Showing posts with label Fall recipes. Show all posts
Café de Olla is a delicious and fragrant Mexican coffee brewed with aromatic spices like cinnamon, clove, and star anise.


Mexican Café de Olla - lacocinadeleslie.com

I'm baaaaccckkk! And... I'm not alone. My friend Heather (from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen) and I are teaming up once again to bring back She Made/Ella Hace. To kick things off, we are celebrating Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead). Whether you're looking for something sweet and delicious to serve for your Day of the Dead celebration, or if you're looking for traditional food ofrendas (offerings) for your altar de muertos (altar), we've got you covered. Heather is making Camotes Enmielados (Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes), while I am serving steaming mugs of classic Café de Olla (Mexican coffee).

She Made/Ella Hace: Café de Olla

For the past couple of months I have been obsessed with sweet potatoes. Like crazy obsessed.  Normally around this time of year, I find myself cooking with apples and pumpkins...and sweet potatoes.  But so far this season apples and pumpkins have not made one single appearance in my kitchen.  It's been all sweet potatoes, all the time, with lots of yummy sweet potato treats left and right.  (Spoiler alert: you'll be seeing some of those recipes here on the blog.)  So it was no surprise that I suggested to girlichef that we feature sweet potatoes as our star ingredient this month for She Made/Ella Hace. 

Since most of the time we eat sweet potatoes it's in something sweet, I knew I wanted to create something savory, because there's just something so incredibly awesome about sweet potatoes in savory dishes.  They add a heartiness and sweetness that just takes your dish to a whole new level.

I had some homemade longaniza that we bought in Zacatecas last week just waiting to be used up.  For those of you unfamiliar with longaniza it's very similar to chorizo in flavor, but unlike chorizo that is made with ground meat, longaniza is made with finely chopped meat.

Hubby and the kiddies were a little skeptical when I told them I was making savory Sweet Potato Tacos, but I knew that once they tasted them they'd love them.  And well, these tacos helped prove that I'm rarely ever wrong.  To quote my husband, "These tacos were AWESOME!"  They're like a cross between Papas con Chorizo (potatoes w/ chorizo) and Tacos al Pastor.  In fact, I think I'm going to start calling these my Fall Tacos al Pastor, or something along those lines.  All I know is that these are quickly on their way to becoming a fall favorite.

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Sweet Potato Tacos w/ Longaniza 

Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 lb. longaniza or chorizo
  • 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 orange
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
  • Red onion, finely chopped
  • Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • Corn tortillas

Directions: 
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute 1 minute.  Add the longaniza and saute until almost fully cooked, about 10 minutes.  Add the sweet potatoes, cumin, and paprika and cook for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.  Squeeze the juice of one orange over the sweet potato and longaniza filling.  Cover skillet and reduce heat to low.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the orange juice has evaporated.

Spoon filling onto warm corn tortillas.  Garnish with chopped red onion and cilantro.  Top with your favorite salsa.  Enjoy!!! 








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Now be sure to visit girlichef's blog to check out her Coconut Sweet Potato Pie w/ Spiced Graham Cracker Crust.

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Sweet Potato & Longaniza Tacos {She Made/Ella Hace}

I LOVE fall!  It is by far my favorite season of the year.  And not just because the 1st day of fall sometimes falls on my birthday.  (Like this year.  Happy Birthday to me!)  I love the crisper weather.  Watching the leaves fall from the trees.  Bundling up in my favorite sweater.  And all of the yummy, warm, comforting treats that are synonymous with the season.

Usually around this time of the year, I'm all about apples or pumpkins.  But right now I only have eyes for Sweet Potatoes and/or yams.  I always get the two confused.  But in Spanish I don't have that problem.  In Mexico we call both sweet potatoes and yams, camotes.  And the most popular sweet potato dish has to be Camotes Enmielados (Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes).  They're these sweet, syrupy sweet potatoes cooked in piloncillo (unrefined sugar cones) and cinnamon that taste just like fall.  As soon as I flipped my calendar to September, I had a pot of Camotes Enmielados simmering away on the stove.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate my favorite season.

What's your favorite fall food?

lacocinadeleslie.com

Camotes Enmieladitos
(Candied Sweet Potatoes)

Ingredients:
  • 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cut in 2-inch slices
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
  • 2 cones dulce macho (piloncillo) 

Directions:
Place the sweet potato slices in a dutch oven or large pot with the water and cinnamon sticks.  Arrange the piloncillo cones (whole) directly on top of the sweet potato slices.  Cover the pot and let simmer over low heat for about an hour until the camotes are completely cooked and the syrup has thickened slightly.  Let cool slightly.  Serve warm with milk or drizzle a little sweetened condensed milk on top.  Enjoy!

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Be sure to check out these delicious Autumn inspired recipes from my #SundaySupper friends that I'm sure to you'll "fall" in love with. (See what I did there?)


Amazing Breakfasts, Brunches, and Breads

Outstanding Soups, Starters and Sides:

Comforting Main Dishes:

Decadent Desserts:

Tasty Drinks:

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm EST. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here →Sunday Supper Movement. 


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Camotes Enmielados (Mexican Candied Sweet Potatoes) #SundaySupper



The other day, I found myself craving something warm and cinnamon-y.  It wasn't a craving for a specific dessert.  All I knew was that I wanted something that tasted like fall.  I'm not sure if everyone is aware of this little known fact, but fall tastes like cinnamon.  It also tastes like apples and pumpkins and brown sugar.  It was then that I realized that I hadn't even had a chance to cook with this month's ingredient for the Food of the Month Club...Apples.  (Sigh!)  Apples would fit in very nicely with what I was craving.  I just needed to decide what to make.

Just then, my youngest son Jack, ran inside to get a sweater.  You know it's chilly outside if a 7 year old little boy takes time out from riding his bike to get a sweater.  As Jack ran back outside, I knew exactly what to make...Apple-Cinnamon Arroz con Leche!  Arroz con Leche is Jack's favorite dessert.  It was just what the kiddies would need to help warm them up, once they were done playing outside.  And with the addition of apples and extra cinnamon, it was sure to satisfy my craving.

Let me tell you... The Apple-Cinnamon Arroz con Leche did not disappoint!  It was warm and creamy and cinnamon-y all at the same time.  And with the soft little pieces of tart Granny Smith apples...  (Sigh!)  It tasted just like fall!

What are you craving this fall?

Apple Cinnamon Arroz con Leche - lacocinadeleslie.com

Apple-Cinnamon Arroz con Leche
(Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:
  • 3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
  • 1 cup long or short-grain rice (I used long-grain) 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 3-inch cinnamon stick 
  • 3-1/2 cups water
  • 2 cups milk
  • 1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
  • 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Directions: 
In medium 2 to 3-quart saucepan, bring rice, chopped apple, cinnamon stick, salt and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover saucepan and reduce heat to low. Let simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy, about 15 minutes.


Gently stir in the milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, and ground cinnamon. Cover saucepan and let simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking or flowing over,  for about 20 minutes or until the Arroz con Leche is nice and creamy. Let cool slightly.  Serve warm.  Enjoy!!! 

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*You can also let the Arroz con Leche cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, to serve the rice pudding cold.  I LOVE cold Arroz con Leche for breakfast!  

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Sharing this recipe with FOTMC (Food of the Month Club)

Apple-Cinnamon Arroz con Leche