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When I was a kid, time after school was usually spent at my neighbor Isabel’s house until my mom came an hour later to pick us up. Isabel was our babysitter (although at age 9, I was no baby), and we thought of her family as our extended family. She even recently attended my wedding last year, and I kid you not, has not aged a bit since almost 20 years ago! Being Cuban, her house was always filled with the fragrant aromas of sofrito bubbling on her stove, and fried plantains. It was delicious, and from then on, I’ve always loved Cuban food.
It’s amazingly simple to make this little dish and perfect for a little appetizer when you’re getting together with friends. Definitely better than the ubiquitous chips and dip you’ll see at many a party. Crisp plantains and savory black beans, cut with the coolness of light sour cream and a squeeze of lime. I don’t fry my plantains in a lot of oil; instead, just a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, nonstick shallow pan will perfectly brown the plantains without getting too oily. I call this my perfect little snack – to me, black beans are in their own right a superfood. In a cup, you’ll get yourself 15 grams of protein (equivalent to about 2 ounces of meat), 15 grams of fiber (most need about 25-30 grams of fiber daily), 64% of your folate needs, and surprising to many, a high amount of antioxidants due to its flavonoid-rich dark skin. It’s like the merlot grape in a land of chardonnays in terms of antioxidant power!
Frijoles Negros con Platanos
serves 4
For the black beans:
1 tsp olive oil
1 16-ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
A couple pinches of cumin
A couple pinches of sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
1 serrano chile, deseeded and chopped finely
For the lightly fried plantains:
1 plantain (yellow with many brown spots), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 Tbsp olive oil
Accompaniments:
Fat-free or light sour cream
Lime wedges
Diced tomato
Cilantro
1. In a saucepan, heat the 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, stirring frequently to sweat out the onions and lightly brown them. Add the black beans, cumin, salt, and pepper to taste – adjust seasonings per preference. Allow the mixture to simmer and bubble, until the liquid is slightly thickened and reduced. Take 1/2 of the mixture (or all of it if you want the black bean mixture completely creamy), and pulse in the food processor until pureed. Add the pureed black beans to the whole beans in the saucepan; stir to combine and set the saucepan on low heat, stirring a couple more minutes before serving. Stir in the serrano chiles or garnish.
2. For the plantains, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat in a large shallow pan. Place the plantain slices on the pan, turning after a few minutes when golden brown. Lightly brown a couple more minutes before taking the plantain off the pan and on a couple paper towels.
3. Serve with light or fat-free sour cream, and garnish with diced tomato and cilantro.
They say that who your friends are reflect a part of yourself, and for me, I think that’s so true. When I think of my friends Phi and Karen, who we are and what we do are so similar that sometimes it’s plain scary. Phi has been my sistah-friend since the third grade, and back in the day, we would whip up any concoction our young cooking minds allowed us to imagine (I just remember her poor dad struggling through a smile at our somewhat-coffee cake, while we looked so proud of ourselves). Heck, I’m sure we even made our Barbies cook. Even now, twenty years later, we’ll be on the same wavelength and make the same things without even knowing it (look at the last post – she made pork tenderloin too!). We talk about food all the time; I’ll tell her that I’m craving xoi lap xuong (Vietnamese sticky rice with caramelized onions, shrimp, and sausage), and she’ll tell me that she and her hubby just made it!
Now Karen I met while Phong and I were dating – her now-hubby has been Phong’s friend since they both were still in diapers. We knew we’d be great friends once we both realized that quality food, Etsy, Anthropologie, and cute little Parisian things were just some of the things we had in common. So how excited was I, to receive a birthday package filled with gourmet goodies, a cookbook, my old embosser (which finally gave back to me…a year later!), and some lemon tea cookies that she handmade with a cute recipe card attached to it? And even MORE stoked that she put the nutrition info on it too?! Wow, these people know me.
So here’s Karen’s recipe for her lemon tea cookies. They are so tasty and literally melt in your mouth. The cookies are basically a shortbread-type cookie and even though they use a bit of butter, they make 60 cookies and would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower, or even as part of favors for a party. Mini is the new in; these cookies are a true example of portioning out decadent foods without depriving your hankering for quality desserts. There’s no need for those gargantuan-sized desserts at restaurants where you’ll be set back about 15oo calories (yes, I’m telling you the truth – check out this link!). What’s great about this recipe is that you can even halve the recipe as I did this afternoon, and enjoy one or two cookies with some Earl Grey tea (my favorite – unsweetened, no milk).
Lemon Tea Cookies
makes about 60 mini cookies
For the cookies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup confectioners sugar
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon zest
For the frosting:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 cup softened unsalted butter (if using salted butter, omit the 1/8 tsp of salt above)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Make that dough:
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, confectioner’s sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed; add the lemon juice and zest, and beat until well-combined. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat on low speed until well-combined.
