Archive | treats RSS feed for this section

Açai @ Foz de Iguaçu

29 May

One of the food trends in recent years is Açai… the power fruit of Brazil.

It’s in vogue because if all the nutritional benefits it provides – particularly for their anti-aging and weight-loss properties. The way açai is mostly served in the US is in the form of juice. Sambazon is a well known brand widely available, even here in Puerto Rico.

But açai is eaten in a very different way in Brazil… the berry pulp is provided frozen and served with granola and pieces of banana. I was expecting a fresh fruit plate but I should have expected it because the first time I had açai sorbet in Puerto Rico, I had it served to me exactly like this – with banana and granola. Actually, it was that experience that led me to know La Hogaza granola for the first time too.

Açai fruit with granola and banana is DELICIOUS!!!! It’s tangy, creamy, crunchy… it just makes perfect sense. It was a real pleasure to sit pool side at our hostel and enjoy one of the true and distinct flavors of Brazil.

If you don’t have fresh or frozen açai berries… try the combination with an açai sorbet.

Have you tried açai berries like this before?? Do you enjoy it too??? Tell me all about it…

Tags: , , , , , ,

Frozen Grapes

3 Oct

The best things in life are simple… The best food is the simplest…

With the heat rising close to 100F every day here in PR (yes, even in early October…) sometimes all you crave are liquids and fruits. Sometimes all you want is to drink your way through the day to avoid heat exhaustion. Sad to say… I know about heat exhaustion and it’s the WORST feeling in the world.

Something I learned about many years ago at one of the fanciest weddings I’ve been to is the goodness of freezing grapes. I had them first as a palate cleanser in between courses. The presentation was spectacular in a bowl made from ice and everything. Too bad I was not into this blogging thing then or I would certainly have pictures for you to also admire. But those grapes stayed in my mind, waiting for a good time to re-appear in my life.

I’ve told you how in Costco you need to buy fruits in BULK. Or at least it seems like that for someone without a hug family to feed every night. So I decided I would freeze half of the green seedless grapes I bought for a future use because I was afraid they would spoil if I left them all in the fridge. Besides, my fridge can’t hold that many huge containers of food at once…

One stifling night… I was soooo “salapastrosa”… those days you need to shower about 4-5 times to feel more comfortable. I felt like snacking… but what???? And I remembered those grapes in the fridge!!!!!! They’re amazing!!!!

It’s like a very natural ice pop or bom bom. Just serve yourself a few grapes in a plate and munch the heat away…

Hope you like this idea as much as I do every night it’s too hot to snack on a pizza…

Tags: , , ,

Acid Fruits Salad 2

5 Jul

It’s summertime… and coming out of a retreat where I have not eaten cooked foods for the last 6 days, I am still not ready to cook anything complicated again. Although, I would eat anything and everything being from the latest Vegetarian Times Magazine issue… no kidding.

I never have the time or energy to make a fruit salad just for me…  I always mean to eat fruit salads for breakfast, yet I only get to really do this when I travel.  I usually make do with making myself fruit smoothies. But yesterday, we raided Costco and got a variety of fresh fruits – peaches, strawberries, blueberries and green seedless grapes.

A nice fruit salad for breakfast was exactly what my stomach was craving.  So I have to take a chance while the fruits are fresh and in season, no??

 

ACID FRUIT SALAD 2

1 peach
1 strawberry
A handful of blueberries
About 10 grapes
A squirt of agave nectar
  1. Clean well all the fruits and peel them if you prefer. I peeled the peach…
  2. Mix them all together in a nice pretty bowl and drizzle the agave nectar on top.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Lemon Ginger Natural Body Scrub

8 May

For years, I have tried as much as I can to make presents rather than buying presents.

At first, it had to do with being able to give away many presents for a fraction of the cost of store-bought presents. But in reality, I just get a lot of personal satisfaction when the person receiving the present is positively impressed because I took the time to MAKE IT just for them, instead of buying something.

A lot more thought needs to go into making something… Among the presents I have made in the past are my Cranberry Preserves, Brown Rice Krispies Treats, Carob Granola, Rosemary Almonds, these Cherry Carob Cookies, Tomato Bruschetta Mix, Soy Picadillo and even Coquito for the holidays.

This year, for Mother’s Day, I decided I wanted to make something different… something that was delicious, indulgent, but not necessarily to eat. My mom and I love bath salts and anything to slather all over and smells good. So it occurred to me I could easily make a homemade mixture of salt scrub…

LEMON GINGER NATURAL BODY SCRUB

Coarse Sea Salt
Bath Oil, unscented preferably (almond or sesame oils are good choices…)
the rind of about 4 lemons, cut into small pieces
2 inches of ginger root, peeled and cut into small pieces
A plastic jar with tight fitting lid – I used a 16oz recycled jar of peanut butter…
  1. I filled the jar with sea salts about ¾ of the way… that was my measure for the 16oz jar. Pour it out onto a large bowl where you will mix in the rest of the ingredients.
  2. Then, measure in the same jar, about 1/3 of the way with body oil. Pour it onto the salt in the large bowl you have set up.
  3. In a food processor or a Magic Bullet, process the pieces of lemon rind and ginger root. Pour them into the same bowl with the salt and oil. Mix the salt/oil/lemon/ginger mixture well using a large metal spoon, preferably that can fit inside the mouth of the jar.
  4. After the mixture seems all integrated, transfer carefully into the jar you’ll use to store it finally. Leave for a few days so the oil and salts infuse well with the scent of the lemon and ginger.

Use it liberally in the shower to slough your skin to leave it super smooth and radiant.

My Mom will receive this TODAY for Mother’s Day… And my sister, on her first Mother’s Day, is also receiving one… but a little belated, because I wasn’t able to ship it out in time.

And to all of you MOMs out there… May all your days be filled with LOVE… MUA!!!

Tags: , , , ,

Almond Praline

31 Dec

This is a recipe I originally learned from Diane Carlson, from the Conscious Gourmet.

This is a super easy recipe that will never disappoint you.  I have also used it to candy hazelnuts, cashews and walnuts.  You can easily eat these almonds by themselves or as a garnish for poached or roasted fruit – like my Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese or these Poached Pears in Orange Juice.

 

ALMOND PRALINE

1 cup sliced almonds
1 tbs maple sugar
1 tbs maple syrup
  1. Combine all ingredients and stir well with two forks.  Spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silplat.
  2. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a 350F oven.  Stir occasionally, and remove from oven once they’ve become golden brown. 
  3. When you remove from oven, transfer them immediately to a cool bowl or plate for them to cool down.  They’ll become crisp as they cool down.  Separate them carefully.

Tags: , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →