A Quick Summer Vacation Memoir {Plus, My Favorite Snacks for Air Travel}

Hi There!

Finally back to the habit of writing after a few weeks without posting…So sorry about that! (after 3 weeks on vacation on USA, I came home to find a dead laptop (that finally decided to turn on last week) and 2 days after that, a broken smartphone. Well, I’m still trying to find a good deal on the “right phone” which apparently is like seeing a shooting star, but hopefully, we are going to start posting regularly again soon! 🙂 Enough tragedy for now… lol.. Let’s move on…

It might sound crazy what I am about to say but there is something fascinating about the whole travelling experience that gets me excited. I don’t know if it is the fact that I am learning something new, or that I want to push myself to do certain things differently (like packing lighter and lighter every time, or finding healthy foods for travelling…) or just the fact of being on another country and experience a different culture, but it is just SOOO cool! 🙂 I was also very excited to see my mother-in-law and finally eat proper caribbean food not cooked by me. Wohoo!

On our way to USA we spent one day in Berlin. The trip is just 1 hour by airplane so, even though I took my healthy snacks with me, we didn’t eat that much. Once in Berlin, I had the opportunity to finally meet a facebook friend, we have being fb friends for around 5 or 6 years. She kindly spent the day with us and showed us a few city landmarks. We went to The Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag which is home for the Parliment now, and to the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe (picture below).

Then, our friend invited us to an extravagant hindu restaurant where I had the most amazing vegan meal I’ve ever tasted: Vegetables Tutong; which is a blend of vegetables (mine had brocooli, potatoes and peppers) in a massaman curry with coconut milk and roasted peanuts. Oh my! It was so delicious that I almost ate the bowl, lol. I will have to make a rendition of this in the near future because it seems to be easy and honestly so filling and yummy.

After that, we headed to the Fernsehturm, close to Alexanderplatz which is now a radio station and is the tallest building in Germany (It was surreal looking it from the ground because I could see it from the airplane! O.o)

It was a long day, we walked a lot so we were really tired, but before heading to our airbnb room (Did you know that airbnb is awesome solution for people traveling on a budget? We have had a great experince so far!), we stopped by the supermarket to replenish our snacks vault for next day long flight. So, This is a ”sample” of what I prepared for snacking:

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Cakes Slices / Muffins
I had already on hand some pieces of cakes (2 fruit cake slices (made with plums) and 2 coconut cake slices) that our lovely friend who took us to the airport in amsterdam gave us early that day. What I loved about these cake slices is that they were homemade and had just the right amount of sweetness. Also, because they were made with a lot of plums and the other one coconut, they were an excellent source of fiber, which for me is great 😛

Fresh Fruits
To those cake slices I summed up a couple of fresh fruits.

– Bananas (I got 6): I love bananas for travelling because they are like a complete meal and my son loves them too so I always take some bananas. Only con is that they can be smashed easily if you just throw them in your bag. To avoid this what I do is I store them in a plastic bag and then, I put them on top of everything else in my personal bag.

– Apples (I got 3): Apples are probably the most travel friendly snack because they can survive almost any condition of temperature and you can just throw them as is on your bag without them getting all smashed.

– Grapes: (I got 1Kg Seedless Grapes): Grapes are just super travel friendly as well, easy to transport and eat withput getting all messed up.

– On our travel back to holland I packed the same fruits mentiones before plus some kiwis

– On our return flight I also grabbed 1kg of fresh cherries which I recently discovered that 21 cherries (which is A LOT) are just 100 calories. They are full of vitamin C, full of flavor and delicious.

Roasted Nuts / Seeds

Roasted almonds are definitely one of my favorite healthy snacks. They, again, are super travel-friendly and of course very nutritious. They provide you with energy, plant-based protein and healthy fats. Of course you can replace almonds with your favorite nut / seeds of a blend (My favorite Almonds, cashews, walnuts and Macadamia)

Cookies / Crakers:

– Store-bought Coconut Cookies (hubby’s favorite): Well, this are not a “healthy option” but is just something I grabbed from the supermarket to please my husband, but of course they are tons of healthy options out there. Look on the health isle or the protein isle on the supermarket.

