This one is so simple! And quick. It involves 2 products and little-to-no cooking. Spaghetti Squash is an interesting vegetable, especially when you pair it with something tasty like black beans. You can roast it in the oven or – equally satisfying and quicker – microwave it as I did this time. It takes less than 10 minutes and during that time you can open the can of beans. 
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You know how basil, tomatoes and garlic are like the holy trinity of Italian cooking? Another combo I love is chipolte, lime juice and honey. It is definitely my ‘go to’ dressing when I’m doing something with a Mexican or Southwestern flair. And once I get started with that combo, invariably one of the finishing touches I employ is toasted pumpkin seeds. They just all seem to compliment each other so well.
This dish, like many in the FOODalogue kitchen, began with leftovers! Continue Reading
Quinoa has been an important food in the South American Andes for 6,000 years. It’s only in the last decade or so that it has penetrated the American consciousness. It’s a grass-like grain grown primarily for its edible seeds. Quinoa is reputed to contain a balanced set of amino acids, making it an unusually complete protein as well as a good source of dietary fiber. It is also gluten free and high in iron, magnesium — and a better nutritional choice than rice or pasta.
It was time to experiment with it in the FOODalogue kitchen…so I made a Quinoa Paella. Continue Reading
Yellow rice and black beans are yummy in the tummy…but try adding plantain salsa made with a citrus vinaigrette for a new and brighter taste. It’s rice, beans and sweet plantains with an updated twist — and the fact is it was born out of leftover plantains made the traditional way.
It’s also good with grilled chicken, pork chops, over fried fish, in a ceviche, and alongside a grilled steak that has been drizzled with chimichurri sauce. Oh hell…just grab a tortilla chip and dig in! Continue Reading
Chayote (also known as sayote, chow-chow, mirliton, vegetable pear) is a gourd and a member of the melon, cucumber, squash family. Costa Rica is the major producer of this vegetable and exports it worldwide. Like its relatives, chayote is a light and watery fruit/vegetable(?).
I am most familiar with Chayote Relleno, a popular dish in Puerto Rican kitchens. There, the vegetable is boiled, halved, stuffed with picadillo*, covered with cheese and some condensed milk and baked in the oven. Continue Reading
Top Round Steak Stuffed with Boniato Mash on a Black Bean Purée
Boniato is a root vegetable in the potato family and very popular in Latin kitchens. It is known by several names: Sweet White Potato, Batata, Cuban Sweet Potato, White Yam, Florida Yam, Camote (and Kumara in Polynesia). There is a sweet back taste but it is not as sweet as the traditional orange-colored sweet potato.
To Cook Boniato:
It’s a sucker to peel so I suggest boiling till tender, draining and then peel.
To Make Mash:
Break down with a fork and add a little olive oil and chicken broth to moisten so that immersion blender can make a mash. Sprinkle nutmeg (optional).
Steak:
Top Round Steak Thin-Sliced well-seasoned with your favorite steak seasoning.
Quick sear on high. Do not overcook.
Black Bean Purée:
1 can Goya Black Bean Soup
Pulse/puree half of the can with a couple of dashes of cider vinegar, hot sauce and oregano. Then fold in the remaining half (whole beans) into the puree.
To Assemble:
Lay out steak, fill with boniato mash, and roll. Place in oven or under broiler for a few minutes to reheat and unite flavors. Layer plate with black bean puree and top with rolled steak.
OK, now the surprise is out of the bag. It’s a pork meatball with a surprise chorizo filling served with Mojo Rojo (piquillo pepper sauce).
Ingredients/Recipe for the Meatball
1 lb of ground pork
1-1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 egg beaten with a splash (or two) of hot sauce
1/2 cup of parsley
1 clove of garlic minced
S&P
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons minced chorizo
Mix all ingredients except bread crumbs and chorizo. Start forming meat ball and squish a little chorizo in the center and reform to cover filling. Roll in bread crumbs. Bake in 350 degree oven about 30 minutes. Makes about 10 small meatballs.
Piquillo Pepper Sauce (Mojo Rojo)
1/2 cup of piquillo peppers (or pimentos)
1/4 cup olive oil
1-1/2 tbl slivered almonds
a few drops of sherry vinegar
Pulse all the ingredients till they emulsify.
To Serve: Place on skewer (background second photo) or puddle sauce and make a ‘pincho’ (a Basque tapa) by placing the meatball on small toast with a Spanish olive topper.
What I liked best: It’s a given that meatballs, especially made with pork and a chorizo filling, would be tasty so what really did it for me with this preparation was the fennel seed in the meat mixture and the contrast (both in taste and appearance) of the sweet piquillo pepper sauce.
It’s raining. It’s pouring. The old man is snoring. Do you remember that little jingle from your childhood? It was the inspiration for this dinner. It was raining. It was pouring. There was no old man snoring. Otherwise, I would have woken him up and sent him to the market!
Instead, I ferreted through the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. I mixed. I matched. I re-purposed. And each step (noted below) brought me closer to the ‘kitchen magic’ that we foodies love so much.
I pulled out the container of pulled pork from the carnitas my son made for our tortilla food challenge last week.
- My mind immediately went to a pulled pork sandwich and simultaneously to a fresh tasting salad to go with it.
- First came the idea of a red cabbage slaw (because that’s what I had).
- Since I already was on a Latin path, I thought to make it tropical with toasted coconut and a citrus dressing.
- Then, I remembered I had squirreled away a couple pieces of plantain (maduros – the sweet ones) that were leftover from a prior meal.
- Aha, I had it!
I would make a tropical slaw dressed with a plantain vinaigrette. It would add crunch, freshness, acidity from the citrus and a little sweetness from the plaintain — in fact, it was a perfect complement to the savory pork. It truly was kitchen magic!
Tropical Slaw
Shredded red cabbage, shredded carrot, fresh cilantro, toasted coconut and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Plantain Salsa
Pulsed 3 small slices of baked plantain with juice of 2 limes, 1/2 large lemon and olive oil. It was more the consistency of a salsa than a vinaigrette so I mixed a little through the slaw and then topped it with a dollop.
The Moral of this Tale
NEVER throw leftovers away, especially if they’re 3 measly pieces of plantain. This was unplanned but flavor-popping delicious…so much so, that the dishes are the table, the pans are in the sink, and I rushed off to the computer to tell you all about it.
I’m very happy it rained today.
I’d been thinking recently about how to use Tequiza beer in cooking. (For those of you unfamiliar with it, it is produced by Anheuser Busch and combines the flavors of lime, agave and tequila). It’s very refreshing on a hot summer’s day and though I don’t drink it often, when I do…I really enjoy it!
Back to cooking. Because of the lime and tequila flavors, my mind naturally went to something Latin-inspired and the other day I came up with a dinner muy rico! Hats off to Spain, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Peru…I used flavors from all of their kitchens (cocinas). And, I actually kept a note of what I did so herewith…a recipe! For two.
Adobo Shrimp Enchilado (spicy)
shrimp (I used 6 per person)
1 lime
1 packet Sazón (or adobo seasoning)
aji amarillo (or hot sauce) to taste
2 tbl minced chorizo (Spanish sausage)
1 garlic clove minced
2 tbl onion minced
2 tbl green pepper minced
1 sm can tomato sauce
sliced stuffed green olives & capers to taste
cider vinegar
1. Marinate shrimp for about 30 minutes with a blend of olive oil, 1 packet Sazón (adobo and annatto flavored seasoning), squeeze of fresh lime juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of Aji Amarillo paste (or splash of hot sauce) for a little heat.
2. Saute onion, green pepper and garlic. Add minced chorizo (about 2 tbl). It adds flavor and color! When it starts releasing its oil and color move to the side of the pan.
3. Add the shrimp on high heat to sear and then remove.
4. Add 1 can of tomato sauce, adobo seasoning, stuffed green olives, and capers and cook on med-low for about 15 minutes until flavors meld and it cooks down a bit. Add a drop of cider vinegar and put shrimp back in for last few minutes.
Tequiza Beer and Cilantro Rice
Pulse and set aside:
1 cup fresh cilantro
1 tsp olive oil
S&P
a squeeze of lime
Saute
1/8 green pepper minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 onion minced
Fold in 1/2 cup of rice and saute for a minute or two before adding 1 cup of liquid (3/4 Tequiza and 1/4 chicken broth). Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
To Serve:
• Finishing touch: a squeeze of fresh lime and a sprinkle of crumbled Mexican cheese.
• I also made Platano Maduro (sweet plantain) which I halved and baked in the oven for a little figure-friendly take on the classic frying. It was a perfect complement to the spicy dinner.
Lastly, lucky me, this dish meets the red, white and green criteria for this month’s Royal Food Joust challenge. I’m off to enter it on the Leftover Queen’s website…
The guests ‘may’ be sober, but the bird is definitely juiced! It arrives with a few cups of tequila and Grand Marnier in its belly.
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