Aphorisms of a Dancing Girl!

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: A Peruvian Classic - Papas a la Huancaina - The Vegan & Gluten-Free Version

5/2/2016

A Peruvian Classic:
Papas a la Huancaina
The Vegan & Gluten-Free Version

This dish is usually made with queso fresco, eggs and crackers. I've made my version using vegan and gluten free ingredients that make this dish a healthy alternative. This cheese is both low in calories and carbs. In my opinion, the taste comes pretty darn close to the real thing.

Ingredients:
Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes or Jicama

Basic Sauce Recipe Ingredients:
1 block of Silken Tofu (1 lb)
1/4 cup Light Yellow Miso
2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast
1 Aji pepper
1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
Salt to taste

Directions:

Boil or bake your potatoes.

Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse til its creamy and smooth. Put the mixture into a sauce pan and heat it up til its warm.

Pour the sauce over the potatoes and serve.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Roasted Cabbage Steak With Warm Pineapple Salsa

4/20/2016

Roasted Cabbage Steak
with Warm Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients:
1 head of Cabbage
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Garlic Powder
Salt to taste

Salsa Ingredients:
1/2 cup of chopped Pineapple
1 de-seeded Serrano Pepper
1/4 Onion
2 Garlic cloves
a handful of Cilantro
Juice of 1 small Lime
Salt to taste.

Optional Toppings:
Walnuts
Pepitas

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel off the outer couple of leaves. Don't cut the root off as it'll keep the steak together. Cut your cabbage from top to bottom into slices about 1 inch thick.

Put them on a well greased baking sheet.

Mix the olive oil and garlic powder together. Brush the mixture onto the steaks.

Roast for 20 min and then flip and cook for an additional 20 min or til fork tender.

Make the salsa by putting all the ingredients into a blender and pulse til smooth. Warm the salsa up in a pot. If the salsa is too spicy, add more pineapple and water.

Put the cabbage steaks on a plate and pour the pineapple salsa. Top with a few pepitas and walnuts.

Can be served as a main course or as a side.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Broccoli & "Cheese" (Vegan & Gluten-Free) - No Dairy, Low Carb & Low Cal

4/5/2016

Roasted Broccoli & Cheese
Vegan & Gluten-Free

I'm not fond of steamed broccoli but I do love it when its roasted. This cheese is really healthy as it is low in calories and carbs. The taste comes pretty darn close to the real thing.

Ingredients:
2 heads of Broccoli
1 tablespoon of Olive Oil

Basic Sauce Recipe Ingredients:
1 block of Silken Tofu (20 oz)
1/4 cup Mild Yellow Miso
2 tablespoons of Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric

Optional Spicy Sauce Seasoning Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne (more if you like it really hot)
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 teaspoon of dried Cilantro
Salt to taste.

Directions:
Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut up the broccoli and toss in olive oil. Put the broccoli on a baking sheet and roast for 30min.

Put all the sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse til its creamy and smooth. Put the mixture into a sace pan and heat it up til its warm.

Pour the sauce over the broccoli and serve.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Pink Jicama Cabbage Slaw

3/28/2016

Pink Jicama Cabbage Slaw

Basic Recipe Ingredients:
1/2 head of Red Cabbage
!/2 head of Green Cabbage
1/2 chopped Jicama
1/2 cup Soy or Coconut Yogurt
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

Optional Ingredients:
a few sprigs of fresh Dill
a few sprigs of fresh Mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice the cabbage finely with a knife or your food processor.

Chop the jicama into cubes.

Put everything together in a bowl and mix with the yogurt, vinegar and herbs. Salt to taste.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner - "Mac and NOT-cho Cheese" (A Vegan & Gluten-Free Version)

3/7/2016

"Mac and NOT-cho Cheese"
(A Vegan & Gluten-Free Version)

Basic Vegan Cashew Cheese Ingredients:
1 cup of Cashews (soak them for a few hours)
1/4 cup of Almond Milk (water, veggie broth or other non-dairy milk if you prefer)
2 tablespoons of fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 teaspoon of Mild Yellow Miso
1/4 teaspoon of Sea Salt

Optional addins for the Not-cho cheese as shown:
2 cloves of Garlic
1/4 tsp of Cumin
1/4 tsp of Cayenne powder
1/4 tsp of Turmeric

Pasta:
6 cups of Gluten-Free Pasta
Salt & Pepper to taste.

Directions:
Soak the cashews up to 24 hours. The longer you soak them, the creamier the cheese will be.

Put all the basic cheese ingredients into the food processor or blender. Pulse til you get the consistency you want. It could take as long as 10 min if you don't have a high-powered food processor or blender. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse til its all well combined.

Cook and drain your pasta.

Add the cheese to the pasta. Mix until well combined.

I topped it with Black Pepper.

NOTE: If you skip the water, then you'll have a cheesy mixture that's shakeable. Once you add the water, it goes from dry cheese to queso. How much water you use will depend on how creamy you want it to be.

In my cheese, I soaked the cashews overnight and used almond milk instead of water. If you want it to be creamier as you mix it into the pasta, you can add more milk or vegetable broth.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Healthy Sunday Brunch With Jicama Hashbrowns & Calabacitas

2/15/2016

Jicama Hashbrowns & Calabacitas

Calabacitas is a squash stew made in Mexico that is typically served as a side dish. This is my version. I usually add beans to make it a complete meal. This is a healthy vegan dish that I hope you'll try out. I made the Jicama hashbrowns as a low cal, low carb alternative to regular ones. Jicama is amazing when cooking it as though it were a potato. One thing to keep in mind when cooking with Jicama, it'll never get soft like a potato. Once its cooked, it still retains a crunch but the taste is amazing. Jicama is almost like sweet potato but a little more subtle. Hope you try it out, Jicama has less than half the calories of potatoes.

Calabacitas Ingredients:
2 cups Squash (Zucchini or any type you like)
1 Onion
1.5 cups Corn
2 cloves of Garlic
1 de-seeded Jalapeno
2 cups of Beans (Pinto or Black)
1/2 cup of Diced Tomatoes
a handful of Chopped Cilantro
1 teaspoon of Coconut Oil
1/2 tablespoon of Mexican Oregano
1 teaspoon of Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste

Makes 4+ servings.

Jicama Hashbrowns Ingredients:
4 cups of Shredded Jicama (1 cup per person)
1 tablespoon of Coconut Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Makes 4 servings.

Optional Toppings:
Avocado
Cilantro
a dash of Nutritional Yeast

Directions for Calabacitas:
Take a frying pan, add the oil over medium heat and start by cooking the onions, squash and garlic together til the onion is tender.

Add the corn, beans, tomatoes, jalapeno and spices. Simmer the mixture over low to medium heat til the mixture is cooked through.

Top with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve with hashbrowns, avocado, cilantro and a pinch of nutritional yeast.

Directions for Hashbrowns:
Peel the Jicama. Use a box grater or a food processor to get 4 cups of shredded Jicama. Use a towel and squeeze out the excess water.

Take a frying pan and add the oil. Cook and stir the Jicama til it starts to brown up all over. It'll take about 5min. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Keep in mind that it will not look golden brown like potatoes but it will brown up a little, be careful not to burn your hashbrowns.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Roasted Radishes & Chayotes

2/8/2016

Roasted Radishes & Chayotes

Ingredients:
2 Chayotes
24 Radishes
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon of Cumin
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
a pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 key Lime

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line a roasting pan.

Peel the Chayote. Discard the seed. Cut it into wedges.
Clean and cut the tops of the radishes. Cut the radishes in half.

Combine all the spices, garlic and oil together.
Toss the vegetables and marinade together.

Bake for about 30 min.

Top with a little squeeze of lime juice on top.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: BAKED JICAMA FRIES With Chipotle Crema

1/29/2016

BAKED JICAMA FRIES
With Chipotle Crema

These fries are amazing. They're a bit like sweet potato fries because they come out tasting salty and sweet. Jicama is an amazing vegetable and perfect for health conscious people. It's low in calories and delicious raw or baked. These are a great alternative to high calorie potato fries.

Ingredients:
1 Jicama
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Powder
1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika Powder
2 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Dried Cilantro leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste

Ingredients for Chipotle Crema:
1 Garlic clove
1 pepper from a can of Chipotles in Adobo
1/2 cup Plain Coconut Yogurt
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
Pre-Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Peel the Jicama. Cut it up into slender fries.

Take a bowl and mix the cotija cheese with all the spices.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum. Place the fries on it. Pour the olive oil and cheesy spice mix over the fries. Mix them all around til all the fries are covered in oil, cheese and spices.

Bake for 40-50 min depending on how crispy you want them to be.

Take the chipotle cream sauce ingredients and put them into a blender. Pulse til creamy smooth.

