Nibbles and Feasts

Cinnamon Mocha Smoothie

by nibblesandfeasts on May 16, 2013

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

photo (5) I am what you call a cafetera, a bonafide coffee lover. Drinking a cup of coffee is like slicing a piece of heaven and pouring it into a cup. I can’t live with out it! I’ve tried every kind of coffee you can think of. During the hot summer months I really crave coffee, but cannot stand to drink anything hot. I like to visit my local coffee shop when I can to indulge in some iced coffee, but with my busy work and mom schedule most of the time it’s impossible. Then I discovered Silk Iced Latte Mocha Flavor. Wow, a delicious cold drink with coffee? I’m in! You can have the taste of heaven right in your fridge when you #TasteSilk.

They carry two flavors to choose from, Vanilla and Mocha. Both flavors taste great, but I don’t consider myself a Vanilla kinda gal! So of course, I chose the Mocha flavor. It’s a rich and smooth drink that makes my taste buds crazy. It’s has no cholesterol, no saturated fat and no artificial sweeteners. I can have a glass without the guilt of drinking 1000 calories and without breaking the bank.

I am a hard working mom with little free time. Sometimes the best way to self-pamper is by making myself a cup of coffee. Now that the weather is getting warmer, what better way than to have a yummy Silk Iced Latte Mocha Smoothie? Try adding a banana, some ice, and a pinch of cinnamon. It’s so easy to make, you can even have the kids make it for you.

Cinnamon Mocha Smoothie
Serves 1

Ingredients
2 cups Silk Iced Latte Mocha Flavor
½ Banana
½ tsp ground cinnamon
8 ice cubes

Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. Add more Silk Iced Latte if necessary. Pour into glass and enjoy!

Untitled from Telma Garcia on Vimeo.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

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Baked Plantains with Cinnamon Rum Crema

by nibblesandfeasts on May 12, 2013

Baked Plantains with Cinnamon Rum Crema

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and the California Milk Advisory Board. All opinions are my own.

Happy Mothers’ Day! Today, we are celebrating with a new dessert as a sweet ending to Mother’s Day brunch. My mom and I are big fans of plantains and bananas. They were the fruit of my childhood and seeing them now, bring back so many great memories of my school lunches. We could always count on slices of fresh bananas or fried plantains as an accompaniment to our warm Spanish rice. That is such a great flavor combination. I serve that dish to my son now and he loves it.

Plantains 2

This year, I’ve decided to honor that love of plantains and bananas by drenching them in a sweet cinnamon crema with a kick of spiced rum. If you prefer to omit the spiced rum, no problem! The result is just as delicious!

I love incorporating a creamy aspect to my dishes. If you’ve looked through this blog, you will find that I’m a big fan of hispanic dairy which includes cheeses and crema. Cotija, Queso Fresco and Panela cheeses add so much to dishes that call for salty seasoning. The cheese flavor is so savory and goes well with breakfast dishes, soups, pastas and salads. I am such a fan that I’ve published a handy cheese guide to make you a bit more comfortable in experimenting with Hispanic dairy in your meals. Many of these dairy products are readily available at your local grocery store.

In this case, I am using crema to take my dessert to a whole new level. Crema is so verstile because you can customize it to whatever flavor you desire. I’ve made chocolate cream with strawberries, honey crema for my buñuelos and now, I’m drenching these buttery plantains in a rich cinnamon-rum crema.

Plantains 3

Real California Milk products are found nationwide, I live in California and support those dairy families that own 99% of California dairies. I am also proud to say that California is the leader in the production of Hispanic dairy. To make sure I am buying their products, I look for the Real California Milk lable on the product’s packaging.

Baked Plantains with Cinnamon Rum Crema

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

4 Plantains
1 teaspoon salted butter, softened
1 cup crema
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
1 teaspoon spiced rum
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/3 cup shredded coconut, sweetened

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F.
Cut plantains lengthwise and dab butter on the cut sides of the plantains.
Place plantains, cut side facing up on a baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.
In a separate medium mixing bowl, add crema, sugar, cinnamon and rum. Whisk until combined. Test for sweetness. Add more if you prefer your crema sweeter.
On 4 serving plates, scoop 1 tablespoon each of crema. Place plantains on plates over crema, drizzle with remaining crema, garnish with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut.

