Finding style in meals, cities, and a lens

La Favela Cubana

favela cubana

Perfect brunches, for me, consist of sweet plantains, empanadas, and caipirinhas. Why would anyone want anything more? Great food and drinks go hand-in-hand for me. I cannot stand places that offer drinks but can’t satisfy my appetite when the time comes. This leads me to one restaurant that does a hell of a job at providing food, drinks and a great ambiance, Favela Cubana.

I can’t get enough of the Brazilian-Cuban restaurant. The first time I went there was eight years ago for one of my birthdays. I went again this week for my 26th birthday. It made me happy to see that they’re still in business. A lot of things change in eight years but not this place; it’s still open and better than ever.

It’s one of few places that make you feel like you’re not in New York City. Maybe it’s the decor or the food. But whatever it is, it’ll always be one of my favorite spots.

I discovered the resto during my Brasileira craze in my early college years. I added a picture below from when I was younger at Favela Cubana. I was so obsessed with Portuguese and Brasil that I wanted to experience anything and everything Brazilian. I think it’s time to revive some of that craze. Stay tuned.

latin american food

Favela Cubanafavela cubana

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Spinach and Chickpea Salad Bowl

salad bowl

This Spinach and Chickpea salad bowl is a mixture of my favorite ingredients and my mom’s. She loves adding chickpeas, celery, and carrots to her salads. Most of the time she makes it with Romaine lettuce but I prefer to use spinach since it’s a less bitter and filled with nutrition.

This salad was different since we mixed in the Moroccan Beet Salad recipe. We basically just prepared and added beets to the salad, nothing big. But to learn how to prepare the beets before using, refer to that recipe.

This salad goes perfect with dinner or lunch. I even eat it for breakfast with avocado. A lot of people wouldn’t eat a salad for breakfast but if you mix it with the right things, it will be a pleasant start to the day.

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Spinach and Chickpea Salad Bowl

Spinach and Chickpea Salad Bowl

Ingredients

  • 15 oz. of chickpeas
  • 1/2 bag of spinach
  • 4 chopped baby zucchinis
  • A handful of plum tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup of chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup of chopped carrots
  • 1/2 cup of chopped onions
  • 1 whole beet boiled and chopped
  • 1 tsp. of salt
  • 1 tsp. of vinegar
  • 1 tsp. of olive oil

Instructions

  1. Combine chickpeas, spinach, zucchini, celery, carrots, and onions. Instead of chopping the celery, carrots, and onions, I prefer to use the Mirepoix mix from Trader Joe's.
  2. For the beets, you have to peel the beet and boil first before using. A more detailed instruction on preparing the beets can be found here.
  3. Sprinkle salt, vinegar, and olive oil over the salad. Make sure to mix afterwards.
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http://thestylespread.com/spinach-and-chickpea-salad-bowl/

Publish on May 15

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Colombian Arepas de Queso (Cheese Stuffed)

Colombian cheese arepas

The arepa is such a popular meal in Latin America, especially in Colombia and Venezuela. It’s so popular that the origin of it has not been settled. Historians believe it originated in either Colombia or Venezuela. It may have been that the countries created it simultaneously since they share borders.Read More

Moroccan Cucumber and Tomato Salad

tomato and cucumber salad

As quick and simple as this recipe may be, it is still a staple of Moroccan cuisine. The feggous (cucumber) and tomato salad can be the basis to create different salads or can be eaten as is with bread or another dish.

I decided to take this recipe from La Maison Arabe’s Moroccan Recipes book. However, I didn’t follow every step of the recipe. For instance, I did not seed the tomatoes since I felt it would make the salad juicier. This is all a matter of preference of course.

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Moroccan Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1 onion
  • 2 tbsp. of fresh chopped parsley
  • 2 tbsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp. of olive oil
  • salt and pepper for taste

Instructions

  1. Finely chop cucumber, onion and tomatoes. You can seed the tomato if you like. I prefer to not seed it since the tomato juice contributes greatly to the overall taste.
  2. Mix the cucumber, tomatoes, and onion.
  3. Add the lemon juice, salt, olive oil, and pepper.
  4. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
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http://thestylespread.com/moroccan-cucumber-tomato-salad/

 

la maison arabe moroccan recipes

Instant Pumpkin Couscous

couscousAh couscous, the one dish that reminds me of Al Maghreb. A popular dish in North Africa, couscous consists of little balls of durum wheat semolina. It is believed to have been cooked by Berbers as early as 238 to 149 BC. Today, the popularity of couscous has made it’s way to France.

Although instant couscous takes a few minutes to make, the best way to make traditional couscous is steaming it in a couscousiere. You can add different ingredients including zucchini, pumpkin, lentils, and carrots. Pair it with a tagine and a spoon of stew poured on top, you’ll be hooked.

The recipe below is based off of instant couscous. Next week, I will show how to make couscous in a couscousiere with a few different techniques.

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Instant Pumpkin Couscous

Instant Pumpkin Couscous

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of water
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 3 cups of couscous
  • 1/2 a tablespoon of salt
  • 1 Zucchini
  • 1 carrot
  • a handful of pumpkin chunks skinned
  • a handful of chopped almonds

Instructions

  1. Steam zucchini, carrot, and pumpkin squash until tender. Cut into julienne strips or chop into cubes. This is a matter of preference.
  2. Boil water with butter and olive oil. When water is boiling, gradually add the couscous. Keep mixing until the couscous expands. If there is excess water, add more couscous.
  3. Before couscous is completely dry, add the steamed vegetables and almonds and mix.
  4. Pair couscous with a tagine and pour stew on top. Enjoy.
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http://thestylespread.com/pumpkin-couscous/

Pepper Penne

The balance between work and home life hasn’t been so easy for me these past few weeks. You may have noticed in my lack of posting on the blog. It may be because of the, what seems to be a never-ending, winter. I even blogged about the negative impact winter can have on people; it’s not a good feeling.

But what better way to get over this than experimenting with new foods and dishes? I call this dish Pepper Penne. I didn’t know how delicious this dish could be. When my mom made it, I couldn’t resist trying to make it myself. It came out very delicious and I had a great time cooking it. If you want to get the recipe, see my steps below.Read More

Japanese Ramen Noodles

This recipe is for the colder months coming. Or shall I say the cold month that we’re in now? It’s a perfect delicious recipe to make for lunch and even for dinner.

I already had most of the ingredients since I use them regularly; I can’t get enough of Chinese and Japanese food flavors. It’s one of my favorite cuisines and it led me to learning how to make my own lo mein and chicken teriyaki. Yum! When learning to make the dishes, you just have to keep trying until you get that right taste. I can’t rest until I perfect the dish.Read More

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