KarmaFree Cooking

Archive | 2008

Tuno Antipasto

Antipasto… when you hear the word you probably think of a platter of salamis, deli meats, Italian cheeses, olives, roasted peppers, etc. And you would be right…

However, don’t ask me why or how, but in Puerto Rico, a party delicacy served warm made out of tuna or chicken, stewed with lots of onions, peppers and in a rich tomato sauce is also called an antipasto. My version, of course, is made with Tuno – a brand of frozen soy protein flavored with seeweeds to taste like tuna.

You can have this as a warm party “dip” or it goes great on top of rice or even pasta.

TUNO ANTIPASTO

1/3 cup of Tuno, defrosted

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

1 medium cubanelle pepper, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1/2 cup pureed tomatoes or tomato sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 laurel bay leaf

1 roasted red bell pepper

2 tbs capers or sliced green stuffed olives

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour olive oil and onions. Sautee for a few minutes, add peppers and garlic. Add some slat and pepper to help the mixture release some moisture. Sautee until softened.
Add frozen Tuno. Cover saucepan, this will help the Tuno defrost completely.

3. Add tomato sauce, vinegar, roasted peppers, bay leaf, capers or olives.

4. Cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

Serve warm with crackers as a warm dip. Or serve on top of whole grain rice as a main course.

Buon Appetito!!!

Tags: antipasto, onion, peppers, tuno

Comments 5 Comments
Categories appetizers, Puerto Rican delicacies

Veggie Party Dip

19 Jan

If you’re not in the mood for sandwiches, or just don’t have time to wait for the Veggie Party Sandwiches to set to cut the crusts, you can serve the dip by itself with crackers, crostini or even crudites.

VEGGIE PARTY DIP

12oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 large tomato, seeds removed, chopped as finely as possible

1 medium cubanelle pepper or 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped as finely as possible

1/2 medium onion, chopped as finely as possible

Olive oil to taste

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the cream cheese, tomato, onion and pepper.
Add olive oil in small increments to soften the mixture until it’s in an easy-to-spread consistency.
Season with garlic salt and pepper.

Tags: cream cheese, green pepper, onion, tomato

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Categories appetizers, snacks

Veggie Party Sandwiches

19 Jan

Here in Puerto Rico we have a custom of serving at most birthday parties what we call “sandwichitos de mezcla”. Roughly translated means “mixture mini sandwiches”. They’re traditionally made with a bunch of things I don’t eat anymore… so a friend taught me to make this alternative version.

I will confess, my friend Ana Yolanda has requested these sandwiches for several of her home parties. And I am not lying when I tell you these sandwiches go faster than the traditional version. I make them on 100% whole wheat bread, so that’s why they are not super symmetrical. Traditionally they’re made with club sandwich bread, but none of the brands available here are 100% whole grain.

They’re super easy and super tasty…

VEGGIE PARTY SANDWICHES

12oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 large tomato, seeds removed, chopped as finely as possible

1 medium cubanelle pepper or 1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped as finely as possible

1/2 medium onion, chopped as finely as possible

Olive oil to taste

Garlic salt and pepper to taste

1 packet of 100% whole wheat sliced sandwich bread

Mix together the cream cheese, tomato, onion and pepper.
Add olive oil in small increments to soften the mixture until it’s in an easy-to-spread consistency.
Season with garlic salt and pepper.

If you stop here… you can use this mixture as a veggie party dip. Continue to make the sandwiches…

4. Spread the mixture onto the one side of the sliced bread and assemble sandwiches.

5. Take a clean/new handi-wipe or 2 paper towel and dip it in milk or water. Squeeze the excess milk/water. Place it at the bottom of a tray or Pyrex where you can fit all the sandwiches. Place the sandwiches on top of one paper towel or the opened handi wipe. Cover the sandwiches with the remaining damp paper towel. Place the tray in the fridge for a few hours or even over night. The paper towel will keep the sandwiches moist while in the fridge. If not using, the top bread will dry out on you.

6. Remove sandwiches from fridge and cut away the crusts and cut in quarters – either diagonally or vertical/horizontal. It’s up to you.

Serve on a platter and see them fly away…

Tags: cream cheese, green pepper, onion, tomato

Comments 1 Comment
Categories appetizers, snacks

Cherry Carob Cookies

11 Jan

I started my cooking adventures mainly by making Martha Stewart’s cookie recipes. Most of them are easy and super delicious.

My favorite cookie by far are these Cherry Carob Cookies… they’re an adapted version of Martha’s Torie’s Cherry Chocolate Chunk Cookies. I have made these cookies, the original recipe and the new adapted version, to give as gifts for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Xmas, and even Birthdays. I always get requests for them. This time around I made them for my dear friend Choy, who makes the most awesome vegetarian egg-less cheesecake.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we all do…

CHERRY CAROB COOKIES

2 1/4 cup organic whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks of unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla powder

equivalent of 2 eggs from egg replacer

1 cup carob chips

1 cup dried cherries

1 cup toffee chips

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl whisk together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.
In another bowl, beat together the butter and the sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
Mix in the salt, vanilla and egg replacer.
Add flour mixture in 3-4 batches. Mix until just combined.
Stir in the carob chips, cherries and toffee chips.
Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough 2 inches apart in a cookie sheet lined with a silplat or unbleached parchment paper.
Bake until golden around the edges. about 10 -12 minutes.
Remove from oven and let them cool on the baking sheet. After a few minutes, transfer warm cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Store cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week in a tightly sealed container.

But don’t worry, they will not last long. They are eaten best with a tall cold glass of milk.

Tags: carob chips, cherries, cookies, toffee, whole wheat flour

Comments 1 Comment
Categories desserts, Xmas

Fried Cauliflower

11 Jan

We already established I like fried foods, right?

But believe me, for the amount of fried foods I have posted on this blog, I do not eat that many of them… maybe like once a week, maybe. I think it’s just that we’re around the holidays here and these are “more or less” permissible things around the holidays… eat fried foods now, diet and exercise in the new year… But I find that if you exercise and eat healthy all the time, as part of your daily routine, you can indulge every once in a while in a fried morsel of crispy goodness.

Enough…

Here are my interpretation of Fried Cauliflower. I learned to eat this, believe it or not, at the salad bar at Ponderosa Steakhouse. The salad bars here in PR offer, in addition to the standard salad fare, corn sorullitos, macaroni and cheese, cooked corn, steamed carrots, and sometimes, fried cauliflower. They’re sooooo tasty. But the secret of their tastiness is in the batter. Let me show you how…

FRIED CAULIFLOWER

1 head of cauliflower, cut in medium sized florets
2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour

2 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs sofrito
1 tbs salt or garlic salt

1 tbs Herbamare herbed salt
a few grinds of cracked black pepper
water – about 2 cups
a few sprinkles of paprika – optional
Canola oil – for frying

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch and the water. Mix the water slowly, maybe in two batches. The idea is for the batter to be the same consistency as pancake batter.
Add to the batter, the sofrito, salt, herbed salt and pepper. Add paprika, if using.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Dunk the pieces of cauliflower in the batter. Clean the piece of any running batter and place carefully in the hot oil.
Fry the little morsels until golden brown on all sides. It should take a few minutes – this way the cauliflower will cook/soften a bit and the batter will be golden brown and crunchy.

Eat on their own or dunk in Mayo Ketchup.

Hope you like them!!!