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Otra vez… en español!

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Plátanos con Crema de Canela y Ron

by nibblesandfeasts on May 12, 2013

Baked Plantains with Cinnamon Rum Crema

Este es un post patrocinado en colaboración con Latina Bloggers Connect y la Junta de Lechera Asesora de California. Todas las opiniones son mías.

Feliz Día de las Madres! Hoy, celebramos con un nuevo postre como un final dulce para el almuerzo del día de la Madres. Mi mamá y yo somos fanaticas de plátanos frescos y plátanos machos. Fueron el fruto de mi infancia y de verlos ahora, traen muchos recuerdos de mis almuerzos escolares. Siempre podemos contar con rodajas de plátanos frescos o plátanos fritos como acompañamiento de nuestro arroz caliente. Es una gran combinación de sabor. Este platillo se lo sirvo a mi hijo huy y le encanta.

Plantains 2

Este año, he decidido honrar ese amor de plátanos y preparar una crema dulce de canela con ron. Si prefieres omitir el ron, no hay problema! El resultado es igual delicioso!

Me encanta incorporar un aspecto cremoso a mis platillos. Si has visto a través de este blog, descubrirás que soy fanática de los productos lácteos Hispanos, que en esta categoría incluye quesos y crema. Cotija, queso fresco y queso Panela añaden mucho a los platos que requieren un toque salado. El sabor del queso es muy sabroso y va bien con platillos de desayuno, sopas, pastas y ensaladas. Me encantan tanto que he publicado una guía de queso útil para que estes un poco más familiarizado con los productos lácteos Hispanos e incorporarlos en tus comidas. Muchos de estos productos son fácilmente disponibles en cualquier supermercado.

En este caso, estoy usando crema que llevara a este postre a otro nivel completamente nuevo. La crema es tan versátil porque se puede cambiar a cualquier gusto. He hecho crema de chocolate con fresas, crema de miel para mis buñuelos y ahora, estoy cubriendo estos plátanos con mantequilla en una rica crema de canela y ron.

Plantains 3

Los productos lácteos de Real California Milk se encuentran en todo el país. Yo vivo en California y apoyo al 99% de lecherías de California donde las familias son propietarios. También estoy orgullosa de decir que California es el líder en la producción de productos lácteos hispanos. Para asegurarte de que estas comprando sus productos, busca el sello de Real California Milk en el empaquetado del producto.

Plátanos con Crema de Canela y Ron
Rinde 4 personas

Ingredientes
4 plátanos
1 cucharadita de mantequilla, ablandada
1 taza de crema de mesa
1 1/2 cucharada de azúcar
1 cucharadita de canela en polvo
1 cucharadita de ron especiado
1/3 de taza de nueces picadas en trozos grandes
1/3 taza de coco rallado, endulzado

Instrucciones
Precalienta el horno a 350 ° F.
Corta los plátanos a lo largo y una mantequilla en los lados cortados de los plátanos.
Coloca los plátanos, la parte del corte hacia arriba, en una bandeja para hornear.
Hornear durante 12 minutos, retirar del horno y reserva.

En un tazón mediano, agrega la crema, el azúcar, la canela y el ron. Bate hasta que se incorporen bien. Prueba de dulzura. Agrega más azúcar si prefieres que tu crema este un poco mas dulce.

En 4 platos, coloca 1 cucharada de crema. Coloca los plátanos en los platos sobre la crema, rociar con la crema restante, adorna con las nueces picadas y el coco rallad

English version.

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Hibiscus Flower and Cactus Tacos

by nibblesandfeasts on May 10, 2013

Hibiscus Flower and Cactus Tacos

This is a sponsored post by McCormick. All opinions are my own.

