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My name is Nancy, also know as Spicie Foodie. I am a self taught cook and foodie blogger chronicling all of my kitchen adventures on my blog, Spicie Foodie. ( http://spiciefoodie.blogspot.com/
In early 2010 one of my recipes was chosen to be published in a bestselling cookbook, Foodista Best of Food Bloggers Cookbook available for sale as of October 2010. In October of 2010 my cookbook, An Epiphany of the Senses, was published and is now on sale.
Please visit my blog for more healthy, fresh and delicious recipes to spice up your kitchen and awaken your senses. Let your taste buds travel to an exotic world and leave with a few new epiphanies as souvenirs.
Indian,Mexican,Thai,Japanese, Vietnamese, French & desserts
Comments (3)
If you have Mexican friends or married into a Mexican family you know that to us pretty much all of life's events give us cause for a celebration. Parties for everything, food is an absolute must, singing and dancing and party until the sun comes up (literally). So of course this very important day cannot be without some mouthwatering, typical and traditional dishes. This year we started our celebration early so I could share this with you. I made chicken enchiladas rojas (red) served with Mexican rice and refried beans, for dessert I served empanadas de calabaza or Pumpkin empanadas (turnovers). To keep this post relatively short I am sharing my recipe for authentic enchildas rojas. I will later post my yummy recipe for Mexican rice and the empanadas. The beans you can already find in my archive here. Also coming later is enchiladas made with substitute ingredients for the sauce.
Comments (2)
Frijoles refritos(refried beans), are beans that are fried with oil/fat, mashed and then refried again. That's the meaning of refrito- twice fried. Refried beans in Mexico are traditionally cooked or fried in lard. I know it's sounds gross and fatty, but the lard does adds flavor. That said I hate lard and I don't cook with it. This is how I have cooked my "refried" beans for years. This recipe is simple and hassle free, and most importantly it's a lighter low fat, and completely vegan/vegetarian version. Why? because you wont use any oil or fat what so ever.
Comments (1)
Salsa means sauce in Spanish. Mexico is a very diverse country in which the many regions yield a big variety of dishes and salsas. Every family has their favorite recipes,their favorite type of salsas they like most, but one thing is for sure; in Mexican homes you will always find some sort of salsa on the table. It may be based mostly on chiles/ chilies dried or fresh( the choice of peppers alone is mind blowing), with our without tomatoes, fresh or the bottled kind, spicy or mild, used for botanas (appetizer), to top your tacos,or cooked with meats,the choices are many. Salsa is also a foundation for many dishes which can make something that is ordinary and bland and transform it to something that arouses your senses and tickles your taste buds. When cooking certain dishes, like a good mole, It is not uncommon to spend nearly all of the preparation time on getting the salsa just right. A good salsa doesn't have to be the spiciest thing you've ever eaten, and it definitely should not overpower your dish, it brings all your ingredients together and makes for a very happy dinning experience.
Comments (1)
Since I became familiar with Buckwheat in the Czech Republic I thought I would pay tribute to it by using Czech spices in my Buckwheat recipe. The two spices are Marjoram and Caraway seed, both very commonly used in Czech cuisine.
Comments (5)
Burrito means a small donkey in Spanish. They are Tex-Mex food and found in the border states of Mexico and all over the US. I\'m not quite sure why they are called this, if you look it up on Wikipedia it says that it\'s because they resemble either a donkey\'s ear or the rolls of blankets that the donkeys carry. I don\'t know, because I didn\'t have a \"burrito\" until I went to the states. The variety and ingredients that you can put into a burrito are endless. Not to mention the different ways to cook or fry it, to add sauce outside or inside, what kind of sauce, well it goes on and on. This recipe is both simple and quick for a lunch or a dinner, if you add rice and or meat you can make a big meal out of it. This recipe is so simple that I sometimes feel like I\'m cheating, but what can I say when my husband loves these bean burritos with just beans, tortillas, some salsa and cheese, ( so easy to please:).
