My mom baked this pie back in Panama a few days ago and wrote the recipe for me to share with all of you.  I might try a mushroom version of this recipe on Thanksgiving and will update with some pictures!

My Mom’s Recipe

Ingredients

6 Yellow Plantains
2 Cups of cheese, shredded (provolone, pressed queso fresco or cheddar, a cheese that melts easily and that has a good touch of salt)
6 eggs
1/2 Cup of light cream
3 tbs of butter, at room temperature
2 lbs of carne molida guisada (ground beef or tofu cooked in tomato and garlic sauce)**
**You can cook the guisado as if you made chili but without beans, just choose the spices you would like to try on your dish. I suggest paprika, cumin, onions, peppers, (honey or ketchup for a touch of sweetness), tomato paste to thicken it up and broth). This could be cooked a day or two in advance, warm it up when starting to make the pie.

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Boil the yellow plantains with the skin on, once it softens up 15-20 mins. (I’ve also cooked them in the microwave, look at the plantain picture, you should slice it like that for either microwave or cooking in the pot with water).
3. Mash the plantains, mix with the butter, cream and eggs, until fully incorporated.
4. Start layering up your pie in your glass container.  Start with the plantain masa, then the cheese, then the guisado.  Keep layering until the top where you can seal with plantain masa.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

NOTE: If you want to cook your plantains in the microwave please read instructions on the below picture.  I also suggest placing a small cup of water inside the microwave when cooking and no more than 2-3 plantains at a time.  The cup of water will help to retain the moisture.

If you’re cooking the plantains in the pot with boiling water just do the middle slice (length wise), but if you’re cooking them in the microwave, also cut off the tips and cook 2-3 mins (if the plantains were already at room temperature before you started cooking them).
/
El plátano debería cortarse solo en el medio si lo cocinará en la olla con agua, si lo hará en el microondas puede cortarle las puntas y cocinar 2-3 minutos (si el plátano ya estaba a temperatura ambiente desde el inicio).

Mi mamá hizo este pastel en Panamá hace unos días atrás y me envió la receta para compartir con todos ustedes en el blog.  Yo creo que probaré esta receta pero con hongos en Cena de Acción de Gracias y agregaré algunas fotografías nuevas. 

Receta de Mi Mamá

Ingredientes
6 plátanos bien maduros
2 tazas de queso rallado (provolone, prensado fresco, cheddar, cualquier queso que se derrita fácilmente y tenga un buen punto de sal).
6 huevos (batir antes de incorporar al puré)
1/2 de taza de leche de crema
3 cdas de mantequilla
2 lbs de carne molida guisada y cocida en salsa roja. (tofu molido para receta vegetariana).**
**Este guisado en salsa roja puede ser como cuando cocinas chili con carne, pero sin los frijoles.  Yo sugiero paprika, comino, cebolla,  pimentones, )miel o ketchup para un toque de dulzura=, pasta de tomate para espesar la el guisado y caldo de vegetales o pollo).  Puedes cocinar el guisado de uno a dos días anticipadamente, recaliente el guisado antes de preparar el pastel.

Instrucciones:
1.  Caliente el horno a 200C
2.  Hervir en una olla los platanos con todo y cascara, cuando este blando les quita la cascara y se echa en un bol.
3.  Así calientitos haga el puré y le incorpora la mantequilla, leche y los huevos batidos.
4.  En un molde de vidrio como el que muestra la fotografía, empiece su primera capa con la masa de plátano, luego el queso y luego la carne, siga haciendo capas hasta llegar arriba y selle con la masa de plátano. (Parecido a la lasagna).
5.  Hornée por 10 minutos.

NOTA: Si usted decide cocinar los plátanos en el microondas, por favor lea las instrucciones en la imagen de arriba.  sugiero que coloquen un vasito con agua cuando cocine los plátanos en el microondas, ayudará a retener su humedad.  No cocine más de 2-3 plátanos a la vez.

*

¡a comer!

