snacks | KarmaFree Cooking

Archive | snacks RSS feed for this section

Sorullitos de Maíz- Cornmeal Fritters

After a whole week of fasting, these sorullitos de maíz were the first actual food I ate after I finished my spiritual retreat. Not the best choice, but you have to “go with the flow”. And the quality of these sorullos, it was well, well worth it.

I visited my sister on New Year’s Day… She had welcomed the New Year with her husband and his family at their house with a typical Puerto Rican fare – arroz con gandules (rice and pigeon peas), pasteles (a plantain or yucca- based boiled “thing” similar to a tamal), pernil, potato salad, etc. – and the only vegetarian-suitable thing on the menu were these sorullos… pero qué sorullos!!

My brother-in-law made the recipe according to Carmen Valdejuli’s recipe, the author of Cocina Criolla and the authority on Puerto Rican Cooking. (The book also comes in an English version.) He did double the batch because he was unsure of how many sorullos the recipe would yield. Apparently he was too busy to read right underneath the recipe’s title it yielded 50 sorullos… so he made enough to make 100. My sister said she was not making 100 sorullos, so she made these “mega sorullos” – not that thick, but extra long. Regular sorullos are usually about the size of a small index finger. These ones are like 6 inches long. But you get the drift.

Most cornmeal bags – at least the ones sold in Puerto Rico – include a sorullito recipe on the packaging. They’re easy to follow and very reliable. This recipe, to me it’s the ultimate… the Gouda cheese is melted into the batter giving them a really nice and salty taste. Some people add a little piece of cheese inside the sorullito so that it melts inside when you fry them.

sorullitos-maiz

SORULLITOS DE MAIZ

Recipe from Carmen Valdejuli, Cocina Criolla – Makes about 50 sorullitos

2 cups of water

1 ¼ tsp salt

1 ½ cup cornmeal

1 cup Edam cheese, grated – my brother-in-law used Gouda cheese…

1. Bring the water with salt to a boil. Take away from the heat and add the cornmeal. Quickly, mix the water and cornmeal together and cook under moderate heat. Continue mixing about 3 to 5 minutes until the mixture separates from the bottom and sides of the pot.

2. Take away from the heat and add the grated cheese – you’ll see the mixture will loosen a bit when you add the cheese.

3. Immediately, take spoonfuls of the mixture and form balls in the palm of your hands. Press them to form like small cigars of about 3 inches long. As you can see my sister/brother-ion-law version are much longer than the original recipe calls for.

4. Fry them in plenty of vegetable oil at 375 F. Take them out when they’re golden and place them onto paper towels to drain the excess oil.

And the only way to enjoy sorullitos is with a great MayoKetchup Dip. My brother-in-law showed me a new version of MayoKetchup. A nice little twist with even more flavor… check it out.

This is not diet food… but it is certainly, food of the Puerto Rican gods… I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Tags: cheese, cornmeal

Comments 4 Comments
Categories appetizers, Puerto Rican delicacies, snacks, Xmas

A new twist on MayoKetchup – Wichi’s Version

4 Jan

My brother-in-law made a huge batch of sorullitos de maiz for New Year’s… I had the chance to have some and they were awesome. But I noticed he made his MayoKetchup different from mine…

Here’s his version – super tasty, really nice twist on the traditional recipe.

mayo-ketchup-part-21

MAYOKETCHUP – WICHI’S VERSION

¼ cup egg-free mayonnaise, like Vegenaise

2 tbs ketchup

1tsp yellow mustard, I am sure you can substitute with Dijon or even grain mustard

A dash of crushed garlic – Wichi mashes his garlic in a “pilón”, but you can use the one in a jar

A pinch of salt

Mix everything together in a small bowl.

Serve with a nice side of sorullitos de maiz.

Tags: egg-free mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Puerto Rican delicacies, sauces, snacks, Xmas

Toasted Chickpeas and Pistachios

28 Dec

For a while now, I’ve been intrigued by these toasted chickpeas recipes I’ve seen Giada, Rachael and Martha make in their TV shows. I’ve never been too much of a fan of beans, but for some reason I was always intrigued to know how this tasted. Giada and Rachael described them as popcorn. Some were baked and some recipes are fried. I decided to go the healthier route and make it baked in the oven.

toasted-chickpeas

TOASTED CHICKPEAS AND PISTACHIOS

1 10 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs butter

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1 tsp Kosher salt

½ tsp Pepper

1/2 cup peeled almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the garbanzo beans on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and spread the beans in a single layer. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Place in the oven and bake until golden, about 30 – 40 minutes.
Remove the beans from the oven. Add the remaining ingredients to the garbanzo beans and carefully stir to coat all the beans and pistachios. Spread the mixture out to a single layer. Bake for 10 more minutes.
Mix the butter and the sugar and toss together with the toasted nuts. Let cool slightly and place in serving bowls.

