Puerto Rican Style Cassava Chili

-   Blogmas  Day 8  .  Cassava Chili  .  Yum!   -

Hi everyone! How goes it? This year's series of "Blogmas" posts might end up being the most boring, unfestive string of Blogmas posts in all of Blogmas history that anyone has ever seen. I just don't have too many holiday festivities going on this year. Oh well. I am simply happy that the challenge of writing every day for Blogmas is getting me back into blogging more. 😊
But Hey! Speaking of Christmas, last Christmas I was gifted a Puerto Rican cookbook from my dad and I absolutely love it! I have been meaning to tell you guys about it here on my blog for quite some time... maybe since last Christmas! Has it really been almost a year? Well, what better day to share with you about it than today!

"A Taste of Puerto Rico" by Yvonne Ortiz

I was given the opportunity to pick out whatever Puerto Rican cookbook I wanted! I landed on this one, not only because I liked the author's last name, but because she boasted of including a total of 200 recipes in her book, more than any other book I'd seen on the market! Low and behold upon acquiring the book I discovered not all of the recipes to be of value to me- things like dressings, seasoning combinations, or marinades, which out of convenience, I'd probably be more apt to buy than make, and then there is the whole chapter on seafood which I don't really eat, BUT there are a lot of other intriguing recipes in there too that I am interested to give a try! 
The book is also very interesting because the author shares a bit of the cultural background and history of Puerto Rico's culinary journey over the years, as well as personalizing the book with her own stories and experiences around each recipe she shares.
When the book first came in the mail and my dad gave it a lookover, the first thing he said was "there are no pictures!" But that didn't bug me. I figured if I had any questions I could always ask google! 

Today I thought it would be fun to share with you my experience working with cassava for the first time! Continue below for a sneak peak into this book's Cassava Chili Recipe!

 Cassava Chili 

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 Pounds cassava, peeled and cubed
• salt water
• 2 tablespoons of annatto oil combined with 1 tablespoon of corn oil (I substituted the corn oil with vegetable oil)
• 1/4 cup of basic recaito
• 1 16-ounce can of whole tomatoes, drained, seeded, and chopped
• 1-1/4 cups of tomato puree
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• 2-1/2 cups of white navy beans, cooked
• 1-1/2 teaspoons of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• A pinch of ground nutmeg

This recipe serves about six.

Directions:

1. Boil the cubed cassava in the salt water for about 25 mins. then drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add recaito, tomatoes, tomato puree, and tomato sauce.
3. Cook mixture for about 5 mins over medium-low heat.
4. Add beans, cassava, and seasonings and cook for 10 more mins

Buen Porvecho!

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I had never cooked with cassava before so this was a whole new experience for me. I figured with it being a tomato-based chili, I wouldn't be able to screw it up too much! I did have to do a sufficient amount of research before attempting this recipe. After all, I thought yams, yuca/cassava, and sweet potatoes were all the same thing/interchangeable. BOY, was I wrong!
Cassava does go by several different names though: Yuca, Manioc, Mogo, among others.
If you are a first-time user of cassava I'd like to share the following youtube videos which really helped to give me a visual frame of reference (you know, since the book didn't have pictures!) and get me started with even the basics of how to peel and chop up the cassava. 

How to Cut and Cook Yuca/Cassava/Tapioca || Kerala Style Mashed Tapioca
Boiled Cassava ( Manioc ) | How to Cook Cassava Root | cook with mom
How to Make Chilli Mogo (Cassava) - A Quick and Easy Recipe!

Cooking cassava was a super fun experience for me. I have tried this recipe a couple times now and it really is an easy one to conquer after getting over the initial intimidation of using this foreign root vegetable. Just be careful not to overcook the cassava as it will then get super tough to chew. #personalexperience
The recipe above calls for some other ingredients that may be foreign to you if you are unfamiliar with Puerto Rican cooking, recaito and annatto oil. These can be bought premade at the market but the "Taste of Puerto Rico" cookbook explained how to make them from scratch so I went ahead and tried that out..

Making the Recaito from scratch; like a pepper, onion, cilantro paste, THIS is what MADE the chili taste so bom!

 I got these little seeds from the Puerto Rican mercado downtown. The seeds look like bacon bits and are what contribute to the oil's orange color! Very Pretty!