I grew up with a tree of Saril (well not really *our tree* it was our neighbor’s and we’d take the flowers, but he never used them and half of the tree was on top of our backyard).  I remember the smell and my mom using a gigantic pot filled with these flowers.  I tried to chew the flowers, because, well I was probably ten years old.

Until I moved to the States I never actually brew any dried flowers.  I always had them fresh.  I can believe it as a young girl I would sometimes reject my mom’s juice and ask for red soda instead, ha.  I can’t recall this drink being one of my favorites, I always preferred corn, oats or tamarind juice, but as everything in life the good things come back with the memories and on every summer now I make different Iced Teas with hibiscus flowers, it reminds me of home and Sundays with my mom.

I can’t remember when is the season for these flowers in Panama, but I can remember whenever it would be available, we would drink it all day long.  Now living in Northern Virginia I avoid to buy this juice since it is usually overly sweet and I prefer the flavor that the raspadura adds to it instead of the traditional granulated white or brown sugar.

Summer isn’t over yet, so go and take advantage of it, serve this drink and enjoy it during breakfast or brunch.  You can also use it instead of cranberry juice as a mixer for a vodka cocktail.

Ingredients:

8 limes
1/2 cup of Raspadura Syrup
3 cups of brewed Hibiscus Tea (fresh or dry hibiscus flowers or 4 tea bags of Passion Tea Bags)

optional: fresh ginger / cinnamon sticks / juniper berries

Directions:

Melt the raw sugar cane 1 cup of water per block of sugar.
Brew your the hibiscus flowers 3-4 minutes, when ready reserve.
Squeeze 8 limes and mix with the syrup and the tea.

NOTE: If you’re planning to use ginger or a cinnamon sticks, brew together with the flowers and strain.

Fresh Hibiscus Flowers (flor de saril)

8 Limes

You can shred Raspadura and use it as regular sugar for recipes

Melt the Raspadura with one cup of water or 1 inch of water on top of the block of sugar

Once the Raspadura is melted, remove from the stove and let it cool off or…

The easiest safest way to pour the hot raspadura syrup is using either a funner or a liquid measuring cup like this one

Rush the cooling off process by placing the squeeze bottle with syrup inside of a container with iced water and ice.

It’s going to be a strong flavor Hibiscus Limeade, which is perfect to use as a mixer or drink by itself and adjust to your taste (more sugar for sweeter, more limes for more sour)

I’m not sure if people were able to find papayas in the US 10 years ago, but since I moved here in 2007, I’ve seen them in many grocery stores.  For the past two years I’ve been buying 2-3 papayas on a weekly basis.  When it’s just perfectly ripen, I eat it straight in pieces and when it’s a bit too soft then I make papaya shake.  Now during during summer, you should try shaved iced with papaya and condensed milk, they go wonderful together.

Sometimes papayas might stink, when they smell a bit strong I either rinse it in water or eat with lime juice as a salad.  If it tastes good but the smell is too strong for you to get used to it, then blend with extra vanilla beans/extract, cinnamon and nutmeg, that will fix it.  Most of the times papayas are sweet but if you have a sweet tooth like my husband who likes to replace papaya shakes for dessert, then don’t feel bad and throw in the mix, a date or two.

I remember the papayas in Panama, always really big and my dad would cover them in news paper and place in the oven to speed up the ripening process (up to this day I’ve no idea if that works haha).  I’ve heard that bananas make other fruits ripen quicker, so if you’re in a rush you might want to try placing your papayas next to your bananas.

I buy papayas twice a week because if I buy them all at once then in 3-4 days I’ll end up with the amount of sliced papaya that you see on the top photograph.  I could have papaya shakes everyday, sometimes a lot, sometimes a bit.  It never bores me out, I just change the types of milk to give it a different touch: (hemp, almond, coconut, cashew, soy, etc).  Though I grew up blending it with evaporated milk (I know, such a heavy milk), but that’s how I was raised preparing it and how you usually find it around many street fruit shake vendors.  I’m sure nowadays you can find other milk options when buying papaya shake.

I’ve never cooked or baked with a ripen papaya, but I’ve found these recipes that I want to try in the future:

Mango, Cherries & Papaya Tart (Recipe in Spanish)
Papaya Cake
Papaya Pineapple Cheesecake

 This is the recipe for my favorite Papaya Shake:

 HOW TO CLEAN YOUR PAPAYA
(play Megadeth, do a Vine/InstaVideo, tweet it and cc me, of course I’m just kidding, you can also play The Cure, that’s valid too)

 These papayas were not ripe, if you noticed it goes from greenest to the most yellow, I bought them this way so they wouldn’t ripe all at the same time.

 I always rinse my papaya first when I bring from the grocery store.  Once it’s ready to eat, I slice off the tops and then split vertically or horizontally in half, depending on the size and shape, (watch out with the seeds falling all over the place, keep a trash container to open the sliced papaya on top of it, in case many seeds come out of it).

Scoop out the seeds with a big spoon, I like to hold my papaya on top of my trash container, if you’re keeping the seeds, do the same in a different container to later on rinse and roast the seeds.

Once you have scooped out all the seeds, take one each half of the papaya and place on a chopping board with the skin facing up and use your sharpest knife, its skin isn’t as difficult as tomato skin, but it gets slippery so watch out and avoid injuries!  Also, when slicing off the skin, make sure you don’t slice too much of the papaya so you don’t lose much of the fruit, but also slice enough so you don’t keep that bitter too-close-to-the-skin kind of flavor.

NOTES:

1.  If you’re not sure the papaya is ripen, slice a small piece of the hardest or less looking ripen part,  taste it and if it’s sweet then you will know it’s ready.  If for some reason you sliced too much of it and need to eat it in the moment, and if it isn’t sweet enough, blend with dates and spices, that will balance out the flavor.

2. When you work with papaya think of avocados, it takes a while to know when they are perfect, but if you rush too soon there is always a way to fix it.  And like avocados, every papaya will be different and sometimes it will come with weird spots you can slice off with a smaller knife and eat the good part.

3. Papaya Seeds:  You can toast/roast the fruit seeds (like peppercorns) and ground up to use as black pepper .

4. If you aren’t bored yet of so many Papaya pics or my Papaya mania I welcome you to follow me on Instagram / Twitter or Facebook, you will get more papaya madness, I promise.

 ¡a comer!

On the days I wouldn’t know what to cook while in high school I always relied on sausages (hot dogs links) to slice and cook with tomato paste, garlic, onions and some ketchup.  That dish would go great with anything, spaghetti, rice, roasted potatoes, fried yuca, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, etc.

It was one of my staple dishes and the secret of why this simple dish was a success, is the same reason this recipe I’m sharing today is also another success, SEAR ALMOST EVERYTHING!

Nowadays I’ve been cooking a similar version, except this time I cook *vegan* (or so I try), and I found the Smart Dogs and let me tell you this, these protein links are so versatile you won’t believe the dishes I’ve come up with!

I’ll go back to basics sharing the recipe for this important simple dish in my life, adding some grown up touches (ahem..  more veggies), because oh well now I love mushrooms and I’m not 12 anymore!

In Panamá we call this dish *Salchichas Guisadas*, now this my vegan version of it, so here we go:

Salchichitas Guisadas Veganas: (Vegan Dogs links in garlicky tomato sauce)

Serves 4: – Prep Time + Cooking: 15-20 minutes.

1/2 package of a Smart Dogs (protein links, I prefer regular size but you could use the jumbo too)
1 tbs of minced fresh garlic
3 tbs of sliced scallions (2 tbs of the hard side and 1 tbs of the dark green softer side)
1 cup of sliced peppers
5 oz (approx 1/2 cup) of sliced shiitake mushrooms) (or any of your favorite mushrooms)
1 tsp of Sriracha
1 tsp of Bean Paste
2 tsp of Thin Soy Sauce (regular soy sauce might be saltier so watch out!)
1/2 tsp of Raspadura (raw sugar or maple syrup, or something sweet like ketchup, but not too strong like molasses!)
2 tbs of chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbs of tomato paste

