Archive | July, 2011

Eggless Potato Soufflé

22 Jul

Purists out there will lynch me… I know this is not a traditional egg-based potato soufflé, but it sure rises in the oven just like a soufflé does. I believe it’s the power of mashing and whipping the potatoes by hand that gives them that airy and fluffy consistency. Even though they have lots of cheese, they still feel light and airy.

This is a nice twist to a regular mashed potato dish… hope you enjoy it too.

 

EGGLESS POTATO SOUFFLÉ

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
¼ onion, grated finely
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup sour cream
4 tbs melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Olive oil Spray
  1. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes with water going about ¾ of the way up the potatoes. Do not cover them completely with water, I find they cook faster with less water. Salt the water generously. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
  2. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the same hot saucepan and add the grated onion, ricotta, sour cream, butter. Mash until the potatoes and mix-ins are fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes add a little bit of olive oil… but only sometimes if I feel the mixture is too dry.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  4. Take a 9” x 11” glass baking dish and spray with cooking spray. I sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the baking dish and shake it around so the parmesan sticks to the spray in the pan creating a coating. If there is any excess parmesan cheese, add it to the mashed potatoes.
  5. Pour the mashed potatoes onto the baking dish. Smooth out the top and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes for the cheeses to fully blend and melt into the potatoes. You’ll see how the potatoes will fluff up just like a soufflé does…

Tags: , , , ,

Vegetarian Frituras… well, of course!!!

18 Jul

I am very, very happy today… because I joined the Tiki Tiki Blog family as a contributor guest blogger.  The Tiki Tiki posted a story I wrote on how the words Latina and Vegetarian are not mutually exclusive and how us Vegetarian Latinas can still enjoy all our fried antojitos in a more healthful, meat-free way.

 

 

 

Carrie, who manages the Tiki Tiki Blog from Nashville, TN, shares great perspective on what it is to be a Latina today.  She had run a few months ago a series on how, as difficult as it may sound, there are Vegetarian Latinas out there… we are not figments of anyone’s imagination.  And we are not less Latinas or give our backs to our heritage or culture just because we decided to forgo animal-based proteins in our diets.  She was positively impressed by our recipes for Spinach Croquetas and BacalaFREEtos recipes that she wanted to share with all her readers.

Spinach Croquetas

BacalaFREEtos

Hope you like my post at Tiki Tiki Blog and hopefully this will be just the first of some more collaboration between us…  and a great shout out thank you to Adriana from Moros con Cristianos who introduced me to the Tiki Tiki blog.  Gracias mil…

Strawberry Sorbeto

15 Jul

During my recent trip to Las Vegas I learned the Italian word for sorbet… SORBETO. Kind of funny because in Spanish, or at least here in Puerto Rico, “sorbeto” is what we call a drinking straw.

People at the Yoga Center go crazy for ice creams or frozen desserts of any kind. They’re a nice welcome change from the traditional cake they usually serve. And me, I’m not the cake-lover type. I rather eat a cookie or an ice cream any day before I crave a slice of cake.

So for our Italian Dinner at the Yoga Center I was asked to help out, specifically with desserts… who doesn’t like ice creams, no?? But to make it easy on me I decided to make a very traditional and natural SORBETO. I made a HUGE batch of this, but let’s just scale it down as if I was making it for a dinner party at home…

STRAWBERRY SORBETO

4 cups frozen strawberries
4 tbs of agave nectar

Yep… that’s it. 2 ingredients. That’s why its soooooo good.

  1. Cut the strawberries in quarters, it’ll be easier for the food processor to puree them. Place the cut strawberries in a food processor as you cut them.
  2. Drizzle the agave nectar over the cut berries.
  3. Pulse a few times to get the berries going. Process until the berries turn into a slushy puree. Transfer to a glass or plastic container and freeze until ready to serve.

 

This is soooo refreshing on a hot Summer afternoon…

Tags: , , , , , ,

Once Steamed/Once Baked Potato Casserole

13 Jul

Mashed potato is a definite go-to in my recipe repertoire. You’re hungry… potatoes available… make a potato mash. But sometimes you want something more substantial that feels more like a main course, rather than a glorified side dish.

The other day I saw the Idaho potatoes in my sister’s fridge and we were all hungry now… what to do? I wanted to do some twice-baked potatoes, but we just didn’t want to wait to bake and re-bake. So this is a quicker alternative with the same flavor punch of the original.

I do not bake the potatoes first… but I do not boil them either, like for regular mashed potatoes. I steam them. To me is a faster method to cook potatoes and yields the same delicious result.

 

ONCE STEAMED /ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

3 large russet or baking potatoes
1 large onion, diced finely
1 small carrot, grated or chopped finely
2 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tbs butter
2 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 ounces of cream cheese
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs of Vegan Bac’n – optional
2 generous handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I steam the potatoes in a medium pot with just a few inches of water. I season the water with salt. And let them steam for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onions, garlic and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. Cook them until they’re softened.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them and add all the fixin’s… the butter, sour cream or yogurt, cream cheese, the cooked onions/carrot mixture, scallions, shredded cheese and veggie bacon if using. Mash it all well until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  4. Take the potato mash and spoon it into individual ramekins. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  5. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Albóndiga Sandwich

11 Jul

One of my favorite ways to eat albóndigas is in a sandwich… just like the ones I used to have in Subway, way back when.

Sometimes I make a sub sandwich with a whole wheat demi baguette… but sometimes I do dainty and make them open-faced to control the amount of bread and to make them more suitable for a gathering too. Wouldn’t you love to have one of these sandwiches for a tapas party???

Here are the basic ingredients… you put it together in your favorite way.

ALBÓNDIGA SANDWICH

Soy Albóndigas
Criollo Tomato Sauce
Lettuce strips
Vegetarian Mayonnaise
Bread – I personally like crusty breads for this because they stand up better to the tomato sauce

You could make it into a submarine sandwich… or cut the baguette into rounds and serve them open-faced with a single soy albóndiga on top.

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries