Tag Archives: tomato

Asian Salad

25 May

What makes this salad Asian??   The vinegar…

Ume Plum Vinegar is something I learned to use in a cooking class I took with Diane Carlson, from the Conscious Gourmet. This vinegar is made from umeboshi plums, which are fermented and therefore salty and sour all at the same time. The vinegar made from these plums is also salty and sour.

When in a rush, I dress salads using this vinegar and I do not need to add nothing else but olive oil for a delicious, exotic salad dressing.

ASIAN SALAD

Your favorite mix of salad greens – lettuces, baby spinach, sprouts
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
Drizzle of ume plum vinegar
Drizzle of olive oil
  1. In a salad bowl or even in your own dinner plate, mix together the salad components.
  2. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and ume plum vinegar over the salad. Toss to combine and dress well.

 

That’s it… enjoy.

Tags: , , , , ,

Caprese Salad

13 Jan

I don’t know what it is about tomatoes in Florida… but every time I visit my sister, we can’t contain the urge to buy lots and lots of tomatoes. They’re just so plump and red and sweet and delicious… And I learned never to put them in the fridge. Just leave them on the counter and eat from there. They’ll not spoil and you’ll always have the best tomato experience.

We would go to The Boys Farmers Market or to another smaller more traditional type of farmers market near my sister’s home and would always return home with a batch of delicious tomatoes.  I would make batches and batches of my Tomato Basil Brushetta mix and this Caprese Salad for my sister… her favorite.

 I always like to add a bed of crispy lettuce underneath to bump the nutritional value and heft of the salad. Even though its tradition to have only tomatoes, mozzarella and basil, I need lettuce to make it feel more of a real salad to me. All the components are readily available fresh from The Boys – mozzarella, basil leaves and mixed greens…

CAPRESE SALAD

6-8 romaine lettuce leaves, thinly shredded or baby spinach leaves would work well also
2 large tomatoes, sliced
½ ball of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
10-12 basil leaves, washed and trimmed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Coarse Sea Salt
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
  1. Just place cut lettuce or other greens  as a bed on a serving platter. Arrange tomato and mozzarella slices alternately on top of lettuce bed.
  2. Place a basil leaf in between each slice of tomato and cheese.
  3. Drizzle with Olive Oil and Balsamic. Sprinkle liberally with Salt and Pepper.

Don’t the tomatoes look scrumptious???

Tags: , , , , ,

Tomato Basil Bruschetta Mix

24 Mar

Ever since my little nieces fell in love with my Shrek’s Spaghetti… they’ve been asking for me to fix them every time they come over to visit.  The thing is that not every time Titi Madelyn has the spinach fettuccini that gives Shrek’s Spaghetti its peculiar name.

So a few weeks back, my solution was to just marinate the tomatoes and serve them as an appetizer with crackers instead.  They liked it a lot… as did their mothers.  Now, this has become a frequent request for parties and get-togethers.  It’s really good…  try it for yourself.

 

TOMATO BASIL BRUSCHETTA MIX

4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped – you could also use a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes
8-10 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 tbs of basil, chopped – I have been using freeze-dried lately
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp freshly cracked Black Pepper
About ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

 

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the ingredients.  Mix together well.
  2. Marinate the tomato mixture at room temperature for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, tossing and mixing every once in a while. 
  3. Remove the pieces of smashed garlic before serving to your guests.  Enjoy with whole-wheat toasts or crackers.

Tags: , ,

Cielito Lindo

14 Dec

After my trip to Guadalajara recently, I was in a very Mexican vibe…  I wanted to eat over and over again the flavors of Mexico I had just experienced.

Now during the Holidays, if you want to enjoy a “dip” or appetizer with a Mexican influence, you can prepare a Cielito Lindo.  I’ve heard people called this a 7-layer dip.  But in Puerto Rico we call it a Cielito Lindo… maybe because we’re not tied to a specific amount of layers of ingredients.  And what’s cool about this, you can construct the layers as you prefer, including everything you love or deleting anything you don’t.  I personally do not like refried beans, so I never include them, but if they’re your “thing”, go ahead and add a layer of them.

I made this version in a large ramekin, but you can adjust the quantities to fit the larger plate or tray you want to use.

CIELITO LINDO

4 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
2 tbs of your favorite Mexican salsa
½ cup of shredded cheddar – mixture of white and orange works great
¼ cup of shredded lettuce
¼ cup of tomatoes, chopped finely
1 tbs sour cream
Whole grain corn tortilla chips to accompany

 

This is more an assembly dish than a recipe…

  1. First, spread a layer of the softened cream cheese. 
  3. Then spread the salsa on top of the cream cheese. 
  5. Sprinkle half of the shredded cheese on top of salsa.
  7. Place a layer of the lettuce and the tomatoes on top of that.
  9. Sprinkle the rest of the shredded cheese and top with a dollop of sour cream.

Enjoy with your favorite whole-grain corn chips…

 

Tags: , , ,

Asturian Tomato Salad

3 Aug

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.

 Ensalada Tomates Asturiana - KFC

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

 

  1. In a measuring cup, mix together the vinegar, honey, olive oil, and thyme leaves.
  2. Place tomatoes in plate, alone or over a bed of arugula lettuce if using, and sprinkle with salt.  Drizzle dressing over the tomatoes.   

 

The sweetness of the honey plays super well with the thyme flavor.   Really nice refreshing dressing…

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →