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- 1 cup coarse bulgur
- 2 cups boiling water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup finely chopped parsley, tightly packed
- ½ cup finely chopped mint, tightly packed
- 20 fresh sweet cherries, pitted and diced
- 2 nectarines, pitted and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Place bulgur in a large glass bowl.
- Add salt and cover with the boiling water and let sit for 20 until bulgur is tender and has absorbed most of the water.
- Transfer bulgur to a strainer and press out excess water.
- Dry glass bowl and pour the bulgur, parsley, mint and cherries, and nectarines in a large bowl and toss.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and add to bulgur mixture.
- Refrigerate before dinner or serve immediately.
- Great with grilled fish or chicken.
- Ajiaco-Soup made with potatoes, meat and eggs
- Tallarines con porotos- Beans and noodles with lots of flavor made also with added squash. My grandmother made this often.
- Pancutras- A meat stew with noodles. Comfort food at its best
- Veggie Fusions Garden Vegetable
- Veggie Fusions Southwestern
- Veggie Fusions Mango Lime
- 16 medium cooked shrimp
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 1 roasted poblano pepper*, sliced in 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons cotija cheese, crumbled
- 2 teaspoons of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon Tajin and more for sprinkling
- smoked paprika for sprinkling
- 1 7-ounce container Sabra Veggie Fusions Mango Lime
- 4 slices sprouted bread, toasted
- Shrimp should be thawed and dabbed with paper to remove all water.
- Add to a bowl.
- In a small pan, cook the red onion on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes until the onions are soft.
- While the onions are cooking, roast the poblanos. Follow asterisk below on how to roast.
- Add onions to the shrimp. Add the poblano slices.
- Add crumbled cotija and a little olive oil.
- Add lime juice and sprinkle with Tajin.
- *!How to roast poblano peppers:
- Place rack on the second highest section. Turn on broiler in oven. Line a sheet with parchment and a place peppers on baking sheet. Lightly spray with olive oil spray. Place in oven and broil for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and add to a plastic bag and seal to allow pepper to sweat. The outer layer needs to be peeled after 10 minutes. Remove from bag and removed outer skin and slice in 1 inch slices.
- Toast the bread and set aside.
- Spread 2 ounces or 1/4 of the guacamole on the toast.
- Layer the shrimp topping on the guacamole. Each toast should have 4 shrimp.
- Sprinkle each with a little more Tajin and smoked paprika.
Natalia Lafourcade: Summer Series at Longwood Gardens
July 7th, 2016Disclosure: We received tickets in exchange for the show. Opinions and photos are my own.
Summer Series at Longwood Gardens
Summer is not complete without a few outdoor concerts and even more so when they are held at one the world’s greatest gardens, Longwood Gardens. My family and I love visiting the gardens on a regular basis to see special exhibits or even during the holidays but I have to say that I have never attended one of their concerts especially during the summer. One of the reasons I wanted to go now is that Natalia Lafourcade, an award-winning Mexican indie pop artist, was coming through Philadelphia featuring songs from her album, Hasta La Raíz.
Ladies Night Out
As a mother of three I always have the challenge of finding other moms to enjoy an evening out but thankfully I was able to gather a group of three to come out for a nice evening of grown-up time. We met at Two Stones Pub in Kennet Square for a few appetizers and beers and then headed out to gardens for the concert.
The pub is an ideal spot for a ladies night out because it is 6 minutes from Longwood Gardens. We ordered and it seemed like the food hardly took any time to come out. We were out within 75 minutes with time to park and walk to the open air theater. We enjoyed Nachos with chorizo, crab dip with pretzels, and some Kettle Chip Nachos with great drinks. Thanks Two Pubs!
Open Air Theater
While it was a MUGGY evening, we thought the breeze would come in to cool us but we did have the consolation of the dusk to give us a break from the heat. The open air theater was set up nicely with rows numbered and waiting for us to receive the artist. It was an intimate environment especially with great company. With insect repellent and essential oils to prevent bugs from bothering us we were ready for a performance.
