E for Encebollado!

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E for Encebollado, Ecuador cuisine, Fish Soup, Frizztest alphabet story challenge E, internet problems, Ways to cook fresh tuna

Cruzita Ecuador –  What’s on the menu?  Fresh tuna!

Pulling up the rear, I am sending this while in transit to Guayaquil. Internet options are poor, and I am able to grab a signal by standing beside the window of my hotel while balancing the laptop in one hand and pecking these words with the other! Frizztext’s story challenge “E” is indeed a challenge tonight!  Thanks for some great comments; replying and commenting are fruiutless tasks as well! I will ‘send’ this & see you in a few days!

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Bananas, Bananas and More Bananas!

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banana flower recipe, banana nut bread, Bananas, Chifles, Cooking with bananas, cooking with plantains, Costa Rica Cuisine, Ecuador cuisine, Galivantas Recipes, hummingbird cake, Laylitas Recipes, Panama Cuisine, patacone recipe, Super Sweet Blogger Award

Papelito’s Corner Plantains – Jama, Ecuador. After four years, he recently informed me that his real name is Walter!

I try to keep bananas on hand to use in place of sugar when blending a natural drink.   My present favorite drink contains papaya, red hibiscus blossoms, fresh mint, maracuya (passion fruit) and the optional banana.  Since red and green make brown, the mint makes the concoction a bit ugly – but hey! – dim the lights and enjoy the flavor while your body drinks in nutrients! I often forget to strain the drinks before serving my friends, and they stare at me with this, “You really don’t expect me to drink this….. do you?” kind of look!

Bahia Ecuador Bananas

Bahia Banana Lady

Have you ever wondered what bananas look like when you find them in the wild?  Enjoy a trek with Kris and Joel in Panama’s northern region and see some bananas that don’t quite look like the ones you buy at the supermarket!Read it HERE:  Let’s Go Hunt For Bananas!

John and Mary McDonald in San Clemente, Ecuador showered me with an ‘all you can eat’ bananafest (as well as an amazing Sunday feast!)  Read how they happened upon a surplus of bananas HERE: Yes, We Have Bananas!

Achojcha, Where Have You Been All My Life?!

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Achojcha, Caigua, Cyclanthera pedata, Ecuador cuisine, mango camote salad, quinoa, Stuffing Cucumber

After finishing a painting session today, I prepared a chicken for the crock pot, then took a long leisurely walk to Playamart.  I needed to restock my supply of beach rocks!

Returning home,  I washed the latest Playamart treasures then painted a handful of new rocks.  I returned to the kitchen to prepare stuffed achojcha.  How could I have spent so much time in this country and be just now discovering this incredible vegetable?! (This past week, achojchas cost ten cents each at the local market.)

ACHOJCHA CON POLLO, QUINOA Y MOZZARELLA  

What’s Cooking? Achojcha (Cyclanthera pedata)

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Achojcha, Caigua, Ecuador cuisine, Stuffing Cucumber

A new vegetable recently caught my eye at Maria’s sidewalk market.  Light green and slightly ribbed, it was extremely lightweight and hollow.   “Que es esto?”  I asked Maria, who was helping several shoppers.

“Achocha,” she replied then resumed weighing vegetables.

Left to ponder the unusual vegetable, I inspected the display, sniffed the achochas, rattled one,  tossed it into the air, caught it,  then added two more to my selection.  Why not try this curious new vegetable?

What’s Cooking? Quinoa Crisps

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Ecuador cuisine, quinoa crisps

Quinoa Crisps & Sauteed Tomatoes

Move over, rice and potatoes, a super food from the Andes is knocking home runs through the culinary world!

Quinoa dates back to 3,000 to 5,000 B.C. and was a sacred grain to the Incas.   Along came the Spanish Invasion, and quinoa was discouraged and sometimes forbidden as a food source.  Wheat replaced quinoa, and potatoes became popular. Considered a food for the poor for centuries, quinoa has suddenly burst out of the closet and stepped into the spotlight.