Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Zesty Chicken and Vegetable Stew

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ChickenStew

Mushrooms are expensive in Uruguay (compared to the States), so we don’t cook with them as much as we used to. But, I saw a pretty good price on them at Devoto, so I picked up a large package and that’s where this recipe was born.

This chicken and vegetable stew is a delicious, healthy treat. In addition to being served as a stew as shown in the picture, it would also be great served over rice or pasta. Just add a bit more tomato paste if you’re serving over pasta.

I have mentioned in other recipes (like the chicken taco salad recipe) that we typically reserve the chicken breasts from our roasted whole chickens for a second meal. This is the ideal way to prepare this stew.

Ingredients:

  • 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cups mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • ½ teaspoon parsley
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon grape seed oil

Directions:

  1. Heat grape seed oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat
  2. Sauté bell pepper and onion until soft, about 5 minutes
  3. Add garlic and mushrooms
  4. Sauté until mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes
  5. Add chicken, hot sauce, spices and tomato paste
  6. Sauté until everything is heated through, about 8-10 minutes
  7. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. If you’re looking for a little extra flavor, try topping the stew with some fresh-grated Parmesan.


Recipe of the Week: Chicken Taco Salad

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Tacosalad

On last week’s Recipe of the Week for Black Bean Soup, I promised that this week’s recipe would be for Chicken Taco Salad. The two recipes go great together for a light, but delicious dinner.

Whenever I make a whole chicken, we typically eat everything except for the breasts the first night, then use the breasts for a separate recipe the following night. This is how I make the Chicken Taco Salads.

You don’t need to use dressing with this salad. The Pico de Gallo, Sour Cream and Mexican hot sauce combine to make a perfectly flavored “dressing.” Enjoy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 head of lettuce
  • 2 chicken breasts, diced (2-3 cups)
  • 1 cup black beans
  • 3 cups pico de gallo
  • 2 cups avocado, diced
  • 1 cup shredded cheese
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground cumin
  • Mexican hot sauce, to taste


Directions:

  1. Shred the lettuce and place it into four bowls
  2. Add ¾ cup pico de gallo to each bowl
  3. Add ¼ cup black beans to each bowl
  4. Sprinkle cumin over the diced chicken and mix
  5. Add diced chicken to bowls
  6. Add ½ cup diced avocado to each bowl
  7. Add ¼ cup shredded cheese to each bowl
  8. Top with ¼ cup sour cream
  9. Cover with Mexican hot sauce, to taste
  10. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. To make 2 larger servings rather than 4 medium servings, simply double the portions listed in the directions
  2. When making black bean soup, reserve one cup of black beans for this recipe


Recipe of the Week: Black Bean Soup

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DSC_0014

Black Bean Soup is great for a light, healthy lunch. Or you can pair it with a Chicken Taco Salad for a tasty dinner (come back next week for that recipe). It’s thick, filling and full of fiber and protein.

This recipe for Black Bean soup is very easy to make. The longest part of the preparation is soaking the black beans overnight and cooking them. Give it a try and let us know what you think.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups Black Beans, cooked, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (or to taste)
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (optional)
  • 1 cup sour cream (optional)
  • Mexican hot sauce (optional)


Directions:

  1. Dice and mince vegetables
  2. Heat pan over medium heat
  3. Add grapeseed oil and heat
  4. Sautee onion until slightly translucent, 1-2 minutes
  5. Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté for 1-2 minutes
  6. In a large mixing bowl, combine beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño and water
  7. Transfer to blender and blend until smooth
  8. Pour into a sauce pan
  9. Heat until warm
  10. Garnish with shredded cheese, sour cream and hot sauce

Don't forget to come back next week for our Chicken Taco Salad recipe.

Recipe of the Week: Pigs in a Blanket (Stuffed Cabbage)

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Cabbage

I used to eat these a lot growing up and forgot about them until we had a large head of cabbage that needed to be used.

When I suggested making Pigs in a Blanket, Brian thought I meant the hotdog version so he was confused (since I don’t eat hot dogs).