Directions:
1.  Sauteé your sliced mushrooms (add pinch of salt) with a little bit of oil in a hot pan, (on the photo it shows the level of caramelization of 4 minutes) you can go less or more time.
2.  Reserve mushrooms and add another 1-2 tbs of oil to the same pan and wait until is really hot again, then sauteé the sliced dogs now, until brown.
3.  Add to the mushrooms the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic, reduce heat at this point if necessary).
4.  Add the sliced peppers and the 2 tbs of the scallions (the harder side). Add the bean paste and tomato paste.
5.  Mix everything together and at this point you can add the rest, thin soy sauce, sriracha and your sweet liquid (raspadura).
6.  Add 2 ounces of water, and keep adding more water until the consistency you prefer, if it’s too thin just add more tomato paste or reduce a bit longer but your veggies will get soggy : (
7.  Cook and simmer for 2-3 minutes, adding spices if you want (cumin, paprika, etc.  I like a touch of hot mustard).
8.  Before turning off the heat add rest of the scallions and the cilantro.
Ready to serve, it lasts in the fridge 2-3 days!

NOTE: You don’t need Sriracha for this sauce, if you prefer a spicy chili sauce, or no spicy whatsoever it will work just fine.  I don’t add salt to the dish because I’m using Thin Soy Sauce, if you don’t have any soy sauce, adjust the seasoning with salt, but remember to taste, taste and taste!  You could also add spicy mustard, a touch of vegan mayonnaise or sour cream, be creative!

My favorite sides with this dish are: fried yuca, fried bread (hojaldre) or fried green plantains, nevermind the Sloppy joe’s, these salchichitas make a great sandwich too!  If you want to go with a healthier side dish I suggest having it with steamed brown basmati rice and roasted brussels sprouts, yup still delicious.

Now there you have it, my recipe for Salchichitas Guisadas Veganas.

Below, step by step for this dish:
 

Package of mushrooms, raw and then cooked 

Smart Dogs 

Uncooked and cooked smart dogs

Thin Soy Sauce/Tomato Paste/Sriracha/Bean Paste, Scallions & Peppers

¡a comer!

I’ll blame this eating madness to Labor weekend and the bad weather forecast.  The weather.com said it was supposed to rain so I decided to try a few products I’ve read are good, vegan and tasty.  I told myself why not, and now I’m hooked.

It took me 2 months missing cheese and to read more about the whole milk industry to force myself to try Daiya… I tried it melted with sauteed garlic and vegetables inside of a warm bun and mushroom burger, heaven? yes!

So I heard a husband’s friend talking about how I wouldn’t be able to enjoy BBQ deliciousness anymore along with the sides because they usually have dairy and/or animals, eggs too, and of course I proved him wrong! Yes I could and yes you can enjoy comfort food.

This is simple and you can make everything from scratch pretty much, if you don’t like gardein, buy seitan or tempeh, if you don’t like canned beans, soak and cook your own, I saw tons of recipes for baked beans from scratch.  If you don’t like Daiya, you can make it buttery with Earth Balance margarine or your favorite butter substitute and mashed garlic.

Here it goes:

Gardein Crispy Chick’n served 4 portions (thought package says it serves 3) and I didn’t use the mandarin sauce inside of te package because all I wanted was something crispy to go with my baked beans and mac n cheese.

I followed the instructions on the package, I heated up 2 tbs of grapeseed oil and brown the strips on both sides and voila! simple as that.

Amy’s, I’m not a big fan of canned beans, they aren’t usually cook to my taste, but the refried ones come in handy at times, and if I buy a brand it is usually Amy’s or Eden. I wasn’t in the mood to make baked beans from scratch and this is when Amy’s came in handy.  I like to add leftovers to my beans and I had some smart bacon strips and tempeh so I chopped and sautéed them.  After a few minutes I added the Amy’s baked beans, I also added 1/4 cup of water because I don’t like my baked beans too chunky.  If you have onions or peppers, sauté them and with the baked beans, they go great together!