Truth be told I had never heard of Ms. Lafourcade. While I am constantly on Spotify discovering new artists I had not heard of her but once I started listening to her music a few weeks back, I knew I would enjoy the show. When I found out that a related artist in her niche was Julieta Venegas, also a Mexican singer and songwriter, I was set!
Natalia Lafourcade – singer and songwriter
Ms. Lafourcade is definitely up and coming since starting at the age of 14. After 15 years, she is one of the most popular and successful singer and songwriters. She swept the awards at the Latin Grammys this year! My cousins in Mexico were a little jealous I was getting a chance to see her live so I was sure to send them snaps on Snapchat so they could get to watch a little of her. Why not?
When Ms. Lafourcade came out to perform, I was surprised at how petite she was. She came out in a cute striped tube top and in her broken English she told her audience how unbelievably hot it was in Philadelphia. Her band consisted of a 5 band members but her pianist was missing due to not receiving a Visa to come to the US so Ms. Lafourcade played the keyboard when necessary and I believe she did really great!
She has an amazing crisp voice and very charismatic. She loves dancing in between songs and seems very passionate about her songs. She was able to share a few things about her songs especially one that was written about a girl who stole her boyfriend. She was happy to reminisce and then joke about it. If you like pop, her sounds will keep your feet moving and if you like eclectic then it is also for you as well.
Audience
I think Ms. Lafourcade was received well by the mixed crowd. I know that Kennett Square has a higher Hispanic community so I was happy that there was a great crowd. I know I can say this since I feel like I live in an area with hardly any Hispanics. HA! They were very enthusiastic and great fans of Ms. Lafourcade and rightly so.
I look forward going to my next concert because it is the IDEAL spot to enjoy great music. Go with a loved one or have a ladies night out and see what Longwood Gardens Summer Series is all about!
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Nectarine and Cherry Tabbouleh Salad
July 6th, 2016
Summer is not complete without a dose of ripe nectarines and cherries. This nectarine and cherry tabbouleh salad is a refreshing side to go with grilled fish or chicken and is well-consumed by all toddlers and babies in our home. What a great way to use fresh produce from your local farmer’s markets.
I hope everyone had a lovely Fourth of July weekend! It is nice to have a three-day weekend because a break from work is always welcome. We enjoyed a mild summer day with friends on two different days with at least a day filled with a round of fireworks.
I feel like after a full week and a half of being back from Texas that we are all back to our rhythm. While we love traveling and going places, it always throws our schedules and pace out a bit and it is just challenging to get back to normal. All I felt like doing was lounging and sleeping to make up for the high paced days. The high pace is ALWAYS there in our home with three girls under the age of 5 but it is just a bit different.
Summer meals
Summer is meant to be calm and refreshing but somehow it gets just as busy but even so we like to take the time to make home-cooked meals and grilling so we have been making light and quick meals that would be enjoyed by the whole family. When I discussed what side to make with the planned pan-fried hake (fish), mu husband suggested bulgur. I would not think of bulgur outside of Mediterranean food but that is because that is the only time I have consumed it.
What is bulgur?
What is bulgur, you might be asking? It is a dried cracked wheat and after reading more about it, I did find out that it is more common in European, Middle Eastern and Indian Cuisine. It is VERY quick to prepare since it is partially pre-cooked. I purchased the bag at my local Indian store or international grocery store and re-hydrate 1 cup of bulgur with 2 cups of boiling water. I made about 3 cups of ready-to-use bulgur wheat.
Nectarine and Cherry Tabbouleh Salad
Everyone in my family knows that I am a big fan of cherries. If I could put them in everything during the summer season, then I would. Add some fresh ripe nectarines and I am in fruit heaven. Fruit does not have to be for breakfast alone, but it is great in salads, especially this tabbouleh recipe that normally would call for tomatoes. I put a twist on my normal tabbouleh and make it sweet and savory.
