Food, Fusion and More

This is one of my favorite side dishes to made when I eat Chifa. Chifa is a fusion of Peruvian and Cantonese food, with various accent depending on the style or resturant you go to in Peru. Since I can't just go to a Chifa and order a side of "Nabo encurtido" I learned how made my own here. After trying many online recipes this is what I decided is what I like best: 1 Parsnip 2 carrots 1 jalapeño pepper in thin slices (optional). 1 cup of white wine vinegar 3/4 cup of sugar 1 tablespoon of salt Once you have all the veggies thinly sliced, get the parsnip and put it in a bowl covered in water, and salt. Let it rest for about 1 hour. After that, rinse it multiple times under running water. In a large pan, bring the vinagre and sugar to boil, then add the veggies and let it simmer for about 20-30 mins.  Cool down and serve.

It is tradition in Peru, that we make homemade food for any kind or party or get together. This is just one of them. I love to make little bite-size sandwiches, easy to snack as you get some chat on. These spinach and olive sandwiches are super easy to make. Ingredients: Wholewheat bread 1 bunch of spinach 2 Tb of plain yogurt 3 Tb chopped kalamata olives powder garlic, salt to taste. Boil the spinach until is cooked, chop and drain. Then add all the rest of ingredients and mix them as a spread. Voila!

This is a very traditional dessert from Lima. I usually make them in little containers because its a very sweet dessert. Ingredients: 1 can evaporated milk (I used 2% because with fat free milk doesn't get the same texture) 1 can condensed milk 2 teaspoon of vanilla 1 tablespoon of pisco (you can use rum if you don't have pisco) 5 egg yokes 3 eggwhites 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (I have Peruvian cinnamon, that is a little milder than the one I find here, so if you wish to use US cinnamon I'll recommend 1/2 teaspoon) 1 cup of sugar ( I like sugar in the raw, but white sugar works fine too) Port wine (you can use also any moscato wine) In a heat resistant pot place the 2 milks and mix them. Put them in high heat until boils, remember that you have to steer all the time. Once it boils, leave it in very low heat for about 20-30 mins. Steer frequently. Add vanilla and cinnamon. Keep cooking this mix until it turns into light brown color. ...

 Quinoa with olives, Tomato salad, Potatoes au gratin with coconut milk. Ingredients: For Olive Quinoa 2 Cups of quinoa (boiled and cooked until tender, rinse and set aside) 2 cups of Kalamata olives – pitted 1 cup of yellow onion 2 Tsp minced garlic (about 3 small cloves) ½ cup cream sherry (or any dry wine) 1 tsp olive oil ½ cup green bell pepper peeled and seeded. This is combination in between two dishes that my mom used to make at home: Traditional quinoa and rice and olives. I’m always trying to get new combinations, and mixing flavors that I think they will go well, most of the times I can get away with it, but I have to be honest, I don’t always get it right. This time I did. In a small bowl soak the olives in wine for at least one hour, put about ¾ of olives in the food processor until they are chopped, (not a paste). Set aside In a small pan, heat the olive oil and fry the garlic, onions and bell pepper until they change their ...

Summer is here, and that means grilling time! Uhmm that smell of grilling and bonfire combine, just delicious. And if you add to that fresh picked veggies from your garden, it's just priceless, of course I don't have a lot of veggies yet, but I do have arugula, parley and cilantro ready to be use ... oh how I love summer time! Here is what I did: Veggie Anticuchos (anticuchos is a Peruvian word for kebabs, and they make them traditionally with cow heart)   Grilled Tofurky patties Naan bread Fresh greens salad with pomegranate vinagrete Let me start with my "adereso" for the veggies Anticucho. Ingredients 1 tbsp Aji colorado (peruvian mild red pepper) - optional 1 tbsp Aji amarillo (peruvian mild yellow pepper) - optional 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1/2 tbsp yellow mustard 4 fresh crush garlic cloves 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tsp dry oregano salt and pepper Veggie Anticuchos: 1 small zuchinni 1 medium sweet onion 21 med...

I had one of those nights that I couldn't live without chocolate. My husband offered to go to Ellensburg Pasta Company for a "Spoon cake", if you like desserts you really have to try that cake, when we got our bikes ready we realized that the wind was about 50 mph and coming back home was going to be a challenge so I decided to bake my own cake. I was checking my ingredients and ... oh! no!, I was out of eggs, milk, and butter, so I search for a vegan recipe on line, that will not include "veganize" or anything that I wouldn't have at home, and I found this cake recipe, I have to say, It was "to die for". Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups flour 1 cup sugar 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 tbsp baking soda 1 cup warm water 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp white vinegar or apple cider vinegar In a separate pan combine completely flour, cocoa powder, baking soda. In the mixer at low speed, incorporate, oil, warm water and ...

