Steamed Asparagus
Bom Dia,
Asparagus, one of my most favorite vegetables. There is something elegant about asparagus.
Here is a simple steamed asparagus recipe.
Serves: 2
Prep Time: Less than one minute
Cook Time: Less than 3 minutes
Material:
1. About 12 asparagus spears already cleaned and cut
2. Steam basket
3. Balsamic vinegar
Process:
1. Heat pot with steamer basket on top
2. Place the asparagus and steam for 3 minutes
3. Plate and dress with a dash of Balsamic vinegar
Bon Provecho!
Odeliza Jacoba
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Homemade Apple Sauce
Mahalo Chico,
When baking, I like to substitute apple sauce for items such as cream, butter, oil, and even milk.
Its a bit healthier than using all fats and tastes just as good if you were to use fats. Of course my homemade apple sauce can also be eaten alone or with vanilla ice cream. Get creative, try it out.
Serves: Up to 4 cups
Prep Time: About five minutes
Cook Time: About ten minutes
Materials:
1. 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
2. Medium sized pot
3. Potato masher or food processor
4. 2/3 c water
5. 2 T dark brown sugar
How to:
1. Put the water in the pot and bring to a boil add the sugar and apples allow to cook enough so the apples get mushy. Add a bit more water if necessary.
2. Turn off heat, remove and mush or process.
Enjoy!
Ciao,
Odeliza Jacoba
Refried Pinto Beans in Montevideo, Uruguay
Mahalo Chico,
Refried pinto beans, a dish you can pair with salsa fresca, quesadillas, and some Mexican rice.
Put it all together and you could make a burrito. When we have Mexican meals for lunch or dinner my other half loves to put everything together and make a burrito out of it.
Serves: 2 people
Prep Time: Up to five minutes
Cook Time: Up to 8 minutes
What you will need and do:
1. 1 can of rinsed pinto beans
2. 1 bay leaf
3. 1 small onion: cubed
4. A dash of garlic salt
5. Grape seed or your cooking oil
6. Heat a small pot with the cooking oil and cubed onions. Allow the onions to be clear.
7. Add the beans and garlic salt. Cook for about 3 minutes or until a bit tender, take a fork or potato masher and mash the beans. Add a bit of water so that it is not dry and holds a creamy texture. Turn off heat and place the bay leaf on-top, cover and leave for 3 minutes.
8. Plate and serve with some salsa fresca.
Enjoy.
Ciao,
Odeliza Jacoba
Salsa Fresca in Uruguay
Mahalo Chico,
Salsa fresca is a dish that I make in the beginning of the week and eat all through out the rest of the week up to the few days of the next week. Its great for home made quesadillas, Mexican lasagnas, chilaquiles, soup toppings, and with some deep fried flour tortilla chips.
Squeeze fresh lemon juice, ground sea salt, and mix into the salsa. You can also add some Tabasco too!
Serves: Up to five cups
Prep time: Twenty Minutes
Cook time: None
What you’ll need and do:
1. 1 small to medium sized green, red, and yellow bell pepper – deseeded and cut into small cubes -.
2. 1 shallot – cut into cubes -.
3. 1 large tomato – cut into cubes -.
4. Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper corns.
5. Mix ingriedients in a bowl, add salt and pepper. Store in air tight container in the fridge for up to seven days.
Enjoy!
Ciao,
Odeliza
Cilantro Chutney
Mahalo Chico,
My cilantro chutney side dish is a tasty dip for pitas, cheese puffs, vegetables, and more. My other half loves cilantro and lemon. So, I thought of something like this with an influence of Indian flavor.
Serves: Two people
Prep Time: Less than five minutes
Cook Time: None
What you’ll need and do:
1. 2 cups fresh cilantro
2. 1/2 c fresh mint leaves
3. salt and pepper to taste
4. 1/2 c lemon juice
5. 1 T lemon rind
6. 1/4 t ground chili powder or two dee seeded fresh red chilies chopped finely
7. Take all the ingredients and create a paste with mortar and pestle or food processor.
8. Serve immediatly
Enjoy!
Ciao,
Odeliza
Scalloped Potatoes-A wonderful Vegetarian Side-
Mahalo Chicos,
Scalloped potatoes are a wonderful side dish for any vegetarian meal. I like to pair it with my veg. loaf and mushroom sauce. It’s a great holiday dish as well.
Serves: Up to 4 to 6 people
Prep Time: Up to five minutes
Cook Time: Up to forty minutes
What you’ll need and do:
1. Baking dish greased with oil or butter
2. 6 small to medium size white potato already peeled, rinsed, and thinly sliced in circular shapes.
3. 1 c white flour
4. 1/2 c dried oregono
5. 1 c butter
6. Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper
7. 1 1/2 c scalled whole milk
8. Pre heat oven to 175 degrees celsious. In a layering technique, place sliced potato to cover size of baking dish, sprinkle oregono, add butter, sprinkle flour, and repeat until you have covered the dish. Heat small pot, place milk. As soon as you hear the milk scallding, turn off heat and tip into the already prepared dish.
9. Cover the top with foil the most shiny side facing the dish and place in the oven for about 50 minutes. Uncover in the last ten minutes to bake the top. Allow ten minutes to cool before serving add freshly ground sea salt black pepper. Goes great with Mushroom Graving or simply by its self. Enjoy.
