without any preservatives or artificial sugars. It's the way chocolate was intended to be eaten.<br />
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It might be more work than just buying a bar of chocolate at the store, but the flexibility you get in terms of ingredients, and to top it off the taste...It's really worth the wait.<br />
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I really hope you enjoy it alone and with the family.<br />
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Buen Provecho! =)<br />
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<br /></div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-25697163153191136582012-07-09T17:57:00.002-07:002012-07-09T19:30:03.583-07:00Summer Virgin Mango Mojitos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I love mojitos, they are hands down one of my favorite summer and all year round drinks. The ingredients are simple, and you can easily make one with any type of fruit or vegetable imaginable. I love my Cubans for this invention. The combination of mint and lime is simply genius! <br />
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I know in most Latin American countries <i>yerba buena </i>or spearmint (a mint variety) is readily available. You often find it growing wild like a weed, but because of winter and colder temperatures we don't get the privilege of year round access here in the United States. Well, certainly not in the North East of the United States. If you plant some in your backyard though you will find that the plant loves to reproduce. When my sister, who lives in NJ, bought a house it came with its own supply of y<i>erba buena </i>in the backyard. During the winter it was completely dead but the moment it got a whiff of spring it started to overpopulate her backyard. She never has to replant it, it's just always there. And the smell is divine. Definitely a plant that everyone should grow in their backyard, it will reward you ten fold during the hot summer months.<br />
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Another great thing about mojitos is that you can use various ingredients to develop your own distinct signature. I once worked near a restaurant where I used to buy cucumber mojitos. They were amazing! I still haven't come up with my own signature, but I want to tinker with making a ginger honey mojito, or a lychee mojito. I'll figure something out eventually. On the other hand, one thing I don't like about mojitos is how expensive they can be. I usually find mojito's in the $8 to $15 range per drink! That's New York City for you though. <span style="background-color: white;">So instead of paying up we can just as easily make our own virgin or regular mojitos at home. All of the ingredients, except for the blue agave nectar which will run you about $5, will cost less than $8. In total that's about $13 spent on ingredients that will yield more than enough for probably a group of 8. This of course does not include the cost of alcohol...maybe you can get a friend to buy you some white rum as a gift! ::wink:: </span><br />
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The key to this recipe is that we are not making individual mojitos. The recipe below will help you if that's what you seek, but I was looking at making something that would be easy to prepare and serve as a concentrated mojito mixture. You can then take the concentrated mixture to make a glass or a pitcher of mojito that you can serve at your next BBQ. Whatever you have left over you can freeze into ice cubes that you can later drop in your seltzer water or you can save the mixture in a container and thaw it to make a pitcher at a later date. What's great about this concentrated mixture is that it really lends itself to various recipes without having to make individual servings of mojito.<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>TIP 1</b> - If you want to make a different flavor mojito all you have to do is find all natural juice to substitute the mango juice in the recipe. Try to find juice with no high fructose corn syrup or other ingredients that you don't understand. If you can't find them, then I have an even better suggestion, <b>make your own juice! </b> For example, if you want to make a lychee, strawberry, cucumber, or coconut mojito all you have to do is buy the fruit or vegetable and blend it with some ice cubes. You want the mixture to be a little thick so just play with the fruit and ice combination. Make enough of the mixture so that you get about 4 ounces or half a cup per person. </i></span></span><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b><br />
Mint Leaves (10 leaves per drink)<br />
Limes (4 lime wedges per drink)<br />
Blue Agave Nectar - Light or Dark (half a tablespoon per drink)<br />
White Rum (1 1/2 ounces per drink)<br />
2 Liters of Lemon Lime Seltzer - (half cup or 4 ounces per drink)<br />
All Natural Mango Nectar Juice (4 ounces per drink)<br />
Muddler if you have one if not a large wooden spoon<br />
Ice (to your liking)<br />
Mango (Not required, but if you have some laying around they can be used in this recipe)<br />
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<span style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>TIP 2</b> - </i></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>A standard bar pitcher in the US will hold about 32 ounces. A liter container will hold about 34 ounces of liquid. So on average you are getting about 4 eight ounce drinks per pitcher. Keep this in mind before you buy your ingredients. </i></span></span><br />
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<b>Directions</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Before you begin, make sure you keep the seltzer water and the mango nectar refrigerated so that you get a nice and refreshing drink, even without the ice.