I am not much of a cook, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning new things and making this recipe from my "Taste of Puerto Rico" cookbook, my Christmas present from daddy! I can't wait to discover just how delicious all the other recipes in this cookbook are. Wish me luck and I hope all your cooking endeavors, especially this holiday season, are successful and delicious! 🧡

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Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups

Twinkling New Year's Lanterns

Hi All! I hope you had a fantastic New Year's Eve! How do you typically celebrate? This year is the first year I opted out of celebrating it at all! Normally I would join my parents and grandparents for a long evening of family bonding, passing the time with food, movies, games, sometimes dancing, and did I mention food? We would always finish the night tuning into "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve Party" on TV to watch all the performers and of course the fireworks and dropping of the ball in New York City's Times Square. At the stroke of midnight, we would all scream "Happy New Year" at the top of our lungs, jumping up and down like maniacs, exchanging hugs and wet kisses, and then after some time once things have settled we'd all each as individuals would turn to our phones to make calls and send out well wishes to others who were not with us. 

 Thinking on these past traditions warms my heart, but they did not happen this year, for various reasons. Instead, In my apartment all alone, I turned in early for the night... or at least tried. I was still awake by midnight and I will admit jumped out of bed to peer out the window and see if I could notice any evidence of the world around me celebrating. Not too much was to be seen or heard, unless closely observed. For a couple of magical moments, my eyes were able to catch a subtle cluster of twinkling lanterns gently floating up into the sky from some unknown source toward some unknown destination. They made my soul smile. Then I went back to bed. 

 This year I made an attempt to start a new tradition to celebrate the New Year, a New Year's Family Breakfast the morning of January 1st. I think it was successful. I went to my parents' place and we had pancakes, bacon, fruit, Nutella fill crescents, and I made these amazing Ham and Cheese Quinoa Cups which were absolutely delicious and is the recipe I will be sharing with you today! This is my new favorite recipe to make for breakfasts and I think you are going to love it too!

I stumbled upon this recipe looking for a way to use the leftover quinoa sitting on my shelf. I fell in love with this recipe because it is quick, easy to make, and is flexible with the ingredients that are needed; I already had the bare minimum ingredients required and the fun part is there is room for creativity with the rest!

Fun fact: I write all of my recipes on the back of old business cards to recycle and save space!

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked quinoa (about 3/4 cup uncooked) -I really enjoyed using Tri-colored quinoa for adding a pop of color and texture to this recipe but it doesn't have to be.

Short Rant: QUINOA is amazing! I always feel so healthy eating quinoa knowing it is an excellent source of fiber and protein. It naturally feels right to eat at any meal, any time of the day, especially with this recipe. It is light in the tummy but nutritionally substantial. New to quinoa? If you haven't tried it yet, you're gonna LOVE it! It can often be found in the grocery aisle where the rice is kept.

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites (about 6 Tbsp. from the carton)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 Tablespoons shredded or grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup diced ham - I used what I had, shredded pieces of deli meat and it worked out just fine
• 1 cup shredded zucchini (*optional- but highly recommended for additional color and flavor. I did not have a zucchini to make this recipe on January 1st, BUT I have made this recipe once before for a friend using it and it was delicious; not too strong of a flavor but definitely complementary to the other ingredients) OR add any other veggies you think might go well! Check out the following link for other awesome quinoa cup veggie and meat combinations at: iowagirleats.com 
• 2 green onions, chopped (the same situation with the zucchini, I did not have green onions January 1st for the batch featured in these photos, that I made for my family, but they just as well turned out quite tasty anyway.
• 1/4 cup loosely packed parsley, chopped - I actually just used a couple of shakes of dried parsley seasoning which worked out fine.
• Salt and pepper to flavor

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grab your muffin tin (either regular-sized or mini) and spray down cups lightly with cooking spray. 
2. Combine and mix all ingredients together in a large bowl 
3. Spoon out mixture to the top of each cup.
4. Bake mini muffins for about 15-20 mins. in mini muffin tins, and 25-30 mins in regular-sized OR until the edges of the cups are golden brown.

my quinoa cups were baked in a regular-sized muffin tin.

As seen at: https://iowagirleats.com/mini-ham-cheese-quinoa-cups/

Nutella Crescent recipe coming soon! 

Buen Porvecho!

Give this delicious recipe a try, 

and then please let us know how yours turned out!
Thanks for stopping by! 
comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 

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Sweet Potato Kale Corn Chowder

I'm totally enjoying all the chill vibes this Sunday, with clouds and rain keeping me inside, and not an item on the agenda today. This is my kind of Sabbath. It's a soup kind of day! My shelves have been looking kind of scarce lately as we approach the end of the month. At first, my situation seemed dire as my eyes scanned the cupboards and fridge realizing that the few ingredients left in them were all random and uncomplimentary, but I am thankful. If it weren't for this situation I found myself in, I would have never discovered the recipe down below that taught me that kale, sweet potato, and corn are indeed complimentary, thanks to Pinterest!

