But wait, there's more!!

Just one more recipe from Peru (kinda)

I had kind of put Peru week to bed, but last night's dinner was so good and full of nutritious foods that (coincidentally) are native to Peru, that I thought I would share it!  I started a new eating plan this week to try to shed a few (dozen) pounds, so I am cutting wheat out of my diet.  We'll see how that goes, but it has opened my mind up to some healthier alternatives, one of which is Quinoa (keen-wha).  According to the box, quinoa is "the supergrain of the future" and was also the supergrain of the Inca culture, who called it the "Mother Grain".  What makes it so great is that it is a complete protein all by itself, something most grains can't claim.  It is wheat and gluten-free and can be used in many different kinds of dishes- even as breakfast. So I made a little salad with it.  We can call it...........

"The Supergrain of the Future" Salad  
(catchy, huh?)      

For the recipe you will need:

• quinoa- 1 cup dry cooked according to directions
• 1 cup cooked corn
• 2 avocadoes- cubed
• tomatoes- cut up however you'd like
• aji amarillo pepper- diced (or any pepper)
• cilantro- small handful- chopped

For the dressing:

• 1/4 olive oil
• 1/4 rice vinegar
• juice of one lemon
• 1/2 - 1 tsp cumin
• 1 clove garlic- crushed
• some dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• a little sweetener if too acidic

1.  Make the dressing in a large bowl.  I really didn't have a recipe and I usually "guesstimate" amounts so use your best judgement and play around, tasting as you go until it tastes good to you.
2.  Throw the rest of the ingredients in the bowl and combine until everyone is dressed and ready for the party in your mouth!!

This was delicious and HEALTHY!!  I ate the leftovers today for lunch and it was just as good the next day (except the avocado got a little brown).  I could imagine so many great things that could've gone into this - green onions, black beans, bell pepper, etc., and it would be great to bring to a potluck (or superbowl party- GO NINERS). 

Field Trip!

Off to the Library we go...

We had a little spare time today so I took the kids to the library.  I pictured us reading books about young Peruvian children playing games in the mountains.  Like Heidi, only with Peruvian names.  Well, other than a few books with Llamas as the main characters and some non-fiction books about the country that were a little too old for my kids, I didn't find much.  You'll be happy to know that the library will be a great source for our upcoming Chinese week!

So here are the books we found-  the Llama ones were actually very cute but totally not about Peru in the least.  We looked at the pictures in the non-fiction book.  The kids were enthralled by the pictures of the mummies of the ancient Incans.  I loved the outfits worn by the natives in the mountains.  We came home and were going to make some pipe flutes, but one thing led to another and now it's 8pm and, well, it's not going to happen.  So I will leave you with some pictures of Peru and Machu Picchu, the mountaintop Incan ruins.  Adios!

On the Menu: Peruvian Food

Guinea pig anyone?

I'm not being very culturally sensitive am I?  I'm sure that Cuy, the national dish of whole roasted guinea pig (head and feet intact) is very tasty.  I just can't wrap my spoiled American head around it. To me,  Guinea pigs are pets not party food.  So scratch one recipe off the list, hmmm, what should we make?  The cuisine of Peru has many diverse influences - the Incas and other native peoples, the Spanish, Africans and the European traders and Chinese and Japanese immigrants to name a few.  The main staple of the diet is potatoes, or "papa", which are native to Peru and have been grown in the Andes for thousands of years.  They have thousands of different varieties.  They also eat a lot of rice and hot peppers called "aji".  If you really want to recreate an Incan dish you could cook it "pachamanca" style.  You put meat, potatoes, some vegetables like Peruvian corn and some REALLY HOT rocks in a cooking vessel and let the rocks do the cooking!  The Mongolians had a similar dish with hot rocks in a goat.  I do have a lot of rocks left over from Zimbabwe's balancing rocks but that seems like a lot of work.  So I found a recipe on the internet.  I love the internet.  Here it is.............

Lomo Saltado
For the recipe you will need:

• 2 lbs. tender beef- cut into strips. The butcher recommended a top sirloin and even sliced it for me :)
• 1 red onion- cut into strips
• 1 can (15oz) diced tomatoes- drained
• 1 jalapeno or, if you can find it, aji amarillo pepper - sliced and seeded.  I found them frozen at the Latin market.
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro- chopped
• 4 potatoes- cut into strips like fries
• 1 tsp paprika

For the marinade:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp canola oil

1.  Combine the ingredients for the marinade.  Divide it between two bowls and put the steak in one and the onions in another.  Let sit for at least an hour in fridge.
2.  Heat some (about 2 tsp) oil in a large fry pan and cook marinated steak until browned. 
3. Add tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes
4. Add marinated onions, cilantro and hot pepper to the pan and cook until everything is cooked though.  It smells so delicious!!
5.  While that is cooking, sprinkle the potatoes with paprika and a little salt and fry in a separate pan.  That's the traditional way- I coated mine with oil and roasted them in the oven.
6.  Combine the crispy potatoes with the other ingredients.  Traditionally this is served with a dish of white rice as well.

Ok, I know I claim that every dish is really good, but this is REALLY GOOD! The marinade is awesome and the meat was so tender.  I love onions so they were delicious, but my husband and kids picked them out.  The tomatoes kind of melted into the sauce and the aji amarillo peppers had a bit of heat but I think a jalapeno would have been hotter.  The carbs seemed a bit overdone and I personally would have like it better with the rice instead of the potatoes.  The paprika on the potatoes was yummy- never tried that before. 

