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Whole Wheat Bread Budín

I had not shared this recipe with you guys because at some point… this recipe was helping me make a living. When I was still figuring out this thing of working by myself, on the side, I was baking some things under the KarmaFree Cooking banner. I baked lots and lots of carrot cakes, made tons of hummus, veggie dips and red bell pepper dips. I also baked a lot of these budíns… especially for my friend Vanessa, may she rest in peace! She would order one from me almost every week…

This whole wheat bread budín is the Puerto Rican version of a bread pudding. The cool thing is it needs no egg custard to cook or any pre-soaking, like many recipes I have seen made at the Food Network. Just whiz the bread on the food processor, mix the rest of the ingredients and BAKE!!!

See why this was so cool to make for sale?? I hope you enjoy it as much as my friends enjoyed it when I was cooking for them…

Whole Wheat Bread Budín

1 lb package of 100% whole wheat bread

1 quart of milk, I usually use a box of Parmalatt milk

2 cups brown sugar

6 tbs melted butter or you can use 5tbs of coconut oil too

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla powder or extract

Cinnamon to taste

1 cup of raisins

8oz guava paste

Process the bread in a food processor until you get crumbs.

2. Transfer the bread crumbs to a large bowl and mix the rest of the ingredients, except the guava paste.

3. Transfer to a 9 x 13 pan. I used to make this whole recipe to make 3 smaller size pans for sale. A lasagna pans is what the supply shop used to call this size. If I had one here I would measure it.

4. Bake in a 350F oven for 45 minutes. I turn off the oven at 45 mins, but leave the pans in for an extra 10 minutes with the residual heat. That will ensure the budín is cooked, yet not too dry on the outside.

5. After the budín has cooled off a bit, in a small sauce pan, add the guava paste with a little bit of water to make it into a pourable spreadable sauce. Pour on top of the budín as a glaze.

You just serve it directly from the pan… cut it into squares and serve your guests or bake sale customers.

Tags: brown sugar, cinnamon, Egg-free, egg-less, food, guava paste, milk, pudding, raisins, vegetarian, whole wheat bread

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Categories desserts, Puerto Rican delicacies

Puerto Rican Pumpkin Fritters

3 Dec

In Puerto Rico, these pumpkin fritters are called “barriguitas de vieja” or “old lady bellies”… I just think that name is a tad discriminatory. Who said all old ladies bellies are sweet and wrinkly??? I am sure some old bellies out there are not sweet… LOL!!!!! I am so lame, I laugh at my own jokes…

Enjoy these, which are super delicious regardless of my bad jokes.

Puerto Rican Pumpkin Fritters

PUERTO RICAN PUMPKIN FRITTERS

2 cups fresh pumpkin puree

½ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

A few grates of fresh nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 ½ tsp egg replacer + 2 tbs water

Canola Oil for frying

First we steam the pumpkins to make the puree… I just peel and cut some pumpkin pieces and place them in a shallow pan that has a lid. I add about ½ inch of water and some kosher salt. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as you hear the water inside boiling, turn down the heat and allow the steam inside cook the pumpkins for about 10-15 minutes. Check the pumpkins at about 10 minutes… if they’re not completely done, just cover again, wait about 1 minute and turn off the heat and leave there uncovered for some 10-15 minutes more. They’ll be done by then.
I just take the pumpkin pieces out into a bowl and mash… if you feel they’re too stringy, you can certainly pass the mashed pumpkin thru a sieve. But I don’t usually do that… I don’t find it’s necessary. You can certainly do all this steaming and mashing ahead. I did it the night before to use the mashed pumpkin for this recipe and for a pumpkin cheesecake I was making too.
In a small bowl, mix the egg replacer with the water. Stir vigorously or whisk and set aside.
Now we assemble the batter… in a large bowl mix together all the ingredients, including the egg replacer mix. I use my hands to mix well and almost knead the recipe. I tried using a spoon or spatula and it does not work well.

5. In a frying pan add about 1 inch oil to fry these fritters over medium-high heat… wait until the oil has reached temperature before adding the first one. I usually check if the oil is ready by inserting the back side of a wooden spoon into the oil. If the oil bubbles around it, the oil is ready.

6. Using 2 spoons create little mounds of batter to fry. My mom likes to spread them a bit once they’re in the pan so they’re not too thick and they fry faster. Once they’re golden brown on one side, flip them over to fry on the other side.

7. Once they’re cooked and golden brown on both sides, take them out and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

When they’ve cooled off a bit, enjoy one after the other. You’ll see they’re addictive…

Tags: cinnamon, food, fritter, nutmeg, Puerto Rican, pumpkin, vegetarian, whole wheat flour

Comments 29 Comments
Categories appetizers, Puerto Rican delicacies, snacks, Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Cheesecake

29 Nov

Someone over on Facebook was discussing which desserts everyone was making for Thanksgiving… and someone mentioned pumpkin cheesecake. I immediately knew that would be my dessert of choice this year.

Plus… I had pumpkin my Titi Carmín gave me and I wanted to use it all in my Thanksgiving cooking. I used part in my Pumpkin and Spinach Phyllo Pie and the rest of the mashed pumpkin in my Puerto Rican Pumpkin Fritters.

