Healthy cookies - for real!

I have total confidence in 101 Cookbooks, but I have to admit that when I saw this recipe for “Healthy Cookies” – containing no eggs, flour, sugar (besides the chocolate) or butter – I was skeptical. I just love those good old traditional chocolate chip cookies made with 2 sticks of butter and lots of sugar (and spin-offs like these). But in an attempt not to add any more holiday pounds, I decided to try to get my dessert fix in a healthier fashion. And I must say, these cookies are scrumptious! I’m not going to lie and say that they are a perfect substitute for regular sugary-buttery baked goods, but they are great when you want a little something sweet without all the fat and calories. They even have the potential to be gluten-free and vegan, as long as you get gluten-free oats and dairy-free chocolate.

I followed the recipe with just a couple changes: I added a couple Tablespoons of vanilla agave nectar (for sweetness since one of my bananas was not very ripe), and used 1 teaspoon (rather than 1/2 tsp) of cinnamon. I also used pecans in place of about 1/3 of the almonds since I didn’t quite have enough.

Quiche with sun dried tomatoes, basil, artichokes, goat cheese

Quiche is versatile comfort food that goes as well for breakfast as it does for lunch or dinner. You can make an infinite variety of savory quiche types by combining different ingredients for the filling. I love sun dried tomatoes, basil and goat cheese, and I had some artichokes and I figured they would go well with that combination too. Broccoli and cheddar is always good, as is turkey bacon with spinach. Next time I think I would try adding some sauteed onions to this one, but it was good without them too.

Oh, and don’t be scared of homemade crust, people -  its not really that hard! Though you can always cheat and use a pre-made crust if you are scared or want to make a quicker quiche.

Ingredients:

{crust}

1 1/3 cups flour (I used half white and half whole wheat)

1/4 cup cold butter

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

3-5 Tbs. ice water

{Filling}

5 eggs

1 cup milk

1/4 cup low fat sour cream

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. salt

fresh ground pepper

pinch nutmeg

~6 sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, sliced

~4 artichoke hearts, quartered

3 Tbs goat cheese, crumbled

To make the crust, first mix together the flours and salt. Add the shortening and butter, and cut with a pastry blender or fork, tossing with the flour, until the fat is in small chunks and well mixed into the flour. Sprinkle 3 tbs of the cold water into the flour while tossing it. Add a little more water if its really dry, but don’t add too much because it should seem dry anyway. Gather it all into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When you’re ready to make the crust, take the ball of dough out of the fridge and let it warm back up for a few minutes. Sprinkle your surface with lots of flour, and use a rolling pin (or if you’re like me and haven’t procured a rolling pin for your kitchen yet,  use a wine bottle), and roll the dough out until it is about 12 inches in diameter. Don’t forget to lift up the dough and sprinkle flour underneath it so it doesn’t stick. Using the rolling pin or a spatula, gently lift up the circular piece of dough and transfer it to a pie plate. There are several ways to make the crust look pretty, but what I usually do is roll the extra dough under itself (towards the rim of the plate) around the edges. Then I use my thumbs and forefingers to make little waves in the edge. After you’re happy with it, you can stick it in the oven for a few minutes to brown before filling it – but be careful not to leave it in too long because the butter can make it sink down into the pie plate.

Pie crust

To make the filling, beat the eggs, milk and sour cream, and then mix in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and chopped basil. Take the crust out of the oven, and place the sun dried tomatoes and artichokes around the bottom of the crust. Pour the egg mixture on top of it, and then sprinkle on the goat cheese. Now just stick it in the oven and let it bake for around 45 minutes, or until it has risen and is getting slightly golden brown on top. You can check the middle with a toothpick to see if its done.  When you take it out of the oven, let it sit for about 10 minutes before cutting into it so that it has a chance to set and will keep its shape when you cut it.