Ciao,
Odeliza
Home Made Mushroom Gravy in Uruguay
Mahalo Chicos,
Home Made Mushroom Gravy is a wonderful vegan dressing that could be used for my vegetarian loaf, mash potatoes, pasta, vegetables, there are allot of creative ways to use this dressing. I’ve found that it also freezes rather well, so you can make a good amount and freeze and reheat as you like.
Serves: Up to four people.
Prep Time: Up to five minutes.
Cook Time: Up to thirty.
What you’ll need and do:
1. 1 lb of mushrooms such as; white, crimini, and shitake-sliced and stems removed
2. 4 garlic cloves minced
3. 2 T butter
4. 1 finely chopped onion
5. 2 t soy sauce
6. 1/2 c red vermouth or dry red wine
7. 1 T balsamic vinegar
8. 1 T cornstarch dissolved into 1 1/2 c cold water
9. 1 t brown sugar
10. Heat sauce pot, add butter and onions, soften the onions until it is transparent, add the garlic.
11. On medium heat, add the mushrooms and mix with the already softened onions and garlic. Allow to sit for a few minutes until the mushrooms begin to release liquid.
12. Add the soy sauce and vinegar mix well. Then add the vermouth or wine and allow to sit on medium low heat for a few minutes. Add the water with cornstarch mix and add the brown sugar. Let sit for the last few minutes turn off heat and let cool a bit to warm temperature and serve.
Enjoy.
Ciao,
Purple Potatoes made in Uruguay
Mahalo Chicos,
Most produce in Uruguay is organically grown, but most of the farmers can not afford the costs of an organically grown proof of certificate. So when a produce has the label ‘natural organico’ it is just common knowledge that said produce is organically grown.
With that in mind I purchased some natural organic purple potatoes at the Martes Ferria -Tuesday farmers’ market- this week and I thought maybe it would be interesting to make my baked mashed potatoes with the purple ones.
This would be a colorful addition to your meal. There are so many ways to prepare this purple potato that I have not even begun. Not to mention purple potatoes are wonderfully healthier than the white potato. So I read somewhere.
Serves: Up to four people or two with left overs.
Prep time: About ten minutes
Cook time: About sixty minutes
What you’ll need and do:
1. 8 purple potatoes, peeled and cut in half
2. Salt and pepper
3. 1 large ripe tomato
4. A few slices of mozzarella cheese or real cheddar cheese if it’s available in your country.
5. Plain bread crumbs
6. Dried oregano - just a few pinches-
7. Heat a deep pot with water and salt. Once boiling turn to medium high, place the potatoes.
8. Turn the oven on 200 degrees celsius. Grease a small square baking dish or any baking dish you have in hand that would fit the potato mixture. Set aside.
9. Once the purple potatoes are soft, turn off stove, remove most of the water, leaving just a bit to help keep the potatoes moist and puree it.
10. After you’ve pureed the potatoes, add a pinch or so of salt, pepper, and dried oregano, fold well into the mashed potatoes. Place the mixture onto the baking dish.
11. Layer the sliced tomato on top of the mixture. Layer the cheese, and spread the bread crumbs to cover. Place in oven covered with foil for 40 minutes, then remove the foil long enough to have the cheese browned. Remove and allow to cool before serving. This side can be made ahead of time and than reheated just before serving.
Enjoy.
Sauteed Bell Peppers, Celery, and Carrots
Mahalo Chicos,
I love vegetables especially ones with a good amount of antioxidants that have a great flavor without taking away the natural tastes of the vegetables. Sauteed bell peppers, celery, and carrots combined together make a great side dish for either an Asian or European inspired entree. I like to pair this dish particularly with grilled extra firm tofu, some rice pilaf, simple salad.
Serves: Up to 2 people with left overs
Prep time: Less than five minutes
Cook time: Less than ten minutes
What you’ll need and do:
1. Already washed bell peppers -green, yellow, or red, or combo.- and cut length wise about two inches.
2. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3. Soy Sauce
4. Balsamic Vinegar
5. Dried chili flakes
6. Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper corns
7. Heat a medium sized pan with the oil.
8. Pour the already prepped vegetables and stir until slightly tender, yet crisp.
9. Add a dash or so of the vinegar and soy.
10. Add a few pinches of flakes.
11. Saute until thoroughly incorporated.
12. Turn off heat, remove, plate, and add the salt and peppers, serve warm or room temperature.
Enjoy!
Ciao,
www.odefusion.com
Caprese Salad in Uruguay
Mahalo Chicos,
As I slowly sip on my yerbra mate, I contemplate on what recipe I should post up next and what came to mind was a simple caprese salad. Its really easy to create and taste delicious -when using the right ingredients-.
My other half enjoys it when I’d prepare this dish. In fact he really likes it on pizza. Maybe that is what Ill make another time. Till then, here is my caprese dish.
Serves: Up to four people
Prep Time: No less than five minutes
Cook Time: None
What you’ll need and do:
1. 1 whole fresh tomato, washed and cut in to circles -about less than an inch think- and fresh Basil.
2. 1/2 whole milk buffalo mozzarella thing sliced into circles
3. Good quality extra virgin olive oil
4. Good quality balsamic vinegar
5. Freshly ground sea salt and black pepper corns.
6. To prepare, spread a bit of extra virgin olive on your serving dish than add a drizzle of your balsamic vinegar. Place your tomatoes on-top of your prepped serving dish, place one sliced mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato, place a leaf of fresh basil, than drizzle some oil, add the salt and pepper then drizzle the balsamic vinegar. Repeat until you’ve used all of your tomatoes and cheese. Serve right away.
Enjoy.