It is a bit of a process to make this recipe, but they’re good and the recipe makes a lot, so it’s great for a meal where you want to have leftovers.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ kilos (3 pounds) extra lean ground beef
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon, salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 cups white rice, cooked and cooled
  • 1 large cabbage
  • 5-6 large tomatoes, peeled and crushed
  • 4 cups homemade chicken broth
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 160° C (325° F)
  2. Coat large roasting pan with olive oil and set aside
  3. Wilt head of cabbage in large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes
  4. Remove cabbage from pot, cool slightly and separate leaves, taking care not to break the leaves
  5. Mix ground beef, cooked rice, garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, oregano and pepper.
  6. Form 3-inch balls
  7. Place meatball into cabbage leaf and fold leaf around the ball.
  8. Place into roasting pan, folded side down
  9. Repeat until all filling is used
  10. Cover cabbage rolls with crushed tomatoes
  11. Pour chicken broth over the rolls
  12. Cover roasting pan and bake for 2 hours or until cabbage is tender

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Top with hot sauce and/or cheese
  2. You can omit the cumin and replace with a teaspoon of basil and ½ teaspoon of rosemary for an Italian flavor; top with cheese and/or ketchup.



Recipe of the Week: Twice Baked Potatoes

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Potatoes

These twice-baked potatoes go great as a side with steak or chicken.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large potatoes
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • ½ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup bacon, chopped and cooked
  • 2 tablespoons diced chives
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 220° C (450° F)
  2. Wash potatoes, poke a fork into them several times, wrap them in aluminum foil and place in oven
  3. Bake for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until soft
  4. Remove potatoes from oven and reduce heat to 180° C (350° F)
  5. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, leaving the foil on them
  6. Use a spoon to scoop the potato out of the skin and place in a large mixing bowl (its best to leave a thin layer of potato with the skin)
  7. Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix well
  8. Fill the potato skins with the mixture and place on baking pan
  9. Place pan in oven and bake for 20-25 minutes
  10. Remove from oven and serve hot

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Instead of mixing the cheese into the potatoes, you can also top them with the cheese before baking
  2. You can also cook the potatoes ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the twice baked potatoes



The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week 2009

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We don’t have a new recipe of the week this week, but what we do have for you is a free copy of the eBook, “The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week, 2009.”

This eBook is a collection of the Recipes of the Week from the Exploring Uruguay Blog for 2009.

The recipes include:

  • Buttermilk Pie
  • Strawberry Peach Crumb Pie
  • Spicy Meatloaf
  • Blueberry Crumb Pie
  • Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars
  • Crustless Chicken Quiche
  • Thousand Island Dressing
  • One Day Sour Dill Pickles
  • One Day Sweet Pickles
  • Empanadas From Scratch
  • Spicy Beef with Sweet Chili Sauce
  • Sour Cream and Salsa Chicken

Click here to download “The Expat Cookbook: Recipe of the Week, 2009" for free.

Enjoy!



Recipe of the Week: Peach Strawberry Crumb Pie

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Two weeks ago, we posted a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Pie. Since it was such a hit, we decided to experiment with some of our other favorite fruits.

So, we swapped out the blueberries for half strawberries and half peaches. Then, we doubled the recipe for the crumb topping, and this is what we got… As Zoë would say, “Tasty!”

Peachstrawberrypie

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ cup lard
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1/3 cup cold water

Filling Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
  • 2 cups ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 7 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crumb Topping Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter

Directions:

Crust

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and lard in a mixing bowl until well blended
  2. Sprinkle in the water a little at a time and mix just enough to make it hold together – don’t over mix
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface
  5. Place the dough into the pie pan (don’t worry if it breaks; you can patch it in the pan)
  6. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan
  7. Seal any broken areas and shape the top edge into a pattern if you like

Filling

  1. Preheat oven to 190° C (375° F)
  2. Slice strawberries
  3. Peel and slice peaches
  4. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon, and mix well
  5. Add lemon juice and water and mix well
  6. Add the peaches and strawberries to the pie crust
  7. Pour the liquid mix over the peaches and strawberries

Crumb Topping

  1. Mix the sugar, butter and flour in a bowl
  2. Sprinkle mixture over the fruit   

  3. Place pie in oven and bake for one hour
  4. The pie should be bubbling and golden brown; if not cook for 3-4 more minutes and check again
  5. Serve warm with a heaping scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Tips and modifications:

  1. Pie will keep for 1 week in refrigerator
  2. You can find a recipe for whipped cream in The Expat Cookbook, which is on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009



Recipe of the Week: Spicy Meatloaf

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Meatloaf

This Spicy Meatlof is one of our family's favorites. It's very easy and fast to make, and goes great with mashed potatoes.

It's best if you use homemade ketchup (recipe can be found in The Expat Cookbook), but it's still good if you use store bought ketchup.