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 Listen, So I'm pretty casual in the kitchen, and most times I follow recipes pretty loosely, especially when I'm like missing half the ingredients. Ya got to do what ya got to do! Below is my adaptation of a recipe calling for many more ingredients then what I had on hand. So if you are in the same boat as me and have landed on this page for the reason that your selection of ingredients is minimal and basic with not much more then a potato, some kale, and some corn, then you're going to love my adaptation, a delicious, abbreviated alternative to the original Pinterest recipe found HERE, which I'm sure is the bomb.dot.com if you have all the ingredients!

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Sweet  Potato  Kale  Corn  Chowder

Yields:

A perfect soup recipe for a lone ranger and single girl like me, only yielding to about 2-3 servings which is awesome! I feel like usually, the soup recipes I find online often yield family-sized portions, leaving me eating soup all month long! No thank you, but if you happen to have double the ingredients on hand and want to make more, you can always double the recipe if you'd like!

Ingredients:

• Sweet potato- 1 large
• Onion powder to taste (about 1 Tsp.)
• Garlic powder to taste (about 1 Tsp.)
• Kale- about 1 handful
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of corn (I used an 11 oz. can of corn)
• 1-1/2 cups of veggie broth (...But I used chicken and it was just as delicious)
• 1-1/2 cups of water
• a pinch of salt to taste
• a pinch of pepper to taste
• 1/4 Tsp. of cinnamon 
• 2 Tsp. of coconut oil 

Directions:

1. Chop sweet potato up into small cubes


2. Saute the potatoes cubes, onion powder, garlic powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in your coconut oil in a pot for a few minutes.


3. Add water and broth, and cook until potatoes are easy to pierce with a fork.


4. Next, puree using an immersion blender or transfer to standing blender. 


What is the difference between a soup and a chowder? FUN FACT:




I used my nutribullet to puree my soup. I tried to give it a quick pulse, a quick zap as not to puree it too much. Needless to say, it did come out a little "soupy" initially, but did thicken up over time.














5. Return to pot, and add kale and corn. Cook until soft.
   


6. Salt and pepper again to taste, and enjoy!
   

Buen Porvecho!

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Thanks for stopping by! Comment and say Hi!

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How to Make Produce Last Longer

Since our nation's lockdown began, has anyone else gotten really good at making food last? I mean, I think I've mastered the art of grocery shopping once, no more than twice, a month! I will admit, I actually have years of experience when it comes to this practice, but let me explain! 

During my former years in Mississippi as a trainee with Ballet Magnificat, I didn't own a car. Not being a car owner was no problem in the days I lived on Miami Beach where everything was walking distance, but let me tell you, in the city suburbs of Jackson Mississippi, that was not the case. But of course, ya girl had to get groceries and eat, so thanks to my servant-hearted housemates I often was able to hitch rides to the store with them. It is within my nature to hate being an inconvenience to others and often times I felt like begging people for rides was a nuisance so I did my best to limit my "begging" to once or twice a month trying to catch my housemates in an instance when they already were planning on making a grocery trip for themselves anyway. I had to do this for two years and got pretty good at it!

To pull it off, I first made sure to stock up on a good number of non-perishable food items. Pasta and rice, saltine crackers, canned fruit and vegetables, frozen meats, peanut butter, cereal, and poptarts were among some of my regular purchases. My housemates could testify to it! My blog post, Grocery Haul- Quarantine Edition, features other nonperishable items that are easy to stretch and tend to be staples in my diet. But fresh foods have always been a must too which is what I will be covering in this blog post. I would like to share with you the tips and tricks I have on how to make produce last a long time. I wouldn't have been about to get through the quarantine without them!



#1 Make strawberries last longer by: 

After washing your strawberries, increase their shelf life by two times longer by placing them in an egg carton to keep them from touching each other! I first saw this online and was skeptical about it. Then I saw a friend on Facebook vouching for this method so I had to try it for myself and now I'm a believer. I never used to buy strawberries because living alone and single, it had always been a struggle to eat my produce fast enough before spoiling, especially strawberries, but now this new hack changes everything! You have to try it for yourself!