Vegetables arranged in the crust

Filled crust, ready to bake

Quiche ready to eat

Vanilla Agave Nectar

I have to give Whitney kudos for the fact that agave nectar is even on my radar. We were living together in NYC when she discovered this syrup – made here in Mexico from the same plants as tequila – and began to use it as a delicious sweetener. Agave nectar is similar to honey, but less viscous, and has a lower glycemic index than many other sweeteners. Because it is plant-based and often processed at low temperatures it is also raw foodist and vegan-friendly. I liked agave nectar when I tried it, but never got particularly enthusiastic about it. That is until recently, when I found VANILLA agave nectar in my local organic foods store in Mexico City. Natural vanilla is one of my favorite flavors/ingredients, so when I saw whole vanilla beans soaking in agave nectar, I was sold immediately. And OH MY GATOS, it is heavenly. Following Whitney’s lead, I mix it into oatmeal in the morning with some cinnamon and apple, or drizzle it on fresh baked banana bread, and I think it will be divine on french toast or pancakes and mixed into tea. In the US you can buy regular agave nectar at organic and specialty food stores, though I’m not sure about the vanilla variety.

Arepa filled with chicken, vegetables, cheese and avocado

You may have seen one of my first posts when I attempted to make arepas, but couldn’t find the masa precocida they require and substituted the Mexican staple, masa harina. While it still tasted good, the result was more like a sope or thick tortilla than an arepa. Well, since then I found masa precocida at the Mercado Medallin in Mexico City, so this is my attempt to make the real thing. They were quite tasty and distinctively different from what I had made before with the masa harina, the only thing I don’t love is the amount of oil involved since they are fried in oil. I think next time I would try to use less oil and/or bake them. The possibilites for fillings are endless, but I stuffed them with chicken cooked with onions, tomatoes, peppers and chipotle, and others with black beans and cheese. And you can never go wrong with a little avocado, either. Here is how I made the arepas, and I will leave you full creative license to fill them with whatever you like.

Ingredients:

2 cups masa precocida

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups hot water (approx)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Place the masa in a bowl and mix in the salt. Add the hot water and vegetable oil and stir. After stirring, I let the dough rest for about 10 minutes, since that’s what some recipes called for and because the water made it really hot to handle! After it has cooled, I kneaded the dough with my hands, and ended up adding some additional water (I had only added 2 cups to begin with) because the dough was cracking at the edges when I pressed it between my palms.  Once it was the right consistency, I rolled the dough into balls about 2 inches in diameter, and then pressed them out to about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch thick.  Then I fried the patties in hot vegetable oil for maybe 5 minutes on each side, or until they were brown and make a hollow sound when tapped. Once done, I put them immediately onto paper towels to soak up some of the oil, and once cool enough, you can slice them down the middle to add whatever fillings you fancy.

P.A.N. masa precocida

Frying the arepas

Chicken cooked with onion, tomatoes, red pepper and chipotle

Roasted veggies for dinner

I recently re-discovered roasted root vegetables, and the delicious possibilities that they open up for every meal.  For a recent dinner, I roasted a mix of beets, onions, garlic, potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini and red peppers. At first when the beet juice started to turn the other vegetables purple, I thought that maybe I should have roasted them separately, but it turns out they made the whole mix look beautiful with splashes of purple everywhere.  For brunch I did a mix of just sweet and Yukon gold potatoes, onion and garlic, and it was the perfect “home fry” accompaniment to some eggs and fruit. To roast the veggies, I just chop them into cubes of an inch or so, and mix them in a baking dish with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some fresh herbs – rosemary is a particularly good compliment to potatoes and garlic. Lately I have been using a salt mix that I got at a specialty store here in Mexico City, which is a mix of sea salt, black pepper, dry garlic, lemon rind, rosemary, chile de arbol, and tomatillo.

Chopped potatoes ready to roast

Roasted sweet and yukon gold potatoes

I used to be intimidated by the idea of making soup. I’m not sure why, because it’s so easy! You can basically sautee some veggies and boil them with water and seasoning, maybe blend it up if you want to get fancy, and you can’t go wrong. One of my favorites is lentil soup, its so comforting and healthy at the same time. And it makes the whole house smell delicious. You can store it in the fridge and the freezer for easy meals throughout the week, and spice it up with different toppings like sour cream or avocado. Here is how I made my latest batch, though it changes a little every time…

3 Tbs olive oil

1 chopped white onion

2 chopped cloves garlic

2 chopped celery stalks

2 chopped carrots

1 large chopped tomato

1 chopped potato

1 1/2 cups lentils

6 cups water

bay leaf

salt

pepper

basil

pinch cumin

1 tbs lime juice

Veggies

In a large soup pot, heat up the olive oil and sautee the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the carrots, celery, potato, bay leaf and sautee about 5 minutes longer. Add the water, lentils, tomato, a couple teaspoons salt, pepper, and some basil and the cumin and bring it to a boil. You can add more seasonings at the end after you taste it – I also ended up throwing in some fresh rosemary too. Simmer the soup until the lentils are soft, which can take over an hour. At the end, squeeze in the lime juice and adjust the seasonings.