Mac n cheese w/ Daiya cheese wedge, well this I did make from scratch and this is how it goes:

1/2 package of cheese

3 tbs of  Margarine (or any vegan butter)

1/4 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup of unsweetened dairy free milk (I had regular almond and coconut milk leftover and it worked just fine with both)

Whole wheat pasta of your preference (corn pasta should work great too! for gluten-free folks!) (2 cups give or take)

Chili powder

Instructions:

1. Cook pasta to your preference (not too soft if you are planning to bake the mac n cheese)

2. In the pot you cooked the pasta; pour the milk and butter until it warms up a bit and then add the cheese (it melts faster when you crumble it).

3. Stir until everything is melted and add vegetable stock (half first).

4.  In low heat keep stirring, add the pasta and incorporate the sauce, make sure the  pasta is all covered with it and add more vegetable stock if it’s too sticky.

5.  Add chili powder to your taste or any other spice of your preference.

—

You can see the results! I was so happy because I really enjoy crispy texture in my dishes.  I reheated the Mac n Cheese the next day and the sauce broke but it tasted just fine!

I can’t wait to try other things with that Gardein crispy chick’n: in a sandwich, with chili basil sauce or buffalo wing sauce!

I still prefer to make my own baked beans but this is a good replacement for days I don’t want to do much in the kitchen.

Give Daiya cheese some time, I remember the first time I had sushi 9 years ago I literally put the piece I was chewing back on my napkin, and then a few times more I ended up loving it, so yes we can educate out palates!  This time it’s not only for our taste buds but because it seems the right way to go, not taking baby calves milk to make our usual cheeses and instead when we have a crave we know we can rely on brands like Daiya and others that are trying to offer something non dairy!

If you still have dairy I think this recipe works the same way but mac n cheese recipes with animal products  you can find everywhere, so that’s why I wanted to share this vegan version.

Oh what a journey this vegan life… This isn’t my healthiest recipe but it was so comforting to make and EAT and sometimes that’s all I want.

Peace

&

¡a comer!

I honestly thought people wouldn’t care to read about my vegan adventures, recipes and experiences, since most of the folks in my circles are food enthusiasts, bacon lovers haha! In fact, I used to be one, and being honest I always preferred salami and prosciutto over bacon. Almost nine months since the last time I cooked any animal and going great so far!

There are so many things I want to share on my blog, hopefully I’ll pick up where I left, and I get to do more working and blogging and less working inside my head!

First thing I want to do is ask everyone who can to support Vegtoons animated series, “an entertaining, educational initiative designed specifically with omnivores in mind. In a light-hearted, sympathetic way, the show will help to raise awareness for living more compassionately and consciously.”

We have to start the conversation, I think in general even if you and/or your kids are not vegetarians/vegans this is a fantastic way to get them involved in the reality of our food.

Take a quick peak:

Now you can support Vegtoons on kickstarter – Please remember every little counts!

Yo no sé por dónde ese señor caminó que no se encontró con frutas, porque hasta saliendo de mi casa me tropezaba yo con algún puesto de banana, vendedores de mangos, mamón chino (rambután) y pixbaes!

Esta traducción me ha tomado aproximadamente 30 minutos así que mis disculpas por los errores.

No he sido autorizada para hacer esta traducción, solo estoy compartiendo con mis amistades que no leen en inglés y si es bien cierto me enoja las conclusiones de este señor pero a ustedes mis lectores les dejo la traducción y comentar se ha dicho.  Y por favor si alguien recomienda alguna corrección para esta traducción escribirme a littleladycook@gmail.com y con gusto le arreglo!  Paz :)

Link original —> Panamanian Food: Cover It with Ketchup or Set It on Fire

¡a comer! (aparentemente con ketchup)

—–

Mientras que en Panamá no hace falta lugares locales de comer económicos y alegres, Panamá es el lugar para mantener la billetera tranquila, engordarse algunas libras y tomar vino y comer poniendo el corazón contento. – Lonely Planet Quinta Edición de Lonely Planet-

Mis experiencias con la cocina local y el ambiente gastronómico en la ciudad de Panamá fueron completamente diferentes y mucho menos románticos que la narrativa optimística en nuestra honesta Guía de Lonely Planet. De hecho pasé 2.5 días explorando la ciudad, y esos días los pasé casi exclusivamente disfrutando el Patrimonio Mundial de la UNESCO/ barrio del Casco Viejo, que está actualmente bajo restauración masiva como no he visto antes.