Comments (4)
Apples are in season right now and I\'m taking full advantage of it. I bought a 2 kilo bag and the first thing I made was my favorite Apple Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal. I started making this oatmeal as an alternative to the prepackaged one that I loved but were to sweet for me. This tastes much better and is healthier than taking in all that sugar and preservatives. Some fun facts about apples: Apples are a member of the rose family , Newton\'s law of gravity came to be thanks to a falling apple, they are low in calories, high in dietary fiber, good for your heart, good for your lungs, they originated from central Asia, where brought to North America in the 1600s , there are over 7,000 varieties, the peel is full of antioxidants, you can play games with them, they are so cool that a computer company and a record company use their name, and you can also be tempted with them - well they are delicious after all !
Comments (3)
Agua de Pepino ( cucumber water) is a refreshing drink that is popular in Mexico. It is one of the large variety of the popular Aguas Frescas ( fresh or cool waters). Agua frescas are refreshing drinks made from fresh sweet and sour fruits or grains, (like Horchata made from rice,sugar and cinnamon-recipe coming soon.), water is mixed with the fruits as well as a sweetener and sometimes lemon or lime juice. These drinks are very popular in our homes and also sold in restaurants,markets and small street vendors. They are a great alternative to the "sugar water" or American soft drinks , are more nutritious and in my opinion taste so much better than colas -not even a comparison. The variety is quite big with flavors and favorites for everyone. Mine were Cucumber, Jamaica (hibiscus),tamarind, strawberry and watermelon. I know it sounds kinda weird, even if you love cucumbers. I too was hesitant the first time I had this as a kid, but it quickly became a favorite. Agua de pepino is a great drink to have on a really hot summer day, it makes you feel very refreshed. It is because cucumbers have a high water content which of course keeps you hydrated in the heat. Cucumbers have a mineral called silica that is essential for a healthy complexion and muscles. They are also high in fiber and in vitamin C.
Comments (13)
Today's post is a back to basics cooking lesson, How to boil an egg. The perfect boiled or hard boiled egg is when the egg is cooked all the way through and the yolk is golden , there shouldn't be a grey/green ring around the yolk. To me if a hard boiled egg has that grayish or green tone, it becomes very unappetizing. (I can picture it, grayish yolk chunks in egg salad ,,,yuck ). I think eggs are one of those foods that seem like a fairly easy to cook food, but some how can turn into a difficult food to master. Many people have problems with either over or under cooking eggs and can quickly go from delicious to disgusting. This is a fool proof method and if you try it your hard boiled eggs will come out perfect.
Comments (2)
In Thai cuisine curry paste is an essential ingredient to prepare many dishes but of course the main dishes being curries. There are several paste, red, yellow, green, Panaeng and the more Indian influenced Massaman curry paste. I've made them all except the Panaeng, which I will try and then post. The first Thai curry paste recipe I have is for red curry paste. Home made red Thai curry paste is very easy and fast to make, you may get addicted to making your own and not buy prepackaged again. There is nothing wrong with the couple of prepackaged ones I've bought, but I like making my own to control the spiciness and make sure all the necessary ingredients are included and none left out. Of course there's the preservatives used, yuck, which I try to avoid as often as possible. One of the ingredients is shrimp paste, I have to leave this out because I have not been able to find here. So to still give the curry paste a seafood taste I add the fish sauce. Shrimp paste also adds a redness to the paste so that's why I add the paprika, merely for color aesthetics and does not affect the taste. If you are a vegetarian you can omit both or either of the shrimp paste and fish sauce. The recipe below can be doubled or tripled, and you can adjust the heat as you like.
Comments (3)
Frijoles,Beans are an essential part of Mexican food, I remember when I was growing up my Mom always had a pot on the stove or ready made in the refrigerator for our weekly meals. If you want to make good Mexican food you should learn how to make simple beans to work with that you can later add other ingredients or spices to. Although you could just buy a can of beans nothing compares to the fresh-no preservative- no tin can taste of home made beans, (buying dry beans is also cheaper). Pinto beans are the most common bean used, although some regions use black beans, and we will be using Pinto beans here.
I would love for you to add more of your fabulous recipes for our members to try. Your blog is lovely! 
Cheers!
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