More Confessions from my Kitchen...

So if you are not a PCV or not interested in what I cook, you can just go ahead and skip this post. Apologies. But the truth is getting creative with food here is tricky, and so is making sure I eat enough veggies. So here goes some recent happenings in my 4 x 6 foot kitchen. I should also mention I haven't had a functioning refrigerator since April...

A little chick pea-cucumber-cilantro salad

Curried broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and onions over white rice with avocado.

Standard fried plantains with a fried egg and cheese. Fabulous hangover food.

Black bean burgers with tostones

Skillet potatoes with peppers and onions and fried eggs. Also great for hangovers.

Brown sugar glazed carrots, tuna cakes with dill mayo and lettuce salad with honey lime garlic vinaigrette. And fresh cheese. 

Coconut curry stew over white rice with fresh cilantro and cabbage salad and of course, avocado. 

Not pictured here:

Egg salad

Carrot bread

9.5 pounds of mangu (mashed boiled plantains with butter, for those of you who are not Dominican) complete with fried salami

The 12 other avocados I've eaten since the season has started 

Banana bread

Approximately a gallon of banana smoothie because someone gave me 25 ripe bananas that I had no idea what to do with.

Honey Garlic Lime Dressing

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
• pinch coarse salt and pepper

Tuna Cakes

• 1 6oz can of tuna fish in water or oil, drained
• 1/2 small red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery
• 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 egg
• Pinch of pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Fresh lime juice

Combine tuna, onion, bread crumbs and pepper in a bowl. Gradually add olive oil to make mixture into a sticky paste like texture. Form small patties and pan fry in a little bit of vegetable oil until brown on both sides a heated through. Drizzle with fresh lime juice and serve with light mayo mixed with fresh or dried dill. 

Black bean burgers

• 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces. Here in the DR I use the standard long green peppers
• 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1/2 c bread crumbs

These can be baked or grilled (pan fried in my case).

1. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
2. Finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
3. In a small bowl, stir together egg and hot sauce
4. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
5. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.