Green Spaghetti

It was a regular weeknight and I couldn't decide what to make. My girls aren't fans of regular red-sauce spaghetti (or at least the oldest claims so now). I recalled a time I was at a social gathering and tasted the most delicious green spaghetti. So I decided to invent my own. This is what I came up with:

In a frying pan, saute in coconut oil:
1/2 sliced onion
2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

In a blender
Let above ingredients cool slight and add to the blender. Then add:
3 tomatillos, rinsed and sliced
1 large bunch of cilantro, rinsed
1/2 cup sour cream
milk to desired consistency (I used rice milk)

Blend until smooth.

Prepare noodles and pour green mixture over the top. Heat through. Serve warm and garnish with queso cotija (Mexican crumbly cheese) or parmesean or a cheese of your desire.

Delicious and healthy. And another green dish just in time for St. Patty's Day.

Avocado Ice Cream with a Hint of Lime

For over a year now I have been wanting to experiment with avocados in ice cream. Yes, you read correctly: avocados! Yesterday, the stars aligned. I had three delicious avocados that needed to be used and a sudden surge of energy on a weeknight. (Nevermind that it was blizzarding outside and the rest of the sane world was making soup!) The girls were playing contently and I still had energy after making dinner so I pulled out my recipe, checked my refrigerator for ingredients and was short on one. That's when dear neighbors come to the rescue. I texted. She had just what I needed and I was on my way to making a dream come true. Literally.

If you're hesitant, give it a try. Remember, avocado is a fruit and in South America, they eat it as such (with sugar and milk in the middle) just like we do with a dash of salt and a spoon to scoop it out. So ice cream or smoothies with nature's butter isn't stretching it.

I found this recipe and made some adjustments. Here's what I did:

Mix the following ingredients in the blender:

3 ripe avocados
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
a dash of salt

Place in ice cream mixer/freezer with ice on the outside and run until it thickens. Ice cream will be soft. Place in freezer for 1-2 hours to harden.

I loved the results. It was super creamy with a slight hint of lime. I am already thinking of some new ideas for a slightly different concoction. I can't wait to try more variations and share them.

Now, you can try it, just in time to make something a little green for St. Patrick's Day. Want to try other green recipes from delightsbydaisy? Try my green smoothie or to-die-for lime cupcakes!

Smores Indoors

I don't know about you, but January brings a burning desire to escape to the outdoors and flee the cramped up and drab winter days. Being outdoors where we live isn't much of an option in January, so why not pitch a tent and roast some smores [in the oven]? That's just what we did to rid ourselves of the winter blues.

Ingredients:

6 graham crackers
6 large marshmallows
1 hershey's chocolate bar

Instructions:

Split graham crackers in half (two sections each). Place six (two-section) halves on cookie sheet and place 1 marshmallow on top of each graham-cracker half. Turn oven to broiling and place cookie sheet in the oven. It only takes a minute or less to brown the marshmallows so watch them closely.

Remove from oven.

Place three portions of chocolate bar on warm, melting marshmallow. Top with the other half of the graham cracker and enjoy.

These yummy treats keep nicely if you let cool and place in a air-tight container. Simply warm in the microwave for 10 seconds and enjoy while daydreaming of camping in July.

Classic Caramels for Christmas

I enjoyed unwrapping these delicious caramels my grandmother made every year as a child just as much as I enjoyed unwrapping the presents under the tree. This is one of those classics that falls under the label "Christmas isn't Christmas without these babies!" So before the season escapes me again, I thought I'd post the recipe. A special thanks to Aunt Tami who answers her phone while she's on the roof fixing Christmas lights. She informed me that the recipe was originally Aunt LaJean's who was Grandpa Lloyd's dad's sister. I hope you have that straight. Cause I almost do. wink. wink.

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup karo syrup

2 cups whipping cream

2 cubes butter

1 tsp vanilla

Mix all together and stir constantly, washing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush in water very lightly until it boils. Once it boils, don't stir. Continue boiling until it reaches 234F on a candy thermometer.

Add vanilla. Mix slightly and pour into a buttered cookie sheet with sides. When it cools, cut into squares and wrap in wax paper.Try not to devour all in one sitting. These are a perfect addition to your Christmas platter of goodies. Share the joy.

Tamalitos de Frijoles

On the 11th day of Christmas, my suegra gave to me . . .

Tamalitos de Frijoles

We're counting down the days we get to go to Honduras for the holidays and partake of all of the fun tradiciones navideñas (Christmas Traditions) with Armando's family. One of the yummies that I love are my mother-in-law's Tamalitos de Frijoles. My sister-in-law prepared them for me first here in the states when I was expecting our first daughter. With my second pregnancy, of course I craved them because the closest ones were a time zone and two layovers away. Although I'm not expecting, I still love a good tamal de frijol nice and warm with crema on top.

Although I've never made these on my own, my sister-in-law wrote up some instructions for me to share on the blog. If I can talk them into showing me these while we're there, I'll add proportions in the future. For now, this is a typical "little of this and little of that" type of recipe. ;)

Tamalitos with Frijoles (Beans)

Prepare the corn flour for tortillas and make it a little dry. (I recommend maseca found in your local grocer in the Mexican-food section. Follow the instructions to prepare tortillas and make slightly dry).

Blend garlic, onion, green pepper, celery, and cilantro (enough of these ingredients to flavor the beans and the tamale dough. Add a small tomato to the ingredients and blend it as well.

Add half of the blended condiments to the dough along with salt to taste.

Cook and prepare black beans. Let cool and blend with bean broth. Fry in hot oil along with the remaining blended condiments mentioned above. Add salt to taste. Fry and stir frequently so as not to let them stick. They should be a little liquid-like - not a pasty texture. Let them cool - they should be slightly more liquid-like when hot because they will solidify slightly as they cool.