I used seasonal ingredients to make a quick salad to go with our dinner. I used fresh nectarines, cherries and mint to make a fruit tabbouleh salad. It was consumed by our 11-month old daughter and our toddlers enjoyed it even more because they were eating some of their favorite fruits in a salad! Serve it with grilled or fried fish and enjoy a fresh quick dinner this summer.
How would you enjoy this salad?
Ingredients
Instructions
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Discovering Chile through its Cuisine
June 29th, 2016
One of the things that I promised I would do when I arrived in Chile was to discover as much as a I could about Chilean cuisine. Before I left, I tried to do a little research, but there was so much going on in our lives that I discovered a lot of foodie treasures while I was in Santiago. Discovering Chile through its cuisine has definitely been a dream of mine and it finally came true.
As I looked through Trip Advisor, I searched for cooking classes and food tours and narrowed down to doing a food tour. With that in mind, I knew I had to find one that would be ideal for a mom traveling with a baby. I wanted to make sure that there would be some flexibility in case the baby required some attention. I searched through Trip Advisor and found a few tours that looked intriguing especially the ones that included the markets. Many friends and family warned me about theft in Santiago so I knew I would feel comfortable being with a tour guide as opposed to being by myself.
I discovered Foody Chile who is led by Colin, an American who has been living in Chile for 12 years and has made his home in Santiago. What I did not realize is that I was getting a tour by an English speaker and truth be told, I wanted a tour with a native Chilean. I should have been more specific and inquiring of the tour because when I met Colin, he thought he was giving the tour in English and I preferred in Spanish, so I think I threw him off. Either way, I made the best of the situation and we had a nice 3-hour tour of the different markets along with some food samples.
We started at Plaza de Armas and went along a main street to get to Mercado Central, La Vega Central, and La Vega Chica. We meandered through several markets that sold everything from flower arrangements, fish, meat, fruits, veggies to even pickled veggies. The colors were amazing and watching the people buy and sell was fun too.
Our first stop was at a stand that served Mote con Huesillo, which is pretty much cooked barley or grains in stewed apricot juice. It is served cold and with a spoon. I did not know whether to ask for a straw or simply eat the grain but either way, it was a tasty treat I could see enjoying during the mid day.
We stopped in a gallery where the guide talked about Chileans version of fast food. There were places where people could purchase hearty sandwiches and eat standing up or there were establishments advertising their local specials with samples by the window. It was basically window shopping for food. I was aghast at how huge Chilean sandwiches were. There were layers of thinly sliced meat called churrasco and layered with either fresh green beans, tomatoes or other toppings of choice. It could easily serve more than 2 people.
Lunch is really dinner for Chileans, where the main meal is mostly enjoyed in the middle of the day. My landlord at the bed and breakfast told me that la once , or elevensies, is usually enjoyed around 5pm, which is a light meal that is enjoyed. A dinner could later take place but usually the evening was kept for lighter refreshments. I know that my grandparents practiced this but I never knew it had a name.
Back to the tour. I LOVED the time at the market because I was able to spot different types of produce I had not seen, like the varieties of avocados. Avocados, or palta as the Chileans say, are everywhere! I really did not realize that they are served on a lot of dishes! It is like the ketchup on fries. Can I say that? My dad told me to try a completo which is a hot dog on steroids. It is served with avocado, fresh tomatoes, sauerkraut, and a huge amount of mayonnaise. It was astounded by how popular this hot dog is. I was not completely sold on it but I know it made my dad happy.
Another stop on our tour was at a restaurant in the market where I had three different soups. A side of bread and pebre, which is a Chilean condiment that almost looks like pico de gallo. I was so surprised by how different it looked than the one my grandmother prepared. Actually there are several different types and I enjoyed them all on different level. The soups we had were all very hearty and flavorful.
One of our stops was going to include empanadas but since I was familiar with that dish I asked for something different. Our last two stops consisted of seafood empanadas with white wine and some cola de mono, which is a coffee cocktail I have shared before. I felt like I got a great taste of Chile while walking through the markets. I definitely felt safe with my guide even though I did accidentally drop about 10 dollars that no one gave back to me. Oh well. If you are an English speaker and looking to get a taste of Chile, I would definitely recommend Colin of Foody Chile.