With those healthy snacks we always have more than enough snacks to survive. It is not like we want to stuff ourselves with all that food but I just want to make sure we have enough in case our son don’t want to eat the meal on-board (he is usually vegan and extreme in his choices) 🙂 Anyways, As for today we never have gone out of healthy snacks while travelling, on the contrary! (usually we have fruits left lol)

Good to see and feel a poweful sunny day when we arrived to Miami. It was much needed after spending a rainy day in Berlin.

So, this is all for today guys!
Now tell me, what healthy snack do you prefer while traveling? Let us know in the comment section below and on instagram! 🙂

Until next time…

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Avocado Pesto Pasta

Pasta, Recipes / Hannah Abreu

Hi, everyone!
As you can see, the recipe we are presenting today is avocado pesto pasta.
I can totally say that avocado is one of the favorite fruits of my mom, sister and I and yet, this was the first time I personally tried the avocado pesto. I don’t even know why I didn’t try it before (probably because I was having a difficult time finding good ripe avocados ?) Anyways, this is for sure one of the easiest, simplest yet extremely delicious pasta dishes I’ve tried.

In terms of texture, this is probably the cremiest pasta that I have eaten (no cream, no butter, all vegan, just creaminess from the avocado). I instantly felt in love with this avocado pesto pasta, but because this was my first time, there are a few things I will do differently next time I am doing this:

Ex.: Next time I will double or triple the amounts because I cooked 1 pound of linguini and it was way too much pasta for the pesto, so the pasta didn’t get the super green color I like in pesto. The zoodles were different, though.

Also, next time I will make de pesto first with 3 or 4 bunches of basil for 1 pound fetuccini and then, add the avocado to the ready pesto. This is because I always add the whole bunch of basil to my pesto (yup, stalks included!) and for some reason they were not properly processed when added from the beginning with the avocados.

There were not any other issue. The process is very straight-foward. Just process all the ingredients until creamy.

That was enough introduction, let’s jump to the recipe:

YUMMY AVOCADO-BASIL PESTO

Prep. Time: 5 minutes.

Cooking time: 10 minutes (if using pasta)

Ingredients:

115 gr Avocado, ripe but firm (about 2 avocados)

About 150 gr fresh basil

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove of Garlic

½ tsp of salt (or more to taste)

Pepper to taste

Juice of half lemon, about 2 Tbsp.

¼ cup of pine nuts or almond Meal*

Preparation:

First make your traditional pesto by processing all the ingredients except for the avocados. (I added almond meal to my pasta first because I didn’t have the pine nuts and second because is nutritious anyway and I love the flavor, but if you don’t have any, it can be totally optional).

Then add your avocados for extra creaminess. Mix with your pasta or veggie noodles and enjoy.

It couldn’t be easier! Keep this in your list of life saving recipes list so you can grab a jock lunch or dinner next time you are in a hurry! Oh! And, I almost forgot!… This is very kid friendly (if your children love colorful creamy pasta ??)

Have you guys tried avocado pesto pasta? Do you prefer zoodles or noodles? ?? Let us know in the comment section below!

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The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs {Vegan, Gluten Free}

Recipes, Shabbath, Sides, Sukkoth / Hannah Abreu

Hi, everyone! I am very excited today to finally share with you this recipe, after spending some time perfecting these beauties. These are The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs on Planet Earth .

A little background

The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs were born a couple of weeks ago while I was cooking a whole bunch of mushrooms for lunch but once they were cooked they were so little! The disappointment was real! Those mushroom filled the pan and when cooked were just a few grams! I needed to act quickly and finish lunch so I thought: Why not make some meatballs? Yes! Of course!

I processed the mushrooms with some oats, more spices, a bit of water and so on until I had the consistency I wanted. Then I finished cooking in tomato sauce. They were good in terms of flavor, but way too dense, so I had to make them again correcting the amounts but I was out of mushrooms, so the recipe had to wait.

Next day was friday. I was cooking chicken for Shabbath but, who says you cannot make chicken and vegan meatballs? I made up my mind to take advantage of the momentum, so I weighed my ingredients, took some notes and pictures, cooked and reserved the meatballs, that were going to be served for dinner.