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">Roll the lime with the palm of your hand to release some of the juice before you cut. Cut each lime into 8 slices. Estimate that you will use about 4 slices per drink.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Buy a bunch of mint leaves and just strip the leaves. If for example you want to make enough for 4 people then strip 40 leaves.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">In a container, squeeze half of the limes and drop the wedges in the container. Add the remaining lime wedges into the container as well. Break apart the mint leaves with your hands before adding them in the container. This is a very helpful step in the case that you have to use a wooden spoon.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add half a tablespoon of Blue Agave Nectar per drink. The reason you only add half a tablespoon per drink is because Agave nectar is sweeter than sugar.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add only 2 ounces of mango nectar per drink to the mixture. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you have mangoes laying around the house first remove the skin, cut up the mango into smaller cubes, then add to the mixture. A lot of stores now sell frozen mango chunks that can be thawed. Go with your gut, if you want a lot of mango pulp in your drink then go crazy. If you need a number then add 2 to 3 cubes.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">With your muddler or wooden spoon start to crush and mix your ingredients together.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">You will discover that you just made a big mush of all of the ingredients.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you think the mush is not too sweet then you can add a little bit more of the agave syrup. Remember that the mango nectar will tend to be on the sweet side so you don't over do it. </span></li>
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<i><span style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>TIP 3</b> - Buy some <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000028007181&pid=BNGLA10736&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.boncui.com%2Fbngla10736.html%3Fmr%3AtrackingCode%3D180B824A-8031-E011-8262-001B2163195C%26mr%3AreferralID%3DNA&usg=AFHzDLt3vtU5O9w6J-KcRaptCH1r0BIXpA&pubid=555219" rel="" target="_blank">Wholesome Organic Blue Agave Sweetener</a> or other type of agave syrup and use it to replace your supply of white or brown table sugar. Agave is a great substitute for table sugar because it's low in the glycemic index. This means that the body will take longer to absorb the sugar into your bloodstream. On the other hand table sugar is much higher in the glycemic index and will quickly absorb the sugar into your bloodstream causing spikes in your sugar levels. Agave nectar is also sweeter than table sugar so you need less of it to sweeten you coffee or mojito. I'll be writing a post devoted to Blue Agave Nectar very shortly. It really tastes amazing with coffee.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br />At this point you have two options you can either freeze the mixture or serve it to your guests.</span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><i>If you want to freeze the mixture</i> into ice cubes or in a container go ahead and save it for a later day. Make sure you remove the limes if you want to make ice cubes. If you are preserving the entire mixture just leave the limes in the mixture.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><i>If you want to make individual servings</i>, fill a cup with about 2 to 3 ounces of the mixture.
Pour the remaining 2 ounces of mango nectar and mix. Add two or three ice cubes. Then add the 4 ounces of seltzer water. Mix with a spoon and serve. Try using a larger glass so that you don't have to fight to mix all of the ingredients together. It's also helpful so that the drink doesn't overflow.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;"><i>If you want to make a pitcher </i>we are under the assumption that you will be preparing enough for four people. If that's the case pour the mixture until it covers 1/3rd of the pitcher. That's around 8 to 12 ounces of the mixture or 2 to 3 ounces per drink. Follow the same concept with the remaining ingredients. Add 8 ounces of mango nectar and 16 ounces of the seltzer water. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you want to use alcohol, just add 1 1/2 ounces of run to your cup, or 5 ounces to your pitcher then serve.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Mix all of the ingredients and it is now ready to serve.</span></li>
</ul>
<i><span style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>TIP 4</b> - I would personally refrain from adding ice to your pitcher. I don't like it when ice dilutes my drink before it's even served. The same goes for Sangria. I recommend that you instead add ice to your guest's cup and then pour the mojito mixture. You might even find that by doing that you'll get more than 4 cups out of your pitcher.</span></i><br />
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I really hope you enjoy your virgin or alcoholic mango mojito with friends and family during your next BBQ, or random hot summer day.<br />
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<i>Buen Provecho</i>! =)<br />
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<br /></div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-56426214895989352902012-07-05T21:00:00.002-07:002012-07-08T19:06:41.258-07:00Family Camping Reunion - Breakfast Campestre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past weekend I got to celebrate our annual camping reunion with my family. My cousins have been planning it since March and to see it finally come together and everyone having a great time was well worth the wait. I have been counting down the days waiting for the craziness to begin and the festivities did not disappoint. It was by far the largest turnout we've had since we began our annual reunions a couple of years ago. We had about 60 people show up, mostly cousins and a few close family friends. When my boyfriend, my mom, my aunt arrived at the campsite on Friday night it was already 11:30pm and my family had already taken up an entire section of the campsite. I called my sister, who arrived a little before we did, to figure out where exactly we were located. All she told me to do was follow the road and the noise, and sure enough we arrived at our camping location. <br />
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By the time we unpacked and set up our tents it was probably close to 1am, that's when I started to hear my mom, aunt, and cousins clamoring for some fresh coffee (Yes, at 1am they were going crazy asking for fresh coffee). We are not talking about a cup of some highly caffeinated coffee that makes you jittery. We are talking about a very small cup of smooth, sweet, and hot <i>tinto</i>, just the way Colombians like it. Very slowly, everyone started to settle around the biggest fire, drinking coffee, beers, and liquor. The conversations lasted until the wee hours of the morning. As the morning slowly started to catch up to everyone in the campsite you started to see those with kids drifting off to their tents, while the bunch that was drinking got louder and rowdier. You have to love camping with the family! =)<br />
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When I got up the next morning I was ready to eat! I woke to the sound of my nieces asking for their <i>tetero </i>or bottle, the rattling of pots and grilling grates, and the smell of logs and coal, burning in preparation for breakfast. If there is one thing I love about camping with my family is that it's always a food fest. Breakfast isn't your typical PB&J (peanut butter & jelly) or ham and cheese sandwich. We are talking about a full out home cooked meal over an open fire. That's why I love being the bystander, photographer, and part-time flame blower, I get to enjoy every minute of the experience knowing that what I am about to eat is going to be ridiculously amazing!<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">That morning's breakfast consisted of fresh Colombian coffee, <i>agua panela con limon y canela</i> or a whole </span><span style="background-color: white;">cane</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">sugar block with limes and cinnamon sticks, <i>arepas con queso Colombiano </i>or corn cakes with Colombian cheese, and <i>huevos pericos </i>or scrambled eggs with tomatoes and scallions, all made over burning logs and coal. That's what you call a typical Colombian <i>desayuno campero</i> or a camper's breakfast. When it came time to cook, no one really assigned tasks, everyone just volunteered to participate in preparing some aspect of the breakfast. While mom made fresh coffee using a reusable cloth filter or what we call a <i>colador, m</i>y cousin boiled water in a giant pot and mixed the <i>panelas </i>with lime juice and cinnamon cloves. At the same time, another cousin and a family friend where busy cracking and beating the eggs in constant harmony. As the assembly line progressed more people joined in. They were tasked with keeping the flames from burning out, stirring the <i>huevos pericos</i> so they don't dry out, flipping the <i>arepas </i>so they don't completely </span><span style="background-color: white;">burn. Let's not forget about our hungry bystanders, who huddled around the flames watching and waiting to get the first batch of food from the fire.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">To make things simpler, the tomatoes and the scallions were cut ahead of time. Cutting anything while you camp can be arduous, so making some aspects of the meal ahead of time is simply a lot less messy and a time saver. As for the <i>arepas</i>, we bought them in bulk from the store and froze them. Though my mom did prepare some <i>arepas </i>from scratch, she was only able to make enough so that a few of us could enjoy them for lunch. It is possible to make them ahead of time and preserve them in the freezer. You just need to be realistic about the amount of time you want to spend preparing enough for everyone. My great aunt, who was one of the last living matriarchs of the family, might have balked at our new found laziness, but in today's day and age sometimes there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I'm sure she would have still been proud at our attempt of keeping our cooking traditions alive.</span><br />
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At the end, the eggs, the coffee, and the corn cakes had that beautiful smokiness that you get when you cook outdoors over an open fire. The <i>agua panela</i> turned out to be a sweet and refreshing treat that served as a breakfast dessert. Everything was made in batches and all in all we must have used more than 8 dozen eggs. The first batch of eggs dried out a little too much because of how close the pot was to the flames but that was corrected in later batches. Never serve a Colombian dried eggs, I don't know how many times I heard someone pass by reminding whoever was stirring the eggs not to dry them out.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Once everyone was served, there were a couple of folk that went out looking for seconds. Even after having seconds, we still had a pot full of leftover eggs that someone ended up eating for lunch, lol. All in all, we had an amazing breakfast, and most importantly we ate as a family. There were no fights and no arguments, only great food, great friends, and great times!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I really hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about my Colombian family and our breakfast cooking traditions. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Stay tuned as I'll be writing more about some of the other foods we prepared during my family's camping reunion.</span><br />
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<i>Buen provecho</i>! =)<br />
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<br />Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-44390068645829006392012-06-24T20:35:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:48:17.031-07:00Grilled Vegetables For Your Next BBQ<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white;">During the summer months most of our weekends are booked with back-to-back barbecue invitations. Either you are inviting friends and family over for a barbecue or someone else invited you to the park, or the beach, or to their backyard for some grub. The star of the menu is most often than not meat, meat, and dare I say more meat. You always find your basic burger/hot dog combo with some chicken and some steak while fruits and vegetables are relegated to the side dish role in your BBQ.</span><br />
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Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my <i>churrasco </i>or skirt stake on the grill, but so much meat can be overwhelming. Corn on the cob should not be the only non-meat food available at your BBQ. <span style="background-color: white;">So the next time you throw a BBQ remember that the summer months are when supermarkets and farmer's markets carry the freshest fruits and vegetables. Just imagine how much better all of your fruits, yes fruits, and vegetables will taste on the grill. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Unfortunately at the moment I don't own a grill, I've been looking to get this <a href="http://gan.doubleclick.net/gan_click?lid=41000000026530730&pid=32225&adurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abt.com%2Fproduct%2F32225%2FWeber-386002.html&usg=AFHzDLuzEGLBoAUn7I1w_aecYonvSrVhmg&pubid=555219" rel="" target="_blank">Weber Q 100 Liquid Propane Table/Outdoor Grill - 386002</a></span><span style="background-color: white;">. It has some of the best reviews on Amazon and because I might not always have a backyard I want something that is easy to move around and will hopefully not take up too much space. On the other hand, I also love charcoal grilling, so I also fell in love with the </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weber-121020-Go-Anywhere-Charcoal-Grill/dp/B00004RALJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1340580489&sr=1-1&keywords=charcoal+go+anywhere" target="_blank">Weber Charcoal Go-Anywhere Grill</a><span style="background-color: white;">. This one also has amazing reviews and is thankfully in my budget range, so I think when the time comes this will be the one I get. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Since I don't have a grill, I went with the next best thing and used the oven. </span><span style="background-color: white;">I also could have used a cast iron skillet to arrive at the desired charring effect but at least I still got the same juiciness and crispiness. I'm learning as I go here so bare with me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I have to be totally honest and tell you that I went about grilling my vegetables the wrong way. I was making my <a href="http://tofuconsazon.blogspot.com/2012/06/kale-beet-leaf-chips.html" target="_blank">Kale & Beet Leaf Chips</a> recipe when I decided that I also wanted to grill some vegetables. I placed the veggies in the middle rack of the oven and used the top rack for my kale chips. Kale chips are prepared at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After the chips were done, which took about 10 minutes, I moved my vegetables to the top rack and that's when they really started to get crispy. The right way to grill vegetables in the oven requires that you set your oven at really high heat. I didn't know this until I visited a couple of blogs online. I still got the desired results, my veggies turned out crispy and juicy, it probably just took me longer at the temperature I was using.</span><br />
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The below recipe will work for your grill, your cast iron pan, and your oven, the main take away here is that we need to start grilling vegetables and enjoying them more often. I bought beets, summer squash and carrots at the farmer's market which turned out really sweet and crispy. The summer squash turned out crispy on the outside but the inside was just juiciness. I also found some snow peas in the fridge but I didn't like how they turned out in the oven. They lost their original crispiness. At the end it really doesn't hurt to try any type of vegetable, you'll figure out if you don't like it afterwards.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white;">Grilled Vegetables</b><br />
Olive oil<br />
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper<br />
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<b>Alternative ingredients</b><br />
Minced garlic<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Cajun seasoning</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Red pepper flakes</span><br />
Adobo<br />
Your choice of herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, etc..)<br />
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<i>Here is a list of veggies you could use for grilling: Asparagus, broccoli, beets, carrots, summer squash, any type of pepper, tomatoes, onions, the list goes on.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b>Directions</b></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Set your stove top cast iron skillet or your grill to medium heat. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">For your oven, </span><a href="http://www.ehow.com/how_5137296_grill-oven.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">ehow.com</a><span style="background-color: white;"> recommends that you preheat your oven to between 500 and 550 degrees </span><span style="background-color: white;">Fahrenheit. The site recommends that you use a cast iron skillet or a grill pan, but I used a baking sheet pan and covered it with aluminum foil. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><b>Tip 1 </b>- You shouldn't feel like you have to go run off and buy something you don't have. I didn't have a grill, or a cast iron skillet, so I used a baking sheet and the oven. Sometimes it's best to work with what you have.</i></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add olive oil to a small container, 1/4 cup should do, and with a brush start to coat your vegetables.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add salt and pepper to taste.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you have additional ingredients now is the time to sprinkle them onto your vegetables.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you prefer, you can also mix the oil with your additional ingredients. With the brush you will get an even coating of your seasoning on your vegetables.</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="background-color: white;">Keep an eye on your veggies as they grill. Your cooking time will range from between 5 to 10 minutes. Peppers might take a little longer, while asparagus might take no time at all to cook.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Tip 2</b> - For dessert, why not grill some fruit instead of eating cake. If it's a super hot day, take a scoop of ice cream or gelato and place some of your favorite charred fruit on top. YUM!</i><br />
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<b style="background-color: #93c47d;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>LEFTOVERS IDEA - GRILLED VEGETABLE EGG STIR FRY</i></span></b></div>
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After I finished my delicious dinner of veggies and only veggies I ended up with a lot of leftover vegetables. <span style="background-color: white;">I knew I was going to be eating them pretty soon, so I stored them in a container in the refrigerator.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">If there is one thing you need to know about my family is that we don't like throwing </span><span style="background-color: white;">out </span><span style="background-color: white;">food </span><span style="background-color: white;">or leaving it in the fridge forgotten. If you cooked too much, well then you can eat it for breakfast the very next morning or take it to work for lunch. I went with option one and used my leftover ingredients to make a <i>recalentado </i>for breakfast. You make a <i>recalentado </i>by "reheating" whatever you made the day before. This usually involves a mixture of leftover rice and beans with scrambled eggs. I once had some leftover rice and mixed it with an egg for breakfast and my boyfriend's father thought I was nuts. As a Latina, I say this with much love, but we need to start eating rice in moderation! I love my curves but I don't need to add to them by gorging on rice all the time. That's why I started to cut my c</span><span style="background-color: white;">onsumption of rice to less than one cup (8 ounces) a day. As an alternative to this <i>recalentado</i>, skip the white rice and make it with some brown rice. You can also chop your vegetables a little finer or add some crumbled tofu to supplement the rice all together. Either way the sweetness of these grilled vegetables will outshine all other ingredients and make for a perfectly healthy and filling treat. </span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Chop your veggies into small or large chunks (whatever style you prefer)</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Heat a frying pan with a tablespoon of olive oil, set to medium heat.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Let your vegetables </span><span style="background-color: white;">saute for about 5 minutes.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you have left over rice around add it to the pan after about 3 minutes, you want to give the veggies time to saute on their own.</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add eggs (cage free) - The number of eggs you use depends on the amount of veggies you chopped and the number of people you are feeding. (I only like having one egg for breakfast so that's all I used).</span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Mix everything together and you have yourself a grilled vegetable egg </span><span style="background-color: white;">stir fry.</span></li>
