What the HELL is Sofrito?

Hey Foodies!  This month instead of doing the Foodie Fitness Corner, I’m handling the recipe of the month. 

Long story short: I recently had surgery on my leg and I’m limited in activity. So rather than bore you all with my attempts at exercising within my doctor’s limits, I thought I’d put on my chef hat and bad Julia Child’s accent and share my sofrito recipe with you all.

Now I know what you all are thinking, “What the HELL is Sofrito?”

Those of you who have read Bariatric Foodie for a while have seen this ingredient mentioned many times in Nik’s cooking.  Whenever Nik uses this ingredient in her cooking, there are usually a few comments of the blog along the lines of “what is that?” and “where can I purchase that?”  Well, I’m here with a Foodie two-fer — I’m going to break down the basics of Sofrito and then also share with you all how I make my own!   

Those of you that have never heard of sofrito may have heard of its many cousins in other types of cuisine.   For example:

• People in Louisiana might know it as the “holy trinity”
•  In Italian cooking it’s called soffrito
• The French call it mirepoix
• It’s known as refogado in Portuguese, epis in Haitian cuisine and ginisá in Filipino cuisine, and suppengrün in Germany. 

(I bet you didn’t know you were going to get a global culture lesson in there too. Three-fer!)

What all these things have in common is that they are basic cooking bases that are used in each type of cuisine for stews, soups, rice and several other types of dishes.  Sofrito (that Nik uses and what I’m going to show you have to make) just happens to be the Latin/Hispanic/Caribbean version of this cooking base.

While there’s lots of variations on sofrito, generally it consists of garlic, onion and tomatoes and can be cooked in olive oil. From there you can add lots of things based on what you like. Some folks add sweet or hot peppers, herbs (like bay leaves, cumin, thyme and parsley). Sofrito is also a great recipe to use for those veggies and herbs that are “on their way home” (almost spoiled but not quite there yet).

I’m all about limiting food waste, so when I have veggies reaching that point, I whip out my food processor and make some sofrito. It freezes well and it really does give your savory recipes that extra something.

So without further adieu, here’s my sofrito making method in four easy steps:

Step One: Gather your veggies. 

Look at how sad and wilted they seem!  Check out that poor bell pepper…it was on its last leg.  And one of those tomatoes had a bad spot I had to cut out. Not picured here are the two heads of garlic I also used. 

Step Two: Chop! 

Here are my veggies all chopped up and ready to be made into sofrito.

Step Three: Mix it up!  

Throw your veggies into the food processor and pulse a few times until they start to resemble chunky salsa.

Step Four: It’s in the bag! 

Or at least it will be once you put it there.  I portion it out into small Ziploc snack size baggies and then put them all into a freezer bag and toss it into the freezer.  When I’m ready to use it, I grab a bag and toss the whole thing in still frozen. It works great!

Sofrito is a time and money saver. So I encourage you to try your hand at making this great cooking base. If you have any questions, feel free to send them my way at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com with the subject line "Sofrito." 

Until next month, Foodies!

This month we asked our Foodie News contributors about their guilty pleasures. Hillery's? Nail polish! She reports owning over 300 bottles. From Nik's experience of having hung out with Hillery in person, this reads more like an obsession but...who are we to judge!

Got a fitness (or, apparently, sofrito) question for Hillery? Hit her up at bariatricfoodie@yahoo.com!

What to eat on Cinqo de Mayo after Weight Loss Surgery

Aside from the holiday, today is my late "Pop-pop's" birthday. Manuel Fernandez was the first man I ever loved and I still miss him every day! In addition to being an awesome grandpa, he also laid the foundation to some of the recipes you guys enjoy from the blog. For instance, he taught me to make homemade pizza crust, which laid the groundwork to know how to make crusts for WLS-friendly pot pies, low-carb pocket apple pies, hot pockets and more!

But...for the rest of you it's Cinco de Mayo and you want Mexican. Am I right?

Here are a few faves from here on the blog! (Click the recipe title for the recipe)

Nachos a la Nik

Man, I haven't made these in forever! If I had pots, pans...a piece of tinfoil...spared from packing, I would totally make these. Loaded with protein, fiber and CRUNCH!