Algo en lo que LP (Lonely Planet) si estuvo cierto fue en lo que es “suave con la billetera”/ Si hubiese tenido más tiempo de seguro me hubiese encontrado con comida más deliciosa y con precios más razonables de los que me encontré… cierto? Como fue, me fui de la ciudad de Panamá, con mi estómago lleno de almidón y carbohidratos, sin embargo algo insatisfecho.

Como pescetarian (vegetariano que sólo come mariscos) y no puedo darme el gusto comiendo carne roja que Panamá promete es una de sus especialidades, llegué con expectativas modestas por mariscos frescos, frutas frescas y abundante platos de arroz y frijoles. Yo asumí que todo esto estaría disponible y super barato… y supongo lo estaban, algo, pero esto no es SurAsia. Puede que Bangkok me ha malcriado.

Comida en la calle? No, casi en ningún lado.

Puestos o carritos de vendedores de frutas desbordándose con piñas, mangos, guineos y cocos? No.

Montones de frijoles y arroz cubiertos en cebolla, servidos con acompañamientos de yuca hervida y plátanos maduros empalagosos, como en mis fonda Latinoamericana favorita en Nueva York en la esquina de Spring y la calle Lafayette? Ni se le compara.

En el Casco Viejo, el crecimiento de restaurantes de cocina internacional ha hecho que los precios suban y que las fondas locales salgan del lugar.

He notado que es un área turístico en crecimiento, y que lugares asé tienen precios turísticos también, pero fue realmente impresionante encontrarse con restaurantes con precios consistentes con los de Nueva York. Todavía existen “escondidos” un buen puñado de lugares con estilo buffet. Lugares como No-Frills Coca Cola cafe, en donde probé este arroz con mariscos (foto de arriba), arroz amarillo con vegetales salteados y trozos saludables de pulpo. Estuvo…ok, pero un poco simplón y profundamente necesitando picante, así como lo comen los locales, excepto que…

La mayoría de los panameños que obervé comiendo no utilizaban picante, utilizaban en vez ketchip. Ketchup! Montones de arroz blanco o amarillo con marisco? Cubiertos en ketchup. Pescado entero frito? Vertir ketchup por completo en él. Ceviche, uno de los platos favoritos en la ciudad de Panamá? También vi eso, se lo comían con ketchup. Hey, yo soy el que tiene el paladar extranjero y no tengo derecho a juzgar la obsesión de los panameños con el ketchup, pero… asco.

No comí una sola fruta en la ciudad de Panamá porque no me encontré con ninguna, excepto en el supermercado. No comí arroz con frijoles negros, ni lentejas, y arroz si pero con menos sabor que de una caja de Zatarain’s. No pude encontrar yuca que no fuese frita, mientras que el acompañamiento favorito de patacones sabía tan simple, que no funcionó para mí. El picante fue bien cierto el salvador de la mayoría de mis platos.

Un lugar que si disfruté e inclusó regresé fue el Mercado de Mariscos, un restaurante sencillo, en el segundo piso del Mercado afuera del Casco Viejo y que llena muchísimo durante horas de almuerzo, sobretodo los fines de semanas. El ceviche de corvina es relativamente económica por $4 y sabrosa, mientras que los pescados fritos ($7-$9) estuvieron calientitos y maravillosos.

De resto, meh.

La escena gastronómica de Panamá fue decepcionante. De repente necesito agregar más ketchup.

*No estoy insinuando que la comida panameña es tan mala que deba prenderse con fuego, es solo una referencia oscura a una canción de Ween, y el fuego me refiero al picante. Nada más. Y que conste aunque no me disculparé por ser honesto con mis experiencia mala-limitada en Panamá en un solo barrio, yo sí disfruté de la comida en otros lugares del país y me encantaría encontrar más si llegase a regresar. Esto es más que todo un comentario parcial y gentil en la super vendida Guía de Lonelu Planet… ah y… comida cubierta en ketchup da asco.

