Summer

Miles of Mangoes

March 23, 2013 By Fran 2 Comments

After walking what felt like miles at the market last weekend, I puree’d a bag of these beautiful mangoes with the intent of making Mango Curd. But after a morning in the hot sun, I lose control and dive into the bowl of the golden goodness after dinner Sunday night. These mangoes are like miniature fruit. I’ve never seen a mango this small, but they are absolutely delicious! I was too tired to futz with the curd on Sunday night and the week ended up being one of those epic off-the-hook busy weeks so in the interest of time and less stress, it ended up topping home made rice pudding for a Friday night desert for friends.

I was at the big San Pedro Sula market last Sunday and the first thing I noticed after seeing stalls filled with mangoes were spent mango seeds on the street — blackened with time and the dirt of the city, but it made me think they must be delicious to see so many, as though people just could not wait until they got them home.

I couldn’t wait — I barely put my market bags down in the kitchen before I split one open with my thumbs and dove in; sweet mango juice dripping down my chin.

Next, I cut them and scooped out the flesh with a dinner spoon and let the Ninja blender do the rest.

Rushing to come up with something to make for dinner for my friends who are visiting from the States last night, I thought topping Cardamom Rice Pudding with a spoonful of mango purée would be the quickest and most natural thing I could do with the sweet fruit, especially on a work night.

It needs no added sugar and the consistency is smooth and silky. The pudding could have used a little more time in the fridge, but there was no time for that so it was a little looser than usual, but the combination of jasmine rice, coconut milk and cardamom were the perfect pairing for the sweet mango purée.

It’s incredibly hot here now, I mean really hot — 10oº or more and lighter meals and deserts are on my radar. This did the trick and was a great breakfast this morning. Topped with toasty granola, it makes a wholesome and filling breakfast with a light and bright flavor and texture that says summer.

When did you last eat rice pudding?

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Honduras, Mangoes, Market, San Pedro Sula, Summer

On My Summer Vacation and a Barilla Prize Package Winner!!

August 28, 2011 By Fran 5 Comments

I took a trip to New Jersey to spend a few days with my sister. We spent Friday afternoon at the hair salon getting “beautified” or something like that. We did some shopping. We cooked and we had some quality pool time.

Jane and her family eat a lot of fruits and vegetables now. I mean, she goes through a LOT of produce every couple of days and this meant coming home with some fabulous new recipes which I’ll get to later in the week. Since there are no carbs in her house, we only had those which I carried with me so that I could make my usual Weight Watchers breakfast. Whole Wheat Deli Flats and Sprouted Corn Tortillas were packed safely in my bags.

I introduced her to my favorite breakfast obsession; the Breakfast Taco. You’ve seen it before, but I’m always amazed at my new-found ability to perfectly poach an egg and had to share it with Jane. I had to share the sprouted corn tortillas and the perfectly poached egg with the creamy yolk. I think it was a hit, although the Franwich seems to be the one that stuck.

For the uninitiated, we’ll talk about the Franwich in a future post and for those of you that have jumped aboard the bandwagon, we’ll talk about ways to enhance your 6 point breakfast sandwich, but for now, it’s back to the beautifully poached egg taco.

Let’s talk about what went into this taco. My sister made chicken stock with the left over carcas and meat from our roast chicken dinner the night before. It simmered for hours before we headed off to bed and as she strained it in the morning and was getting ready to toss everything but the stock I screached, no, wait, I can use some of that moist, tender chicken for breakfast!

With that, I reached into the fridge for the tortillas, spinach, and the jar of salsa. I diced part of an onion and a tomato and poached the eggs, one at a time. Next, I sprinkled a little oil on the flat top, put the tortillas down and layered the spinach, chicken, tomatoes and onions on top before folding and placing the egg on top. A little salsa, and we dove in. If I could have licked the plate, I would have.

The beauty of eggs are that they are only 2 points a piece and a corn tortilla is just 2 points. Add a couple of ounces of chicken, a drizzle of oil and a spoonful of jarred salsa, and you’ve got a 6 point breakfast! A flavorful, hearty, delicious breakfast that I look forward to every weekend.

