All posts filed under: Appetizers

onion dolmas

Onion Dolmas

Published by Joanne

I love love love Dolmas. There is nothing more satisfying to me than popping a little treat in my mouth. I love the canned dolmas from the supermarket. I love the fresh dolmas from my local Lebanese spot. I never dared to make them. There is something incredibly daunting about boiling fresh grape leaves or washing preserved grape leaves and stuffing them. I can’t really explain it. So when I saw a TikTok of someone making onion dolmas and saw how simple it was, I jumped right in. Within 5 minutes of considering “do I actually have time for this?” I was boiling onions to stuff them.

Plate of green beans with almonds, lemon zest, and cotija cheese.

Almond Green Beans with Lemon Zest and Cotija Cheese

Published by Joanne

This past Saturday I went to Houston’s Urban Harvest Farmer’s market. Something I haven’t done in a while and it was a real pleasure. Getting there early, grabbing a coffee at the first booth, and browsing all the fresh produce, and talking with the farmers about what’s good this week. Among the bounty I purchased was: green beans, fresh radishes, rainbow carrots, delicata squash, fresh herbs, and eggs.

The Crispiest Yucca Bites

Published by Joanne

These are the crispiest yucca bites you’ll ever have! grew up eating yucca. They’re super common in the Dominican Republic. But nothing like this. It was always boiled to death and mush and overall… not good. As of lately,I’ve started craving yucca more cause I miss my homeland. So here are my crispy yucca bites. You can top them with whatever you like! I also made a video on Instagram of how I took every step. The Crispiest Yucca Bites

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Published by Joanne

Roasted tomatillo salsa is one of my favorite add ons for tacos or chips. It’s quite straight forward to make. I made this video on Instagram where you can quickly see the method and what you need. Living in Houston I’ve learned about what to me are new ingredients that are local and have been used in cuisines like Mexican for centuries. I.e tomatillo and poblano peppers. It’s so exciting for me because I get to learn about more cuisines and the heritage of a culture, And I get to pay homage to it as well.

Lemon-Lime Guajillo Pepper Marinated Beans

Published by Joanne

Marinated beans are so flavorful and delicious, a different way to eat beans as a snack! I love having these in the fridge because they’re quick to satisfy a hunger pang. I finally get why the brits love beans on toast!  Ingredients 2 Dried Guajillo chiles (these are fruity and sweet) 5 cloves of garlic, smashed 1 lime, use the peels, and extract 2 tablespoons of juice 1 lemon, use the peels, and extract 2 tablespoons of juice peels 1 1/2 cups olive oil 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds 2 tsp flaky sea salt 1 pound cooked beans. I used Cassoulet beans from Rancho Gordo MethodYou can find the method in this video here. A few notes: when charring your ingredients, make sure to ventilate your kitchen. A LOT of smoke will come from these chiles! Char the chiles and garlic first as they take longer. or char everything together and remove the peels first.