Just an idea...!

I had some black beans leftover from making quesadillas and wanted to do something with them - beans are so yummy and healthy, we have to enjoy them thoroughly, right?!
So, I decided to try making a dip using the same method I use for hummus, but using the black beans in place of chickpeas (garbanzos).
We called it Black Beans Hummus here at our house, but I am not sure if it would be appropriate to call it hummus as it does not have any chickpeas in them (which in my head you need in hummus!).
But, nomenclature aside, this dip turned out reeeeeally delicious! We enjoyed it quite a lot and I was actually very surprised with the delicious flavor it had! My husband also liked it a lot, but then he already likes plain black beans a lot more than I do.
To make this I simply pureed about a cup of black beans in the blender with one clove of garlic, about tablespoon of tahini (add more depending on your liking!), salt, pepper, a little bit of cumin and a little bit of water just to get it to the right consistency.
Easy, simple and delicious! It was a great snack we enjoyed with baked pita chips, yummy!
Ana

Priceles...!

Bcoming a MOM is by far the best thing that happened to me!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mommy friends!!

Ana

Tandoori Chicken

I have always been amazed by the Indian cuisine. The aromatic flavors and complexity of the dishes sometimes makes me want to go to India just to learn how to make their food.
And since I like the combination of spices they use (with the exception of fennel seeds), I am always experimenting and looking for recipes and ideas to try at home. Especially since taking Matheus to the restaurant isn't yet possible as he cannot tolerate the heat all that well (and sometimes neither can I to be quite true).
So making Indian food at home has been a very pleasant adventure for all of us. I really enjoy the cooking process, toasting the spices, creating different (to me!) flavors, marinating the meat for long hours, and since Matheus and my Husband are good taste testers, at the end we get to share delicious food which we all can enjoy together!
Since we discovered a delicious local Indian restaurant I have been expanding my knowledge of Idian dishes and understanding a little bit more of what regions. Through researching and asking my blog friend Agda (chek out her blog, it is full of delicious Indian dishes!!), Indian food has become even more appealing to me.
One of the dishes I enjoy at the Indian restaurant is their Tandoori Chicken, so as soon as I saw the recipe for Grilled Tandoori Chicken on the current issue of Cooking Light Magazine I knew I had to try it.
I knew from the beginning that my chicken would not resemble or taste much like the one I get at the restaurant, as it is certainly impossible to create at home the flavor that the "tandoor" oven imparts to the dish, but grilling it sounded like a way to impart something more to the already so fragrant combination of spices.
The chicken came out really good! And I mean it, really, really good! I marinated the chicken overnight so the spices were through out the meat and the grill definitely added something to it all. The marinade by itself was already delicious with the yogurt, spices, the ginger and lemon juice... it was truly good, and we all agreed it was one of the most flavorful chickens we made in our grill.
Even though the recipe asks for only chicken thighs I used a combination of chicken breasts and thighs, but I have to say that the thighs were a lot more moist and flavorful than the breast pieces, the charred parts were just amazingly yummy (and this coming from someone that doesn't like dark meat really says a lot).
I halved the recipe and did not add the red pepper or the Serrano pepper to it, as I didn't want to make it too spicy for us, but I actually missed a little bit of heat (you know, Indian food is supposed to be a little spicy). So, the second time I made I added a tiny bit of red pepper and... it was even better! Feel free to adjust the spices and peppers to suit your tastes.
I served the Tandoori Chicken with basmatti saffron rice and curried vegetables and it was a very delicious Indian meal!
Enjoy!
Ana

My note: we didn't care for the yogurt sauce all that much, so I didn't even bother to make it the second time I made the chicken.
If anyone has a good yogurt "sauce" recipe/idea to go with this kind of chicken dish, would you like to share with me?? I know there might be something around, as I have had better yogurt sauces than this one... the search for Indian flavors continues!

Grilled Tandoori Chicken
(Adapted from Cooking Light, May 2008)

2 teaspoons canola oil
4 teaspoons sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups coarsely chopped onion (I
1/2 cup coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoons finely chopped seeded serrano pepper
8 garlic cloves, crushed
2 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt, divided
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, divided
2 teaspoons salt, divided
16 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons coriander, garam masala, turmeric, and red pepper to pan; cook 2 minutes or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Remove from pan; cool.

Place onion, ginger, serrano pepper, garlic, spice mixture, 1/2 cup yogurt, 2 tablespoons juice, and 1 3/4 teaspoons salt in a food processor (I used a blender) and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Cut 3 shallow slits in each chicken thigh. Add chicken to bag, and seal. Toss to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Prepare grill.