One more thing that I definitely knew I wanted to have before I left Chile was a pisco sour. I had heard so much about the drink that I mapped the place I was going to enjoy my first drink. Even though wine is produced in Chile, it is not the most popular beverage. Pisco is definitely enjoyed a lot more. It is produced in Chile and Peru and many drinks are made with it along with the cola de mono I mentioned before.
Chipe Libre also known as Independent Republic of Pisco, is known for their pisco varieties from Chile and Peru. They serve food from the pisco region of Chile and also food from Peru but I really knew I was not going the be able to dine so I went in the evening quickly while the baby was napping in the stroller. I was able to chat with the bartender to ask him about the varieties and what I would most enjoy on my first try. I loved the whole experience and the flavor of the pisco sour. I wish I had time for another at a more leisurely pace.
All in all, I am happy with what I was able to do on such a tight schedule and alone with a baby. I came home with a load of cookbooks with Chilean recipes and look forward sharing many of those to you in the coming months.
If you have a chance to experience a culture and its food, where would you go?
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Summer Fun for Alex’s Lemonade Stand at Dorney Park
June 23rd, 2016Summer fun has officially started with our family. Last week our family enjoyed a great sunny day at Dorney Park and Wildwater Kingdom for the first time. During the month of June, the park is joining Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation in the fight against childhood cancer. Everyone pays kids prices during the month with a portion of the purchase going to support Alex’s Lemonade Stand. Instead of the regular $57 dollar price, everyone can save $19 by purchasing their tickets online. What a deal.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post with Blog Meets Brand. All opinions are my own.
Before I left for our active day at the park, I looked up a map of the park in order to plan how we were to enjoy the park with the girls. Since we have three girls under the age of 5 we really wanted to make the most of the day wisely since our girls were missing their naps. We started with Planet Snoopy at Dorney Park where all the rides are geared for kids of all sizes but many perfect for our girls heights. There was a mini roller coaster that the girls enjoyed that substituted their desire for riding the adult rides.
I quickly learned that day that my girls are fearless when it comes to fast and spinning rides. I did not go to parks like Dorney Park growing up until I was close to eight years old so I know that my girls were experiencing everything earlier. If anything, I find joy watching my girls having a good time. I am sure I am not the only parent that feels the same way. While my 11 month old daughter could not enjoy rides, she did really well observing and taking in all the sights.
After the girls rode several rides in the Planet Snoopy we enjoyed lunch and a bit of shade from the bright sun. After lunch we put on our swimsuits and headed to Wildwater Kingdom to cool off from the heat. There were three areas there were ideal for the girls. Since we went on a Wednesday, I thought the crowds were much lighter so it was easier to keep track of the girls. Going with two parents is ideal because my husband was able to keep track of my older two girls while I played with the baby.
We started out at Kids Cove where there were multiple mini water slides within a colorful submarine that kids could weave through. The girls climbed through the tunnels and steps and thoroughly enjoyed sliding and splashing. My little one at first did not know how to respond but when I put her in the water to wade, she started to splash and play.
We then made our way to Splash Landing and Lollipop Lagoon where we found an assortment of slides, fountains, raining umbrellas or simply lounge areas where the girls could rest. Luckily we did not get asked for too many snack breaks but when the girls started feeling tired my husband and I switched off so we could ride the adult water slides. My husband checked out Boa Blasters which consisted of him riding down a tube slide while holding tightly to a tube. It was his first time ever to go on a water ride so he enjoyed it immensely. I had not enjoyed a ride like that since my Junior High days so I was freaked at first from riding but ended up enjoying it.
While we would have loved to ride more water rides, we kept moving to the next ride for our girls. My girls and I LOVED Runaway River. I placed both girls in life jackets made available for all guests at the park, and I chose tubes for them. We then relaxed and floated through the river where we were met with waterfall surprises or some fast movements down the river. The girls loved it so much that we went on it a second time. It was an ideal time since the baby had fallen asleep in the stroller, so my husband kept her moving.
