Taste of Honduras

Susie keeps me cultured. She loves to travel and experience new things. I asked her to cook a Honduran meal with me so I could put it on the blog. We stopped by a Latin grocery store near my place to grab green plantains, Horchata mix, and a few other items. Hy-Vee had the other produce we needed for a good price.  Our menu included baleadas, plantains, chismol, and horchata to drink. 

I'm reading in John now and I'm remembering all the references there were to the first chapter in my doctrine classes at FBBC. It includes proof texts for Jesus' part in creation and His deity. 

My favorite verse from this chapter though is verse 5 "That light shines in the darkness,

yet the darkness did not overcome it." It's a verse I remember when I hear about sad or frustrating news in the world. If only the media would send me notifications about good news in the area. I get alerts on my phone about big headlines in the news and they are never good. I want to hear something nice once in a while! 

So, that's when I remember that dark news does not mean that the light isn't shining. Jesus has already won and darkness will always be broken by light. 

green plantains

Susie made a cut down the side of the plantain and then peeled the skin. She said these weren't too hard to peel but some are. 

If you are like me, you are wondering what the difference is between a plantain and a banana. Well, now that the google has educated me I can tell you that a plantain has more starch and less sugar than a banana! So, don't plan on eating a raw plantain. You will be disappointed.

The peeled plantain is sliced in one inch pieces and cooked in oil for a few minutes. Once they are browned they are taken out of the pan and flattened.

Look at that color coordination;) 

Once flattened, fry again to finish cooking through.

This you will want to make!

Chismol! aka fresh salsa. 

Somehow, I've begun to really like cilantro. I know, I know, you can't believe I used to hate it. Or you are with my old self and currently hate it. Cilantro seems to work this way, people love it or hate it. The more I have it the better I like it. It's key in many Latin dishes so I'm happy I'm beginning to like it. 

For those of you who can't handle heat, you are in luck. Honduran food is not usually spicy. This salsa has no heat, but you are welcome to add some if you like.

Yeah, we cheated...shameful I know. We were going to make our own but I forgot to soak the rice earlier in the day so we had to go with this. 

Like the label says, this is a rice and cinnamon drink that is made with some milk and water. It does not have a thick consistency as it might sound like it would.

And here is my baleada. The thick flour tortilla and re-fried beans are the base for a baleada and then you add what you please!

Honduran food is filling so better have an empty stomach before diving in!

Baleada ingredients:

re-fried beans

thick flour tortillas

queso fresco

(optional fillings - scrambled eggs, avocado, chismol, bell pepper)

Chismol recipe:

Serving group of 4-6

5-6 roma tomatoes

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper - color of choice

1/3 cup chopped white or yellow onion

juice of one lime

1 teaspoon of salt

lots of chopped cilantro

Chop all veggies and combine. Juice the lime into the veggies. Add chopped cilantro to taste as well as the salt. Enjoy with tortilla chips or on the plantains.