Combine remaining 2 cups yogurt, 2 tablespoons juice, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, stirring well. Cover mixture, and chill.

Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 7 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with yogurt mixture.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 2 chicken thighs and about 1/4 cup yogurt mixture)

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

It was yesterday, but we were busy eating this yummy chocolate cake, so I came to post it here today!!
The recipe for the cake I already posted before but will post again, just because it is a super delicious chocolate cake! (to see the other post, click here)
And, besides the goodness, it makes a small square cake, which is the perfect size for the three of us. Yesterday I used a 9-inch round pan and it came out perfect; simple, but so rich and delicious... it was the best birthday cake ever paired with the strawberries and some vanilla ice cream.
You really have to make this one!
Ana

Chocolate Fudge Snack Cake
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, softened (if using salted butter then omit the salt from the recipe)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat an 8-inch square baking pan (or a 9-inch round!!!) with cooking spray; dust with the 2 teaspoons flour.
In a bowl mix together flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt, stirring, reserve.
With a mixer beat butter until smooth, add vanilla and granulated sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat for 3 minutes more. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
While beating at low speed, add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat just until everything is smooth and incorporated.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 28 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Yield: 9 servings

Adapted from Cooking Light, March 2003

This cake is already delicious plain, but if it is also your birthday and you love chocolate as much as I do, then go ahead and make your slice even more special!! And don't forget the vanilla ice cream - which I forgot to put on before taking the picture...

Carrot Couscous!

I was going to make couscous last week to serve with fish but wanted to change it a bit... you know, when you are going to make the basic because its easy and quick but you do want to add something extra just to make it feel a little more special?
Well, on a situation like that you open the fridge and start looking around, and then... you find some carrot juice just sitting there and smiling (ok, not smiling per se...), waiting to be put to a good use.
And to a great purpose it served, I made couscous with it!
For 1 cup of couscous I used 1 cup carrot juice and 1/4 cup water. Bring the juice and water to a boil together with 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat, add couscous, stir a bit, cover and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and it is ready to serve!
I mixed some green onions into our couscous and I really liked the flavors, and color, it added to it.
So here it is, an easy and simple idea, just to add that little something to the beloved easy-and-quick-to-make couscous.
Oh, and don't worry if you are not the biggest carrot fan, the couscous doesn't taste "carroty" at all. The flavor is so subtle that my husband couldn't even guess what was on it. In fact, next time I make this (which I will for sure) I will use all carrot juice, as I believe more of its flavor would've been very nice.
Enjoy!
Ana

Mickey Mouse Fun!!

Since we took Matheus to Disney World for the first time last year he got an addoration for all things Mickey!
But hey, there is no way one would not like these Mickey raviolis... aren't they cute?! And I have to say, they are yummy! But no, I didn't make them, we found them at the grocery store.
However, we have been making Mickey Pancakes at home!
Easy and fun, just pour your pancake batter as usual in the pan/griddle and then add a little bit of batter to each side of the pancake to make the ears. Flip as you would normally do with your regular pancakes and eat them with an even bigger smile on your face!
Oh, and if you would like a healthy and wholesome pancake recipe, take a look here for one I have posted before: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Strawberry Sauce.

I tell you, having kids and being a mommy is a lot of fun! Even breakfast makes you smile!!
Ana

It was a Happy Happy Birthday!

A party with some free throws, great passes, one we definitely scored!
Matheus turned 6 on March 25... six... I still cannot believe, he is growing so fast.
However, I am enjoying each and every day of these first years of his life, while he still near me, smiling, playing around, always with a hug and some kisses to make his mommy happy!
We had a birthday party for him and his friends from school at a bounce-house-type-party-place and after one and a half hours playing, jumping, and running around, the kids were more than ready for some juice and cake - which this year turned out to be a Basketball Court (or half of it...).
Matheus enjoyed his party, his cake, and more than everything having fun with his friends, and that was more than enough and made me as happy as one could be!
And since I have been sharing my latest creations in the cake world with you I decided to post this one too. Inside it was a Chocolate Cake filled with whipped cream. I wanted to take a picture of a slice but I have to tell you, there were NO slices left.... the kids loved the cake and it was gone. My husband saved a piece, which I quickly took a bite and was happy to see why, it did came out very yummy!
For the cake recipe in English, the Cocoa Cake is posted here, and it is the same one I made for last years soccer birthday cake too.
If you would like to see a recipe in Portuguese, take a look at Eliana's blog, she has a yummy chocolate cake recipe posted here, which is where I got the idea to use whipped cream for the filling of mine. Super simple and the end result is perfect, so delicious and the kids really enjoyed! (and for birthday parties you can't ask for more than that!)
Hope you like it too!
Ana