For my birthday, my mother in law and great friend gave me a cooking book from one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle, although some of the recipes are elaborated, I loved this artichoke patties, and they were very easy to make, the best part is that you can even eat them without frying them too; the curry rice and lentils sounded like good side dishes for them 1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt  1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 cups bread crumbs 1/4 cup diced celery 1/4 cup diced onion 1/2 cup diced red pepper 1 tbsp capers 1 tbsp fresh cilantro 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp chili powder Salt and pepper Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except 1 cup of bread crumbs that should be reserved for breading the croquettes. Refrigerate for at least an hour. I used two spoons to shape the patties in little balls, then flat them in the bread crumbs. Heat pan and about 3 tbsp of olive oil for frying. Lemon sauc...

Mondays and Wednesdays I have a late Zumba class, yes I teach Zumba, it's not only a great workout but it's also a great place to find great people. After my class I'm really hungry, and since I can't eat anything before my class, because if I do my body is too busy trying to digest and complains about the workout in very different ways;  I usually fix dinner before I go to class so I don't get home and "eat my way through cooking dinner". Last night I made this Multi-mushroom Stroganoff. I serve it with rice and a onion-avocado-tomato salad. My grandma and mother used to make chicken Stroganoff pretty often at my house and I loved it, but now that I'm vegetarian I look for different ways to have a similar flavors in my home. I didn't use my mother's recipe for this, I actually use one of my vegetarian cooking books. Ingredients: 3 tb olive oil 1 lb mushrooms ( I made a combination of white, shitake, and baby portobel...

In my mom's house it was very common to have any kind of quiche, with and without dough. We called them "pastel". the most popular one at my house was "pastel de verduras" which is a "veggie quiche" (without crust). So I made something similar, with crust. Crust: 1 1/2 cup all purpouse flour 1/2 cup butter 4 - 5 tbsp cold water (with 1 tbsp salt) Filling: 2 cups artichoke hearts 1 onion, chopped 1 cup milk (I used non fat evaporated milk) 5 eggs 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese salt and pepper For the crust: Swift flour, and add butter in form of little cubes. Mix them with the cold water until it forms a malleable dough. Separate it in two halfs. Extend one part of the dough in a big circle (25 cm diameter aprox), as you will be doing a pie. Set a side For the filling: Mix all the ingredients together, season to taste. Add the filling to the pie crust.  Cover it with the reminding dough. Paint it with one extra yolk diluted ...

As you can see, I had to keep up with the monday-Lentels day, so I made up this salad. What you see next to the salad are "soy/chicken strips" vegetarian patties, very tasty and excellent source of protein. For the salad you will need: 1 cup lentils 1 avocado 2 tsp chop cilantro 5 - 7 kalamata olives 1 tomato 2 tbsp chop celery Dressing: olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. First cook the lentils "al dente", rinse them and set a side Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Veggie Sushi My husband and I love sushi, but since I'm vegetarian I just make the veggie style ones. I will say this ones are a combination of a California roll and "whatever veggie" I have at home. You will need: For sushi rice: 2 cups of rice (it's usually made with sushi rice, but I just had Jasmine rice and it worked too) 1/2 cup of rice vinegar 2 tsp salt 1/4 cup sugar First cook the rice (I always use my rice cooker for that), in this case you do want to add a little more water so the texture of the rice is stickier. I made this recipe from this video, I hope it helps you too:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByXX17MpcF4 Meanwhile in a separate pan put the rice vinegar, salt and sugar and bring to boil. Let it cool, set a side. When the rice is done let it cool down a little. Poor it into a large bowl and carefully add your vinegar combination, I add it a tablespoon at a time so it doesn't get "drowned" in liquid. Ro...

Breakfast quinoa This is another way to incorporate quinoa in your meals, for me it works perfect for a really long day. Also it can be a dessert or a "smooothy" like juice too. You can drink it warm or cold. I like it both ways, and a lot of times this is what I take in between classes. You will need: 1 apple, peel and chopped 1 cinnamon stick 1 clove 2 tbsp brown sugar (optional) or 2 tbsp honey 2 tbs quinoa 1 tbs oats I use any seasonal fruit such as pears, apples, pineapples, etc. Put the fruit in a pan with two cups of water, bring it to boil with cinnamon stick and clove, add quinoa and oats and let it cook until both are completely cooked. Add sugar if desire. Sprinke with some ground cinnamon to serve. As I said I like to drink this in more of a liquid way, and carry it with me during the day.

This way of cooking quinoa is the one we had at my parents house. 1/2 lb Quinoa 2 cups veggie broth 3 tbs crumbles feta cheese 1/2 cup evaporated milk salt and pepper to taste Boil the quinoa in veggie broth until completely cooked. Add the cheese and mill, the amount of milk will depend on how dense or not you like it. I like it particularly more in the solid range.  Let it cook for 15 mins more in very low heat and stirring occasionally. Serve with salads, sautes veggies or steam veggies.

