Embutido Sandwich

Everybody loves delicious, hot, fast, and cheap eats, who doesn't? That's the reason food trucks are becoming more and more the favored lunch providers of office workers and students. Food trucks have been around here in the US since the 50s but only became extremely popular in recent years, even the superstar Spanish chef José Andrés who owns several high end restaurants in the Washington D.C. area and in Los Angeles has joined the food truck mania with his own Pepe Truck. Yeah, that's how hot food trucks are nowadays.

photo R. Lopez

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Homemade Oat and Quinoa Cereal with Crispy Marshmallows

Have you had Lucky Charms® cereal? I haven't and don't intend to try them but when I saw the recipe for the crispy marshmallows similar to the ones in Lucky Charms, I just had to make some to add to homemade cereal. The recipe says it takes 4 to 6 days to make [and it is a veeery involved process] but my inner ocd kicked in and after 6 days, voila! Crispy cereal marshmallows. I love them with homemade lightly sweetened preservatives-free oats and sprouted quinoa cereal. However, if I get lazy next time I crave for these crunchy treats, I'll just buy from here. 

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No Rise Pizza Dough

I was curious when I saw the no rise yeast for pizza dough and after baking one yesterday I can say it's not good at all. The dough doesn't have much flavor nor chewiness; it's just like ordinary bland white bread. I don't recommend it and I believe there is no instant pizza dough that you can mix, knead for 4 minutes, and ready to form, top, bake right away and have a great tasting pizza with the correct texture. Peter Reinhart's Neapolitan Pizza Dough is still the best in my honest opinion. Retarding the pizza dough in the refrigerator for at least one night makes the best tasting pizza dough.

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Sprouted Seeds Shoots with Yogurt Dressing Salad

salad of green pea and daikon shoots, fresh pineapple, cucumber ribbons, 

halved cherry tomatoes, and dried cranberries with Asian yogurt dressing 

I started sprouting seeds again when I saw organic radish seeds for sprouting at the grocery store. The packet promises a lightly spicy daikon (radish) flavor which can be eaten raw in salads and sandwiches or lightly steamed and added to stir-fries. Indeed, the sprouts and shoots are very very flavorful and I love them on top of sandwich. I also got a packet of green peas for growing into shoots. I buy the shoots when available from the Asian grocery store but I want to try them raw in salads, when very young and only about 3½ inches tall. They are a little grassy when eaten raw but I like them when added to salad with Asian yogurt dressing.

sweet green pea shoots

daikon seeds shoots

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