The things one can do with a Ricer â¥

The main reason I’d suffer if I went on zero carb diet: no yuca

A yuca memory of mine: Dad asks my mom “Yilla when are you cooking yuca?”(she did every few weeks).  

Mom is stirring a pot of Cow’s Foot soup, in a 98F kitchen, with no fan, no A/C, with my brother and sister playing Nintendo, and me reading a book.  She yells back (louder than was necessary) “Anytime, but you have to peel it…I’m not doing that!” –

Mom walks out of the kitchen to look for my dad.   He is already outside, getting in the car and yelling back at her: “Heat up 2 pots, I’m bringing back about 8 pounds!” 

She walks back in the kitchen, shakes her head, and smiles and continues to stir the soup.

The story above is a testament to the toughest part of preparing yuca, peeling it.  Yes, you can buy peeled yuca but only frozen (that’s the only way I’ve found it in DMV area, back in Panama you can get fresh peeled yuca in sealed packages).

Here is a good instructional video for peeling Yuca made by a Yuca exporting company out of Costa Rica (click here)

…Just Kidding! I would never expect anyone to use a Rambo machete/knife and slice yucca that way… but that was pretty badass!

Here is a video demonstrating a more regular method: (peeling action starts at 2:40 click here)

The video actually shows a different peeling method than the one I use, but the yuca available in this area has some sort of wax coating (thicker than what I’ve seen), so it’s safer to peel it like the man on the videp: slice off the skin with a knife.

Once you have peeled the yuca, cut into equal sized pieces. Fill up at pot with cold water  and place  the cut yuca inside. Bring everything to a boil, add salt to taste.

You can stuff the carimañolas with any savory filling. Traditional Panamanian carimañolas are stuffed with ground beef, but boohoo I’m vegetarian (not anymore, but I still make them vegetarian update: 10/07/2013) now so, yes, I will make something different and delicious (of course purists will say, it’s not called carimañola anymore! But, guess what…? I don’t care!!!) **smiles lightly and walks back to the kitchen’s sink to wash her hands, eyes still locked on the camera** (yes i’m pretending I’m filming…OK? hehe)

Enough babbling, here is the recipe:

Vegetarian Carimañolas (yuca empanadas)

Yields: 20 carimañolas

4-5 lbs of yuca (Protip: Always buy more than the recipe calls for. The yuca is not always good underneath the waxy peel).

Tip: You can substitute non-stick spray or just flour instead of oil so the carimañolas don’t stick. 

Filling

(Make sure your filling has cooled off before you even start boiling the yuca, this makes the empanadas easier to fill)

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Instructions
1.  Heat up a pan with 1 tbs of oil (until hot, near its smoke point)
2.  Saute all the veggies, add the garlic, seasonings, mushroom, crushed tomatoes and the juice you got out of sauteing the mushrooms.
3.  Lower the heat to simmer, add ketchup and soy sauce, taste. If you want to add some heat, go ahead and go wild with sriracha, chillies, tabasco, etc.
4.  Cool off before cooking the yuca.

1. Boil the yucca until it almost breaks apart.  Strain and remove the hard root in the middle of each yuca. Some roots will fall but some will still be stuck on the yuca. Put aside the hard pieces and save them to fry later on since you won’t be able to mash them properly.
2. While piping hot, pass the boiled yuca through a ricer.
3. Have your bowls ready with filling, grated cheese & oil, and a flat oiled plate or cookie sheet to place the carimañolas once you shape them.
4. Oil your hands a bit and grab about 2 tbs of the mashed yuca, place it in your palm and make a rectangular shaped ball. Push the middle in a bit and add 2 tps of the filling with some cheese on top. With your fingers push the filling in and close back the ball.  If it becomes difficult to seal, you can add extra mashed yuca to close them completely.
5. Keep prepared carimañolas in the fridge until you are ready to fry them. Good news if they didn’t seal so well on your first try, you can still enjoy them: just saute them on butter! (Doesnâ€t that make everything better?) This way they won’t split open in the middle of frying.  Besides, I just like adding fat to this already fatty deliciousness.