As dusk approached, the weather started getting cooler so we changed everyone out of their suits and headed back to Dorney Park after we had some Rita’s custard. That was definitely a highlight of the afternoon. We went back to Planet Snoopy to check out other rides the girls had not experienced and then we took a break by walking around and exploring while my husband rode some scary roller coasters. I am so glad he got to enjoy some exciting rides like the Hydra and Steel Force.
When we ready to leave we were happy that we survived a WHOLE day at the park. We left by 7pm and settled everyone in the car ready for dinner. The girls behaved so well and enjoyed every moment of the day including the baby! We created some great memories and we look forward checking out the park in the future. We love enjoying summer fun with our family even at this stage of life!
Remember, “Everyone Pays Kids Price” for the month of June. A portion of ticket proceeds going to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation so why not support a great cause. When you go, make sure you use the hashtag #OneDorneySmileAtATime and Dorney Park will also donate $1 to help make an impact on those children battling who are battling cancer.
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Tex-Mex Shrimp and Guacamole Toast
June 20th, 2016Avocado toast is pretty trendy but imagine changing that up a bit with guacamole toast! No need to worry about calories or fat content because my Tex-Mex Shrimp and Guacamole Toast will be ideal for this summer.
This is a sponsored post with Sabra. All opinions and recipes are my own.
This summer is already a memorable one. We have traveled, had multiple deaths in the family, and with that we have had interesting weather to add to all that mixture. Despite that, life continues sustained in God’s strength. Ideally it would be wonderful to have a personal chef for breaks in this busy season, but it is easier eating lighter or even making simpler meals that require little cooking time.
I always keep avocados in our home for various recipes but usually my girls just eat it by itself and request that I make it salty. So easy, right? When I sit to eat an avocado, I like slicing it and adding it to a toasted piece of sprouted bread. On occasion I will add a fried egg and some slices of fresh tomato. It is such a satisfying meal but not one I do as often.
Lighter Guacamole
Lighter summer meals come in different forms and I like an opened faced sandwiches more than regular sandwiches because I can load them up with toppings. Recently, Sabra released their newest product called Veggie Fusions Guacamole and is considered the first of its kind to reach grocery stores. They have three different options:
Each 7-ounce container of guacamole is made with ripe, fresh, Hass avocados mixed with delicious crisp vegetables for a nutritious dip, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fiber. In fact, each recipe is made with SEVEN different varieties of veggies!
With this mixture the guacamole has a fresh flavor and the overall fat content is reduced by 30% (3g of fat vs. 5g and 4.5g of fat per serving of the two leading brands of classic guacamole). All three varieties are vegan, kosher, gluten-free and made with the best quality ingredients.
I had a chance to try all three and I really enjoyed all three in different ways. We had company over several weeks back and all 8 kids in the group enjoyed the Veggie Fusions Garden Vegetable with carrots and pretzels! Little did they know they were consuming healthy nutritious dips! The Veggie Fusions Southwestern dip had a nice blend of corn, black beans and veggies. Pairs well with corn chips or great on enchiladas!
Guacamole Toast
The Mango Lime was MY favorite. Since avocado is a fruit, combining it with mango is just so logical and ideal. The dip was both sweet and savory and perfect with my Tex-Mex Shrimp and Guacamole Toast for my lunch. The shrimp is easy to cook while the poblanos roast in the oven. Both my husband and I like keeping ready-made roasted peppers in the fridge for meals.
Hey busy moms! Don’t be intimidated! This recipe worked great prepping the night before and assembling the day of. While your kids have their quick-lunch this quick gourmet lunch makes you feel like you’ve conquered the kitchen while feeding your kids.
Want a chance to try Sabra’s Veggie Fusions line? Head to their site and print the $1 coupon to use at the grocery store. Make sure you head to the deli section to purchase this delicious guacamole.
Ingredients
Instructions
