Rice, Tortillas & Avocado

Spiced Rice, Tortillas & Avocados
Vegan Meals Under $10 for 4 people
Time it takes to make - Approximately 30 minutes

RICE
Saute in a deep Pan -
- 1 yellow onion $.50
- 1 garlic clove $.25
- 1 shredded carrot $.50
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. paprika

Once onion has browned just a little - ADD
- 2 cups Parboiled Goya Rice $2 (a bag with about 4 cups is around $3.99)
(Parboiled rice is a little more firm and great to cook when mixed with Veggies because it stays more together and makes for nice consistency when mixed with chopped carrots or peas) 
- 4 cups water

Cook at Medium to Low heat until all water has evaporated and rice is soft.

TORTILLAS

So... you can either buy a pack of Corn Tortillas - Will run you about $1.99 or you can make your own tortillas out of MASECA (a mix you can buy at grocery stores in Bushwick in the latin products section or at most latin bodegas in NYC) they are around $3.99 and will make soooooo many tortillas!

ON THE SIDE -
- 4 Avocados $4 (usually around $1 each)
I prefer the Hass Avocados, they are a little bit creamier than the Florida ones but if you prefer a lighter avocado then you may like the Florida ones better.

VEGAN LUNCH OR DINNER :)

VEGAN LUNCH OR DINNER :)
SAUTED PEPPERS/TOMATOES/ONIONS & RICE
(UNDER $10 - SERVES 4)
TOTAL COST : Approximately $7.00

SAUTE FOR 10 MINUTES IN 1 TBSP. OLIVE OIL
- 1 Red Pepper $1
- 1 Yellow Onion $.50
- 1 Purple Onion $.50
- 2 Green Onions $1.09 (for a pack of about 8)
- 3 Roma Tomatoes $1
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

IN ANOTHER POT - RICE
(Boil at medium to low heat until all the water has evaporated and rice is soft)

- 1 Cup Basmati Rice $1.50 (Pack with about 3 cups is usually around $3.50)
- 2 Cups Water
- 1/4 tsp. salt

GARNISH WITH CHOPPED BASIL

- 2 tbsp. $.99

MEALS UNDER $10 - Pasta with Italian Sausage Tomato Sauce!

PASTA WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE TOMATO SAUCE - 
Total Cost - $7.81 + approx. $2 for seasonings = $9.81)
(makes approximately 4 large servings)
TOTAL TIME : 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS & DIRECTIONS

SAUTE at medium heat with 1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. Italian Sausage Gianelli Turkey Sausages (1lb. pack for $3.99 on freshdirect.com)  $1.99
1/2 onion - $.50
2 garlic cloves - $.25 (.99 for a whole bunch)

ADD TO MIX - Seasonings
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 red pepper
1 tbsp. dry oregano (if you have fresh, even better)
1/2 cup fresh parsley - $.99 (for a whole pack which is around 6 cups)

ADD TO POT - Once sausage is browned but not to brown

1 large can of tomato sauce - $2.29 
Let it cook at low heat for 20 minutes

At this point you should start heating your water for your pasta (always add a little salt to your pasta water and once you drain your pasta make sure to add a little olive oil or butter so that it does not stick together)

1 box Ronzoni Fettuccine - $1.79


















VEGETABLE 
(Adds another 4 bucks to the mix but in case you want some salad to go with your meal :)

Green Salad
(total cost - $3.99)

1 tbsp. fresh parmesan cheese $.50 (Andrew & Everett Fancy Shredded Italian Blend 7 oz pack for $3.99
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 (5oz) pack Baby Romaine (Satur Farms Baby Romaine Pack 5oz pack $3.49)

Guatemalan Icing!!!

The easiest icing you will ever make! And so delicious! In Guatemala it is traditional to put a scoop in a little pastry holder, like a cupcake holder and sprinkle some cinnamon! Yummy! But here I used it for a two layer cake :)

TURRON (Guatemalan Icing - made  out of eggwhites and sugar :)
(Serving - enough to frost a two layer cake 8 inches in diameter)

WHISK ALL THESE INGREDIENTS OVER HOT WATER FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES IN A STAINLESS STEEL BOWL.
(whisk constantly - don't stop or your eggs will cook!)
this dissolves sugar and makes mixture hot
4 eggwhites
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey or light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. salt

WITH A HANDHELD BEATER OR STANDING MIXER - PUT ON AND BEAT AT HIGH SPEED - UNTIL IT TURNS WHITE AND THEN ADD 1 TSP. VANILLA

CAKE!!!

We made this cake today for my grandfathers 90th birthday! He loved it! It is vanilla with a little almond extract and turron!

BEST AND EASIEST BROWNIES

My sisters favorite brownie recipe! She makes these for people all the time and it is an instant love affair! It is the simplest love affair you will ever have!

COCOA BROWNIES
(makes 16 brownies, of course depends on what size you cut them :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 6x14 inch, approximately, baking pan.

IN A SMALL BOWL - STIR TOGETHER

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

IN ANOTHER BOWL - MIX TOGETHER

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
(an electric mixer is best, but I don't have one and I just mix it really really well :)
INTO THIS - MIX IN
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla extract (I like the fake vanilla because I don't like the alcohol flavor in the pure vanilla extract but this is really just depending on what you prefer)
1/4 tsp. almond extract (optional)

THEN TAKE THE FLOUR MIXTURE AND MIX INTO THE SUGAR MIXTURE UNTIL WELL MIXED.

