Mango & Tomato: 8/1/20

8/31/20

Best Baked Plantains I've Ever Made

plantains, puerto rican food, zhoug, appetizer, gluten free, vegetarian, snack

I LOVE plantains and associate them with my friend Laura, who is Puerto Rican and always makes plantains when we see each other.

Last year I texted Laura to tell her I baked my plantains instead of pan frying them, and she said she did exactly the same a few days prior.

Since then, I've made several versions of baked plantains, but last week I perfected my technique!

Best Baked Plantains I've Ever Made

Ingredients

a very ripe plantain peeled and sliced into 1/2" rounds

olive oil

salt

zhoug sauce from Trader Joe's or any other dipping sauce

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Trust me: do NOT use aluminum foil because plantains will stick to it.

3. Lightly brush the parchment paper with oil. Layer plantain rounds in a single layer with space in between and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a bit of salt.

4. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the plantain rounds and season with a bit more salt. Bake for 10 more minutes.

5. Serve with zhoug sauce.

I was so pleased with how these turned out! I think Laura would approve too.

8/21/20

Weekend Inspirations

flowers, flower arrangement, urban stems, roses, eucalyptus, bouquet

8/18/20

Shrimp Red Thai Curry With Chickpeas And Spinach

shrimp, curry, chickpeas, gluten free, dinner

Shrimp Red Thai Curry With Chickpeas And Spinach is a super quick recipe that uses a few pantry items and can be easily modified to your taste. I was inspired to make this dish after my friend Jenn described it to me.

If you love coconut milk and a bit of spice, you'll love this dish: I wanted to dive into the slightly spicy broth. You can serve this curry over rice, or eat it as is.

Use frozen defrosted shrimp or fresh shrimp. To make this dish vegetarian, use tofu.

Shrimp Red Thai Curry With Chickpeas And Spinach

Serves 2 to 4 depending on your hunger level

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk, do not shake it: you want the solids to be separate from the liquid

1 medium onion, halved, and thinly sliced

1 heaping spoon of red curry paste

2 cups raw shrimp

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 cups baby spinach

salt to taste

fresh lime juice to taste

Thai seasoned cashews (I get mine from Trader Joes), chopped

cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Heat a few spoons of the solid part of coconut milk in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until they've softened.

2. Add the curry paste and saute until fragrant.

3. Add the rest of the coconut milk and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer.

4. Add the shrimp, chickpeas, and spinach and simmer until shrimp are cooked through. Season with salt.

5. Serve in a bowl with a bit of lime juice, chopped cashews, and cilantro.

This dish reheats great as leftovers!

8/6/20

CRAVINGS: Homemade Buns for a Burger

Burger, bun, homemade bun, pickle, lunch, green beans

If you are craving a burger, may I highly recommend you bake your own burger buns? Trust me, it's really not that hard.

After my friend Jazmin brought burger buns for our social distance picnic last month, I thought I should try baking them too.

The recipe from Love & Lemons is ridiculously easy. I used all white flour and was so happy I did not freak out when the dough did not come together immediately. Have faith!

Jazmin told me to only glaze a few buns at a time with the egg wash so that the egg wash doesn't dry out on the piping hot buns, which will stop the toppings from sticking.

Speaking of toppings, why use 1 when you can use 4? From top to bottom: black and white sesame seeds, everything but the bagel, togarashi, and za'atar.

I had two of these and froze the rest sliced in half. Next time I'll do a better job at making the buns more uniform.

And what about that burger above? I used ground beef, raw red onion, salt, pepper, and a bit of cumin. Mayo on both sides of the bun, plus thinly sliced red onions, and Dubliner cheese. A side of green beans and pickles.

8/3/20

Garlic Lemon Green Beans From Hemsley Hemsley

green beans, garlic, lemon, side dish, vegetables

Last week I received a surprise cookbook in my latest produce order from Washington's Green Grocer! After being a trusted customer for over 6 years, this was such a sweet gesture.

Looking through Hemsley Hemsley cookbook, I immediately flagged a recipe for Garlic Lemon Green Beans and made it over the weekend.

You basically steam the green beans while heating ghee (I used olive oil) with chopped garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice, and fresh parsley. Once the beans are tender, drain and add them to the "bath" and seasons with salt and pepper. Top with parsley.

I highly recommend doubling the recipe because it's great reheated in a skillet the next day.

cabbage, peaches, cookbook, hemsley hemsley, produce, corn, green beans

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