Vegetarian Sancocho

Sancocho is a Spanish soup/stew, typically made with meat.  This is a vegetarian version that Angie Martinez made on The Chew.  It is very yummy and improves with age.  I liked it even more the second day.


Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

1 unripe green plantain (peeled and roughly chopped)

1/2 pound yucca (peeled and roughly chopped)

1/2 pound sweet potato (peeled and roughly chopped)

1 medium green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)

1 medium tomato (chopped)

1/2 pound dried red kidney beans (soaked overnight)

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 sprigs fresh oregano

1 fresh or dried bay leaf

4 sprigs fresh cilantro (plus extra leaves for garnish)

2 tablespoons aromatic bitters (optional)

1 tablespoon sugar

kosher salt

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the garlic and ginger and cool until just fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in the plantain, yucca, sweet potato, bell pepper, tomato, and beans, and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the parsley, oregano, bay leaf, cilantro, bitters, if using, and sugar along with 3 cups water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Season with salt.

To serve, garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

Delish!

Easy Cinnamon Buns

If you have a craving for fresh from the oven cinnamon buns that are like the ones you can buy at the mall, this recipe will satisfy that craving.  It takes a shortcut in that the dough is comes ready-made from the frozen food section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

1 loaf of frozen ready-made bread dough, thawed in the frig
6 T softened butter
Ground cinnamon
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/2 c of chopped nuts and/or raisins (optional)

Icing

1-1/2 c confectioner's sugar
2 T very soft butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (almond works well too)
Milk

Preheat oven to 350*.  Spray 8 large muffin cups or a round baking pan with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Lightly dust a wooden cutting board with flour.  Set out the thawed dough and roll into about an  8x15 rectangle.  This step takes a bit of work, but you'll eventually get there.  You can pull and stretch the dough a bit with your fingers as well to help it along.

With a knife spreader slather the entire rectangle with butter.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.  Mix the sugars together and sprinkle over the cinnamon.

Starting at the long end, tightly roll the dough into a log, manipulating the dough to keep it even.  Slice into 8 equal pieces, and put cut side down into pan.  With your fingers, spread the top layers of dough open.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise to double in size, about and hour and a half.  Bake for 16-20 minutes are until a dark golden brown and cooked in the center.

Mix icing ingredients together, adding milk by the tablespoon until you reach your desired consistency.  Thicker, but spreadable is better here as it will melt as soon as you spread it onto the hot buns.

Enjoy!