Shape that dough:
Divide the dough in half or quarters. Roll each half into a log about 1- 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour.
Bake your cookies:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Cut each log into 1/4-inch slices. Arrange them 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool the cookies, and spread lemon frosting on each cookie.
For the lemon frosting:
Beat the confectioner’s sugar, butter, and lemon juice in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Nutrition Facts (per 1 cookie): 58 calories, 2.9 grams fat, 0.4 grams protein, 6 grams carbs, 7.6 mg cholesterol
Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of meat you’ll get from the pig. Not only that, it is extremely tender and has only 122 calories and 3 grams of fat. That’s comparable to skinless chicken breast – now you know why they call it the “other white meat.” Anyways, I had a bottle of Trader Joe’s Mango-Ginger Chutney in my pantry that’s been wondering if I was going to give it some attention anytime soon, and today was its day. I made a marinade of cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, lime, and mixed in some chutney to go with it. I don’t know what I was aiming for – all I know is that I wanted something different using bold flavors and threw in whatever I perceived to be Indian-influenced without being a curry. Whatever it was, it resulted in some good kick-in-your-pants flavor!
Make sure you use your meat thermometer for this one – you don’t want to overcook (or undercook) your meat and ruin an otherwise very good piece of meat. I took the pork out of the oven when the inside of the meat registered about 155-160ºF, waited a few minutes before slicing, and the result was a beautiful interior – perfectly cooked, slightly pink with the juices running clear.
Pork Tenderloin with Mango Chutney
serves about 6-8
2 pork tenderloins, about 2.5 lbs total
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup pre-made mango-ginger chutney (or any other chutney you like)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup water
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. In a baking dish, combine all ingredients from the olive oil to the sea salt. Add the pork tenderloins and coat all sides with the marinade. Let sit for about 15 minutes.
2. In an oven-proof sautee pan over high heat, add the pork tenderloins when the pan is very hot. Reserve the rest of the marinade and place to the side. Sear the tenderloins until browned on all sides, about 2-3 minutes. Place the pan into the oven and roast for about 22-25 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers about 155-160ºF, slightly pink. Take the pork out of the oven and let it rest a few minutes before cutting the meat.
3. Take the reserved marinade and place into a small saucepan with the 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring the sauce. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for about 6-7 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced. Ladle over the roasted pork tenderloins and serve.
I’m deviating from my norm of posting healthy recipes from my kitchen and hanging up my dirty apron for this post. Over the weekend, Phong took me to La Mer, a French restaurant located in the Halekulani in Waikiki, for my birthday. It was, by far, the most fabulous dining experience I have ever had (I know, so bold, but true!). Our meal was prepared by the only chef on the island that has gotten a Michelin star, a first for the both of us. Here’s a snippet of the meal we had – Lobster Gelee with Sea Urchin from Aquitaine (very interesting but fresh, cool flavors), Provencale-Style Escargots in a Hazelnut-Garlic Butter, Crispy-Skinned Onaga with Warm Potato Terrine, and a Macadamia Nut Jivara. It was an absolutely lovely birthday, followed by friends and fun the next day!
It’s my birthday today, so I won’t be cooking this weekend! Before I trek off to my birthday weekend o’ fun in the sun, here’s a dinner I want to share with you that I made a couple nights ago. I’ll post pics of my birthday food later on after the weekend…
When Phong and I were in Vietnam, we went to Cha Ca La Vong, a more than 100-year old restaurant in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, famous solely for their sputteringly hot fried fish topped with dill and flavored with turmeric. And since it was featured in Food & Wine Magazine, Andrew Zimmern’s show (even though it wasn’t one of his gross eats), and listed as one of the 1000 Places To see Before You Die, we figured our trip would not be complete if we had not taken a xich-lo and gone there for dinner (such tourists, I know).
Growing up, my mom would make roasted fish (cá, in Vietnamese) all the time, and one of the most important things to master wasn’t the fish, it was the nuoc cham, the fish sauce flavored with lime juice, garlic, sugar, and fresh-cut chili peppers that perfectly marries savory, sour, sweet, and spicy all into one. I was her apprentice in the kitchen, and relegated to making the nuoc cham for parties and stuff. While dating my now-husband-then-boyfriend, my mother-in-law even put me to the test to make it for one of her parties. Thank goodness, I passed – as she says, your nuoc cham can either make or break a meal. 
Here’s my recipe for roasted fish topped with dill and all the fixings that go with it. At Cha Ca La Vong, they serve the fish with a lot of oil – here, a touch of olive oil would do before sending it into the oven, and I roast it instead of fry it. Also, I like to use rainbow trout – it has tender white flesh but also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids if you’re getting tired of salmon, mackerel, or sardines. And honestly, the nuoc cham at Cha Ca La Vong was more fish sauce than anything else, and I thought it was a bit vinegar-y for my taste. I think you’ll like mine – I learned from the best.
