February 2013 - Life Bites

Cilantro beef stir fry with vegetables

Cilantro can be used as a garnish, but is also a great way to add delicious flavor to your meats. Try this simple cilantro beef stir fry recipe with a trio of vegetables. See printable recipe below the pictures. Prep all your ingredients before beginning. Once you start stir frying, you won't have time to chop. If needed, check out these links ahead of time to learn how to Julienne a bell pepper and how to prepare snow peas for cooking. Tip for crisp vegetables: Once you are done, do not cover your stir fry while it is hot. This…

Shrimp sandwich at Watsons Bay

A delicious shrimp sandwich from a wharf-side restaurant in Watsons Bay, Australia has gotten me thinking about my own shrimp sandwich ideas. Last year, our family spent some time Down Under. After nearly a month, we had visited the expected beach spots around Sydney (Manly, Bondi and Coogee) and a few others off the beaten path (Shelly, Delwood & Fairlight). Watsons Bay was not in the itinerary. Lucky for us, that changed. A random encounter with a fellow Dominican in Sydney pointed us to the dreamy bay on a sunny week day. The ferry ride from Circular Quay near Downtown…

Cooking with bija – using annatto seeds

Using annatto seeds for cooking is easy and effective, helping you achieve vibrant food colors the all natural way. Bija, also known as annatto seeds or achiote, is an all natural food colorant commonly used in Central America and the Caribbean. Native inhabitants of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americans used the pigment in bija seeds for body art, as well as cooking. This was the case for the Taino indians of Quisqueya (the island currently shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, also known as Hispaniola). Bija is a traditional spice of Dominican cuisine that has slowly…

Tri-color vegetable stir fry

Mixing colors is a great way to make your vegetables more appetizing, and reap the health benefits of eating colorful food. Here is a simple tricolor vegetable stir fry recipe that is a winner for looks and flavor. Tri-color vegetable stir fry 1 medium to large red bell pepper2 cups of soy bean sprouts (about 1 lb.)2 cups of cleaned (uncut green beans)4 garlic cloves1 table-spoon of cooking oil1 teaspoon of sesame oil (I like to use Kadoya Pure Sesame Oil, but you can find many other good brands)1/2 teaspoon of salt1/2 cup of water Clean all the vegetables and…

Le sacaron lo’ trapito’ al sol.

Literal translation: sacar los trapitos al sol (to hang the laundry in the sun) Meaning: to hang someone’s dirty laundry out to dry. To expose someone’s secrets or embarrassing mistakes. Significado: sacar a la luz pública los secretos o errores de alguien con la intención de avergorzarlo (a). Use: general, colloquial.