</ul>
<i>Buen provecho! </i>=)
</div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-8805353496686983272012-06-20T20:02:00.000-07:002012-06-22T23:14:21.965-07:00Spaghetti Squash with Salmon and Basmati Rice<br />
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Oh Spaghetti Squash, Where have u been all my life?<br />
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I first tried spaghetti squash a couple of months ago and I couldn't believe how amazing the texture was, the subtle sweetness, the way it made the dish lighter and healthier than it otherwise should be. How could I have lived a good portion of my life without it? Can't say I know much about squashes, the only other squash I use with confidence is butternut squash. But still, I felt like a hermit having stumbled onto civilization.<br />
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I can just think of about a million things I want to do with it, and one of them is this very recipe. Like I previously said, it has been a while since I last saw one in the farmer's market or in the store. This squash is usually a winter variety, and not too long ago I almost bought one at a local grocery store until I found out they were trying to charge me $8 for a small one. I convinced myself that I would just have to wait for winter, until I saw it again last week while wandering through Whole Foods during my lunch break. I spotted this spaghetti squash for about $1.50/lb. I snatched it in a heart beat! I don't buy much in Whole Foods unless it's on sale and I was not going to wait for them to change their mind on the price. I was finally going to get my chance to make something with this beautiful squash.<br />
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That same day I also found some wild caught sockeye salmon fillet on sale for about $11.99/lb. That may sound expensive, because it truly is, but it usually goes for about $16/lb. I call it my once every three to six month treat, so when you see it on sale I highly recommend making the investment. Even if not on sale, cut out some of the junk food from your grocery list and get this baby instead. If you buy a half lb or 8 ounces you are getting two 4 ounce steaks. Believe it or not that's the recommended portion size for most meats, and it's perfect for this recipe. </div>
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Another great thing about this salmon, besides the fact that it has a ton of omega 3's, is that it comes from fisheries that are certified sustainable by the <a href="http://www.msc.org/">Marine Stewardship Council</a>. We sometimes forget about the impact we have on our environment, and how we choose the foods that we consume has as much an impact as anything else we do to help save the environment. I know most of the vegetables I ate as a kid in Colombian were bought at the local <i>mercado </i>or market which was sold by local farmers. Even grocery stores carried local produce. It might be a new trend in the United States but most of our families grew up buying local produce before it became a fad here. The greater the demand for healthier and environmentally conscious foods, the more pressure we put on major producers to make this the norm and not the exception.</div>
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Now that I finished my environmentally conscious rant, I will proceed to tell you how amazing this salmon is in comparison to its plain vanilla counterpart. It's just fresher and fleshier than what you are probably accustomed to buying. From what I've read its bright pink color has a lot to do with the diet and the size of the salmon that grow in the Northern Pacific. The wild ones tend to be larger and fattier, which also means juicier. I think that's what sets them the most apart, that one is wild while the other is farmed, and that probably gives them that refreshing taste.
There's very little you have to do with this salmon, it's good all on its own. Before I used to think that the bright pink color might mean it has more nutrients, but that might not be the case. Some fisheries, the ones where you don't want to get your salmon from, tend to feed the salmon die to give them a pink color. Something worth thinking about the next time you buy salmon. <span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">So now that we have two amazing ingredients I decided to make Spaghetti Squash with Sockeye Salmon. I added Basmati rice to this recipe because I was craving it, but a nice summer salad with a hint of lemon would be a better pairing for the salmon. Maybe even a simple diced cucumber and tomato salad with salt and pepper to taste plus the juice of half a lime.</span></div>
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I created this dish to celebrate my 5 year anniversary with my boyfriend Brian. He loved it, I loved it, and I hope you will love it too. <br />
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<b>Spaghetti Squash with Sockeye Salmon</b><br />
Serves 2 <br />
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1 small/medium spaghetti squash<br />
1/2 lb of salmon with skin<br />
2 cloves of garlic (if you have also use roasted garlic) <br />
1/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese or crumbled feta cheese<br />
1 lemon<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
Olive oil<br />
A pinch of dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, basil, and/or red pepper flakes for some heat (anything you can find in your cabinet works)<br />
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<b><br />Directions:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Cut spaghetti squash in half. With a spoon take out the seeds (don't throw them out, set aside) </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">In the cavity of each spaghetti squash half place a table spoon of olive oil. Add a pinch of each of your favorite herbs. If you want some heat add some red pepper flakes. I used rosemary, thyme, and basil. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Mince the garlic and add an even amount for each half. I also had some roasted garlic so I smashed a clove of roasted garlic in each cavity. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Add salt and pepper to your liking </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">With your hands mix all of the ingredients and rub them all over the inside and edges of the squash, don't rub it on the skin. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Once the oven is ready, place each half with the cavity facing up and leave in the oven for 20 minutes.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Tip
1</i></span></span></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"> -
If there is one thing I hate more than anything when using an oven, is to use
it and only make one thing at a time. If I can make multiple things at
once, then I'm spending less money on gas and being more energy efficient.