Meatloaf Ingredients:

  • ½ cup onion, diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon jalapeño, minced (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
  • 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) very lean ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons red Tabasco sauce (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons Oregano
  • 2 teaspoons Basil
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Meatloaf Glaze Ingredients:

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1-2 tablespoons red Tabasco sauce (depending upon your desired spicyness level)
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F)
  2. Heat grapeseed oil in sauté pan
  3. Add onions and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add jalapeño and garlic and cook for 2 minutes
  5. Set aside to cool
  6. Add remaining ingredients to a large bowl
  7. Add pepper, onion and garlic mixture to bowl
  8. Mix thoroughly with your hands until everything is well blended
  9. Transfer to a loaf pan
  10. Mix meatloaf glaze ingredients in a small bowl
  11. Spread glaze over meatloaf
  12. Cook in oven for about 1 hour
  13. Serve

Make sure to get your copy The Expat Cookbook while it's on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009.



Recipe of the Week: Blueberry Crumb Pie

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Pie

Blueberries are in season in Uruguay, so we’ve been using them to make lots of yummy treats in the last few weeks. I thought I would share one of our favorite blueberry recipes this week, for Blueberry Crumb pie. If you’re like us, this one won’t last long in your house!

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ cup lard
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1/3 cup cold water

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 7 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crumb Topping Ingredients

  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup butter

Directions:

Crust

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and lard in a mixing bowl until well blended
  2. Sprinkle in the water a little at a time and mix just enough to make it hold together – don’t over mix
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface
  5. Place the dough into the pie pan (don't worry if it breaks; you can patch it in the pan)
  6. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan
  7. Seal any broken areas and shape the top edge into a pattern if you like

Filling

  1. Preheat oven to 190° C (375° F)
  2. Rinse blueberries in a colander, removing stems and mushy berries
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon, and mix well
  4. Add lemon juice and water and mix well
  5. Add the blueberries to the pie crust (if they are taller than the pan, it’s okay – they’ll cook down)
  6. Pour the liquid mix over the berries

Crumb Topping

  1. Mix the sugar, butter and flour in a bowl
  2. Sprinkle mixture over the berries   

  3. Place pie in oven and bake for one hour
  4. The pie should be bubbling and golden brown; if not cook for 3-4 more minutes and check again
  5. Serve warm with a heaping scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Tips and modifications:

  1. Pie will keep for 1 week in refrigerator
  2. You can find a recipe for whipped cream in The Expat Cookbook, which is on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009



Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter and Honey
Granola Bars

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Special Note: Seasons Greetings Everyone… We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season… 

From now until the end of 2009, we would like to offer you The Expat Cookbook with a 50% price reduction.

DSC_0007

This week's recipe for Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars is for one of our readers. Thanks for the suggestion Inga! 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups oats
  • 3 tablespoons flax seed
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup nuts or dried fruit
  • ¼ cup of protein powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F)
  2. Line a 9×9 square baking dish with parchment paper and set out a cooling rack
  3. Place the oats and flax seed in a baking pan and place in oven
  4. Watch the oats carefully; if they burn you’ll have to start over
  5. Take oats out of oven when they are a golden brown (5-10 minutes)
  6. While the oats and flax seed are toasting, add honey and peanut butter to a small saucepan
  7. Turn the saucepan on low to med-low heat until the mixture is warm and smooth (be careful not to burn or simmer)
  8. Place the nuts or dried fruits in a medium sized mixing bowl
  9. Coat the nuts or dried fruit with protein powder if using
  10. Carefully add oats to the bowl of nuts or dried fruit
  11. Add the peanut honey mixture to the blow
  12. Mix well with a wooden spoon
  13. Place the mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly
  14. The bars will be about ¼” in depth when spread correctly
  15. Carefully lift out parchment paper from baking dish and let cool on rack
  16. After about 30 minutes flip the block over to cool more evenly
  17. After they are cool down, place the bar on a hard surface and cut

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Do not use salt if you are using salted peanut butter or salted nuts
  2. Should take about 20 minutes to prepare
  3. Makes about 10 granola bars
  4. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can oil the baking dish with grapeseed oil, but you’ll need to be careful when removing the block from the dish to cool
  5. Can substitute millet, flax seed meal, wheat germ, etc. for flax seed
  6. Ideas for nuts or dried fruit: peanuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, raisins, cranberries, dried blueberries, etc.

Notes: You can find a recipe for Peanut Butter in The Expat Cookbook, on sale now for 50% off.

I was able to find flax seeds at the Disco at Punta Carretas Shopping in Montevideo. They are in the section with the dried beans.