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Coconut Dark Chocolate Syrup

Coconut and dark chocolate go hand in hand like peanut butter and jelly. One of my favorite (and easiest) ways to enjoy this flavor combo is this silky coconut dark chocolate syrup. You can make it in minutes and enjoy it for days. (Or just one day if you're a bit of a glutton like me.) Truly the most complicated step in this recipe is making sure you're choosing sweetened cream of coconut. It can be confusing when you're facing rows and rows of cans that say cream of coconut, coconut cream, and coconut milk, so here's a little explainer. Coconut cream is made from coconut milk that's chilled until [...]

2021-07-13T18:58:54+00:00By |Desserts, Recipes, Sauces|0 Comments

Easy Mango Salsa

This mild salsa has a fruity punch, and with just five ingredients, it's a perfect recipe for an easy, breezy Cinco De Mayo celebration. You can add heat by incorporating minced jalapeno to taste. This recipe makes about 3 cups of salsa.  A couple of handy tips: You don’t have to choose organic mangoes or onions as they don’t usually contain high levels of pesticide residue, especially since you remove the peel before eating them. Choose organic when it comes to cilantro, bell peppers, jalapenos, and limes as they all test high for pesticide residue. You can reduce the sharp bite of the diced red onion by soaking it [...]

#IslandFlavor: Coconut Hot Fudge Sundae

July 25th is National #HotFudgeSundaeDay. It also happens to be Danger's birthday (he's turning seven) which makes this day one of The. Biggest. Days. of the year for me. What better way to celebrate than with a tropical, coconut hot fudge sundae! My little man Danger loves sweet fried plantains (he may not have been born on the island but that kid is Puerto Rican I tell you!) and he loves chocolate, so I combined those flavors with one of our favorite things in the world: vanilla ice cream. This is a really easy quick sundae but if you don't have sweet plantain, you can substitute a ripe banana or [...]

#IslandFlavor: Simple Sofrito

When it comes to building flavor, the french have mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) and creoles have the holy trinity (onions, celery, bell peppers).  Puerto Ricans have sofrito.  While it is the base of hundreds of Puerto Rican dishes, sofrito is derivative. You see Puerto Rican cuisine is the original fusion cuisine, with influences from Africa, Europe, and Asia. Much of our food is adapted from different cultures and sofrito is no different. This powerhouse of flavor was brought to the island by Italian immigrants that relocated in the 1800's during the Second Industrial Revolution. The Italians (along with other Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Corsica) were granted land after swearing loyalty [...]

#StopFoodWaste: Overripe Tomatoes

Perhaps you're a lot like me. Last week I decided I was going to make a ton of salads, turn my nose up at anything processed and work out 30 minutes a day because DANG IT those last ten pounds are coming off! Instead I ended up binge watching Daredevil Season 2 (HOLY ISH AMAZING), getting pizza delivered, and eating Nutella right out of the jar. Meh. You win some. You lose some. Unfortunately now the tomatoes I bought for salad are just a touch past their prime: their flesh softened, their skin wrinkled and bruised. It's a good thing old tomatoes do an amazing job of kicking up boring [...]

#StopFoodWaste: Veggie Trimmings and Bones

Anytime you cook with a vegetable there will be trimmings: roots, tops, skins. Usually these go right in the trash without a second thought. The same goes for bones. What are you going to do with them after you've roasted that chicken, pork shoulder or beef shank? You can't eat them right? Wrong. Though they may not look like it, veggie scraps and bones are gold. (Maybe not the kind you can take to the bank but certainly the kind you can put in your belly.) Wash vegetables before prepping them and keep gallon bags in the freezer for cuttings. Keep a separate container in the freezer for bones.  When [...]

#StopFoodWaste: Jam Jar Dressing

As far as I'm concerned jam's whole razon de ser is to be in my belly.  Which is why when I'm faced with an almost empty jar I don't waste it. I use it to make an unforgettable vinaigrette. Jam dressing is as crazy easy as the first question on Celebrity Jeopardy.  All you need is 3 parts oil, 1 part acid, herbs, spices and BOOM. I had an almost empty jar of peach apricot jam and paired it with balsamic vinegar and the most amazing extra virgin picual olive oil. Hollywood and I found Rio Bravo Ranch olive oil at the Atwater Farmer's Market. The family behind it has [...]

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