Wait, how long has it been?

It's been 2 full years. And I'm back. But this time, I'm doing it from Brooklyn, NY.

In the last 2 years I quit my job in Santo Domingo, moved 1500 miles, started a new job, and started a Master's program in TESOL. The fiancé became the husband, and for a year and a half, we journeyed the nightmarish process of immigration together until he finally came to NY to stay in August (Yes, just a few weeks ago.).

So much change (and work) in the last year overwhelmed me. I missed the ocean and my life in the DR. I missed our apartment, with the sea breeze and our view of the crystal blue water. I let fear and exhaustion snuff out my creativity, passion, curiosity for life. I felt like I lost my sparkle. Sometimes it fades into the background, and we are only reminded of it in our deepest moments of self-searching - that it is still there, waiting for us to pick it up again.  I am grateful to have picked it back up again. Thank you for waiting for me, little light.

Today's recipe is going to be a recipe from my Mom. My parents were instrumental in listening to me this year, giving me advice, telling me to keep going, and never giving up on me, even when I felt like giving up on myself. So, thank you, padres. I couldn't have done it without you.

Oven-baked (GF) Breaded Chicken

(Adapted from Betty Crocker)

Oven Baked GF Breaded Chicken with Black Beans and Rice, Salad, and Avocado

1 tablespoon vegan butter (I'm using Smart Balance!)

1 cup of gluten-free flour (It can be Gluten Free Bisquick, like in Betty's recipe, or it can be a mix. I used what I had in the fridge, which was half garbanzo bean flour and half pancake mix flour. It sounds strange, but the pancake mix gave it a sweetness that I loved!) 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon chili powder 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

2 eggs, beaten 

3 lb chicken drumsticks and thighs

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a 9x13 baking dish in the oven.

In a medium bowl, mix the gluten-free flour, salt, chili powder, and pepper. Place the eggs in a separate, wide container. Dip the chicken into the eggs, and then coat it with the gluten-free flour mixture. Keep going until all of your chicken is coated! 

Place the chicken skin-side down in your baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes, and then turn the chicken. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked! 

Serves: 6-8

a buen tiempo!

First Sunday Lunch: Stuffed Eggplant with Moro de Guandules

On Sunday, our comedor (kitchen table) arrived and the fiance spent the afternoon putting it together.

Two of our friends came over on Sunday for our first big lunch together in the apartment! I made a big lunch with Stuffed Eggplant and Beans with Pigeon Peas (Moro de Guandules), which ended with Santo Libres (rum and 7up) and sitting on our roof, looking out at the ocean.

It was one of those oh so good kind of days.

The rice you see in the first picture is a typical Dominican dish. I love guandules, which are called "pigeon peas" in English. They are small and round beans that are similar in size and texture to lentils.

When the fiance and I go to his aunt's or mom's house for visits, there is always food involved. If rice and guandules are included, I tend to shamefully stuff my face with its delicious goodness. After about a year of desperate intervals in which I would (discreetly?) beg the fiance to request guandules if one of his relatives invited us over for lunch, I decided it was time to learn how to make them on my own. I started practicing in December, and now I have perfected my own breed of Moro de Guandules. "Moro" means that the beans and rice are cooked together, like you see in the picture.

Rice is such a staple part of the Dominican diet that I will spend some time devoting an entire section to different rice recipes. The next time that I make a Moro de Guandules, I will take pictures in every step of the process so you will see exactly how to make it. Consider this an "Introduction to Rice-Making".

Recipes

Moro de Guandules

1 14 oz. can guandules verdes (green pigeon peas)

2 cups uncooked rice

3-4 cups water

3 tablespoons salt

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

First, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat in a medium-sized pot. Here in the Dominican Republic, I use a "caldero" (picture coming soon), with a perfectly fitted top. Add the onions and stir frequently. When they are translucent, add the garlic for about 1 minute. Then, add the can of guandules and salt. Stir so that the onions and garlic do not stick to the bottom of the pot. Scoop your uncooked rice into the pot along with the water and stir again. Let the pot boil on medium-high heat for about 20 minutes, or until the rice has soaked up all of the water. Then, take a large spoon and scoop the rice off the sides of the pot so it is mounded together in the center. Sprinkle the second tablespoon of oil onto the top of the rice, lower the heat to low, and cover. Let the rice sit for another 15-20 minutes. When you take off the cover, the rice should be moist and fluffy.

Don't worry, cooking rice can be overwhelming at first. When I make this recipe again, pictures will be included and the step-by-step process will be easier to follow!

Stuffed Eggplant

3 eggplants

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg

1/2 pound cheese of your choice (mozzarella)

2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons oregano

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon pepper

First, cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Spoon out the pulp, chop it up, and set it aside. Reserve the eggplant shells on a large plate, and sprinkle with a dash of salt and oregano. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and then add the eggplant pulp, onion, tomato, red bell pepper, and garlic. Sautée until the vegetables are tender. Then, remove from heat and mix in the egg, 1/4 of the cheese, and the seasonings (basil, oregano, salt, pepper).

Now spoon the mixture evenly into the 6 eggplant shells. Place each one on a single lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the shells are tender. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the eggplant halves and broil until the cheese has melted. Serves 6.

a buen tiempo!