Whole Fruit Limeade

Make a pitcher of fresh limeade in two minutes flat! Because it uses the whole lime, it has an edge of bitterness to it that I think is really refreshing. But, don't be like me and drink two tumblers-full before bed. You'll get a stomach ache!

You can substitute a lemon, if you'd rather. This would also be excellent with sweetened condensed milk instead of sugar, for a Brazilian-style limonada.

Original recipe from here.

Ingredients:
2 small limes, washed and quartered
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to preference)
8 cups water, divided

In a blender, blend limes, sugar, and 4 cups of water for 1 or 2 minutes. Strain into 2 quart pitcher and add remaining 4 cups water. Serve over ice- this is best super cold.

Brazilian-Style Rice

A perfect accompaniment to pinto beans cooked with bay leaves, onion, garlic, and a little salt and pepper, or just plain good on its own!

Brazilian-Style Rice

Ingredients:
3 scoops rice (about 2 1/4 cups)
2 T oil
1 T dehydrated onion, or 1/2 fresh onion, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Optional: garlic, minced or granulated

Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add remaining ingredients. Cook until fragrant and coated in oil, about 3 minutes. A few pieces might start to brown.

You can either cook this in a rice cooker (cook as normal, with a little extra water) or in the skillet.

Enjoy!

Vitamina

Seems like I'm the only one posting (and reading) these days, but it sure is handy having all my favorite recipes online so I can make them when I'm away from home (or can't find my cookbooks...I KNOW I labeled that box!)

This is a smoothie that is very popular in Brazil, where avocados are considered sweet and not savory. The notion of mixing avocado with salt and tomato and serving it on salty chips would be just ludicrous! (Or so I'm told.)

Make sure your avocado is ripe, but not over-ripe. If it's starting to darken and shrivel in spots inside, you'll need a LOT of sugar to counter-act the bitterness of that fruit.

So, here you go- ignore the green, and enjoy!

Vitamina

Ingredients:
1 very ripe, but not dark, avocado
About 3 cups of milk
1/4 cup sugar, more or less to taste
A splash (about a tablespoon) of lime juice

1. Scoop avocado flesh into blender, and add the rest of the ingredients. The blender should be about 3/4 full so let that be your guide for the milk. If it's too thick it just won't pour, or blend! Start with less than a 1/4 cup sugar- you can always add more and re-blend for a few seconds.
   
2. Mix until blended and smooth. Serves 2-3 if you're using big glasses.
   

Pao de Queijo (Brazilian Cheese Bread)

We found this recipe for Pao de Queijo (pow jee kayjo) a few years back, and have been enjoying it regularly ever since! The end result is just like my husband remembers from his two years living in Brazil. They're easy to make, and can be frozen. We're not sure how long they'd last in the freezer- we've never gotten past a month without eating them all!

The recipe comes from an online Portuguese school created by a lovely woman named Sonia. There are Portuguese language lessons, cartoons, phrases, and lots of great recipes. Go check it out! The recipes are well-organized and easy to follow. We've been eying a couple others- coxhina are out of this world, if you can find someone to deep fry them for you (one of my cooking phobias.) Maionase (may-o-nay-zee, or potato salad) is one of my favorite side dishes -- and yes, it translates as "mayonnaise." The dessert "pudims" (puddings) are so rich and delicious- you've got to try them to find out for yourself!

The recipe below is not word for word- I've added a few of my own notes, learned over the course of making these many times.

The recipe is great for celiacs, as it doesn't contain any wheat. Makes about 75 walnut-sized breads. Allow 3-5 per guest.

Pao de Queijo

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 package tapioca starch (450 grams)
2 to 3 eggs, depending on size
about half a pound of parmesan cheese, grated (that's our favorite, but I think other kinds would work well.)

1. In a large pot bring to a boil the water, milk, oil, and salt.

2. Remove from heat, and stir in tapioca starch with a wooden spoon. Stir quickly because once the tapioca starch hits the liquid, it becomes an incredibly stiff goo. Let cool.

3. Put the mixture in a large bowl and knead in the eggs.

4. Add the cheese, and keep kneading till the dough is smooth.

5. Roll the dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon each.) You don't want them very big- just bite size. You may need to grease your hands for this.

6. Bake about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven, on a parchment lined or greased cookie sheet.

-OR-
6. Place on a large baking sheet and flash freeze. Pop off the sheet and store in an airtight bag in the freezer. You can bake them directly from the freezer, 350 degrees and about 20 minutes. I like to bake them on parchment paper or aluminum foil as they tend to weld themselves to the cookie sheet.

These will be light golden in spots when they are done, but still rather pale. The outside will be almost crispy, while the inside stays stretchy. They're addictive, and unfortunately you can't really use less oil- I've tried.

Pot of Beans

This is one of those dishes that once you know how to make it, you can't imagine ever using a recipe. But for those of you who haven't started your lifetime of beans yet, let's begin!

You'll need:
Big pot
Bag of beans (pinto, black, red, brown, etc.)
Onion
Bay Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Meat, if you want (kielbasa, chorizo, ground beef, ham, etc.)

The night before, put your beans in the pot and cover with water to 2 inches above beans. Shake in a little baking soda, and let them soak overnight.

The next day drain and rinse your beans and again add water to 2 inches above the beans. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Add 1 or 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon of salt. When they've been cooking for a while, cut up and brown your meat in another pan with a quarter of an onion, chopped. If it's not a fatty meat, add some oil. Put as much pepper as you want into this mix (1 teaspoon makes very spicy beans!), and let the pepper work into the fat or oil. Add the whole thing to your pot of beans. Adding the pepper this way really works it in- otherwise it will float on top, and get stuck to the sides of the pan. In Brazil, this is called a refogado.

Let beans simmer for a few hours- usually 4 or 5. I normally start the rinsing process around noon. If you run out of time, you can start these the same day by bringing to a boil and boiling for a few minutes and then letting them soak. Draining the rinse water off is a personal preference- I normally do it if I add the baking soda, but I find that if I don't drain it off it makes a heartier pot of beans. Your call. If you want the pot of beans thicker, take out a cup of beans once they're soft and mash them into a paste, and stir back in.

Serve with cornbread, or our favorite, pao de queijo (a Brazilian cheese bread.) Recipe to follow. Now go enjoy! And remember- if you don't start eating this stuff now, when the Big One hits (whatever it is) and you need to live off your food storage, you'll be one sad person! We serve it once a week, and it's my favorite night of the week! It's delicious, economical, and a complete no-brainer.