Serve with the sauce drizzled on top or on the side.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: ROASTED SWEET POTATOES - Stuffed 2 different ways

1/14/2016

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES
Stuffed 2 different ways

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes
olive oil to taste
salt to taste

Directions:
Wash the sweet potatoes. Poke a few holes on the sweet potato with a fork.
Rub olive oil and salt.
Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45-60 min til the sweet potato is tender.

Now it's time to stuff them. Here are 2 different ways I like eating them. Each one of these recipes is measured out for 1 serving so just multiply the ingredients if you need more.

Miso Butter Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato
1 tbsp Room temperature Vegan Butter
2 tsp Mild Yellow Miso
1 tsp Maple Syrup

Directions:
Mix the vegan butter, miso and maple syrup together. Open your sweet potato and put the miso butter in. If you find the mixture is a little too salty from the miso, just add a little more butter.

Balsamic Glazed Blackberry Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato
8 Blackberries
2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
a pinch of Cinnamon
2 tablespoons of Plain Coconut Yogurt

Directions:
Put the vinegar and maple syrup into a small frying pan. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer. Stir in the cinnamon and Blackberries. Let the mixture reduce to a syrupy glaze. The more you reduce, the sweeter the glaze.

Take your roasted sweet potato and open it up.
Add the yogurt, pour the blackberry glaze over the potato and yogurt.

Move over pancakes, I prefer eating this at breakfast. Enjoy!

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Sauteed Sweet Potatoes & Apples

1/3/2016

Sauteed Sweet Potatoes & Apples

This makes a great side dish, especially for brunch.

Ingredients:
2 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 Diced Apple
2 tbsp Chopped Pecans
1 oz of Raisins
1/2 cup of Fresh Cranberries
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
2 tbsp Maple Syrup
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
a pinch of grated nutmeg

Directions:
Melt the oil in a frying pan. Add the sweet potatoes, cranberries and apples. Cook on medium high til the potatoes get soft. Stir in the maple syrup, salt, cinnamon, raisins, nutmeg and pecans. Cook for 2-3 min more then serve.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: MUSHROOM NUT PATE - "TEX MEX NUT MEAT SPREAD"

1/2/2016

MUSHROOM NUT PATE
"TEX-MEX NUT MEAT SPREAD"

The basic recipe is mushrooms, nuts, veggies and herbs.
This is a great faux meat-like alternative for vegans. I especially love stuffing the "nut meat" spread into avocados.

Ingredients:
1 cup raw soaked Pecans (or any nut)
3 Medium Sized Portobello Mushrooms
6 Shiitake Mushrooms (or any mushrooms)
1/4 Red Onion
1 Celery Rib
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 tsp Miso
1/2 tbsp Tamari
1 tsp Lime Juice
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Cayenne
1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
1/2 tbsp Cilantro
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:
Dissolve some salt into a bowl of water. Soak the pecans for an hour. In another bowl, soak the sun-dried tomatoes. If using dry shiitake mushrooms, soak those too. Saute the portobello mushrooms in a little bit of oil.

After the hour, drain the pecans, mushrooms and tomatoes. Put all the ingredients into a food processor. You can pulse til its smooth or you can allow it to be chunky. I chose to pulse til smooth. You can vary the herbs and spices to what you like.

How do you eat this? On crackers, wraps, stuff an avocado... the possibilities are endless.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Balsamic Glazed Persimmons

12/27/2015

Balsamic Glazed Persimmons

Ingredients:
1 Persimmon
1/2 tsp Coconut Oil
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
a pinch of Sea Salt
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:
Slice the persimmon. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the persimmon slices and saute for a few minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar, cinnamon and salt. Cook til the persimmons are tender and glazed.

You can eat the persimmon slices alone or in a salad. The possibilities are endless. I like eating them at breakfast with soy or coconut yogurt and granola as shown in the photo.

Lupe's Kitchen Corner: Spicy Carrot Salad

11/29/2015

Spicy Carrot Salad

This is my take on a popular French salad using shredded carrots.

Ingredients:
3 Cups Shredded Carrots
1/2 Medium Red Onion
1 Tbsp Dried Cilantro (Substitute Fresh)

Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Juice Of 1 Lemon
1/4 tsp Crushed Garlic
1/4 tsp Stone Ground Mustard
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp Agave Nectar

Directions:

In a small bowl, add all the vinaigrette ingredients together and whisk.

In a bigger bowl, add the shredded carrot, cilantro and chopped red onion.

Add the vinaigrette to the bigger bowl and mix the whole thing together.

Let the salad marinade for an hour or more before serving.