I admit, I have made this before and I totally forgot about this until I saw a pin about sofritas and I knew I had to make it for the site. Every time I make this I seem to change the quantity of one of the ingredients. One time it was the poblano, another was the adobo pepper and both times it was waaaaaaay too spicy. I like spicy but this was burn your mouth off so that you can't taste anything else. I've followed the recipe to the T to make sure I can give you a proper review.
Yay or Nay: Yay
After following the recipe properly, I must admit it had the right balance of everything, just enough heat for the warming or warning tingle! Instead of brown rice I used farro following the cooking instructions on the packet. I did mix the lime juice and coriander and nope the red onion and garlic didn't go into the recipe at all, I only realised they were for the guacamole after I took the pic!
I've been actively trying to cut refined sugar out of my diet for the last week, it has been a gradual thing and when things pop up e.g. birthdays (note: my own!) it's hard to say no. Or rude especially when someone has baked you a cake for the occasion! Side effects have been some headaches but that could be hayfever or just plain stress!
So protein bites or raw balls or whatever you call 'em are a great option especially if you work out or juggling two jobs and can't find the time to make/bring a healthy snack. I scoured the net for easy, no fuss and minimal ingredients to make mine and these Cacao Coconut Cashew Balls seem like a great place to start!
Yay or Nay: Yay
I must admit I made two versions of these and the bottom two pictures are from a prior batch I made with different ingredients. The first set are for this post; the only difference was the one prior had almond butter and almonds in them and the other (current batch) had soaked dates. Essentially the idea is the same, put all the dry ingredients together and whizz, then add the oil, water and dates. The cashew batch were definitely wetter for soaking the dates and harder to roll when the time came. The other recipe was actually better for rolling but both taste amazing!
Back home I loved Dorset Cereal's Mueslis however now I'm in Upstate New York it is definitely harder to find this brand. Dorset Cereal's were pretty much natural and sugar free so finding an alternative is a bit of a chore especially with all that ingredient list reading. Now I know granola is a completely different bowl entirely but every now and then I need that crunch without all the gunk!
At lunch I'll usually have plain Greek yoghurt with raw seeds, nut and unsweetened coconut flakes but to mix it up I figured sykr yoghurt with homemade granola would be an alternative. Deliciously Ella's recipe for Cinnamon and Pecan Granola looked enticing and most importantly healthy. As a plus I could control the amount of sugar if necessary.
Yay or Nay: 50/50
This one had me torn, I admit that I kind of doctored the recipe as I didn't want to make a ton (mostly because I didn't have the right quantity for some of the ingredients) in case it didn't turn out how I thought it would. In actual fact I think I was pretty close but I halved all the ingredients to try balance it out. I also substituted maple syrup for honey (plus put slightly less in) but I think that's why it didn't clump together that well. I also put less cinnamon in as I don't like a ton of it but the final result is a slight hint of sweetness and cinnamony-ness! However I do think 30 mins in the oven is a bit too long (I only put it in for 25 stirring at the 12 minute mark) as I ended up with slightly burnt pecan pieces which can taste horribly bitter! I would try this again though but I might stick with the recipe to see if there is a difference!
I love me some kimchi but I didn't have an idea what the hell it was eight years ago. When I moved to South Korea to teach English, I kept hearing about kimchi. How did people know about this and I hadn't the foggiest!? I must admit, it took a while for the tangy, fishy (in some cases stronger than others) crunchy veggie to win me over. However, now I love kimchi at least once a week and I can't imagine a life without it now!! Cue ahhhhhhh from the audience!
Ramen was always something quick and easy to eat in my house but in Korea, it is on another level. Every now and then the carby delight is all you want, so to combine it with some dumplings or mandu makes it a triple threat. This recipe for Spicy Korean Kimchi Ramen would use up a glut of kimchi and hit the comfort food spot fo' sure.
Yay or Nay: Yay
The recipe is to make the broth for the soup but we didn't want to eat meat nor did we want to spend hours waiting for the broth to appear! So I substituted the broth for regular chicken stock for the base, although I added a sneaky shake of the spice packet that comes with the ramen. I also added korean red pepper powder as well as a splash of rice vinegar for added oomph. Make sure you wait for the ramen to release its carby goodness to make the soup extra slurpy!
New and inventive ways of cooking a potato? Yeah not much comes to mind apart from mashing, boiling and roasting so when I saw the recipe for hassleback potatoes in April's Rachel Ray Everyday Magazine I was sold. Pimpin' up your regular potato was just what the doctor ordered! I chose the Garlic and Parm version as it was what I had left in the fridge and did not require that much cheese (yes, I'm cutting back).
Yay or Nay: Nay
When prepping for this side dish it all looked promising, from the cuts that made the potato fan out prettily or the delish combo of garlic, oregano and oil (I substituted the butter for olive oil), I was truly disappointed that it did not live up to its expectations. Yes, when it came out it smelled and looked great but the flavour wasn't full enough (I didn't have time to brush the herby oil, cook and then brush again). The potatoes didn't cook all the way through and the parm was barely detectable. Maybe it was because I used grated parm rather than shaved and different potatoes (possibly differet size too) that gave me such poor results. It'll be a while before I consider making these again.
We all need a little more fish in our lives and I was doubly inspired to add some seafood into the repertoire after an amazing trip to Cape Town, South Africa! I admit I did find this recipe for Brazilian Fish Stew before I went away but I knew I needed to try this. I have failed on several occasions to make a hearty and deeply flavoured fish curry/stew so I hope this one from Recipe Tin Eats will make the cut!
Yay or Nay: Yay
Whenever I cook cod/halibut/any white fish via frying/browning it always, ALWAYS falls apart. At least I had the foresight to give it a tentative poke while cooking (and yes I know, don't touch the fish until it is properly cooked), removed it to add at the end of the dish rather than warming it back in the pan for it to only fall apart into tiny little inedible pieces. Instead I layered rice, then the fish separately and then stew on top. This was actually very tasty, the coconut was fragrant and the tomato tempered the heat so don't go optional on the cayenne pepper. Word of warning, if you have a small house it will stink of fish the day after.
Who doesn't love a box of 6 chicken nuggets? Ok a box of 10! If you don't you're lying to yourself. Every now and then I get cravings for nuggets but every bite is a reminder that it probably isn't real chicken and that it is whole heartedly (pardon the pun) bad for you! Researching recipes for healthier versions I came across this recipe for Baked Buffalo Chicken Nuggets, and the as the Hubby grew up not far from Buffalo I knew this could be a winner!
Yay or Nay: Yay
These were deliciously tangy with a spicy kick at the end. The only downside was that it wasn't as crispy as I'd hoped they would be. I didn't add oil when I got round to baking them so perhaps that was what it was. For the prep, it was pretty much roll it around in the breadcrumbs and then cook. I would add more red hot next time and up the amount of breadcrumb as it didn't completely coat them. Yes, there is no finished picture as we pretty much polished them off so that kind of speaks for itself.