Here are a few of the foods you can prepare that won't cause any added
stress to make.</span><br />
</i></span></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-winter-squash-seeds/" target="_blank">Roasted Winter Squash Seeds</a> (Here
you can use the seeds you set aside from the squash)<b><o:p></o:p></b></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #f6b26b;"><a href="http://joythebaker.com/2011/02/how-to-roast-garlic/" target="_blank">Roasted Garlic</a> <b><o:p></o:p></b></i></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://thehungrygiant.wordpress.com/2012/03/19/roasted-tomatoes/" style="background-color: #f6b26b;" target="_blank">Roasted Tomatoes</a></i></span></li>
</ul>
<b>Directions continued...</b><br />
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After the 20 minute mark you have a few choices and it all depends on how you like to eat your salmon.<br />
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<i>If you like it well done</i>, then this is the time where you take out your spaghetti squash and add the salmon. <br />
<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Make sure you cut your salmon steak so that it fits into the cavity of the spaghetti squash. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Rub some salt and pepper to your liking all over the salmon. Rub a little bit of olive oil on the skin, but only enough to give it a shiny coat. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Place the salmon skin side up inside the cavity of the squash, this will enable it to get a nice and crispy skin, which I LOVE! </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">You will notice some olive oil squash juice in the cavity, DON'T REMOVE!, that's only going to add flavor to your salmon. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Place it back in the oven for another 20 minutes and you are done!</span></li>
</ul>
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<i>If you like your salmon medium rare</i>, leave the squash in for 30 minutes and with 10 minutes remaining follow the steps above and leave the spaghetti squash with your salmon in the oven for another 10 minutes.<br />
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Once the 40 minutes are up, take out your squash and let your salmon rest separately on the side. </div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">So you don't burn your hands, let the squash rest for a few minutes before you start to separate the strands. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">If you still see squash/olive oil juice that hasn't been soaked up by the salmon, use a spoon and save it in a small container so that you can add it to the finished dish. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Once the spaghetti squash has cooled enough, take a fork and start to separate the strands of the squash.</span></li>
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Now you understand why they call it spaghetti squash! </div>
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<li><span style="background-color: white;">When you separate the strands try not to puncture the skin of the squash. As you can see from the pictures you can use the skin as your plate and it holds up well to the task. </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Put all of the spaghetti squash strands in a separate container. You could add a pinch of salt and pepper to give the squash some flavor, BUT, I would actually recommend that you use grated parmesan cheese or feta cheese. The warmth of the squash will melt the cheese away and it will taste amazing! </span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: white;">Whatever squash you have left over simply save in a container and leave in your refrigerator. You can use it for lunch, or if you happen to be making this dish for 4 people, then I would say that it will yield enough for everyone without any leftovers.</span></li>
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<i><span style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Tip 2</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"> - If making Basmati rice try
making it earlier in the day. It will reduce the amount of time you spend
around the oven. Follow the instructions in the bag, but add a clove of
garlic or the stem of one scallion for flavor (My mom and aunt do this to
regular rice and it makes Basmati rice even more flavorful!). When you are
ready to reheat, simply place your rice in a microwavable container, wet and
strain a paper towel, just make sure the paper towel stays moist. Use it
to cover the rice and microwave for a minute. The rice comes out as if
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Now that your dish is ready to plate and serve I hope that you enjoy it with a beer growler of your choice (which I did) or maybe a nicely chilled glass of your favorite white wine.<br />
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Buen provecho! =)<br />
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</div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-58240563092168645952012-06-11T18:48:00.000-07:002012-06-22T22:18:12.585-07:00Kale & Beet Leaf ChipsThis past Tuesday I visited the local farmer's market by my job and as always I saw a lot of veggies I haven't dared to try. One of the workers in the <a href="http://migliorelli.com/our_farm.html" target="_blank">Migliorelli Farm</a> stand recommended that I try their kale. He boasted that it was the best kale you could find in NY. So I had to give it a try. (To find a farmer's market near you simply search online, or visit <a href="http://www.grownyc.org/files/gmkt/map.pdf" target="_blank">GrowNYC</a> for a listing of NYC farmer's markets.)<br />
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I went ahead and bought a head of kale for $3.50 as well as one bunch of beets with its leaves for $3. The farmer said that if I had never tried kale before, to try making kale chips. He said buying them in a place like Whole Foods will cost you around $8 which is ridiculous expensive, plus they are easy enough to do on your own. Though you definitely get a lot of kale for the price you definitely may want to save your kale to make something other than chips. Saute the kale with a drizzle <span style="background-color: white;">of olive oil and some salt and pepper, or a dash of low sodium soy sauce, and you can use them as a side dish to any meal. </span><br />
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Even though this is my first time trying kale, I had heard the rumors that it was supposed to be amazing for you. I think I need to personally introduce my aunt and mom to this. Check out organicauthority.com's article on the <a href="http://www.organicauthority.com/health/reasons-kale-is-the-new-beef-nutritious-sustainable.html" target="_blank">7 Reasons Kale is the New Beef</a> for more information about this amazing leafy green. You will definitely see this ingredient popping up around this blog more often. It's anti-inflammatory and claims to have more iron and calcium per calorie than your favorite choice of beef or milk.<br />
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Beet leaves may not be quite the superstars like kale, but they are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals that beat most of the other junk food we eat. Check out livestrong.com for more information on the <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/350023-the-nutritional-content-of-beet-leaves/" target="_blank">Nutritional Content of Beet Leaves</a>. The reason I picked beet leaves for this recipe was one because they looked so pretty, and two because it would have been a crime to toss them out and only use the beets. Plus, I remember my mom telling me that whenever she bought beets with the leaves she would use the leaves to make vegetable soup. I was taught not to throw away food, and if it's edible, then why not make something with it. So this is me making good use of them but instead of soup I'm making chips.<br />
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I really hope you enjoy making them as much as I know you will enjoy eating them. Make them as snacks or as appetizers, either way they will be one of the healthiest snacks you will ever enjoy. <br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #ffd966;"><b>TIP 1</b> - Preparation for making these chips is fairly simple, just use your imagination on the seasonings and go for it! I made one batch with parmesan cheese and another with Cajun seasoning and they were to die for!!</i></span><br />
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<b>Kale & Beet Leaf Chips</b><br />
1 head of Kale<br />
Leaves of one bunch of beets<br />
2 tablespoons of olive oil<br />
Sea salt and Pepper to taste<br />
1 to 2 tablespoons of seasoning, depends on the seasoning used.<br />
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<b>Seasonings:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano di Parma is the best!!)</li>
<li>Cajun Seasoning</li>
<li>Adobo Seasoning</li>
<li>Minced Garlic and/or Ginger with a few drops of Soy Sauce</li>
</ul>
<b>Directions:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit</li>
<li>Wash and dry the kale leaves. You can cut out the ribs of the kale. I happen to like the ribs so I kept them on. Remove, wash and dry the leaves from the beets. Mix ingredients in a bowl and make sure everything is well coated. </li>
<li>Place leaves on top of an aluminum sheet pan. Try to give each leaf its own space on the pan so that they dry quicker. Placing them on top of one another delays the process and only cooks the leaves instead of making them crispy.</li>
<li>Check back after 5 minutes then turn them. Wait 5 more minutes and remove them from the oven. If you think they are still not crispy enough, leave them in for a couple of more minutes and then remove.</li>
<li>Try to use all of the racks in the oven so that you can make as many as you can in one batch.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #ffd966;"><b>TIP 2</b> - I like to use any type of vinegar, could be apple cider vinegar if that is all you have, to wash vegetables and leaves. I add a tablespoon of vinegar to a large glass of water and then use the water to wash the leaves making sure they all get a good coating. Then I let them marinate with the vinegar water for two to three minutes before washing off the vinegar and patting them dry. You can also use baking soda if you don't have any vinegar. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #ffd966;"><b>TIP 3</b> - Don't leave them in the oven for too long, otherwise you'll get chips that look brown (see image below). You want them to still look green when you take them out of the oven. I found that the batch below turned out dryer and they didn't preserve the taste of the parmesan cheese which I used as my seasoning ingredient.</i></span><br />
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<br /></div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6754880933678113888.post-87761342593188453722012-06-07T18:07:00.000-07:002012-06-07T19:45:08.463-07:00Tofu Perico<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Breakfast with the entire family on the weekends has to be one of my favorite meals of the week. I get to wake up late and make whatever type of breakfast I want. It often turns into brunch because by the time I'm done cooking it's always past 12pm. During the week though, breakfast becomes the most neglected meal of the day. We always find ourselves in a rush to get to work. We forget our keys, our cell phone, or sometimes the very important umbrella on a rainy day. The worst offense though has to be that we forget to set time aside to eat a decent breakfast, and note that I don't say "a proper breakfast". If I had what Colombians consider a proper breakfast in the morning, then I would never make it to work on time. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">That's why in the morning I always try to set aside enough time to make myself "a decent breakfast". I am not a morning person and my commute to work tends to run an hour and a half, but if I don't eat before I leave I'll be starving by the time I get to work. I will most likely get cranky and will require an everything bagel with cream cheese from the corner deli. To avoid this scenario, I usually like to make myself a morning scrambled egg with a toasted loaf of whole wheat or whole grain bread spread with half a wedge of the Laughing Cow Light Creamy Swiss cheese. That paired with a freshly ground cup of coffee will get me through my morning commute. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">Unfortunately, I have recently encountered that I can't always eat eggs in the morning. Most of the time my stomach can handle the eggs but there are some days when I have an adverse reaction. Am I allergic? Not sure, but it doesn't happen all of the time. That's why I decided that I should try to substitute eggs with something else, and well, Tofu came to mind. It's low in fat and sodium and it's got a ton of protein, iron, and vitamins. </span><br />
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Though you can never truly substitute the taste of an egg, I needed to come up with something that would give my block of tofu a flavor that my taste buds were familiar with. Most of the recipes I found online paired tofu with Asian ingredients, and even though I love the way it's prepared with those ingredients, I wanted to give the tofu a Latin twist. That's when I remembered that Colombians love to eat</span><i style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"> huevos pericos </i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">for breakfast. That's what we call scrambled eggs mixed with diced scallions and tomatoes. </span><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;">I could use the scallion and tomato sauce or <i>guiso </i>as a base for the tofu giving it that Latin Saz</span><em style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; line-height: 16px;">ó</em><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">n. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #93c47d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><b>BREAKFAST ON THE GO TIP </b>- </i></span></span><span style="background-color: #93c47d; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Making the sauce ahead of time could </i></span><span style="background-color: #93c47d; color: #444444; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>save you time in the morning. It could be as easy as heating up a tablespoon or two of the sauce and mixing the crumbled tofu. </i></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #93c47d;"><i>Just like my morning scrambled egg routine, you could try pairing your tofu with toast in the morning.</i></span></span></span><br />
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</span>Because I prepared this dish during the weekend, I took the recipe a little bit further and paired my </span><b style="color: #444444;">Tofu Perico</b><span style="color: #444444;"> with some </span><i style="color: #444444;">tostadas de</i><span style="color: #444444;"> </span><i style="color: #444444;">platano maduro </i><span style="color: #444444;">or fried yellow flattened plantains. You also find the word </span><i style="color: #444444;">tostones </i><span style="color: #444444;">and </span><i style="color: #444444;">patacones </i><span style="color: #444444;">used to described them. They are usually made with green plantains, which would also be delicious with this dish, but I like my plantains on the sweet side.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #444444;">Tofu Perico</span></b><br />
<i><span style="color: #444444;">serves 2</span></i><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1/2 a block of extra-firm tofu (14-ounce packet), drained</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">3 to 4 scallions diced</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 medium tomato diced</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 clove roasted garlic or 1 minced clove of garlic</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 packet of culantro with achiote food coloring (depending on the flavor you want this can change)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Add salt and pepper to taste</span><br />
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<b> Sweet Yellow </b></span><b style="color: #444444;">Flattened</b><b style="color: #444444;"> Plantains </b><br />
<i><span style="color: #444444;">Use the same recipe to make green flattened plantains.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #444444;">serves 2</span></i><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 sweet plantain (makes 5 to 6 </span><i style="color: #444444;">tostadas</i><span style="color: #444444;">)</span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">1 cups of canola oil (amount varies by pot used)</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Tip 1</b> - Don't buy a yellow plantain from the store, get a green one and let it mature on its own. You want the plantain to turn yellow, but you want it to maintain a bit of the firmness of the green plantain. That makes the sweet plantain easier to mold when you flatten it. It's a trick my mom and aunt both taught me. It's also cheaper to buy green plantains.</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #444444;">Directions</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #444444;">Dice tomato and scallions but don't combine. Break apart half a block of extra firm tofu with a fork until you get the consistency of ground beef. Remove the skin of the sweet plantain and cut into 1.5 inch slices. That should yield about 5 to 6 <i>tostadas </i>depending on the size of the plantain. Set ingredients aside.</span><br />
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<b> Sweet Yellow </b></span><b style="color: #444444;">Flattened</b><b style="color: #444444;"> Plantains </b><br />
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<li><span style="color: #444444;">In a frying pan, add a cup of canola oil, or enough oil to coat half the plantain. Set the oil to medium heat. Don't use the highest setting, you don't want the plantains to burn.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Pinch a piece out of one of the plantains and use it to test the oil. You want to make sure it bubbles to the touch. Add the diced sweet plantains. Fry the plantains and wait until they are a light golden color, then turn. If you are using enough oil to coat the plantain wait until they are a light golden color then remove and drain on top of paper towels. Don't turn off the heat of the oil </span><i style="color: #444444;">(see <b>Tip 2</b> below).</i></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Take the diced plantains that have been drying on a paper towel and flatten between two smooth surfaces. I use a wooden plantain smasher but even two plates will do. I recommend lightly oiling the surface you are using to flatten the plantain so it doesn't stick.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Place the flattened plantains back in the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and drain on top of paper towels.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on top of the finished sweet flattened plantains. Try to remove as much of the oil that you can.<br />
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<i style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Tip 2</b> - Don't turn off the heat of the oil if you are going to cook everything right away. If you are preparing the plantains earlier in the day, follow the recipe until the step where you flatten the plantains. After you flatten the plantains, place them in salted water until you are ready to fry. Because we are using yellow plantains, I don't believe they will oxidize, but I've never tried this tip with yellow plantains. It will definitely work on green plantains though. Dry plantains thoroughly before placing back in the heated oil.</span></i><br />
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<b><span style="color: #444444;">Tofu Perico</span></b><br />
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<li><span style="color: #444444;">In a skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil them add the roasted clove of garlic along with the diced scallions. Use a spoon or a fork to break apart the soft roasted garlic and mix with the scallions. If you are using minced garlic, saute the garlic first, then add the scallions. Visit the </span><a href="http://dontburnthegarlic.com/kitchen-iq-2/perfect-roasted-garlic/" target="_blank">Don't Burn the Garlic!</a><span style="color: #444444;"> blog for a great recipe on how to create the perfect roasted garlic.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">After about 3 minutes of sauteing add the additional tablespoon of olive oil along with the diced tomatoes and a half packet of food coloring. Add the rest of the packet if you want your tofu to have more coloring.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Saute the tomatoes, but don't let the mixture dry out, you want the tomatoes and the scallions to form a light sauce, then add the tofu and mix all of the ingredients together.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #444444;">Let everything cook together for another 5 minutes and set aside.<br />
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<span style="color: #444444;">It's now ready to serve and enjoy.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: #f6b26b; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444;"><b>Tip 3</b> - You can use the Tofu Perico to serve as an appetizer by buying a <a href="http://www.homevillage.us/grplsmtoplst.html" target="_blank">plantain smasher</a> for stuffed tostones. You can also supplement the Tofu with any type of meat, the key here is the tomato and scallion sauce to give your dish that Latin Sazón.</span></i><br />
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</span></div>Claudia Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12262121567390781819noreply@blogger.com1