Bonus! Bacalao soup

Made a soup with the bacalao fillets I had left.
In Puerto Rico they make Caldo de Bacalao con Funche. Fish broth with what I think it's a corn meal mush. I'm not too fond of it. I've never made it. I do not like it. Fish broth is quite tasty. The one from this soup is superb.

This is the first time I've ever made a fish soup.

This one is pretty easy and basic and totally improvised. I did not make this with the corn meal mush.
I used the rest of the unused bacalao I had left to make this soup. Hubby is into soups. I've never made fish soup. So here we go!

Use about 2 bacalao fillets that were soaked over night to remove excess salt.
Add sliced celery, red and orange pepper, sliced shallot and about 4 cups of water. Black pepper and salt to taste. Watch the salt it might not need it. Salt is not very good in excess observe moderation.

Anyways,

Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

Serve hot

Enjoy!

Bacalao guisao'

Or Bacalao Guisado in the fancy towns and fancy well spoken people of Puerto Rico.
Bacalao guisado is stewed fish.
My mom used to make this when I was little. I didn't appreciate this dish when I was a little girl. But I do now, specially because my mom used to make it. It was so good! I love this puertorican dish.

Here's what you need:

Bacalao (follow instructions in the package)
1 can of Goya Tomato sauce
Half an onion sliced
Chopped tomatoes
1 cup Pico de Gallo(I added this for flare) I love doing that.
Half a packet of Sazon with saffron

Cut up the bacalao, remove the bones, rinse off the salt. Make sure you soak the fish over night.

You'll need about two fillets. Or use the entire package. Double the ingredients if you're going to do that.

Sauté the onions, tomatoes, pico de gallo in olive oil. Add sazon, tomato sauce, a cup of water, let the fish and simmer on low heat until the fish falls apart. Sprinkle black pepper to taste. You don't need salt. Only if you completely removed the salt in the soaking process. I usually soak it enough but only leave it slightly salty.

Serve hot over white rice and a slice of avocado on the side.

Enjoy!!

Mother's Day Paella

I love seafood so for this beautiful day I made myself a Paella.
Mishaps in the kitchen happen, oh well. I didn't burn anything lol.
I just kind of overcooked the rice, added too much water, overcooked shrimp and octopus a lil' because they were already to eat but it still tasted delicious. White wine, saffron, tomato sauce, spicy!cayenne pepper, chorizo, sautéed onions, and chicken broth made the flavors in it succulent. I also added crab meat. Mussels so juicy! It tasted like the ocean, so good! Don't forget the sweet peas!
I couldn't add lobster, crab legs, squid and clams though but that would've made this dish super awesome. Made this with nice crunchy Tostones on the side. Hubby also bought crab cakes, I need to learn how to make those! Spicy!
Next time trust me, Ill make this dish with the works!! I love this dish that much, I will make it again until the rice comes out perfect.

My family enjoyed this dish as much as I did. They gave me gifts and let me enjoy my day. I haven't eaten that much in a while.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fried Green Tomatoes

I love the movie and I've always wanted to try them. Here I go tasting new things I usually don't make in my puertorican kitchen. I like trying new foods :) I love cooking.
These were yummy, I didn't have a dipping sauce, so I ate some with ranch dressing. I liked them a lot more with ketchup and hot sauce!

Ingredients
4 large, firm green tomatoes, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste
1 cup finely ground self rising cornmeal
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
Vegetable oil


Preparation
1. Sprinkle the tomato slices with the salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Combine the cornmeal and paprika in a shallow bowl. In another bowl, beat the eggs.

3. Cover the bottom of a heavy skillet with 1/2 inch of oil, then place it over medium-high heat.

4. Coat the tomato slices in the egg, then dredge them in the cornmeal mixture.

5. Fry as many tomatoes as fit comfortably in the pan until nicely browned, about 2 minutes a side.

6. Transfer them to a paper towel-lined platter. Repeat until all the tomatoes are cooked.

Eat them ASAP cuz crunchy is better!

Must learn how to make Sushi! Must keep eating healthy.