I’ve had the itch to make hibiscus flower tacos for a while now. I’ve had plenty of agua fresca de Jamaica, but I recently found out that the flowers can be eaten too. I wondered what these blooms tasted like so I decided to develop a healthy recipe with flavorful seasoning.

P1060935

When I cooked the blooms with onions, my kitchen smelled amazing. Indescribable. By adding a tad of McCormick’s ancho chile pepper to the mix, the hibiscus/onion mix tasted like a mild pickled jalapeño salad.

Hibiscus Flower and Cactus Tacos

Since the tangyness of the blooms was already there, I decided to add pickled cactus strips to tame down a bit of the ancho chile heat. Queso fresco does the trick too so I added that as well.

I highly recommend this tasty recipe. I hesitated too for a bit but I guarantee you will love it. It’s such a great vegetarian option. It has become a regular meal on my weekly menu. Easy, inexpensive and delicious.

To get you started on your taco-making, McCormick is giving away spice kits to 30 winners if you participate in their Pinterest contest. Check out the details at the end of this post. Good luck and happy taco eating!

Hibiscus Flower Tacos and Cactus

Hibiscus Flower and Cactus Tacos

Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients

2 cups dried hibiscus flowers
5 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion sliced in rounds
1 teaspoon powdered McCormick Ancho Chile
McCormick Sicilian Sea Salt to taste
1 30 oz jar of pickled cactus strips, drained
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
8 corn tortillas

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat water and add hibiscus flowers and let boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. If water begins to evaporate, add water in 1 cup increments.
Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Drain flowers and reserve liquid to make a delicious hibiscus tea cooler.
In a large skillet over low-medium heat, add oil. Cook onions until tender. Add hibiscus flowers and ancho chile powder; stir to combine flavors for approximately 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with McCormick's Sicilian Sea Salt.
Warm up tortillas on a separate skilllet. Fill with hibiscus flower mixture, tender cactus strips and sprinkle with queso fresco.

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Otra vez… en español!

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Tacos de Flor de Jamaica y Nopalitos

May 10, 2013

Este es un post patrocinado por McCormick. Todas las opiniones son mías. He tenido las ganas de hacer tacos de flor de jamaica por un tiempo. Siempre preparo agua fresca de jamaica, pero hace poco me enteré de que las flores se pueden comer también. Tenia la curiosidad de probarlas y me decidí a desarrollar [...]

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Peach Moscato Gelatin

May 9, 2013

There are some food holidays that I never forget. Today is one of those days. It’s National Moscato Day! Moscato is one of those wines that can be enjoyed during brunch because of it’s sweet and fruity taste. It goes well with fruit juices and is perfect as a base for a refreshing sangria. This [...]

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Gelatina de Moscato y Durazno

May 9, 2013

Hay unos días de fiesta comida que nunca se me olvidan. Hoy es uno de esos días. Es el Día Nacional del Moscato! Moscato es uno de esos vinos que se pueden disfrutar durante el almuerzo porque es dulce y sabor afrutado. Va bien con zumos de fruta y es perfecto como base para una [...]

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Brunch with Mom | Almuerzo con Mamá : Our New Free Recipe eBook!

May 7, 2013

I am so happy to announce my second ebook collaboration with some of my favorite ladies in the food blogging universe! Brunch with Mom | Almuerzo con Mamá is a bilingual recipe book dedicated to honoring mom with a delicious brunch! Since Mother’s Day is right around the corner, this FREE e-book can help you [...]

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The Goodies Co.

May 7, 2013

My family and I are definitely snackers. We love to try new snacks and venture out to different types of snacks. From chips to chocolate, we love to try new things, but sometimes the new things we try just turn out to be a big disappointment. We’ve spent a lot of money on trying new [...]

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#VivaCaDairy Twitter Party: You’re invited!

May 6, 2013

It’s time to Twitter party again! This time, we are going to discuss one of my favorite subjects: Hispanic cheeses, Hispanic dairy and the many dishes you can use them for! From quesadillas to molletes to sweet chocolate crema, we will be discussing it all. Since this party is sure to be grand, you [...]