I love everything or anything with coconut; coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut oil, etc. It is a great ingredient to substitute dairy in a curry sauce, creamy soup or just about anything fabulous! Continue reading
My boyfriend’s mother, Sanatani, LOVES eggplant with a passion (but it’s got to be well cooked)! I’ve known her since my childhood, and i grew up with her and her whole family, so she is my other dear mama and mentor! She is a great cook and i have definitely learned a great deal from her. So the other day i was at her house and i decided to treat her a dinner with a juicy eggplant bruschetta. This was an experiment that actually turned out delightful and i was happy to see her content and smiling. Mother’s are the best! And it’s awesome when you have more than one!
3 long asian eggplants
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 diced onion
6 diced sweet mini bell peppers; yellow, red & orange
2 minced celery sticks
2 grated carrots
2 TB of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of cilantro
1/2 cup of mint leaves
3 tomatoes; diced
1 tsp of sugar
greek feta cheese for topping
Halve the eggplant lengthwise and then split in half. In a saucepan at a high flame, put 1 TB of oil and add the garlic, onions, carrots, celery, bell peppers, 1/2 mint, and 1/2 of the cilantro. Stir for about 2 minutes until they are a bit golden and wilted and add the eggplant, stirring for another minute. Add water enough to cover the eggplant and boil till the water is almost evaporated. Remove the eggplant and in the remaining water add the 3 diced tomatoes and cook till it has reduced into a chunky sauce and simmer. Meanwhile in a nonstick pan at a medium flame, add 1 Tb of oil and spread all over the pan, add the eggplant facing the sliced part down and cover for about 10 minutes, remove the lid and if you can prick the eggplant with a fork it is nicely cooked. Turn the eggplants so they can cook on the bottom, sprinkle the sugar evenly and cover for 5 minutes. Turn facing down on a medium high flame for a couple of minutes to caramelize the sliced top. Check to see if they have a golden color to them, and are soft but not mushy. Turn off the eggplant and check the tomato sauce, add the remaining cilantro and mint and turn off. Place a couple of eggplants, facing the sliced part up, and add the sauce carefully on top, sprinkle with feta and fresh cilantro and serve immediately!
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Taquitos were a staple growing up in our weekly lunch or dinners, they are so crispy and delicious and the best thing is that they are so easy and quick to make! I owed my niece some taquitos for her birthday so i gave her a monthly coupon for “taquitos anytime Hayden’s hungry” and so here is the recipe for my taquitos. 🙂
Serves 4
Flautas
12 Corn tortillas
2 peeled, cubed & boiled potatoes
12 long strips of white cheese (mozzarella, monterey jack, etc..)
2 Tb of sour cream
1 tsp salt
2 Tb vegetable oil
Toppings
1/2 cabbage; shredded
2 chopped tomatoes
1 chopped avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
sour cream
mexican cheese like cotija or fresco
In a bowl, add the boiled potatoes and mash them with the salt and sour cream. In order to roll tortillas without breaking, they need to be heated, which you can do by warming them in a pan or microwaving them for about 1 minute until you can bend them without breaking them. When they have been warmed, immediately add the filing. Start at the end of the tortilla and with a spoon add the potatoes and a piece of cheese. Pick the end of the tortilla and roll the tortilla around the filling tightly. Place the end of the wrap face down on a non-stick pan. Continue until you fill the pan with taquitos, making sure you place them firmly next to each other. Once you have your pan filled up, drizzle the oil over them and shake the pan a little bit to allow the oil to go underneath the taquitos. Turn the flame to a medium high and allow them to cook for 2 or 3 minutes or until golden brown. Then turn over to brown on the other side. When your taquitos are golden, remove them from the pan, blot with paper towel, salt them lightly and place on a plate.
You can put any toppings you want like, shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, avocado chunks, sour cream, queso fresco or queso cotija chopped cilantro and salsa.There are so many vegetables and cheese’s you can fill taquitos with, so you can experiment with your favorite ingredients and prepare this dish completely vegan or vegetarian! It is gluten free 🙂 too!