I liked the mixture, but just when it’s out of the oven. I was not too thrilled with them after they cooled off. The chickpeas turn soft again. I liked the flavor and the texture when they’re still warm out of the oven.

But I find this is a very innovative (at least for my crowd here in Puerto Rico) nibble to have at the beginning of a party. It’s a nice complement to other dips and appetizers. It’s nice to have something that is not wheat based…

Tags: chickpeas, pistachios

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories appetizers, snacks, Xmas

Mushroom and Goat Cheese Spread

24 Nov

I am taking these conversational French classes with my friends… we get together to speak French every week. We talk about our stuff, all in French. But we’re disciplined too – we discuss and review grammar, we give ourselves homework and even assign Show and Tell projects.

Our first Show and Tell presentation was about the food of a certain region of France. I selected the Loire Valley and the Center of France. I was not sure what I was going to find there, but I was determined to make my presentation vegetarian-friendly. We had to add a TASTE to the Show and Tell, making it a Show, Tell and Taste…

To my surprise, the Loire Valley is also affectively known as the Garden of France, because of its proliferation of fruits and veggies – apples, pears, plums, mushrooms – porcini, chanterelles, among many other wild varieties.

The Loire Valley is also the heart of goat cheese production in France. So for my TASTE portion of the presentation, I decided to make this spread as an appetizer, using traditional ingredients from the Loire Valley…

MUSHROOM AND GOAT CHEESE SPREAD

2 tbs butter

1 small shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

½ pound of button mushrooms, coarsely chopped

4 ounces of goat cheese

2 ounces of cream cheese

1 tbs plain yogurt

2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and Freshly-cracked Pepper to taste

1 whole-wheat baguette, sliced on the bias

In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add shallot and garlic and sautee for about 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5-6 minutes.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the goat cheese, cream cheese, yogurt and cooked mushrooms. Add the oil, salt and pepper. Pulse a few times to combine.
Toast baguette slices. Serve spread with baguette toasts at room temperature.

The French taste is truly authentic. I also ate this spread mixed with boiled potatoes. It’s delicious and versatile.

Tags: Goat Cheese, mushrooms

Comments 2 Comments
Categories appetizers, snacks

Candy for Vegetarian Kids and Adults Alike

31 Oct

It’s Halloween… and vegetarian parents trying to teach a vegetarian lifestyle to their kids sometimes worry… worry their kids might feel they might be missing out or that they’ll be tempted or lured by candy they should not be eating. Or maybe you’re an adult that misses the flavor of certain candy you now know it’s not agreeable with your veggie lifestyle. What to do?

There’s plenty of candy suitable for vegetarians – candy without chocolate, without gelatin, without refined sugars or artificial flavorings and colorants. Let me give you a few ideas of my favorite ones:

Carob Bars

I get these bars every time we travel to NYC. You can get them in many health food stores. They’re made from carob, a caffeine free substitute for chocolate. Their taste resembles bittersweet dark chocolate because of their slightly bitter aftertaste. Unfortunately, these bars are not available in Puerto Rico or in many Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

Gummy Bears

I’ve talked to you before about these Gummy Bears… if you like fruity candy, these Surf Sweets are a good substitute for the Skittles and Starburst. The bag is small, so it fits in any decent purse when going to the movies. I particularly like the Fruity Bears because they have a sugary coating on top of the gumminess…

Vegan Marshmallows

Now that the holidays are approaching you might more interesting in knowing there are vegan marshmallows available – without egg whites or gelatin. Combine them with the carob bars and a whole wheat graham cracker and you have a great vegetarian smore’s. You can also use them to top a sweet potato dish on Thanksgiving. Also, you can use them to make the infamous rice krispies treats we all love so much…

Sesame Seed Candy

I loved these little candies since I was a little girl. My grandpa taught me to eat them all the time. They’re small, sweet and great for a little sweet thing after a meal. I used to have a bag of these at my office desk. Sesame seed candy (dulce de ajonjolí) is very traditional in Puerto Rico, but this version is nicer. I do not know if it’s they have more honey or if the seeds are not as roasted as the local versions, but I like them best. Your back molars might get a little sticky, but hey, it’s worth it.

Make your own – Rice Krispies Treats

If you’re into rice krispies treats, here I show you a way to make them without the traditional marshmallows. I guess that if you got the vegan marshmallows above, you could adapt your favorite traditional recipe too.

Make your own – Candied Nuts

I love nuts… and I love to buy those warm candied nuts from the carts. I almost always buy a bag or two whenever I go to a Broadway show. If you’re at home, you can make a much healthier version using non-refined sweetener like maple sugar and maple syrup. Here’s my recipe for making praline nuts – I have made them with almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts…

Halloween is a holiday to be enjoyed by all – vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. If you’re trying to keep true to your vegetarian lifestyle seek out these alternatives and you can be all into the holiday too.