We had guests for shabbath and I was mortified. I just was praying the meatballs were at least edible. But, well, if they were not that good, at least I could have some feedback to perfect this recipe and write it on the blog.

The time to eat came and I remember when one of the kids wanted to try the meatballs. They honestly looked like their meaty cousins so much but to avoid any confusion, I told him straight away the meatballs were vegan. He tried it and immediately his eyes opened up!

When he asked for more I realized they were happy open eyes, those that happen when you try something delicious! At this point, everyone started eating the meatballs and I was receiving positive feedback. I was very happy when a vegan guest told me she wanted the recipe for making them like everyday 🙂 That moment I knew they were not only edible, but certainly good. Even my picky husband liked them!

In the week that followed I probably made this recipe every other day, just to make sure the recipe was on point, and now it is just turn to try them. I really really hope you like them.

How to make The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs

To make The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs you’ll start by cleaning your mushrooms. Soak mushrooms in cold water for a few minutes. Then, finish cleaning with a paper towel or a brush if you see any dirt and Chop them.

When your mushrooms are clean and ready, heat your pan on medium-high heat. You want the pan hot but not smoking.

UPDATE: You can totally make this recipe OIL-FREE by skipping the oil entirely and baking instead of frying

Add the oil, mushrooms and all the seasonings (paprika, garlic, salt, pepper, turmeric, oregano, cinnamon and nutmeg) and start cooking.

At some point, a ton of water will start to come out of the mushrooms, just continue cooking until all the water is evaporated.

Put the mixture into the food processor*, add the dried oregano (you can also use fresh) and process until you have a rough paste (don’t process too much, you still want tiny pieces of mushrooms for texture)

Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients (oats and water). Mix well and let the mixture rest in the fridge for 5-10 minutes (this allows the oats the absorb the liquid and bind everything together)

Shaping and cooking

To shape, wet your hands a bit before shaping each meatballs as the oats they contains get very sticky.

To cook I have used two methods so far: frying and baking.

IF FRYING: make sure the oil is well heated before you start, or the meatballs will disintegrate. Fry until hey are golden brown on both sides, and transfer to paper towel to drain the excess oil.

IF BAKING: If you prefer to bake just make sure you use a silicone mat or baking paper to line your baking tray. Using just oil or butter won’t work. Bake them for about 30 minutes or until you see they are firm to the touch, thoroughly cooked and with a nice brown color. Get them out of the oven and let them cool down a bit before you attempt to take them off the silicone mat or the parchment.

UPDATE: They should peel right off very easily of the baking mat or paper. If they are not peeling easily is because they are still a bit wet. Stick for a few more minutes in the oven and then, let cool down a bit before removing from the baking tray.

Finish The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs by cooking them in your preferred tomato sauce (Check out our Sweet Potato & Tomato Pasta Sauce) for 5 minutes or so, on low heat. This last process will give the meatballs a very nice melt-in-your-mouth texture. Delicious! 🙂

Have you tried The Ultimate Vegan Meatballs yet? Let us know in the comment section below! And, don’t forget to tag us #sisterblissdiary when you make your Ultimate Vegan Meatballs. Don’t be shy and follow as well on instagram and pinterest. 🙂

Shabuah Tob!

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Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup

Kippur, Passover, Recipes, Salads, Sides / Hannah Abreu

Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup {Vegan, Gluten-Free}

Hannah Abreu
July 9, 2017
7:00 am

Carrots are a very versatile and nutritious vegetables, commonly used around the globe, raw and cooked, in a wide range of dishes, adding both taste and nutritional value. This particular recipe, Carrot, Turmeric and Ginger soup, is also a great opportunity for you to use those carrot tops and bottoms left behind after grating carrots. Turmeric and ginger are added for a kick, and because of their nutritional value as well.

When buying carrots, look for firm, smooth, and brightly colored ones. They can be stored in the refrigerator, either loose or in a perforated reusable plastic bag, for up to a few weeks. To maintain their freshness, it better to remove the green tops before storing as they can draw moisture from the carrot roots. But don’t worry, you don’t have to throw them out. Use the green carrot tops for salads, pesto, pastas or garnish.

If you forget a few carrots in the fridge, and they become soft, you can always revive them by soaking them in ice water and leave in the fridge for a few hours.

