Sweet Life

Avocado Pasta Sauce

Vianney — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:36:25 +0000

I love avocados. Whether sliced over a taco, sandwiched between a crusty bollio, cubed over a bowl of beans or smashed with serranos over a stack of homemade corn tortillas chips avocados are amazing. For a small package they sure pack a punch.

Did you know?

Avocados from Mexico supply nearly 20 vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including potassium, vitamins B6, C and E, folate and fiber

Mexican avocados have the “good” fats – mono- and poly-unsaturated fats that make avocados a good alternative to foods that are rich in saturated fats like dairy and mayonnaise.

What’s not to love? And what I enjoy is that they are available year-round, with their peak of the season being from September through May – yes they’re truly a winter fruit!

I have baked, incorporated them into breakfast, sliced them for sandwiches and even made ice cream with avocados, but never with pasta. Avocado pasta sauce is super simple to make and adds a healthy boost to your plate.

I’m extremely excited to invite you to submit your original avocado recipe to Avocados from Mexico “Aguacate Lindo y Querido Recipe Contest!” Celebrate the taste of tradition with AVOCADOS FROM MEXICO and you have the opportunity to win $500 and a trip to Houston in September. In Houston you will have a private cooking classes with Mexico’s renowned Celebrity Chef Aquiles Chavez (swoon) at his new and critically acclaimed restaurant The Fisheria. Aquiles is also the host of Aquilisimo and El Toque de Aquiles. Deadline to enter is May 25! So get in the kitchen, slice open a rip avocado and enter to win, Good Luck!!

Avocado Pasta Sauce

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: serves 4

Ingredients

16 oz (1lb) pasta
2 -3 large, ripe avocados
1 tsp Olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
½ medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup cilantro
Pepitas for garnish

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package, drain and reserve ½ cup pasta water.
To make the sauce heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add olive oil.
When oil is heated add onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 minutes.
Add onion, garlic, half of cilantro, lemon juice and avocados to food processor or blender.
Process until smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. Add to warm pasta, stir to combine.
Add pasta water if needed. Garnish with cilantro and pepitas, serve.

Notes

recipe adapted from OhsheGlows

http://sweetlifebake.com/2012/05/16/avocado-pasta-sauce/

This is part of a sponsored campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Avocados From Mexico. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Dulce de Leche Cake

Vianney — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:49:35 +0000

Dulce de Leche Cake

Mi cariño graduates today! I am bursting with pride, happiness and overwhelming joy for him. Today he receives his Master’s Degree in Social Work. I find myself tearing up just thinking of the bumpy road that lead us to this day.

After 9/11 my hubby like many dedicated men and women enlisted in the Armed Forces. He enlisted with the Army, headed to boot camp, then Medical Training School and finally moved our family to Fort Hood. He deployed in March to Iraq and school was ultimately put on hold. After his return life went on, our second child was born and he returned to school at night all while completing his time in the military. A year and five months later he would return to Iraq for his second tour and I would move home with our girls, once again school was put on hold.

After completing his second tour we as a family decided to leave the Army and focus on our future plans. Three months later with a full time job, a new mortgage he took the plunge and enrolled full time. He often tells me that his deployments gave him so much more than he expected. On his second tour his unit was assigned a local translator to aide in communication. My husband felt an instant bomd with him and they would spend their nights talking about family and their future. The translator urged my husband to return home, hold on to his loved ones and embrace his future.

And he did with a dedication I am proud to have witnessed. At one time he was commuting 2 ½ hours to attend night classes before driving home to be at work the next morning. After one semester he became weary of driving and we decided to move. The ease of being closer to his school gave us the return of precious family time. We packed a few items, closed up our home, rented an apartment, a new job and he has never looked back. Not once did I ever hear him complain about working 40 plus hours, spending his nights at class and taking on the rent while paying for our mortgage. Every day as he walked through the door there was a smile on his face, a kiss for his girls and an appreciation for his time at home.

So today we celebrate, we celebrate his dedication, his drive, his dreams and our future. This day calls for cake, a cake with layer upon layer of flavor. Three lightly whipped cake layers, brushed with sweet syrup and frosted with an abundance of fluffy dulce de leche frosting. I returned to an empty apartment and found myself at the store picking up foil cake pans this evening. I was a bit worried the cakes would over bake and stick to the pans, but they came perfect. Light, golden and moist.

I leave you with a picture of the half frosted cake, not sliced. Well because the graduate gets the first slice. I found a small bag of chocolate chips in the freezer, so I decided to pipe a few words.

Today as we celebrate my husband’s accomplishment I leave you with words of wisdom from a wise man.

hold on to your loved ones and embrace the future

Dulce de Leche Cake

Yield: serves 12-16

Ingredients

Cake:
8 eggs
1 1/3 cups (233g) packed light brown sugar
1 2/3 cups (233g) cake flour*
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
Syrup:
¼ cup (50g) vanilla scented caster sugar
½ cup (120ml) water
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Dulce de leche cream:
2 cups (480ml) heavy cream
1 cup dulce de leche

Instructions

Make the cake: preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF. Line the bottoms of three 20cm (8-inch) round cake pans with rounds of parchment or waxed paper, but do not grease the pans.
In a large heatproof bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Gradually whisk in the brown sugar. Set over a pot of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the brown sugar dissolves and the mixture warms to body temperature. Remove from the heat and, with an electric mixer, beat on medium speed until the mixture holds slowly dissolving ribbons when the beaters are lifted.
Put the flour and cinnamon in a sifter and sift about 1/3 over the top of the eggs. Gently fold in with a large metal spoon. Repeat 2 more times with the remaining flour, folding only until mixed, with no trace of flour.
Drizzle the melted butter over the batter and fold in, now with a rubber spatula, taking care not to deflate the batter or to leave pockets of butter not folded in. Divide the batter among the 3 prepared cake pans.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a cake tester or wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean – mine took 25 minutes. Let cool completely in the pans. Run a blunt knife around the edge of each cake to release it from the pan. Turn out onto a wire rack and carefully peel off the paper.
Now, the syrup: boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture reduces to ½ cup. Remove from heat, add the vanilla extract and allow to cool before using.
Prepare the dulce de leche cream: Place the cream in the freezer for 4 minutes.
In a large chilled mixer bowl with chilled beaters, combine the cream with the dulce de leche. Beat on low speed to combine and dissolve the dulce de leche. Raise the mixer to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form.
Assemble the cake: place one cake layer, flat side up, on a cake stand or serving plate. Brush it with the rum syrup to moisten evenly. Cover the layer with about 2/3 cup of the dulce de leche cream, spreading it evenly to the edges. Repeat with the next layer, moistening it with the syrup as well.
Top with the third layer. Moisten it with the syrup. Frost the top and sides of the cake completely with the remaining dulce de leche cream (there was about ¼ cup left in the end).

Notes

1 cup cake flour = 7/8 cup (123g) all purpose flour + 2 tablespoons corn starch

Dulce de Leche Cake from TecnicolorKitchen

http://sweetlifebake.com/2012/05/12/dulce-de-leche-cake/

Picarones

Vianney — Wed, 09 May 2012 03:08:05 +0000

Our move is finally here!! I am so excited to be moving back home. I hope to be unpacked and back in my kitchen soon. Until then I leave you with Picarones my latest recipe over at New Latina. Enjoy!