Rainforest Recipes Has Moved!!
Rainforest Recipes has now moved to a new location! We have been offline for awhile but expect to be back posting lots of delicious recipes at our NEW LOCATION: Project Ix-canaan: Rainforest Recipes.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Saturday, March 20, 2010
CEiMB: Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins w/ Avocado Cream
Finally I've managed to cook and post this recipe! I apologize to readers who came looking for this post when I was supposed to have posted it waaaay back about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I fully intended to make this on the right day, however, my difficulties began on shopping day when the only avocados to be found were hard as rocks. By the time I had bypassed that hurdle, Unificacion Maya 2009 was upon me, and everything else in my life ... including cooking and blogging ... was completely out of my mind.
Broccoli and Cheddar Stuffed Potato Skins w/ Avocado Cream
Preface:
I followed this recipe pretty much exactly as written ... except that I halved the main part (I still made a full batch of the Avocado Cream ... it sounded excellent and I figured I can eat it with other foods as well.
And, oh yeah, I don't use paper towels to microbake my potatoes.
Ingredients:
4 tsp canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces brocoli florets, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
cooking spray
3 pieces Canadian bacon, finely diced (about 3 ounces)
3/4 cup extra sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated (about 3 ounces)
1 medium avocado
2 tablespoons reduced fat sour cream
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pierce potatoes several times with a fork and wrap in paper towels. Microwave on high for 13 to 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from microwave and cool until potatoes are easy to handle.
54Slice potatoes in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scoop all but 1/8 inch of the inside of the potato, leaving skin intact. Reserve scooped potato flesh for another use.
Brush both inside and outside of potatoes with oil and sprinkle with salt. Place potatoes, skin-side down, on a baking sheet and bake until skins are crisp and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Steam the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In the meantime, prepare the filling. Steam the broccoli until crisp-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and preheat over medium-high heat. Add the Canadian bacon and cook until crisp stirring often, about 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve.
To make avocado cream, combine scallion whites, avocado, sour cream lime juice, cilantro, garlic and salt in the small bowl of a food processor and process on high until smooth. About 30 seconds.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the avocado cream on top of broccoli-filled potatoes, then top with scallion greens and 1 teaspoon crisped bacon bits.
Verdict:
For me, there were not enough vegies per serving, something which could be rectified by using a more long and flat potato. Our cheese here is tasteless, and I'm sure the flavor would have been better with a good cheese. Other than that, it was an excellent vegetable dish for a special occasion.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Using Ramon at Unificacion Maya
I have just finished the Unificacion Maya Ceremonies for another year. It is pretty all-absorbing for the month of December, and I haven't been able to take even a moment for blogging. However, it is over now, and I am determined to get back on my usual schedule.
This Pineapple-Ramon Upside Down Cake was the dessert for our second ceremony.
This cake was invented and baked by Doña Juana, the president of the Ix-canaan Women's Group.
We also had a Ramon Information Day. After the ceremony at the Ixlu Archeological Site on Day 4, we went to the production facility for Nutri-Naturales, where they had prepared a snack of several items made from the ramon flour that they are producing.
They served a hot and a cold ramon beverage with ramon cookies, ramon sweet breads and these excellent ramon rolls (bollitos).
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
BB: Chicken Chili
Chicken Chili
(2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!, All Rights Reserved)
Preface:
- I halved the recipe.
- I added an extra clove of garlic ... mosts recipes are written to be "safe" in the garlic range, so can be upped without overdoing it.
- I can't buy canned tomatoes here (all for the best, I think) so I peeled a pound of tomatoes, put half of them through the blender and mashed the other half with my potato masher.
- For serving, I topped the chili with yogurt and mozzarella cheese
- 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
- 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
- 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and large-diced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
- 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
- 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
- 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream
Cook the onions in the oil over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.
Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor, fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times).
Add to the pot with the basil.
Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked.
Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4 inch chunks.
Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.
Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.
I have already put this recipe on my rotating menu. I hollowed out a mound of rice and poured a large scoop of chili down into the middle ... and it was FANTASTIC!! I topped the chili with some grated cheese and a big dollop of yogurt (my standard sour cream substitution). It was even better the second day.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
BB: French String Beans
I read last week about the Barefoot Bloggers Challenge ... to cook from 1 to 5 Iva Garten recipes (all listed at the "challenge" link) and post them this week. I checked over the recipes that had been chosen for the challenge, and they all sounded fantastic. 'Why not?' I thought, 'we have to eat'. As usual, cooking and eating the recipes is not the difficult part ... blogging them has turned out to be the challenge!! I have had some major uploading problems recently, but with some late night work (when our satelite dish seems to get a stronger signal), I am beginning to catch up
I seldom buy green beans here ... the usual variety that are available in the market have VERY strong threads in them, and are difficult to prepare. And no matter what you do, you end up with little strings stuck between your teeth. Anyway, I must have been meant to make these because they featured stringless green beans in the vegetable section of the Maxi-Bodega this week, really fresh nice ones, so I bought a pound with this recipe in mind.
French String Beans
Preface:
- I have no idea if the beans were French, but for sure they were not "string" beans ...
- I didn't have yellow bell peppers (although I will soon ... I have a couple of plants of yellow bell peppers grown from some seeds that I took from a yellow pepper when I was visiting Mom in Canada, and there are a couple of ripening peppers already), so used only red.
- 1 pound French string beans
- Kosher salt
- 1 red onion, large, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, large diced
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, large diced
- Good olive oil
- Freshly grated black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Blanch the string beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for just 4 minutes.
Drain immediately and immerse in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. When they are cool, drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the onion and bell peppers together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, tossing with a spatula from time to time to be sure the vegetables roast evenly.
Verdict:
Excellent! Simple and fast to make. Delicious!! The oven roasted vegies added an incredible burst of flavour to the crunchy green beans. This recipe has gone into the file to teach to the cook at Gringo Perdido.
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