Lentil Soup with Avocado

Strawberry and mango sorbets

Gluten and dairy-free desserts are hard to come by – at least I don’t have many in my repertoire. So when Catherine suggested sorbet, I new this had to be one of my next culinary challenges. My friend Allison also is the inventor (as far as I know anyway) of the famous Mexican Beer Float, which is usually lemon-lime sorbet in a nice light Mexican beer, and she was thrilled about the prospect of them actually being consumed in Mexico. So I decided to give sorbet a whirl, and thought that mango sounded like the best flavor to start with. Mangoes are so creamy anyway that I figured it would be easier to achieve a creamy texture even without any actual cream AND without an ice-cream maker. And was it ever velvety and delicious.

Ingredients

3 large, Fresh, ripe mangoes, cubed

juice of about 1 lime

zest of 1/2 lime

simple syrup to taste (I used maybe 2/3 cup)

3 tbs tequila (I used Don Julio blanco)

I first made the simple syrup by combining 2/3 cup sugar with maybe 2/3 cup water and heating over the stove and stirring until the sugar had dissolved. Let it cool while you cut up the mangoes, which was probably my least favorite part because the mangoes were cold and I sliced my finger. Anyway. Put the mango in a blender with a few spoonfuls of simple syrup,  juice from half the lime, the zest, and 2 tbs tequila. By the way – there is a reason for adding a bit of booze to sorbet – it freezes at a lower temperature and so it helps the sorbet stay slightly soft and less icy. Blend it until very smooth, and taste it to see if you need more sugar or lime – the amounts depend on how sweet the mangoes are and how sweet you like it.  When you are happy with the flavor and it is blended smooth, place it in a tupperware or whatever container you plan to freeze it in. Now here is the trick to getting the right texture: you have to take it out once in a while and stir it up with a fork or a whisk, and then put it back in the freezer. Once it is just about frozen, take it out and put it all back in the blender and bend again until very smooth. Put it back in the freezer and let it freeze again. Once it is frozen completely the second time, you will notice that the texture is much smoother without the big ice chunks that were there after the first freeze.  The strawberry sorbet was made the same way, just using frozen strawberries and grand mariner as the alcohol component.

sorbet mix ready to freeze

Mango sorbet

Our namesake: Chile chocolate torte

This chili chocolate torte is rich, slightly spicy, and sinfully delicious. But keep reading, my flour-averse friends, it’s even gluten-free! It uses ground almonds and eggs to hold it together, along with bittersweet chocolate, sugar, coffee, butter or oil and Mexican spices. This torte is perfect served with some spiced whipped cream and/or vanilla ice cream. I basically modified a Better Homes & Gardens recipe to come up with this gluten-free version. I also tried to make it low-lactose, but it is best with butter, and milk-free chocolate is surprisingly hard to find here in Mexico. Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole almonds

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 lb. + 3 oz. Mexican chocolate, such as Turin or Ibarra, and/or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup butter or combination of butter and vegetable oil (use butter unless you are trying to go sans lactose)

6 egg yolks

1/4 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled

1.5 tsp. vanilla

1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder  (optional)

1 tsp. ground cinnamon  (divided use)

6 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup whole almonds

Crushed chipotle chile pepper (optional)

melted chocolate mixture

Toast the almonds on a cookie sheet at 400 for around 7-10 minutes, stirring once or twice,  until they have deepened in color and give off an strong aroma.

Turn your oven to 325 F or 163 C. Coat one spring form or two smaller cake pans with butter or cooking spray (the picture is one of two cakes I made using this recipe and two smaller pans). I would recommend also coating the bottom of the pan(s) with greased wax paper (which I can’t seem to find here in Mexico). I just make sure the pan is really well greased, though the cake sticks to the pan a bit – especially if you don’t dust it with flour. You can also dust the greased pan with flour if there are no allergies, or with cinnamon and/or almond crumbs as I did to keep it gluten-free.

