Tag Archives: honey

Roasted Tomatoes with Rosemary and Peanuts

22 Sep

I know this recipe might sound quirky… but it’s probably because it was “invented” by one of my quirkiest friends, Yanelis.  While we were in Paraguay, we were assigned a different day to lead the kitchen and design a menu for all of us who were traveling together.  This was one of Yanelis’ creations on his menu…

This dish was so popular that Yanelis actually made it 3 times…  well the third time I actually was the one who made them, using macadamia nuts instead of the peanuts.  And to be honest, I like them both (but maybe a little bit more the macadamia version)…

This is easy and delicious and will impress anyone when served at a table.  I usually plan for 2-3 tomato halves per person.  Or maybe 2 whole tomatoes per person so you make sure there’s enough for all.  I know I served myself seconds each and every time we made these.  Check them out.

Roasted Tomatoes with Peanuts and Rosemary

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH ROSEMARY AND PEANUTS

8-10 Roma tomatoes  – make sure they’re organic, without wax on the outside
¼ cup honey
¼ cup water
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs dried rosemary
½ cup raw peanuts
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
 
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400F.
  2. Half all the tomatoes and take off a very thin piece off the “bottom” of each tomato half, to make sure they stand and do not topple on top of each other when they’re roasting.  Place in a roasting dish cut side up one next to the other.
  3. Season tomatoes liberally with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Sprinkle dried rosemary on top of tomatoes.
  4. In a large measuring cup measure the oil, honey and water.  Whisk well to combine and drizzle over the tomato halves.
  5. Roast in oven for about 45-60 minutes.  The tomatoes will cook, but maintain their shape.

 

Serve was a simple but tasty side dish…  I just liked them on top of whole grain rice and a salad.

Roasted Tomatoes with Rosemary, Honey and Macadamia Nuts

Roasted Tomatoes with Rosemary Honey and Macadamia Nuts

 

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La Gran Fruta – Great fruit franchise in Lima, Peru

15 Jul

I love finding hidden gems… and in Lima, Peru I think there is one.

If you love fruits salads, natural juices and smoothies look no further than La Gran Fruta. They are a fruit based establishment that offer great alternatives for vegetarians. It’s not a vegetarian place, but we had some wonderful breakfasts thanks to them.

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La Gran Fruta offers various sizes of fruit salads, all accompanied by yogurt, granola and honey.

La Gran Fruta - Fruit Salad

Some of us were more adventurous than others. I ordered the largest salad only because I wanted to try a few new fruits I was not familiar with (and hey, I shared with my mom and a few others who also wanted to try):

  • Granadilla – very similar to a passion fruit in texture, but the taste is sweet and not tart like a passion fruit.
  • Chirimoya – very similar to a soursop but much creamier and sweeter. My friends went bonkers for cherimoyas and were seeking them out everywhere we went.
  • Lúcuma – this fruit is very similar in taste and texture to a mamey or sapote. It’s dense in texture and a tad bit grainy. Makes a wonderful juice but I think it would make an even better milkshake or smoothie.

Lucuma Juice

New fruits to me

In this plate you also see soursop… this one I was familiar with, but this one was super tart… in my opinion, it needed a few extra days to fully ripen.

At La Gran Fruta, they not only make awesome fruit salads and juices… they also have these awesome cookies made with only a few ingredients – oatmeal, sugar and fruit pulp. My favorites were the ones made with passion fruit. Imagine a tart and sweet cookie?? I am telling you it’s something to taste to believe… They also have them with apples, figs, mango, strawberry and a combination of several fruits. These cookies are gluten-free and egg-free… perfectly vegetarian!!!!

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Because we went in wintertime, we did not get to try something everyone was recommending – Raspadillas. I am sure this is something very similar to our piraguas, shaved ice doused in pureed fruit pulp. Yum… something definitely to look forward to in the Summer, no?

La Gran Fruta has several locations throughout Lima… check them out if you’re ever in Perú.

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Apricot Walnut Palmiers

4 Jan

This is my take on a baklava-inspired puff pastry sweet appetizer… I wanted to do something completely nutty in the filling, but taking advantage of the unsulfured dried fruits available when I travel to the US, I decided to look for a recipe using dried fruit.

I started out with Giada’s Apricot Walnut Phyllo cups, but to make it easy on me, I would do palmiers out of puff pastry. I usually do not use orange zest in my cooking because I find it too bitter for my taste, but the crowd seemed to like it a lot. It brought out the apricot taste even more.

