This is how a typical day looks like in Puerto Rico – and that’s exactly how it looks like outside my window as I am writing this…
Can you believe we are supposed to be preparing for a tropical storm this long weekend? This is the tropics for you…
I know this has NOTHING to do with cooking, but I just needed to share… Have a great Labor Day Weekend.
Another reason why I have been a little bit quiet… I had an issue with my stove.
A few weeks back, while attempting to fry some green plantains for making tostones, my stove had a short circuit and the burner I was using exploded. Yes… it exploded!!! I was extremely lucky I was not hurt in any way. Not even a drop of oil got on me. I can’t say the same for the kitchen walls or floor.
Look at the hole the short circuit made on the pan I was using… you have seen this pan before in many other pictures. It’s a Jamie Oliver collection T-Fal. Look at the HOLE it made!!!!
The moral of the story???? Please, buy a fire extinguisher for your kitchens. I didn’t have one and I wished I had one at the time.
My mom was with me at home when this happened and being a true mom, she “prohibited” me from using that stove again. We went to Sears that evening to get a new one. You’ll get to see it soon in upcoming posts… it’s really cute with a glass top. No more regular burners here…
Sorry guys… inadvertently I took some time off from writing you about my culinary adventures. I just have been busy traveling and working while traveling. Besides, the Summer here in Puerto Rico has been way too hot for me to cook a lot.
Anyhow, as part of my summer adventures, I’ve been spending time with friends. Particularly at my friends Ana Yolanda and Rafa’s pool side. When we just want to chill and catch up on what has gone during the week, we just hang out there with other couple of friends.
The nice thing… that Ana is already well-versed in my vegetarian ways and has now two grills – one for veggie-only fare and one where they cook the rest of the “meaty” stuff they enjoy. And this was done voluntarily… I have never asked her to do that for me. But she understands how sensitive I am and how I will politely not accept to eat something that was cooked besides a piece of meat.
The menu a few weeks back was, as you can appreciate in the photo:
This goes to show you that even your meat-eating friends can become more sensitive and aware of the needs of us, their vegetarian friends. Be an educational agent and the example for your friends… little by little they’ll understand where you’re coming from even better. These people might not share our lifestyle, but we sure share our lives together. Never give up on them…
This is a dressing I’ve done mainly for the Yoga Center dinners… they love their roasted red peppers. I’ve done it so many times without a recipe, so the last time around I decided to write it down to share it with all of you…
ROASTED RED PEPPER DRESSING
2 roasted red peppers 1 cup of eggless mayonnaise 3 garlic cloves ¼ red onion 6-10 olives ½ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tbs garlic and herbs seasoning 1 tbs fresh parsley – you could use the dried kind in a pinch 1 tbs salt 1 tsp black pepper ¼ cup of water ½ cup canola oil
This is another recipe I learned from chef José Andrés from his show Made in Spain. This is one of my Spanish Delicacies series… we started by celebrating San Fermín, but there are so many Spanish recipes I love that we’ll continue building this catalog for you all to enjoy.
I guess this is a tribute to Doña Tina… my friend Angie’s mom. She’s a sweetheart and she’s currently visiting her native Asturias. She is bringing some equipment for Angie and me to try some recipes for the blog, so in appreciation I dedicate this recipe to her.
It originally includes Afuega’l Pitu cheese, but I have never seen that cheese here in Puerto Rico. I’ll include it in my TO EAT list when I return to Spain to do the Camino de Santiago.
ASTURIAN TOMATO SALAD
6-7 cherry tomatoes, washed and cut into quarters 1 tbs apple cider vinegar 2-3 tbs Spanish olive oil A drizzle of honey 2 small sprigs of thyme leaves About 1/8 tsp of salt About 1 cup of arugula lettuce – optional
The sweetness of the honey plays super well with the thyme flavor. Really nice refreshing dressing…
KarmaFree Cooking 