How to make Carrot, Turmeric Ginger soup

To make this Carrot, Turmeric and Ginger Soup is really easy. First, you need to create a flavorful base, which you’ll make by the sautéing the vegetables until they are somewhat caramelized. This process will provide deeper flavor than if you just add the broth right away. So, taking a little time with this step is worthy.

Since the carrot soup has to cook for a bit, hence evaporating some of the liquid added and concentrating the flavors, I advise you to add the salt once the cooking process has finished, and specially if you used regular store-bought vegetable broth, which is often rich in sodium.

Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine Dominican Republic

Ingredients

100 gr Yellow onion, roughly chopped {about 2 medium onions}
1 Celery stalk, chopped
500 gr Carrots, chopped
500 ml Vegetable broth { up to 700 ml of homemade or pre-made}
10 gr Ginger root, peeled
3 tsp Turmeric powder {or to taste}
2 Garlic cloves, chopped {or 2 tsp of garlic powder}
1 ½ tsp Salt

Instructions

To your pot add the oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt, until they are a nice light brown color. Be careful not to burn them or they will give an aftertaste to the soup.
Add the celery, carrots, ginger root, garlic, turmeric, and sauté on medium high for about 5 minutes or until you get some caramelization in the veggies.
Add the broth (start with 500ml. After the soup is blended you can add more if you want it thinner). Put the lid on and cook on medium low until all the veggies are cooked through. About 20 minutes.
Lower the heat to a minimum and using an immersion blender blend the soup until smooth. Finish by adding salt to taste.
Serve with a splash of olive oil or cream, and croutons.

Notes

If you use store-bought vegetable broth, make sure to buy low-sodium, and don't add your salt until the end of the cooking time.

Keyword carrots, soups

Have you make this Carrot, Turmeric & Ginger Soup or any other recipe from the blog? Use the tag #kasheribbean to share on social media and, don’t forget to follow on instagram and pinterest to keep up with our easy recipes from us and the blogosphere!

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Sweet Potato & Tomato Pasta Sauce

Pasta, Recipes / Hannah Abreu

Hi, everyone!

Today I am very excited to bring you this super easy Sweet Potato and Tomato Pasta Sauce. I know it sounds weird but this sauce rocks in every level of deliciousness.

A few days ago I was in the kitchen with no idea what to cook (again! lol). My husband loves pasta (and I do too, sometimes) but I get easily tired of the same old tomato sauce. Well, I opened the fridge, I saw one big and beautiful sweet potato, and it hit me! (Add me! Add me! – the sweet potato was screaming!) Haha… Yup! 🙂 and because I like to try new things in the kitchen, I didn’t doubt any second.

I ended up with a thicker sauce with a great texture, bit of creaminess and with a sweet hint at the end. I mashed the sweet potato instead of blending it, but if you like smooth sauces you can blend it for sure. It will be delicious.

I am sure you will love this recipe, because:

It is simple

Use just a few ingredients

It is creamy and chunky (crazy, right?)

It is Vegan. Wohoo!

SWEET POTATO & TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

Yields: 8 servings
Prep. Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS :

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
100 gr Onion, finely chopped

300 gr Sweet potatoes, chopped

1 Lt. Homemade Pasta Sauce (you can also use store-bought)
1 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
2 tsp. Ground Bay Leaves or 3 dry bay leaves
Salt & Pepper to taste
A pinch of sugar.PREPARATION:

Start by cooking your sweet potatoes in the pan (this is a good way to use leftover roasted or boiled sweet potato). I added a little bit of olive oil to get them going and added a pinch of salt. Once they were cooked through and turning brown on the edges, I remove from the pan to mash them. At this point, I got my onions in the pan. Cook the onions until they are translucent and fragrant.

To the pan, add the mashed sweet potatoes, the pasta sauce and seasonings (paprika, bay leaves, salt and sugar) and simmer for about 10-15 minutes on medium low. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking.

Time to serve and enjoy!

I served mine with Penne Pasta & Raw Zuchinni Noodled 🙂 Both delicious!

Have you ever tried adding sweet potatoes or other root vegetables to your pasta sauce? How did you like it? Let us know in the comments section below or follow us on instagram & pinterest and let us know right there 😀

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