Form dough into small balls. Flatten with hands on a piece of plastic as if you were going to make a tortilla (not too thick nor too thin). In the middle, drop a large spoonfull of cooled refried beans. Fold the tortilla in half, covering the beans. It should look like a half-moon.

Seal the edges with hands carefully so as not to let any beans leak out and place in the center of a banana-leaf. Place in a pot of boiling water with salt for 45 minutes.

Serve warm with crema centroamericana.

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And for all of you Spanish-speakers, perhaps the original instructions would be easier to follow rather than my translation above.

Preparar la harina de maíz como para hacer tortillas dejarla un poco seca. Licuar ajo, cebolla, chile verde, apio, cilantro todos estos ingredientes en cantidades necesarias (que sea sufiente para los frijoles y la masa) además licuar un tomate pequeño junto con el resto de los ingredientes.
Al agregar los condimentos a la masa también agregar sal la necesaria. Los frijoles cocidos se licuan y se ponen a freír en aceite junto con los condimentos licuados, especies y sal en caso de ser necesario; al freír los frijoles no dejarlos secos estos de beben de quedar más o menos líquidos, dejar enfriar.
Elaborar con la masa pequeñas bolas para luego aplanarlas con las manos sobre un plástico en forma de tortilla (esta no debe de ser ni muy gruesa ni muy delgada). En la mitad de la tortilla colocar una cuchara grande de los frijoles fritos y fríos, doblar la tortilla a la mitad cubriendo los frijoles, quedando la forma de una media luna. Nos cercioramos de cerrar bien los bordes para que nada se salga, luego se envuelven en una hoja de plátano y se ponen a hervir en agua con sal por unos 45min.
Comer calientes con mantequilla.

Crispy and Tangy Fish Tacos

I'm the kind of person that goes to a restaurant, has a dish I like and I order the same thing again and again and again on subsequent visits. Well, awhile back something strange happened. It wasn't premeditated. I just listed to what my taste buds really wanted and I ordered some shrimp tacos at one of our favorite local restaurants. I couldn't believe how delicious they were. And why hadn't I thought of ordering something different before? So, the very next week I had to try and figure out what the recipe was and this is what I came up with (with fish instead). It was close and VERY DELICIOUS. From here on out shrimp tacos are going to be my regularly ordered dish there . . . at least until I have an urge to try something new.


Ingredients:
Corn Tortillas (2 per taco)
Tilapia or Salmon filets (1/2 filet per taco)
/2 cup flour
salt to taste
1/2 tsp paprika (for color)


Salad:
1/2 head Cabbage
1 carrot
2 tomatoes
15 sprigs, cilantro
2 limes
salt
cumin

Tangy Sauce:
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 cup onion, minced
1/4 teaspoon black ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeno, finely chopped and seeded

Prepare sauce by mixing all ingredients and set aside.

Prepare salad. Finely shred cabbage. Shred carrot. Dice tomatoes. Chop cilantro. Dash a bit of cumin, salt, and pepper over salad. Mix well. Add the juice of 1-2 limes and mix well again, adding salt to taste.

For filets: Divide them in half and dip them in mixture of flour, salt, and paprika. Drop in hot oil and fry until gold brown and cooked through.

Serve on two warm corn tortillas garnished with cabbage salad and topped off with the tangy sauce. Serve with fresh squeezed lemonade or fruit drink of your choice. I recommend this one.

Tajadas de Minimo Verde - Fried Green Bananas Dinner

Most of you know that although I'd like to spend my time doing more things like cooking and taking pictures, the bulk of my life is spent as a school teacher, a wife, and a mom. This one is for my fellow school teacher who has been begging for a new dinner idea. I'll tell you right now, Deb, this isn't your typical mac and cheese or American casserole. But I think you know me well enough by now that you're not expecting something "normal" from me.

This is a dish that is similar to other Honduran dishes we like in our home. I'm not an expert at it, but I can tell you what my husband and I did to make this dish. And you really don't have to stick to the proportions. Judge by how many you want to feed and add or take away ingredients accordingly. I made this dish for four.

Ingredients:

2-3 VERY GREEN bananas
1 lb ground beef
1/2 block/round of queso seco (Mexican dry cheese - I buy Queso Cotija at my local grocer)
1/2 head cabbage, finely shredded
3 roma tomatoes
1/2 green pepper
2 cloves garlic
10 sprigs of cilantro
1 lime
salt
pepper
cumin
achiote
Worcestershire sauce


1) Shred/crumble 1/2 round of queso seco, Set aside.

2) Finely shred 1/2 head of green cabbage. Add the following to the cabbage: tomatoes, diced small; 1/4 green pepper, diced small; cilantro, chopped; juice from 1 lime. Mix and salt to taste.

3) Prepare meat: I like to marinate my meat the night before, but it is not necessary. To a pound or two of ground beef, I dice and add 1/2 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1/4 green pepper, 1 roma tomato, plenty of cumin, salt, and ground black pepper as well as achiote powder (for color - this ingredient is not necessary for flavor, but a true Honduran dish always has color!) I also like to add a bit of Worcestershire sauce. Brown the meat and break it up while cooking so as to have a very fine ground meat mixture. You also want this mixture to be a bit on the juicy side. Don't tell my husband because he would say it's a sin, but I add a bit of water and don't let it cook completely off. Cover and set aside. Keep warm for serving.

4) Finely slice green bananas and fry in hot vegetable oil until golden brown. Add a dash of salt to the bananas as you pull them from the oil.

To serve, layer a handful of fried green bananas on a plate. Top with meat, salad, and cheese. Enjoy with a fork and a yummy blended fruit drink.