This isn’t an actual recipe..I think. At least I don’t think something as easy to make as this can be called a recipe…it’s more of a putting together of ingredients. But since it’s something I eat almost twice a week, every week, and it’s beyond delicious, I thought I might as well share it with the rest of the world (I’ve shared it with my friends and they’ve also gotten on the twice a week wagon). The reasons for its greatness are as follows:
1) It’s incredibly healthy: cottage cheese, tons of proteins for when you don’t really want to have egg whites for breakfast again. Low in fat and high in calcium.
2) It’s delicious: sweet cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, strong olive oil, pepper and crusty bread. Feeling mediterranean yet?
3) Couldn’t be easier or quicker to make: Just pile everything on top of each other.
See?
And if you happen to have a cherry tomato plant in full production (as I do…yay! ) then you’ll want to make this even more. Especially when basil at the supermarket costs about 40 cents (or 6 pesos) for a huge, fresh, aromatic, bunch. So go on and get your delicious healthy on!

Cherry tomato and cottage cheese tartines
(Own recipe)

Serves two

2 small ciabbatas, (or pumpernickel, or baguette, or whatever bread you have around or like)
3/4 cup cottage cheese
4 slices smoked ham
About a half cup of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
Fresh basil
Strong olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper, freshly ground if available.

Slice the ciabbatas in two and lightly toast. Place a slice of smoked ham on top of each, then a few tbsps of cottage cheese. Add cherry tomatoes and several basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil and season with freshly ground salt and pepper.

From the title of this post you might think that I’m talking about sour cream as the super star here… but you’d be wrong. I’m actually talking about piloncillo. That awesome, very mexican unrefined sugar which you’ll find in cafe de olla, atole, capirotada (mexican bread pudding), calabaza en tacha…. or in most barns. (Because I’ll let you in on a little secret: mexican horses don’t eat sugar cubes, they eat tiny piloncillos).  Piloncillo is great because it’s unrefined…but unlike sugar, it has a lot more flavor. It’s sweet and smokey and caramel-y. And it comes in little cone shapes. The only downside to it is that it has to be dissolved before you can use it in most recipes, but that’s not really a problem since all it takes is a little bit of hot water. So I went ahead and used it in a delicious and easy recipe for 100% whole wheat bread, with a dollop of sour cream, which resulted in a moist, rich, slightly sweet loaf. The perfect breakfast bread, with a couple slices of smoked ham and a little bit of butter, or as toast to accompany a creamy soup. (And on the plus side, if you don’t have, can’t or won’t find piloncillo, you could always use maple syrup, molasses or agave nectar!) But I won’t bore you anymore with the details about little cones of sugar, instead why don’t you go and read more the recipe?

Piloncillo & sour cream whole wheat bread
(Own recipe)

Yields 1 loaf

1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup dissolved piloncillo*
3 1/2 to 4 cups whole wheat flour
1 packet (12 grs) instant yeast
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp salt

*To dissolve the piloncillo, place 1/3 cup piloncillo bits in a small bowl, then add just enough boiling water to cover it. Let it sit until it’s dissolved.
Alternately, you can substitute this ingredient with 1/3 cup molasses, 1/3 cup maple syrup, or half a cup agave nectar

Directions
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer, and using the hook attachment, mix on med-low speed until a soft dough forms. As you keep kneading it, it should start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and stick to itself. Knead it for 4 or 5 minutes, then transfer to your work surface and finish kneading by hand. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. You can add water or flour as needed. Once you have a smooth round ball, transfer to a large bowl, cover lightly with a damp towel and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place. After these 2 hours, flatten the dough slightly and shape it into a rectangle according to your mold. (I like to line my molds with wax paper just in case) Place it inside, then with a slightly wet brush, dampen the surface and sprinkle a bit of flour over it. Using a very sharp knife, score the dough firmly down the middle. Cover again and let rise for 2 more hours.

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Bake until golden, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool before slicing.

You know how at certain points in your life you have to just shout out “Screw it, I don’t give a damn about anyone or anything and I’m just going to do whatever I like!”? I do. It doesn’t happen to me that often, but when it does I feel reaaaaally good. (Almost as good as when I eat nutella, but no, not quite) My life lately has been exactly like that. Things happen, people happen, problems happen…and when there’s nothing you can do about anything, the only thing left to do is exactly that – to not give a damn. Especially if at that precise moment of your life you happen to have a 25th birthday which makes you feel incredibly old, single, and stuck in life. (Is this a 25 year old rule or something?) And if you can not give a damn surrounded by friends who are equally not giving any of those damns, then everything is much better! Just like chocolate cupcakes, stuffed with another chocolate and covered with some more chocolate spread. Too much chocolate? Who gives a damn???? And there is no such thing as too much nutella, ever. But I’ll leave my torrid love affair with the heavenly spread for another post. (Suffices to say the frosting recipe called for 100 grams nutella. I used 200. Have no regrets.) Meanwhile, you should really go and read more for this absolutely over the top recipe, who doesn’t care what anyone has to say about it.

Ferrero stuffed cupcakes with nutella frosting

For these cupcakes I used two different recipes, from two awesome blogs:

The cupcake part is courtesy of fromaway.com

And the frosting part is courtesy of aroundleglobe.com

I only slightly modified them, so here they go:

For the cupcakes

1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
12 Ferrero Rocher candies, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cups. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter at medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugar, and beat until incorporated, about two minutes more. Add the egg and vanilla, then reduce the mixer speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing until combined. Scrape down the bowl and add the buttermilk, mixing until incorporated, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients.

Divide the batter evenly into the paper cups. Press one Ferrero Rocher into the center of each cupcake. Try to cover the chocolates with batter, but don’t worry if it’s not completely covered. Bake for 22 – 25 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the centers comes out clean. Don’t worry if you can see the candies after baking, they’ll be covered with frosting.

For the frosting:

1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 and 1/2 cup (190 g) icing sugar (confectioners’), sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
130 grs premium bittersweet chocolate. Chopped, melted and slightly cooled.
200 grs Nutella
Pinch of salt

In a bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the icing sugar and butter and beat on low speed for about 1 minute.
Add vanilla, and beat on low speed until well combined. Add the melted and slightly cooled chocolate and beat on medium speed until smooth for about 2 minutes. Add the Nutella, milk and a pinch of salt, and beat on med-high speed for another minute.
Frost onto cupcakes with a spatula or fitted nozzle, whichever you prefer.

I don’t know what it is about pound cakes that’s so good….maybe it’s the in between-ness of a cake and a pastry, or the soft texture that just goes so well with milk or tea, or the variety of flavors…I don’t know. I just know that its great. And you know what else I know is great? Grand Marnier. I know this because its given me plenty of fun, in margarita shape. And because crepes suzette will always hold a special place in my heart. And because creme brulée is also one of my top-choice desserts. So a grand marnier pound cake? Why yes please! And mix it up with a ton of spices, and a dense, springy texture which will soak up the liquored up syrup, and you’ve got the richest, most delicious drunk pound cake. Which will also keep over a week, ( I know because as usual I overdid it and made two) making it a great treat for guests, or to accompany a cup of black tea, with a dash of milk. Sounds interesting? Read more for the recipe.

Spiced orange & grand marnier pound cake
(Own recipe)

230 grs butter (1 cup), softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp orange zest
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove
7 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cups orange juice
1 tbsp Grand Marnier

For the syrup

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup Grand Marnier (or Cointreau if you don’t have grand marnier)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 330ºF, prepare your mold by lining it with wax paper.
Sift together all the dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together the orange juice, vanilla and 1 tbsp grand marnier. In the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment, mix the butter and sugar on med speed until lighter in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the orange zest.
Switch to the paddle attachment and on med speed, add half of the flour mixture, mix well, add half of the orange juice, mix well. Add the remaining half of the flour, mix, and the remaining orange juice.
Transfer to the baking mold and bake until golden brown, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 1 hour – 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Once done, remove from the oven. Wait about 5 minutes and transfer to a wire rack.
Make the syrup by mixing the water and sugar in a small pan. Simmer until the sugar is dissolved, add the grand marnier and simmer for another 3 minutes. Using a pastry brush, cover the pound cake with the syrup, both on the top and on the sides (Tip: I usually cover it in half the syrup, wait about 5 minutes for that to be absorbed, and the keep going with the other half of the syrup.) Once it’s fully imbibed, let it sit for at least a half hour to let the syrup moisten the cake evenly.

(You can decorate with either icing sugar, or a glaze made out of icing sugar and a few tsps of orange juice.)

Bananas are one of those foods that hardly anyone dislikes. They’re sweet and mushy, one of the friendliest textures ever. But the truly great thing about bananas is that when you mix them with butter, flour and eggs and then bake them to produce banana bread, no one, not even that one person who claims to hate bananas, will refuse to eat them. So I took my go-to banana bread recipe, which I found eons ago on Deb’s Smitten Kitchen (yet another great recipe from her!) and turned it into muffins. But wait, I thought, it’s not enough to have delicious bites of banana bread. I should definitely add coconut flakes, because they’re so crispy…. and bananas and coconuts together make me think of monkeys and palm trees and caribbean islands. Which of course makes me think of pirates…and well from pirates to rum it’s only one small jump right? So why not add a small splash of rum…or maybe a not so small one?  So I did all of those things, and the result is an insanely delicious breakfast muffin, which packs a whole punch because of all the flavors, and because it’ll make you think of Jack sparrow. (And who doesn’t love thinking about Jack sparrow right?).Ok, ok..I’ll stop rambling about all the crazy things I think about when presented with coconut flakes and jut tell you to read more for the recipe.

Banana rum coconut muffins
(Recipe adapted from the awesome Deb at Smitten Kitchen)

For the crumble:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut flakes

4 large ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted salted butter
3/4 brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 tbsp dark rum
1/2 cup coconut flakes
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cup of flour

Make the crumble by mixing the flour, butter and sugar in a bowl and rubbing it between your hands, pressing the butter into the flour and sugar until you get a crumbly, sand like texture. You should be able to grab a fistful, press it together into a ball, and then crumble it softly. Add the coconut flakes and mix.

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare your cupcake tins with liners.

Mix the all the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
Mix the mashed bananas with the butter, then add the sugar, vanilla, rum and egg.
Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Place spoonfuls in your cupcake lines until 2/3 full. Top each with a generous amount of the crumble you prepared earlier.

Bake until golden brown, the set on a wire rack to cool.
Enjoy slightly warm

You know when you’ve been wanting to cook something for a while and then when you finally do it turns out great because you’ve been thinking so much about it? That’s what happened to me with this recipe. I’d had my mind on it for about a week, and then when I saw a few photogenic oranges lying around in the kitchen I decided it had to be done. So I went and got all of the ingredients missing only to come home and find that someone had turned the oranges into juice. And so it stayed on my mind for even longer until I came across some good-looking oranges again. And I’m glad it did! Because the combination of sweet orange juice, with the tartness of the tamarind pulp, and the bitterness of the orange peels could not have turned out better. Seriously, this might be my new favorite glaze-y sauce. And I’m sure it goes great with chicken too, in case you don’t eat beef. And to top it off, if you serve it over a bowl of white rice, you can eat it with chopsticks, because there’s nothing to reassure you of the deliciousness of something as holding the bowl in one hand and then picking every single last grain of rice with your chopsticks, right? Read more for the recipe.

Tamarind and orange glazed steak
(Own recipe)

1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup tamarind pulp
1 tsp finely grated orange zest (microplaned, if possible)
2 tbsp fresh ginger julienne (as thin as you can make it)
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
300 grs sirloin steak, clean and cut in cubes (other steak choices are ok, as long as they’re lean and tender)
—–
1 large garlic clove, cut in 4
Splash of olive oil
1/2 cup very fine orange rind julienne**
Supremes of 2 oranges, for serving.

(**Here is a video for making julienne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioq7td2u5CY
I made mine lengthwise to have longer strips, but if it’s easier you can also do it crosswise)

Mix together in a bowl the first 6 ingredients, and let the meat marinate for half an hour.
Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Place the orange rind julienne and let them simmer for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse, twice, then place on a paper towel to dry.

Once your meat is done marinating, you’re good to go:
Heat the olive oil along with the garlic clove on a large skillet. Add the orange julienne and let it cook until it becomes slightly golden brown. (It will also curl up,  don’t worry) Remove the garlic and discard.  Add the meat along with all of the marinade, turn the heat to medium and cook until the marinade becomes a glaze around the meat, 5-7 minutes.
To serve, top with several orange supremes. (Over a bowl of white rice, If I may recommend)

From reading this blog, you might not think I like to eat healthy stuff and work out. But you’d be wrong. While I might be the first one to get on the nutella wagon and have absolutely no remorse in eating pasta with rustic bread, I also love healthy foods. Fresh ingredients, raw veggies with delicious dressings and lean fishes rock my boat as easily as any cookie recipe. Which are all the things I like to eat on regular days. (By regular days, I mean those days in which I don’t eat out, cook for friends, or make cakes, three days a week? Guilty.) And my absolute favorite meal along those lines, is breakfast. Because there’s nothing more satisfying or rewarding than eating a delicious, healthy and filling bowl of greek yogurt with just ripe bananas and peanut butter and oats topping after an exhausting work out. So that’s why I’m sharing with you this delicious recipe…because even if you’re not a health-lets-eat-gazillions-of-proteins freak, you’ll still love it and want to use it as a topping for any meal, or a snack, anytime of the day. Because who doesn’t love peanut butter and chocolate and oats all together?. I know, no one. And the even greater thing about this recipe, it’s the easiest thing in the world! Just mix everything in one bowl. That’s why its not an actual granola, there’s no baking or syrup making involved! Got you hooked yet? Read more for the recipe.

Protein oat and peanut butter granola
(Own recipe)

1  1/c cups rolled oats
1 cup amaranth
1/2 cup whey protein powder (vanilla or chocolate is fine)
1/4 cups dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup slivered almonds
250 grs peanut butter, at room temperature or slightly softened
3 tbsp maple syrup

Directions

Place the oats and amaranth on a baking dish or sheet and lightly toast them in your oven or convenience oven. Let cool. (This bit is optional but I highly recommend it for an extra crunchiness factor)

In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients. Using a rubber spatula, mix thoroughly until it is evenly distributed and paste-like. Roll out over plastic wrap to form a square, using your hands to press it all together (You should have a large brick like shape) cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
Once its cool and solid, use your hands to break it out into “crumbles”. Transfer to a jar or airtight container. Voila! You’re done. Sprinkle over fruit, yogurt, cereal, or make little bags to eat on the go.

This post contains what I’m just going to go ahead and without any research or authority on the subject, call Mexico’s favorite cake. While it’s not strictly Mexican (I know it’s also out there in other latin american countries, also probably a favorite) it is an incredibly  mexican flavor for me, because it’s one of those things that you eat in traditional restaurants, in pueblitos, or at your grandmother’s house when your family gets together. And I’m not singing its praises just because its traditional… oh no. Not in the slightest. How could I not talk up the spongiest of sponge cakes that’s thoroughly imbibed in all the variants of sweet milks out there? Because that’s exactly what this cake is, tres leches, meaning three milks. Condensed milk? Yes please. Evaporated milk? Yes please. Table cream? Um, also yes. Top it all with chantilly? Too much cream you say? No. That is absolutely impossible! Especially if you have bits of fresh strawberries all over. Trust me on this, it sounds insanely sweet, but what did you think the first time someone told you to dip your oreos in peanut butter? Aha. Thought so.
This cake is the kind of cake you don’t eat as often you’d like… because it takes a bit of work. But the texture, and flavor, and insanely sweet goodness are absolutely worth it.  Note: The pictures here are for three-layered mini cakes, because I’m crazy like that, but the recipe is for a regular, two layer cake. (Trust me, you’ll want to go for the easier one-cake bit unless you’re insane like me).
Read more for the recipe.

Tres leches cake, or mini cakes.

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
6 eggs, separated yolks and whites
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 can condended milk
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
1 can table cream*
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup strawberries, diced
Extra strawberries for decorating.

Chantilly cream:

1lt whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp powdered sugar, or to taste.

Table cream is what we call “media crema”. The one I know is from Nestle. I think you can also substitute with Carnation’s thick cream.
In case you’ve no clue what I’m going on about, here’s a link:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/nestle-table-cream/ID=prod6068018-product

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF

Grease and line a 9 in round cake mold.

-Make the sponge cake
Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, separately, beat together the yolks and sugar. Add the flour and baking powder, beat well, add the milk and vanilla. Fold the egg whites in gently, using a rubber spatula. Transfer to the mold and bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and the center of the cake is springy to the touch. Transfer to wire rack and let cool for 10-15 minutes.

-Imbibe
In a bowl mix together the condensed milk, evaporated milk, and table cream. Whisk vigourously.
Using a finely serrated knife, level the top of the cake, removing as little as possible. Then, slice the cake in half, so you end up with two cakes. (A little tip: I like to first trace firmly with the knife all around the circle, to make an even opening exactly halfway, that way when you cut across the knife will fall into the “path” you cut around first. Here is a video because my explanation wasn’t all that good.)
Poke both cakes with a toothpick, and using a pastry brush, imbibe it with the milk and cream mixture. Do this on both sides, on both cakes, two times.  (Or more is you still have milk cream mixture left). The sponges should be soaked through and through, no dry spots left. Set aside.

- Mount the cake:
Preapare the chantilly cream by whipping the cream on high speed for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and sugar, and continue beating until peaks form and the whisk holds.
Place the first sponge on a carton circle for cakes. With a metal spatula, add  a very thin layer of whipped cream, then place on top the diced strawberries and spread them out evenly. Top with the second sponge cake. Again, with a small metal spatula, add a very thin layer all around and on top of the cake, masking it. (as if you were super super thin frosting it).
Using a piping bag and a star tip, pipe whipped cream stars all around the cake, working your way up form the bottom in circles. When you reach the top, leave a small circle in the center, which you can then fill with diced, sliced, or whole strawberries. Top with a sprig of mint leaves.

Here in my end of the world we had a practically nonexistent winter. Which means its february and its already a hundred million degrees outside. And that, in my opinion is weatherchannel code for wearing silky dresses, sitting on sunny terraces eating carpaccio and having rosé. Sounds heavenly, I know. And that is what I try to do with my time…when I’m not having emotional meltdowns/family fights/random bursts of craziness. Which is what happens post holidays in my world. (And yes, february is still post-holidays) But since the weather permits it, I can pull my old trick of making ceviche right and left, because as I once told you over here, there is nothing as therapeutic, calming, relaxing, forget-everything-else-ing, as grabbing your sharpest knives and just spending 20 minutes dicing away. There’s something about the clean cuts, the even tiny cubes, and the simplicity of ceviche that just makes everything feel in order, in its proper place, balanced out with all the flavors in the mix. And that is how I like my head to feel. So even though I missed winter, I’m glad I have an excuse to make so much of this summery, light, brilliant dish. On to the recipe? Read more.  

Spearmint and cucumber ceviche
(Own recipe)

Serves 2 as a main dish, up to 6 as an entrée.

3-4 clean fillets of your favorite soft white fleshed fish (sea bass, red snapper, tilapia and basa are all good options)
1 medium cucumber
1/2 small red onion
1 large serrano pepper
3 tbsp agave nectar (agave honey)
3tbsp finely chopped fresh spearmint
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup olive oil (or there about, to taste)
Salt, to taste

Finely dice the onion into 3-4 mm cubes. Do the same with the cucumber by cutting 4 thick slices with skin, leaving a long center cube with the flesh and seeds part, which you won’t use. Cut the cubes out of the skin slices by first cutting into strips and then across. Slice the serrano pepper in half, remove all the seeds and the veins (the spicy parts!) and also cut into cubes, as small as you can make them. (2 mm). Cut the fish fillets into 1 cm cubes, or slightly bigger. Place in a bowl with all of the remaining  ingredients. Toss with a spoon to get it all well mixed. Let sit at least for 3 hours in the fridge, until the fish is tender and no longer translucent. Serve with tostadas and avocado, if available.

I am totally shameless. I know we all spent the last month eating turkey and potatoes. I know at least I shouldn’t keep eating turkey and potatoes. I know I should balance the holidays out by eating nothing but salads and fruits during January. I know. I know. But I couldn’t help it. Turkey was on my mind. So I went and got a turkey breast… and while I was at it I ran into some really tiny potatoes and some decently-sized shallots (which is not common where I shop). So I had to get them too. And of course I had to caramelize all of them together. And even though I am shameless I have no regrets… because the result was this: incredibly sweet and tender shallots, roasted baby potatoes and soft, juicy, turkey slices… all covered in the best jus of your life, thanks to the butter, sugar, shallots and turkey juices all caramelizing together. The only regret I have is not having done something to get more of this legendary jus… I’ll have to think about how to do that next time. But in the meantime, I’ll have to post at least a couple healthy recipes right??
Read more for the recipe.

Caramelized turkey breast with shallots and potatoes
(Own recipe)

1 turkey breast, tied.
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup  sugar, brown or caster
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary
500 grs baby potatoes (pick the smallest at the market!)
500 grs shallots
Freshly ground salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450ºF
In a bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and the leaves of the rosemary sprigs. (Be generous with the rosemary) Add freshly ground salt and pepper, also generously. Whisk energetically until it looks like frosting.

Using a spatula, “frost” the entire turkey breast with some of the butter mixture. Add the shallots and potatoes to the remaining mixture and cover those as well, mixing with the spatula. Next, place them as a bed on your baking dish and put the turkey breast on top.

Bake covered  with aluminum foil for about 1 hour, then uncover and bake for 10 more minutes. You should have a thick and rich dark juice around the potatoes and the breast should look golden brown. Be careful not to let the jus burn.

(NOTE: You can also braise the turkey breast on a very hot pan before putting it over the potatoes and baking it, you’ll get a more caramelised “crust”, but it’s quite messy and you have to do it very fast before the sugar starts to burn. Its up to you!)