 

Cilantro-Cheesy Yuca Balls

NOTES:
–  I like to make a double batch of the filling or fry an egg, and serve these carimañolas with a side of fruit and queso fresco for breakfast.
–  If you have leftover boiled yuca, it keeps fora few days in the fridge. Same deal with the carimañolas, many people freeze them and just fry as needed.
–  If you have leftover mashed yuca and don’t feel like making any more carimañolas, just add some cheese and chopped cilantro like I did on that pic with the balls, and fry them also…breading them would work well too… carimañolas schnitzel!!!! OK, I have to chill out now… Just cook with yuca! Deal?!

Rest of the pictures on FB click here 

¡a comer!

Just when you find yourself thinking what to eat… For me it is difficult at this right moment, struggling to lose weight, be healthy and strong and also aiming to make everything delicious makes creativity hit you in the head few times and depending on your mood well it might work… and sometimes i might not.

Somedays I struggle so much with “what’s the right thing to eat?” that I find myself having an apple, half yogurt or just plain water, lunch arrives and I want to eat the whole world… fried…. with cheese… and juice. So yes imagine.

Anyways, this post is for those like me who want breakfast, who love breakfast, who can’t have pancakes and waffles everyday, or fried bread (hojaldras) neither corn empanadas.  This is still a tasty meal and depending on the season you can get creative with the options for vegetables.

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Eggs –> you can go 2 ways, 1 tbs of butter or grapeseed oil or any other oil, fry them?  I have a great non stick pan so i didn’t have to add anything so no extra calories (I know boring). but proper farm eggs, cayenne, touch of salt & pepper voila!

Spinach–> you can cook a lot of it and the extra one use it for lunch, mix it in your stew or beans or rice or potatoes, spinach just go perfect with anything.  I saute it w/ touch grape seed oil on hot pan, touch of salt, once it is cooked and taste as you want (the whole debate of if cooked spinach is better than raw that’s not for me to explain I eat them both ways mostly weekly and so far so good).  Adding a bit of smashed garlic before sauteing the spinach does wonders to the flavor, as well twist of lemon juice and pepper!!

Vegetables–> depending on the season I go about the vegetables, you can always get onions, garlic and peppers, right now tomatoes are gorgeous so I add tomatoes and zucchini… the herbs change completely the dish.. I finished this one with chopped cilantro..some others prefer parsley, basil, chervil, you choose it and experiment!!

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Overall I just love making a dish many times with few changes and trying them with different spices and herbs because it brings up different sparks on the vegetables.

This breakfast was made in about 15 minutes.  Yes I’m a Line Cook at the restaurant so I may be faster than a regular home cook for some prep and cooking, but I remember before working for the restaurant to save time I would prep vegetables the night before so for breakfast I could fix myself and the Boy’s meal pretty fast.. if you keep your kitchen always organized and clean, doing prep ahead you will notice how fast you can get around meals.

It’s midday and now I think of lunch.. that will be for another post.

Peace!

P.S. si alguien desea ver este artículo en español por favor escribir a littleladycook@gmail.com Gracias!

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¡a comer!

]]> https://www.cocinerita.com/breakfast-august/feed/ 0 https://www.cocinerita.com/northside-social-happy-hour/ https://www.cocinerita.com/northside-social-happy-hour/#respond Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:23:13 +0000 http://www.cocinerita.com/?p=607

This month’s food blogger happy hour is at Northside Social!

The happy hour this month is hosted by Capital Spice and the Arugula Files.

Come and join us!

Northside Social is a coffee shop, wine bar, and cafe located in the Clarendon neighborhood of North Arlington and the people behind this great place are:

Alison Christ
General Manager & Sommelier

Liam LaCivita
Executive Chef

Rob Valencia
Pastry Chef

RSVP here.