Ca Nuong – Roasted Rainbow Trout, Vietnamese Style
serves about 4
For the roasted fish:
2 whole cleaned rainbow trouts, about 2.25 lbs
2 1/2 tsp sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oi
l 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, run in the food processor for about 3 pulses until roughly chopped
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
For the nuoc cham chua ngot (sweet-and-sour drizzling sauce – makes about 1/2 cup):
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 1 + 1/2 limes
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp fish sauce (the Vietnamese Three-Crabs brand, or Hieu Ba Con Cua, is the best)
1 Thai bird chili (add another if you can take the heat!)
Serve with:
Cold or warm rice vermicelli
1 head of lettuce, chopped (can be romaine, red leaf, or green lettuce lettuce)
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
Sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, or whatever veggies you have on hand
Ground peanuts, optional
Preparation:
1. For the fish, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a roasting pan with foil, and place the fish on the foil. Sprinkle the sea salt on all sides of the fish, and sprinkle a little inside the fish where it’s cut. Do the same with the black pepper. Squeeze about 1/2 lemon all over both fish as well as the insides. Then add the dill to the tops and insides of the fish. Drizzle olive oil over the tops and insides of the fish. Bake the fish for about 20 minutes, until the meat is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. When the fish is done and ready to serve, top with the chopped peanuts and cilantro.
2. For the nuoc cham chua ngot, stir all ingredients together, and add extra lime juice, sugar, water, or fish sauce to taste.
3. Pull it all together: Serve the fish, whole, and eat it family-style. Set out small bowls for everyone, and individuals can help themselves to a little bit of veggies, top with a little bit of noodles, some fish, and drizzle with a spoonful of nuoc cham to their liking.
I usually don’t sleep in on the weekends. I think my brain is hard-wired to wake up around 6:30 or 7 in the morning, regardless of whether it’s a workday or playday. Good thing too – I usually get lots of things done in the early part of the day (like pulling weeds from my yard yesterday morning and taking advantage of the morning sunshine before it got too hot), and this morning I started my day off with some yoga. An hour later, clear-headed, muscles stretched and primed for the day, I set out to make some breakfast.
How many times have you had granola that was too sweet, or you look on the package label and realize it has more than 250 calories – in a measly 1/4 cup serving – and loaded with fat? I’m often deterred from buying it in the stores for that reason, so I usually make my own. Not overly sweet, this granola is perfect for a little snack or as a topping for your yogurt or even eaten as a cereal with milk. This recipe makes 4 1/2 cups – definitely tote some to work for that mid-afternoon pick-me-up. It’s well-worth the 15-20 minute trouble to make. If you have a sweet-tooth craving, this granola will curb it, and provide some fiber, protein, and monounsaturated (heart-happy) fats along the way!
Nutty Coconut and Cherry Granola
makes 4 1/2 cups, or 9 servings
2 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup shredded coconut, sweetened
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup dried cherries
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except for the cherries and mix until well-incorporated. Pour ingredients onto a jelly-roll pan, and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring the granola halfway through. Bake for another couple of minutes until nuts are slightly toasted.
3. Allow the granola to cool on the baking sheet, about 5 minutes. Add the cherries in with the granola and serve!
Nutrition Facts (per 1/2 cup serving): 244 calories; 12 grams fat (6.8 grams monounsaturated fat, 3.4 grams polyunsaturated fat, 1.4 grams saturated fat); 4.4 grams protein; 30 grams carbohydrate; 3.3 grams fiber
You’ll usually see some kind of “cold tofu” appetizer at your local sushi restaurant, and this is sort of like that, but with some jalapenos thrown in for a little kick. This dish is super-easy, clean-tasting, and flavored with fresh, bright herbs. Let the marinade soak up into the tofu for about 15 minutes after all the work is done (and it’s barely any work at all), and you’ll get some great-tasting, healthy protein to snack on!
Cold Tofu Appetizer
serves 2
1/2 package silken soft tofu, cut into small cubes (a package is about 14 ounces; if you want to use the whole package, then double the amount of everything else)
1/2 jalapeno pepper, sliced thinly
1 tsp minced ginger
Roughly chopped cilantro
Thinly sliced green onions
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1. Arrange the tofu cubes onto a plate. Top with the jalapeno slices, ginger, cilantro, green onions, and black pepper. In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil, until the sugar dissolves. Gently pour the vinegar-soy mixture over the top of the tofu. Allow to stand, marinating, for about 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts (estimated per serving): 71 calories, 4.8 grams fat, 5 grams protein, 2.2 grams carbohydrates