#2 Prevent bananas from turning brown: 

Bananas emit chemicals into the air turning themselves brown and often accelerating the ripening process in other fruits too. One hack I learned to mitigate the emission of these chemicals is to wrap the stem of your bananas in cling wrap! 

#3 Prevent apples from turning brown: 

Squeezing some lemon juice onto your cut apple slices will help them not to brown. Hardly affecting the taste of your apple, the thing I noticed most was the delicious freshness.

#4 How to keep celery crisp: 

Upon cutting up your stalk of celery into smaller pieces, keep them stored in a Tupperware or other container submerged in water to aid with keeping them crisp. This practice is often done with carrots too! Fact: It is said that glass containers are better for storing food but don't worry! I have yet to make the upgrade to glass myself (It's on my wish list!) I want to reassure you that if you don't have any Pyrex or Anchor Hocking glassware, fear not, plastic will do just fine. 

#5 What to do to keep spinach fresh longer: 

To help make your spinach and other greens for that matter last longer, include a couple paper towel squares in their storage containers to soak up extra moisture. keep the paper towel squares fresh and replace when necessary.

My paper towel is pretty ratchet looking. Must be time to replace, but with pandemic ya know...

BONUS!  

#6 Avocados not ripe yet? Do this to speed up the ripening process: 

Did you know if you store avocados in a brown paper bag and leave them on the counter for a couple days they will ripen faster! Try it!

#7 Prevent water from boiling over: 

I discovered this magic trick from one of my housemates years ago and it has revolutionized the way I make pasta! Put a wooden spoon across the pot you are cooking pasta in to prevent it from overflowing, then sit back and relax!

#8 How to open a difficult jar lid: 

I learned this trick at the ice cream shop I worked at in my early 20's. It was always so hard to open up that big air-tight sealed jar of cherries. My fingers could barely grasp around the circumference of the metal lid. My boss taught me if you bang the edge of the jar's lid against the edge of a counter and ding it just right then enough air would be released out the side of the jar allowing the lid to pop right off! Truth! Another way to release air from the jar is to simply stab a hole into the lid using a knife (kids don't try this at home 😋) but only if you plan on using all the contents of the jar, otherwise the lid will no longer be effective in keeping the contents fresh.

You learn new things everyday!Do you know of any other kitchen tricks of the trade? Complete this blog post by sharing them with us in the comment section below!

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My Top 5 Favorite Black Bean Recipes

 -  Challenge  Day  One  .  Meal  Planning  .  Black  Bean  Recipes  -

Hi everyone! Today is Challenge Day #1 of the 30-Day Self Improvement Challenge and I am so excited to be kicking this off. Today I am challenging myself to create a week-long meal plan, and then hopefully sticking to it would be nice... 
Since I have a TON of black beans on my shelf (from that one time I bought them in bulk from BJ's Wholesale Club to make black bean avocado brownies for when Ballet Magnificat was supposed to come and visit...but then never did) I have no doubts that black beans will be incorporated into my week-long meal plan, so today I thought it would be fun to share with you my top 5 favorite black bean recipes, and I will be sure to throw in that avocado black bean brownie recipe! Pictured below is what I made for dinner this evening using black beans!

My spinach and rice bowl with a black bean burger on the side!

  THE TOP FIVE:    
Black beans are such a handy food to have on hand! They are cheap to buy from the store, have a long shelf life canned, and are easy to cook with! Every recipe I have cooked requiring the use of black beans usually involves little preparation time and the recipes down below are without exception. An ingredient with a naturally subtle flavor, I love how black beans can be used in recipes as a healthy substitute and imitation of a variety of other foods, from burgers to sweet treats! I have personal experience with making each one of the Pinterest recipes below and can truly attest to their out-of-this-world yumminess thus the reason for preparing this post for you! Enjoy!  😉

One. >>>> Black Bean Burgers <<<< 

I can't wait to blog in more detail my personal experience with making these! It was so easy!

Two. >>>> Cowboy Caviar <<<<

This one is really good as a dip, or I'll even eat it by the spoonful!

Three. >>>> Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas <<<< 

I made this recipe one weekend for my former roommate, Maggie, when she came to visit and she loved it! 

Four. >>>> Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers <<<<

I've also used rice before to make this recipe! Either way is delicious! 

Five. >>>> Black Bean Avocado Brownies <<<< 

The recipe calls for a food processor but when I made these I just used my Nutribullet blender. I also went without using chocolate chips. Very Yummy! ALMOST as good as the real thing! They have a nice fudgy consistency.

