April 2019

Caribbean Vibes: Fried Yellow Plantains {Vegan, GF}

Hanukkah, Passover, Recipes, Sides / By

Caribbean Vibes: Pan-Fried Yellow Plantains {Vegan, GF}

Pan-Fried Yellow Plantains are so easy and delicious! And with their crispy edges and lightly sweet flavor, they are the perfect side dish at any time.

When I was growing up, back in the Dominican Republic, I could clearly see in my family people having certain preferences. When gatherings came about, you either had a strong preference for stewed kidney beans, or you loved stewed pigeon peas. You either liked sweet cream of beans (made with red beans) or you ate the white version (made with broad beans) and the same was true for plantains. You either loved fritos maduros (fried yellow plantains) or you were team tostones (fried green plantains).

I remember always leaning towards “team tostones” (I love crunchy stuff!), but as I grew older I started to embrace those foods that were usually preferred by my sister, including pigeon peas and fried yellow plantains. Maybe is a sentimental thing. Who knows?!

When making fried yellow plantains, you need to choose the right ones, which will be yellow color and have very dark/black spots on them (like the picture below). The black spots are the perfect indicator that the plantains are ripe enough and perfect for this recipe. 

 

The perfect yellow plantain is also firm to the touch but no completely. It should feel ripe with a certain resistance. You don’t want a plantain that is too ripe (with the peel mostly black) because it will be difficult to slice, it won’t hold its shape when cooking, it will absorb a lot of oil and it will be mushy. If you have yellow plantains that are overly ripe, they won’t be good for this recipe but you can use them to make Vegan Banana Bread (using yellow plantains instead!)

 

When you go to certain supermarkets, you sometimes see yellow plantain with a perfect bright yellow peel. If you buy those, wait for a few days until it ripens a bit more and you can see black spots. If you cook them right away, the fried yellow plantains won’t have the soft interior and caramelized flavor that is so characteristic.

Caribbean Vibes: Pan-Fried Yellow Plantains {Vegan, GF}

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Course Side Dish
Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican Republic

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Ripe Yellow Plantains
  • Pinch of salt
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)

Instructions
 

  • Before starting, have a plate with paper towels ready in the counter to drain excess oil.
  • Heat the vegetable oil
  • Peel and cut the yellow plantains as desired (lengthwise, round or at an angle)
  • Fry the plantain slices over medium-low heat until brown on the bottom. Turn over and cook the other size until golden brown.
  • Carefully remove the plantains fron the oil, with the help of tongs or a slotted spoon, and place over paper towels to drain for a minute or two.
  • You can now season with a pinch of salt, if desired. Preferably, serve immediately.
Keyword caribbean, Plantains

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Easy Chocolate Mousse {Passover-Friendly, GF}

Passover, Sweet Treats / By

Easy Chocolate Mousse Cake {Passover-friendly, Gluten-Free}

If you still haven’t decided on what dessert to make for Pesach, this Luscious Passover-Friendly Mousse Cake will be the perfect end to your Passover Celebration!

If you are having a hard time coming up with a menu for your Pesach, we have prepared for you a couple of post to help you in your journey: 


5 Full Menu Ideas for Passover
10 Massoth-free Breakfast Ideas to enjoy during Pesach and all year-round

Making this Mousse cake is very straight-forward process and extremely easy. As a bonus, you can make it vegan as well.

This recipe calls for almond flour, which I find to be available in most places these days, but if for some reason you can’t find it, you can buy peeled whole or silvered almonds and pulse a few times in a food processor until you have course granules. Just be careful not to process too much or you’ll make almond butter instead. You can also use other nuts to make the flour, and that I leave to your preference.

Easy Chocolate Mousse Cake {Passover-Friendly, GF}

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Course Dessert
Servings 8

Equipment

  • 1 20 cm Cake Pan Springform cake pan or Round pyrex work

Ingredients
  

Base:

  • 100 gr Caster Sugar
  • 150 gr Almond Flour
  • 70 gr Salted Butter room temperature
  • 30 gr Cocoa Powder

Mousse

  • 400 gr 74% Chocolate semi sweet
  • 150 ml Milk any kind
  • 100 gr Cocoa Powder
  • 600 ml Heavy Whipping Cream, cold 35% Fat. Substitute plant-based if needed
  • 2 tsp Cointreau, Orange Liqueur Optional but recommended. Can use another liquor as well or extract.

Instructions
 

Base:

  • In a bowl, mix all ingredients and flatten the mixture on a 20 cm baking pan (Preferably use a pan with removable bottom)
  • Place in the prepared base in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to harden.

Mousse:

  • Simmer the whole milk and mix with the cocoa powder until dissolved. Mix well.
  • Add the hot chocolate milk over the semi sweet chocolate and set aside until the chocolate is melted. Mix well, and let it reach room temperature before mixing in with the whipped cream.
  • Beat the cold whipping cream with the orange liqueur to soft picks.
  • Add the chocolate mixture to the whipped cream and mix well.
  • Spread the mousse over the prepared almond crust and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  • Serve cold.

Notes

You can use vegan butter, instead of butter and substitute the whipping cream with vegan whipping cream or full fat coconut milk. 
Keyword Gluten-free, Mousse, passover

When you make these Passover-Friendly Chocolate Mousse Cake use the tag #kasheribbean to share on social media and, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest for more easy kasher recipes!

My First Influenster’s Boss Babe Vox Box

Reviews / By

My first Influenster's Boss Babe Box.

I first found out about Influenster while I was looking for makeup samples. I was just getting into makeup again after a decade, so after a quick internet search I landed on their website. Their concept sounded pretty good to me: Sign up for free, complete your profile, write reviews of your favorite products and get a chance of getting free products to review, so I decided t give it a go. 

 

After about a month or so, I got a notification on my phone that I was selected for the Boss Babe Vox Box and I should expect to receive it in a matter of days. A week later my first box was delivered. I was super duper excited to say the least! (First, because I hardly win anything, and second because their products really matched my interests!)

What did I get in my first box?

In my first box, I got several beauty products. Most of them I have never heard of before. Here is what I got: 

Greek Yoghurt Cream Cleanser by Korres USA

This product was fantastic. It has a really nice texture, it is very light and leaves a wonderful feel on my skin. What I like the most is that I don’t feel any residue afterward.

C’est Moi Purifying Charcoal Clay Facial Mask

This product was also great. After use, I could feel my pores so clean and literally breathing. It is very light in texture and, of course, it is dark; so I suggest you apply with gloves to not mess up with your nails and don’t leave it more than the recommended time or apply in areas that are not recommended or you may end up with a darker spot on those areas.

Hair, Skin & Nails Gummies from Nature’s Bounty:

Definitely, this product works! I can tell you that because back in February my nails were super fragile and breaking every second, so I always keep them short; and now, a little over a month after starting using them, and for the first time in years, I can grow my nails and style with french tips! Ha!

Eva NYC Chamaleon Temporary Color Spray:

I wanted to love this product so much but it didn’t actually work for me. I first used the purple one and it didn’t show up in my hair. In the description, they claim to be a brushable spray. It doesn’t get super hard like other sprays, but for me, it was not easy to brush either. The pink color shows a tiny bit better on my dark hair, but not much of a difference. I am not super adventurous with my hair so I really didn’t mind, and apparently, it can work well on lighter hair.

Special Delivery Box from Taste of Home Coupon 

I got a coupon to try this subscription box for free. The Special Delivery Box from Taste of Home is delivered 4 times a year, and in each box you get a selection of Taste of Home approved recipes, approved products and gadgets and a copy of one Taste of Home cookbooks (which I wasn’t expecting so it was a nice surprise!).

You can get this box as part of a subscription, or you can get a single box as a treat for yourself or a birthday present for yourself or your foodie friend! Check the Special Delivery Box Subscription here. You can also watch the unboxing video here. 

First Impression & Final Thoughts

As you can see, you get a ton of value on these Influenster’s boxes. I loved my experience because I got to discover new products, which are backed you by tons of reviews from people like me and not celebrities. And also, I get to try the products before buying at the store, so I don’t have to waste money if the product doesn’t work for me. 

 

Influenster is great too because as a social platform, you get the opportunity to connect with other bloggers and influencers with similar interests to yours, which is and added bonus. 

 

Make sure you check Influenster website for more information, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram & Pinterest for more! 

Until next time,

Hannah

Passover Friendly Flax Seed Waffles with homemade Berries Jam {GF, Nut-Free}

Passover, Recipes / By

Easy Flax Seed Waffles {Passover-Friendly, Gluten-Free}

One of the things I enjoy the most about being an introvert, is that weird ideas can come easily. I do make a big mess sometimes, but the auto-validation is huge when and idea comes to mind, and it works in real life (or should I say, “real kitchen”, Ha!) 

This is essentially how these Passover-friendly Flax Seed Waffles came to life. What I like the most about these healthy waffles is that these are gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free; and, in addition they are a mega satisfying breakfast or dinner. These waffles  are full of fiber and can seriously get you full!! 

I serve these with a quick homemade berry jam and some sugar-free syrup. And, before you tell me this is not jam; I know! I know! It doesn’t have sugar so, is technically not jam. You can call it fruit puree, preserve or marmalade (??). Let me know how you call this jam and why, because honestly, I get confused with these terms sometimes. In the meantime, it’s jam. Haha!

Passover Friendly Flax Seed Waffles {Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, Nut-Free}

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Course Breakfast, Dinner
Servings 6 Waffles

Equipment

  • DASH Mini Waffle Maker

Ingredients
  

  • 180 gr Golden Flax Seeds, finely ground
  • 150 ml Eggs
  • 40 gr Coconut Flour
  • 15 gr Coconut sugar (1 Tbsp)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 500 gr Frozen strawberries and raspberries

Instructions
 

Waffles:

  • Preheat your waffle maker or iron to medium-high.
  • In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, except for the fruit. Whisk until combined, and set aside for a 3-5 minutes.
  • Scoop the mixture into your lightly oiled, preheated waffle maker and close the top. If using the Dash Mini Waffle Maker, cook for 3 minutes. Repeat until you are finished with the batter.
  • Serve immediately with Homemade Berries Jam (recipe below) or with your jam of preference.

Fruit Jam

  • Place the frozen berries into a pot; and cook on medium with the lid on. Stirring occasionally to avoid the fruit sticking to the bottom.
  • Continue cooking until most of the water is evaporated, making the jam of a thick consistency.
Keyword breakfast, dinner, passover, waffles

Have you tried these Passover-friendly Flax Seed Waffles yet? If so, share on social media with the tag #kasheribbean and, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest for more!

 

Simplified Caribbean Style Stewed Pigeon Peas using canned Pigeon Peas {Vegan}

Passover, Recipes, Sides / By

Simplified Caribbean Style Stewed Pigeon Peas {using Canned Pigeon Peas}

When I was a child, in my mind, the Dominican Republic was clearly divided into 3 groups of people: the stewed kidney beans lovers, like me and my grandpa. The pigeon peas lovers, like my sister and my mom; and the “undecided”, who loved  every legume on earth; including split peas, chickpeas and lentils that I hated at the time. As I grew older, and moved around different countries, the flavors from home became very dear to me, so I opened my heart and tummy even for those dishes I didn’t enjoy at the time, and my love for traditional foods grew from there. 

In this recipe for Caribbean Style Stewed Pigeon Peas I use canned pigeon peas to make it easier and more convenient if you are abroad. You can often find canned pigeon peas in some African shops and latin mini markets in cities like Rotterdam and Antwerp. Even some surinamese shops sell it sometimes. If by any chance you come across frozen pigeon peas, you can grab those as well. Just rinse before using, and keep in mind the cooking time is going to increase. 

Probably the most important steps for this Caribbean Style Stewed Pigeon Peas are the preparation of the garlic-oregano base, and the blending of the veggies and some legumes. Keep that in mind if you want to have authentic flavor and texture. 

Simplified Caribbean Style Stewed Pigeon Peas {Vegan}

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Course Lunch
Cuisine Dominican Republic

Ingredients
  

  • 1200 gr Pigeon Peas, canned
  • 30 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil (2 Tbsp)
  • 20 gr Fresh garlic cloves
  • 10 gr Dried Oregano
  • 50 gr Yellow onion, cut in half
  • 1 Green bell pepper, cut in half
  • 10 gr Fresh Cilantro (also known as Coriander and Chinese Parsley)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a mortar and pestle, crush garlic and dried oregano with a pinch of salt, into a paste.
  • Add the olive oil in the pot and cook the garlic-oregano paste on low flame until fragrant.
  • Add the canned pigeon peas, and the rest of the ingredients, except for the salt. Cook on medium-low with the lid on for about 20 minutes.
  • Remove the lid, and with a soup ladle take one full spoonful of pigeon peas and add to a blender, together with the cooked onion, green bell pepper and cilantro. Blend until smooth. You can add a little bit of the liquid to avoid overheating the blender.
  • Add the blended mixture back to the pot and let it cook for a few more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve with white rice, salad and fried yellow plantains on the side. Enjoy!
Keyword legumes, pigeon peas

Have you make this recipe or any other from the blog? Use the tag #kasheribbean to share on social media and, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest for more!