Tag: snack
Candied Cinnamon Peanuts
Candied Cinnamon Peanuts
I’m a huge fan of candied nuts, but they are kind of expensive for good quality. These candied cinnamon peanuts cost a fraction of the price. 2 quarts of the candied peanuts cost about $5 to make. You can easily pay $20 for that much. Candied peanuts (also known as groundnut sweet), are a popular street food snack all over West Africa. The candied peanuts are typically made with just 3 ingredients: peanuts, water, and sugar. This recipe has a few extra ingredients such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cayenne, and vanilla to enhance the flavor.While the price and taste is right, you will have to work for it. Roasting is easy. But after that, you will have to constantly stir the peanuts for 25 minutes in the sugar water mix. It feels like forever…forever…forever…At some point, you will think that you have done something wrong. The peanuts are in this carmelly sugar syrup all stuck together and it’s not going away. But then it does. You have to keep stirring to avoid burning. The sugar eventually crystallizes. Once you pour them on a baking sheet, they all break apart. Now is the time to salt them. Let them cool. Then try not to overfill your mouth with these nuts.Try this recipe with cashews, almonds, pecans, or walnuts.
Ingredients
- 4 cups shelled peanuts
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/3 cup white sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the peanuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring and rotating the pan half way through to have even roasting.
- Let cool.
- Place the water in a wide skillet. Bring to a boil. Stir in the white and brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and cayenne pepper.
- Stir in the peanuts.
- Over high heat, constantly stir the peanuts for 20-25 minutes until all of the moisture is gone and the sugar crystallizes. Make sure to keep stirring so the sugar doesn’t burn.
- Put back on the baking sheet. Season with salt while still hot. Least cool before eating.
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
Stuffed avocados are a popular appetizer and snack all over Colombia and South America. These avocados are stuffed with a simple shrimp salad made of red onion, cilantro, parsley, salsa rosada, and obviously shrimp. Serve these as is or over shredded lettuce. These are even great as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 8 cooked shrimp 31/40 count, peeled and deveined
- 3 tbsp red onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup salsa rosada
- juice of half a lime
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients that are going into the avocado.
- Slice the avocado in half. Remove the pit. Squeeze a little lime juice on each half and season with salt and pepper.
- Equally distribute the shrimp salad over each of the halved avocado. Garnish with more cilantro.
Salsa Rosada
Salsa Rosada, aka pink sauce, is popular all over Colombia and South America. It is used as a dipping sauce and pairs well with seafood. It is kind of similar to a remoulade sauce. Try dipping fried plantains in it.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tsp tabasco
- 1/4 tsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together.
Cuban Pulled Pork Taquitos
Cuban Pulled Pork Taquitos
Here is a great use for leftover Cuban pulled pork. Roll them up in corn or flour tortillas with your favorite cheese. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Top with your favorite toppings. That simple.
Ingredients
- 1 lb cuban pulled pork
- 8 corn or flour tortillas lightly fried
- your favorite cheese
- sofrito
- sour cream
- avocado sliced
Instructions
- Add a heaping tbsp of the pulled pork down the center of the tortillas. Top with your favorite cheese.
- Just like so.
- Roll them them up really tight. Do not like the edges.
- Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Serve with a little sofrito, sour cream, and sliced avocado.