Buen Porvecho!

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30- Day Challenge

• My Daily Challenge: Meal Plan.

• My Daily Prayer:  "Lord Jesus, As I begin this month-long challenge would you give me the endurance, strength, and self-discipline to see it through to the end? YOUR endurance, strength, and self-discipline. Lord, I pray that you would protect my heart as I undergo these challenges. Help me to always remember why I started it and may it not turn into a vanity. I desire to establish better, long-lasting lifestyle habits I believe you would be glorified by and through. Help me to not feel stressed, condemned, or under pressure if I fail at times. Be with me Father as I go through this that I might remember your constant love for me, thus the reason I even have life, and therefore the reason why I so desire to give it back to you. I pray that this would be an attempt to further sanctify myself in such little ways, but still acknowledging that any good changes that occur in me are because of your grace. I pray for your blessing Father in Jesus' Name.
  
  Thank you for this opportunity to embrace meal planning. You know I forget to eat sometimes, or maybe just don't out of laziness, or poor planning, so as I test out the option of meal planning would you help me to come up with a structure that is both organized and flexible?
  
  AMEN." 

• The Approach: I have developed a bad habit of not eating well, or not eating at all if the food that I should be eating is not easily accessible. This especially happens if I am working on a project and don't want to stop to take a break, or after I come home from a long day at work feeling ravenous, and just end up eating whatever is quickest, which usually aren't the healthiest options. I am hoping meal planning will be the solution to my problem. I'm not sure if this means planning ahead weekly or maybe just at the start of each day. I know at least having dinner figured out before I get to it would be helpful, and probably give me more motivation once I get to it too. I also know I always grocery shop smarter when I have a meal plan guiding my purchases, which is another plus. And now with quarantine, what better time than now to start this habit.

Here it is! ( Sorry it's hard to read, it's more for me than you)

Check out the Full 30-Day Self Improvement Challenge here!
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No Frother, No Problem! - Making a London Fog

I think I've found my drink! I've never been much of a coffee drinker. Coffee dates were something I always looked forward to for the visiting, but being the frugal person I am, it always killed me to have to resort to paying so much money for a tea bag (since I don't drink coffee), when the cost of one bag at a coffee shop usually equates to the same cost of a pack of 12 from the grocery store. I would always try to get the cheapest drink offered UNTIL a friend of mine introduced me to the fancy London Fog tea latte that I am now currently obsessed with. It is such a cozy and comforting drink, but again, with my heart for living frugally and not wanting to become addicted or sell my soul to Starbucks, I decided to learn how to make it myself in the comfort of my own home and so this is what I want to teach you how to make today!  

...Featuring my very favorite mug from Powell's Bookstore in Portland Oregon. #PrayforOregon

Homemade London Fog

Ingredients

• An Earl Grey tea bag which can be stretched for two cups of tea. Consider making things more interesting with a flavored Earl Grey too! Vanilla or Lavender for example, yum!
• Anywhere from a 1/2 teaspoon to a whole teaspoon of honey, as desired
• about 1/4 tespoon of vanilla extract
• Water and Milk, I did about a 1/3 cup of water to a little more than 2/3 cups of milk 

I was never one huge on caffeine. I do love sugar but what I love most about fancy drinks like these is the lightness of the milk and its bubbles which are usually created by a frother or french press which are things I do not own. I was determined to work around my lack of owning cool kitchen gadgets, on a mission to find a way to get the same effect. What I learned that if you take your milk after it is heated and shake it in a glass jar or bottle for a couple minutes you get what resembles frothed milk! I was so excited about this! I tried it, shaking my hot milk inside one of my swell bottles and I was very impressed with the results! the milk froth was lighter and less dense but still achieved the desired effect earning my satisfaction!

Directions:

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Allow tea bag to steep in your shallow amount of water for about 5 mins to allow for maximum flavor to be unleashed.
3. Add vanilla to tea.
4. Heat milk not quite to boiling; hot and steaming but not bubbling.
5. Froth milk. See above for frothing alternatives for those who do not own a french press or frother.
6. Add honey and frothed milk to tea while still hot.
7. Enjoy!

Inspired by: This Youtube video on making a London Fog

Is excellently paired with this Banana bread recipe! 😋

Buen Porvecho!

Give this delicious recipe a try, 
and then please let us know how yours turned out!
Thanks for stopping by! Happy Baking!
comment, follow, subscribe, and don't be shy! 

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