OPTIONAL - 3/4 cups chopped walnuts (I like mine plain)

RECIPE FROM -
My mom's super old recipe book, "Wild About Brownies" by Barbara Albright and Leslie Weiner 

This is how your greased baking pan should look - a little oil and flour!























Brownie mix consistency before baking.

This is how they look once they are done - Cook for approximately 15 minutes. Poke them with a fork in the middle and make sure the middle is no longer liquid, it should have a chewy consistency.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy!

Bushwick Bars

It is freezing and snowing outside...

You should go get a drink at one of these bars if you live in Bushwick or find yourself in Bushwick. 

I went to this bar yesterday and they have a $1 off all their drafts from 5-8pm and it is so cute and cozy inside, great place to have a drink on these cold winter days!

THE BODEGA
24 St. Nicholas Ave.
between Scott Avenue and Troutman Street
Brooklyn, NY 11237
www.thebodegabk.com

HAPPY HOUR - $1 OFF DRAFTS FROM 5-8PM

And then there is Skytown, a cute, super cozy and friendly cafe/bar right off of the Myrtle Avenue JMZ stop.

Look how cold it looks outside! And inside it looks so warm and comfortable ;) I just walked by there right now and if it wasnt that I have a million things to do I would have stopped for a coffee, it was looking very inviting!

SKYTOWN
921 Broadway
between Melrose Street and Stockton Street
Brooklyn, New York 11206
www.skytownbk.com

Meals Under $10 - Guatemalan Black Beans & Rice

I was born and raised in Guatemala, in a cloud forrest to be extra specific! It is about 20 minutes from the center of the city (without traffic) and its, I believe 6,000 feet above sea level. The air smells really good there! In my refrigerator, as in pretty much most Guatemalans refrigerators there is one thing you will always find... Black beans and rice! Mmmm, delicious! 

In these cold winter days here in NYC all I ever crave is warm comforting dishes. And black beans and rice happens to be delicious and so incredibly cheap! And did I mention, soooo easy to make! 

Here goes my recipe - 

PREP TIME - 25 minutes 
COOK TIME - 
(no including soak time for beans, soak overnight or while working on something a few hours before you plan to cook them) 
COST - $5.50 (4 large servings) 

INGREDIENTS & PROCESS

BEANS
SOAK FOR 3 HOURS TO OVERNIGHT - 
(not totally necessary but good to avoid what we politely like to call flatulence ;)
1 bag of dried black beans $1.99 (goya brand)

IN A BIG POT - SAUTE THESE THREE INGREDIENTS UNTIL A LITTLE BROWNED
1/2 yellow onion $.50
1 tbsp. olive oil $.50 approximately
2 garlic cloves $.25 approximately 

ADD SOAKED BEANS AND MIX

THEN ADD 3 CUPS WATER AND MIX AGAIN

ADD THESE INGREDIENTS, MIX AND LET BEANS COOK FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS AT MEDIUM HEAT. 
(Mix every 15 minutes, after 30 minutes add two more cups water, after an hour add one more cup of water, after the two hours add two more cups of water so you have a nice soup consistency) 
1 1/2 tsp. salt 
1 tsp. pepper 
1 tsp. garlic powder

 
RICE 

SAUTE AT LOW HEAT - DO NOT LET BROWN
1/4 Onion $.25 (I used purple onions because I had a left over 1/4 onion in the fridge but the tradional for guatemalan rice is yellow onion)
1 tbsp. butter $.25

ADD TO SAUTEED ONION AND COOK AT LOW HEAT UNTIL ALL THE WATER HAS EVAPORATED  
(if you are using basmati rice it should be about 30 minutes, but follow the directions on the packaging of the rice to make sure)
2 cups white rice $1.50 (varies depending on the rice, I am using Basmati rice because I love the light and flaky texture it has but traditionally you would use a white long grain rice, which is just as good but a little heavier)  
DONE! 
*If you want to add a little kick, throw about two tablespoons of cilantro to cook with the rice. Mmm! 

Art Supply Store -- Bushwick!!

I had been meaning to pop into this store a while ago but I never knew their hours, I wanted to see what they had, an art supply store in Bushwick is soooo needed! Well, now there is one!

Bushwick Art and Shipping Inc., opened this past February and is pretty awesome if your looking for some quick art supplies in the neighborhood. There are silk screening supplies, markers, lots of different ink pens (I heart these), watercolors, a decent amount of paper to choose from and they also ship things!

Anyways, pretty cool place!

Bushwick Art and Shipping Inc.
1053 Flushing Avenue (corner of Flushing Avenue and Vandervoort Place)
Brooklyn, New York 11237

Hours - Monday-Friday 10-7pm and Saturday 10-6pm

Petland Discounts - Bushwick

So... I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving Holiday!

I had a really nice and relaxing holiday... did not get as much done I would have liked but isn't that always the case during the holidays. I am happy to say I worked on three buildings in the neighborhood and am working on some yummy, cheap recipes to post soon.

However, for now, here is my favorite pet shop in the neighborhood. I have three little kitties that eat and poop a lot so I am here quiet often! Everyone is so friendly and I find they have the best prices of all the other pet shops I have been to in the neighborhood.

Petland Discounts
92 Graham Avenue (between Seigel Street and Moore Street) 
Brooklyn, New York 

Also, check out Princesa Bakery & Restaurant, right next to Petland, they have some really amazing fresh juices! On top of a ton of other stuff and they have great prices!

Princesa Bakery & Restaurant 
94 Graham Avenue 
Brooklyn, New York