I love Sushi. Not the type with raw fish. I don't like raw fish, eggs uh no. I need to learn how to make sushi rolls and tempura. It's so delicious!! I love the sweetness of the sushi rice and the seaweed wrap and the crunchy cucumber. Let's not forget the seafood. I won't eat raw fish but I love crab meat and shrimp. I've tried caviar eggs once and I liked them but I'm picky with which kind.
I'm going to learn how to make delicious sushi. Made some for the family but I used the wrong type of rice. You have to use Sushi rice. It's stickier and slightly sweet. I'll post pics here when I try to make them again. In the meantime enjoy the yummy treats I got at the commissary. I'm buying healthier foods now but it's so expensive! My daughter wants to be a full vegan now. I'm not giving up my seafood. I was confused at how little I purchased yet I paid so much for it. Almost $100. Pic of the groceries below. Some hummus and vegan foods not a lot for my big family, I have to go back and buy more food and make sure its healthy even though is costly. But compare it to eating unhealthy and the cost of healthcare once you're sick from eating junk food. It's worth it to eat healthy in the long run.
My apologies for the large pics making my page look a little whack. I need to resize the photos.

Eating healthier

Decided it was time to take the healthy eating more seriously. I honestly feel so much better when I do, and when I'm dancing around in my kitchen making yummy food. I will be posting delicious recipes though don't get me wrong. I haven't posted here in a while and I discovered an iPhone app I can post directly!! Woohoo!
Here's just a few pics of what I've been eating lots of lately.
I'm into salads and crunchy cucumbers and sweet baby carrots.
I love ranch dressing, I dip my veggies in it and I'm in love!!!with sweet potato patties. I'll be posting a sweet And delicious healthy recipe soon.
Drinking lots of seltzer water mixed with grapefruit juice and Yerba Mate tea sweetened with Agave syrup.
I'll post more often, my apologies.
In the meantime try to eat like me lol! Eating healthier is good for you. Try to avoid over processed foods, eat more fresh fruits and veggies. I'm also cutting down on meat. I miss it but I've done this before and I can do without meat once in a while. I love food people!!!
Enjoy the pics I'm posting straight from my phone :D
Enjoy!

Adobo

This is what I grew up knowing that is Adobo, a delicious seasoning for meats but in the Philipines is something else.

I heard about the dish and I searched the internet for recipes and watched videos on YouTube. I wanted to taste the dish, it sounded preety good.  I made Pork Adobo and Chicken adobo. Is a Filipino recipe.  The recipes are similar but one has a slight sweetness. Very easy to make.  There are different variations to this dish.  I like this version.

   I literally memorized this recipes in less than an hour and was dreaming of making it.  Super easy!  My kids liked the chicken a lot and the pork was quite tasty. Here are the recipes below. I hope you enjoy this two recipes as much as I did.

Pork Adobo

Ingredients:

4 lbs pork cut into small cubes

1/2 cup of white vinegar

1/2 cup of soy sauce

1 tblsp of peppercorns

1 tblsp of chopped garlic

1/2 cup of water

1 tblsp vegetable oil for sauteeing the pork

6 bay leaves

Combine all the ingredients and marinate for 30 minutes to an hour or overnight will be even better.

Add the pork to a hot cooking pot. Cover and simmer on medioum low heat for 30 minutes or when meat is tender.

  Remove the meat from the pot saving the sauce and sautee the meat in a pan with some cooking oil until it browns. Place the meat over white rice and pour some of the sauce over the pork. Garnish with sliced green onions.

  Chicken Adobo

Ingredients

4 lbs of chicken(thighs or legs) skin on

1/2 cup of Apple cider Vinegar

1/2 cup of Soy Sauce

4 Tblsp of Honey

2 Tblps of finely chopped garlic

1 tblps of peppercorns

1/2 cup of water

6 Bay Leaves

 Combine the ingredients (soy sauce, vinegar, honey, oil, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns) in a bowl and mix until the honey is dissolved.  Crush the peppercorns if desired or use ground black pepper if you prefer. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or a few hours or over night.

Put the chicken in a pot and add the 1/2 cup of water and cook the chicken on medium low simmer for 30 minutes.

 Preheat your broiler on high. Remove the chicken from the pot and place it on a broiler pan (or a sheet pan with wire cooling racks placed on top). Place the chicken under the broiler until it is brown and crispy on top (5-10 minutes), depending on your broiler).

 Rapidly boil the sauce to reduce it into a nice sauce and it reduces in volume for about 5 to 10 minutes.

When the chicken is done on the broiler, place the chicken in a bowl and pour the sauce over it, move it around and coat it with the sauce.

Serve over white rice.  Garnish with chopped green onions.

Enjoy!