Apricot Walnuts Palmiers KFC

APRICOT WALNUT PALMIERS

1 1/2 cups dried apricots, unsulfured preferably, chopped a bit
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon orange zest, from 1 large orange, plus more for garnish, optional,
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
  1. In the bowl of a food processor mix together the dried apricots, walnuts, honey, orange juice and zest. Pulse a few times so it creates a choppy mixture.
  2. Open the puffed pastry (which comes folded in three). Place some flour onto a clean surface and flour the rolling pin too. Roll out the pastry so that it loses the creases where the folds were.
  3. Spread the apricot walnut mixture in an even layer leaving a border on one edge.
  4. Palmiers - in progress KFC
  5. Start rolling from the farthest edge from the border you left without filling. Roll the pastry onto itself until you create a log.  If you prefer to make them in palmier form, roll them from two opposites sides until the 2 rolls meet somewhere in the middle.
  6. Repeat with the second pastry. Place logs in the fridge covered with a moist paper towel for about 10-15 minutes or until you’re ready to bake them. This is important for the pastry to harden a bit again. It’ll be easier to cut if the pastry is cold than if it is at room temp.
  7. Slice the logs into ½ inch pieces. Place onto a baking sheet.  I put some organic sugar on top, but I did not love how those turned out, but I forgot to take a pic without it.
  8. palmiers in progress 2 KFC
  9. Bake in a 425F oven for about 10-12 minutes, until the pastry is puffed and golden delicious.

I suggest that if you have leftovers, heat them back a bit in a toaster oven… This will soften the apricots in the filling, which tend to harden when they’re colder.

Next time… I promise to make the nut only mixture I envisioned originally.  But these ones were a nice twist on my original idea…

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Home Remedies – Honey, Lime, Aloe and Onion to relieve coughs

11 Jul

I prefer to cure myself using home remedies than using a bunch of chemical medications…… I haven’t even taken a Tylenol to relieve a headache in over 15 years.

And I have mentioned you how I mix together honey, lime juice and aloe to create a syrup to help me relieve my cold symptoms.

So, if you develop a cough, just add a ¼ piece of small onion to the mix. The taste is more pungent, but juts drink it like you drink a medicine. According to some internet research I did recently, onions are effective against many bacteria and early American settlers used them to treat colds, coughs, and asthma. Also, the Chinese used them to treat coughs and breathing problems. Even the World Health Organization recognized onions for providing relief in the treatment of coughs and colds, asthma and bronchitis.

All those people together can’t be all wrong… so have your onion “jarabe” the next time you’re feeling under the weather.

COUGH HOME REMEDY

1/2 cup honey

the inside clear gel of an aloe vera leaf

the juice of 2 limes

¼ piece of a small onion

1. Mix all the ingredients in a blender.

2. Drink about a 2 tablespoon measure every hour or so… or as often as you want.

It tastes good, so I would not blame you if you want to drink it for the taste as much as your desire to feel better.

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Papaya Mango Fruit Cup

8 Aug

Here’s the fruit cup… redefined. Ever since I finished my July 4th retreat I’ve been on a fruit thing. I have always mentioned you how I need and want to eat more fruits, but I am sometimes lazy. I’m getting over the laziness now. I am trying to have 3-4 fresh fruits on hand to eat as breakfast or a a snack while watching TV. Costco helps because I need to buy fruit in bulk and makes me eat fruit every day, several times a day before they spoil on me…

My favorite fruit salads are made from acidic and sub-acidic fruits… citrus, berries, kiwis, pineapple, grapes, peaches, plums, etc. I have made two of these Acid Fruit Salads for you already… But I also sometimes enjoy a sweet fruit combination – Papaya and Mango.

Papaya and Mango are both very soothing fruits to your system. They’re perfect when you’re feeling under the weather stomach-wise. I like this combination when finishing my days of fasting.

PAPAYA AND MANGO FRUIT CUP

Papaya, cut into small pieces, about ¼ of a small papaya
Mango, cut into small pieces
Hanfdul of raisins
Drizzle of Honey or Agave Nectar
Sliced almonds, optional but highly recommended

You determine how much is enough for your appetite…is I never measure, as you already know. This is more assembling the components than a recipe, really.

  1. Mix all the fruits together in a bowl. Drizzle with a bit of honey to add a tad of sweetness.
  2. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. I didn’t have any the other day, but I wanted to share this with all of you…

 

What’s your favorite fruit salad combination? Please share yours…

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