This recipe is an adaptation of 2 recipes I saw on the internet… I mostly followed Martha Stewart’s recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake, but I adapted the recipe to make it vegetarian without using eggs and used fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned pumpkin.

My springform pan is super small – I use a 4 ½” pan – and I use my toaster oven to bake it, I also had to adapt the times given in the original recipes. Because most of you guys probably have regular springform pans and will need to bake this in your regular large ovens, I will give you the original recipe proportions, temperatures and times. If you would like my adapted size, temps and times for using a toaster oven, let me know and I will gladly include too. OK???

EGGLESS PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

10 graham crackers

¼ cup brown sugar

4 tbs butter, melted

4 packs of cream cheese

1 ¼ cups brown sugar

1 tbs cornstarch

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 cup sour cream

1 tbs cinnamon

A few grates of fresh nutmeg

1 tbs vanilla powder

½ tsp salt

6 tsp egg replacer + 8 tbs water

Preheat oven to 350F degrees, with rack in center.
In a food processor, grind the 10 crackers into a meal. Add sugar and melted butter and process until well combined and resembles wet sand.
Press the cracker mixture firmly into bottom of 9” non-stick spring-form pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool a bit before adding the filling.
Reduce oven temp to 300F.
For the filling, add all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse and process until the ingredients form an homogeneous mix, but stop once it’s all combined. Avoid over-processing.
Place spring-form pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into spring-form, and gently smooth top. Tap pan onto the counter a few times to avoid having bubbles and for the batter to settle well. Transfer to oven. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn off oven; let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening the door at all).
Remove from oven and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to cool completely. Unmold before serving.

I actually ¼ the ingredients in this recipe and It gave me enough batter and crust to make 2 cheesecakes in my 4 1/2” pan. Because I made in the toaster oven, as I saw no need to turn on a large oven for such a small pan, I had to adjust the cooking times because it does not need as much time in the oven as for a larger pan.

The end result is a delicious, delicious cheesecake. This is certainly a winner in my book… a recipe that will stay in my Thanksgiving and Fall repertoire for years to come.

Tags: cinnamon, cream cheese, Egg-free, egg-less, food, nutmeg, pumpkin, sour cream, sweet, vegetarian

Comments 11 Comments
Categories desserts, Thanksgiving

Arroz con Dulce

13 Dec

This recipe is from Cielito Rosado, with whom I had the pleasure to work with when I managed the advertising of a very popular dish washing liquid. She’s one of the few well-known cooks in Puerto Rico… her recipes are simple and easy to follow.

Arroz con Dulce, loosely translated to Sweetened Rice, is a typical Xmas dessert. You really do not see it anywhere before Thanksgiving or after the Fiestas de San Sebastián. The key is to not have it be too sweet or too bland… and brown sugar is key.

ARROZ CON DULCE

1 ½ cups of rice, soaked in water

For the cooking liquid:

1 ½ cups water

20 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

A piece of fresh ginger

3 cans of coconut milk

1 ½ cups brown sugar

1 cup shredded coconut

2 tbs raisins

2 tbs butter

Ground cinnamon to garnish

Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger to the water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for about 5-8 minutes. Then, strain and discard the spices. Return the tea to the same saucepan.
Drain the rice that has been soaking in water; add it to the strained tea and coconut milk. Cook over medium heat until the liquids boil. Cover and lower the heat until the liquids reduce and the rice is cooked.
Add the brown sugar, shredded coconut, raisins, butter and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
Pour the cooked rice into a serving platter and garnish with sprinkled ground cinnamon.

Tags: cinnamon, coconut milk, Egg-free, egg-less, rice, Vegan, vegetarian

Comments 3 Comments
Categories desserts, Puerto Rican delicacies, Xmas

Chai Latte

30 Oct

About this same time last year I was in India celebrating the birthday of my friend Annie Mariel. During this trip – my second time in India, but my first time to Varanasi – I learned about Chai Masala Tea. Chai is a Hindi word for tea and this delicious concoction is typically made with black tea and a mixture of spices –cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, among others.

Masala Blend

This delicious tea with milk is offered to any welcoming guests – at a store, at a home, even when watching the sunrise from a boat in the Ganges…

Drinking Chai

And even though I have enjoyed this tea during my last two travels in India, I should not consume it on a regular basis because the black tea contains caffeine and caffeine neither agrees with me or is karma-free. Caffeine is a stimulant and should be better avoided.

So to celebrate the anniversary of my first encounter with Chai Latte, I wanted to share with you my own caffeine-free version I now make at home.

CHAI LATTE

1 ½ cups water

½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into small pieces

2 cinnamon sticks

5 pieces of star anise

About 10 cloves

½ cup of evaporated milk

2 tbs agave nectar

Ground cinnamon (optional)

In a small sauce pan add the water, ginger, cinnamon, star anise and cloves. Bring to a boil and steep all the ingredients in that boiling water for about 10 minutes. Turn off the stove and leave those spices to continue to steep for about 30 minutes more.
Strain about ½ cup of the spiced water into a mug and add the evaporated milk. Season with agave nectar. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon on top for garnish.