We found some frozen Peruvian corn at the market too.  Have you ever seen Peruvian corn?  It's huge!  A normal kernel of corn is about the size of a tooth, right?  Well, a kernel of Peruvian corn is the size of a dime.  It had a much different texture though, it was more starchy and not as flavorful.  I personally didn't care much for it.  We also had a very interesting dessert - Purple Corn pudding, called Mazamorra Morada.  I'm sure the version we had was not very authentic since it was boxed like jello and used a lot of artificial flavors, but it was something different to try. 
 And boy was it something different - it was like warm purple slime with pineapple chunks.  I know that sounds disgusting but it tasted good.  It had clove and cinnamon flavors and pineapple (suggested on the box).  My son loved it and ate two small bowls.  I would love to try the real thing to be able to compare!  And I was so excited to find another purple food - apparently only America has this purple food shortage!  I'd love to hear your comments if you try some of the dishes.  Don't let the multi-step recipe scare you - I would skip the potatoes and just serve it with the rice, or vice versa.
Enjoy!!!!!

Animals of Peru and an Art Project!

The Animals of Peru-

Well, I could probably write a very large book about the amazing animals of Peru, and I'm sure there are already many of them, so we focused on the two cutest- the Llama and the Guinea Pig.  Let's start with the little piggy.

The Guinea pig (also called a Cavy) is a large rodent.  It's not related to the pig at all and they've never come from Guinea so why they have that name had a few different answers on different websites.  The one I'm going with was that when the Europeans brought them to Europe they said they were from "Guinea" which is both a place and a term for "far -off place" that the sailors used to use.  That and the little grunts the animal makes is probably how they got that name.  In Peru they are called "cuy" and are an important part of the culture of the native South Americans as a food source (eep!) and in their traditional folk medicines.  The ancient Moche people worshipped the chubby little things and they are featured in some of their art.  Guinea pigs are also used by folk doctors, called "curanderos", to diagnose disease.  The guinea pig (black ones work best) are rubbed on the body of the sick person and then dissected for clues to the disease.  Hmmm, that would be an interesting doctors visit.  Most of the guinea pigs in Peru are eaten though, in fact, it's the national dish! 
Don't worry- we're not making it though!  We did go visit our friends guinea pig - it's a cutie and totally tolerant of the kids (unlike some hamsters I know)  That's probably why the European traders brought them back as pets in the 16th century! 









I have a riddle to introduce our next animal- What do you call a camel with no humps?   A llama.  Ok, that was a lame riddle but it is a fact.  Camels and llamas are related.  And like camels, llamas are handy animals to have around.  They have been used for centuries by the people of the Andes Mountains as pack animals.  They can carry up to 75 pounds over 20 miles in a day, they eat the plants along the way and require little water! What a blessing for the people.  But wait! There's More!  Llamas can also be used for their wool, which can be made into many things, and their skin to make leather. They can be eaten although they aren't very often. Even their poop can be used as fuel for fires!  I think we all need a llama, y'know, just in case.  Well, as cute as they are, I don't think my area is zoned for llamas, so we'll just have to make our own pretend ones!

The Llama Project-
For the project you will need:

• cotton balls
• cardboard
• lollipop sticks or popsicle sticks or chopsticks or even just sticks from the yard!
• glue
• scissors, tape and pen

1. Cut out a llama body shape from the cardboard.  Trust me- you don't need to be an artist.

2. Cut a slit on the top of the head and cut a small piece of cardboard to make ears.  Insert ears in slit.

3. Tape the sticks to make the legs.  Make sure they are equal or you'll have a very wobbly llama.

4.  Cover the sucker in cotton balls.  We pulled the balls apart a little so they covered more area.  Also leave the face and most of the legs bare.

5. Draw a face on your cute little llama

6. If you want to go the extra step, you can also make it a dress and have it "fall in love" with the other llama.  But that's totally optional.

Week 27: Peru

Hola from Peru!

Well, not really from Peru, but you know what I mean :)  This week we'll be learning what we can about this diverse country.  Here are a few things that you might find interesting-

• The capital is Lima (also it's largest city) and the coordinates on the map are 12.04°S/ 77.02°W.
• The official language is Spanish but the native languages of Quechua and Aymara are also spoken.
• Peru was a part of the Incan Empire and also the home of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Norte Chico.
• The great Incan temple, Machu Picchu, is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.

 

• Peru was once a Spanish colony (wasn't everything it seems?) but gained it's independence in 1821.  It was the last Sout American country to do so.
• Lake Titicaca (I can't help but snicker a little) is shared with Peru by Bolivia and is the largest lake in South America.
• Peru is one of the top producers in the world of Zinc, copper, silver and lead.  They are also one of the oldest petroleum producers.
• Sunflowers, tomatoes, potatoes, and avocadoes are all native to Peru (although some websites disputed that).  Potatoes have been grown in the Andes for over 7,000 years.

• The country of Peru has many different climates from desert to rainforest. 
• The Amazon River, the largest river (by volume) in the world, starts in Peru.

Whew, there's a lot to learn.  This week we'll learn about the animals of Peru, of course, the food and we'll hit up the local library to find some great books!  I'm ready to learn something new, are you??