South African Smoked Potatoes

We Caribbean folk love to season our food.  Traditionally through the generations we've been trained up in the way we should go about doing this.  Unfortunately a lot of those ways are unhealthy and harmful to these gorgeous temples we've been given.  Instead of passing on a strong heritage of health and healing, we end up unknowingly passing down disease and illness, with bad eating habits and poor food choices. 

But Yadi, healthy food is SO expensive!  Not all healthy options are high in price.  Take Trader Joe's, for instance.  This grocery store has made a commitment to quality and health that others just haven't made.  You will not find a single high fructose corn syrup, artificial color/flavoring, MSG, chemical laden ingredient in anything they sell.  That's huge! It doesn't mean that everything sold is good for you, labels still need to be read, but it's a great start.  On top of that commitment, Trader Joe's prices are unbeatable.  You will not break the bank in this grocery store for quality.  Quantity?  That's another story ;)




So now that you know where to shop, I'll let you in on a little seasoning secret.  Those of you who know about South African Smoke KNOW, it's crack. Oh how I wish this was a scratch and sniff picture.  Take a little whiff and your senses are awakened to a whole new world.  What can I put it on, Yadi?  EVERYTHING.  Seriously.  OK, maybe not like fruit or ice cream, but I wouldn't rule it out.  Anything savory can only be enhanced by the stuff in this amazing little bottle.  I don't know how they do it, the seasoning only has 4 ingredients: paprika flakes, sea salt, garlic, basil.  That's it.  If you think you can imagine what it tastes like from that list, you are wrong.  Drop what you're doing and rush to your nearest Trader Joe's to pick up a bottle.  I told you, it's crack.*

South African Smoked Potatoes

organic white and sweet potatoes, boiled and chopped (ration 3 to 1 white to sweet)
red onion, thinly sliced
grapeseed oil for cooking
south african smoke seasoning

Heat a skillet with grapeseed oil.  You can use any oil, but I've found that grapeseed holds heat the best and doesn't burn your pans like others can.  Toss in your pre-boiled, chopped potatoes and thinly sliced onions.  Now grind that south african smoke until the entire top portion is filled with goodness and sprinkle it over your potatoes as you mix everything around in your pan for even heating.  Once you've done that, grind some more and do it again.  Then repeat. I O.D on this stuff.
 
I serve these savory, slightly sweet potatoes with homemade vegan pancakes, or I'll eat them on their own. Sometimes I throw in some vegan sausage for some extra added protein.  So good! Enjoy, and let me know what life altering seasonings you've come across! 

*I don't get any kickback from TJs for promoting them or their products.

Sazón!

Continuing with the Puerto Rican seasonings before I get to the GOOD STUFF, let's talk about Sazón. I personally don't know anyone in my family who does not use the stuff. It is the staple of all staples. We use it in rice, beans, meat, smoothies (just kidding). Open the cupboard of any puerto rican household and you will find that little orange and yellow box of Sazón packets.

The problem with my homeboy Sazón is the ingredients in the most common brand. Anyone who wants to transition to a healthier lifestyle should read the label on this bad boy. You thought Chinese food was laden with MSG...turns out puerto rican food with all the Sazón is just as big of a culprit. Boo.

Why put all the chemicals into your food when you can get the same great taste from something that's easy to make yourself - fresh! Store it in an airtight container and it will keep for 3 months.

Sazón
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground annatto seeds
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp sea salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and store the sazón in an airtight container. That's it! In recipes, use about 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon for each packet of sazón called for.

Annatto seeds are what give the subtle orange hue to many dishes. Here are the seeds before and after being ground up. Use a coffee bean grinder to get them to a powder consistency. You can also substitute with paprika.

Sofrito

So I had guests come over yesterday for dinner - latin guests at that. I knew it was the perfect opportunity to start trying these veganized Puerto Rican dishes. What better to kick off my new adventure than with my all-time favorite - Pastelón! Literally my mouth waters every time I think about it, but the traditional Puerto Rican lasagna is made with ground beef and shredded mozzarella cheese. Well let me tell you, I came up with a vegan version and it was SLAMMIN'! Stay tuned this week for that recipe!

I need to start with some of the seasonings I had to use because it was not as easy as going to the grocery store and picking up some Goya. Unfortunately upon reading their ingredients I found that they were laden with MSG, artificial colors and artifical chemical flavorings. Not cool. So today I'll give you the basis to many Puerto Rican dishes, made fresh at home with none of the icky chemical additives.


Sofrito

1 large bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 red pepper
1 orange pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 large red onion
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon oregano
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Storage:
Keep what you will use in a small air tight jar or container. Freeze in ice cube trays what you won't use immediately. Once frozen, take it out of the ice cube trays and store it in plastic freeze bags until needed. Traditionally used to season rice, beans and other amazing dishes. Step 1 done - Yay!