Place the 1 1/4 cups toasted almonds in a blender or food processor along with the 2 tbs sugar. Process until finely ground.

In a saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter/oil over low heat, stirring frequently until it is entirely melted and you have a smooth, velvety mixture – don’t let it burn!

Stir together the egg yolks, coffee, vanilla, and salt in a separate bowl. Stir in the ground almond mixture, the chocolate mixture, the chipotle powder, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Adding the beaten egg whites to the chocolate mixture

In another bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the 1/4 cup granulated sugar and keep beating until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the chocolate/almond mixture. Now you are ready to pour the batter into the prepared pans and into the oven!

Bake the cake(s) 35-40 minutes or until just set. Remove from the oven and let them cool for at least an hour, then refrigerate for a couple hours.

For the garnishes: coat the remaining almonds with chipotle powder and cinnamon (you can shake them with the spices in a ziplock bag), and toast in the oven for 7-10 minutes. Whip the cream together with powdered sugar, cinnamon and 1 tsp vanilla. Top the cake with both, as pictured. Voila!

Spiced whipped cream

Chile chocolate torte: finished product

What better way for a bunch of gringos in Mexico to celebrate Mexico’s independence then to eat some good ol’ tamale pie? This version, however, is a more sophisticated take on the standard ground beef topped with cornbread mix that seems to be popular in the southern US. This recipe uses real masa harina (corn four used in tortillas) in the crust, and is topped with beans and a chicken tinga mixture, along with goat cheese and roasted bell peppers.

Ingredients

3-4 red and green bell peppers

3 cups masa harina

1.5  tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup plus a few Tbs. water

2 cups cooked or canned black and/or pinto beans, mashed

1 batch tinga de pollo

1 tsp sugar

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6-8 ounces chevre

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chipotle powder

Assembling the tamale pies

Place the peppers in the oven to roast. When the peppers are roasted (ie, skin is blistered and they are soft), take them out of the oven. When they are cool, peel off the skin and cut them into strips. The shortcut here is to use canned roasted peppers. You can also make the tinga de pollo while the peppers are roasting if you haven’t already.

Masa layer: mix the masa harina with the salt, then cut the shortening in with a fork or pastry knife until it is in small pieces and you have a crumbly mixture. Then slowly mix in the water, adjusting the amount so that you have a dough mixture that holds together but is not too wet. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9×13 greased baking dish.

Assemble the rest of the ingredients into the pie: spread the bean layer onto the masa, then top with the chicken tinga, the crumbled goat cheese, and the pepper strips (alternating red and green for the Mexican flag effect!). Cover with foil and bake at 400 for about 45 minutes. When you take out the pie, you can sprinkle it with some crumbled cotija or additional goat cheese if you want.

While the pie is baking, make the sauce. Empty the can of chopped tomatoes into a saucepan and add the cumin and chipotle, along with some salt and pepper. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, then add the sugar and stir and simmer for a few minutes more.

I also made a lactose-free version of this for my non-dairy eating friends. In a smaller round pan I assembled the pie in exactly the same way, only left off the cheese.

To serve, cut the pie into squares or wedges with a few spoonfuls of tomato sauce either under or on top of the pie slice.

I thought I was making a lot for the group of people we had, but both pies were gone in about 15 minutes!

The full comida with tamale pie in the center

Adding shredded chicken to onions and tomatoes - genius!

I just learned how to make this from an excellent Mexican cook named Aracelli. It’s a great chicken dish that can be eaten with rice, on tostadas, in tacos, or used in tamale pie.

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts

4 cups chopped white onion

About 5 large tomatoes, chopped

1 chopped jalepeno

Salt and pepper

Boil the chicken in water for 20-30 minutes with some onion and salt. When its done, remove the chicken and let it cool enough to handle, then shred the chicken breasts into small pieces with your hands. Strain the chicken broth.

Sautee the onions in olive oil. When translucent, add the chopped tomatoes and jalepeno and simmer, then add the shredded chicken pieces and some water or stock from the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or so.