Now, it’s time for me to go draw a winner for the Barilla Giveaway and get to bed so I can wake up and make one of these poached egg corn tortillas.

And finally, the news you’ve been waiting for. Last week I wrote about the new Barilla sauces and hosted the first-ever ThinRecipes giveaway, thanks to Barilla and here are the results …

Susan, you’re the winner — Congratulations!! If you send your address to me at: fran@thinrecipes.com, I’ll pack it all up and get it on it’s way to you so that you can make your awesome Spinach and Cheese-stuffed Portabella Caps. Sounds delish!

Susan said: I would use the spicy marinara (Arrabbiata – that’s fun to say!) sauce to make some Spinach and Cheese-Stuffed Portabella Caps. Since I am also on WW, I would be using fat-free ricotta for the filling and a little low-fat mozzarella on top. Yum, yum!

For those of you that played, thank you for your contributions and stay tuned for more!

If you have a gas range or grill, try “toasting” your tortillas for a moment over the open flame until it’s got some smoky color, but don’t let it go too far or you won’t be able to fold them. I love doing this with my tortillas.

Cook up something good this week, starting with a satisfying breakfast like this.

Filed Under: All, All Posts Tagged With: Breakfast, Corn Tortilla, Hurricane Irene, Poached Egg, Summer, Taco, Vacation

A Recipe for Roasting Vegetables

June 24, 2011 By Fran 5 Comments

Just as the the summer sun glows like the yolk of an egg and the kernels on an ear of corn deliver the golden hue of a piece of fine gold jewelry, this roasted cauliflower with annatto-infused olive oil can bring summer into your kitchen on the gloomiest of days.

This is the first week of summer. This steamy mid-June, too early for the dog days with their three H’s — Hazy, Hot and Humid — sucks all the desire to spend hours in the kitchen after a long day at work out of me, but there’s enough of me left to roast vegetables and quickly sauté a chicken breast.

To make this cauliflower special, I finally cracked open a jar of Annatto seeds that I’ve had in my kitchen since October. I was going to use saffron, but I only have a few threads left from my last purchase and while I would have liked to have had that field of crocuses flavor, these red seeds from the achiote pod not only lend an earthy flavor to the dish, but the color is simply beautiful. It glows.

Now, if you believe everything that comes from the pages of Wikipedia you might be tempted to stay far away from these color-inducing Annatto seeds because they may well induce more than color on your cauliflower. But who wants to be scared away from the potential to break out in hives, or worse? Not me. I’m a risk-taker and these seeds are no match for me.

In the end, the cauliflower was tasty and colorful and a great accompaniment to my dinner of grilled chicken tortillas with more of that lip-puckering Aji Verde. You know, the other day, a friend suggested I bottle the stuff. I think she’s got the right idea! And don’t think I won’t try.

Annatto Infused Cauliflower Steaks

Recipe Type: Side

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 45 mins

Serves: 8

These cauliflower steaks can be made with Saffron to give it that sunny hue, but I opted for the less expensive Annatto seed

Ingredients

1 large, firm head of Cauliflower rinsed and cut into “steaks” by slicing vertically through the core
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Vinegar
1 teaspoon Annatto Seeds
2 teaspoons ground Sea Salt

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 425º
Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper
Combine all ingredients except the cauliflower in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a paper towel
Heat in a microwave for 30 seconds
Carefully place the cauliflower steaks on the baking sheet, taking care not to break the florets
Using a pastry brush, spread 1/2 of the infused oil mixture on the cauliflower
Transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes
Turn and brush the other side of the cauliflower with the remaining oil and roast for an additional 15 minutes or until the cauliflower begins to brown
Remove to a plate and serve

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 56.1 Fat: 3.6 Carbohydrates: 5.5 Fiber: 2.6 Protein: 2.1

Notes

This sunny side dish has a Weight Watchers Points Plus value of 2 and is just 56.1 calories.

Filed Under: All Posts, From the Ground, Side Dishes Tagged With: Aji Verde, Cauliflower, Recipe, Roasting, Summer, Vegetables

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