Enchiladas!

Bonus: In addition to being ooey and gooey, this one comes with a video of me demonstrating how to make them...and attempting Zumba. Gulp.

Mexican Egg Casserole

This is the perfect blend of Mexican and "breakfast-for-dinnner." And all the ingredients are at your local grocery store. I promise!

Mexican Chocolate Protein Shake

NEWBIES!  I've not forgotten you! This protein shake is soooooo yummy. And if you like chocolate shakes you already have everything it takes to make it. I PROMISE!

Taco Casserole

Who knew when I first stareted posting about this recipe a few years ago, who knew it would become such a...thing??? By far THE most clicked post on BF, the most referenced recipe I have ever published, taco casserole marries three yummy concepts: tacos, chili and refried beans. The result is NOMINOUS!!!

And if none of these ideas tickle your fancy (although...???), search Mexican on the right menu bar. There are many, many, MANY more ideas!

Gypsy's Cilantro Lime Chicken

Foodies...how do I love you? Let me count the ways...

Well, firstly, because you all are always on time! What do I mean by that? Well, if you haven't heard yet, the divas and I are moving! On May 5 to be exact. So you know what that means...not much recipe invention going on over this end until the big move.

But you guys always have me covered. I love when folks send me their recipes! It's always fun to peek into your kitchens.

This one comes to me from my fabulous friend (and Bariatric Foodie Pledge enthusiast) Gypsy!

Here's what she had to say:

This is what we are having for dinner tonight. So yummy and my oldest actually requested the Cilantro Lime Chicken ;). Full of protein and flavor!! Enjoy

~Gypsy

Gypsy's Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (2 lb. total)

 (i'm using chicken tenders) 

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper 

Preparation

(BF Note: This recipe would also be great if you use the "BF Secret to Marinating Meat" for tender meat every time!)

1. 1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness (about 1/2 in.) and place in a shallow baking pan.
2. 2. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and turn pieces to coat evenly. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.
3. 3. Lay chicken on a grill over medium heat (you can hold your hand over the surface only 4 to 5 seconds) and cook, turning once, until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

 ...And get this...Gypsy gave us a two-fer! 

Cilantro Bean Salad

Throw some kidney beans & garbanzo beans in a bowl- drained and rinsed, with some lemon juice and olive oil, garlic salt & red onions & cilantro. Refrigerate & eat for a snack or lunch! Better the next day when all the flavors meld together.   

Thanks Gypsy for those great recipes! If YOU have a recipe to share with the Foodie Nation, hit me up! I'd love to feature you. 

Mexican Sausage & Peppers

(This recipe is brought to you by Trader Joes. Yummy!)


So the divas and I went to Trader Joe’s the other day. For us this is a trek but it’s well worth it. I always try to pick up at least one thing I’ve never tried before to broaden my horizons. So this time I got some Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausages. They look like this:

(Not my hand)

Now anyone who knows me knows I don’t have the ability to eat food products as they come to me. I have to make it into something else. HAVE TO.

Here’s what I did with my sausages.

Nik’s Mexican Sausage and Peppers

Ingredients:
1 TJ’s Spicy Jalapeno Chicken Sausage, cut into slices
½ of a small onion, cut into strips
¼ of a green pepper, cut into strips
1/3 c. salsa (I used regular medium salsa but TJ’s chipotle salsa would do well as well)
¼ c. Mexican blend cheese

Directions:

I cooked my sausage whole on the grill pan while simultaneously sautéing the onions and peppers on my griddle. This worked well since I like my onions caramelized and my peppers fairly soft.

By the time the onions and peppers were about ready, the sausage was done. I transferred it to a cutting board and cut it into slices. If you are newer out, you might want to think about even dicing the sausage into smaller pieces.

Add the sausage pieces to the onions and peppers on the griddle pan and mix them well. Add the salsa and stir until fully incorporated.

Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with cheese while hot. NOM!

TIP: To make this a super tasty breakfast I added some scrambled eggs into the mix which, for me, made this two meals. Without the eggs, for me, it is one. Your mileage, of course, may vary.