Cherry filled muffins This muffins were great! I used preserves that I had at home. In this case I used cherry preserves and frozen cherries but I think you can fill them up with any flavor you will have at home. I was thinking blueberries, raspberries, etc. I told you that I usually cook with things I have at home so we don't need to go to the store every day. Although I think some times I go to the store more often that I want. Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 3/4 cup sugar (I always use non process sugar) 3 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 3/4 low fat buttermilk 6 tbsp butter, melted 1 cup fresh or frozen cherries 1/2 cup cherry preserves Preheat oven to 375 F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Sift together flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, in a medium mixing bowl. Set a side In the mixer whisk together eggs, buttermilk and 6 tbsp of melted butter. Add all at once to dry mixture. By hand stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin...

a great natural and homemade snack I was very exited how this granola bars turn out. At the beginning I though I was going to end up with homemade granola but they did work as bars! You will need 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ 2 tbsp unsalted butter 2/3 cup honey 1/4 cup non process brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 cup dry cherries 1 cup sliced almonds 1 cup chopped walnuts Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 12 X 8 in baking tray with parchment paper Bake the oatmeal on a sheet pan for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring at least every 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in wheat germ. Reduce oven temperature to 300 F In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt: bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook stirring, for 1 minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add dry cherries, almonds and walnuts. Stir until blended. Pour into the prepared pan, pressing i...

Chocolate cookies Well I couldn't resist this recipe. I made half of the batch with plain chocolate, and I add fresh coconut to the other half. I just really like coconut. I usually use at least 75% cocoa chocolate chips/bar to make my chocolate recipes. This cookies are very chewy and soft. I've tried different recipes, I really like this one: 4 tbsp unsalted butter 3 eggs 1 tsp baking powder 15 oz chocolate (bar or chips) 2 tsp vanilla 1/2 cup flour Preheat oven at 350 F. Prepare your cookie sheets with wax paper. First melt the chocolate and butter together. You can use the microwave or over a pot on top of a sauce pan with a little of hot water. Stir constantly until completely melt. In the mixer beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla. With the beater blade mix in the chocolate mix. Incorporate the flour and baking soda by hand. ( when you use the mixer to add flour, the texture of the cookies may change) I use a small ice-cream scoop spo...

I can't translate "Tacu- Tacu", this is another way to recycle left over rice. Usually it's made with leftover Jasmine rice, but we had "sea food rice" (the veggie one), so I used that one. 2 cups of cooked rice 1 cup of cooked and mushed beans 1 onion finely chopped 1 tsp olive oil 1 egg Salt and Pepper to taste I have to say that the way I prepare this "tacu-tacu" it's my dad's style, probably a lot of Peruvian cooks might not do it the same way but this is the way I learn it and I like it. In a large bowl mix all the ingredients make sure they are 100% mix. It should look almost like a dry pure texture. Heat up a pan, add a squirt of olive oil once warm poor about a cup of the mix. Press it down forming a giant patty. Use a small plate to help turn it to the other side, and keep pressing down. Serve it warm, we like it with a lime-onion salad and a spinach salad. And a hint of hot pepper.

Arroz con Mariscos You may wonder how being a vegetarian I made this seafood dish. Well I am not the only one living in my house and I don't expect to everybody become vegetarian, so I include some "animals" once in while. The only difference is that I do separate my (meatless) food in a "his and hers" containers. This is a very traditional dish in the coast of Peru, that's where I grew up and I love it. Actually the smell of the spices just reminds me summer time in Lima. SEA FOOD VERSION: 1/2 lb of medium size shrimp 1/2 lb small scallops 3 cups jazmin rice 1 medium onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 cup white wine (I used chardonay) 4 cups shrimp broth 4 tbsp aji amarillo * optional 2 tbsp aji colorado *optional 1/2 tbsp paprika 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 cup sweat peas 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped 1 cup mushrooms 2 tsp olive oil salt and pepper to taste. First you have to clean those little shrimps, I have to ...

I had a party to attend and since it was "Saint Patrick's day" party I had to involve "green" in my dish. I saw something like this on line, but for allergy reasons I had to do some adjustments. In my house, hazelnuts are not welcome. 12 green grapes 7 oz cream goat cheese 7 oz light cream cheese 1/2 cup chopped pistachios 1/2 cup cupped cashews pepper to taste First peel the grapes, then make sure to dry them well. You can use a paper towel or a paper napkin. Set a side Mix all the chopped mix in a flat bottom container. You have to make sure that the cheeses are room temperature. In a separate bowl mix them by hand. Mix them well, so the flavors are well combined.   with a tiny spoon separate a little piece of cheese dough and make a mini patty, wrap the dry grape and then roll it in the nuts.  It's a very simple dish and quite elegant to serve.